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- Three athletes experienced drug induced psychotic reactions due to use of illicit substances - Three athletes retired because they weren't able to control their addiction - One athlete had three strikes - Three athletes who have had to withdraw temporarily because of substance abuse issues that needed to be treated - Five athletes who have used their illicit substance use as a means of treating their psychiatric symptoms - Five athletes with attitudinal and personality type issues He emphasised that the illicit drug use among AFL footballers was low and the policy was an effective intervention tool because it provided the opportunity for the League and clubs to support players' health and wellbeing. The AFL Players' Association interim CEO Ian Prendergast said its main priority was to make sure that a player's confidentiality was maintained. He accepted that Dr Harcourt was not aware the presentation was being filmed and said it was important his comments were not sensationalised. The Players' Association reaffirmed its support for the Illicit Drug Policy, which players have entered into voluntarily as a method for supporting the health and wellbeing of players. "While it is unfortunate that the comments have become public, they demonstrate the important role the Illicit Drugs Policy (IDP) plays in supporting player health and wellbeing," Prendergast said. "The IDP is an educational and medical based model, which exists on the basis of confidentiality for all individuals involved. We know that the medical approach to drug use is the best way to protect players’ health and wellbeing. It is imperative that privacy and confidentiality of players is maintained, and that the comments made by Dr Harcourt are not sensationalised." Harcourt said that the bulk of the players dealt with under the Illicit Drug Policy had used substances because of "one-off, stupid, risk taking behaviour that happens in social situations probably because they have had too much to drink." He said the policy meant the AFL was more aware of some of the drivers of player behaviour, including mental health issues and in a small amount of cases a disengaged group that was probably a bit narcissistic. There were 1998 tests conducted in 2013, with fewer than one percent of those tested failing the tests. This was a drop from 2012, when positive tests rose above one per cent for the first time since 2007. THREE AFL players have retired due to drug addiction and it has also been revealed other players were temporarily withdrawn from play while being treated for drug use.The revelations are contained in a presentation the AFL's medical director Dr Peter Harcourt made last year, which came to light as part of Essendon and James Hird's Federal Court action against ASADA.Dr Harcourt made the statements at a FIFA anti-doping sports conference in Zurich when informing the audience about the AFL'sin a presentation titledHe told the audience there were several issues the AFL had confronted since introducing the policy in 2005. They were: |
UPDATE: The M9.4 flare on Oct. 23, 2013, was associated with a coronal mass ejections or CME, a solar phenomenon that can send billions of tons of particles into space that can reach Earth one to three days later. These particles cannot travel through the atmosphere to harm humans on Earth, but they can affect electronic systems in satellites and on the ground. [image-69] To see how this event may impact Earth, please visit NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center at http://spaceweather.gov, the U.S. government's official source for space weather forecasts, alerts, watches and warnings. CMEs can cause a spaceweather phenomenon called a geomagnetic storm, which occurs when they connect with the outside of Earth's magnetic envelope, the magnetosphere, for an extended period of time. In the past, geomagnetic storms caused by CMEs of this strength have usually been mild. NASA's SDO Sees Sun Emit a Mid-level Solar Flare - Oct. 24, 2013 [image-36] The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare that peaked at 8:30 pm EDT on Oct. 23, 2013. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however -- when intense enough -- they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. Such radiation can disrupt radio signals for as long as the flare is ongoing, anywhere from minutes to hours. To see how this event may impact Earth, please visit NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center at http://spaceweather.gov, the U.S. government's official source for space weather forecasts, alerts, watches and warnings. This flare is classified as an M9.4 flare, on a scale from M1 to M9.9. This rating puts it at the very top of the scale for M class flares, which are the weakest flares that can cause some space weather effects near Earth. In the past, they have caused brief radio blackouts at the poles. The next highest level is X-class, which denotes the most intense flares. Increased numbers of flares are quite common at the moment, since the sun is near solar maximum. Humans have tracked solar cycles continuously since they were discovered in 1843, and it is normal for there to be many flares a day during the sun's peak activity. Related Links |
's�has been revealed to be dating! Ilgan Sports�reported that she was dating Pittsburgh Pirates player Kang Jung Ho�and�that the pair have been dating for three months. The two had known each other, but got close last September when he asked her to throw the first pitch for him. Back then, she'd said that they got close via a common friend.� The pair got closer when she stayed in the States after her pitch, touring the city together and dining together. A friend reported that the pair had already seemed like they were closer than a regular oppa-dongsaeng relationship. � After Kang Jung Ho had to leave the season due to a knee injury, Hyomin kept supporting him through texting, SNS, and phone calls. They started dating January this year. Congratulations to the new couple! |
I’ve never tried being a man, but the writer Norah Vincent did in a year-long experiment for her book Self-Made Man, and she found out two things. Firstly, that people were amazingly eager to accept her as a man on the basis of a bound chest, a flat-top haircut, masculine clothing and some ersatz stubble. Secondly, that while it was easy to get classed as a man, living in that class meant being subject to constant scrutiny: “Someone is always evaluating your manhood [...] everybody is always on the lookout for your weakness or your inadequacy”. In the end, Vincent suffered what she calls a “crack-up”, attributing it to the pressure of her restrictive alter-ego. The best way to think about gender is as a kind of hell. Men occupy the narrow centre, with various degrees of “non-men” expanding outward in concentric circles, every region bristling with demons ready to prod deviants back into line or cast recalcitrants into the outer darkness. A man who falls out of manliness can only fall so far. A woman who fails at femininity, as Glosswitch describes, has failed doubly by gender’s underworld logic: first of all to be male, and secondly to be a woman, a low enough condition on its own even before you get banished to the far fringes of the inferno. In the last few weeks, comments from Woman’s Hour presenter Jenni Murray (“Be trans, be proud — but don’t call yourself a ‘real woman’”) and novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (“transwomen are transwomen”) have led to furious debates about what a “real woman” actually is. What is not discussed is what a “real man” is and why particular male people might not meet the criteria. This is frustratingly obvious once you’ve noticed it, and yet it largely does pass unnoticed, because this is how gender works: a man is the thing that never has to ask what he is, because everything out in the emasculated penumbra is defined with reference to him. For an extraordinarily blatant example of this, see Saira Khan’s Mirror column responding to Murray. Khan has a transwoman friend, she writes, who has “now found love with an amazing man who wants to marry her and doesn’t care about her past. And if he accepts her as a real woman, where does Dame Jenni get off thinking she can tell her she isn’t one?” It’s an appeal to the authority of the penis that has the curious effect of defining a “woman” as “whatever a man wants to have sex with”. He is the subject, she is the object. And according to this argument, a male sufficiently objectified becomes by definition a she. A man can fail at masculinity and fall out of the rank of the manly in many ways. The Ancient Greeks thought a small penis implied the desirably masculine quality of restraint, hence the adorable mini-wieners on their idealised statues of men (the corollary stereotype of well-hung animalistic hypersexuality is alive and well in modern racist porn on the “big black cock” theme). Twentieth-century anti-Semitism portrayed Jewish men as dangerous precisely because they were allegedly unmanly: the Blood Libel is linked to a belief that Jewish men were so womanly, they menstruated, and needed to replenish their circulation. Byron, and other upper-class critics, dismissed Keats as a “Cockney”, a word which implied both low breeding and effeminacy. The rules of being a man are arbitrary, racialised and entwined with class. And men defend them, even when the rules are used against them. Being teased over his masculinity did nothing to make Keats sympathetic to women: in an 1817 letter, he described himself to be “vexed and teased by a set of Devils, whom I detest so much that I almost hunger after an acherontic promotion to a Torturer”. These “Devils” were women writers. Life in the middle of hell is tightly packed and overheated, with little room to move; but nevertheless, it’s better to be the masculine One than the non-man Other. Satan might be the most damned, but he’s still in charge. Masculinity is rigid and impenetrable, obsessively exiling its impure elements. Critics of Murray and Adichie have accused them of “biological essentialism” and attempting to “restrict womanhood”. There is no reciprocal accusation against men for violently excluding feminine males from manhood, because manhood is supposed to be exclusive, while womanhood should be (in the memorable words of Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts) “like the blob that ate Detroit” – able to accommodate anything that masculinity rejects. In our gender revolutionary times, people still seem to find it easier to accept the existence of a “female penis” than of little boys who like princesses and pink. If we understood that a “real man” can be any human male, and that human maleness encompasses a whole range of personalities, aptitudes and preferences – if we could do that, then men would be free from their narrow circle of gender hell. But if that happened, the hell of gender would collapse entirely, and men would lose their position of dominance. The demand that womanhood be unbounded is really a demand that male authority be unquestioned. So ask the question: not what is a woman, but what is a man? Who gets to decide? And why is it so important that the “un-manly” be bundled elsewhere? |
From Monday through Wednesday this week, we’re presenting our third annual Vulture TV Awards, honoring the best in television from the past year. We’re taking a purer approach this time, with in-depth, critical essays on three major categories: Show, Actor, and Actress. Each piece makes a thorough case for our winners, and why they beat the competition. The shows that were considered had to be ongoing, which disqualifies limited series and shows that ended their runs in the past year. They also must have wrapped up their season by June 26. Carrie Coon’s work on the second season of The Leftovers can be described using many words, but the one that springs to mind before all others is “fierce.” As Nora Durst, a woman trying to reassemble her life following the sudden departure of her husband and children in the HBO drama’s rapture–like event, her performance radiates a stubborn determination to believe that everything is going to be okay. From the measured edginess in her speaking voice to the way her gaze challenges anyone who suggests that the inexplicable may strike again, Coon’s Nora is no longer numb, as she often was in the show’s first season — she’s ultra-focused. Some people on this show are ardent believers in higher powers; Nora is a zealot about moving forward and not looking back. Coon is one of those actors whose mere presence elevates every scene she’s in, even when she’s not necessarily the focus of it. On The Leftovers she’s surrounded by gifted castmates — Regina King, Justin Theroux, and Christopher Eccleston among them — who don’t need any assistance in having their games raised. Yet when they’re working opposite Coon, one can sense she’s taking them a little higher. She’s great at that thing acting teachers always say is so important, but that spectators of theater, film, and television tend to underestimate: listening and reacting. Whether her brother Matt, played by Eccleston, is telling her about a miraculous transformation he witnessed in his wife or she’s engaging in idle backyard barbecue chit-chat with her new neighbors, she’s always engaged and attuned to what’s happening around her, in a way that doesn’t look like acting and more closely resembles actual living. While quiet intensity may be Coon’s signature, there’s a fragility that’s always lying beneath her surface. A simple comment or question that hits Nora the wrong way can push her over the edge. Paradoxically, it’s Coon’s sense of control — the way she carries herself with such commitment to keeping her balance — that makes it clear how desperate her character is to find that balance. Physically, she maintains perpetually perfect posture, never letting her toned, broad shoulders slump even after she’s just chucked a rock through her next-door neighbor’s window or learned her husband is having hallucinations. Nora deals with what life throws at her with steeliness and a sardonic sense of humor but, to borrow the words of Bob Dylan, when she breaks, she’s like a little girl, tears suddenly spill from her eyes when her wounds are reopened. When she’s threatened, she devolves into panic or explodes with sudden, deliberate, radio-smashing rage. Another actor might handle these outbursts in ways that feel showy or scream “Nominate me for an Emmy.” But Coon moves through these mood shifts so naturally, it feels like we’re not watching a performance — we’re spying on someone’s private pain. She is so completely her character — this sad, unapologetic, confident, scared, self-righteous pseudo-widow — that, as I write this, I keep losing track of whether to refer to her as Carrie Coon or Nora Durst. That may be the highest compliment that can be paid to her work: It’s so thorough and fully realized, it’s often hard to tell where Nora Durst ends and Carrie Coon begins. THE CASE FOR CARRIE COON 1. “Are the people gone?” (2.4, “Orange Sticker”) In the fourth episode of season two, Nora awakens in her living room after an earthquake and, with her boyfriend Kevin (Theroux) missing, immediately assumes another sudden departure has occurred. Attempting to find answers, Nora, who’s just moved into her new house in Jardin, Texas, realizes she has no cable, no wi-fi, and no way to immediately confirm that the worst hasn’t happened a second time. She calls 911 and illogically asks the operator, “Are the people gone?” Then Kevin walks through the door, and she eagerly embraces him for a moment, but just as quickly lets go and coldly walks away. In the span of a minute and a half, Coon skates through this vast emotional spectrum — panic, frustration, sobbing relief and, ultimately, anger at Kevin for rocking her so far off her carefully laid foundation — and does so with a fluidity that will look familiar to anyone who’s ever ridden similar waves of grief and fear. But the most amazing, telling thing that Coon does here is simply breathe: at first rapidly, so she can barely speak; then deeply, when Theroux enters the scene; and then normally, quietly, as if nothing had made her gasp mere seconds earlier. The way Coon takes in oxygen is filled with intent, and speaks to Nora’s insistence on keeping her emotions in check. 2. “I evolved.” (2.6, “Lens”) One of the stand-out moments in The Leftovers’ exceptional second season is the scene in which Nora administers a government questionnaire designed to determine whether Erika’s daughter, Evie, legitimately departed or simply went good old-fashioned missing. In the course of the conversation between these two alpha moms, Erika hints that God may indeed have taken her daughter away, and that Erika’s choices may have caused that to happen. Nora responds by batting down Erika’s entire belief system — “Your logic, it’s a little all over the place, don’t you think?” she condescendingly asks — prompting Erika to start asking questions about what happened when Nora lost her own family. Coon articulates every word extra carefully, molding syllables with the same attention Nora gives to molding other people’s worldviews, as well as her own firmly entrenched state of denial. During the questionnaire, she hyper-articulates every query until she gets to the word “lens,” a term used to describe people whose presence causes sudden departures. She half-swallows and almost chokes on that word in a way that highlights the repression of her own guilt regarding the loss of her family, and the question marks that hover over her the same way they hover over Erika. While attempting to make the case for her superior way of viewing the world, she tells her neighbor, “I evolved,” taking her time with “evolved” — a relative of evolution, a theory that contradicts the idea that God’s hand is in everything — so that it lands with a punch. As she and Erika continue to talk, their faces are shown in increasingly tight close-ups, so that when Erika inevitably punches back, we can see in detail what happens when Coon’s facade crumbles: her chin quivers, a tears bubbles up and out of her left eye, and she’s rendered speechless. 3. “Fix that, Jesus.” (2.10, “I Live Here Now”) This scene unfolds as Nora is attending to her wheelchair-bound sister-in-law, Mary (Janel Moloney), and her infant daughter while listening to a talk-radio program. On the air, a father who lost a child in the sudden departure explains that his wife left him because she didn’t want to have another baby. The host of the show tells the caller that his wife was right to not want another child; she can’t be a loving mother again yet, because she’s too broken to be ready. The only thing that can fix her, he says, is Jesus. The camera stays on Coon the entire time as she listen to this, absorbing the information. Watch how much she expresses wordlessly, as a variety of expressions play out across her face — slight eye roll, brow furrowed in curiosity, tiny glimmers of empathy — as Nora contemplates how this couple’s situation applies to her own, and then decides to do what she does next: calmly stride across the room, pick up the radio, and slam it onto the floor so it shatters into pieces. “Fix that, Jesus,” she says. Coon delivers the line so straight that it’s both hilarious and the perfect illustration of the way Nora shuts down her own doubts. A few seconds later, another earthquake hits and the comatose Mary speaks in Nora’s presence for the first time in years, resulting in a look of wonder and confused joy on Coon’s face that is worthy of a Steven Spielberg movie. The whole scene, as she plays it, transcends a single performance in an episode: It captures the essence of The Leftovers, a show about people trying to hold on to what’s rational while the universe insists on tossing the inexplicable in front of their eyes. HOW WE PICKED HER A number of lead actresses gave amazing performances this year that are worthy of praise. If we go back to that word I used earlier — “fierce” — we could be here all day naming women whose work exemplifies that adjective. Women like: Sarah Paulson (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story), Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Kirsten Dunst (Fargo), Shiri Appleby (UnREAL), Taraji P. Henson (Empire), Keri Russell (The Americans), Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), Felicity Huffman (American Crime), Lili Taylor (American Crime), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep), Robin Wright (House of Cards), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Aya Cash (You’re the Worst), Lena Dunham (Girls), and Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe). More specifically, when it comes to performances that exhibit control with flashes of fragility, a number of woman excelled in that department this year. But if I had to nominate only a few, I would single out Keri Russell, Michelle Dockery, Lili Taylor, Sarah Paulson, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. (Yes, I know we said mini-series are excluded from consideration in the Vulture TV Awards. But the acting in some of this year’s ongoing anthology shows, particularly American Crime Story and American Crime, felt too significant to ignore.) On The Americans, Russell was a master of restraint, who, after betraying perhaps the only real female friend she’s ever had in Young Hee, allowed her clear regret and sadness to peek out, but only for a second. Then it was back to maintaining her cover and emotional armor. Seriously: Elizabeth Jennings and Nora Durst could co-teach a hell of a seminar on denial. But Coon edges her out, just barely, because she consistently radiates a power that Russell doesn’t always match. As Lady Mary on Downton Abbey, Dockery revealed a warmth and raw emotion in the series’ final season that was all the more powerful because she usually kept it so deeply hidden beneath Mary’s sub-zero-degree demeanor. But as a character, Lady Mary doesn’t give Dockery nearly as many levels to play with as Nora provides Coon. On American Crime, a show packed with solid performances, Taylor stands out as a mother so anxious to pursue justice for her son that she loses sight of whether her actions are actually serving his best interests. Taylor projects raw emotion at every turn. When she’s angry, she’s a human piano wire threatening to snap; in her more subdued moments, you can see the degree to which exhaustion has seeped into her bones. But, with the caveat that trying to quantify what’s “better” about one actor’s work versus another’s is hardly science, Taylor doesn’t command the screen to the same degree that I feel Coon does. The two performances that come closest to matching Coon’s are Paulson’s on that other show with American Crime in the title — The People v. O.J. Simpson — and Louis-Dreyfus on Veep. Paulson is the one actress here who is playing a real person, and she manages to convey the essence of Marcia Clark without resorting to imitation. More importantly, she’s got that control with flashes of fragility thing down pat, as we watch her fight back tears of frustration like she’s doing it on behalf of every underestimated working woman in the history of America. And in this year of the (possible) woman president, Louis-Dreyfus brings all kinds of shades to Selina Meyer as she deals with her own politically uncertain future and personal trials, like the death of her mother. I came very close to choosing Louis-Dreyfus as best actress, largely because of her performance in the episode I just alluded to, “Mother,” an extraordinary showcase for her ability to travel up and down emotional scales while being completely hilarious at the same time. I don’t know that I’ve seen anything on TV this year as darkly comic and simultaneously heartbreaking as Selina’s farewell to her dying mother and subsequent crazy-giggly celebration of the fact that ballots will be recounted in Nevada. Louis-Dreyfus is simply amazing. So what makes Coon more amazing than Louis-Dreyfus or Paulson, and therefore more deserving of this honor? Coon possesses a magnetism that I haven’t seen in another actress this year. As she proved in season one of The Leftovers and established even more firmly in season two, when she’s onscreen, she’s like gravity: She pulls you toward her center. There is something powerful about her — about the way she’s always thinking, the way her emotions expand and recede, how her facial expressions are sometimes so clearly at war with her desire to convey equilibrium. It’s a quality that can’t be learned, in my opinion. Coon has it in her acting DNA. While, as noted before, she uses language and speech as a key tool in her arsenal, her biggest strength is her silence. You can turn off the sound on an episode of The Leftovers and watch Coon on mute, and it’s still possible to not only be riveted, but to have a genuinely profound emotional experience while watching her. As good as Paulson and Louis-Dreyfus are, I’m not sure they pull off that same level of magic trick. There’s also an undercurrent to Coon’s performance that resonates especially deeply in our current cultural climate, to a degree that the other performances I mentioned don’t, quite. Paulson’s portrayal of Marcia Clark helps to widen our understanding of a key moment in our past; Louis-Dreyfus, perhaps, enables us to imagine a potential, hopefully less bumbling and profane future with a woman in the White House. What Coon is doing speaks very specifically to where the average American’s head and heart is, right now. She’s playing a woman befuddled by the bad things that have happened to her and struggling to get a grip on them and herself. And isn’t that all of us, every day, when we watch the news and hear about another mass shooting, or a terrorist attack in Paris, or witness the latest developments in this ugly presidential race? Our world is not the world of The Leftovers. No one’s suddenly departed from here, at least not yet. But the issues of loss, grief, and frustration that percolate on that show mirror our own. Carrie Coon delivers an enormously convincing, moving performance. But that performance feels like something even more special because, as we watch Nora struggle, it often feels like we’re watching ourselves. |
In a move that has angered environmentalists and wildlife enthusiasts, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed on March 3, 2016, to strip the iconic Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) grizzly bear of its protected status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), recommending that state-based conservation plans be used to manage the population instead. Those management plans could also open the door for grizzly hunting — a practice that’s been outlawed in the lower 48 states since 1975 when the species was first listed to the ESA — and a practice wildlife organizations say they won’t stand for. Ursus arctos horribilis, as the great bear is scientifically know, is currently listed as threatened by the USFWS, and occupies less than two percent of its historic home-range. The legendary predator had been poached to near extinction by the mid-twentieth century, and was one of the first species in America to receive protection under the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966. A few years later, the grizzly would also become one of the first to be listed to the ESA after it became law in 1973. Numbers had dipped as low as 136 in the Yellowstone-Teton region back in 1975. Today, that same population harbors somewhere in the neighborhood of 715 animals — an improvement USFWS is calling a “historic success” — and a point the Service is using to justify delisting the Yellowstone grizzly. But not everyone agrees with that assessment. Environmental groups point out the species occupies a dismally low portion of its once expansive range, and say the creature should remain safely protected under the ESA. “Like history repeating itself, the Service is once again attempting to evade its duty to protect imperiled wildlife on behalf of all Americans,” said Kelly Nokes, carnivore campaign lead for environmental group WildEarth Guardians. “The Service should be devoting public resources toward achieving grizzly bears’ recovery across their range, not cherry-picking one population to prematurely declare success while undermining restoration everywhere else,” Nokes continued. WildEarth Guardians also says delisting the bear before any solid state conservation plans are in place to protect it would be a knee-jerk reaction, stating in a press release, “the proposed stripping of protections [are] based on mere promises of future actions.” But not everyone is mad about the proposed delisting. Hunters, ranchers, multi-party conservation groups and government agencies are cheering the idea, saying that ESA protections are supposed to be used only to salvage a species and help its numbers to recover, whereafter the states should take over. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, a group containing the Forest Service (USFS), Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (USNPS), the state wildlife agencies of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington, as well as the British Columbia Wildlife Branch, the Alberta Wildlife Branch, and Parks Canada wrote this in a statement: The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) is encouraged by the announcement by the United States Fish & Wildlife Service that it is beginning the final step in the process to delist the Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear population. According to IGBC Chair and Director of the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife James Unsworth, “It has only been through decades of committed scientific management by IGBC member agencies that the Yellowstone grizzly population has met and exceeded all biological goals set forth in the recovery plan. The goal of the Endangered Species Act is to bring populations back to the point that the states can resume control. In the case of the Yellowstone grizzly we have met that goal. But environmental groups fired back, saying the bear would surely come under assault from multiple angles should current protections be removed. “It’s simply too soon to remove protections for grizzly bears,” asserted Andrea Santarsiere, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “We’re prepared to make sure the Service follows the science and the law to ensure these wonderful animals can truly recover,” Santarsiere continued. “We’re disappointed that the Obama administration is taking such a narrow view of grizzly bear recovery.” On the other hand, USFWS says the number of animals in the region has remained roughly the same over the past decade, indicating a “stable” population and pronouncing, “the Yellowstone ecosystem is at or near its carrying capacity for the bears.” Even if that is the case, some grizzly bear biologists also fear the Yellowstone population could run into a problem with lack of genetic diversity, and say the bear should remain protected — at least until the Yellowstone population can be adjoined to other still unconnected sub-populations. Environmental groups hold little faith in state-run conservation efforts, and say linking populations will be difficult without current ESA protections. But USFWS Director Dan Ashe claims recovery can continue just fine with the states taking over. “Even with this proposed delisting, the service remains committed to the conservation of the Yellowstone grizzly bear, and will stay engaged to ensure that this incredible species remains recovered,” he said. US Fish and Wildlife Service Has Tried and Failed to Delist the Grizzly Before USFWS tried to remove protections for the grizzly a decade ago, but a federal judge shot them down following legal challenges. Now the Service is trying again, and these efforts will surely not go uncontested either. What’s interesting in this story though, is that USFWS is not proposing merely to maintain what it calls a “stable” population — the agency is actually suggesting to reduce the number of bears for the region to 500 — a would-be drop of over 200. “The bears will be treated as a game species after federal protections are removed, opening them up to extremely controversial sport hunting seasons in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho,” wrote WildEarth Guardians in its press release. The possibility that conservative western states, like Idaho and Montana, would deploy hunting as part of their “conservation” strategies, must be taken very seriously. For example, Idaho’s highly controversial “wolf-killing derbies” should be examined as part of a historical track record when addressing predator conservation plans in these places. Experts tell EnviroNews Wyoming it seems likely Idaho, Montana and Wyoming could deploy similar hunts on grizzlies if the new rule takes hold. Public Comment Period to Commence on Delisting of Yellowstone Grizzly USFWS says it will now hold a 60-day public comment period on the draft conservation strategy, and the supplemental 1993 Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan (Yellowstone population), where it intends to review opinions from agencies, scientists, and the public at large. Nokes told EnviroNews Wyoming it is “highly likely” WildEarth Guardians and others will “seek to have the comment period extended.” USFWS has not released the drafts on the Federal Register as of yet, but once it does, citizens and experts alike will be able to make their voices heard. Members of the public may check back at this link for the drafts: http://www.regulations.gov/ A Bear of a Battle to Come WildEarth Guardians and Center for Biological Diversity, have achieved victorious rulings in court over the federal government on hundreds of imperiled wildlife species. In fact, the two organizations alone, have forced USFWS to move forward on protections for some 800 species. To say the groups strongly oppose USFWS’ March 3 announcement would be an understatement. “Though grizzlies occupy less than two-percent of their historic range in the lower-48 states, the Service decided to place political interests ahead of its duty to recover the species as a whole,” said WildEarth Guardians. Center for Biological diversity already filed a petition with USFWS in June of 2014, requesting the Service revise and beef up its recovery plan for Ursus arctos — a request the Center says has fallen on deaf ears. The non-profit organization maintains there are still multiple areas in the bear’s historic range that are suitable for it to thrive — and it wants to see the animals reintroduced there. The Center says the Selway-Bitterroot, Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, southern Rockies of Colorado and Grand Canyon area in Arizona are prime targets. Others say Utah’s Uintah Mountains and additional areas in both Utah and Idaho could harbor the bear as well. WildEarth Guardians indicated to EnviroNews Wyoming that multi-group legal action is highly probable should USFWS choose to move ahead with the proposed delisting. Endangered species battles of this nature have a historic track record of dragging out for years-on-end in court before settlements or final rulings are achieved. The Mighty Grizzly, Too Much for American Society Native American cultures revered, respected and even feared the mighty grizzly bear for its obvious physical power, but also for its spiritual qualities, whereas European colonists sought to wipe the creature from the face of the earth completely. That’s not to say every person of European decent or white skin color desired genocide for the iconic predator, but the same can’t be said for American society altogether, as grizzlies were hunted to complete extinction over most of their home-range. Native Americans, as a whole, didn’t set out to obliterate the grizzly — but European pioneers did. This is not a racial point — simply a historical fact. Sadly, the livestock-based existence of “civilized” society, just didn’t jive with the lumbering lifestyle of America’s most powerful predator — in a world in which it was the boss and had no human telling it where it could and couldn’t roam — in a world in which it wasn’t confined to zoos or the boundaries of parks and wildlife preserves. America’s Most Powerful Predator Reduced to Rubble There are six recognized distinct population segments of grizzly: The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), North Cascades sub-population, Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (Glacier National Park area), the Selway-Bitterroot Ecosystem of Idaho and Montana, the Cabinet-Yaak sub-population, and the Selkirk sub-population. To be clear, USFWS’ proposed rule is only targeted at the GYE population, but environmental groups say this smells of a sneaky backdoor way to delist the entire grizzly bear species piece-by-piece — a move they say is not only shady, but also unlawful. Noteworthy on this point is the fact that in the case Humane Society of the United States v. Jewell, the D.C. District Court ruled that the Service cannot remove a distinct population segment from the ESA for the purpose of delisting a species as a whole in piecemeal fashion. “Yellowstone grizzly bears are an isolated population that is experiencing high levels of conflicts with people and is likely declining in the wake of the loss of whitebark pine, a critically important food source,” said Sylvia Fallon, a senior scientist at Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC). No matter which way the pie is sliced, two-four percent of its historic range, doesn’t sound like much of a recovery at all to many wildlife lovers. The Future of the Great Grizzly Today, the grizzly remains in few places, with a grand total of around 1,500 specimens in the lower 48 states — down from 50,000. All but about 100 or so of those bears exist in Montana and Wyoming with about half of those belonging to the aforementioned Yellowstone-Teton population. Around 100 bears reside between eastern and northern Idaho with another 20 bears taking refuge in Washington’s Cascade Mountains. Sightings have been reported in both Utah and Colorado, though no official confirmation has been made in any of these cases. Several legal attempts to reintroduce grizzlies into historic territories have been shot down in court over the years, leaving many to wonder if or when the lumbering giant will ever return to former strongholds of its once immense home. Center for Biological Diversity, a group that boasts a 93% success rate in endangered species court battles, failed with a petition to introduce the grizzly to California recently, leaving people to wonder if a grizzly bear will ever step foot in the Golden State again. In December of 2014, the Center also introduced a petition to reintroduce grizzlies into the Idaho-Montana adjoining Selway-Bitterroot — a proposal the organization said could have tremendous ecological benefit by connecting into the Yellowstone population. The region had been designated as a target for reintroduction by USFWS in 1993, but the idea was stifled during the George W. Bush administration. Real estate, agriculture and energy production are gobbling up the West at a baffling pace. With myriad threats facing the grizzly bear, how will the species not only survive, but thrive, in a once vast wilderness, now fast disappearing? PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD UNDERWAY ON DELISTING OF YELLOWSTONE GRIZZLY EDITOR’S NOTE: This section was amended by the EnviroNews Wyoming Editor on March 20, 2016, to reflect the opening of the public comment period. USFWS is now holding a 60-day public comment period on the draft conservation strategy, and the supplemental 1993 Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan (Yellowstone population), where it intends to review opinions from agencies, scientists, and the public at large. Nokes told EnviroNews Wyoming it is “highly likely” WildEarth Guardians and others will “seek to have the comment period extended.” USFWS is encouraging citizens and experts alike to make their voices heard. Members of the public may visit the following link to post their official comment in the Federal Resister. |
November 6, 2015 by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff, with a file from The Canadian Press TORONTO—Shares of Hydro One Ltd. are trading on the open market—much to the chagrin of a legion of municipalities, business groups, unions and individual Ontarians. The utility made its public debut amid significant ire and heavy trading Nov. 6. Among a large number of issues, detractors say the privatization will cause electricity rates to “skyrocket” and give the private sector control over a historically public piece of the province’s infrastructure. “We made hydro public more than 100 years ago because it was the right thing to do. Public hydro was created so we’d have reliable, affordable electricity to fuel our economy and improve our lives,” Fred Hahn, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario, said. “Today, the Liberal government has betrayed that history. It’s a mistake, and the Liberals must not go any further with their disastrous privatization plans.” The government’s initial offering of 81.1 million shares is planned to lead to the eventual sale of 60 per cent of the company. Though opponents have been highly-critical of the move, proponents note the Ontario Energy Board sets hydro rates in the province, which will protect consumers, while the sale’s proceeds will provide Ontario with much-needed cash. Ontario’s Finance Minister, Charles Sousa, said he was pleased to see the offering of Hydro One shares was being “well-received” on the markets. “Every uptick on the market is an indication the future offerings will net even greater proceeds benefiting all Ontarians,” Sousa said. “It will mean billions of dollars being reinvested into our economy, into building new assets, into producing greater revenues,” he added. Ontario forged ahead with the IPO despite calls from numerous stakeholders and a sceptical report from budget watchdog, Stephen LeClair, Ontario’s Financial Accountability Officer, which was released late last week. Though stopping the initial sale is now out of reach, CUPE Ontario, among many others, continues to oppose the utility’s further privatization and is calling on the Liberal government to halt any future share offering. “We’re losing huge long-term revenue, and the reality is this really isn’t about infrastructure spending. In fact, over the long-term it means Ontario will have less money for programs and infrastructure,” Hahn said. “The Liberals must stop before their mistake becomes the economic tragedy of a generation.” |
“Hiding, are we? Good! I could use a challenge, because after I get rid of you, rounding up your little ape family will be ALL TOO EASY!” ―Clayton taunting Tarzan[src] Clayton is the main antagonist of Disney's 1999 animated film, Tarzan. Contents show] Background In Tarzan, Clayton, a veteran hunter and guide, served as guide for Jane and her father Archimedes Q. Porter on an expedition to Africa in search for gorillas, but his secret agenda was to use the trip as a means to hunt gorillas in order to sell them on the black market. Clayton was arrogant and totally convinced in his own abilities and invulnerability. Personality Clayton initially appeared to be a chivalrous gentleman, albeit with a fragile temper and intolerance for treating the African expedition as a vacation experience, rather than a business endeavor, as the Porters were often sidetracked by sights and wildlife other than the gorillas. He has also shown a hint of hatred toward animals, and ignorance in terms of understanding them, believing gorillas to be savage beasts, in spite of Professor Porter's hypothesis that gorillas are generally social creatures. This also ties to Clayton's slight paranoia of the jungle, as he was shown to be overly protective of himself, as well as trigger-happy, blasting his gun the second he suspects that an animal, other than a gorilla, may be nearby. As time goes on throughout the film, Clayton's patience with the Porters wanes thin, and with it, his true nature begins to unfold; one that is vicious, abusive, and conniving. By the time the climax comes forth, he is revealed to be a very sinister individual who was planning to make wealth from selling gorillas. According to the audio commentary of the Tarzan DVD, Clayton's actions during his final moments in the film were meant to mirror the film's initial antagonist, Sabor, thus symbolizing Clayton's increasing lack of humanity and descent into animalistic madness. Appearances With the introduction of Tarzan to the Porters' expedition, Clayton made several attempts (all unsuccessful) to get the location of the gorillas from Tarzan, who was far more fascinated by what Jane had to teach him about humans. Days later, a cargo ship arrived to pick up the explorers and escort them back to England, much to their dismay. As the ship's crew loaded up their luggage and supplies, Clayton and Jane attempted to reason with the captain and request more time, but the captain refused, fearing falling behind his schedule. Clayton subsequently blamed Jane for distracting herself with teaching Tarzan, but Jane retorted that she was just as upset about not being able to find the gorillas. With both his and his employers' goals thwarted, Clayton prepared to leave Africa with Jane and Professor Porter until he witnessed Tarzan asking Jane to stay while presenting her flowers. Realizing Tarzan had strong feelings for Jane, he manipulated the ape-man into believing that they'll stay if he took them to the gorillas. This is, of course, not true—Jane would have had to return to England at some point anyway. Tarzan, however, was convinced and had Kerchak, the head gorilla, distracted so that he could lead Jane to the gorillas. Upon arrival, Clayton secretly forged a map to the troop's home. Kerchak returned unexpectedly, though, and was angered by the trespassers and attacked Clayton after the hunter threatened one of the family during a skirmish. Luckily for Clayton, Tarzan managed to pin down Kerchak. Disowned from the family by Kerchak, he agreed to return to England with Jane and the professor. However, when they boarded the ship, they were unexpectedly ambushed by the captain's crew who had also turned on the captain and his officers. As Jane and her father were taken to the ship's brig to be imprisoned, Tarzan tried to flee the thugs but was eventually captured them. The scuffle ended when Clayton intervened and fired his rifle. Tarzan was initially relieved to see him and begged for his help, but was soon surprised by Clayton's casual behavior toward the ape man's situation and realized that he led the thugs. After striking the angry Tarzan in the chest with his rifle's handle, Clayton revealed to him his plan to capture the gorillas and sell them to a zoo for three hundred pounds each (a substantial amount of money in the days when the movie was set). In order to further emotionally damage Tarzan's spirit, Clayton sadistically reminded him that only by his own unknowing efforts would he have succeeded and ordered him to be imprisoned with the other captives. He and his men then left in a small boat loaded with large cages and made way for the gorilla's nests. The poachers eventually reached the nests and began capturing the gorillas, netting them, forcing them in the cages, and throwing the babies into burlap sacks. Kerchak attempted to rescue his group but was captured as well. Clayton slowly approached the restrained ape leader and prepared to shoot him in revenge for having been attacked by him earlier but was interrupted when he heard Tarzan's trademark yell. Tarzan and his friends, who had escaped imprisonment earlier, ambushed and frightened Clayton's henchmen (trapping some of them in the same cages they intended to trap the gorillas in), and freed the gorillas, including Kala, Tarzan's adoptive mother. Clayton was forced to take cover during the scuffle but soon set out to kill Tarzan for interfering in his plans. From the undergrowth, Clayton shot at Tarzan, but the bullet only grazed his arm. Kerchak was fatally shot when he charged Clayton. After knocking an invervening Jane aside savagely with his rifle, putting her out of the fight, Clayton confronted Tarzan, who took the battle to the treetops. They both exchanged blows briefly, nature versus civilization, but nature won when Tarzan caused Clayton to drop his rifle. Tarzan then grabbed the rifle and pointed it at him. Clayton teased Tarzan by telling him to "be a man" and shoot him, but Tarzan realized that doing it would only make him no better than Clayton. In retaliation, Tarzan angrily pressed the rifle's muzzle against Clayton's neck and instead imitated a loud gunshot noise, startling Clayton. Tarzan then retorted that he was not a man like him, and smashed the rifle. After watching the pieces of his beloved gun fall to the ground, Clayton flew into a rage and drew his machete. Tarzan jumped back into a mass of vines to escape Clayton's furious swipes. The ape man managed to ensnare Clayton in the vines, but Clayton mindlessly hacked at them with his machete in an attempt to free himself, not noticing that one of the vines had slipped like a noose around his neck. Seeing this, Tarzan tried to warn the hunter, but in his rage, Clayton accidentally cut the vine he was holding on to, causing him and Tarzan to plummet toward the ground. Tarzan landed safely, but Clayton was hanged by the vine and died when it snapped his neck. A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the shadow of his hanged corpse, swaying ever so slightly in the breeze, the jungle having claimed him. Alternate Ending There was an alternate ending to the original movie where Clayton and Tarzan fight on a boat where Clayton had some gorillas in cages and was trying to make an escape along with his henchmen. In this version, Clayton battled Tarzan with a machine gun and a dagger while making references to Tarzan being a savage and not a real man, which was reminiscent of the statement made in the actual ending. In this version, he died when some barrels of oil caught fire and blow up the boat. Tarzan and Clayton were both trapped on the boat and Clayton met his end when support ropes snagged his legs and brought him down with the boat, drowning him. This ending was dropped because it was too dark and violent for young viewers and was felt that it was more appropriate to have the final fight in the jungle and allow the jungle to play a part in Clayton’s downfall (the vine around his neck). Another reason for it being dropped was because it also contradicted Tarzan's remark that he won't kill as a "man like [Clayton]." They also wanted Clayton to appear more animalistic and rely more on brute force in his battle with Tarzan. Hence, he has a lot less dialogue in the final version, except for his xenophobic remark, and is a lot more violent in his attacks. This alternate ending can be found on the Special Edition 2-Disc DVD. In The Legend of Tarzan episode "The Gauntlet of Vengeance", it is revealed that Clayton has a sister named Lady Waltham who plotted revenge on Tarzan (whom she thought killed Clayton on purpose). Lady Waltham had her butler kidnap Jane, Professor Porter, Terk and Tantor, hiding them in places all over the jungle with dangerous traps set to kill them. Before Tarzan could go to save them, Lady Waltham shot him with a dart, causing Tarzan to be poisoned, giving Tarzan a choice to suffer the way she did by having someone he loves die or suffer the way Clayton did and die. However, after Tarzan saved her life, she gave him the antidote for the poison and finally understood that Tarzan never killed her brother. In the episode Tarzan and the Race Against Time, after Tarzan was bitten by a venomous spider, Jane and the others learnt that the only cure is the Mububu flower, found on the top of a waterfall. Terk began to feel jealous of Jane and thought that she was not suited for jungle life, so Terk made a bet that she could not make it. But as Tarzan's condition worsened, one of Tarzan's hallucinations was of Clayton. Printed media Clayton is one of the villains brought back to life and imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost. He now has a son named Clay. Video games Clayton appears as a minor antagonist in the first installment of the series, residing in the world of Deep Jungle. His role in the game's storyline largely follows that of the original film. Clayton finds Donald and Goofy in a bamboo thicket after they crash landed in the world, taking them to the Encampment Site, where they reunited with Sora and met Tarzan and Jane. Suspicion over Clayton's activity arose when Clayton said that Donald and Goofy were "not much use for hunting gorillas" when he and Jane actually came there for research. He questioned Tarzan about the gorillas' nesting grounds, secretly desiring to hunt them down as they would fetch a great price at the zoos. Eventually, Tarzan agreed to take him to the nesting grounds and met with the pack leader, Kerchak, while Clayton snuck to the abandoned treehouse. There, he tried to shoot Terk but stopped when startled by Donald's squawking. To defend himself, Clayton lied that he shot at a snake threatening Terk's life. Once back at the tent, a furious Jane reprimanded Clayton for his actions, forbidding him from going anywhere near the gorillas for the remainder of the trip. Furious, Clayton leaves the tent to lament to himself, but his anger and determination had unknowingly lured the Heartless to Deep Jungle. Frightened of them at first, Clayton took a shot at the Heartless, but the darkness in his heart took him over and he realized that he could use his new-found mastery over these "animals" to help him catch the gorillas. While Tarzan, Donald, Sora, and Goofy were out looking for him, Clayton kidnapped Jane and Terk and imprisoned them in the jungle. He then hunted out the location of the gorillas, with the help of the Heartless. After a battle with Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Tarzan arrived, Clayton summoned a Heartless known as the Stealth Sneak, to assist him in defeating the heroes. Just as Clayton prepared to finish Sora off, the Stealth Sneak, having been defeated and dazed, fell and ultimately crushed Clayton to death. In Hollow Bastion, Maleficent and her legion of villains discussed the presence of the Heartless in Deep Jungle due to Clayton's darkness, saying that his darkness was a bit too tasty to the Heartless for his own good, believing the hunter to have been weak-hearted. Gallery The Disney Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Clayton. has a collection of images and media related to Trivia When the lightning flashes in the original film, viewers can see Clayton's shadow in the flash, dangling from the vine-turned-noose for several seconds. This makes Clayton's death scene one of the most graphic in Disney's animated history. Due to the graphic appearance of his death, it is often rewritten in media such as children's novelizations, such as that he merely fell to his death rather than being hanged. In the episode "Gauntlet of Vengeance", it had a flashback of Clayton's death which implied him falling to his death, However, if one views carefully, the vines are visible around Clayton's neck and Tarzan looking up at what would be Clayton's off-screen corpse. Airings of the film have also re-animated it so that it looks like Clayton fell to his death, even though they still show the vines around his neck when he falls and Tarzan still looks up to where Clayton's body is. Clayton is the only villain in the first Kingdom Hearts to control the Heartless without being a member of Maleficent's council. to control the Heartless without being a member of Maleficent's council. Although Brian Blessed is the voice of Clayton, he proved to be better at the Tarzan yell than Tony Goldwyn. Originally Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart were considered for the role of Clayton before Brian Blessed. Brian Blessed has stated that Clayton is one of his two most cherished roles in his career, the other being Blackadder's father, King Richard IV, in the British sitcom The Black Adder . . Clayton appears in the stage musical adaptation, but not even there does he have any singing parts. Also, in this version, Clayton is American, not British, and has romantic feelings toward Jane. He also lives in this version. According to the film commentary, Clayton's outfit was designed to appear like Sabor's yellow fur to designate him as the new villain. When he's introduced, he's covered in shadows that give him the look of spots similar to Sabor's. Likewise his animators were advised that he should move in a similar predatory manner. Many people assume that Clayton's gun is a double barreled shotgun, but it is actually a rifle. British hunters back in the day carried double barreled rifles that shot big bullets capable of putting down any animal, including gorillas and elephants. In the novels, Clayton's real name is William Cecil Clayton and is Tarzan's younger cousin. If the movie had addressed the relation between these two, he would more likely be Tarzan's older cousin given his appearance and age between his forties to fifties. |
Just as some misguided people react with hostility to the fact that the copyright monopoly is not a birthright, they can react with hostility and demand a response to how sharing is “justified”. This, too, is misguided. One example could be seen in the Reddit thread about The Pirate Bay being the world’s most efficient public library. For a while, the top comment was “whatever helps you justify it” (as in, “invent whatever excuse you like to try justifying the sharing of culture”). This is a misguided expression based on the false premise that sharing knowledge and culture needs to be justified. It is completely the other way around. Humankind and civilization have advanced due to and because of people sharing knowledge and culture, and humankind has never advanced when culture and knowledge have been locked up and contained. Sharing knowledge, information, and culture is also a good deed on an individual-to-individual basis. Whenever the ability to share and partake in knowledge and culture has been prevented, such as the burning of the library at Alexandria, it has always been regarded as a disaster for humanity in the history books. And yet, some people believe that sharing – whether over The Pirate Bay, direct handover, or whatever other mechanism – needs to be justified. It is true that the copyright monopoly has come at odds with the natural behavior of sharing and the right to share. But to enforce this monopoly, much more vital ideas in society – such as the postal secret – must be sacrificed, not to mention our cultural heritage. That is neither just nor reasonable, so that is what needs justification. It’s not just the copyright monopoly law itself that needs to be justified, but also individual compliance with the unjust monopoly law, on a case-by-case basis. When somebody angrily asks you how you can share this and that knowledge “without permission”, state it as it is, that they are misguided, and ask how they could possibly justify requiring permission to share knowledge and culture. That goes counter to all of humanity’s history. Also, make sure to make a point that sharing never requires any kind of justification. (The current copyright monopoly laws are not enough of a justification, obviously, as they are unjust and completely out of touch with people’s actual and natural behavior.) Sharing knowledge and culture is the natural state. Therefore, any restrictions on sharing require very careful and strict justification. |
Microsoft’s Surface 3 has been around the block for some time; the device was announced last Spring. And while we have not heard anything about a Surface 4 yet, the availability of the Surface 3 is starting to dry up as several SKUs of the device are no longer available on Microsoft’s website. If you head over to the Microsoft store, you will see that only the 64GB / 2GB Wifi+LTE model is in stock, the three other options are all currently unavailable. Microsoft does let you sign up for an email for when they will become available but when I asked the sales staff online about when they would be back in stock, they said if they knew, a date would be listed. It’s hard to imagine that there has been a hard run on the Surface 3 line these past few weeks that has backordered the device. Consider the tablets age, what is more likely is that Microsoft has stopped building this particular model. There has been little rumored about a Surface 4, other than some crazy ideas that it was going to be announced at E3, so what a new device would contain is up in the air. Seeing as the form-factor of the device is proving to work well for Microsoft, a dramatic overhaul doesn’t seem likely and a traditional spec bump and refinements would make the most sense. [Update] Here is Microsoft’s comment on the availability of the device: Since launching Surface 3 over a year ago, we have seen strong demand and satisfaction amongst our customers. Inventory is now limited and by the end of December 2016, we will no longer manufacture Surface 3 devices. Poking around the web, retails like Best Buy and Staples are still selling it online, although Staples did say that at my local store, the device was not available. At Best Buy, it is out of stock at the physical stores but there is the option to have a device shipped to store for pickup by the middle of next week; Best Buy had previously stocked this device on its shelves. The Surface 3 is the entry level tablet from Microsoft, with a starting price of $399. While the company never shared its sales figures for the particular device, it did seem to sell well initially but how sales performed over the life of the device is not known. If you hear anything about the Surface 4, make sure to let us know. Tagged with Surface 3 |
Obama stressed the need to build "trust between police officers and departments in the communities that they serve.” | Getty Obama huddles with top law enforcement aides on policing CLEVELAND — President Barack Obama met with his top law enforcement aides at the White House to discuss more ways to help police on Tuesday evening, even as Republicans continued attacking the president for stoking tensions over policing. The Oval Office meeting wrapped up just as news broke that an officer had been shot and succumbed to his wounds in Kansas City. It also followed an open letter Obama penned to police forces on Monday in which the president sought to bolster his support for law enforcement after several days of criticism that his responses to the attacks on police in Dallas and Baton Rouge were insufficient. Story Continued Below “I strongly believe that there is no contradiction between us protecting our officers, honoring our officers, making sure that they have all the tools they need to do their job safely, and building trust between police officers and departments in the communities that they serve,” Obama told reporters at the end of the private meeting on Tuesday. “In fact, those things are complementary and not contradictory.” The meeting included Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, FBI Director James Comey and White House Counsel Neil Eggleston. But Republicans continued their rhetorical assault on Obama. “He blamed the police” for the latest round of violence, said Sen. Jeff Sessions in remarks formally nominating Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday night. “Tensions have been very high, and I blame the president. He has the bully pulpit,” said Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. In an interview with POLITICO in Cleveland on Tuesday, the Republican repeated his call for Obama to light the White House in blue to commemorate police. “Eight police officers killed in two weeks and he won’t turn on the blue lights.” Patrick added, “It’s the president being stubborn, and while he’s being stubborn, people are getting killed, and the public is very concerned.” Obama said on Tuesday, as he has before, that he wants the federal government to do more to help the 18,000 law enforcement agencies around the country to work together. And he acknowledged that local departments don’t have enough money to provide things like bullet-proof vests for their entire forces. “My intention over the next several months, as long as I'm in this office, is to continue to look at best practices, figure out what’s working well; listen to our police departments in how we can help them; engage the community; build up trust. What kind of equipment do they need? What kind of training do they need? What kind of recruitment strategies do they need? And then to do everything we can to convene all parties concerned, including Congress, to make sure that they can get those resources,” Obama said. Obama has been meeting with activists and police officials in the wake of not only the attacks on police, but the deaths of two black men at the hands of police earlier this month. Obama has frequently spoken of racial disparities in the criminal justice system, and his administration has driven a sweeping effort intended to improve community policing. But rank-and-file officers have bristled at his messages, and his perceived slights of the police have become a major theme of the Republican National Convention. Even as Obama has worked to offer unequivocal support to police, they’ve also asked him to take specific steps. The National Sheriffs' Association and the Fraternal Order of Police have called on him to reconsider the administration’s new restrictions on military equipment for local police, for example. While the White House has been noncommittal on that front, Obama said Tuesday that over the past few weeks, there have been “much more constructive conversations and the offering up of very concrete recommendations and suggestions for how we can do better.” Obama concluded, “This is not going to be something we can do just from this office, or from the Department of Justice or the Department of Homeland Security. This is something that is going to have to be bottom-up.” |
Don’t fret about saying something clever or selling yourself. Everyone loves an introvert – all you have to do is listen Do not make eye contact. Pretend to look for someone by peering pensively into the middle distance. Do a few sweaty laps of the room. Get another drink. Get a third. Busy yourself with your phone and visit the loo – again. Repeat these steps then retire to the corner to hang out with that friendly looking pot plant. Sound familiar? This tried and tested method is how not to network when faced with a roomful of strangers. For many of us – particularly introverts – networking can be excruciating. But with a bit of know-how, it doesn’t have to be. “Introverts can find networking intimidating because of all the louder extroverts in the room trying to sell themselves,” says Stefan Thomas, author of Networking for Dummies and self-confessed introvert. “But introverts make the best networkers because they’re good listeners and tend to be more interested in other people than about talking about themselves.” If you’re an introvert working in an industry such as PR or the media, there’s nowhere to hide from networking. Fiona Armstrong, a highly introverted PR professional, says she has had to find “introverted ways” to do “extroverted things”. “Introversion has nothing to do with shyness or general awkwardness; it is an inbuilt aversion to high stimulation environments – lots of noise, lots of people and bright lights,” she says. “It’s in no way a disadvantage; it’s simply a different way of doing things, and introverts shouldn’t become fake extroverts to fit the mould.” So if you are an introvert, how do you get the most out of a networking event? Get there early “Get to the event early so you’re one of the first people there,” says Thomas. “It is more intimidating to walk in later when conversations and groups have already formed and you find yourself having to break into them.” You might even be able to strike up some rapport with other delegates online beforehand. If it is a conference with a Twitter hashtag, for example, you can use it to engage with other people who will be there. “If you can connect in advance it won’t be a cold start and if people are talking about the event on social media it shows they should be happy to meet people at the event itself,” Thomas says. Don’t worry about saying something clever There is nothing wrong with small talk. “People get really het up about finding something clever to say but I would ditch the elevator pitch and try not to overcomplicate things,” says Thomas. Just smile, stick your hand out and introduce yourself. If there is a pause in the conversation, remember it’s not just on you to fill the silence, says Armstrong. “Don’t be tempted to blurt out the first thing you think of – the chances are you’ll want to cringe if you do.” Introverts can use their calmness to create a sense of gravitas and presence, says psychologist Liza Walter Nelson, who has expertise in work psychology. “Introverts also generally have a depth of interests which means they are often full of facts and knowledge,” she says. “As long as they come prepared, and quell the nerves a little, this can absolutely be turned into an advantage.” Listen “Most people enjoy talking about themselves so let them do the talking,” says Dr Rob Yeung, psychologist and author of How to Stand Out: Proven Tactics for Getting Noticed. “Prepare a handful of open-ended questions that you can ask pretty much anyone you meet. Ask about their job and their interest in the event, for example.” However, it is still useful to think about soundbites for when the spotlight is turned back to you, says Thomas. “Have some little nuggets which concisely describe what you do,” he says. Office Christmas parties: the rules of engagement Read more Aim for quality rather than quantity Most people are a little reluctant or even anxious about having to talk to complete strangers, says Yeung. If it doesn’t come naturally to you, set yourself the goal of meeting a handful of people, he says. “Rather than networking, I sometimes say to clients I’m coaching that they should aim to engage in netfriending – chatting to people and trying to identify the one or two they genuinely like enough to consider possible friend material. If you can come away with just a few possible friends from an event, then the work benefits may flow naturally at a later date.” Look for small groups or pairs with open body language, rather than close-knit circles, says Armstrong. Remember to take time out Being a good networker is also about judging when it is time to move on. If you are feeling really awkward, look to make an exit by saying you need to use the facilities or get another drink. Smile and emphasise that it was really interesting to talk to the person and would be good to talk again, says Walter-Nelson. Then take a couple of minutes to breathe. “As an introvert though, remember to take time between talking to people and have a moment or two to yourself to do what you do best: reflect, think and reassess, keep on track.” And if you are feeling really nervous, Thomas says running your wrists under a cold tap for a few seconds can help to calm you. Judge the vibe Get into the mindset that the conversation is the beginning of a relationship that you’ll build on later, adds Thomas. Remember that you can swap business cards and connect with people on social media afterwards. “I have seen people try too hard to sell themselves and act like a door-to-door salesman. It’s very off-putting, especially if it’s a Christmas party.” Ultimately, be clear about why you are there and why other people are there too. At a Christmas party where people are just looking to relax, the very most you should aim to come away with is their names and then you can follow up later, says Thomas. “Try to relax and keep it light. Respect that people are there to socialise – and be careful how much you drink.” Looking for a job? Browse Guardian Jobs or sign up to Guardian Careers for the latest vacancies and careers advice |
Ryan: “A Wild Ride to the Summit of Mount Johnson” reads the American Alpine Journal. Beneath the headline, a meaty account of Jack Tackle and Doug Chabot’s first ascent of the Elevator Shaft in 1995. I’m fresh off my first real alpine climb, Hallett Chimney in Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s the first time I’ve sensed the distinct smell of crampons scraping walls of stone. I’ve found a new love, and I drool over every word in Doug’s ghastly accounts of attempts on this mythical Alaskan route—broken hips, rescues, avalanches—weaving tales of grit, determination, and survival. But it is one photo that truly captures my attention: a great pyramid more beautiful than any mountain I have seen. I linger on this page, studying Johnson’s grand north face. The Elevator Shaft cuts vertically up the right side, three-quarters of the way across, but it’s the rest of the face—everything left of the Elevator Shaft—that gives me shivers. The dreamy drips I know to be the future fall in near-vertical, undisturbed paths. I must know! Kevin: I first meet Ryan in ’97 in a bar in Estes Park, Colorado. After a few beers, it seems we both have a similar mindset for climbing, and we quickly make plans to get out in the Park. It’s late winter when we gear up for the alpine classic Dark Star on Mt. Meeker. Alpine, big wall, and long trad routes are the topics of choice on our hike in. Ryan enjoys my kind of suffering, and he soon becomes my “go to” guy when I want to go big. Before long we start planning a trip to Alaska. Ryan doesn’t know it yet, but I too have my sights on Johnson’s nordwand. Ryan: The headline in the 2003 edition of Accidents in North American Mountaineering still makes me cringe. “Rappel Failure – Inadequate Anchor.” I remember Cooper shouting, “Oh shit!” Looking up, I fall back into darkness, spinning and sliding, faster now. The block that once held the anchor slams my shoulder, leaving a scar for life. I think it’s Cooper’s crampon. Then my ankle snaps, and I’m flying through the air for an eternity. “Should have gone limp!” We fly over the bergschrund, sure to have been our grave, and bounce down the blocks of ice and avalanche debris. Our rescuers are true Alaskan hard men. Eventually we understand that if it weren’t for the 1,000-foot fall down our warm-up route on the Moose’s Tooth, our main objective, Mt. Johnson, surely would have killed us. Post-accident, time drifts and we settle into new lives, no longer selfishly ours. We go mixed climbing on small crags and link big, local routes. I trend toward being the cautious one in our partnership. And Kevin hates my badgering. But we’ve always been opposites attracted. He is the best climber I know, never afraid to take the sharp end, and for this I’ll take our differences. One of us brings Johnson up every other year, but the timing is never right. Kevin: With Ryan living near Redstone, Colorado, we develop a taste for dirty, soft sandstone, honing our mixed skills on chossy rock with sparse gear, reveling in ice picks pounded into dirt. In RMNP we are treated to years of thin and heady routes. Small victories come, and though we never lose sight of our big objective, we are immersed in families and careers. The Johnson project seems almost a fantasy. Finally, in 2013 we are ready for something more. But Johnson still feels too meaty an option. We choose Cerro Torre. We train all summer and purchase airfare for late December. Then, in September, all hell breaks loose in Colorado: Estes Park and the entire Front Range are hit with biblical flooding. No way in or out for days. With delivery of materials delayed, my building work shuts down, and the lack of income means I can’t afford Patagonia. I’m now faced with an extremely difficult phone call. Ryan will be so pissed. Ryan: I need to know we are going somewhere. After learning the painful way about no refunds on flights, I put a photo of Johnson’s pyramid behind my computer’s login prompt as inspiration. The image erupts onto the screen and my heart sinks heavy. The brilliantly sharp photo hides too much. I must know what is in that corner up high. What hides behind the sheets of white down low? Is it ice in that section? How big is that roof? I draw imaginary lines, realizing work will never get done until I have another adventure. After the kids go to bed I search the Internet for grant opportunities. Kevin’s wife mentions the Mugs Stump Award. I’d glossed over it, not feeling worthy of anything attached to Mugs’ name—he is a giant in my mind, and grants like this seem reserved for modern giants. But the form is simple enough, so I take a shot and submit an application. My heart lifts as I take one last look at the screensaver, gently close the laptop, and drift off to peaceful sleep. Kevin: It’s just another day banging nails in the mountains when I get the call from Ryan. Mugs is shining down on us, granting access to our dreams! Waves of emotion flood over me—fear, excitement, apprehension—knowing we finally may step foot on this monolithic face. When Mugs says go, you go! On our flight into the Ruth, the first glimpse of Johnson inspires and intimidates. Streaks of white lace the lower half of the face, leading to a huge corner. “Fuck! How could that still not be climbed?” The most beautiful face in the gorge, untouched. Ryan: A crisp wind sends us gliding down the glacier, eyes focused intently on the pyramid in the distance. Dickey, Bradley, and Wake take their time passing to our right. Apprehensively confident, we yearn to be close to Mt. Johnson. A massive serac blocks access to the wall as we approach. We know its history. Seth Shaw is nearby. The serac calved onto him a decade ago as he stood below to snap a photo. We find a bypass to the left and stay clear of the monster. We spend the day touring below the base over to the Elevator Shaft. The wall seems impossible. At home the photos made it look slabby. On the plane it looked steeper, but here? The first half of the wall is overhanging and undoubtedly taller than El Cap. Few lines present themselves; those that do look futuristically daunting. We fan the idea of an Elevator repeat, but wanting more we quickly turn—empty and defeated—back across the base of the wall. Amazingly, the wall tilts at a new angle from this direction and possibilities appear, one on each side of the great roof. Tomorrow we will see which way goes. Kevin: All we want is to sink some iron into the gut of the beast. An unusually mild winter has left the north face in prime shape. Quickly dismissing our first option on the right, disappointment hovers as our attention turns to our second and only other option. Dropping from the left side of the roof is a shallow, left-facing corner, barely poking out of the snow—the only semi-distinct weakness visible amongst a sea of smooth slabs. We scurry over and around a few crevasses, surmount the final ’schrund, and arrive at the base. I quickly grab the rack. Firm snow and rotten rock are the two ingredients on this opening pitch; Spectres and Peckers are the pro of choice. I belay as the corner feature disappears. Ryan follows and we study our next move. Chaotic snow blobs hang precariously below the roof. Just stoked to have started on the wall, we fix a rope and head back to camp. Pitch one, at M5, is an eye-opener. At camp we laugh at Jack Tackle’s certainty: “No cracks up there, guys, no cracks.” But I know it’s too early to be cocky. Ryan: Multiple snow mushrooms hang into space, blocking our way. I traverse, well protected, under the first blob and place a picket in steep névé before heading vertically between the second and third. I belly-ride the last ’shroom, bound for a blank slab out left, and thoughtful mixed climbing stretches me farther from solid pro. Suddenly, as if destined, a four-inch-deep corner, with ice barely thick enough for picks, hides perfect nut placements. “Hell yeah! We’re in there!” I sew it up and delicately dance along micro-edges. We are past the great roof. Our five-percent-chance-in-hell just jumped drastically. But the thought of the unknown above sinks to my gut and stews as we ski back to camp. Kevin: Base camp has been kind, but we’re down to our last rum. At 3 a.m. I’m amped and bursting out of my bag, trying to motivate a groggy partner. “Calm’er down!” Ryan’s famous words erupt. “We’ve got a long trip ahead of us.” Crawling out of the tent, I see two headlamps a few hundred feet up the Escalator on the east side of Johnson. Must be Jewel and Kim. “Yo, Ry! The girls are motoring up Johnson.” I yell into the tent, hoping to create some urgency. “Um, Kev? Weren’t there two headlamps up high?” Ryan asks. “Yeah, why?” I respond. “Now there’s only one and it’s at the base of the route.” We both assume the worst and go into rescue mode, first stopping to wake Jack Tackle and Fabrizio Zangrilli. I fear the gruesome sight ahead, but as we near the lone headlamp the sky brightens and we make out two figures moving upward. Just a dropped headlamp. We head back to camp, too mentally worked to head up our route. Ryan: The morning of the false start, I sense it. Cooper’s energy is revved. He’s already rushing us. He is not present but lost in the days ahead. Paying attention to your partner’s energy is paramount to survival. On the mountain I can feel Kevin’s thoughts 200 feet down the rope; here in the tent they’re more pressing. Jack and Fabrizio join us at the headlamp. It feels surreal to have this moment with legends as we ski back to our tents, discussing mortality, family, and a general love of this life. Tension hangs in the air as we tiptoe around our chosen line. I can tell they’re concerned about some nobodies attempting it. Days later, we’re back at the top of our fixed lines, and Kevin is traversing right across a frosty slab of deep snow, above the big roof, 100 meters above the glacier. The forecast is good for the next few days. This morning we woke together in sync, both of us calm. Today is the day. The anchor is solid, but protection on the traverse is forebodingly absent. I fight back thoughts of an avalanche and patiently wait for the rope to come tight. After this traverse retreat will quickly become a reckless option. Thankfully it’s still early. The wall sheds its evening coat under the day’s first rays, high above. Traversing together, I wonder if Kevin will find a safe belay, out of the way. Kevin: I’m halfway through a 600-foot sideways wallow-fest when the shrapnel above begins to release. I find sparse pro and only occasional shelter before making it to the start of the milky smears we hope will give access to the upper dihedral. I find a belay under an overhang as the wall rains down on us, harder now. “Is this next pitch even doable?” I contemplate, as I bring Ryan across. I stick my tool into the névé above the Safehouse cave. It’s sticky but looks like vertical snow for miles. If the debris slough stops we may have a chance. We brew up and wait. Ryan: Sounds of tinkling, broken glass intermix with sliding snow. Sometimes something big comes down. The terrain out of the cave looks vertical, up endless white streaks, and I begin to calculate the sanity of the dangerous simul-climbing sure to come. But I hesitate to think of retreat. I feel safe. While some climbs in our past have had similarities, nothing has truly prepared me for this moment. The entire rack, my pack for four days, bivy gear, and two ropes dangle from me, while pickets clang against my knees. It’s all useless. I hope the angle eases ahead. Salvation, it turns out, is much farther. Three and a half hours and 700 feet of vertical later, I search for a belay as Kevin comes into view. The rope, without a single piece between us, is distracting to look at, limply arching and pulling at its apex. Catching a glimpse of the wall above, I’m glad it will be Kevin’s lead next—once I find a damn piece of gear! Kevin: We’ve been simul-climbing for some time and I’m thankful for two things: solid sticks and a solid partner. I briefly fanaticize we’ll come across Andi Orgler’s drilled copperhead, a rappel anchor he placed while bailing off an attempt on this face many summers ago. We know he’d like it removed. But now the wall is encased in white and finding the wire is surely impossible. Our lifeline, which feels more like a death line, stretches beyond sight. Steel spikes are the only connection to the vertical wall. Focus!...it echoes in my head. “Well that went well,” I proclaim, as I finally reach the belay. “I think you should lead the next one too.” Ryan gives a blank nod in agreement, and we brew for the next hour. The mood is somber, despite my attempt at humor. Both of us know we’re about to be fully committed, if not already. Our only way out is to continue up this Névé Highway. I silently pray we won’t have to simul-solo like that again. We sit in awkward silence until Ryan announces, “Let’s do this!” Ryan: A rope length away, I start down then up. If no protection is found on this lead Kevin will be forced to remove the anchor and our ropes will arch free from he to me. There’s an overlap above and right, which may take a piece. Nothing. Tackle’s voice rings in my ears: “No cracks, guys! No cracks up there, I bet.” Prior to the trip, I’d calculated our chances for both success and survival. Our history, with 17 years climbing together, shows a much larger ratio of Coop falls to mine, and here we know the leader must not fall. I rationalize that with solid picks I can hold any slip he may make while following. Turning slightly outward, but refusing to look, I yell down to Cooper to remove the belay and begin following. I trust he will not fall today. Once again we’re untethered to the beast. I hang onto six-inch-thick, vertical névé. Calves scream as I focus on surmounting the bulge just ahead, hopeful the angle will ease. But quickly I’m disheartened. I stop completely and cry for a few minutes. The névé remains steep, and now it’s thinner and less consistent. With family back home I have crossed the line of sane climbing, and I’m upset for being so selfish. Left, right, up, back, down, left, then right again. I dance in the direction of the most solid snow. Still no pro and we’ve been climbing together for a long time. It’s getting darker and sparks fly as I swing. Roughly 600 feet out I finally spy some rock up and left. The route goes right, but I need salvation. A large snow mushroom hangs above, but that threat is less frightening than to continue on. A belay! Cams and nuts behind a flake, my first ice screw, and tied-off ice tools, all equalized perfectly. I’m scared and have been for too long. I sink onto the anchor and feel a wild concoction of adrenal juices flood my beyond-spent carcass. I dream only of sleep. Kevin: Years roped up with Ryan instill enough confidence for me to unclip from the belay. I think of when we climbed Bridal Veil Falls in a single pitch and falling was not an option. This is no different, right? Continuing my mantra for the next three hours, I follow upward. It’s dark by the time I get Ryan in my sights. Twenty hours in and I’m spent. I hope to hell there’s a bivy. Immediately I see the threatening mushroom directly above. There’ll be no rest here. “Looks like only a pitch and we’re in the corner,” Ryan assures me. I grab the rack and head into the longest pitch of my life. I find good ice for 30 feet and my comfort rises, but then nothing but sn’ice and snow-covered rock, with protection every 100 feet or so. Finally, I reach the corner and the salvation of a protected bivy. Ryan: I try not to dose off as Coop’s headlamp drifts out of sight to the right. The night is dark and there’s a constant hiss of spindrift and ice shards sprinkling down. Steep is still the angle. The death ’shroom lurks above. Eventually I flick on my light and rise to move. Calves come back to life and I sense he must be close to the corner. Linked in simul-mode again, I climb into the dark. Debris bombards me, and I fear there’ll be no bivy until the sun lights the sky. Eventually I find Kevin, burrowed into the corner with solid gear. We quickly make two one-person platforms. His is below, chopped into the slope with a do-not-roll-off edge. Mine burrows straight into the corner. I’m happy. A few hours later, we rise in the warmth of the sun, below the corner we’ve studied so much. I quickly head into the maw. The corner curves up, out, and left in proportions I can’t quite grasp, and so I don’t look. After burrowing through snow, a steep slab propels me into an ugly wide crack stretching too far. Gear and helmet hang between my legs as I wiggle through the final constriction, a margin made thinner by my slightest exhale. Kevin ascends the rope on the outside, saving time. Kevin: Ryan has wrecked his outerwear freeing the Shredder pitch, and I’m served up much of the same on the next. Wide, crumbly cracks continue out of sight. The climbing is sustained and I fire in most of our rack in the first 100 feet. “I wish we had more wide gear!” I yell down as my crampons skitter off loose flakes, my last piece alarmingly distant. Finally, after getting our only Big Bro to stick, I fight through a few sketchy moves, find an anchor, and fix the rope. We’re now deep in the belly and I can’t think of a better place. Ryan: I’m tired. Kev had to leave his pack hanging at the crux. The belay is cramped and I’m anxious to get on. We are 50 feet from the end of the rock section that had worried us from base camp. Soon we will join the beautiful smear of ice we have come for. As the corner steepens, I climb deeper into the gut of a huge chimney system, topped by unconsolidated snow blobs. “It looks like shit!” I yell down. Fear builds and I push back by hammering a micro-nut into the overhanging wall on my right. One saving grace: The beautiful vein of ice I long for, hidden since our approach, extends over a small bulge 20 feet to my left. If I can traverse, we’ve made the ice! We’re certain this incredible flow, the one we came for, will link us to the summit slopes. After making the traverse, I haul my pack as Cooper jugs and the sun sets on another day. Time is nonexistent at this hanging belay. Moments of sleep intrude as we brew water. I wake Cooper and ask if he is continuing. I’m too tired to care about his response. Kevin: “Hell yes, I’m continuing!” The corner is locked in snow, but good sticks keep me moving. There’s good pro for the first 40 feet, but eventually it craps out. I’m 170 feet out, in need of a bivy, when yet another dreaded snow mushroom appears, cloaking the corner. I claw its side and uncover a cave. Peeling off my pack, I throw it into the slot and crawl inside, finding a three-inch crack in the back. We call this spot the Hideaway Bivy. After sleeping for a couple of hours, we wake to the dreaded sun baking the next pitch. Temps have been warm, over 40°F during the day. As Ryan leads the morning’s first pitch, ice melts from under his crampons. We would have been shut down a day later. Ryan: A constant drip bounces off my bivy bag and I move to the back of the cave away from the sun. It’s our enemy now. Far below it’s melting our base camp, begging the glacier to swallow it whole. The cook tent just fell. “Damn it’s hot out! Nobody’s getting up shit!” I yell, flashing a childish grin down to Coop. There are hard moves out of the bivy cave and who knows what above that. The ice is wet and losing its bond so I race up, only stalling at the slushy bulges, pro near nonexistent. This pitch, dubbed Névé’s Nightmare, after Cooper’s daughter Névé, will be the highlight of my climbing career. Above, I find a tight chimney and force my arm to the back, just barely reaching pro for the belay. Shivering deeply, I thank God as water rains on me. Kevin: On better ice now, my lead takes me to the top of the flow, and after 100 feet I spy Ryan’s “exit cracks.” He thinks they’ll lead us to the diamond-shaped snow slope below the summit. I’ve always thought the corner we’re in was the way. At the belay we agree: The main corner will be better than run-out dirt slabs and flaring cracks. Unfortunately our snow-choked corner gives way to pure rock, and Ryan’s back to trundling large chunks of stone before reaching the next belay. My lead is next. Steep mixed climbing on better rock leads me to a snow ramp, and I follow it left to a giant wall of shit rock. After 180 feet I’m lucky to find a solid chunk of granite in this shield. The granite blob, welded in, is split by a crack just fat enough for a ball nut and my smallest cam. When Ryan joins me, I can’t tell him enough how great this belay is. He’s pissed it took so long. Ryan: Kevin’s belay is near the overhanging black corner we saw from camp, reaching up to the ridge. I don’t dare look at the anchor he keeps bragging about. “It’s bomber!” I blurt, spotting a solid crack splitting the dihedral. I aid 30 feet up the steep crack and then free climb to a short snowfield leading to the ridge. “We’re home free!” I yell down. “Caaaw, Caaaaw!” resounds from below. The last piece of pro, a Pecker, seems fitting for the finale. Cooper follows, free climbing until he falls while pulling into easier terrain. He thinks it will go free at M7. We laugh at his cockiness and our energy, some 70 hours in now. Hanging at the ice screw belay just below the ridge, we brew up and take some celebratory photos, and then Kevin’s off. “So…should I just go to the ridge and walk to the summit?” he asks, too soon. He calls down for the rack. Kevin: There’s one more buttress guarding the way. I bypass it with a short downclimb and long traverse into a snowfield. Even though the summit is close I’m wrought with fatigue and uncertainty. When I turn back and see the northern lights appear, they give me clarity and energy to keep on. We reach the summit sometime after 4 a.m. A storm blankets the horizon. It all seems planned. Ryan: The mandatory summit photos won’t upload to Facebook yet—dammit! I start down the south ridge. Looking back up at Coop, I think of all the adventures and of all the love, and hate, we’ve doled out. Complete opposites, we’ve somehow managed greatness, yet again. Midmorning finds us back at the base of the wall. Paul Roderick flies overhead as we sit exhausted on our packs. Tilting his wing, he salutes our efforts or thanks God we’re alive. The gesture is grand to us. We know he and Tackle are anxious for our return, and we are grateful to know someone is thinking of us, someone who understands. Back in base camp flakes begins to fall, and we spend two days in a storm before we can fly out. Boredom brings reflection, and we contemplate our success and the path that brought us here. Mugs’ ideals of boldness, purity, and simplicity sang to us all those years ago, when Kevin and I started climbing together. Now we steep in pride, having held firm to those ideals. Summary: First ascent of Stairway to Heaven (4,000’, WI4 AI5+ M6 A1), up the central north face of Mt. Johnson (8,460’), by Kevin Cooper and Ryan Jennings, May 1–May 4, 2014. Andi Orgler and Michael Rutter first attempted a direct route up the north face in July 1990 as a rock climb, but retreated due to blank rock. About the Authors: Ryan Jennings lives in Carbondale, Colorado, with his wife and two children. He looks forward to his children seeing the grace in mountain heights, scenic rivers, and far-off places. Kevin Cooper grew up in the California rat race and is thankful he found a small mountain community in Allenspark, Colorado. Two daughters leave him scrambling to find the balance between family time and free time, but, he says, he has a very understanding wife. About the Artist: Leighan Falley is an Alaskan-born pilot and climber known for her piles of expedition sketchbooks. Her Mt. Johnson illustrations were created in the Ruth Gorge. See more of her work at www.highcampartstudio.squarespace.com. |
Located in the barren, sun scorched desert of southern California is an enigmatic and somewhat unearthly sight; a lake sprawled out amidst the parched, baked earth, ringed by wind blasted ghost towns and with beaches of crushed fish bones rather than sand. This is the Salton Sea, a shallow, saline lake that lies along the San Andreas fault in the lowest elevations of the Salton Basin in California’s Colorado Desert, at an elevation of 228 feet below sea level, just 5 feet higher than Death Valley. The lake is huge. It covers 362 square miles, is 35 miles by 15 miles in size, with an average depth of 29.9 feet, a maximum depth of 52 feet, and contains approximately 7.3 million acre feet of water that is 30% saltier than the Pacific Ocean. As impressive a sight as this immense oasis within the desert is, the Salton Sea is not a natural feature of this dry wasteland, and should in fact never have existed. The sea was created by accident between the years of 1905 and 1907, when shoddily built irrigation canals allowed the Colorado river to burst forth into the desert. For two years, the entire flow of the river filled the basin unabated, inundating crops and submerging whole towns. Repair efforts were impeded by financial problems and political infighting as the water surged unchecked into the region. The relentless influx of water was finally staunched when levees were made comprised of boulders dumped within one of the larger breaches. By that time, the sea had covered nearly 400 square miles and was the largest body of water in the entire state of California. At first it was thought that the sea would eventually evaporate in the parched, desert landscape, just as had happened with other ancient lakes created in the region by flooding of the Colorado River, but the sea remained unchanged. Agricultural runoff from the nearby, prosperous farming areas of Imperial Valley fed the sea, preventing it from drying up and allowing it to maintain its massive size. The newly formed lake was named the Salton Sea. Over the years, the Salton Sea would see various types of development along its shores. The Navy opened a test base here in the 1940s, which served as a seaplane operations facility during World War II. It was here that planes, including the infamous Enola Gay, dropped dummy bombs in preparation for their fateful Hiroshima run. Another military base called Camp Dunlop was also in operation here during WWII as a desert training center for the army. In the 1950s, The California Department of Fish and Game began efforts to stock the sea with fish. Thousands of fish captured in the Gulf of California were released into the sea and many species thrived in the salty water. As a result, the sea became an important fishery, and fishermen flocked here to build fishing communities. Migratory birds also flocked here and it became a major stop over point for millions of migrating birds. By the 1960s, developers began to realize the potential of turning this inland sea, with its year round sunny weather and close vicinity to the Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas, into a tourist resort. The nearby resort of Palm Springs was flourishing, so to capitalize on this, luxurious resorts, yacht marinas, housing developments, and golf courses sprang up along the sea, and the area was marketed as “Palm Springs on a beach.” During this time, the Salton Sea became a bustling resort town with thousands of visitors every year, and it was a paradise for swimmers, boaters, and fishermen. Thousands of plots for homes were sold, yet as time went on the sea’s popularity waned as it was too hot and was starting to be pervaded by the smell of the dead fish that were appearing as a result of increasing salinity levels, as well as of the stink of heat-baked algae that fed on the fertilizers dumped into the lake from the nearby Imperial Valley agricultural region. In addition, with no natural inlets or outlets, the chemical levels from the constant agricultural drainage was making the waters of the sea murkier and murkier, changing the once blue waters into a muddy mess with an overpowering, unpleasant stench. In 1977, the coup de grace of earnest development of the area came in the form of Tropical Storm Doreen, which raged through the Imperial Valley and caused widespread flooding. Many of the thriving settlements and resort areas that had taken hold along the Salton Sea’s shore were badly flooded and in some cases totally submerged. While some communities stuck through it all, many were abandoned and left to rot in the fly infested, smelly muck. The 80s and 90s saw several mass die offs of fish and birds that littered the shores with their rotting carcasses and overwhelmed clean up efforts. In many places, the beaches are comprised of not sand, but the granulated bones of countless fish and birds. As a result of all of this, although the area has been cleaned up in recent years and is the home of the popular Salton Sea Recreation Area, the sea still has an eerie, haunted quality to it. The shores in some places are littered with rotting dead fish and birds, and many of the abandoned ghost towns of the resorts are still there, as well as the desolate concrete ruins of the military bases from the 1940s, which loom out of the landscape and mud like the skeletons of some prehistoric monster. Along the beaches, mired up to their doorhandles in sludge, are abandoned cars that are covered in muck and often used as perches for the many species of bird that come to rest here. Some of the settlements that still remain are inhabited by misfit survivalists and those wishing to escape from society, with the towns taking on an almost Road Warrior-esque atmosphere. Submerged under water is the lost city of Salton, which was inundated over 100 years ago when the Salton Sea first was created and has turned into an artificial reef of sorts with fish swimming along streets and through buildings where people once lived. The Salton Sea is truly the kind of place that invites mystery, legend, and myth. The sea has often been likened to a sort of Bermuda Triangle of sorts, a black hole from which planes and boats sometimes never return. This myth was perpetuated during the years when the area was the home of military bases during WWII. It was during this time that more than three dozen men and their planes were lost here, often under inexplicable circumstances. According to Navy records, four Wildcats, two Corsairs, two Hellcats, four patrol planes, two Helldivers and 10 Avengers were all lost here, crashing into the sea often under clear, calm conditions. In many cases, the wreckage of these downed planes has never been found. Boats have also reportedly sunk here for no discernible reason. One of more enduring legends of strange disappearances in the Salton Sea goes all the way back to before the sea was even formed, when the region was home to an entirely different lake that filled the same basin. In the 16th century, the Salton Basin was flooded very much like it is now, with a huge lake lying exactly where the current Salton Sea is found now. This lake was called Lake Cahuilla. It was an enormous body of water that was the size of the state of Delaware and connected to the Sea of Cortez, which in modern days is known as the Gulf of California. It is here that the story of a lost Spanish Galleon loaded with pearls and gold coins comes in. During the existence of Lake Cahuilla in the 16th century, it was possible to navigate there through the Sea of Cortez. It is said that English and Dutch pirates prowled the waters off the entrance to the gulf, but that one treasure laden Spanish Galleon managed to slip past them and ended up sailing into the lake. The story goes that the galleon ran aground on a sandbar or landslide, after which the crew were forced to abandon it and escape overland through the desert, leaving the ship and its cargo of gold and pearls behind. Over time, the lake disappeared and it is said the ship sank beneath the sands. Over the ensuing centuries, stories have abounded of an ancient ship in the middle of the desert, buried and unburied by the shifting sands. In 1774, a mule driver named Tiburcio Manquerna supposedly stumbled across a large cache of pearls lying amidst the desert sands. He grabbed as many of the pearls as he could carry and walked out of the desert a rich man. Later, when he went back for more, the mule driver could not relocate the exact location and it is said that he spent the rest of his life searching for it. In 1870, a prospector by the name of Charley Clusker claimed to have come across an ornately carved Spanish Galleon sitting in the desert. The prospector described how the ship was located in boiling springs and alkaline mud. The excited prospector, figuring that he had hit the mother lode, was not prepared to salvage it at the time and so he went back with plans to come back equipped to get his treasure. When he made the journey back to where he thought he had seen the ship, it was gone. Although it is unclear if this is related to the Spanish Galleon, in 1949, three students of UCLA went out into the desert to follow up on a story they had heard from a Cahuilla Indian of a serpent shaped canoe he had seen in the area in 1917, which the students thought may be a “Viking ship” blown off course. The students were well prepared, with irrigation maps from 1910 and various published accounts from the 1800s, and they departed on their quest from Laguna Salada in Baja California. It is unknown what ultimately became of this expedition or if they ever found what they were looking for. Over the years there were many such tales of miners and hikers coming across the haunting sight of a Spanish Galleon half buried in the desert, but nothing ever became of it and the ship always seemed to disappear back into the sands from whence it came. When the Salton Sea was created in 1905, it is believed that the galleon was also submerged and lies at the murky bottom, lodged deep in the mud at the bottom of the lake to this day. Several expeditions of divers have descended into the depths of the lake in search of the lost treasure, but they have only managed to find the wreckage of planes that crashed into the sea during its heyday as a spot for military bases. There has been no sign of the legendary Spanish Galleon or its treasure. Is there an ancient lost treasure buried at the bottom of the Salton sea? Perhaps the answer lies out there, ensconced in the sludgy bottom among the skeletons of warplanes and other boats in their watery graves, perpetually part of the mystery of this bizarre desert sea. |
Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) never been the type of company to engage in high-priced splashy acquisitions. Cupertino does buy other companies, nearly 70 known as of last count, but the company typically buys semi-finished goods or technologies it can use in its devices to improve the user experience. Even its arguably most successful acquisition, the purchase of NeXT -- and more importantly, the acqui-re-hire of Steve Jobs -- only cost the company $400 million. The NeXT acquisition is Apple's second largest by price tag. Topping the list is the 2014 purchase of Beats Electronics, as Apple paid $3 billion for the streaming music service and headphone maker. While it's too early to declare the acquisition a success or failure, the deal has presented Apple with a few headaches. Possible product issues On the hardware side, it appears Beats' products are of lower-quality than Apple users are accustomed to from the company. According to venture capital firm Bolt (hat tip to fellow Fool Evan Niu), a teardown of Apple's Beats Solo headphones that was posted on Medium found Beats uses snaps and glues as fasteners to save money rather than durable screws. Perhaps more shocking is that Beats uses tiny weights for the sole purpose of making the product feel like high-quality, durable headphones. Recently, Variety reported Beats was deep in development of a new speaker product designed to compete with Sonos. Apple reportedly shelved the product after the acquisition due to numerous problems in the development process, including switching chipset vendors and postponing the launch date more than once. While most technology companies have products that don't make it to market -- even Apple shelved its TV set -- these two disclosures point toward process, manufacturing, and design issues with Beats' products. Lawsuits and more lawsuits Quickly after Apple announced the merger, Beats was sued by headphone competitor Bose for supposedly infringing on its noise-cancellation patents. The lawsuit was settled out of court, with terms undisclosed, but bad blood remained that culminated in Bose's products being briefly pulled from Apple Stores. Tensions were eventually diffused, and Bose products -- including its noise-canceling headphones -- are now available through the Apple Store. However, another lawsuit could be even worse for Apple. Per Bloomberg, Noel Lee of high-end speaker-cable manufacturer Monster is moving forward with his lawsuit against Beats founders Andre Young (aka Dr. Dre) and Jimmy Iovine, accusing them of "stealing the design, manufacturing, and distribution rights" of the brand. While Apple is not a named defendant, Bloomberg reports Apple's lawyers are defending Young and Iovine. Alleging wrongdoing in the sale The lawsuit centers around a "change of control provision" that stipulated if Beats Electronics were sold the new owners would no longer be required to do business with Monster as the manufacturer. And that's exactly what happened: In August 2011, years before Apple bought the company outright, HTC bought 51% of Beats from Iovine and Young for $309 million, valuing the company at $606 million. In June 2012, Beats and Monster ended their manufacturing relationship. The issue, from Lee's perspective, is less than a month after Apple parted ways with Monster, which only was possible due to the change of control provision, Iovine and Lee bought back half of the 51% interest they sold to HTC, with private equity firm Carlyle buying the other half of HTC's stake for $501 million -- good for a valuation of nearly $1.95 billion. Lee alleges the sale to HTC was essentially a sham designed to trigger the contractual clause and cut Monster out of its contracted manufacturing rights. Supposedly, a member of HTC's board told Monster executives that was indeed the case. Will this become a major issue for Apple? Probably not, although Apple did subsequently revoke Monster's MFi license to make official third-party accessories since it said the relationship was no longer "mutually beneficial." Overall, the dispute centers on the $150 million Lee would have made if he would have kept his initial 5% stake he willingly sold back to the company, as this was independent of the manufacturing deal. Even if Apple paid the full amount, it would amount to less than 1% of Apple's cash. However, it seems the Beats deal has brought considerably more headaches than Apple's second-largest acquisition, NeXT, which bought Steve Jobs back to the company. |
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The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a high-profile case on transgender rights, sending it back to the lower courts. The justices tossed out a ruling Monday that allowed Gavin Grimm, a transgender boy in Virginia, to use the bathroom he chooses, and ordered that a lower court reconsider the case in light of new guidance issued by the Trump administration last month. The justices had planned to hear arguments later this month and both sides had pressed for the high court to weigh in amid a national debate over rights for transgender people. ADVERTISEMENT Grimm was barred from using the boy’s bathroom in 2014 after the Gloucester County School Board enacted a policy requiring all students to use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender assigned at birth. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Grimm, who argued that the school board “impermissibly discriminated against him” in violation of Title IX anti-discrimination laws and his constitutional right to equal protection under the law. The court cited Obama administration guidance that transgender students should be allowed to use the bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity, claiming those rights were covered federal anti-discrimination laws addressing “sex.” But on Feb. 22, the Trump Justice Department and Education Department sent a letter to the lower court rescinding that Obama guidance. The fight now returns to the lower court, where both sides vowed to press forward with their case. "On remand to the lower courts, the Board looks forward to explaining why its commonsense restroom and locker room policy is legal under the Constitution and federal law," the Gloucester County School Board said in a statement. LGBTQ advocates expressed disappointment in the justices' decision. "This announcement speaks volumes to the ways that President Trump's actions are already having devastating consequences for transgender youth across the country," said Freedom for All Americans Executive Director Matt McTighe, in a statement. "All students, including transgender students, deserve to participate fully and succeed in school, and to feel safe and respected while doing so." At issue is whether Title IX's anti-discrimination measures can force schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice. The Obama guidance said it did. The Trump administration in withdrawing that guidance said the Obama administration failed to "explain how the position is consistent with the express language of Title IX," but didn't make their own case for whether Title IX applies. Legal experts say it's unclear what the Fourth Circuit will do. “It could ask for more briefing, it could send it back to the district judge to rule on the merits and then let it come back up,” said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. “It could also wait and see what DOJ and DOE [Department of Education] are planning on doing or it could just go forward and reach the merits under Title IX and try to discern the legislative intent from 1972.” In a statement, Mark Phillis, a discrimination and harassment lawyer at Littler Mendelson P.C., said there are two cases pending before the Second Circuit and Seventh Circuit Courts in which the interpretation of “sex” is being considered in the employment context under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. “Since Title IX cases often look to cases decided under Title VII, these cases could have an impact on the way this case may be decided,” he said. Legal experts say that the issue could eventually end up back before the Supreme Court, with other cases also making their way through the courts. “No question about it,” Tobias said. “It’s just a matter of which case is the right case.” He said Grimm’s case was premature. "The district court never reached the merits,” he said. “I don’t know why they granted cert.” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which brought the case forward on Grimm’s behalf, told the justices on March 1 that the Trump administration's actions made it critical for the high court to quickly resolve the question of transgender students and bathrooms. “[T]he Court will inevitably have to settle the question by clarifying the proper interpretation of Title IX,” the group said. --This report was updated at 3:04 p.m. |
Car parking remains a major part of our economy, and it is easy to realize why its availability and low price are clung to so fiercely. Parking allows access for customers to stores, employees to work, entrepreneurs to meetings, tourists to places where they can deposit all their money, the needy to services, residents to their homes. Because of this, it's harder to see that the costs are so high that they outweigh all economic benefits provided. Covering our cities with asphalt isn't just ugly, it eats up millions of dollars in taxable land revenue per year. When neighborhoods become more walkable, with less parking and smaller roads, existing property values—and tax revenues—go up. Highways and parking lots represent a massive amount of taxable property that could yield thousands of dollars per lot, per year—representing millions of dollars of lost revenue for cities. Instead, the constant need for maintenance drains public and private coffers—and this cost is overshadowed by the opportunity cost of what could be built in our cities instead. Advertisement Yet all this space is given away freely as a standard practice. In the U.S., 99 percent of trips by car end up in a free spot. The value of that land—and to a lesser extent, the costs of paving, sweeping, policing, and maintaining it—makes parking one of the largest subsidies going. Donald Shoup, the world's foremost expert on all things parking, calculates that the average parking subsidy to a U.S. commuter who drives to work is $5 per work day. Shoup estimated the entire parking subsidy of free parking to be at least $127 billion in 2002—an amount that would put a nice dent in the cash-strapped transportation budget. We are quite literally paying people to drive. It's not just taxpayers footing the bill, but businesses and housing developers. This is not always because they see it as a good investment. In fact, it's prohibitive—the average cost to build structured parking in the U.S. is $15,000 per space. But most cities have had parking minimum laws on the books since the 1950s, requiring any new housing, workplaces, and commercial developments to provide a certain number of parking spaces whether or not their residents, employees, or customers drive. There is always some pushback against these requirements, partly as a matter of space and subsidy, and the huge costs involved. Equity is also an issue—it's hard to make housing affordable to people who don't own cars when you are required to invest in parking spaces. Advertisement Apex Bar in Portland turned a parking lot into a beer garden and bike parking In 2010, Jesse McCann was looking for a building to open a bar in Portland, Oregon. Like many a business owner, he was thrilled when he finally found one with a big parking lot right out front with room for five cars. But instead of using the lot to provide car parking for his customers, he fenced it off and filled the space with outdoor seating and a rack for 63 bicycles. People thought he was crazy. But McCann's investment paid off—from the day Apex Bar opened, its outdoor tables and bike racks have been full to overflowing on nice days. Advertisement Business owners tend to like bike parking. Many are wary at first, especially when car parking spaces are being replaced. But once a bike corral or staple is put in, the value added becomes immediately clear, and as they become more common, they are more broadly accepted and welcomed. Bike parking is undeniably an affordable investment. For each vehicle, bike parking takes up ten times less space than car parking and the cost is from 30 to 300 times less. When bike parking is available at destinations, people are more likely to choose to ride to those places, and also to ride overall. A study in Melbourne, Australia found that bike parking brought in five times the revenue of car parking. A study in Toronto found that customers who biked and walked to local businesses spent more money overall than those who drove. Critics of bike corrals often voice the concern that the city will lose revenue from parking meters. But parking is so undervalued that meters typically charge less than the value of a parking space; it makes more sense to maximize capacity—and the benefits. Advertisement Bikestations like his one in DC offer storage for commuters, repair services, and even showers The bicycle parking boom is taking many creative forms. "Bike Stations" or "Bike Hubs" at transit centers or in office districts charge bike commuters a small monthly fee for the use of showers, secure bike parking, and a bike shop and repair station. Whimsical bike racks designed by artists (David Byrne created a series for New York) are embraced by commercial districts for their distinctive style. Churches and schools are installing bike racks on an "if you build it, they will come" basis, and it's working. Bicycle parking all over the country is stepping out from next to the dumpster behind the restaurant and taking its proud place right next to the front door. And the economy is reaping the benefits. Advertisement Bicycle parking brings all of the same benefits as car parking and has others as well. By inducing more people to ride bicycles, it contributes to better health, less poverty, safer streets, more breathable air—and perhaps of most direct financial value, it reduces congestion and frees up car parking. It does cost money to provide bike parking for free—but this cost is so low in relation to the benefits, that the city would profit even if it paid everyone five bucks a pop to park their bikes. Converting car parking to bike parking is one of the cheapest, easiest, and most effective ways for any city to make a sizeable dent in the bad economics of our current transportation system. But the law of induced demand cannot be escaped. One of the problems bike-friendly cities face is overcrowding of bike parking areas. Bike parking in Amsterdam is so freely available that many people own multiple bikes and keep them parked at transit centers around the city to ride when they happen to be in the neighborhood. The benefits must outweigh the costs of dealing with this bike jam, or the business-minded local government would doubtless begin charging for parking. Advertisement It's a problem I hope we all have the pleasure of dealing with at some time in the near future. Top image: A busy bike corral in Alexandria, Virginia via Theogony Elly Blue is an author and publisher with a focus on feminist nonfiction about bicycling. She publishes the quarterly zine Taking the Lane. This essay was excerpted with permission from her book Bikenomics: How Bicycling Can Save the Economy. Follow her at @ellyblue. |
Life is lonely and humiliating for Goundo Wandianga, 21, whose friends and twin brother have all gone to seek their fortunes Goundo Wandianga is the only young man left in his village. Or at least, that’s what it feels like. He spends his days lounging under mango trees in his family’s small village in Casamance, the southern region of Senegal, playing on his phone, doing odd jobs for his mother, and dreaming about Europe. Everyone else carries on as normal in Sare Bakary, his village. Old men sit on benches cracking peanuts and chatting about cattle, the old days, and past attempts to get to Europe. Their wives and daughters work constantly, watering the garden, cooking lunch, and sweeping up the peanut shells, while children dart in and out between the huts. But in Sare Bakary, there is no group of surly male adolescents, or strapping young men in their 20s. There is just Goundo. He is only 21, but all of his friends and even his twin brother have left to seek their fortune elsewhere. Many have taken the perilous road across the Sahara to Libya, and then a boat over the Mediterranean to Italy. Some went by pirogue, a traditional wooden canoe, to Morocco and then to Spain. All of them have risked their lives to get to Europe, get a job, and send money back. But not Goundo. At a family meeting, it was decided that he would finish his studies first, and then try to leave Senegal legally, by plane. Flying seemed a better bet than the increasingly dangerous “back way” across the Sahara, and with his education they thought he would be more likely to get a good job. But being left behind is hard for Goundo, especially when he sees his friends’ Facebook posts about life in Europe, and the pride in his parents’ faces when his siblings send back money. “Before, I had nothing. Everything I have, they have sent me,” says Djenaba Sabaly, his mother. “I can buy clothes, food and medicine. Before, I just had to lie in bed until I got better.” Sare Bakary is not unusual, says Abdul Anne, director of the regional development agency of Kolda: almost every village in the region he works in is empty of young men. “In the villages, there are just old people, women and children,” he says. “There are no young men because there’s nothing to hold them there. There’s nothing a young man can do even to earn enough to buy a cup of tea, or a cigarette. And there’s no family that wants its kids to stay.” Many have gone to Europe, but many others only make it as far as their local urban centre, Kolda, where they hang around trying to find a way to earn a bit of money. In fact, these villages spend more – in cash and cows – paying for the journeys to Europe and the protective prayers of local marabouts (holy men) than they get back in remittances. Many Senegalese migrants sit in Libya, waiting to make the crossing, or in Italy, waiting to get papers and a job. But despite this, the overwhelming feeling in Sare Bakary is that the best thing its working-age men can do is leave. “The road is so tough, but if they don’t go, they’re seen as wimps,” says Fatou Balde, Goundo’s aunt, trying not to look directly at Goundo sitting on the mat at her feet. Goundo feels this keenly. “Sometimes you hear someone say: ‘What are you waiting for?’” he says, sitting in the darkened cool of one of the family huts, scratching his arm with hennaed fingernails. “Or maybe they don’t even say it, but you can feel them thinking it. And the looks you get! The looks are very hard to take.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest Ansatou Sabady, who lost everything trying to get her husband to Europe. He failed three times. Photograph: Ruth Maclean for the Guardian In previous generations, there was agricultural work to do in the villages, according to Djibiribou Balde, the village chief of Sare Bakary. Now, he says, prices are so low that it doesn’t make financial sense to farm cash crops – and in any case, with land degradation and less rainfall as a result of climate change, farming is difficult. “We need the means to farm and a market to sell our produce,” he says, sitting with his fellow elders on wooden chairs in a clearing. He explains why young men don’t want to stay in the village, and why his own son, sitting next to him in clothes heavy with mud from the farm, has made the attempt three times. “In our parents’ time, life was less expensive.” In any case, he says, travelling has been the normal way of life for his people for many generations. “All of us have spent time elsewhere, experienced the outside. That’s our culture.” Marie-Stella Ndiaye of the International Organisation for Migration says this is true of much of Senegal: “The tradition of migration is not really new for the Senegalese, and their references have always been France and Europe. It’s a normal aspiration to move around.” Though the journey is now across desert, not water, and the destination is Italy rather than Spain, the old migrants’ motto endures – Barça ou Barzakh, meaning Barcelona or death. Steeped in a fatalistic culture, many of the elders, while funding and encouraging the trips, see the dangers as beyond their control. “If it’s their destiny to die, then so be it,” Balde says. “It’s a painful loss, but it’s God’s wish.” But the young men’s desire to go is as strong as that of their parents. Something like gold rush fever has taken over. “There are young men who don’t have the means to go, but there has never been any young man in this village who doesn’t think of going,” Balde says. “If they don’t, they have no ambition to escape from this low life, or they’re crazy. Or they might be scared – but that means they don’t believe in God.” The villages risk not only their young men’s lives, but also their possessions. Sometimes this pays off: villages with kin in Europe often have solar panels, or motorcycles. Not all villages do well, though: Sare Bakary, for example, has none of these. “People sell their land and their cows so their children can go, so if they send nothing back it’s very hard,” Balde says. Ansatou Sabady, a 35-year-old mother of four, is nearly destitute after spending everything on trying to get her husband to Europe. “The first time, his parents funded him. The second time, he sold my cow; the third, the cow we owned together. Now we have nothing,” she says. “He won’t try again. We’re putting our hope in farming – we’ve spent everything we had. His luck just wasn’t there.” Almost all of those left in Sare Bakary say migration is a positive thing, but some admit it has changed the balance of power in the villages. For centuries, age and gender trumped all else. Old men ruled. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Ibrahim Balde, one of the oldest men in his village, should have the last word, but now those who have migrated call the shots from afar. Photograph: Ruth Maclean for the Guardian This is no longer the case, says Ibrahim Balde, one of the most senior men in Sare Bakary: now, it’s often the migrants who call the shots, from thousands of miles away, over mobile phones. “If they’re the ones sending money, they say ‘do this, do that’,” he says with a grin. “Before, it was me who made the decisions. Now, if my son has the money, he can boss me around. But it’s not a problem – if he’s providing, he has the right to do that.” This change, momentous as it may be for old men used to traditional hierarchies, is not necessarily a bad thing, Anne says, but there is a heavier toll that weighs particularly on women. “Women are the biggest losers,” he says. “When someone leaves, it’s she who has to sell her cows and her jewellery for them to go. And when someone dies, they’re the most affected. They feel guilty for financing the trips.” Wives whose husbands make it to Europe suffer too, even if their men are sending money back. Some husbands are away for a decade or more, while the women they leave behind, usually with their in-laws, are expected to work, be obedient, and stay faithful. According to Anne, this sometimes leads to infanticide: women whose husbands are away get pregnant and, worried about the shame that illegitimate children bring, their villages hide them throughout their pregnancies and kill their babies straight after birth. Khadidjatou Balde’s husband, 10 years her senior, has been in Spain for 12 years. He married her on one of his visits home, five years ago. She has no idea what he does for a living. “He sends money, but not much,” she says in a whisper, nursing her child. “It’s difficult living here without him, without seeing him for years. I miss him. He’s not here to comfort me. I want to be with my husband – here or there, it doesn’t matter. But I haven’t asked him yet, because he doesn’t have the means.” Goundo listens, but he doesn’t seem to hear the part about her husband not earning much money. He looks down at Facebook as his mother stands, kneels, and stands again on her prayer mat in the fading light. His family worries he might just leave anyway, despite the family pact. “I’m the last in this village. I really want to go,” he says, his face lit up by his phone. |
Someone Left the Powder Spigot on in Sun Valley, Idaho Tucker Patton Blocked Unblock Follow Following Mar 9, 2017 Kent Krietler looking for an exit. Note: All Photos by Tucker Patton . All photos ©. My business is travel. I love to hit the road exploring new places, meeting interesting people and adventuring in the mountains. From Japan to Salt Lake City, British Columbia to Ketchum, the 16/17 season has revolved around the never ending pursuit of powder, culture and new destinations. Actually that’s every year but who’s keeping track, right? But in hindsight maybe sometimes it’s best to stay put every now and then. The fact of the matter is I probably didn’t need to leave Ketchum this winter if skiing powder was my only goal. How long can you hold your breath? Dash Longe and Kent Krietler For me it’s enjoyable to look back on a winter through the images I shoot and my reflection is an added benefit to being a photographer. I recently sat down to indulge myself with photo editing from the winter before I head to Alaska for the spring helicopter ski season. It made me laugh at how many blower powder shots I have stacking up in Lightroom. My goal was to compile some images and I smile in disbelief because I don’t have any shots with Sun Valley’s quintessential blue skies and ripping groomers. The humor is not lost on me as I reminisce about all the deep powder days and incredible shared moments I have had with new and old friends alike. The images and memories stand as a testament to a once in a decade (or more?) winter in Ketchum with cold smoke tree runs and bottomless resort laps enjoyed by locals and newcomers. Finally some sun came back to Sun Valley! Sun Valley’s current snow total for the season is 299” as of March 9th and it will probably exceed that depth with the current storm system cycling through now. Given that the historical average of the Wood River Valley is around 150”, it would be an understatement to say it’s been an incredible powder run for our new Idaho home. Everyone keeps reminding me that it was good season to move here! I promise I’ll try not to forget that. Ha! I’ve truly been grateful to explore the local mountains via chairlifts, helicopters and touring. By far I have spent the most amount of time learning Sun Valley’s iconic centerpiece Mt. Baldy. Baldy is an amazing mountain resort and offers some of the best lift-accessed skiing anywhere. I don’t know of many US lifts that rival the truly epic Warm Springs zone. This steep north facing section of the resort offers seemingly endless skiing accessed by a single quad lift rising 3,000 feet and you don’t even need to take your skis off. Tripp Jones locked in. As my attention turns its focus toward toward my upcoming months in Alaska and it’s shangri la of steep skiing, I will look back with pleasure at a winter to remember. I’m stoked to have captured just a couple of those fleeting moments. Enjoy the photos. — Tucker Patton Gear We Recommend for Charging Deep Powder in Sun Valley: Outerwear: Outdoor Research Maximus Jacket: https://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/catalog/product/view/id/64178/category/2206/ Outdoor Research White Room Pants: https://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/men-s-white-room-pants.html Skis: K2 Pinnacle 118: http://en-us.k2skis.com/skis/pinnacle-118 Goggles: Oakley Airbrake: http://www.oakley.com/en/mens-snow/airbrake-snow-prizm/product/WGOO7037PZ/?skuCode=OO7037-32&categoryCode=mens-snow Reggie Crist finding his way home. The author (Photo: Reggie Crist) Sam Cohen playing around in the backyard spines. Idaho? Really? You betcha! Beautiful Ketchum with Mt. Baldy in the background. |
PETER Brierley says he's not known as a man who enjoys confrontation. His family and friends were quite shocked to think of him marching up to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, refusing to shake his hand, tearing a couple of strips off him, then turning on his heel and stalking away. Famously the master of self-possession and quick to reach for a snippet of handy phrasemaking, by all accounts Mr Blair was left ashen and speechless by the encounter with the straight-talking 59-year-old from Batley. Mr Brierley had often thought about what he might say if he ever came eyeball-to-eyeball with the man who took the country into the war in which his 28-year-old son Shaun died, but when the meeting came, it was not how he would ever have planned it. The two men were at a reception in London's Guildhall, following a memorial service where Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams had expressed concern about the political decisions surrounding the war. Mr Brierley campaigned for years as part of the Military Families Against the War group for an inquiry to be held into the reasons for going into Iraq. "The service was to celebrate the end of the war in Iraq, those who had served and those who lost their lives," says Mr Brierley, who attended the ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral with his wife Christine. "Prince Charles and Camilla were there with Prince William. A lot of positive things were said, and the Archbishop made some very good points in his address. I felt that if this Government listened to his words they would end the war in Aghanistan now." There were about 1,000 people at the reception afterwards, and someone pointed out that Tony Blair was present, across the room. "I hadn't seen him at the service, and felt that, as the man had taken us to war, who walked away from his job two years ago, it was wrong that he should be there at all at a non-political celebration. "A while later I looked across and Blair was signing autographs for people, on the cover of the programmes we were given for the service. Suddenly a switch went in my head, and before I knew it I was over there. I said 'Mr Blair...' and he stuck his hand out to me. "I told him 'I don't want to shake your hand. It has blood on it – the blood of my son, the blood of all the other soldiers who died and of the Iraqi people who also died in the war. You took us to war on a lie and you are responsible for all those deaths in Iraq. One day it will come back on you and you'll have to pay for what you did. I don't think you should be here, but I'm going to leave now.'" As Mr Brierley turned away, Tony Blair was also ushered away. The bereaved father doesn't regret delivering the dressing down but wishes it had been in different circumstances. "It just happened the way it happened, but I don't really think it was an appropriate place, after such a positive, celebratory service." Mr Brierley has always argued that, while soldiers know they must go to war if necessary and might die, they should only be taken into war for good reason and properly equipped to fight. L/Cpl Shaun Brierley died in the early days of the war, in a night-time road accident on the main supply road between the Kuwait border and Baghdad, and his father says he was one of the British soldiers lost because of lack of adequate equipment. "Shaun was a radio operator, and he was involved in the first few weeks in setting up camps. He was taking two officers to inspect a new camp when the vehicle overturned and threw him out. At the inquest, we were told that because of how a thermal imaging detector was fitted to the wrong light on the vehicle, they would not have been able to see the debris in the road that made the vehicle roll over." Shaun died on Mother's Day in March 2003, and in the early hours of Monday the knock on the door came. The family were given eight hours to tell the news to anyone close to them, before Shaun's name would be released to the press by the Ministry of Defence. "We had a short time to grasp that our lovely, lively son had gone before the phone started ringing. He was known as 'the bear' in the Army, at six-foot and 16 stone. Everyone used to laugh about his 'velcro stripe' because when he was promoted he'd have the stripe taken away for some bit of bother he'd got himself into. Then it was given back, and a bit later he'd maybe get in an argument again. He was very lovable." Following Shaun's death and the inquest, Mr Brierley began campaigning for better equipment for British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, amid reports of forces stretched to the limit and poor and "patched-up" equipment. He also joined the Stop the War Coalition, and, with families of other armed services personnel lost in the conflict, fought and failed in a legal battle to challenge the Government's refusal of a public inquiry into the war's legality. But now an inquiry is happening. The value of the Chilcot Inquiry, which was announced in June and is led by former top civil servant Sir John Chilcot, is likely to lie less in any startling new disclosures about why the war was fought than in the catharsis of allowing those affected a chance to air their grievances. It's thought to be highly unlikely that startling new revelations about Tony Blair and his advisers will come to light during the hearings, which will probably last about 18 months. Peter Brierley and others who lost loved ones in Iraq are to meet members of the Inquiry panel in Manchester this Friday as part of a regional tour to listen to the views of families bereaved by the war. Peter and Christine Brierley hope the conclusions reached will somehow help to draw a line in the sand. But Mr Brierley isn't too happy at the brief set out for the Sir John and colleagues. "All the evidence suggests that Blair and others – Gordon Brown was Chancellor and must have sanctioned the spending, and the Ministry of Defence agreed that resources were available – took us to war on a lie. It's good that the inquiry will look for lessons to be learned, and that is important. But I think they should actually be allowed to apportion blame. "Looking at what's been happening in Aghanistan, things haven't improved. I believe Tony Blair to be a war criminal. What he did was a crime against humanity – invading a country, wrecking that country, losing 179 British lives and wounding many more, and also killing unknown numbers of Iraqi citizens." As a man not given to confrontation, does Peter Brierley have any regrets about his outburst to the former PM? "No, it made me feel better. I'd do it again, but next time I'd plan it better – and do it in a different place." |
By Mark Wartenberg, Frontiers Science Writer Emotionally invested parents can mean children are more likely to be successful later in life, a study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience shows. Looking at 27 children aged between four and six, the study examined the quality of the emotional bond to their parents, and their cognitive control including: resisting temptation, their ability to remember things, and whether they are shy or withdrawn. Maximizing children’s chances of success can seem daunting and an impossibly tall order. This research found a caring and emotionally attentive environment is liable to be a long-term game-changer. The study involved a combination of questionnaires, behavioral tasks and electrophysiological measurements. The researchers looked at the quality of the emotional bond – referred to as emotional availability (EA) – between mothers and children. Second, the children’s executive functions were measured through a number of exercises. Finally, the study measured the neural responses of children who were tasked to inhibit certain aspects of their behavior. This was achieved through EEG (Electrotroencephalography) by measuring small variations in voltage in certain key parts of the brain. Dr Schneider-Hassloff, a researcher on the study, noted: “this study investigated the association between emotional interaction quality and the electrophysiological correlates of executive functions in preschool children for the first time,” thereby shedding new light on the long-term importance of emotional nurturing. Parents who understand this, by encouraging independence in their kids while remaining emotionally available, give their young ones a better chance at future success. Even in hardship they can create an emotional space that will have long-lasting and powerful consequences for the child’s future life-skills, the study asserts. The researchers encourage further work into emotion-driven caretaker-child interactions, particularly for children at risk. Read the full article in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience REPUBLISHING GUIDELINES: At Frontiers, open access and sharing research is part of our mission. Unless otherwise noted, you can republish our articles posted in the Frontiers blog – as long as you credit us with a link back. Editing the articles or selling them is not allowed. |
Sony Exec Tells Frustrated PSP Users To Get Games Via BitTorrent from the did-he-really-just-say-that? dept "You can wait for it and you can have it in good quality, you know you can get the stuff from Bittorrent if you want to and download PSP games, it's up to you." Sony, as a company, has had something of a split personality on issues having to do with unauthorized file sharing. The content side of the business is obviously very much against it. But the consumer electronics side of the house recognizes how it can be quite beneficial towards raising the value of consumer electronics. Even so, it's still a bit of a surprise to hear an exec basically tell fans to just download unauthorized content. Reader Yakko Warner points us to the news that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe CEO David Reeves was telling frustrated PSP users in Australia and New Zealand that they're going to have to keep waiting for games to show up there... or they can just download them off BitTorrent One would imagine that the legal team at Sony isn't exactly thrilled about the "it's up to you" line at the end there. Filed Under: bittorrent, david reeves, games, psp Companies: sony |
Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF Remember when ESPN business reporter and post-human Darren Rovell narced out a guy on Twitter for cracking a joke at his expense? At the time, a lot of people figured Rovell was just blustering. Surely, they thought, he’s not so big a baby that he’d tattle on someone just for busting on him on the internet. Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, we now know that, yes, Darren Rovell really is that big of a baby. Here was the initial exchange, beginning with a harmless joke: We put in a public records request with the University of Michigan asking for any correspondence between Rovell and Charles Shipan, the chair of the political science department where this Twitter user got his PhD a while back. (Why Shipan? Our guy isn’t sure. He told Kissing Suzy Kolber: “Presumably Darren Googled my full name and then zeroed in on the first authority figure he could find that had any presumptive relationship with me.”) This is what Michigan sent us: Advertisement What a penis. |
Some 35 aid groups from around the world, including ActionAid and Oxfam, launched a joint call Wednesday to end Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, which is in dire need of reconstruction following last year's Operation Protective Edge. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter “For a whole year the Israeli government has restricted basic and essential construction materials from entering Gaza,” said a statement signed by the NGOs and posted on the site of activist group Avaaz. “Not one of the 19,000 homes that were bombed and destroyed has been fully rebuilt. Destroyed home in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge (Photo: AFP) “One year on, around 100,000 Palestinians in Gaza are still homeless, hospitals and schools still lie in ruins, and whole neighbourhoods have no access to running water.” Israel imposed its blockade on Gaza in 2006 after Palestinian movement Hamas captured an Israeli soldier, and tightened it a year later when Hamas consolidated its rule. It controls the waters around Gaza and residents are not allowed to travel more than six nautical miles from the coast. Land crossings are also strictly controlled by Israel, which says its blockade is essential to prevent militants from obtaining materials to fortify military positions and build rockets they could fire at the Jewish state. “Just five percent of the 6.7 million tons of steel bars, cement and aggregates needed to rebuild what was destroyed since the end of the war has been permitted to enter Gaza,” the statement said. “At this rate, it could take 17 years before Gaza is rebuilt.” The NGOs acknowledged that Palestinian political parties had failed to reconcile and prioritise reconstruction, “and Egypt’s closure of its border has further limited supplies entering Gaza”. But they said Israel’s blockade was the main obstacle to reconstruction. A petition launched by the NGOs has so far garnered more than 450,000 signatures from around the world. |
Make no mistake about it: If Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernard (Bernie) SandersSenate Dems seek to turn tables on GOP in climate change fight Bernie Sanders Town Hall finishes third in cable news race, draws 1.4 million viewers Woman to undecided Biden: 'Just say yes' to 2020 bid MORE (I-Vt.) wins the Iowa caucuses, it will be the upset of the century, and if he wins the Democratic nomination and the presidency, it would be exactly what he says: a political revolution. The establishment members of the Democratic Party, almost without exception, support former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails County GOP in Minnesota shares image comparing Sanders to Hitler Holder: 'Time to make the Electoral College a vestige of the past' MORE, whom they consider to be one of them, and oppose Sanders, whom they consider a threat to their bastions of power. ADVERTISEMENT Make no mistake about this, either: Most recent polling on the subject shows that Sanders defeats Trump by huge landslide margins, and Sanders runs stronger than Clinton against Trump. These facts are true no matter how many commentators refuse to acknowledge this in what they call the "news," and no matter how many times establishment insiders keep repeating that Clinton is more electable without even trying to acknowledge or consider why most recent polling suggests the opposite of what they claim to be true. The reason a Sanders victory would be the upset of the century if it happens is that the Democratic establishment in politics, the corporate media establishment that owns most of television news, and the Wall Street establishment that dominates finance are all united in force against him. By contrast to Sanders, when then-presidential candida Barack Obama ran in 2008, there were many powerful names in Democratic politics with names such as Kennedy, Daschle and Kerry who supported him. There were many Wall Street players who supported Obama and were awarded with their favored choice for Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, after attending many Obama fundraisers. And the most of the major media loved Obama. In contrast to Obama in 2008 — and to Clinton today — Sanders is a true, authentic and passionate populist reformer who would bring powerful and dramatic change to Washington. Sanders would never name Geithner or anyone like him to be secretary of the Treasury, attend Wall Street fundraisers and benefit from super-PACs financed by substantial and often undisclosed Wall Street money, or give paid speeches to big banks. Regardless of whom you support for president, I hope you are inspired by the young people whose hearts Sanders has touched, as I am. I have warned Team Clinton publicly and privately, in very strong terms, that the worst thing she could do is run negative attacks against Sanders because he supports many of the things that a majority of real Democrats outside of Washington believe in. When Sanders talks about making big banks smaller, creating a Medicare-for-all healthcare system, raising Social Security benefits, taking strong action to create more income equality, and providing a free public college education to young people paid for by a transaction tax on Wall Street, he is acting in the tradition of presidents named Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy and civil rights leaders with names such as King. Clinton is capable of running a much better campaign than attacking Sanders because his programs are too progressive or his dreams are too daring. The late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) was right when he roused a Democratic convention to its feet by saying "the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die." In the days when Democrats were led by presidents proposing New Frontiers and Great Societies, there was a saying: "power to the people." My guess is that Sanders has a slight edge in Iowa, and I could be wrong, but one thing is clear: If those who support Bernie Sanders leave their homes to vote for him in the Iowa caucus, the power to the people will win, the insider establishment will lose, the pundits will be proven wrong and it will indeed be the upset of the century tonight. Budowsky was an aide to former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) and former Chief Deputy Majority Whip Bill Alexander (D-Ark.). He holds an LL.M. degree in international financial law from the London School of Economics. Contact him at brentbbi@webtv.net. |
The rancor along the Doklam Plateau continues as the low-simmer regional standoff between China and India enters its second month. India has advanced its Operational Alert training exercise, designed to acclimate its troops to high altitudes, from September or October to this month. India wants to increase its forces' battle readiness without provoking the Chinese military stationed only a few meters across the border. Chinese and Indian troops have been engaged in a boundary dispute near the mountain pass of Doka La along India's border with China and Bhutan. The territorial feud began June 16 when Indian forces intervened to prevent Chinese soldiers and construction workers from extending a roadway through the area, known as the trijunction. Bhutan claims Doka La lies within its internationally recognized boundary with China and India. China, however, claims the trijunction is a few miles south of Doka La at Gymachen and that the pass falls within its territory. For India, recognizing China's territorial assertion at Gymachen places Chinese roads (and troops) too close to the Siliguri corridor, which links mainland India with its far-flung northeastern wing. Neither India nor China has signaled any desire to acquiesce, but each is reluctant to enter into a full-fledged war. The number of Chinese troops in the area is close to 800 — less than a battalion — but this is in addition to the 300 troops China has deployed on the Doklam Plateau. On the Indian side, around 350 troops are located in the area, while three brigades are deployed relatively nearby. Meanwhile, Bhutan has denied a Chinese claim made on Aug. 9 that Bhutan had told Beijing via diplomatic channels that it considers the area of the Doklam standoff to not be within Bhutanese territory. Bhutan reiterated that it saw Chinese actions in the area as violating existing agreements. The troop increases on both sides point to an escalation of sorts, though there is still no sign that either side wishes to create a real conflict. Bhutan, meanwhile, remains caught between two giants. The tiny country has tried to remain unobtrusive as it is the one most likely to have its territory altered. While the standoff could escalate or de-escalate at any moment, November appears to be a potential landmark to watch for. At that point, the Chinese Party Congress will have elected new leadership that may feel more able to withdraw troops without running afoul of disruptive, nationalist voices within the country. |
South Korea Tries To Raise Sewol Ferry Nearly 3 Years After Deadly Sinking Enlarge this image toggle caption Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images Almost three years ago, the ferry Sewol sank in rough seas off South Korea. More than 300 people perished, mostly high school students on a field trip. Now, South Korea's government is trying to raise what's left of the 6,800-ton ship. As NPR's Elise Hu reports from Seoul, nine of the people who were aboard that day in April 2014 remain missing, and families hope to recover those bodies once the Sewol has been lifted out of the water and put in dry dock. Dozens of divers are involved in the salvage operation, Elise says. Crews had the ship partway out of the water when their efforts hit what could be a significant snag. Enlarge this image toggle caption AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images An official from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Lee Cheoljo, told reporters that workers have discovered that a vehicle ramp is dangling from the Sewol's left side, according to The Associated Press. Until the ramp is cut away, crews can't load the ferry onto the semi-submersible heavy-lift vessel that would carry it into port. Cheoljo said divers will need to remove the ramp using welding equipment, and that it's vital to finish the work in enough time for the ferry to be loaded by midnight Friday. The mission is up against impending weather — currents are expected to strengthen on Saturday. Workers had hoped to finish the job Thursday morning, but they hit an earlier snag when the Sewol began rubbing against the pulleys and equipment on the barges lifting it, requiring the workers to rebalance it. Some family members of the dead and missing watched the crews try to raise the ship. The Associated Press reports that some cried as they watched the wreckage through telescopes: "I shouted in joy when we heard that the ship surfaced at dawn. I thought we finally can find the missing nine," Lee Geum-hee, the mother of a missing school girl, told a television crew. "But when I actually saw the ship coming up, I was devastated. All this time my poor child was in that cold, dirty place. It was heart wrenching." Enlarge this image toggle caption Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images In addition to searching for the bodies of the missing, there are also plans to form an investigation committee to better understand what caused the ferry to sink on April 16, 2014. Investigators found that the ship was carrying twice the legal limit of cargo when it sank; the captain and crew were rescued, but the students were told to stay in place, costing many lives, Elise reports. The ferry's captain was sentenced to life in prison after an appeals court found him guilty of committing "murder through willful negligence." The project to salvage the ship in one piece comes after the recent ouster of South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn is temporarily running the government until the results of a presidential by-election on May 9. |
EAST LANSING — After three long years of injuries, setbacks and a touch of immaturity, Michigan State's Lawrence "L.T." Thomas is finally beginning to fulfill the great expectations that accompanied him to campus. This, according to Spartans' defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. "This is a new L.T. (Thomas), let me just tell you, L.T. is playing very, very well,'' Narduzzi said, "and the state of Michigan will be happy with what L.T. has turned out to be right now.'' That's saying a mouthful on two fronts. For one, it's not a stretch to suggest Thomas is the most ballyhooed signee of the Mark Dantonio coaching era at Michigan State. He was a 5-star recruit ranked No. 1 in Michigan coming out of Detroit's Renaissance High School. Secondly, Narduzzi is not one to toss verbal bouquets casually. Asked Monday if his defense was where it needed to be right now, Narduzzi replied: " "Never, no, hell no, it still hasn't been where it needs to be, and it never was this year, or last year to the year before — it's never there.'' Yet Narduzzi stood inside the football building one week into fall practice singing the praises of the 6-foot-4, 309-pound Thomas. "I think it's just (him) growing up, he's tougher, he's more physical, he's consistent, knock on wood,'' Narduzzi said. "He's been consistent. When you're on the field you can get better, when you're not on the field, you can't. "L.T. has had injury problems, that's why I knocked on (wood), is we got to keep him healthy, because he's doing a great job for us.'' After redshirting his first year at Michigan State in 2011, Thomas played fullback in 2012 before moving to the defensive line for Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl practice. Thomas made progress in the spring of 2013 before suffering a back injury in the summer, putting him behind the curve last season and limiting his playing time. Narduzzi said Thomas and junior Joel Heath have a grip on the starting defensive tackle positions. Narduzzi had more newsy nuggets on his defense: DEFENSIVE LINE "Inside (at defensive tackle) we ... have to narrow it down as quickly as we can. I could flip a coin with some of the twos that go in there, so we have a lot of depth in there.'' "We've got the best freshmen class D-tackles in the country, I don't know if there's a better group out there, as far as four very, very good ones .... I don't know how many are going to play this year, but at least two of them, and possibly three.'' "(Montez Sweat) is doing a great job (at defensive end). He's tough, he's athletic, and we got to get him ready to go. He's going to be ready to go.'' LINEBACKERS "(Jon) Reschke played great, so did Taiwan Jones ... (they) played most of the reps with the ones (in Saturday's scrimmage) and looked pretty darn good.'' "Mylan Hicks is playing very well (with the No. 2 defense) at the star (outside linebacker) position.'' "Darien (Harris) didn't have a lot of reps at middle linebacker ... he's playing good, not as good as I want him to be, I expect more out of him ... he's a leader for us on and off the field.'' SECONDARY "(Montae Nicholson) is a heckuva athlete, he's about as physical of a DB as you're gonna have, might be the most physical DB out there, but he's still learning. He's really, really raw right now.'' "There's some competition at corner; I think Jermaine Edmondson is playing well, Nick Tompkins has showed his stuff at corner as well, and of course Arjen (Colquhoun) and (Darian) Hicks are in a battle out here.'' |
An empty well in Ethiopia, where more than 10 million people are likely to need food aid in 2016. Image: Abiy Getahun/Oxfam Governments must act immediately to end conflicts and counter the impact of climate disruption so as to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe affecting millions. LONDON, 30 December, 2015 – The global humanitarian system, designed to save those at risk of dying because of human or natural disasters, faces unprecedented demands in 2016 from levels of strain it has never before had to face, a leading development agency says. With more than 10 million people in a single African country expected to need international help next year, Oxfam says the effects of a super El Niño will intensify the pressures on a system already struggling to help people devastated by conflict. If governments act now, Oxfam says, relief can reach those in the greatest need while there is still time. But if they don’t the crisis will overwhelm it and its counterparts who provide relief, and they will not be able to save those at risk. Oxfam estimates the El Niño weather system could leave tens of millions of people facing hunger, water shortages and disease next year, and says it is already too late for some regions to avoid a major emergency. In Ethiopia the government estimates that 10.2 million people will need humanitarian assistance in 2016, at a cost of US$1.4 billion, because of a drought which is being exacerbated by El Niño. Millions short Oxfam plans to reach 777,000 people there to ensure they have clean water, sanitation and emergency food and livelihood support. But it faces a funding gap of $25m. Jane Cocking, Oxfam GB’s humanitarian director, says: “Millions of people in places like Ethiopia, Haiti and Papua New Guinea are already feeling the effects of drought and crop failure. “Aid agencies are stretched responding to the crises in Syria, South Sudan and Yemen. We cannot afford to allow other large-scale emergencies to develop elsewhere. If the world waits to respond to emerging crises in southern Africa and Latin America, we will not be able to cope.” The UN says the number of people forced to flee their homes by conflict has reached 60 million, a level unknown since World War II. In some regions the crisis is close. Food shortages are expected to peak in southern Africa in February. South Africa has already designated several provinces as disaster areas because of drought. Malawi’s national food security forecast for 2015–2016 estimates 2.8m people will require humanitarian assistance before March. “If the world waits to respond to emerging crises in southern Africa and Latin America, we will not be able to cope” Two million people across Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua already need food aid after drought and erratic rains. With floods expected in Central America in January, the situation is likely to deteriorate further. Oxfam says governments and donors could be acting now to help people cope with drought or flooding, for example by conserving soil and water, reducing livestock, and ensuring the early treatment of malnutrition. A recent study by the UK government’s department for international development (DfID) found that on average these kinds of measures cut the cost of responding to an emergency by 40% per person. El Niño is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the eastern Pacific roughly every seven to eight years. It takes its name from the Spanish term for the infant Christ, because it was observed in South America around Christmas. It can affect countries thousands of miles away. Although El Niño is not directly caused by climate change, Oxfam says, global warming makes it more likely that strong El Niños will develop. And, in turn, El Niños involve the release of a large amount of heat from the Pacific, exacerbating climate change. Oxfam says the effects of this year’s strong El Niño should remind world leaders that they will need to continue to take strong climate action if they are to keep global warming to less than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. This month’s Paris Agreement, reached at the UN climate talks in the French capital, aims to keep the world below 1.5°C. – Climate News Network |
Weyland-Yutani Corporation Approved. Just picture it: you've been circling a boring sector of space for months on a "routine" USCM patrol mission. The call comes down that in a few days, you'll be escorting a civilian from some space freighter to planet Acheron. The rest of the crew gets excited, and you know it's the perfect time to strike. You replace one of the standard USCM Ration Cans with a Aliens Chestburster-in-a-Can. Then you pee your fatigues in mirth as the new private almost has a heart attack when he opens his dinner ration can only to have a chestburster fly out! It's very simple, actually. Just like the snakes-in-a-can of old, this Aliens Chestburster-in-a-Can sends a spring-loaded (and totally fake, we think) chestburster out at any poor fool you get to open it. The chestburster is plush with an internal spring, so it won't hurt too much if it accidentally hits them in the face, so it's a great way to haze the new recruit, spice up the officer's mess, and create general havoc in small, dark ships where crew members keep disappearing only to be replaced by bubbling pools of acidic blood and drool. Fun! Aliens Chestburster-in-a-Can--as much fun as you can have without having a real extraterrestrial endoparasitoid gestating in your abdomen! Aliens Chestburster-in-a-Can |
The Exoplanet Data Explorer is an interactive table and plotter for exploring and displaying data from the Exoplanet Orbit Database. The Exoplanet Orbit Database is a carefully constructed compilation of quality, spectroscopic orbital parameters of exoplanets orbiting normal stars from the peer-reviewed literature, and updates the Catalog of nearby exoplanets. A detailed description of the Exoplanet Orbit Database and Explorers is published here and is available on astro-ph. In addition to the Exoplanet Data Explorer, we have also provided the entire Exoplanet Orbit Database in CSV format for a quick and convenient download here. A list of all archived CSVs is available here. Help and documentation for the Exoplanet Data Explorer is available here. A FAQ and overview of our methodology is here, including answers to the questions "Why isn't my favorite planet/datum in the EOD?" and "Why does site X list more planets than this one?". Shawn Wolfe has created an external search engine for the EOD here. Send feedback to Shawn Wolfe. If you use this resource in a publication, please cite this paper and include the following acknowledgement: "This research has made use of the Exoplanet Orbit Database and the Exoplanet Data Explorer at exoplanets.org." The imaging, microlensing, and Kepler planet functionalities of the EOD are powered by the Exoplanet Archive at NExScI. The Exoplanet Orbit Database is produced and maintained by Prof. Jason Wright at Penn State University. The Exoplanet Data Explorer and website design and maintenance is by Dr. Onsi Fakhouri. Please send Database updates or corrections to datamaster@exoplanets.org, and send website or Data Explorer bug reports to webmaster@exoplanets.org. The Exoplanet Data Explorer is best experienced on the latest version of Chrome or Safari. The latest version of Firefox is supported too. Internet Explorer is not supported. |
This article/post contains references to products or services from one or more of our advertisers or partners. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products or services. This is for all you financial statistics junkies out there… According to the FDIC’s quarterly banking profile, more than one in ten US banks (829 out of 7830) are currently in trouble, and the number appears is climbing, with the number of banks on their “problem list” increased by 7% during the 2nd quarter. In terms of bank failures, 118 banks have already under in 2010, compared to 140 in all of 2009, and just a handful per year prior to the current economic crisis. In other words, be sure to pay attention to FDIC limits when managing your bank accounts. The good news is that, for the first time since 2006, the number of loans that are 90 or more days past due declined, falling nearly 5%. The same can be said of loans charged off by banks, which showed a slight year-over-year decline for the first time since the 4th quarter of 2006. Interestingly, the 2nd quarter of 2010 also marked the first time in 38 years that the FDIC didn’t add any new banks. |
Nov 16, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk (13) and Montreal Canadiens center Alex Galchenyuk (27) battle for the puck in front of Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard (35) in the first period at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports The Montreal Canadiens (36-15-4) are in Detroit on Monday to face the Red Wings (31-13-10) at Joe Louis Arena. The game starts at 7:30 and airs on RDS and Sportsnet East. Match Up This is the third of four meetings between the Habs and Wings this season, and the last in Detroit. The Canadiens already have a pair of wins in the first two games of this series, one in regulation, one in overtime. Tomas Plekanec and PK Subban each have a goal and two assists in two games against the Red Wings this year, Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk have two points each. What to Watch Canadiens: Carey Price has given up just one goal in each of his last three starts and has allowed one or fewer in six of his last nine. Price and Pekka Rinne are locked in a two way race for the Vezina trophy with very little to separate them. Rinne has a slight edge in GAA, 1.97 to 1.98, but Price has saved a slightly higher percent of shots, .934 versus .931. Red Wings: For Detroit, the old guard is almost ready to be replaced by the new. Veterans Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk still lead the Wings in points with 49 and 42 respectively, but right behind them are youngsters Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist, who rank first and second on the team in goals. In his second full season with the Wings, Tatar has already set a new high for points with 41 on the season, he finished last year with 39 points in 73 games. What’s at Stake The Canadiens don’t have many four point games left on their schedule, but their matches against the Wings and Lightning definitely stand out. The Habs have built a nice four-point cushion over Detroit with an extra game played, but a win on Monday would help widen that gap and relieve the tiniest bit of pressure with just under 30 games left in the season. Who’s Out Sergein Gonchar was knocked out of Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs with an apparent upper body injury, and Sunday, Greg Pateryn was recalled from the Bulldogs, signalling the injury to Gonchar could be serious. P.A. Parenteau (concussion) remains out as well. The Red Wings are missing Johan Franzen (concussion) but are otherwise healthy heading in to Monday’s game. Jimmy Howard returned to action last week after a groin tear kept him out of the lineup for about a month. What Else PK Subban played a season high 35:21 in Montreal’s 2-1 shootout victory over the Maple Leafs on Saturday, his most by far this season. He had set his previous high for the year just two games prior, 31:18 in the team’s 2-1 OT victory against the Flyers. The increased duties has PK averaging 25:55 per game, sixth most in the league The Question Mark The Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators have already started to make trade deadline moves this past week. Which team do you expect to be most aggressive this year and which playoff contender will be quietest? As always, we’ll be going over your answers on the Montreal Hockey Talk Habs Pregame Show, starting an hour before each Canadiens game on montrealhockeytalk.com. |
For other people named Robert Fuller, see Robert Fuller (disambiguation) Robert Gaston Fuller (October 22, 1942 – July 18, 1966) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for "Let Her Dance" and "I Fought the Law", recorded with his group The Bobby Fuller Four. Early life [ edit ] Born in Baytown, Texas, Fuller had a maternal older half brother, Jack, and a younger brother, Randy. Fuller moved as a small child to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he remained until 1956, when he and his family moved to El Paso, Texas.[1] His father got a job at El Paso Natural Gas at that time.[1] It was the same year that Elvis Presley became popular, and Bobby Fuller became mesmerized by the new rock and roll star. Fuller soon adopted the style of fellow Texan Buddy Holly, fronting a four-man combo and often using original material. Career [ edit ] During the early 1960s, he played in clubs and bars in El Paso, and he recorded on independent record labels in Texas with a constantly changing line-up. The only constant band members were Fuller and his younger brother, Randy Fuller (born on January 29, 1944, in Hobbs, New Mexico) on bass. Most of these independent releases (except two songs recorded at the studio of Norman Petty in Clovis), and an excursion to Yucca Records, also in New Mexico, were recorded in the Fullers' own home studio, with Fuller acting as the producer. He even built a primitive echo chamber in the back yard. The quality of the recordings, using a couple of microphones and a mixing board purchased from a local radio station, was so impressive that he offered the use of his "studio" to local acts for free so he could hone his production skills. Fuller moved to Los Angeles in 1964 with his band The Bobby Fuller Four, and was signed to Mustang Records by producer Bob Keane, who was noted for discovering Ritchie Valens and producing many surf music groups.[2] By this time, the group consisted of Fuller and his brother Randy on vocals/guitar and bass respectively, Jim Reese on guitar and DeWayne Quirico on drums; this was the lineup that recorded "I Fought The Law". (There are actually two versions of "I Fought The Law" by Fuller: the original hit was released as a 45-rpm single, and the re-recording was issued on an album. The arrangements are identical but the vocals by Fuller are slightly different.) At a time when the British Invasion and folk rock were the dominant genres in rock, Fuller stuck to Buddy Holly's style of classic rock and roll with Tex Mex flourishes. His recordings, both covers and originals, also reveal the influences of Eddie Cochran, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and The Everly Brothers, as well as surf guitar. Less well known was Fuller's ability to emulate the reverb-laden surf guitar of Dick Dale and The Ventures. His first Top 40 hit was the self-penned "Let Her Dance".[3] His second hit, "I Fought the Law", peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 12–19, 1966. The song was originally written and recorded by Sonny Curtis, who became a member of Buddy Holly's former group The Crickets after Holly's death.[4] The group's third Top 40 single was a cover of Holly's "Love's Made a Fool of You."[5] Death [ edit ] Within months of "I Fought the Law" becoming a top 10 hit, Fuller was found dead in an automobile parked outside his Hollywood apartment. The Los Angeles deputy medical examiner, Jerry Nelson, performed the autopsy. According to Dean Kuipers:[6] "The report states that Bobby's face, chest, and side were covered in "petechial hemorrhages" probably caused by gasoline vapors and the summer heat. He found no bruises, no broken bones, no cuts. No evidence of beating." Kuipers further explains that boxes for "accident" and "suicide" were checked, but next to the boxes were question marks. Despite the official cause of death, some commentators believe Fuller was murdered.[7][8] Erik Greene, a relative of Sam Cooke, has cited similarities in the deaths of Cooke and Fuller. Fuller bandmate Jim Reese suspected that Charles Manson played a role in Fuller's death, but never provided credible evidence. A sensationalist crime website has speculated that the Los Angeles Police Department may have been involved because of Fuller's connection to a Mafia-related woman.[9] Fuller was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles.[10] His death was profiled in a segment of Unsolved Mysteries.[11] His death was explored in the May 11, 2015 episode of the NPR program All Things Considered.[12] The program references the book I Fought the Law: The Life and Strange Death of Bobby Fuller, by Miriam Linna, with contributions by Randy Fuller.[13] Sometime after the Unsolved Mysteries segment in question initially aired, the cause of Fuller's death was officially changed from "suicide" to "accident."[11] In popular culture [ edit ] In 2017, Chuck Prophet released the critically lauded album Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins. Discography [ edit ] Studio albums [ edit ] KRLA King Of The Wheels (Mustang M-900 [mono] / MS-900 [stereo], 1965) 5 (Mustang M-900 [mono] / MS-900 [stereo], 1965) A1. "Never To Be Forgotten" A2. "Another Sad And Lonely Night" A3. "She’s My Girl" A4. "Take My Word" A5. "Fool Of Love" A6. "Let Her Dance" B1. "King Of The Wheels" B2. "The Lonely Dragster" B3. "Little Annie Lou" B4. "The Phantom Dragster" B5. "Saturday Night" B6. "KRLA Top Eliminator" I Fought The Law (Mustang M-901 [mono] / MS-901 [stereo], 1966) 5 (Mustang M-901 [mono] / MS-901 [stereo], 1966) A1. "Let Her Dance" A2. "Julie" A3. "A New Shade Of Blue" A4. "Only When I Dream" A5. "You Kiss Me" A6. "Little Annie Lou" B1. "I Fought The Law" B2. "Another Sad And Lonely Night" B3. "Saturday Night" B4. "Take My Word" B5. "Fool Of Love" B6. "Never To Be Forgotten" Live albums [ edit ] Celebrity Night At PJ's (cancelled — originally to be released as Mustang M-902 [mono] / MS-902 [stereo]; finally issued in the Never To Be Forgotten: The Mustang Years box set) 5 Original US singles [ edit ] "You're In Love" // "Guess We'll Fall In Love" (Yucca 45-140, 1961) 1 "You're In Love" // "Guess We'll Fall In Love" (Yucca 45-140 [re-recordings], 1962) 1 "Gently My Love" // "My Heart Jumped" (Yucca 45-144, 1962) 2 "Nervous Breakdown" // "Not Fade Away" (Eastwood NO8W-0344/NO8W-0345, 1962) 2 "Saturday Night" // "Stringer" (Todd 45-1090, 1963) 2 "Wine, Wine, Wine" // "King Of The Beach" (Exeter EXT-122, 1964) 2 "I Fought The Law" // "She's My Girl" (Exeter EXT-124, 1964) 2 "Fool Of Love" // "Shakedown" (Exeter EXT-126, 1964) 3 "Those Memories Of You" // "Our Favorite Martian" (Donna 1403, 1964) 3 "Wolfman" // "Thunder Reef" (Mustang 3003, recorded 1964/released January 1965) 4 "Take My Word" // "She's My Girl" (Mustang 3004, 1965) 5 "Let Her Dance" // "Another Sad And Lonely Night" (Mustang 3006, 1965) 5 "Let Her Dance" // "Another Sad And Lonely Night" (Liberty 55812 [reissue], 1965) 5 "Let Her Dance" // "Another Sad And Lonely Night" (Mustang 3012 [re-release], 1965) 5 "Never To Be Forgotten" // "You Kiss Me" (Mustang 3011, 1965) 5 "I Fought The Law" // "Little Annie Lou" (Mustang 3014, 1965) 5 "Love's Made a Fool of You" // "Don't Ever Let Me Know" (Mustang 3016, 1966) 5 "The Magic Touch" // "My True Love" (Mustang 3018, 1966) 5 "The Magic Touch" // "I'm A Lucky Guy" (Mustang 3018 [alternate issue], 1966) 5 "It's Love, Come What May" // "It's Love, Come What May" (Mustang 3020 [DJ promo], 1966) 5 "It's Love, Come What May" [w/Randy Fuller's over-dubbed vocal] // "Wolfman" (Mustang 3020, 1966) 5 Compilations and reissues [ edit ] The Bobby Fuller Memorial Album (LP, President 1003, 1968) 5 (LP, President 1003, 1968) The Best Of The Bobby Fuller Four (LP, Rhino RNDF-201, 1981) 5 (LP, Rhino RNDF-201, 1981) KRLA King Of The Wheels (LP, Line LP-5146, 1981) 5 (LP, Line LP-5146, 1981) I Fought The Law (LP, Line LP-5133, 1981) 5 (LP, Line LP-5133, 1981) The Bobby Fuller Memorial Album (LP, Strand 6.24885, 1982) 5 (LP, Strand 6.24885, 1982) Let Them Dance (The Rare Sides) (LP, OutLine OLLP-5272, 1983) 5 (LP, OutLine OLLP-5272, 1983) Live On Stage (LP, OutLine OLLP-5302, 1983) 5 (LP, OutLine OLLP-5302, 1983) I Fought The Law (LP, Eva 12032, 1983) 5 (LP, Eva 12032, 1983) Live Again (LP, Eva 12046, 1984) 5 (LP, Eva 12046, 1984) The Bobby Fuller Tapes, Volume One (LP, Rhino RNLP-057, 1983) 2 (LP, Rhino RNLP-057, 1983) The Bobby Fuller Tapes, Volume Two (LP, Voxx 200.028, 1984) 2 (LP, Voxx 200.028, 1984) Memories Of Buddy Holly (LP, Rockhouse 8407, 1984) 2 (LP, Rockhouse 8407, 1984) The Bobby Fuller Instrumental Album (LP, Rockhouse 8504, 1985) 2 (LP, Rockhouse 8504, 1985) The Best Of The Bobby Fuller Four (CD, Rhino 70174, 1990) 5 (CD, Rhino 70174, 1990) The Bobby Fuller Four (CD, Ace CDCHD-956, 1990) 5 (CD, Ace CDCHD-956, 1990) Live At PJ's...Plus! (CD, Ace CDCHD-314, 1991) 5 (CD, Ace CDCHD-314, 1991) The Best Of The Bobby Fuller Four (CD, Ace CDCHD-388, 1992) 5 (CD, Ace CDCHD-388, 1992) The Bobby Fuller Four (CD, Del-Fi DFCD-70174, 1994) 5 (CD, Del-Fi DFCD-70174, 1994) Shakedown! The Texas Tapes Revisited (2-CD box set, Del-Fi DFBX-2902, 1996) 2 (2-CD box set, Del-Fi DFBX-2902, 1996) Never To Be Forgotten: The Mustang Years (3-CD box set, Mustang/Del-Fi DFBX-3903, 1997) 5 (3-CD box set, Mustang/Del-Fi DFBX-3903, 1997) El Paso Rock: Early Recordings, Volume 1 (CD, Norton 252, 1996) 2 (CD, Norton 252, 1996) El Paso Rock, Volume 2: More Early Recordings (CD, Norton 260, 1997) 2 (CD, Norton 260, 1997) The Mustang Years (2LP, Munster MR-184, 2000) 5 (2LP, Munster MR-184, 2000) I Fought The Law And Others (7" EP, Munster 7141, 2000) 5 (7" EP, Munster 7141, 2000) I Fought The Law: The Best Of The Bobby Fuller Four (CD, Del-Fi/Rhino 71904, 2001) 5 (CD, Del-Fi/Rhino 71904, 2001) I Fought The Law And Other Hits (CD, Flashback/Rhino 78170, 2004) 5 (CD, Flashback/Rhino 78170, 2004) Rhino Hi-Five: The Bobby Fuller Four (CD, Rhino 7????, 2006) 5 (CD, Rhino 7????, 2006) Rock And Roll King Of The Southwest: The Best Of The Texas Years 1962-64 (LP, Norton 325, 2007) 2 (LP, Norton 325, 2007) Bobby Fuller Live!!! (LP, Norton 326, 2007) 2 (LP, Norton 326, 2007) El Paso Rock: Early Recordings, Volume 3 (CD, Norton 318, 2010) 2 1 Released as by 'Bobby Fuller / Guitarist Jim Reese And The Embers, Vocal'. Note: issued twice with the same catalog number, but with completely different versions of both tracks. 2 Released as by 'Bobby Fuller'. 3 Released as by 'Bobby Fuller And The Fanatics'. 4 Released as by 'The Shindigs'. 5 Released as by 'The Bobby Fuller Four'. |
Ronnie Macdonald – Flickr Creative Commons It’s never too early to start speculating where Arsene Wenger will spend his money this summer. According to multiple sources including the Telegraph, the board has sanctioned a 50 million pound budget for Wenger to spend on strengthening the team. This number comes after the club made an 11.1 million pound profit this year, all things included. While I normally don’t buy into transfer budgets for whatever reason, Arsene Wenger did spend right around the 20 million he was given in January. Between Gabriel Paulista and Krystian Bielik, plus agent fees and wage fees, it came right at what was projected. So where does that leave Arsenal for this summer? After the purchase of Danny Welbeck, it appeared that Arsenal had shut up shop in the striker department – that they were all set. But given Welbeck’s inability to put the ball in the net and Olivier Giroud’s ability to only be one man, it’s again become a need for Arsenal to shore up their front lines. I don’t expect a big marquee signing like Edinson Cavani or Robert Lewandowski. I’d expect a younger forward with the potential to be dynamic in a year or so, while still being able to cover first team responsibilities for when Giroud needs a breath. I still think that Giroud is the perfect striker for Arsenal, but he’s going to be 29 soon and it’s only a matter of time before he breaks down. Therefore a new striker to groom in the Arsenal way and prepare for Arsenal’s future would be an ideal signing. But we don’t just need a reinforcement striker. We need a midfielder. Although I’m really not sure what kind of midfielder. Francis Coquelin has proven more than capable and we still have so many midfield options. Yet somehow we still appear short-staffed, mainly because of injuries. Depth is the key though, and we shouldn’t have to start anyone not of first-team quality. One more midfielder should do the trick. Aside from those two iffy necessities, we really don’t need much. Maybe a younger centre back to work with Gabriel and Calum Chambers in the future, especially with Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscienly getting older, but that’s not an immediate need. We can always wait for that. Here’s five players that Arsenal could/should look to spend some of their 50 million pound summer transfer budget on. |
By Trevor Law I was watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine the other day and it hit me: the weirdest crap happens to Miles O’Brien. It seems so odd that such a normal guy would have so many strange things happen to him. For those that don’t know Chief Miles Edward O’Brien was a character in Star Trek: the Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. For shows that had shapeshifters, parallel universes, and aliens who looked liked they belonged at a metal concert, he was an island of normal. He felt like the guy you ask if you are having trouble with your car, or need advice on the best kind of power tool to buy. Maybe that is why the writers took great pleasure in having the most bizarre things happen to him. #14 The time he went undercover for…some reason. (DS9: Honor among thieves) The plot is that the Chief goes undercover and infiltrates the deadly Orion Syndicate. While there he befriends and the screws over a man named Bilbe. The episode is great and shows the great acting of Colm Meaney, and shows the complex emotions undercover agents must go through when doing their job. This episode isn’t weird per say but it IS weird that it’s him. O’Brien is a soldier and an engineer not a spy! They even say they can’t use someone in Starfleet security to do the mission but there had to be better options in ALL of Starfleet than him. Then again he does the job so maybe Starfleet knows what it’s doing. Star Trek Deep Space Nine – The Complete Sixth Season #13 The time Rumpelstiltskin comes to life and annoys the crap out of him. (DS9: If wishes were horses) In defense of Deep Space Nine, weird stuff happens to everyone this episode, but the strangest crap is for the Chief. Imagine just telling your daughter a bed time story and the fairy tale creature you are talking about come to life and starts following you around acting like a little jerk. Eventually, they figure out it’s aliens just trying to understand all of their imaginations (season one and two of DS9 wasn’t the strongest) and when they leave everything goes back to normal. #12 The time he become the leader of a random village to fight a monster cloud(DS9: Storyteller) You read that right. So the crew of DS9 gets a distress call that the leader of a local village is sick. Bashir and O’Brien go to help and while there, they discover the leader fights off all the peoples bad feelings with a story and that once a year, for a few days, it manifests in the form of an angry cloud monster. The old storyteller makes O’Brien the new storyteller just before he dies. O’Brien does his best but the bad whatever starts to take over and only by the timely intervention of the assistant storyteller was the day saved. Its then that they figure out that’s what the storyteller had intended to happen all along and everyone goes home happy! (Man! Season one was bad!) Star Trek Deep Space Nine – The Complete First Season #11 The time he became really really tiny (DS9: One little ship) I just…don’t even know what to say on this one. So he, Bashir, and Jadzia become tiny while in a runabout investigating an anomaly. Because you know, science! While sciencing all over the anomaly, Jem’Hadar troops take over the the Defiant and with the help of a tiny runabout they liberate the ship! Yah science! #10 The time he got chewed out by Captain Kirk (DS9: Trials and Tribble-ations) Ok so we just broke into the top ten here with, a dead hero from the past chews you out for a bar fight. I mean, look the episode is fun and a great time. You see the crew go back in time to keep Kirk from being killed by a bomb and changing the timeline but during it a bar fight breaks out and while O’Brien is impersonating an officer from the past, he is put in front of Kirk and reprimanded. That would be like being yelled at by General MacArthur while saving his life for, well, starting a bar fight with some Commies! Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Complete Series #9 The time his 8 year old daughter gets turned into in a feral wild child. (DS9: Time’s Orphan) Ok so the whole O’Brien family is out on a picnic when his daughter falls into an ancient alien device that sends her into the past. They are able to get her back, but not before she is aged into an eighteen year old and become feral. She freaks out in confined spaces, doesn’t know how to speak clearly and eats with her hands. This family can’t even take a freaking picnic without something happening! They are able to turn her back but not before thinking they have lost her forever, TWICE. The writers must really hate this family. #8 The time he was kidnapped by the Cardassians. (DS9: Tribunal) So this might not seem that weird but hear me out. So O’Brien is doing his thing, fixing up Deep Space Nine, when an old friend drops by. They talk for a bit and then things get, you guessed it ,weird for him. He is kidnapped by the Cardassians, stripped, tortured, and put in a show trial where his guilt has already been determined and only the sentencing remains. They accuse him of terrorism and are about to sentence him to death when it’s discovered it was all a frame job! A double agent working for the Cardassians had replaced his old friend eight years ago. That’s right, of all the people in the galaxy for this crap to happen to, it was the Chief. Couldn’t frame anyone else but nooo he had to have the old double agent war buddy. #7 The time he watched his own clone die. (DS9: Whispers) So the title spoils this one a bit but a long story short the episode follows around Miles as it feels more and more like the entire station is conspiring against him. It turns out they are because he is clone! You don’t find out until the end of the episode when he is dying in the real Miles’s arms that he was a clone made to do some nefarious purpose by the Paradin government. His lasts words were “tell Keiko I love her.” So yeah Miles saw that, but I’m sure that’s the least emotionally scaring thing that happens to him. #6 The time he was in the mind of dying secret agent with his best friend. (DS9: Extreme measures) Where do they come up with this stuff?! We aren’t even in the top five yet! So Bashir and O’Brien are trying to find a cure for a disease that is killing their friend Odo. Bashir finds out the evil Section 31 is behind it and decides to capture one of their agents. Sloan, a member of section 31, shows up and tries to kill himself when he is captured. Bashir stabilizes him and decides to use a dangerous procedure to go into his mind and find the information. O’Brien decides to go with him so they pal around in a dying man’s head finding all sorts of weird crap, cause of course he does. #5 The time his wife got possessed by a demon thing (DS9: The Assignment.) So the Chief’s wife comes back from digging around in caves on Bajor when she comes back saying she is all possessed and will kill Keiko if he doesn’t do as he is told. She makes him go around turning DS9 into a big death beam to kill the worm hole aliens, also known as the Prophets. Keiko is possessed by one of their enemies, a Pa’wraith. She nearly gets him to do it, but never give the chief a weapon that is DESIGNED to kill you. He turns it on the evil alien and saves the day, with science and engineering. #4 The time HE is possessed by an evil alien. (TNG: Powerplay) So the Enterprise is cruising around, exploring and sciencing all over the galaxy when they find the wreckage of a federation ship. They investigate and several members of the crew, including, you guessed it, THE CHIEF are possessed by aliens that turn out to be beings of pure energy that were banished here. The whole planet is their prison and they try to hijack the Enterprise. At one point O’Brian is holding his own wife and child hostage. Cause, ya know, only this could happen to him. Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 5 [Blu-ray] #3 The time he spends 20 years in jail, in his freaking mind! ( DS9: Hard time) So I will admit it, this one gets at me. O’Brian violates some minor law on an alien world and so as punishment they give him 20 years worth of memories and make him think he has spent that entire time in a jail cell. During that time he befriends an alien and then kills him for hoarding food. He is nearly driven mad by the guilt of the entire thing and it’s a surprisingly powerful and thoughtful episode on what prison does to someone. #2 The time he travels back in time and sees his own death, TWICE! (DS9: Visionary) So the Chief is in a wacky accident and keeps traveling six hours into the future. I just want to make something clear, every part of this is weird. So he sees things like, his own death, twice, and the entire destruction of Deep Space Nine. He is able to solve the entire thing by pumping more of the radiation into him that caused him to jump forward, this allows him to figure out it is all a Romulan plot and allows him to save himself and the whole station! Oh but not before watching a past version of himself die, and an alternate future version of himself go back in time and take his place. Yah Chief! Also how many more times can he be emotionally scared?! Well…. #1 The time his wife got turned into a 12 year old girl. (TNG: Rascals) I mean…I don’t know how it gets any more messed up than this. The poor guy finds his wife is now a kid and is pretty understandably freaked out about the entire thing. What’s worse, Keiko seemed more or less fine about it and said things like “but I’m still your wife.” Which I seriously doubt helped him at all. Thankfully it is fixed quickly, otherwise I’m positive one of the Federation’s most awkward divorces would have followed. Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 6 [Blu-ray] And there you have it! Poor O’Brien has a lot of pretty weird crap happen to him, not sure why but if you are in the Star Trek Universe, stay the heck away from him! Unless you enjoy weirdness. If you liked this, be sure to check out our other articles! |
President Trump's national security adviser said Saturday he "would not be concerned" about having a backchannel communications system with Russia, following reports that Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, had discussed setting up a secret communications channel with Russian officials. H.R. McMaster told reporters during a press briefing in Italy on Saturday that the U.S. frequently sets up backchannels with other countries to allow for discreet communications. "We have backchannel communications with a number of countries," the national security adviser said. "What that allows you to do is communicate in a discreet manner, so I'm not concerned," he continued. McMaster and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn met with reporters on the last day of Trump's first foreign trip as commander in chief and faced questions about a Washington Post report published Friday about Kushner and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Cohn said he wasn't "going to comment on Jared." U.S. officials told the Washington Post that Kushner and Kislyak met at Trump Tower in December and talked about setting up a secret and secure backchannel between Trump's transition team and the Kremlin. Kushner suggested using U.S.-based Russian diplomatic facilities to avoid having their conversations monitored, Kislyak said. Kislyak then notified Moscow of Kushner's proposal. According to the New York Times, the backchannel was established to allow former national security adviser Michael Flynn to talk with Russian officials about Syria and other security issues. The communications channel was never set up, though, the New York Times reported. Trump fired Flynn, who is under investigation, earlier this year after he lied about conversations he had with Kislyak. The revelations regarding Kushner's discussions with Kislyak come after it was reported this week that the president's son-in-law was a "person of interest" in the FBI's investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election. |
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) vowed in December to make abortion in Texas "a thing of the past," and Republican state legislators obliged him on Tuesday by advancing a bill that opponents say could close 37 out of the state's 42 existing abortion clinics. Senate Bill 537, part of a growing national trend of so-called "TRAP" (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) bills, would require all abortion clinics in Texas to meet the same physical requirements as ambulatory surgical centers, even if they do not perform surgical abortions. Clinics would have to have surgical operating rooms of at least 240 square feet, specific flooring for janitors' closets, and new ventilation systems that can sterilize operating rooms and regulate the humidity of administrative offices -- all requirements that would be hard to fulfill. “Proponents of this bill are not really concerned about women’s health," Carla Holeva, CEO of Planned Parenthood of West Texas, said in a statement. "This bill places onerous requirements on health centers, requirements that do nothing to improve the health or safety of women." The bill was approved Tuesday by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee in a 5-2 vote. State Sen. Bob Deuell (R-Greenville), the bill's sponsor, did not respond to The Huffington Post's request for comment. Only five of the 42 clinics in Texas are currently licensed as ambulatory surgical centers, according to a Planned Parenthood spokesperson. If the bill becomes law, the other 37 clinics will either be forced to close down or to undergo costly and extensive building renovations in order to comply. The five clinics that would remain open are in Texas' major metropolitan areas -- Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio -- so women in most rural parts of Texas would have to drive much farther in order to access abortion care. Texas legislators have already passed a mandatory ultrasound law, a law mandating a 24-hour waiting period before abortions and a law prohibiting Planned Parenthood from participating in the state's low-income Women's Health Program. Only 11 of the clinics that would be affected by the new TRAP bill are Planned Parenthood clinics -- the rest are independent providers. "Planned Parenthood only provides 25 percent of abortions in Texas," a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Federation of America told HuffPost Wednesday. "The ironic thing here is that the impact will be felt even more by independent providers that have been providing safe and legal abortions for decades." Several other states have recently passed TRAP laws, including Virginia, North Carolina, North Dakota, Alabama and Indiana. |
Continuing series of Baseball Joes in which Ken predicts which paired team will win more games in 2015 (“projected wins” via FanGraphs) … Nationals (93) vs. Orioles (79) No way the spread will be that big, even if the Nationals win 100 games. Article continues below ... The Orioles, as pointed out in the Baseball Prospectus 2015 annual, have outperformed their Pythagorean record — that is, their performance when measured by runs scored and allowed — in each of the past four seasons. They again look somewhat dubious on paper, mostly due to a modest rotation. But they’ve consistently figured things out in the Buck Showalter-Dan Duquette era, and I’m picking them to win the division. Yes, the Nationals look great, their rotation in particular. But two of their three starting outfielders, left fielder Jayson Werth (shoulder) and center fielder Denard Span (core) underwent recent surgeries – and the other outfielder, right fielder Bryce Harper, needs to prove he can stay healthy. Yunel Escobar at second base is another question, and so is the bullpen without Tyler Clippard. I like the Nats. But they’re not the über-team that some portray. My pick: Nationals 94 wins, Orioles 91 |
If your heart has ever ached looking at pictures of animals pent up in tiny pet store cages or pens at the zoo, prepare to be outraged. CNN and other internet sources have uncovered a souvenir scheme in China that seems like a sick joke, but isn’t. Live animals—turtles, fish, lizards and other amphibians—are being trapped in tiny plastic bags and sold as decorative key chains. Vendors claim that the bag contains crystallized oxygen and nutrients designed to keep the animals alive, but in reality, most die within a day or less due to oxygen deprivation. What’s even more shocking is that thanks to China’s lax animal protection laws, most customers are encouraged to microwave and then eat the animals upon their demise. According to sources like Ryot.org, the shocking live-animal key chains are most often sold out of coolers near the entrances of subways. Many contain young Chinese soft-shell turtles—the adults are a popular dish in Chinese cooking. Even though local laws maintain that these horrifying key chains are completely legal, animal rights advocates are outraged. “Lack of food and diminishing oxygen concentrations within both the water and the small amount of air in these plastic pouches will cause the animals to die in a relatively short period of time after the pouches are sealed,” David Neale, animal welfare director of Animals Asia told CNN. Neale also implied that attempting to keep the animals as pets could put those who buy the key chains at risk (though anyone crazy enough to buy one of these disgusting trinkets probably deserves it). “Individuals should also be aware of the potential human health risks associated with being in close contact with animals such as turtles. Turtles frequently carry salmonella bacteria that can cause serious illness,” he said. A petition to stop the sale of these live-animal keychains is already underway on Avaaz.org, and has gathered over 143,000 signatures. If you care about the rights of innocent animals, please sign. Via Ryot.org |
"Silence," starring Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield, hits theaters on December 23. For Martin Scorsese, “Silence” is not just another movie. The film based on Shūsaku Endō’s 1966 novel of the same name has been a passion project for the filmmaker and high on his list of priorities ever since he first read the book. The story follows two 17th century Jesuit priests (played by Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield) who face violence and persecution as they travel through Japan to spread Christianity and locate their mentor (Liam Neeson). READ MORE: Paramount Reveals Martin Scorsese’s ‘Silence’ Footage, Plus Darren Aronofsky and Jennifer Lawrence’s New Film ‘Mother’ Scorsese recently sat down with The New York Times Magazine to discuss the now legendary movie. Here are six things we learned about the project, as reported by the Times. 1. Scorsese has been trying to get “Silence” made for almost 30 years. After reading the novel in 1989, Scorsese quickly snapped up the film rights and began telling nearly everyone he knew how much he wanted to make the movie. Even while shooting films including “The Aviator,” “The Departed,” “Shutter Island” and “Hugo,” he conceded that “Silence” was the movie he really wanted to shoot. After 2014’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Scorsese put his foot down and said he would not attach himself to another movie project until “Silence” was completed. 2. All the principal actors cut their fees. Scorsese wanted to make “Silence” so much that he didn’t even take a fee for the project. Principal actors Driver, Garfield and Neeson either worked for Screen Actors Guild scale or for much less than their usual quote. 3. Making the movie was a massive logistical undertaking. The $47 million production was filmed in Taiwan for eight months; the total number of cast and crew reached 750 people. “Raging Bull” and “Goodfellas” producer Irwin Winkler helped navigate “dozens” of legal disputes that threatened the project, according to the Times. 4. Adam Driver lost more than 50 pounds for his role. During a four-and-a-half-month period, Driver shed 51 pounds to play the part of Father Francisco Garrpe, with the help of a nutrition coach. “It’s about control, and as an actor you want to have control, but it’s also about suffering,” he told the Times. “It gives you information you can use in the role.” After filming concluded, he started a routine of eating “triple breakfasts.” 5. Andrew Garfield went deep into religious training for his part. Jesuit Rev. James Martin, an author and editor at large of a Jesuit news publication, worked with both Driver and Garfield to help prepare them for their roles. Garfield spent nearly a year learning about the Jesuit faith, taking part in a week-long silent retreat and even learning so much that he wound up pushing back on lines of dialogue that he said weren’t realistic for a Jesuit. “I got totally swept up in all things Jesuit and very taken with the Jesuit spirituality,” Garfield told the Times. 6. The Pope might see the movie before U.S. audiences. This month, “Silence” will screen for for 400 Jesuit priests in Rome and for cinephiles at the Vatican. “It’s no stretch to suppose that Pope Francis, a Jesuit himself, will find a way to be there,” according to the Times. “Silence” hits theaters on December 23. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. |
Please enable Javascript to watch this video HEBER CITY, Utah -- Imagine looking out your window and seeing a mountain lion sitting on your porch. That's what happened to a couple in Heber last night. "So I looked down and I said, 'what dog is that laying on my porch?' and I tapped on the glass, and he or she turned around and I said, 'that ain't no dog,'" Kathy Inman said of the encounter. What was sitting on Kathy and Floyd Inman's porch was actually a 75-pound, two-year-old, female mountain lion. The Inmans said she looked right at home, and spent about two hours just lying there. "It didn't do anything, it just laid there," said Floyd Inman. "We've been in the Park City / Heber area for 30 years, and I've never had one that close to me before." The neighborhood kids started coming through the back door and gazing out the window for a closer look. "His eyes were closed, and then they were open, it was like he was kind of napping in between checking us out," said neighbor Rhett Riding. Riding was one of dozens of neighbors who watched as wildlife officers arrived and shot the cat with a tranquilizer dart. The cougar immediately took off running. For more than an hour, neighbors helped Division of Wildlife Resources personnel search for the animal. "My kids, the neighbor's kids, all of our friends around all had flashlights and we were out looking," Riding said. The mountain lion was eventually discovered in a vacant lot. The large cat was kept overnight for observation and released back into the wild Thursday morning. "This was the thrill of the neighborhood, this next to our little neighborhood barbecues, this one was top-notch," Riding said. |
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff says the early data from AMG's new F1-powered hypercar gives him goosebumps. AMG confirmed the project was going ahead at the recent Paris motor show, with the car already in development based around Mercedes' F1 V6 turbo power unit. The car is expected to be all-wheel drive and is likely to have in excess of 1000bhp from its modified F1 engine. But Wolff was keen to point out that the power unit will be entirely based on the current F1 engine and not just a normal production engine with F1-style technology added on. "It's awesome that we have finally put an F1 engine, a real F1 engine, in a real road car -- this is not F1-like technology," Wolff said. "Real F1 technology in a road car is quite a difficult technical exercise if you imagine all the cooling that is necessary, but the data I have seen gives me goosebumps. So it's really good." The car is expected to be revealed next year to mark the 50th anniversary of AMG. |
Image caption The Van Gogh paintings examined include Banks of the Seine Scientists have identified why the bright yellows in some of Vincent van Gogh's paintings have turned brown. A complex chemical reaction is behind the deterioration of the works. The finding is a first step to understanding how to stop some of the Dutch master's most famous paintings from fading over time. The results, published in the journal Analytical Chemistry, suggest shielding the affected paintings as much as possible from UV and sunlight. Uncovering the secrets of the chemical reaction required the scientists to use an array of analytical tools. These included the intense X-ray beams produced at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), a world-leading centre for the study of the structure of materials in Grenoble, France. Image caption The intense X-rays produced at the ESRF were used to analyse the samples Sunlight can penetrate only a few micrometres into the paint, but over this short distance, the researchers found it could trigger a hitherto unknown chemical reaction turning chrome yellow into brown pigments, altering the original composition. The scientists employed a microscopic X-ray beam to reveal a complex chemical reaction taking place in the incredibly thin layer where the paint meets the varnish. The vibrancy of new industrial pigments such as chrome yellow allowed van Gogh to achieve the intensity of, for example, his series of Sunflowers paintings. He started to paint in these bright colours after leaving his native Holland for France where he became friends with artists who shared his new ideas about the use of colours. Problem mixture The researchers found that a change in the oxidation state of the element chromium (from chromium 6 to chromium 3) was linked to the darkening of chrome yellow paint. The X-ray beam research carried out at ESRF also showed that chromium 3 was especially prominent in the presence of chemical compounds which contained barium and sulphur. Based on this observation, the scientists speculate that van Gogh's technique of blending white and yellow paint might be the cause of the darkening of his yellow paint. Co-author Koen Janssens commented: "Our next experiments are already in the pipeline. "Obviously, we want to understand which conditions favour the reduction of chromium, and whether there is any hope to revert pigments to the original state in paintings where it is already taking place." |
Happy holidays, Rocksmith fans! In honor of the season and the recent Hendrix DLC, we’ve decided to shine some light on some of the Rocksmith artist’s most impressive fretwork on offer (other than the Hendrix DLC, since we don’t want it to take up half the list). From The Riff Repeater editors, here are some of our favourite solos in no particular order: Daniel’s Picks: 1: Freebird (RS1 DLC) It’s a cliche to mention this song in any list of the best guitar solos, but we might get flogged by our user base for not including it. Nevertheless, it will certainly take some chops to pull off this song’s four-minute long exercise in pentatonic scale soloing. 2: Highway Star (2014 DLC) Fast, frantic, and very challenging. Richie Blackmore quite possibly invented the “one-string tremolo”-heavy solo seen so much in later heavy metal with this song. 3: Painkiller (RS1 DLC) Get ready to fire up riff repeater. Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing must have fingers made of lightning or something… 4: 25 or 6 to 4 (2014 DLC) Nobody can wa wa like Terry Kath can. 5: Same Old Song And Dance (2014 DLC) Perhaps one of the best showcases of Joe Perry’s masterful bluesy soloing. I think we’re starting to see a pattern of blues-inspired solos here… 6: Blackbird (2014 DLC) I hope you’re all practicing your fingerstyle for this song. 7: Seventeen (2014 DLC) Dammit, Reb Beach, why can’t you cool it for even a second? 8: Hitch A Ride (2014 DLC) Tom Scholz’s most underrated solo and one of his absolute best. Try its equally legendary bass arrangement as well, while you’re at it. 9: Whipping Post (RS1 DLC) Performed by the late, great Duane Allman; may he rest in peace. If we could only get Layla, then his true genius would shine through. 10: Hold The Line (2014 DLC) “It’s not in the way that you hold me, it’s not in the way…” Elliott’s picks: 1. Just (2014 DLC) There’s just something about the way the crescendo is resolved to take you out of the song. Jonny Greenwood is always on point. Check out Jarred’s write up of the song 2. Ghost Walking (2014 DLC) Good luck. 3. Alive (RS1 DLC) Just gets more and more intense as it goes on. 4. Bright Lights (RS1 DLC) A super underrated single that every guitarist needs to check out. 5. Live Forever (2014 DLC) I go back and forth on this, Supersonic, and Champagne Supernova, but in the end this is definitely the winner. 6. Domination (RS1 DLC) Pantera rules, end of. 7. Death Mental (2014 DLC) It’s not Dragonforce but it’s definitely getting there. 8. Cliffs of Dover (RS1 DLC) Also one of the toughest songs on Rocksmith… 9. Mean Bitch (RS1 Import) If you haven’t imported the songs from Rocksmith yet, this song is a pretty good reason. 10. Bambina (2014 DLC) Balroom Blitz with a twist. Hope you enjoyed our listicle, our apologies to Iron Maiden, ran out of space again. |
Maderia After a 4h 45m flight from Vienna to Madeira, we arrived at the Aeroporto da Madeira. In 2017 they changed the name to Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, which sounds far more appropriate. The approach to Madeira is quite spectacular. Airlines wishing to fly into Funchal require special approval from the Portuguese aviation authority. The runway is surrounded by high mountains on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. The last 400 m of the 2000 m long runway are partly built over the ocean. Nevertheless, it is one of the most scenic airport approaches in the world. After opening the cabin door, the airplane was quickly filled with a warm late summer breeze and the salty air of Madeira (by Cristiano Ronaldo®)… The arrival procedures are done quickly, and we headed towards the bus station to catch our bus to Caniçal. The bus schedule can be checked online https://www.madeira-island.com/bus_services/sam/113-canical-1.html – and you should check before arrival. After a few cheerful minutes, we started to realize that the bus won’t arrive for another 2 hours. So we took a taxi to Caniçal, which cost about 20 €. |
US tax reform will boost European exports, but lure investments to America at Europe’s expense, writes a leading German economist. When I use all my fingers it adds up. The major tax reform approved by the US Senate last weekend was one of Donald Trump's more sensible election promises. The legislation will clearly boost the US economy. Europe will also benefit in the short term, but the pressure of tax competition will increase massively, at a time when the era of zero interest rates is coming to an end. Income tax reduction is at the core of the US tax reform, which reduces the top tax rate from 39.6 to 38.5 percent. However, the top rate only applies to income above $1 million (€840,000) instead of the current minimum of $427,000. The personal exemption is increased and tax rates are flattened, bringing relief to all taxpayers. Nevertheless, the tax reform will benefit high income earners the most. The average tax relief for all taxpayers is 1.2 percent of net income, while those with incomes in the top 1 percent will see gains of 4.5 percent. However, these figures do not take growth effects into account, or the consequences of possible spending cuts or future tax increases to compensate for revenue shortfalls. The tax rate on corporate profits will be reduced from 35 percent to 22 percent, perhaps even 20 percent. There is also an immediate write-off for investments. Profits earned abroad by American companies are exempt from US taxation. Until now, these profits were taxable if they were transferred to the United States. Although taxes paid abroad were offset against domestic tax liabilities, the high US tax rate made it worthwhile to leave the money abroad temporarily. US companies had hoarded an estimated €1.3 billion abroad by the end of 2016. The reform will invigorate exports to the US, but also intensify international tax competition. What does this reform mean for Europe? In the short term, the economic stimulus will invigorate exports to the United States. The US foreign trade deficit will increase as a result, and calls for protectionist measures are likely to grow as well. At the same time, the reform will intensify international tax competition. The combination of a massive reduction in the tax rate and an improvement in tax depreciation creates considerable incentives to relocate investments to the US. Other industrial locations will have to react in order to remain attractive, including Germany. Tax havens will also come under pressure, after having made a good living from the fact that US companies had incentives to avoid the high taxation of profits at home. The increased demand for capital from the United States will also lead to rising interest rates worldwide. The zero-interest period is coming to an end, which will also force Europe to make adjustments. Europe will also notice that in all likelihood, US companies will stop relocating their headquarters abroad in order to avoid US taxation. The profits accumulated abroad will be subject to a one-off tax, regardless of whether or not they are transferred to the United States. Future foreign profits are to be exempted from taxation in the United States, a practice that is part of a global trend. In the UK, for example, taxation of foreign profits was abolished in 2009, and these profits are exempt from domestic taxation in Germany and most other OECD countries. However, the reform does not just provide tax relief, but also increases tax liabilities in some cases. Above all, the deductibility of interest is restricted in order to prevent tax avoidance through debt financing. By instituting this reform, the US government has abandoned earlier plans to introduce "territorial" corporate taxation that is based on the country of destination. The conversion effort and the uncertainty associated with the system change were apparently too great. US growth will increase on the back of rising investments and consumer spending. What impact will the US tax reform have on the country's economic growth and national debt? Growth will increase on the back of rising investments and consumer spending. However, the extent of these effects is controversial. The US Senate expects the effects to be relatively subdued, with gross domestic product expected to be 0.8 percent higher on average over the next 10 years than it would have been without the tax reform. This will lead to hefty projected losses in US tax revenues, with only about one-sixth of the tax reduction being offset by growth effects. The bottom line is that the deficit will increase, reaching a peak of $207 billion in 2020. A study by the US Tax Foundation is more optimistic, predicting a 3.7-percent increase in GDP in the long term. The difference is due mainly to the study's expectations of stronger investment and a slower rise in interest rates. Thanks to this growth spurt, the reform would become self-financing after temporary revenue losses. The author is head of the Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic Research. To contact Mr. Fuest: [email protected] |
“I don’t believe that what exists right now is enough.” Jimmy Iovine, who runs Apple Music -- originally Beats, the music service and electronics business that he and co-founder Dr. Dre sold to Apple for $3 billion in 2014 -- is on a tear about the deficiencies of streaming services, including his own. Sitting on a couch in his sunny office at Apple’s Los Angeles headquarters, he admits he wouldn’t be here if he weren’t “extremely” optimistic: “I believe we’re in the right place, we have the right people and the right attitude to not settle for what exists right now.” But ultimately? “Just because we’re adding millions of subscribers and the old catalog numbers are going up, that’s not the trick. That’s just not going to hold.” Apple Music tells Billboard that it now counts well over 30 million paying subscribers, helping fuel a 17 percent revenue jump for the U.S. recorded-music business in the first half of 2017 over the same period a year ago, according to the RIAA. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs issued a report in August predicting that subscription streaming would drive the global record business to nearly triple to $41 billion by 2030. But the 64-year-old Iovine, whose expansive career was chronicled in HBO’s recent four-part documentary series The Defiant Ones, is an unlikely bear in a bull market -- he says the Goldman Sachs report “just doesn't work for me.” The forecast, he claims, fails to properly account for the easy money that older catalog music currently pulls in, not to mention the competition from free platforms like YouTube, a problem that video subscription service Netflix doesn't face. (Apple also has big plans for video apart from Apple Music: It will be investing $1 billion annually in it.) The veteran record executive -- who got his start sweeping out recording studios, later produced hit records for acts from Bruce Springsteen to U2, and then co-founded Interscope Records, which he ran until 2014 -- is working to crack what he sees as the music industry’s biggest challenge: how to inject enough “soul” into subscription streaming services so that fans will pay $10 a month instead of listening to their tunes on free services, which are also growing fast. To do it, he’s relying on BBC Radio 1 veteran Zane Lowe, now creative director and L.A. anchor for Apple Music’s free radio service Beats 1, and Apple Music head of content Larry Jackson, a former A&R executive at Interscope and other labels. All three are focused on creating exclusive content, from films and ads to radio shows and glossy magazines, to help artists tell the stories behind their music in an age of shrinking attention spans and fast-changing playlists. Drake alone has created TV ads, a short film and his own Beats 1 station, OVO Radio, where he debuts new songs. “What’s really going to make you want to go on this journey with these artists?” asks Lowe, whose hundreds of lengthy, revealing interviews with superstar artists represent one potential answer (though marketing those interviews remains one of the many challenges facing Apple Music). Apple, which has about 800 million iTunes customers around the world, has more levers to pull: The company recently started promoting Apple Music subscriptions more heavily through ads (one coming in October will feature Lena Dunham) and on its iTunes Store, where it began selling 99-cent singles in 2003. (Music downloads have been plummeting steadily since 2013, down 24 percent in the first half of this year in the United States, according to the RIAA.) It has been spending seven-figure sums to secure exclusive rights to more than a dozen documentaries on artists from Harry Styles to Diddy, some of which have garnered more than 500,000 first-week views, on par with HBO’s premiere of Beyoncé’s Lemonade, a source tells Billboard. And Iovine, Lowe and Jackson are hoping to funnel more paying fans in through Beats 1, a live feed that’s free because it doesn’t offer songs on demand. The trio is also hoping for changes to the way Billboard calculates its charts -- where a free stream on YouTube counts equally to a paid stream on Apple Music -- which could incentivize artists and labels to promote their music on higher-paying platforms, rather than racking up free streams to win the No. 1 slot. The three men spoke with Billboard last week about, as Iovine puts it, “what streaming has to become.” How must streaming change? Jimmy Iovine: There has to be much more engagement between the artists and the audience. We have big plans and a long way to go. It’s just impossible to do it all in two years. Zane Lowe: We need to put context and stories around music. The song itself is obviously the primary passion point -- it’s a key that opens the door. But what’s inside the room that is going to make a fan a super fan? Music has become quicker, faster, and there’s more of it. That doesn't mean you shouldn't create a story around something that is beautiful and that lives and breathes. Iovine: I just don’t think streaming is enough as it is. I don’t agree that all things are going to be OK [just] because Apple came into streaming and the numbers went up. Look at the catalog: It’s a matter of time before the ’60s become the ’50s and the ’50s become the ’40s. The people that are listening to the ’60s will die -- I’m one of them. Life goes on. So you have to help the artists create new stuff that they would never be able to do on their own. Do you mean video content and not music? Iovine: [More like] an environment where they can do creative content. We're experimenting. This is a new business. We’ve loaded as many creative people as we can into one place. What will happen, in my experience, is something really cool. Can Apple do more to drive customers to Apple Music? Iovine: The new Apple Watch ad is completely about Apple Music. Everybody likes Apple Music and wants it to happen. [But] this is about making it more than what it is. We fight every day to come up with creative things. On Friday nights, Q-Tip has a broadcast that is just extraordinary, mind-blowing. We have to market that. Lowe: Elton John is talking to Matthew Vaughn tonight on his radio show about his involvement in Vaughn’s new movie [Kingsman: The Golden Circle] -- this is Elton John. Lars Ulrich just interviewed Dave Grohl for two hours, and they traded stories about Metallica, Nirvana and Foo Fighters. I believe there are more listeners who want to be fans. We want to create something that drives the fan experience. Larry Jackson: An artist that Zane and I have been really passionate about over the past year is Sampha. A couple of days ago, he won the most prestigious award in the British music business, the Mercury Prize. One of the things that shaped the trajectory over the past year of what Sampha has become -- and he’ll probably be up for best new artist this year at the Grammys -- is this piece that we made with him called Process, which we screened at MOCA [the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles] and at MoMA [the Museum of Modern Art]. Lauryn Hill came out with him at MoMA. How did you discover him? Jackson: I bumped into him in a studio at Kanye [West’s] house late one night. I was just leaving Interscope at the time [in 2014]. Lowe: Everyone in the U.K. knew Sampha was a complete angel -- we were just waiting for the record. He was just taking his time. This leads into the idea of creating context around the artist. I love making playlists, and I use a lot of playlists. But it’s a bucket. Artists don’t think like that. Artists think, “It took me years to make this record.” He doesn't want it to just go in a bucket. He wants the flow to go from the studio to the fan in the most loving way possible. [Marilyn] Manson comes to me, and he goes, “This is my comeback record. I want to tell the story.” Great. Then sit down and tell the fucking story. What would happen if Manson didn't have a place to tell that story and his record was just a pea in a playlist? Would you be getting the best out of Manson? Not even close. Drake changed everything. He taught me and everyone working at Beats that this is how you take control in a collaborative space. He walks the line between giving us as fans a sense of ownership, but equally, he owns the story, controls the story so beautifully with his team. Jackson: The first day that Drake launched his radio show, all his music just vanished off SoundCloud [where it had been available for free] and he started releasing on Apple. Iovine: An artist will come into my office and say, “They have 500 million people on YouTube. [YouTube now counts more than 1 billion users.] I don’t want to have to give my music away, but I have to promote myself. [A YouTube stream] counts the same as your paid stream. And Spotify’s.” That’s disincentivizing for the musician. Musicians still believe that their money isn’t in recorded music. That’s not good. [We should] encourage them to say no and promote where music has value. A lot of people want a No. 1 record, and if you can get it by the same old-school hustling nonsense that the record business has been doing for a thousand years [including promoting free streams], what’s the point? Lowe: What do you get out of a No. 1? Two years of solid touring and a very tired artist. That’s why hip-hop is so successful, because they’re making records proactively. They’re constantly recording. Why are the hip-hop artists able to do that better? Lowe: Pop artists do it, too. Dance-music DJs do it. You have to make music on the fly, you have to go, go, go, go. It’s tough when you have to go out on the road and tour all the time. [But] they are doing just fine. [Look at] what Gucci Mane’s done since he came back [from prison]. He’s got like six albums out, he has a book coming. It's unbelievable. It’s constant, and the quality is great. Hip-hop is the most popular genre now, especially in streaming -- R&B/hip-hop constitutes 30.3 percent of on-demand audio streams. Why is that? Iovine: Hip-hop was built by very progressive artists -- they are always going to take the most advanced lane. But a lot of it had to do with Apple Music’s push into hip-hop. That doesn't mean that we created something. We saw it coming. Jackson: Our ideology, which Drake happened to agree with, is that this music has value. A lot of hip-hop artists’ music used to come out through free platforms [for mixtape downloads and streaming]. Iovine: That’s all they had. Jackson: We said, “Hey, we’re building this completely new ecosystem where it’s not going to be free. It’s behind a paywall. And we promote it.” That’s why. On top of the fact that these artists make music at a quicker clip. Lowe: I’ve never seen artists with a stronger work ethic than some of the hip-hop artists that I’ve crossed paths with or interviewed, or that I promote. I’ll ask Lil Uzi Vert how many songs he has, unreleased, and he’s like, “Two thousand.” What’s the next genre on the horizon? Lowe: If I knew, it would be boring. I like being shocked and surprised when something comes along. The first time anyone heard Skrillex, they probably checked their computers for a fault, and within a year, the guy gets three Grammys and changes the shape of pop music. Jackson: The next victors will be a group of people who have a similar work ethic. Iovine: I don’t know, but we could use some more young, international superstars. Goldman Sachs predicted that the worldwide record business will almost triple by 2030. What did it get wrong? Iovine: They’re not thinking about new artist deals. [Labels now give some artists higher royalty rates than they did in the CD era.] They’re not thinking about what happens to the old catalog [when it loses popularity] or if free music keeps going the way it is. Netflix is scaling, but it doesn't have any free [competition]. What do you think of Spotify’s plan to go public? Iovine: I think [Spotify CEO] Daniel [Ek] is a talented guy and smart as all hell, but the margins are too tight. The costs are extraordinary. It’s going to get bigger and bigger and bigger, and the costs are going to get higher, not lower. Going into new countries means localizing everything. It’s going to cost a lot of money. They have a problem that [a diversified company like] Amazon doesn't have. Do you ever think about getting back into the record business? Iovine: Not a chance. I can help from here. I can’t help from there. Let them make the music exciting and interesting. We will try to do everything that we can to create content around it, and make the delivery of it as exciting as possible. What’s the reception been like at Apple to The Defiant Ones? Iovine: They’re very respectful. They know who I am. They’ve got much bigger fish to fry. What do you want to do after Apple Music, Jimmy? Iovine: I’m 64 years old. I have no idea. There’s just a problem here that needs some sort of solution, and I want to contribute to it. Goldman Sachs may think it’s solved, but I don’t. We’re not even close. Photographed by Miller Mobley This article originally appeared in the Oct. 7 issue of Billboard. |
An orange van pulls up outside a nondescript building on a sunny April morning at a market in Mohali's Phase 7. The three-storied structure houses watch, footwear, handbag, garment, air ticketing and jewellery stores. It also has a 'Spoken English' centre. Over the course of the day, many shop owners visit the van. Some come out of curiosity, and a few because of what they have heard goes on inside. The van is a veritable studio on wheels. Shop owners walk in with their products and get them shot and catalogued. A training video played inside provides a step-by-step guide to selling online. Amazon India, the local business of the world's largest e-tailer by revenue and market capitalisation, calls this seller enrolment drive 'Tatkal'. There is a reason to it. If all goes well, a seller can be "on-boarded" and launched on the site in less than an hour. Gurpreet Singh owns a mobile accessory shop in Zirakpur, 15 kilometres from the Mohali market. He came to know about this van from friends and landed up with two products, a mobile charger and an extension cord. He thinks Amazon will help him "sell 24/7". Then there is Anil Mittal, owner of a paint and hardware store who was approached by Snapdeal a few months back but didn't give in to their demand for higher commission. He now sits at the cash counter of his store, sips tea, flirts with a pen, and says he is registering on Amazon. Most of his customers are locals. "I will be able to access a wider market. My main goal is to increase sales. If I earn lower margins, it doesn't matter," he says. Amazon has taken this van to over 120 small cities and towns, in dense markets, with an aim of convincing small sellers to board the online bandwagon. The more the number of sellers, the more will be the number of products on its site. So, over the past year, it has added all sorts of small sellers, from weavers in Nadia in West Bengal and Pochampally in Telangana, to the traditional wooden toy makers of Channapatna in Karnataka. The company's executives love to explain how this diversity of products ties into a flywheel. Gopal Pillai, the Director & GM of Seller Services at Amazon India, takes this writer's notebook and draws the flywheel. It all starts with better customer experience which, he says, leads to more traffic. More traffic encourages more sellers to join the platform, which leads to more products and, eventually, a better customer experience, completing the wheel. This flywheel has been spinning at a lively pace for Amazon India. Starting Up The company launched with 100 sellers in June 2013. That time, Flipkart, Amazon's biggest rival in India, was already six years old. It had just shifted from an inventory-led model and become a marketplace. It was nearing annual Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of a billion dollars. Five out of six Indian online shoppers visited its website. The picture is a lot different now. By July 2016, Amazon India had enrolled one lakh sellers. This count has doubled. In 2016, these sellers added over 180,000 products every day. That selection - Amazon claims over 100 million products on the platform - has resulted in a better buyer experience. Against Amazon's two lakh sellers, Flipkart's seller website talks of "100,000 + businesses growing rapidly". BT studied data from different sources, from comScore and SimilarWeb to App Annie and Alexa. Nearly all suggest higher desktop and mobile traffic at Amazon than any Indian rival. Over the past six months, on desktop and mobile web, Amazon.in has consistently beaten Flipkart in terms of overall visits, according to data from market intelligence company SimilarWeb. In May, visits to Amazon totalled 222.69 million, compared to Flipkart's 127.71 million. The Android app data from the company show Amazon has been beating Flipkart in daily active users, or DAU, since February 2017, although the average app usage time on Flipkart is nearly a minute higher than on Amazon. DAU is a measure of stickiness. And as a percentage of all Android devices, Amazon app installs have seen a steady rise, while Flipkart app installs have fallen. Data from App Annie show that Amazon has been leading in app downloads over the last one year. Only Paytm had higher downloads for four months starting November due to demonetisation. And a Forrester study (Consumer Technographics Asia Pacific Online Benchmark Survey) said that Amazon surpassed Flipkart as the preferred online retail destination for metropolitan Indian consumers for the first time in 2016. "Amazon's takeover has been rapid: In 2014, 30 per cent respondents of our survey reported buying from Amazon; in 2016, the figure was 76 per cent. The company mostly stole market share from players such as Snapdeal and battled Flipkart in categories such as smartphones and electronics," the research firm wrote. The increased traffic has resulted in a better conversion rate. Data from Registrar of Companies (RoC) show Amazon was slightly ahead of Flipkart on a standalone basis in revenues in 2015/16. Amazon clocked revenues of Rs 2,275 crore, Rs 324 crore more than Flipkart. However, revenues of the Flipkart group - which now includes Myntra, Jabong and eBay India -would beat Amazon's by a handsome margin. The group is set to get a tad bulkier, perhaps complicated, if the anticipated acquisition of Snapdeal by Flipkart goes through. Snapdeal may have significantly contracted, but Amazon will still take time to counter this gang-up. The revenues of just Flipkart (Flipkart Internet), Myntra and Snapdeal total Rs 4,477 crore. More on this later. "Every third Amazon India order is a Prime order. Launched in July 2016, Prime off ers free one- and two-day deliveries. Members can also watch free video content" Meanwhile, Amazon's turbo-charged rise in India has impressed Jeff Bezos, the flamboyant founder and CEO of Amazon whose current net worth ($85.7 billion) is 18 times what Flipkart has raised since 2009. "Our India team is moving fast and delivering for customers and sellers. The team has increased Prime selection by 75 per cent since launching the programme nine months ago, increased fulfillment capacity for sellers by 26 per cent already this year, announced 18 Indian original TV series, and just last week introduced a Fire TV Stick optimised for Indian customers with integrated voice search in English and Hindi," he said in Amazon.com's earnings press release for the quarter ended March 2017. "We're grateful that customers are responding - Amazon.in is the most visited and the fastest growing marketplace in India. It's still Day 1 for e-commerce in India, and I assure you that we'll keep investing in technology and infrastructure while working hard to invent on behalf of our customers and small and medium businesses in India," he added. Before launching in India, the India project was code named "Cricket". Now, the Seattle headquarters has a building called Cricket. Yet another building is christened Day 1, a widely-used term in Amazon, meant to remind employees that it is still at the beginning of the innovation curve. India executives have taken that a step further." It is Minute 1 of our journey. "The Gang-Up Both Day 1 and Minute 1 are veiled threats to rivals. Amazon executives see a hockey stick curve ahead in 2017 and are investing for that growth. Amazon has, thus far, openly committed to pumping in $5 billion, but looking at Bezos interest in India, it would be foolish to assume he would stop anytime soon. Flipkart, in contrast, has raised $4.67 billion in 14 rounds since 2009, according to data from Tracxn - a little more than $4 billion of this came after Amazon's entry into the country. Amazon is investing these billions across the board. "A lot more money is invested in trying to enable the ecosystem. People confuse it with marketing. Marketing is the smallest investment you have to make in terms of the size of the investment we are making," says Amit Agarwal, Senior Vice President and Country Head of Amazon India. The company has built 41 fulfillment centres, which cost way more than any marketing campaign. "There is capital infrastructure, software, processes, ecosystem infrastructure. Our flywheel is spinning fast as we have invested and took a lot of pain in building this infrastructure. This is where differentiation is created on a day-to-day basis," he says. BT met Agarwal at Amazon India's headquarters in Bangalore's World Trade Centre. He is 42 and has completed 18 years in the company - his colleagues call him a "true Amazonian" - an engineer at heart who loves to automate, is data-driven, questioning, intense, customer-obsessed. In his 52-minute interview with this writer, he mentioned 'customer' 43 times. "He doesn't like distractions. Everything must tie back to the Amazon business flywheel, no matter what you are doing," says an employee who works closely with Agarwal but didnt want to be named. The competition is perhaps wary of this focus, which can be seen across the top leadership. That flywheel spins, and spins fast, because of good execution. On February 9, investor Mahesh Murthy, a known critic of Flipkart, sent out a tweet: "So @Flipkart wants level-playing field with @amazonIN? Start by cutting top exec salaries by 80%. Overpaid underperforming crybabies." A chart supplementing the tweet compared executive remuneration at the two companies. Amazon's executives were more experienced but got a fraction of the money earned by Flipkart executives. Nevertheless, his primary grouse appeared to be the fact that Flipkart, with American, European, South African, and Asian investors, was asking for protection - co-founder Sachin Bansal mentioned the need for a level-playing field against foreign competition multiple times in public forums since December 2016. It was a sign Flipkart was nervous. Amazon's rapid rise and marketshare gains are making the competition run helter-skelter. Amazon's rise, in fact, coincided with the fall of Snapdeal, India's third-largest marketplace in an e-tailing industry worth $16 billion. In many ways, Amazon delivered a death blow to Snapdeal, where Japan's SoftBank is a major investor. "There was no clear positioning. They were running a pure-play marketplace very early but systems and sellers were not mature. India's supply chain is not sound. There were multiple delivery issues," says Satish Meena, a forecast analyst with Forrester. Another factor in Snapdeal's demise was the rise of Shopclues. "While Amazon took away the high spending and premium customers from Snapdeal, the Tier-II and Tier-III customers went to Shopclues. They got hit from both sides. And lack of focus on customer experience made sure customers didn't come back to the platform," he says. As Amazon snatched marketshare, Snapdeal's valuation crashed from $6.5 billion to around $1 billion, according to some reports. Snapdeal made other errors too. It kicked off a GMV battle with Flipkart that depleted its resources. When BT met Snapdeal's CEO Kunal Bahl early in 2015, he insisted that the race between Flipkart and his company was close. "Today, if you add FreeCharge, which is a few hundred million dollars annually, it is really neck and neck," Bahl told this writer. Snapdeal had acquired FreeCharge, a wallet company, at its peak for $400 million, but could never make it work any better. Paytm sprinted away with wallet marketshare. Snapdeal's other acquisitions, such as fashion website Exclusively.com, also bombed; it shut down in August 2016. The founders, Bahl and Rohit Bansal, have realised their missteps too late. In a letter to employees in February this year, they wrote: "Over the last two-three years, with all the capital coming into this market, our entire industry, including ourselves, started making mistakes. We started growing our business much before the right economic model and market fit were figured out. We also started diversifying and starting new projects while we still hadn't perfected the first or made it profitable. "Investors are now forcing a merger with Flipkart, a move that looks like a gang-up against Amazon. Every company has its own way of tabulating GMV. Since the data are not conclusive, most analysts are iffy about mentioning marketshare numbers in reports. One analyst ran an exercise in December last year. "Flipkart and its group companies (Myntra and Jabong) have 38-40 per cent marketshare. If Snapdeal is added, it might go up by 2-5 per cent. It is difficult to estimate because Snapdeal sales are going down significantly. Amazon India may be commanding 32-33 per cent," he says. Industry watchers will closely watch the integration of the two firms, though most analysts think Snapdeal will not add much value to Flipkart considering it is not a leader in any category. It will probably add a whole lot of physical infrastructure, nevertheless - according to a former Flipkart executive, Snapdeal has a large number of smaller fulfillment centres, which Flipkart will be delighted to bag. "Only time will tell if they are effective. Flipkart's incremental effort will be in the non-standard category. Jabong, Myntra and eBay are not known for computers and mobile phones. Flipkart, thus far, has followed Amazon. Now, because the big daddy is here, it is difficult to maintain differentiation. But its better late than never," says Sandeep Aggarwal, the founder of automobile marketplace Droom and e-tailer Shopclues. The gang-up against Amazon and getting investors with big balance sheets appear the right thing to do, at least on paper. In May this year, SoftBank Group Corp. closed round one of a planned $100 billion 'Vision' investment fund. Aggarwal cracks up. "With Snapdeal, they dont get Snapdeal. They get SoftBank." Two Battles At the runway of the Amazon India Fashion Week this March in Delhi, designers rolled out everything from the minimalistic to the adventurous. At one point, women models swayed sporting ties while men walked with clutch bags. Conversations erupted on expecting the unexpected. Can Amazon, the sponsor of the event, spring a surprise on Flipkart in this segment? For it is one category that Flipkart dominates; the combination of Flipkart, Myntra and Jabong accounts for nearly 70 per cent of the online fashion e-tailing market, say industry watchers. In December 2016, Myntra said it witnessed 80 per cent year-on-year growth, apart from a revenue run rate of $1 billion. One can never say, but Amazon is bulking up. And the battles of the future would be waged in this category, apart from grocery. The man Amazon has selected to wage the fashion battle is Arun Sirdeshmukh. He meets this writer at Sheraton Grand in Bangalore, right across the World Trade Centre. The conversation begins with a summary of his impressive CV. He has been in the fashion industry for two decades, with Madura Garments, Indus League Clothing and Reliance Trends. The current Director of Amazon Fashion then co-founded a premium online fashion mall, Fashionara. He knows that apparel companies like good custodians of their brands. And Amazon must be their next logical destination. "We ensure that the dedicated brand page actually has the voice of the brand. Things such as visuals, videos and history of the brand are the immersive content. Second is delivery experience. The water will ultimately flow to players that do fulfillment well," he says. In the second half of 2016, Amazon says, it launched "over 150 top fashion brands". Overall, the company now carries 15,000 brands. Myntra, in contrast, has 2,000 brands on its platform. "In the last seven months, we have looked at everything more granularly. There were brands we were missing," says Sirdeshmukh. He is fixing that. A year back, for instance, Marks & Spencer wasn't available on Amazon. Now, it is, and with "a wide range". Amazon is also building the grocery category. It recently created ripples in the US by proposing to acquire Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. The Indian media, meanwhile, speculated that Amazon India could purchase Bigbasket, the country's largest online grocer with five million customers. However, Bigbasket's Co-Founder Hari Menon told this magazine that no such deal was in the offing. But he does believe that Amazon will attack the sector in a "big way" and it is not necessarily a bad thing." The grocery business is complex. It is difficult to shift grocery-buying habits. We have done it over five years. If more players come, the market will open up faster," he says. "It is the single biggest market in the country - $450 billion. That is nearly 70 per cent of the retail business of $700 billion. Only a minuscule is online today. So, there is huge legroom available."This is what interests Amazon. Also, Flipkart is not exactly known for grocery. Amazon has rolled out several grocery-led programmes. There is 'Super Value Day' on 1st and 2nd of every month for bulk buying. AmazonNow, an app service in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai, will help you access neighbourhood kirana stores for everyday essentials. Amazon Pantry, launched in September 2016, has over 3,500 everyday essentials. You can build a basket and have all the products delivered the following day. Then there is a 'Subscribe and Save' programme, launched last year, which the company thinks will become big. "There are certain items that you need every month. Like if I play tennis, I need x number of balls; or blades, or diapers. You subscribe once, and on one day in a month, the goods land up at the doorstep, and that too at an attractive price," says Manish Tiwari, Vice President of Amazon India's Category Management. The better pricing is a result of such a subscriber showing his intent to be a better customer. "It is also easier to reach your house because we can plan ahead of time. It makes delivery cheaper and we pass on that value." Killer Moves Soon after Amazon launched Prime in India in mid-2016, someone posted a query on question and answer forum Quora: "Which one is better, Amazon Prime or Flipkart First?" Flipkart had a two-year advantage over Prime, having launched in 2014. For a subscription of Rs 500, it guarantees delivery in a day, apart from priority customer service. Six people answered, and five picked Prime, which offers similar benefits, such as free faster deliveries, as Flipkart First, but "is a whole larger package", according to one response. By the beginning of 2017, that larger package was obvious. A Prime membership allows unlimited streaming of TV shows and movies in multiple Indian languages, apart from English. Video is a great hook to entice people to visit and shop on the site. Will music streaming be next? Flipkart may be regretting shutting down Flyte, its online music store, in 2013. One will have to wait and watch but it is evident to most market watchers that Prime has been Amazon's killer move in India. The rise in Prime membership has rocketed, which implies a growing loyalty base for the company. It spins the business flywheel faster, because if you subscribe, you buy more. Country head Amit Agarwal says Amazon is seeing good repeat purchases: "Prime is a great example of that. During the January sale period (Amazon Great Indian Sale), half of our units were Prime units." Now, one in three orders is a Prime order. And there is a "100 per cent increase in purchases" by paid Prime members since the January 2017 sale, the company claims." In India, one-two day deliveries are nearly impossible. In a marketplace situation, you take six-eight days to deliver. Prime means you are premium. Indians like being pampered. We like being treated special. That has worked well - the speed of delivery and special treatment," says Sreedhar Prasad, Partner, Management Consulting at KPMG India. Executing on fulfillment is another weapon. "The moment of truth in e-commerce is fulfillment and delivery experience. Amazon has nailed it better than anyone else," says Droom's Sandeep Aggarwal. Exactly how the company goes about quick deliveries is a bit of a black box. But a typical flow chart would look something like this: If a mobile phone has to be shipped from Delhi to a customer in Bangalore, there are multiple stops. Once the order is placed, the phone is picked up and packed by associates at a fulfillment centre in Delhi before it gets shipped to a sorting centre in Bangalore. It gets transported by road if the order is for standard delivery, by air if it is a fast-track one. All orders to Bangalore get aggregated at the sorting centre, which then distributes to an Amazon delivery station near the customers address. A delivery associate finally picks ups the order for delivery. There is nothing extraordinary about this process; perhaps this is widely replicated across the industry. The secret sauce, however, is the technology used at the fulfillment centre to quickly pick, pack and dispatch, apart from route planning. According to a third party logistics provider who didn't want to be identified, Amazon often entrusts its own executives for delivery in areas where customers are more sophisticated - such as south Delhi. "We will be given orders for peripheral areas," he says. Amazon responds that it's not true. It is more to do with the network and its systems automatically select who should deliver depending on the coverage a service provider has. That could be India Post in areas where Amazon's own network is weak. A majority of Amazon's sellers today use 'Fulfilled by Amazon', a service where the company stores the seller's inventory, packs it, and ships whenever there is an order. "The seller doesn't have to worry about creating space to store inventory. He doesn't have to worry about warehouse management systems. He doesn't have to worry about the technology required to fulfil the order. Because we have innovated on this for two decades worldwide, we are able to lower the seller cost, so that his margins improve," says Akhil Saxena, VP, Operations, Amazon India. If the inventory is with Amazon, it can tell the customer with greater certainty when it can be delivered. Amazon now has 41 such fulfillment centres in 13 states, with a storage capacity of 13 million cubic feet. Nine of them are for heavy and bulky items such as TVs, refrigerators, and furniture. And more the number of fulfillment centres, the faster is the delivery, simply because you are closer to the customer. Flipkart did not respond to a query on its large warehouses but former employees said the number would be under 30. "The secret of faster delivery is a combination of many things. We can process many orders in a few minutes," says Saxena. "The middle mile is one element of the full cycle. How do you allow a customer to order till the last minute before a flight takes off? If a flight takes off at 6pm, I need to allow the customer to order as close to 6pm as possible. That is where fast processing helps. That is where sorting centres come into the picture. Most metros have airport sorting centres. It is a combination of first mile, middle mile and last mile that helps us deliver faster." By middle mile, he means sorting centres as well as the truck/airline haul. Fulfilment, nevertheless, starts way before an order is placed, when predictive analytics is used to forecast demand. "We track how many people have looked at what item and where they are based. That is what drives replication of inventory across fulfillment centres," says a senior employee who can't be identified. Amazon executives will not tell you but in many cases the company under promises and over delivers. Often, you could receive a text: "Your order is arriving early "That's what makes a customer loyal, and its rivals anxious." @Goutam20 |
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