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At least five people are dead and entire villages are feared destroyed after the worst tropical cyclone in Fiji's history. Locals, tourists and aid workers are waking to scenes of utter destruction after a category five cyclone battered the South Pacific nation with wind gusts as strong as 325km/h and waves up to 12m high. 'The scale of the destruction is absolutely massive and it's still far too early to tell just how many people's homes and livelihoods have been devastated by this storm,' Australian Red Cross aid worker Susan Slattery told AAP from Suva. Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama confirmed the death toll and declared a 30-day state of emergency, with schools ordered to shut and a nationwide curfew extended until Monday morning. 'When we are able we will provide timelines for the return of water and power,' he said, adding that electricity supply to some areas had been deliberately cut to avert further damage. Scroll down for video A combination image shows the beachfront villa of tourist Sarah Bingham before (left) and after Cyclone Winston struck at t the Tokoriki Island Resort Entire villages are feared destroyed in Fiji after cyclone Winston ravaged the Pacific Islands on Saturday evening (pictured is Denarau Island, Fiji) Trees lay shredded by high winds after Cyclone Winston struck the Tokoriki Island Resort in Fiji Fijian men clear a road of a fallen tree in Fiji's capital Suva after Cyclone Winston swept across Viti Levu Island A family looks at the remains of their home to search for posessions in Ba, Fiji, on Sunday morning Aid agencies warned Fiji may be facing a devastating health crisis, mainly due to the lack of electricity. “We need electricity to ensure pumps are working and for sterilization,” Raijeli Nicole, an official of aid agency Oxfam, said. Jone Tuiipelehaki, communications officer for the UN's Development Program, tweeted that entire villages have been destroyed '50 homes have been reported destroyed in Navaga village in Koro Island.' Scenes of uprooted trees, fallen power lines and flattened homes have been pictured on social media, with fears for those living in remote areas. Some houses were described as being 'blown away' by local media the Fiji Times. The bathroom at the back of a family's home was wiped out on Saturday night in the category five tropical cyclone Residents in Wainunu, Wainibuku, Nausori of central Fiji Badly inspect the damage on Sunday Fijian soldiers assist with the clean-up on Sunday morning and inspect damage across the country An elderly man from Nabasov on the island of Koro died after he was crushed as his house collapsed. He had reportedly scrambled to escape but was unable to reach safety when the roof fell in on him. Category five is the highest possible cyclone rating, and the government has declared a state of national disaster, ABC reported. Water and power outages will not be repaired until cyclone Winston passes, the Fijian government said. The devastating cyclone made landfall late on Saturday and led Fiji's government to impose a nationwide curfew from 6pm, in an effort to restrict movement and improve safety. Virgin, Jetstar and Fiji Airways have cancelled all flights to and from Fiji on Sunday and are likely to do the same on Monday. 'The scale of the destruction is absolutely massive and it's still far too early to tell just how many people's homes and livelihoods have been devastated by this storm,' Australian Red Cross aid worker Susan Slattery told AAP from Suva Lautoka City in Namoli, Fiji is pictured flooded on Sunday after Cyclone Winston struck on Saturday evening Weatherwatch says the storm was the strongest on record to hit Fiji. NaDraki Weather have reported the cyclone was the 'worst of all of the worst case scenarios one could dream up'. UNICEF worker Alice Clements - who is staying in Suva - described the beginning of the storm to AAP on Saturday night. She described a dystopian scene of downed banana trees, howling winds and the 'ominous' sounds of corrugated iron lifting on some of the roofs. 'And it's still very early hours of the storm,' she said at 6pm. As for visiting holiday making Australians, Ms Clements said they're in for a few awful evenings before they can return home, possibly on Monday, provided the weather improves. Thousands of Fijians left their homes and headed to evacuation centres in preparation on Saturday. The Fijian government provided a list of 758 evacuation centres across the nation. The Spanish Rugby 7s team worked through the day to build a wall out of sandbags on the beach of their resort. Guests at the Sheraton Hotel in Nadi, Fiji are pictured in the hotel's ballroom after they were evacuated Buildings and trees are damaged after Cyclone Winston swept through the town of Ba on Fiji's Viti Levu Island on Saturday Officials were assessing the damage on Sunday after the most powerful cyclone to hit Fiji made landfall on Saturday 'The potential for devastation is high and there is a very real risk that people will lose their lives,' Neville Koop from the Na Draki Weather Service in Suva said, the ABC reported. Frank Bainimarama, the Prime Minister of Fiji, released a statement at 2pm on Saturday urging Fijians to 'stick together as a people' as the nation prepared to face 'an ordeal of the most grievous kind.' 'I urge you all, if you haven't already done so, to finalise your own preparations to survive this terrible event. We cannot afford to be complacent,' he wrote. 'I want to assure the nation that the Government is thoroughly prepared to deal with this crisis. Our evacuation centres are fully operational.' 'And if you have any doubts about the ability of your own home to withstand the onslaught, I urge you to seek shelter where you are most likely to be safe and our officials can assist you. 'By now, you should have done all you can to secure your property. Make sure you have adequate food and water, flashlights, candles and lanterns in case the power supply is disrupted and a battery operated radio to keep abreast of news of Cyclone Winston's progress. Fiji's Taveuni island on Saturday, weathering the category five Winston tropical cyclone Taveneuni island on Saturday as the cyclone made landfall, the worst in Fiji's history 'Slowly feeling the effects of #TCWinston and trying not to think the worst right now. Prayers to all #Fiji,' a local wrote alongside an Instagram picture on Saturday Sand bags line the shoreline to keep waves, which reached 12 metres high, from pummelling Fijian villages Damage to market stalls in Namada Heights, just outside Suva, after Cyclone Winston struck on Saturday The Warwick beachfront resort at Coral Coast, Viti Levu, Korolevu, Fiji was battered by heavy winds on Saturday A satellite image released by NASA Goddard Rapid Response shows Cyclone Winston in the South Pacific Ocean Residents board up windows as they prepare for the arrival of Cyclone Winston on Saturday People are splashed by a wave whipped up by the encroaching cyclone Winston in Labasa A tree blocks a road after it was blown down by the cyclone in Nakasi The cyclone is the worst ever storm of its type to be recorded in the southern hemisphere Tropical Cyclone Winston is passing through Fiji and heading westwards towards the country's capital, Suva Thousands of Fijians have left their homes and headed to evacuation centres in preparation for this evening The category-five cyclone is bringing with it winds of 220km/h and gusts of up to 315km/h It will be the worst cyclone to have ever hit Fiji and is expected to cause widespread damage Markets at Nausori have been ordered to close off early by Fijian government but the vendors are refusing to leave Pictured is the Copra Shed Marina in Savusavu on the south coast of Vanua Levu Island, where many boats have already sunk Regions including Savusavu, Korovou town and Levuka were reported without power Just before 5pm on Saturday, the National Disaster Management announced a total public curfew for the entirety of Fiji from 6pm Photographs flooded social media revealing absolute mayhem in city centres This photo was taken two hours before high tide in Suvo Fijians desperately stock up on supplies as government authorities warn homes could be without power Fijian disaster officials and key stakeholders met at midday on Saturday to discuss how best to prepare for the incoming cyclone The damage caused by the storm is expected to be extensive The Primeminister of Fiji asked everyone to prepare for the storm properly Many Fijians have fled their homes because of the huge storm 'Seek shelter where you are most likely to be safe and our officials can assist you,' the prime minister said The cyclone has already passed through the island of Lau and is heading west at 25km/h The Prime Minister of Fiji urged people to seek shelter in one of the many 'fully operational' evacuation centres Fijian forecasters believe the cyclone could bring total devastation and take lives Virgin Australia determined flying conditions were unsafe, and have suspended services in and out of the country The Fijian Prime Minister has warned citizens to not underestimate the strength of the cyclone and stay alert and prepared	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
" Re: Trade foo above. Okay, I'm going to take this one point at a time. "The gap between traders and non-traders widens." So you're saying that difficulty in the game is proportionate to how much someone has traded. This may well be true, but punishing people who do trade because some people CHOOSE not to is not the way to go about it. Possibly the reason that people don't trade is because of the difficulty involved. Trade chat is a freaking mess given the limited number of lines that you can see at a time and the fact that people will macro, combined with multiple channels -- on top of that, most of what's on there is end-game level gear. Finding something to level with is nearly impossible through that route. Combine this with the fact that due to there not being any in-game trading method other than Trade Chat, people have to go to poe.trade to search for leveling gear (if they don't have friends or a guild to supply them with that gear). This is not a good solution because 1) new players don't necessarily know about poe.trade 2) a number of people don't respond to trade requests for various reasons (idle, AFK, zoning and showing as offline, in maps, in Lab). "Prices are very low or very high" No, not really. Prices for SOME things are very high and prices for SOME things are very low. It varies though. If I'm looking to level through normal and Cruel and even into Merciless, I can find things fairly easily on poe.trade. The introduction of Premium Tabs has helped with this, although 3rd party apps before these tabs caused the same thing to happen. The only thing Premium Tabs does is make it easier to set up those sales. Giving us an in-game way to trade that doesn't rely on the current methods would make it easier to trade, but shouldn't really impact pricing, as prices rise and fall based on a number of factors -- with the primary one being what's currently broken as discussed by streamers, Reddit and so on. Also? Many people no longer do sales less than 1 chaos after the first week or two of the season. By the time the season is 2/3 done, this changes to people not doing 3c or less sometimes. "Progression is trivialised". Again, no, not really. This is an ARPG, and ARPGs are all about min-maxing, and have been ever since Diablo (if not earlier). People are ALWAYS going to look for the best gear to make content as trivial as possible -- this is likely why Atziri, Shaper and other fights are largely mechanics-based, so people can't just gear their way through them. As far as 'first characters quadrupling clear speed' -- how many first characters have you run into that can buy multiple exalts worth of gear in the first place to trivialize clear speed? Not many, I'd wager. This is why there are builds on the forums that specifically state 'budget' 'newbie' and why streamers put out videos for EVERY league that say 'league starting'. Because you generally don't -have- the money at that point to buy the best gear. The people who are going to be looking for the best ways to trivialize content are going to be the people that are on their 3rd, 5th, 10th, 100th or 1000th character in PoE. That's why a number of people will make a character at the start of the league specifically to farm currency so that they can build a 2nd character later on and be able to buy all the rare and unique things they need for their chosen build. So, since I've been arguing each point, let me also offer a solution. Have an in-game UI similar to what poe.trade has, where you can search for items in your league only based on various criteria. Once you find what you're looking for, you can click on something to the side to send a trade request to the owner. The owner can then click 'accept' and a trade window pops up that allows access to their stash (maybe only Premium tabs? Maybe only 1-2 tabs?) so that they can trade on the go. It makes trade easier without completely trivializing it. It takes the process of searching poe.trade and internalizes it (making it easier for newer players to get a handle on it), makes it easier for sellers (they don't have to leave maps/lab to sell, hopefully cutting down on non-responses) and doesn't really change the current process by much at all. Okay, I'm going to take this one point at a time."The gap between traders and non-traders widens." So you're saying that difficulty in the game is proportionate to how much someone has traded. This may well be true, but punishing people who do trade because some people CHOOSE not to is not the way to go about it. Possibly the reason that people don't trade is because of the difficulty involved. Trade chat is a freaking mess given the limited number of lines that you can see at a time and the fact that people will macro, combined with multiple channels -- on top of that, most of what's on there is end-game level gear. Finding something to level with is nearly impossible through that route. Combine this with the fact that due to there not being any in-game trading method other than Trade Chat, people have to go to poe.trade to search for leveling gear (if they don't have friends or a guild to supply them with that gear). This is not a good solution because 1) new players don't necessarily know about poe.trade 2) a number of people don't respond to trade requests for various reasons (idle, AFK, zoning and showing as offline, in maps, in Lab)."Prices are very low or very high" No, not really. Prices for SOME things are very high and prices for SOME things are very low. It varies though. If I'm looking to level through normal and Cruel and even into Merciless, I can find things fairly easily on poe.trade. The introduction of Premium Tabs has helped with this, although 3rd party apps before these tabs caused the same thing to happen. The only thing Premium Tabs does is make it easier to set up those sales. Giving us an in-game way to trade that doesn't rely on the current methods would make it easier to trade, but shouldn't really impact pricing, as prices rise and fall based on a number of factors -- with the primary one being what's currently broken as discussed by streamers, Reddit and so on. Also? Many people no longer do sales less than 1 chaos after the first week or two of the season. By the time the season is 2/3 done, this changes to people not doing 3c or less sometimes."Progression is trivialised". Again, no, not really. This is an ARPG, and ARPGs are all about min-maxing, and have been ever since Diablo (if not earlier). People are ALWAYS going to look for the best gear to make content as trivial as possible -- this is likely why Atziri, Shaper and other fights are largely mechanics-based, so people can't just gear their way through them. As far as 'first characters quadrupling clear speed' -- how many first characters have you run into that can buy multiple exalts worth of gear in the first place to trivialize clear speed? Not many, I'd wager. This is why there are builds on the forums that specifically state 'budget' 'newbie' and why streamers put out videos for EVERY league that say 'league starting'. Because you generally don't -have- the money at that point to buy the best gear. The people who are going to be looking for the best ways to trivialize content are going to be the people that are on their 3rd, 5th, 10th, 100th or 1000th character in PoE. That's why a number of people will make a character at the start of the league specifically to farm currency so that they can build a 2nd character later on and be able to buy all the rare and unique things they need for their chosen build.So, since I've been arguing each point, let me also offer a solution.Have an in-game UI similar to what poe.trade has, where you can search for items in your league only based on various criteria. Once you find what you're looking for, you can click on something to the side to send a trade request to the owner. The owner can then click 'accept' and a trade window pops up that allows access to their stash (maybe only Premium tabs? Maybe only 1-2 tabs?) so that they can trade on the go. It makes trade easier without completely trivializing it. It takes the process of searching poe.trade and internalizes it (making it easier for newer players to get a handle on it), makes it easier for sellers (they don't have to leave maps/lab to sell, hopefully cutting down on non-responses) and doesn't really change the current process by much at all.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Those robo-dragonflies may not be the only creatures keeping an eye on you. For many years now intelligence agencies have been looking at drones disguised as birds. These days flapping-wing ‘ornithopters’ are not easy to tell apart from birds – take a look at this video of a robo-peregrine and some seagulls and see how long it takes you to spot the impostor. But even back in the 1970’s you could build something that did a pretty good impression of a soaring bird seen from a distance. This was the CIA’s 1970 Project Aquiline, one of those top-secret program carried out at Area 51. That’s the only known model of it in the photo. The plane’s mission was to intercept signals from deep inside enemy territory, hence the need for the bird camouflage. The project was headed by Lt Col John H. "Hank" Meierdierck, who tells the story in his online autobiography. The relationship with contractors McDonnell Douglas was the problem: The vehicle was a six foot long plane that had a small pusher prop and actually looked like an eagle or buzzard when it was in the air. It was designed to fly at very low levels along communications lines and intercept their messages. It also had a small television in the nose as an aid to navigation and to photograph targets of opportunity. There were several successful flights and some crashes [reason unknown] and some lousy landings. This small vehicle was launched from inclined rails and was recovered in a large net strung between two poles. Progress was passable, but then came budget time. The contractor predicts the amount of money needed since I did not have the intimate knowledge of the development expenses. I had $11 million for the following year and I advised McDonnell of this fact and asked for the next years operating budget. They came back to me with a $110 million forecast. Ridiculous! I returned to HDQ and discussed it with the bosses and they suggested that I give them two weeks to adjust the amount and then to come to DC with the result and have Macdonald Douglas present their budget. I did just that. They decided to back into the $110 million number rather than actually justify the true amounts needed. A grave error. I was forced to interrupt them many times during the presentation to point out errors and outright lies. Upon the completion, I was asked for my comments. I explained that we really needed only $11 million and could not possibly spend the larger amount. I also pointed out their exaggerations, padded costs for items and the brazen lies that they tried to force on the group. My big boss asked me what I thought we ought to do. I stated, in no uncertain terms that since this group tried to charge 110 Million for a 11 Million job, that I couldn’t trust them and that “WE SHOULD CANCEL THE PROGRAM." He said "I think that you are correct. Program canceled”. That was the end of Aquline. A typical story of Area 51: no aliens or weird science, but a bold attempt to pump up the budget of a black program outside of government oversight. Hank Meierdierck was a brave man – by terminating the project he put himself out of a job. Few people have the honesty to make that sort of stand. Meanwhile, where is the successor to Aquiline? I’ve no idea, but perhaps some of those vultures circling above Afghanistan may not be real vultures. (Aquiline is not to be confused with Aquila, a small US army drone from the same era which also ended in expensive failure.) ALSO : * Video: Dragonfly Drones in Flight * Insect Drones "Spotted on U.S. Streets * Beamed Power for Dragonfly Spies * DARPA’s Sex Slave Insects * Robo Fly, Built to Spy * Robo-Critter for River War * Military Cyborg Menagerie * Cyborg Flying Rats Invade China * Cyborg Pigeons Revealed! * Bug Eyes, Bat Ears for Mini-Drones	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Please do not modify my work in any way. "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic", "Equestria Girls" & Original Characters © Hasbro Thought I play the birthday card this year to give Sunset Shimmer a chance. I've already flooded myself with enough fillies and Twilight hugs this year. Plus, no one outside of the main six seems to want to in the upcoming Equestria Girls sequel. How dare they! She just made one mistake and mind-controlled all of you! Give her a break!Twilight was initially in this one, but I thought having the two characters alone would be more ... nice (I wouldn't say intimate). This is not some fantasy. It's a one-time deal. I thought it would be nice. Will she accept my offer to dance?(Title changed. Similarity between the original title and Would You Care To Dance? was confusing)	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Friday night hundreds marched in Cleveland, a place known for its diversity, to honor the lives of two transgender women killed in the city this year. Margie's Hope, a transgender support organization, organized the candlelit vigil for Skye Mockabee and Brandi Bledsoe, the two transgender Clevelanders who were slain. The organizers of the Transgender Day of Remembrance called on members and supporters of the LGBTQ community around Northeast Ohio to gather and help raise awareness for "anti-transgender hate crimes." RELATED: Police investigate death of transgender woman Jacob Nash, board president of Margie's Hope, a transgender support group in Cleveland, said attendance was marked around 225 people, based on the number of seats they filled at City Hall. "It made people stop and think," Nash said. "They were reading about the people and seeing their pictures." Nash said there have been 24 transgender people murdered in the U.S. in 2016, and an estimated 295 additional deaths across the world. "Of course, it was pretty somber," Nash said. "We can't forget, we have to keep fighting." Margie's Hope was founded in 2011. Nash said the group provides assistance to transgender people seeking to find housing, health resources, employment and community. Several other area LGBTQ groups are credited with helping organize the event, according to a press release. "The emphasis is continuing to educate," Nash said. "Our worth and dignity needs to be appreciated just like everybody elses."	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Image copyright Getty Images An urgent global race is under way to establish how and why the Zika virus could be causing a devastating spike in cases of babies being born with underdeveloped brains in South America. Brazil has reported around 4,000 cases of microcephaly since October - an unprecedented number. The World Health Organization has declared a global public health emergency in response. But experts are unsure what exactly is behind the rise. Dr Anthony Costello, the WHO's expert on microcephaly, says finding an answer quickly is imperative. "We must assume, given global travel and the like, that this could spread into many other populations as well. "What we have picked up is a surge in cases of microcephaly in two areas where Zika virus has broken out. First in French Polynesia last year and now, to a much greater extent, in Brazil. "We do not know about cases yet in other areas." Zika virus has now hit more than 20 countries and the WHO believes it is likely to spread "explosively" across nearly all of the Americas, making the need for fast answers clear. Dr Costello says there will be a lag time of several months to know if pregnant women in these newly affected countries are safe. The race is on to find a better diagnostic test and a vaccine and treatment for Zika as well as establishing what is making these babies ill. Microcephaly is not a new condition. In the US, official reports suggests two to 12 babies per 10,000 born each year have microcephaly - that's around 25,000 babies a year. It can be caused by other infections caught in pregnancy, such as rubella. Drug and alcohol abuse by expectant mothers are also factors. And it can also be caused by rare genetic conditions. The difficulty facing scientists is establishing what is behind each new case. Research using animal models is needed to determine if Zika causes damage to an unborn infant when infection occurs in pregnancy and at what stage, as well as studies of pregnant women who have unfortunately been infected with Zika virus to determine the outcomes of their pregnancies. Dr Costello said: "We desperately need to have better diagnostics for Zika virus so that we can look very carefully, if you get pregnant and you get infected, at what is the risk of getting microcephaly. "At the moment we don't exactly know what the risk is." He said although many pregnant women would, understandably, be very scared at the moment, they should remember that the risk of their baby having microcephaly was still very low. "This is still a relatively rare occurrence and even if the rates increase, most women are going to get through pregnancy absolutely fine." Babies born with microcephaly can grow up to have few or no complications. The impact it will have on their life depends on its severity. An underdeveloped brain can lead to seizures, developmental delays, intellectual disability, problems with movement and balance, hearing loss and visual problems. Because it is difficult to predict at birth what problems may lie ahead for a baby with microcephaly, they need close medical follow-up. There are things pregnant women, or those who are likely to be pregnant, can do to protect themselves against the potential risk:	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
A 60-year-old Woodbridge, Virginia, woman fatally shot her husband in an argument Wednesday night, Prince William County police said. Rene Rachelle Drake has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of her husband, Timothy Tyrone Drake. WASHINGTON — A 60-year-old Woodbridge, Virginia, woman fatally shot her husband after an argument Wednesday night, the Prince William County police said. Rene Rachelle Drake has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of her husband, Timothy Tyrone Drake. The police said they went to the Drakes’ house in the 3300 block of Labourn Drive, in Woodbridge, shortly after 8 p.m. to investigate a shooting. Police said they believe the Drakes were arguing Wednesday night when Timothy Drake was shot. He suffered a gunshot wound to the upper body and was pronounced dead at the house, police said. Rene Drake was arrested at her house. She is being held without bond pending a court date.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Perpetuating the tradition of great Colombian climbers, Egan Bernal left his mark on the Tour de France in the mountains. But unlike his flashy predecessors, he is also poised to win cycling's biggest race. Bernal kept the yellow jersey Saturday after the last Alpine stage, and barring a crash or a last-minute health issue, he will become the first Colombian to win the Tour when it ends on Paris' Champs-Elysees with a largely processional stage on Sunday. At age 22, Bernal will also become the youngest post-World War II winner of the Tour. "I still need to reach Paris, but today it was incredible, I can't believe it. I will need some more days to understand what happened to me," Bernal said. Long before Bernal was born, Colombian riders like Lucho Herrera and Fabio Parra conquered the hearts of cycling fans with long and spectacular raids in the Tour mountains. But for all their brilliance, they never came close to winning the race. This year's route, the highest in race history with five summit finishes, including three stages finishing above 2,000 meters and only 54 kilometers of time trialing, gave natural-born climber Bernal a golden opportunity. TOUR DE FRANCE THROWN IN CHAOS AFTER HAILSTORM IN ALPS STOPS CRUCIAL STAGE Unlike Bradley Wiggins, four-time champion Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas — the three other riders who won the Tour for the British outfit Ineos — Bernal is not a race-against-the-clock specialist. He has built his success on consistent performances in the Pyrenees and a tremendous attack in the Alps after losing ground in the individual time trial. "The talent is there to see, he was born to go uphill fast," said Bernal's teammate and now deposed champion Geraint Thomas. "He has got many, many great years in front of him. A very bright future." Thomas, lagging 1 minute and 11 seconds behind overall, should finish runner-up to give the Ineos team a 1-2 finish in Paris. Weighing only 130 pounds, the super-light Bernal thrived in rarefied air, and it was fitting that he delivered his fatal blow in the Col de l'Iseran, the Tour's highest point this year at 2,770 meters. A cycling star in the making, Bernal took the race lead Friday when Stage 19 was dramatically cut short by a landslide across the route to the Alpine ski station of Tignes and by a violent hailstorm that made road conditions too icy for riders racing on two wheels barely wider than their thumbs. He'd moved away from Julian Alaphilippe, the punchy rider who did more than anyone to make this Tour the most exciting in decades and held the race lead for 14 days, on a super-difficult climb to the Iseran. When the race was then stopped with Bernal racing away on the downhill, organizers decided the riders' timings to the top of the Iseran climb would be used to determine the overall standings. And that put Bernal in yellow and on course to become the first Colombian to win the Tour. ISRAELI SOCCER FANS PROHIBITED -- TEMPORARILY -- FROM FLYING NATIONAL FLAG DURING MATCH IN FRANCE Bernal wrapped up his victory during Saturday's Stage 20 to Val Thorens, won by 2014 champion Vincenzo Nibali. Shortened to just 36 miles because of landslide on the route, it featured a 33-kilometer climb up to the ski station that was too difficult for Alaphilippe, who cracked after starting the day in second place and allowed Steven Kruijswijk to secure a third-place finish overall. On the road to Val Thorens, Bernal shook hands with Alaphilippe, who left his mark on the race with his unpredictable attacks and strategies. Throughout the race, Alaphilippe forced the teams of favorites to rethink their strategies as they tried to topple the Frenchman. "I don't think it was the (race route), it was the fact that Alaphilippe started so strongly, had a good advantage and was so strong," Thomas said. "It was incredible how he stepped up and improved. A big, big well done to him. He fought until the very end. Fair play to him and his team. That was the reason why the race was raced so differently." Ineos was not as dominant as in previous years and, in addition to Alaphilippe's bold moves, had to deal with challenges mounted by Thibaut Pinot's FDJ and Kruijswijk's Jumbo Visma. With new dynamics, the race was filled with suspense until Bernal stamped his authority for good in the Iseran. If he wins, Bernal will achieve a feat unmatched by the Tour's greatest champions — five-time winners Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain — who were all older when they first won. ALYSSA NAEHER GETS HER WORLD CUP MOMENT WITH EPIC SAVE DURING ENGLAND MATCH Bernal has also proved stronger than Thomas, who threw his weight behind the Colombian heading into the penultimate stage. Bernal and Thomas crossed together in Val Thorens, with the Welshman warmly congratulating his successor. Bernal has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top. With barely any experience in road racing, he turned pro with the small Androni Giocattoli Pro Continental team before Ineos manager Dave Brailsford signed him two years ago following his victory at the Tour de l'Avenir, the most prestigious stage race for Under-23 riders. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP After competing at his first Tour last summer and doing an impressive job in support of Thomas and Froome, Bernal was set to get a maiden leader experience at the Giro d'Italia. But he fractured his collarbone in a training crash, forcing him to miss the race and 76 days overall. He returned to competition in June to win the Tour de Suisse, another prestigious title to add to his success at Paris-Nice in March	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
HAVANA (Reuters) - A rare tornado ripped through Havana late on Sunday, leaving at least four dead and nearly two hundred injured as it tore off roofs, flipped vehicles and reduced some of the buildings in its path to rubble. People walk among the debris after a tornado ripped through a neighbourhood in Havana, Cuba January 28, 2019. REUTERS/Fernando Medina The twister was the strongest to hit Cuba in nearly 80 years, according to Jose Rubiera, a meteorologist with the Cuban weather service. It pummeled its way 7.15 miles (11.5 km) through Havana over 16 minutes, at times reaching 0.62 miles (1 km) in diameter. The streets of the worse-hit neighborhoods, mainly in eastern and central Havana, were strewn on Monday with shards of glass and debris as well as downed trees and power lines. Some areas lacked electricity and running water. “The noise made it seem like a plane was crashing down on us,” said Victoria Infanta Rodriguez, 47, surveying the wreckage of her home. “But when you looked it was more like a big ball of flame - something red, red, red as if the whole country had caught fire.” Infanta Rodriguez said her family had huddled in a corner of their home like Russian nesting dolls as the tornado sucked off the roof - she sheltered her 12-year-old son and her husband sheltered her, taking the brunt of the flying debris that scratched and bruised his back. “All we have left is the skeleton of the house,” she said. Like many of her neighbors in the capital’s eastern, working-class borough of Regla, the tornado had smashed most her belongings while the rain had destroyed her appliances. President Miguel Diaz-Canel toured Regla shortly after the tornado hit and tweeted a preliminary death toll of three, that the state-run news broadcaster updated to four in the evening, adding that 195 were injured. Slideshow ( 9 images ) One Regla resident, Odalys Diaz, 51, said her neighbor was killed when the roof of a nearby five-storey building came crashing down onto his which then collapsed on top of him. Concrete debris also smashed into her flat, tearing down the wall of one room and shattering the windows. “There was glass flying everywhere. I tried to hide under the bed,” Diaz said. The devastation wrought suggested it was an “EF4” tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale, the second most powerful category with winds up to 200 miles per hour (322 km per hour), Rubiera told state-run news agency Prensa Latina. “When I rushed up to the first floor to look for my mother, I found this disaster - the roof and front wall had gone, and she’d fallen into the street,” said Victor Leiva Ramos, 41. Leiva Ramos, who was injured while trying to find her in the rubble, including a severed tendon, had his arm bandaged. His 73-year-old mother survived with a few fractures. Cuba prides itself on suffering relatively few deaths in hurricane season due in part to a rigorous evacuation scheme. Yet the tornado took Havana by surprise, although state-run media had warned residents that an approaching cold front from the north and winds from the south would create high winds, thunderstorms and heavy rainfall in the area. Rubiera was later cited as saying that such phenomena were virtually impossible to predict when they affected such concentrated areas. Diaz-Canel said the council of ministers had held an emergency meeting early on Monday to assess the damage and take the necessary steps to speed up the recovery work.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Share Why Austrians are flirting with the far-right Why Austrians are flirting with the far-right A Freedom Party President does not mean marauding bands of uniformed Nazis A Freedom Party President does not mean marauding bands of uniformed Nazis A government must show unity, follow a common goal, and take action Early on in the short 2016 presidential campaign, opinion polls were unanimous in the conviction that the two governing party candidates Andreas Khol (ÖVP, Austrian Conservative Party) and Rudolf Hundstorfer (SPÖ, Austrian Social Democratic Party) would have no chance of finishing on the podium. Only a week before the elections on April 24, 2016, the newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten predicted the following outcome: 25% for the Green Party candidate Alexander Van der Bellen, 24% for the Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer and 21% for the independent Irmgard Griss. Opinion polls would end up being right, with one decisive exception: Norbert Hofer achieved an outstanding result in the first round of voting: 35.1% and thus nearly 14% ahead of runner-up Alexander Van der Bellen (21.3%). In 3rd place Irmgard Griss: new, female, independent. As it seems, Hofer was an acceptable alternative for the highest office in the government and for many who were sick and tired of the constant party and election banter. Now, was Mr. Hofer actually elected – a man who, as third chair of the National Council, the public had barely known until the presidential elections? Or did the vote belong to the Austrian Freedom Party, the deliberately selected protest party of the common man? Or to the eloquent federal party chairman Heinz Christian Strache and his ambitions of moving into the Federal Chancellor’s office? Whoever was elected, it is evident that in recent years, the Freedom Party has managed to achieve impressive electoral victories in every provincial or federal election in recent years. After what happened in 2000, is Austria facing another shift to the right, the return of sanctions imposed by the European Union, and the next Committee of Wise Men at the gates? Now, the result was, even apart from the assertions of demographics, no great surprise: Since their nomination, the widespread criticism, or even open rejection of the two candidates from the ÖVP and SPÖ had been secretly whispered among officials and aggressively communicated in the media: too old, too colourless, too conservative. If only they had more closely followed the example and tactics of the last presidential election and agreed on a joint candidate, male or female. (A quick reminder: in 2010, the Austrian Conservative Party endorsed the Social Democratic Party candidate Heinz Fischer and achieved an impressive result of 79.33%). Of course, they would never have come near this result, but they also would not have ended up with a meager 11.3% (Hundstorfer) and 11.1% (Khol). With the same voting behaviour, they might have been able to give Van der Bellen a run for his money for second place. Yet the fact remains that a common candidate could have served as a common signal of a functioning federal government where people get along. But how can a federal government agree on a candidate when all of the government’s work can only be rated as a poor performance. In times of obvious fears and perceived discrimination of the population, justified or not, in times in which streams of refugees are moving across the whole of Europe, in times in which borders are opened and closed, in times in which society is evidently changing, a government must show unity, follow a common goal, and take action, and should not hide behind braces and cash registers for all. The result, however, is what it is, the voters have spoken and we are facing the second round of voting, forcing us to decide between left and right. It’s like choosing between the plague and cholera, as many have commented. This may be the case for middle class voters, but the bold and aggressive language that others are so often criticized for should be toned down in this case, too. “Not all voters are idiots” is the title of an interview with the Austrian writer Thomas Glavinic in the current issue of Der Spiegel magazine. He gets to the heart of the conflict between the so-called “left” and “right”: “For 30 years now, all that has been achieved was to drive even more people into the arms of the Freedom Party. I expect a better strategy from the left. Especially people who claim to be moral judges and who apparently know the difference between good and evil should be capable of more reflection. Instead, they have not only belittled the enticers, but also those people who have voted for them for whatever reason. These voters are not all Nazis; the true extremists represent only a small minority. The others are simply plagued by fears, and whether they are justified or not does not matter for the time being. These people must be listened to, and not insulted. Otherwise, the only listeners remaining are the rightists. Some of the leftists, however, seem to prefer hearing themselves talk. This exacerbates the division of society. Every disparaging remark causes more radicalization.” To all those who are fearful and critical: Of course, a Freedom Party President does not mean that marauding bands of uniformed Nazis will be marching in Austria in the future. But they must also realize that for reasons of common sense, there can be no choice but to commit to European integration while emphatically rejecting all anti-European trends. Christopher Drexler is an Austrian politician (ÖVP) , since 2000 Member of the Styrian parliament and since 2003 Club Chairman of the ÖVP parliamentary group . Share	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Last updated on .From the section Disability Sport Great Britain's Deaf Tennis team with their medals Britain's Esah Hayat and Phoebe Suthers won three medals each at the World Deaf Tennis Championships in Turkey. Hayat, 17, and Suthers, 16, claimed gold in the junior mixed doubles, beating Czech second seeds Jaroslav Smedek and Katerina Blascikova 6-0 6-7 (6-8) 10-6. They then each combined with Lewis Fletcher, 34, for silvers in the senior men's doubles and mixed doubles finals. The pair also claimed boys singles silver and girls singles bronze. "I've had a great week and am really pleased with getting two silvers and a gold," said Hayat. "We have all come through some close battles this week and we've worked well as a team to get our medals. "GB is becoming a stronger team on the world stage every year, and we will be working hard for more medals at next year's European Championships."	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
In November I was invited to give a talk at WorthingDigital about freelancing. James has now released the video made of the first hour, which contains the talk and the start of the Q&A. Sadly the camera could only record for this long, so a lot of the Q&A session wasn’t recorded. If you have any questions or anything to add, please leave a comment or e-mail me at paul@paulsilver.co.uk WorthingDigital are organising a lot of interesting talks, you can find their YouTube channel here.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
P.D., Magnus and Craig, Callender (2004) Realist Ennui and the Base Rate Fallacy. [Preprint] Abstract The no-miracles argument and the pessimistic induction are arguably the main considerations for and against scientific realism. Recently these arguments have been accused of embodying a familiar, seductive fallacy. In each case, we are tricked by a base rate fallacy, one much discussed in the psychological literature. In this paper we consider this accusation and use it as an explanation for why the two most prominent 'wholesale' arguments in the literature seem irresolvable. Framed probabilistically, we can see very clearly why realists and anti-realists have been talking past one another. We then formulate a dilemma for advocates of either argument, answer potential objections to our criticisms, discuss what remains (if anything) of these two major arguments, and then speculate about a future philosophy of science freed from these two arguments. In so doing, we connect the point about base rates to the wholesale/retail distinction; we believe it hints at an answer of how to distinguish profitable from unprofitable realism debates. In short, we offer a probabilistic analysis of the feeling of ennui afflicting contemporary philosophy of science. Monthly Views for the past 3 years Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years Plum Analytics Actions (login required)	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not pictured) at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, January 2, 2020. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to cut short his trip to Greece following the assassination of Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s Quds Force, said an official in Netanyahu’s office. Israel Army Radio reported that the country’s military had gone on heightened alert, fearing retaliation by Iran or its proxies after the killing of Soleimani by a U.S. air strike in Baghdad. Netanyahu was in Athens following the deal signed by Greece, Cyprus and Israel on Thursday to build a 1,900 km (1,180 mile) subsea pipeline to carry natural gas from the eastern Mediterranean’s rapidly developing gas fields to Europe.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
In exchange for supporting the Comcast-NBC deal, the FCC may demand that NBC license its shows online to whoever wants them instead of just streaming them on Hulu and NBC.com, Peter Kafka says. This would be a major blow to Hulu, which benefits greatly from having semi-exclusive access to its partners' shows. If YouTube, Yahoo, AOL and others can all license The Office on the same terms that Hulu does, there won't be as much reason for people to go to Hulu, and Hulu's revenue will get clocked. But there's still hope. As Peter Kafka also notes, it's not quite clear yet what the FCC wants, so Hulu may yet be saved. The FCC may just want Hulu to continue to sub-license NBC content to AOL, Yahoo, and others, the way it already does (you can watch Hulu-licensed shows on third-party web sites, and Hulu gets a piece of the revenue).	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
VG-V-EB09: The Raging Tactics Japanese Name The ザ Raging レイジング Tactics タクティクス Phonetic Za Reijingu Takutikusu Release Date September 6, 2019 (JP) October 25, 2019 (EN) Set Gallery Japanese VG-V-EB09 Set Gallery English VGE-V-EB09 Previous Set My Glorious Justice Next Set The Mysterious Fortune Contents show] Contents Illustrators is the 9th Extra Booster released in the Japanese and English format. 山宗／Moopic／増田幹生／前田ヒロユキ／村上ヒサシ／たにめそ／谷裕司／タダ／Kakikon?／ダイエクスト／root?／三好載克／桂福蔵／筒井海砂／HMK94?／CHIMOTA?／じんてつ／96suke／辻野芳輝／七片藍／ひがし／石川健太／jugemt?／song qijin／As’まりあ／スサガネ／山崎太郎／城戸春一?／麻谷知世／yashoo／コガラツ／けんこ／近藤途轍／TODEE／mercyrabbit?／yuukoo009／kaworu／COGA／ろぼみずちゃ?／田島幸枝／ショースケ／六／前河悠一／まるえ／天城望／篠丸峰山／funbolt／kutay／uni／凪風／ToMo／モレシャン／セツ?／刀彼方?／米谷尚展／Hirokorin／強化新型yutori／トビ丸小夏／宮本サトル／touge369／むなぁげ／伊藤彰／木下勇樹／七片藍／やまだ六角 Video Card List Clan/Grade Breakdown Clan Grade 0 Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Total Tachikaze 5 6 7 4 0 22 Spike Brothers 5 7 6 4 0 22 Megacolony 5 7 5 5 0 22	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
(Bloomberg) -- They say everything is bigger in Texas. The population of the Lone Star State has increased by 494,622 since January 2017 -- the biggest gainer among U.S. states, according to govern...	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
William F. Buckley, the founder of National Review (where I work), once confessed in private, “I wish to hell I could attack them without pleasing people I can’t stand to please.” By “them” he meant the members of the conspiracy-mongering, anti-Communist, anti-United Nations, anti-civil rights John Birch Society. The people Bill couldn’t stand to please, of course, were liberals. And yet Buckley did eventually go after the Birchers, at first trying as best he could to denounce their leader, Robert Welch, without alienating the rank and file. Eventually, this needle became impossible to thread, specifically when Welch began insisting that President Dwight Eisenhower was a “dedicated, conscious agent of the Communist conspiracy.” Buckley and Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, along with conservative intellectuals such as William Baroody of the American Enterprise Institute (where I am a fellow) and Russell Kirk, convened a meeting at the Breakers Hotel in Florida to address the problem. Buckley would lead the effort of anathematizing Welch, beginning with a six-page editorial excoriating him. Goldwater would follow up with a letter to National Review calling for Welch’s resignation. This approach was risky. Many Birchers weren’t crackpots. Some were prominent businessmen who had supported both Buckley’s magazine and the movement behind the Goldwater candidacy. In “A Man and His Presidents: The Political Odyssey of William F. Buckley Jr.,” Alvin Felzenberg recounts one occasion when a major supporter of NR leaned on Buckley to stop criticizing Welch and form a “common front” against the left. When he reminded Buckley of the financial support he’d given the magazine, Buckley responded that the National Review was “not for sale.” Buckley denounced the Birchers in part because they were undermining the very cause they claimed to be fighting for. By making anti-Communism seem paranoid and extremist rather than prudent and necessary, the Birchers were making it easy for liberals to demonize and dismiss conservatism wholesale. The Cold War is over, thank goodness. But similar patterns have been emerging on the right. In many ways, we’re witnessing a perfect example of history repeating itself as farce. Whereas during the Cold War, the claim was made that the East Coast Republican establishment was insufficiently committed to the fight against Communism, the new hotness is that the GOP establishment is insufficiently committed to fighting . . . the GOP establishment. Extremism in Steve Bannon’s hashtag war against the elite is no vice, and moderation in pursuit of getting things done is now no virtue. Republican Roy Moore is the new Welch (or one of several new Welches). He threatens to provide conservatism’s critics with precisely the caricature they crave. He’s a twice-disgraced former judge who believes 9/11 was divine retribution for our sins and an anti-Muslim bigot who can’t quite bring himself to rule out the death penalty for homosexuals. But he won the Alabama Senate primary anyway, largely on the grounds that he was the most anti-establishment candidate. To Alabama primary voters, his extremism is apparently proof he won’t “sell out.” If Moore is the new Welch, Buckley and Goldwater’s heirs have rejected the mantle of opposition, at least in this case. Last week, Sens. Mike Lee and Rand Paul endorsed Moore, citing his devotion to the Constitution and (in Lee’s words) his “reputation of integrity.” Ted Cruz joined them Tuesday. As for conservatives outside the Senate, reactions have varied. Some have been outspoken in denouncing Moore. Others have gone all in. Part of the problem is structural. Despite all the paranoid screeds one hears daily, the establishment, however defined, is weaker than at any time in memory. The balkanized and democratized media landscape of the internet makes the kind of intellectual gatekeeping Buckley once mastered nearly impossible, particularly at a time when gatekeeping of any kind is viewed as “rigging the system.” Buckley’s reluctance to please people he couldn’t stand has gone from an understandable sentiment to an ideological commandment for many on the right. Rather than learn from our successes, conservatives seem determined to make a virtue of our mistakes. Twitter: @JonahNRO	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
The Christian Post is reporting that City Church, San Francisco’s largest evangelical megachurch, has lifted the requirement for gays and lesbians to first commit to a life of celibacy before being allowed to join their congregation. Senior Pastor Fred Harrell Sr. posted a letter on the church website stating that it took the Elders nine months to reach this decision, and that two of these Elders had resigned. He assures that that the church’s core principles will remain the same. They will continue to receive members who show a “credible profession of faith,” and that the levels of “commitments represented in the membership vows” will also go unchanged. What has changed? The letter reads: We will no longer discriminate based on sexual orientation and demand lifelong celibacy as a precondition for joining. For all members, regardless of sexual orientation, we will continue to expect chastity in singleness until marriage. Please pray for our Board as we continue to discuss pastoral practices with our LGBT brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray for our denomination, the Reformed Church in America, as it does the same. Harrell goes on to state that “God is bringing LGBT Christians through the doors of City Church,” and that their past practice of demanding life-long celibacy, “by which we meant that for the rest of your life you would not engage your sexual orientation in any way, was causing obvious harm and has not led to human flourishing.” Nonetheless, City Church will still advocate the requirement of chastity for those who are not married regardless of sexual orientation. I applaud these actions. I know for most of you, this is too little too late. I agree, but at least it is a step on the right direction. In other news, The Christian Post is also reporting that Alan Robertson from “Duck Dynasty,” has declared that “God, by His design, has laid out the best way — mentally, physically and emotionally — to have a sexual relationship, and that doesn’t include homosexuality and gay marriage.” Hey Jack, we still have a long way to go. I know I sound like a broken record on this, but as I pointed out recently in my Pat Robertson piece, in twenty years LGBT acceptance will be the norm for most churches. They will do the exact same thing they did with slavery and women’s rights. The apologists will find new verses and reinterpret old ones to proclaim that God was always accepting of the LGBT community. This too will be too little too late, but if it ends a little more suffering, I’m all for it. Brother Richard What do you think?: Post a Comment Subscribe to Richard’s: All New RSS Feed	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
“Every external operation is first and foremost a domestic one: the single most important role of the agencies is to secure the regime.” — Mark Galeotti on Russian foreign intelligence Key Points Documents stolen from a prominent journalist and critic of the Russian government were manipulated and then released as a “leak” to discredit domestic and foreign critics of the government. We call this technique “tainted leaks.” The operation against the journalist led us to the discovery of a larger phishing operation, with over 200 unique targets spanning 39 countries (including members of 28 governments). The list includes a former Russian Prime Minister, members of cabinets from Europe and Eurasia, ambassadors, high ranking military officers, CEOs of energy companies, and members of civil society. After government targets, the second largest set (21%) are members of civil society including academics, activists, journalists, and representatives of non-governmental organizations. We have no conclusive evidence that links these operations to a particular Russian government agency; however, there is clear overlap between our evidence and that presented by numerous industry and government reports concerning Russian-affiliated threat actors. Summary This report describes an extensive Russia-linked phishing and disinformation campaign. It provides evidence of how documents stolen from a prominent journalist and critic of Russia was tampered with and then “leaked” to achieve specific propaganda aims. We name this technique “tainted leaks.” The report illustrates how the twin strategies of phishing and tainted leaks are sometimes used in combination to infiltrate civil society targets, and to seed mistrust and disinformation. It also illustrates how domestic considerations, specifically concerns about regime security, can motivate espionage operations, particularly those targeting civil society. The report is organized into four parts described below: PART 1: HOW TAINTED LEAKS ARE MADE describes a successful phishing campaign against David Satter, a high-profile journalist. We demonstrate how material obtained during this campaign was selectively released with falsifications to achieve propaganda aims. We then highlight a similar case stemming from an operation against an international grantmaking foundation, headquartered in the United States, in which their internal documents were selectively released with modifications to achieve a disinformation end. These “tainted leaks” were demonstrated by comparing original documents and emails with what Russia-linked groups later published. We conclude that the tainting likely has roots in Russian domestic policy concerns, particularly around offsetting and discrediting what are perceived as “outside” or “foreign” attempts to destabilize or undermine the Putin regime. PART 2: A TINY DISCOVERY describes how the operation against Satter led us to the discovery of a larger phishing operation, with over 200 unique targets. We identified these targets by investigating links created by the operators using the Tiny.cc link shortening service. After highlighting the similarities between this campaign and those documented by previous research, we round out the picture on Russia-linked operations by showing how related campaigns that attracted recent media attention for operations during the 2016 United States presidential election also targeted journalists, opposition groups, and civil society. PART 3: CONNECTIONS TO PUBLICLY REPORTED OPERATIONS outlines the connections between the campaigns we have documented and previous public reporting on Russia-linked operations. After describing overlaps among various technical indicators, we discuss the nuance and challenges surrounding attribution in relation to operations with a Russian nexus. PART 4: DISCUSSION explores how phishing operations combined with tainted leaks were paired to monitor, seed disinformation, and erode trust within civil society. We discuss the implications of leak tainting and highlight how it poses unique and difficult threats to civil society. We then address the often-overlooked civil society component of nation-state cyber espionage operations. Introduction: Tainted Leaks & Civil Society Targets Russia-linked cyber espionage campaigns, particularly those involving targeting around the 2016 U.S. elections, and more recently the 2017 French election, have dominated the media in recent months. As serious as these events are, often overlooked in both media and industry reports on cyber espionage is a critical and persistent victim group: global civil society. A healthy, fully-functioning, and vibrant civil society is the antithesis of non-democratic rule, and as a consequence, powerful elites threatened by their actions routinely direct their powerful spying apparatuses toward civil society to infiltrate, anticipate, and even neutralize their activities. Unlike industry and government, however, civil society groups typically lack resources, institutional depth, and capacity to deal with these assaults. For different reasons, they also rarely factor into threat industry reporting or government policy around cyber espionage, and can be the silent, overlooked victims. As with previous Citizen Lab reports, this report provides further evidence of the “silent epidemic” of targeted digital attacks on civil society, in this case involving widely reported Russian-affiliated cyber espionage operations. Our report underscores the domestic roots of these foreign operations, and how concerns over regime security and domestic legitimacy can factor into Russian threat modeling and espionage targeting, both at home and abroad. Patient Zero for the Investigation: David Satter Our investigation began with a single victim: David Satter, a high-profile journalist, Rhodes Scholar, and critic of the Kremlin. In 2013, Satter was banned from Russia, allegedly for “flagrant violations” of visa laws, but which most attribute to his investigative reporting on Russian autocracy. Satter is known for his book, Darkness at Dawn, which investigated the possible 1999 conspiracy involving the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in a series of bombings of Russian apartment buildings that was used as a justification for the second Chechen War and which facilitated the rise to power of Vladimir Putin. On October 7, 2016 Satter fell victim to a targeted phishing campaign, and mistakenly entered his password on a credential harvesting site. Satter’s e-mails were stolen and later published selectively, and with intentional falsifications, as we will describe in this report. While we cannot conclusively attribute the theft of Satter’s emails to one particular threat actor, nor do we have concrete details on the process by which his stolen emails were falsified and made their way into the public domain, we uncover and analyze several pieces of evidence to help contextualize the tainted leaks, while at the same time linking the infiltration of his email to a much wider cyber espionage campaign that has a Russian nexus. Tainted Leaks: Disinformation 2.0 Following the compromise of his account, Satter’s stolen e-mails were selectively modified, and then “leaked” on the blog of CyberBerkut, a self-described pro-Russian hacktivist group. This report introduces the term “tainted leaks” to describe the deliberate seeding of false information within a larger set of authentically stolen data. We examine in detail how a report sent to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) about Radio Liberty’s Russian investigative reporting project (contained in the emails stolen from Satter) was carefully modified with false information prior to being released. We show how this manipulation created the false appearance that prominent Russian anti-corruption figures, including Alexei Navalny, were receiving foreign funding for their activities. (Alexei Navalny is a well-known Russian anti-corruption activist and opposition figure). We also note how the document was used in an effort to discredit specific reports about corruption among close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition, whoever tainted the document also made reference to an article that had not yet been published at the time the document was “leaked.” This timing strongly suggests advance knowledge of the publication of an upcoming piece of investigative journalism concerning senior Russian officials and businessmen. Such information is likely to have been sensitive, and would not have been widely known. This may suggest that the operators had access to other, ongoing surveillance operations. Once the tainted leak was released, Russian state-owned media and others reported that the document showed a CIA-backed conspiracy to start a “colour revolution” in Russia.1 The tainted leak was also reported as evidence that the reports on corruption within Putin’s inner circle represented part of a deliberate disinformation campaign on behalf of foreign interests. The timing and substance of the tainting coincides with reported fears among Putin and his close associates that revelations about their wealth and its sources could trigger protests and uprisings within Russia, like those lead by Navalny in recent months and years. Tainted leaks pose complex challenges to the victims of breaches, as well as representing a potent and troubling method of disinformation. Part 1 describes the leak tainting in greater detail, and Part 4: Discussion provides an analysis of the risks posed by the tactic. Pandora’s Un-Shortening: High Value Targets Emerge While investigating the suspicious messages sent to Satter, we determined that Tiny.cc, the link-shortening service used by the operators to phish credentials, had predictable features that enabled us to discover some other links likely used by the same operators. We developed a technique to discover some of these links, and ultimately collected 223 malicious links representing 218 unique targets.2 We have been able to identify the real identity of approximately 85% of the targets. Of the set we identified, we found targets from at least 39 countries. One thread that links the targets is that their professional activities connect them to issues where the Russian government has a demonstrated interest. In some cases, the targets are Russians, ranging from an ex-Prime Minister, to journalists who investigate corruption, to political activists. Many more targets are from, posted to, or involved in extractive industries in countries and areas where the Russian government has an economic and strategic interest, such as former Soviet states. Still others are likely to be working on issues on the other side of the negotiating table from Russia, whether as part of United Nations operations, NATO, or civil service. Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the largest groups of targets are high-ranking military and government personnel and elected officials in Ukraine. Figure 1: Map showing countries that targets of the phishing campaign are linked to [click for hi-res] In other cases, for instance, the wife of a military attache, individuals appear to be targeted because of their proximity to high value targets. In others, we have identified a large number of individuals who appear to be targeted because they received support, in the form of a fellowship, from a particular US-based grantmaker. Some notable target categories include: Politicians, public servants and government officials from Afghanistan, Armenia, Austria, Cambodia, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Peru, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sudan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam Diplomatic personnel from numerous embassies, up to and including ambassador level, as well as their family members Civil society members including very high profile critics of the Russian president, as well as journalists and academics Senior members of the oil, gas, mining, and finance industries of the former Soviet states United Nations officials Military personnel from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Greece, Latvia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States, as well as NATO officials The discovery of so many other targets provides us with a window into the campaign’s structure, and objectives (Part 2 outlines how we discovered the targets). After government targets, the second largest set (21%) are members of civil society like academics, activists, journalists, and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Figure 2: Some high-value targets who received phishing emails The Importance of Civil Society Targets The data presented in Figure 3 underscore the extent to which civil society groups are being targeted in numbers equivalent to those seen with the more classic ‘cyber espionage’ sector-aligned targets such as military, government, and industry. Amongst the civil society targets, more than half were journalists, many of whom are prominent contributors to Russian language news outlets such as Vedomosti, Slon/Republic, Novaya Gazeta, and the BBC Russian Service. While providing a detailed analysis of the civil society targets or an outline of their areas of activity would undoubtedly jeopardize their privacy, we can safely reflect on two notable patterns that emerge from such an analysis. The first is that, like our first subject David Satter, several individuals from the target list were known for their public efforts towards shining a light on the Russian government and its activities. From publishing articles that outline fraud or corruption, to general activism in support of electoral reform, many of the civil society targets seem to have been singled out for the perception that their actions could pose a threat to the Putin regime. Figure 3: Breakdown of discovered targets into broad categories Another notable commonality found during analysis of the civil society targets of these campaigns is the near perfect alignment between their areas of activity and the geopolitical conflicts in which Russia is a known or suspected belligerent, or party to the conflict. Specifically, the focus areas of the civil society targets span geographic boundaries, including conflict areas such as Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and others. We also found that several dozen of the targeted individuals had as a thread in common that they had received a fellowship from a single funder focused on the region. Notification The large and diverse target group presented notification challenges. Our process for notifying potential victims involved the following considerations and steps: For targets affiliated with governments or government-affiliated organizations (such as NATO or the United Nations), or businesses in a particular country, we passed information on targets’ names and email addresses to the relevant Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) If many targets shared an organizational affiliation, but not a single employer, we contacted that organization and worked with them to notify the individuals We also provided a full list of targets to the targets’ e-mail provider. Part 1: How Tainted Leaks Are Made We examine how stolen materials from Satter’s inbox were turned into tainted leaks and released by CyberBerkut, and then examine a similar operation against the Open Society Foundations. To make a clean comparison between real and fake, and illustrate exactly how tainting takes place, we obtained original, genuine documents and e-mails from David Satter, a victim of a breach, and compared them with the tainted versions. We then describe a prior case of tainted leaks: internal documents belonging to the Open Society Foundations were stolen, then later released with tainting similar to Satter’s, also by CyberBerkut.3 In both cases the breach victims were working with US-based organizations which had programs specializing in Russia. The tainting appeared to have two objectives: cause the programs to appear more subversive of Russia than they were, and discredit specific opposition individuals and groups critical of Russian President Putin and his confidants. The Case of David Satter On October 5, 2016, a phishing email was sent to the Gmail address of David Satter (See: Patient Zero: David Satter). This phishing email was crafted with a specific ruse designed to look like a security warning from Google, suggesting to the recipient that an unknown third-party has obtained their Gmail account password (see Figure 4). Figure 4: Phishing Email 1, mimicking a genuine message from Google The phishing email is designed to trick the recipient into clicking on the ‘Change Password’ button. Clicking on this link would direct the victim’s web browser to a link hosted on the URL shortening service Tiny.cc. The operator disguised the link by using an open redirect hosted by Google. This open redirect allowed the operators to create a URL that, superficially, appears to be hosted by Google: https://www.google.com/amp/tiny.cc/(redacted) Unfortunately, the ultimate destination of this shortened URL was changed to a benign webpage before we were able to examine this phishing email. However, as we will outline in Part 2 of this report, there is sufficient evidence available to suggest the original destination. Analysis of the email headers revealed that the message was sent with the Russian email service Yandex, using email account g.mail2017[@]yandex.com. A Second Phishing Email Two days later, on October 7, 2016, Satter received a second email that used an identical deception to the first attempt detailed above. As with Email 1, the google.com/amp/ redirect pointed to a URL hosted by Tiny.cc. Once again, similar to Email 1, Citizen Lab found that the originally configured redirection target for this link had been removed. Analysis of the email headers in this second phishing attempt show that the message was sent with the web-based email service ‘mail.com’, using email account annaablony[@]mail.com. Figure 5: Phishing Email 2 Unauthorized Access On October 7 2016, shortly after receiving the email, Satter reports having clicked on the change password link in Email 2, and recalls being redirected to what he now realizes was in fact a credential phishing page which appeared to be a legitimate Google sign-in page. Unfortunately, Satter had temporarily disabled 2-factor authentication on his account, making the compromise possible. Shortly after entering his credentials, Satter’s Gmail account activity page recorded an unauthorized login event. The data logged by Google indicated that the login session originated from an IP address in Romania (Figure 6). In Part 2 we will show that the server associated with this IP address was also hosting the fake Google login page where Satter submitted his account credentials. Thus it is likely that this malicious server was configured to automatically download the email contents from any compromised accounts (see Figure 7). Figure 6: Screen grab from Google account activity page In Part 2 of this report we will outline how the phishing links sent to Satter led us to discover a much wider campaign that included 218 distinct targets from government, industry, military, and civil society. In the following section, we provide context concerning the disinformation campaign that was conducted around material stolen from Satter’s email account and published on the blog of CyberBerkut, a pro-Russian hacktivist collective. Figure 7: How a phishing campaign against Satter became a tainted leaks operation Analyzing a Tainted Leak This section compares an original document obtained by Citizen Lab with a tainted document published online, and used as part of a disinformation campaign. We describe the tainting in detail, and analyse the likely objective. Several documents from Satter’s emails were posted by CyberBerkut at the same time without observable manipulation. However, one document showed extensive evidence of tainting. The tainted leak was a report authored by Satter describing Radio Liberty’s Russian Investigative Reporting Project. The document was modified to make Satter appear to be paying Russian journalists and anti-corruption activists to write stories critical of the Russian Government. Importantly, we do not know the process through which the stolen document made its way from Satter’s inbox to the CyberBerkut release. In the CyberBerkut version, the document is posted as screen-captures, and thus lacks metadata. Figure 8: CyberBerkut post dated October 22, 2016 showing the narrative accompanying the tainted leak document (highlighted with arrow). [Archived copy] The original document lists a series of articles from Radio Liberty exclusively that are part of the project. The articles concern a range of topics: history, economics, and politics. Radio Liberty is a U.S. government international broadcaster, founded in 1951 to broadcast news and information into the Soviet Union. It merged with Radio Free Europe in 1976, who now together are incorporated as a 501(c)(3), funded and overseen by the United States’ Broadcasting Board of Governors. The tainted document modifies the text to appear to be a report on a much larger (nonexistant) project to pay for articles by a range of authors, which would subsequently be published by a range of media outlets. The deceptively inserted articles, almost all of which are genuine publications, focus on corruption within Putin’s friends and inner circle. The work of Alexei Navalny, a prominent Putin critic, is repeatedly emphasized. The full tainted document is in Appendix A. Taint 1: Making reporting look like a secret influence operation The operators modified the document’s scope in an attempt to create the appearance of a widespread media campaign. They did this by removing or modifying mentions of Radio Liberty throughout the document. Figure 9: Text in red was removed, creating the impression of a wide media campaign, not the programming of a specific news source. Other content, such as discussions of specific translators working for Radio Liberty are similarly removed to preserve the fiction. Figure 10: The document was further tweaked to create the impression of a larger campaign. A note about a translator was also removed as it would contradict the impression We believe that by removing specific references to Radio Liberty, the perpetrators are aiming to give the impression of a broader subversive campaign not limited to a single news organization. Doing so allows the perpetrators to falsely associate non-US funded organizations, such as independent NGOs, to appear to be linked as part of this larger, fictitious program. Figure 11: Further tainting to remove mentions of Radio Liberty Finally, a clause is deleted at the end of the document concerning the risks of writing “without the protection of a full time job” (Figure 11). This deletion may simply be the tainters removing an inconvenient sentence that refers to Radio Liberty, but it also may be an attempt to make the activity look more “cloak and dagger.” Taint 2: Discrediting specific journalists and Kremlin critics The original document included a list of 14 articles published as part of the Russian Investigative Project at Radio Liberty. The tainted document includes 24. The operators not only added to the list, but also tweaked the Radio Liberty articles to further the impression of a larger campaign. Figure 12: Six of the ten added articles. All blue text was added to the original as part of the tainting. The objective is to make these reports appear to have been supported by the project. Ten additional articles were added. Although the original list of publications covered a variety of themes, the added set primarily focuses on issues of corruption, and the wealth of those in Putin’s circle. The articles, written for a range of publications, all share a theme: corruption and personal enrichment by those close to Putin and the Russian Government (See Appendix A). Figure 13: People and Topics of articles added in the tainting. Images: Wikipedia, Radio Free Europe, Reuters [click for hi-res] Of special interest are the insertions of Alexei Navalny, a prominent Russian anti-corruption activist and opposition figure whose work, and Anti-corruption Foundation, receives widespread domestic and international attention. By repeatedly adding his reporting to the document, the tainting creates the appearance of “foreign” funding for his work. This theme also figured prominently in the disinformation campaign surrounding the original publication, on October 22, 2016, of the tainted document by CyberBerkut (See: Disinformation Campaign Surrounding the Tainted Document). Taint 3: Claimed foreknowledge An article by Russian journalist Elena Vinogradova describing issues involving “senior Russian officials and businessmen” was also added as part of the tainting, which goes on to state that it will be published by Russian-language news service Vedomosti on October 24-25.4 Figure 14: Tainting that suggests the operators had advanced knowledge of a news report This timing is significant as the original CyberBerkut publication of the tainted document occurred on October 22 2016, slightly before this date. The apparent foreknowledge suggests that the individuals responsible for the tainting had advance knowledge of the content and publication date of a piece of investigative journalism, which may mean the operators had access to intelligence or surveillance reports concerning the activities of the Elena Vinogradova. We identified at least one individual among the set of targets of the phishing campaign whose account might have provided this information, however we were not able to confirm a compromise. Importantly, we were not able to find concrete evidence of the publication of an article matching the description added in the tainting. It is possible that existence of the article was a fabrication, or the result of misplaced speculation by the individuals responsible for the tainting. Taint 4: Modifying the Time Frame and Supporting Details The timeframe and number of publications are increased, perhaps to give the impression of a longer and more intense campaign. Changes are also made to accommodate a wide range of articles not published by Radio Liberty but by other parties. Figure 15: Dates and numbers changed to accommodate ten more articles Text that mentions specific dates in the original document that would not accommodate the articles that have been falsely added is also changed to support the new fiction. Disinformation Campaign Surrounding the Tainted Document The tainted version of the stolen document was released online by CyberBerkut, which represents itself as a group of pro-Russian hacktivists. CyberBerkut provided the framing narrative for the tainted document in a post on October 22, 2016: they were releasing the document to provide evidence that the United States was attempting to support a “colour revolution” in Russia. In the CyberBerkut narrative, David Satter was an agent directing the publication of articles critical of the Russian government. Figure 16: RIA Novosti, Russia’s state operated news agency, reporting the Cyber Berkut’s release of the tainted leaks Russia’s state operated news agency RIA Novosti, as well as Sputnik Radio, picked up the narrative, and gave voice to a number of sources who claimed that the “leak” was evidence that the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was attempting to foment a “colour revolution.” The document was cited in a RIA Novosti report as providing evidence of “over 20” reports intended to discredit the Russian president, and his entourage. The “colour revolution” narrative was echoed in this SM News report, and by Vesti.lv, among others. Meanwhile, other Russian-language sources claimed that the document discredited Navalny’s Anti-corruption Foundation by showing that its articles were actually ordered by David Satter. The Open Society Foundations Case In 2015, the Open Society Foundations (OSF) experienced a breach of confidential data. Materials from this breach were released by CyberBerkut in November 2015 and, much later, on the “leak” branded site DC Leaks, alongside a wide range of materials stolen from other organizations. DC Leaks worked directly with some online outlets, and provided exclusive access to their materials to some, as well as achieving substantial media impact. The redundant releases enable a comparison of documents between the two leaks using public materials. The DC Leaks dump included the release of untainted stolen documents that had been previously released as part of a tainted leak by Cyber Berkut. An article in Foreign Policy used this dump to identify several cases of leak tainting. We were able to verify each of their observations, as well as identifying additional elements of tainting. We then contacted OSF’s IT staff, who provided us with the original genuine documents which we were able to use as the basis for further comparisons, and to authenticate the documents posted on DC Leaks. Taken together, the tainting appears designed to create the impression that several groups and media outlets, including Alexei Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption, are supported by OSF. As with the Satter case, the tainting appears to have a primarily domestic focus, and to be aimed at de-legitimizing figures like Navalny by making it appear that they are the recipients of illicit, foreign funding. This is a view that Navalny, one of the targets of the tainting, has also expressed to Foreign Policy. A Budget Document First, CyberBerkut released a tainted budget document to make it appear as if OSF was funding Alexei Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption. Figure 17: Tainted Budget Document: the second row was added to make it appear as if OSF was funding Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption The tainters may have been working quickly, resulting in a small error, in which a dollar amount was substituted for “Approved Date.” Proposed Strategy Document Second, a proposed funding strategy document was similarly modified to include the Foundation for Fighting Corruption in a list of groups to receive OSF support. Figure 18: Proposed Strategy Document showing the location where the tainted document is modified to include mention of the Foundation for Fighting Corruption The tainting resumed later in the document, when several media outlets (Echo Moscow, RosBusinessConsulting, and Vedomosti) were also added to the document, apparently to create the perception that they had received the support of OSF. Figure 19: A second section in the same document showing once more how several media outlets, including Echo Moscow, RosBusinessConsulting, and Vedomosti have been added. The second instance of tainting in the strategy document also introduced a slight grammatical error when the tainters neglected to remove “an” before changing “news site” to the plural “news sites.” Document Addressing the NGO Law Finally, in a document addressing grantees and Russia’s NGO law, tainting was again performed to add Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption. The tainting also purported to show the foundation receiving money via Yandex, a widely-used Russian platform offering an online payment service. Figure 20: Tainted document, once more showing the addition of Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption Taken together, both the tainted document stolen from David Satter, and the tainted OSF documents paint a picture of a competent adversary working to achieve several objectives, including discrediting domestic critics of Russia’s government and president, while simultaneously attempting to embarrass foreign funders with activities in Russia. In Part 4 we discuss the significance of tainted leaks as a disinformation technique. Part 2: A Tiny Discovery Beginning with the shortened link sent to David Satter, we identified a predictable feature in how the link shortener (Tiny.cc) generated its shortened URLs. This enabled us to identify over 200 additional targets of the same operation described in Part 1. This section describes the process used to enumerate these targets, and further describes the links between this operation and other publicly-reported Russian-linked phishing campaigns. In September 2016, ThreatConnect published a blog post documenting phishing attempts against contributors to the citizen journalism website Bellingcat and its founder Eliot Higgins. The targeted contributors were actively engaged in reporting on the Russian involvement in the July 17, 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. ThreatConnect attributed these intrusion attempts to Fancy Bear (aka APT28), a threat actor widely believed to be directly linked to the Russian government. In an October update to this post, ThreatConnect documented an additional spear phishing attempt against a Bellingcat contributor. This latest credential phishing attempt was largely similar to the first email sent to David Satter (see Part 1, The Case of David Satter). Both emails were sent at 10:59am EST using the same sending address: g.mail2017[@]yandex.com. In addition, both shared a fake Gmail footer that was distinctively modified from Gmail’s original footer. Figure 21: Footer from the phishing emails sent to Bellingcat and David Satter showing a distinctive misspelling (possibly to avoid spam filtering) In both cases the malicious links embedded in these phishing emails were configured to redirect the targets to addresses hosted on the URL shortening service Tiny.cc. As ThreatConnect showed, the Tiny.cc link used against the Bellingcat contributor actually redirected the victim to another shortened URL, this one hosted by a different shortening service: TinyURL.com. Ultimately, this series of link redirections led to a malicious credential phishing page hosted at the following URL: hxxp://myaccount.google.com-changepassword-securitypagesettingmyaccountgooglepagelogin.id833[.]ga Table 1: Domain hosting the credential phishing page Using PassiveTotal, we examined the historic DNS resolution data for this domain name. The results revealed that at the time of these phishing attempts, the domain id833[.]ga resolved to IP address 89.40.181[.]119 – the same Romanian IP address used to access David Satter’s email account on October 7 (see Part 1, The Case of David Satter). This evidence suggests that the Bellingcat contributor and David Satter were both targeted by the same spear phishing campaign; this linkage will be explored further in the next section. Tiny.cc Enumeration In examining the Tiny.cc shortened URLs found within the spear phishing emails sent to David Satter, we became curious as to the structure of how such links were constructed. Tiny.cc provides a shortening service which allows users to create succinct URLs that redirect to some defined, usually long, website address. By way of example, we created a Tiny.cc shortened URL which redirects to a recent Citizen Lab report: In this example, the Tiny.cc shortcode would be bj87iy. In the Tiny.cc application back-end database, this hash uniquely resolves to the target address of: https://citizenlab.ca/2017/02/bittersweet-nso-mexico-spyware/ After conducting tests, we determined that these shortcodes are assigned in a sequential manner. For example, using the Tiny.cc API call for creating a shortened URL, we programmatically generated 8 links with a one-second delay between each call. The resulting shortcodes generated (in order) were as follows: 63q6iy 73q6iy 93q6iy e4q6iy p4q6iy r4q6iy t4q6iy 24q6iy After conducting numerous similar tests, we determined that shortcodes constructed within small temporal windows would be lexically close in the sense of the following ‘base36 alphabet’ sequence: a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u,v,w,x,y,z,0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 Successive shortcodes are constructed by iterating the leftmost character through this base36 alphabet. Once all 36 characters have been exhausted, this leftmost character reverts to the initial value of ‘a’, with the second character then iterating one position according to the same alphabet. This iterative process continues for each position of the shortcode (see Figure 22), enabling us to consider the shortcodes as a sort of base36 ‘counter’. Figure 22: Enumerating the base36 shortcodes used by tiny.cc Given this understanding of the shortcode design, we can measure the notional ‘distance’ between any pair of shortcodes. For example, the distance between the shortcodes bj87iy and cj87iy would be 1, and the distance between bj87iy and bk87iy would be 36. This distance measurement gives an idea of how close two shortcodes are, and thus by extension, how close in time they were generated. We will revisit this notion of distance below. Using this design knowledge, we considered the Tiny.cc shortcodes found in the October 5 and 7 phishing emails sent to David Satter. Using these as a starting point, we enumerated approximately 4000 adjacent shortcodes for each, and then examined the target web addresses to which these short links redirected. From this large list, we extracted all of the associated destination links (see Figure 23) which redirected to the malicious phishing domain described above in Table 1. Figure 23: Some of the phishing links discovered during enumeration of the Tiny.cc shortcodes This enumeration led us to discover evidence suggesting that David Satter and the unnamed Bellingcat journalist were but two targets of a much larger credential phishing campaign. Notably, as mentioned above in Part 1: A Second Phishing E-mail, when we checked the particular Tiny.cc shortcode received by Satter, the unshortened link to the phishing page had been replaced with a benign URL: myaccount.google[.]com. We were unable to conclusively determine the reason for this substitution. One theory suggests that the campaign operators mistakenly shortened incorrect destination URLs, while another posits that once the operators had successfully compromised a target’s account, they would inoculate the Tiny.cc link provided in the phishing email. Indeed, in the same batch of enumerated shortcodes from the October campaign, we found four additional shortcodes which also pointed to myaccount.google[.]com. Decoding the targets We examined the “unshortened” URLs of shortcodes that were adjacent to the one sent to Satter, and discovered 25 distinct destination addresses of the form: https://www.google.com/amp/tinyurl.com/(redacted) These addresses were redirects which leveraged the previously mentioned, Google-hosted, open redirect page (google.com/amp/) to send a user to a link on the TinyURL.com shortening service. In every case, these TinyURL.com links were each designed to send their intended victims to a tailored version of the following, fake, Gmail login page: hxxp://myaccount.google.com-changepassword-securitypagesettingmyaccountgooglepagelogin.id833[.]ga/security/signinoptions/password This domain, discussed above and noted in Table 1, at the time the phishing emails were sent, resolved to the Romanian IP address used to access Satter’s Gmail account (see Part 1). In order to bolster the social engineering aspect of these fake Gmail login pages, the operator used a series of base64-encoded URL parameter values in order to display the target’s email address, and in some cases the target’s name and Google profile image, into the appropriate fields on the fake login page. Figure 24: TinyURL preview of a second level redirect of a phishing link The following example URL illustrates the use of these parameters (Figure 25): Figure 25: URL parameter decoding from a phishing link By virtue of this pattern of URL parameters, we were able to determine the precise target of each of the phishing links we discovered during our enumeration process. The significance of this pattern of URL parameters will be revisited below in Part 3. Digging Deeper Extending the search for suspicious URLs by fully enumerating the entire six-character shortcode sequence space in the above manner proved to be intractable.5 However, the same ThreatConnect report discussed above also documented a previous APT28-attributed phishing attempt against Bellingcat journalist Aric Toler. On June 16, 2016, Toler was sent a strikingly similar Google-themed phishing email containing a Tiny.cc shortcode. Following the same process outlined above, we enumerated the shortcodes adjacent to the one published by ThreatConnect. In doing so, we discovered another group of targets – 198 target email addresses in total. In this earlier campaign, the unshortened URLs pointed directly to the likely phishing page (Figure 26): Figure 26: URL parameters in June campaign against Aric Toler Notably, these links appear to be hosted on the Google Blogger service, and while these pages were already taken offline when we attempted to examine them, the same characteristic URL parameterization can be observed. A brief analysis of the target list associated with these two campaigns is provided above (see Pandora’s Un-Shortening: Civil Society Targets Emerge). Testing the Lure We measured the distance between successive malicious Tiny.cc shortcodes seen in the June and October campaigns (Figure 27). In doing so, we observed fairly consistent distances between the shortcodes, perhaps indicating that the operators were generating these links via an automated process. However, one shortcode stood out, and we suspected this may have been a manual operator test. Figure 27: The anomalous distance of 305 immediately stood out from the average of 8.2, drawing our attention to the shortened link According to the parameters obtained from the phishing URL associated with this anomalous shortcode, we were able to decode the Gmail account targeted with this phishing link: Parameter Result after decoding Email Address myprimaryreger[@]gmail.com Full Name Åhlén خسروي Google+ Profile Picture Table 2: URL parameter values decoded This Google account, myprimaryreger[@]gmail.com, was also used in the registration of at least one other domain name which was linked in prior research to known or suspected APT28 activity. Such connections, while circumstantial, further support the link to Russia-based threat actors. In Appendix B we provide a brief description of why we think the account is being used by the operator, and how the account uses Google Plus posts to embed images into phishing e-mails. Part 3: Connections to Publicly Reported Operations This section outlines the connections and overlaps between the operation described in this report and other, publicly-reported Russian-affiliated cyber espionage campaigns. The operator test uncovered during our enumeration of the Tiny.cc shortcodes (see Testing the Lure above), provides a circumstantial link to APT28, however there are other potential links. In this section, we outline other comparisons between this campaign and other publicly reported operations that have a Russian nexus. We identify marked similarities to a collection of phishing links now attributed to one of the most publicly visible information operations in recent history: the targeting of the 2016 US Presidential Campaign. A Bit More Abuse The phishing URLs in this campaign were encoded with a distinct set of parameters using base64. When clicked, the links provided key information about the targets to the phishing website. An identical approach to parameters and encoding (see Figure 28 below) has been seen before: in the March 2016 phishing campaign that targeted Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee. This similarity suggests possible code re-use: the two operations may be using the same phishing ‘kit’. The campaign that targeted the DNC also included the same Google security-themed phishing ruse, and abused another URL shortening service, Bit.ly. In June 2016 Dell SecureWorks published a report attributing the operation to APT28, a threat actor routinely associated with the Russian government. SecureWorks researchers were able to enumerate and analyze the targets of this campaign, thus allowing them to describe the victimology: “individuals in Russia and the former Soviet states, current and former military and government personnel in the U.S. and Europe, individuals working in the defense and government supply chain, and authors and journalists — but also included email accounts linked to the November 2016 United States presidential election” This victimology strikes an immediate parallel to the target listing we have uncovered in our enumeration of the Tiny.cc URLs. Figure 28: Bitly link and ultimate phishing page address sent to John Podesta, former chairman of the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, in March 2016 Domain Schema Commonalities We found similarities in domain naming, and subdomain structures, between this campaign and operations linked to APT28. The domain used in the campaign targeting Satter was id833[.]ga. At the time of the campaign, this domain name was pointed to a server at IP address 89.40.181[.]119. Using PassiveTotal, we observed other domain names sharing a similar naming scheme also directed at this IP: id834[.]ga, and id9954[.]gq. While we did not observe any phishing links for these alternate domains, there were identical subdomains registered for both: Domain Sub-Domain id833[.]ga myaccount.google.com-changepassword-securitypagesettingmyaccountgooglepagelogin id834[.]ga myaccount.google.com-changepassword-securitypagesettingmyaccountgooglepagelogin id9954[.]gq myaccount.google.com-changepassword-securitypagesettingmyaccountgooglepagelogin This domain / subdomain naming schema is also extremely close to one featured in Mandiant’s 2017 M-Trends report, in a phishing operation, linked to APT28, which targeted OAuth tokens in an effort to obtain persistent access to a victim’s Google account, and to bypass the security of two-factor authentication. Domain linked to this campaign: myaccount.google.com-changepassword-securitypagesettingmyaccountgooglepage login.id833[.]ga Domain mentioned by Mandiant, linked to APT28: myaccount.google.com-changepassword-securitypagesettingmyaccountgooglepage .id4242[.]ga The similarities in naming and subdomain structure are immediately apparent. The two domains (id833[.]ga and id4242[.]ga) also share a common name server. However, we were not able to find specific registration overlaps between the domains or servers. Furthermore, during the campaign period, the domain identified by Mandiant, id4242[.]ga resolved to 89.32.40[.]238. This IP also resolves to a range of other suspicious domains with highly similar naming schemas to those connected to the infrastructure used against Satter. The link used to phish John Podesta, as depicted above, also shares distinct naming and subdomain similarities with domains linked to the phishing operation against Satter (see Figure 28): Domain targeting Podesta, linked to APT28: hxxp://myaccount.google.com-securitysettingpage[.]tk During the campaign in March 2016, this domain was hosted at IP address 80.255.12[.]237 Publications from numerous private industry groups attribute 89.32.40[.]238 and 80.255.12[.]237 (as well as related domains) to APT28. While we are able to point out that there are significant commonalities in domain naming and subdomain structure between the campaign targeting Satter and domains linked to these IPs, we are not able to make a more conclusive technical link to APT28. While industry groups as well as the U.S. government have publicly connected APT28 with Russian state actors, we are not able to use infrastructure analysis alone to conclusively connect the operation against Satter to a particular state sponsor. Connecting this infrastructure to a specific government would require additional evidence which is not, to our knowledge, available in the public domain. The Challenge of Attribution While the order of events surrounding the phishing, credential theft, and eventual leak of tainted documents belonging to David Satter would seem to point to CyberBerkut, the characteristics of Russian information operations make the task of attribution to a state sponsor challenging. As a consequence, there is no “smoking gun” connecting the evidence we have assembled to a particular Russian government agency, despite the overlaps between our evidence and that presented by numerous industry and government reports concerning Russian-affiliated threat actors. Addressing the topic of attribution requires nuance and appreciation of the unique character of Russian cyber espionage: its deliberate cultivation of organized criminal groups as proxy operators, and the high number of independently operating, overlapping, and sometimes competing spy agencies and security services all of whom work within a broad culture of barely concealed corruption. As one study on Russia notes, Russia’s many security agencies “are granted considerable latitude in their methods, unconstrained by the concerns of diplomats or the scrutiny of legislators.” Russia’s approach to the use of proxy actors in the criminal underworld in particular is informed by a very elaborate strategy around information operations and control. Although this strategy has roots that go back deep into Soviet (and even earlier Russian) history, it was more fully elaborated as a component of hybrid warfare, also known as the Gerasimov doctrine or “non-linear warfare,” and infused with deeper resources after the ‘color revolutions,’ the 2011 Moscow protests, and upon reflection of the events of the Arab Spring. The overall Russian approach has been described as a form of “guerrilla geopolitics” in which “a would-be great power, aware that its ambitions outstrip its military resources, seeks to leverage the methodologies of an insurgent to maximise its capabilities.” Cultivating organized criminal groups is a fundamental component of this approach, as evidenced in the annexation of Crimea which was undertaken in coordination with criminal elements who provided “political and military muscle.” Russian security officers are also known to routinely dabble in the proceeds of underworld criminal operations for illicit revenue of their own, and as a result can even prioritize criminal over national security concerns. In the digital arena, this doctrine is manifest in the cultivation of Internet-focused organized criminal groups who operate partially on behalf of or in support of the Putin regime, and partially oriented around their own pecuniary gain in online financial fraud and other schemes. There is evidence Russian hackers are being given wide latitude to undertake criminal activities as long as it conforms to Russian security agencies’ wishes. Multiple Russian-affiliated operators could compromise the same target unwittingly and without seeming coordination. This “piling on” around a target further complicates attribution. This complex proxy strategy, as well as the multiple, competing agencies behind the proxies, is often lost or overlooked when companies and government agencies jump quickly to attribution around Russian cyber espionage. While it is possible that a proxy actor is implementing the front-end collection component of the phishing campaign we are describing, the scale of the targeting also suggests a well-resourced actor, such as a nation state. The thread linking all of the targets is their connection to issues that the Russian government cares about. The targets are people whose positions or activities give them access to, or influence over, sensitive information of specific interest to Russia. This links an otherwise extremely diverse target set, which ranges from domestic Kremlin critics and journalists, to anti-corruption investigators, foreign government personnel, and businesspeople. The data collected from such a campaign would come in more than a dozen languages, and concern a diverse range of political, military, and policy issues from at least 39 countries and 28 governments. In addition, such a campaign would be likely to generate large volumes of data. For this reason, a professionalized, well-resourced operator would be needed for any effective post-collection analysis of the stolen data. Even greater resources would be required to analyse, and in some instances carefully modify in a short timeframe, the contents of stolen email and cloud-storage accounts for the purposes of seeding disinformation via tainted leaks. The diversity and presumed cost of analyzing the stolen data along with the clear Russian nexus for the targets is only circumstantial evidence of a Russian connection. It should be evaluated in the context of the other pieces of circumstantial evidence we present, including the overlaps in tactics with known Russia-linked actors, and the prominent role of CyberBerkut. Part 4: Discussion In this section, we examine the troubling relationship between espionage and disinformation, particularly in its latest digital manifestation, and elaborate on how civil society is particularly at risk from such new tactics. Tainted Leaks: A New Trend The recent theft and disclosure of documents (branded as a “leak”) from the presidential campaign of Emmanuel Macron is the highest profile case in which it appears that falsified documents were inserted amongst real, stolen documents. The documents falsely implied a range of improper or questionable activities. The false stories implied by these documents were then highlighted in campaigns promoted with twitter bots and other techniques. The leak-branded release had followed the release, several days earlier, of a quickly-debunked story, supported by falsified documents, alleging that Macron held foreign bank accounts. In the case of the leak-branded releases during the 2016 US presidential election, the publicly-available evidence connecting these releases with Russian-affiliated cyber operations is largely circumstantial, but compelling. It is reported, and highly probable, that stronger evidence is available in classified venues. Building on initial reports by Trend Micro that the Macron campaign was targeted by APT28,’ follow-up reports have pointed to Russian involvement in the breach, and the tainted leaks. The Macron case continues to develop, and many elements are still uncertain, including whether the Macron campaign was deliberately seeding their own communications with false documents, intended to slow down operators’ analysis pipeline. However, it is not the first case in which evidence or claims of tainted leaks have surfaced. Documents stolen from the Open Society Foundations, which had been the victim of a breach, were modified and then released in a tainted leak by CyberBerkut in a post dated November 21 2015. The tainting included careful alterations, such as modifying budget documents, to make it appear that certain Russian civil society groups were receiving foreign funding. The case became publicly visible because elements of the same stolen set were re-released on the leak-branded website “DC Leaks,” without the tainting. In the case of David Satter, whose personal email accounts had similarly been breached, and then tainted, materials were edited, spliced, and deleted, while new text was added. Fiction was added to fact to create a hybrid “tainted leak.” The tainted leak told a series of new, false stories, intended not only to discredit Satter, but to support domestic narratives familiar to many Russians: of foreign interference, and of a foreign hand behind criticism of the government. Falsehoods in a Forest of Facts Recent leaks by genuine whistleblowers, as well as “leak”-branded releases of materials stolen by cyber espionage operations (e.g. “DC Leaks” or “Macron Leaks”) are appealing because they appear to provide an un-filtered peek at people speaking privately. Like an intercepted conversation, they feel closer to the “truth,” and may indeed reveal unscripted truths about people and institutions. It is hard not to be curious about what salacious details might be contained within them. In the 2016 United States presidential election, it was evident that the release, although clearly intended to influence the election, was viewed by most media organizations as having intrinsic newsworthiness, and thus the contents of leaks were often quickly amplified and repeated. The potential of leaks to attract attention makes large dumps of stolen materials fertile ground for tainting. A carefully constructed tainted leak included in a set of real stolen material is surrounded by documents that, by juxtaposition, indirectly signal that it is legitimate. This could help the tainted leak survive initial scrutiny by reporters and others seeking corroboration. Coupled with a media strategy, or social-media amplification campaign that selectively highlights the fake or the narrative that the fake supports, leak tainting poses a serious problem to both the victim of the breach, and whoever is implicated by the disinformation. The spread of disinformation can contribute to cynicism about the media and institutions at large as being untrustworthy and unreliable, and can cultivate a fatigue among the population about deciphering what is true or not. By propagating falsehoods, the aim is not necessarily to convince a population that the falsehood is true (although that outcome is desirable) but rather to have them question the integrity of all media as equally unreliable, and in doing so “foster a kind of policy paralysis.” Tainted Leaks Place a Unique Burden on Breach Victims Should a tainted document gain traction, there is a burden on the victim of the disinformation to prove that the leaks are not genuine. This challenge may be difficult. Victims of breaches may be unable, unwilling, or forbidden to release original documents. Moreover, they may not wish to be drawn into fact-checking their own stolen data. This problem is likely to be especially true if the operators behind the tainted leaks have chosen documents that are themselves sensitive. A Russian anti-corruption activist whose name has been seeded into such sensitive reports may not be able to convince the original victim of the breach to release the authentic document. Indeed, such a person may not even be able to determine exactly which parts of the document are real, and which are fake, beyond what they know to be true about themselves. Meanwhile, members of the public do not have the ability to carefully verify the integrity of such dumps, either as a whole, or specific documents within them. Indeed, even journalists reporting on accusations or falsehoods may be unable to obtain explicit confirmation of which exact material has been faked. If a tainted document is carefully constructed from real, verifiable elements, it may be especially difficult to identify as a fake. Even if journalists do the hard digging and analysis, they may not be able to publish their results in a timely enough fashion to matter. By the time their work is complete, the false information may have embedded itself into the collective consciousness. Disinformation can persist and spread unless concerted measures are taken to counter it. Even more insidious is the fact that studies have found that attempts “to quash rumors through direct refutation may facilitate their diffusion by increasing fluency.” In other words, efforts to correct falsehoods can ironically contribute to their further propagation and even acceptance. Not all tainted leaks work as intended to cause maximum harm. Almost immediately following the “Macron Leaks,” the Macron campaign responded quickly, and stated that the “leaks” included fakes. In the fast-moving media environment in the days before voting, this move may have led to uncertainty about the factual nature of the release in the minds of many journalists, dimming enthusiasm to quickly report ‘finds.’ Amplification of the “leaks” was further blocked by a “recommendation to media” by the French electoral authority to not “relay” the leaks. The authority pointed to the presence of fakes, and warned of possible legal implications for reporting the story. Following the voting, staff from the Macron campaign claimed in the media that the stolen documents also likely contained fakes created by the campaign, designed to waste the time of intruders. This claim also cast further doubt on the veracity of any documents contained in the “leaks.” Tainted Leaks: Old Methods, New Tactics Stealing digital information for intelligence purposes is a well-known and commonly practiced tactic used by states. However, a unique aspect of Russian cyber espionage distinguishing it from other governments is the public release of exfiltrated data intended to embarrass or discredit adversaries. Known as “kompromat”, this type of activity is common in Russia, and was previously used by the Soviet Union, and is evident in the publication of emails on Wikileaks related to United States officials involved in the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign. Releasing Satter’s e-mails could be roughly described as kompromat. However, with his cooperation we were able to identify a second feature of the release: the deliberate tampering with the content of his messages. This mixing of fact and falsehood is thus also a disinformation strategy. In Russian / Soviet military doctrine, the practice of deliberately propagating forged documents and disinformation is known as “dezinformatsiya”, referring to manipulation of information in the service of the propagation of falsehoods. Although practiced for decades by Russia and the Soviet Union, the use of dezinformatsiya in connection with cyber espionage is a new and troublesome frontier in structured digital disinformation. Why Target Civil Society? Our investigation identified civil society targets inside and outside of Russia. This targeting is consistent with a general consensus on how the Russian regime thinks: whether domestic or foreign, civil society is treated as a threat to the regime, its extended kleptocracy, and the sovereignty of the country. There are at least two reasons why civil society factors highly into Russian perceptions of threats. First, independent civil society groups can create difficulties for the regime by spotlighting corruption and abuse of power, speaking freely about issues the government would rather keep in the shadows, and mobilizing people into organized opposition. Those unfamiliar with the Russian experience may overlook a second motivation, which is drawn from the larger Russian narrative of humiliation and defeat at the hands of the United States and its allies at the end of the Cold War. Some Russian leaders, especially those tied to the old Soviet system, resent US triumphalism, and see local civil society (except for those under their direct control) as instruments of US and western interference in Russian domestic politics. For example, Putin used the term “active measures” to describe the actions of then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the 2011 Moscow demonstration. This narrative of Russia as a “besieged fortress” is used as justification for the repression and targeting of civil society groups both inside Russia proper, in the former Soviet spaces, and abroad. While often overlooked by western media and policymakers, this threat model translates in practice into targeted digital surveillance operations on civil society, both domestically and abroad. Of special concern to the government are NGOs, journalists, and activists that are seen as having links to the West and / or are funded by western governments. Many of the targets of this campaign are connected in some degree to United States-based think tanks and fellowships. Of equal concern to the government, however, are the actions of domestic NGOs and individuals. As our report shows, a principal motivation for the targeting of David Satter and the tainting of leaks derived from materials stolen from him was to falsely portray local Russian groups as having affiliations and even funding ties to western organizations and the U.S. government. Conclusion Tainted leaks are a growing and particularly troublesome addition to disinformation tactics, and in the current digital environment are likely to become more prevalent. In the 2017 French presidential election, tainted leaks appear to have been used in an attempt to discredit the political party and candidate for election directly. The target of the tainting was roughly the same entity that suffered the breach. In the cases we analyzed, however, tainted leaks were used to discredit third parties who had not been the victims of the original breach. This difference highlights yet another facet of the growing trend of leak-branded releases, and the challenges they pose. Tainted leaks—fakes in a forest of facts—test the limits of how media, citizen journalism, and social media users handle fact checking, and the amplification of enticing, but questionable information. As a tactic, tainted leaks are an evolution of much older strategies for disinformation, and like these earlier strategies, pose a clear threat to public trust in the integrity of information. Interestingly, while the tainting we describe appears to have a primarily domestic aim, to discredit elements of the Russian opposition, it is readily applied globally. The report identified a phishing campaign with over 200 unique targets from 39 countries. We do not conclusively attribute the technical elements of this campaign to a particular sponsor, but there are numerous elements in common between the campaign we analyzed and that which has been publicly reported by industry groups as belonging to threat actors affiliated with Russia. Given Russia’s well-known preference for the use of proxy actors, it would be highly unlikely that a group such as ours, which relies on open source information, would be able to discover a conclusive link in a case like this. However, it is worth reiterating that the resources of a government would likely be necessary to manage such a large and ambitious campaign, given the number of languages spoken by targets, and their areas of work. The group includes a former Russian Prime Minister, a global list of government ministers, ambassadors, military and government personnel, CEOs of oil companies, and members of civil society from more than three dozen countries. The targets we found are connected to, or have access to, information concerning issues in which the Russian government has a demonstrated interest. These issues range from investigations of individuals close to the Russian president, to the Ukraine, NATO, foreign think tanks working on Russia and the Crimea, grantmakers supporting human rights and free expression in Russia, and the energy sector in the Caucasus. Considering this primary Russian focus, as well as the technical evidence pointing to overlaps and stylistic similarities with groups attributed to the Russian government, we believe there is strong circumstantial—but not conclusive—evidence for Russian government sponsorship of the phishing campaign, and the tainted leaks. The civil society targets of this operation deserve special attention. At least 21% of the targets from our set were journalists, activists, scholars and other members of civil society. All too often, threats against civil society groups receive second-billing in industry reporting and media coverage of government-linked operations. Yet, in this case, members of civil society were both the targets of disinformation in the form of tainted leaks, and represented a large proportion of the phished targets. In a cautionary note for grantmakers, several dozen targets all held the same fellowship, from the same organization. This common affiliation suggests that they may have been targeted because of their relationship with the grantmaker. We hope this report will encourage others to engage in further research into the techniques used to propagate tainted leaks, as well as serving as a reminder of the often under-reported presence of civil society targets among government-linked phishing and malware operations. Acknowledgements Special thanks to David Satter, Raphael Satter, and the Open Society Foundations for cooperating and providing us with materials necessary to conduct the investigation. Thanks to the Citizen Lab team who provided review and assistance, especially Bill Marczak, Masashi Crete-Nishihata, Etienne Maynier, Adam Senft, Irene Poetranto, and Amitpal Singh. We would like to thank additional researchers for comments and feedback including Jen Weedon, Alberto Fittarelli, Exigent Petrel and TNG. Support for Citizen Lab’s research on targeted threats comes from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, the Oak Foundation, Sigrid Rausing Trust, and the Ford Foundation. Appendix A: The Tainting Figure 29: Full text of the tainted leak released by CyberBerkut showing tainting Inserted Articles and their Contents Appendix B: Test Account Examining the Google+ page for the myprimaryreger[@]gmail.com account reveals a suspicious series of posts: Figure 30 B: Google+ profile page for myprimaryreger[@]gmail.com Each of the Google+ profile posts by this user contain images which are routinely observed in legitimate security warning emails sent by Google. Once an image file is uploaded to a Google+ profile post, it is copied to Google servers and can be obtained using an associated perma-link. We suspect that the purpose of these posts is to allow the operator to embed links to Google-specific images into their phishing emails in the hopes that linking to images hosted on Google servers will somehow thwart Gmail malicious email detection controls. Appendix C: Indicators of Compromise Domain Names IP Addresses Email Addresses id833[.]ga 89.40.181.119 g.mail2017[@]yandex.com id834[.]ga 89.32.40.238 annaablony[@]mail.com id9954[.]gq 80.255.12.237 myprimaryreger[@]gmail.com id4242[.]ga mail-google-login.blogspot[.]com com-securitysettingpage[.]tk Footnotes 1 “Colour Revolution” is a term that has been widely used to describe the pro-democracy protests and social movements that occurred in the early 2000s throughout the former Soviet Union. 2 Several individuals were targeted in both of the two distinct campaigns we analysed. 3 The Citizen Lab receives financial support for its research from a range of funders, including the Open Society Foundations. See https://citizenlab.ca/about/ 4 “Vedomosti” is a Russian language daily news service connected to The Moscow Times (and in which The Financial Times and Dow Jones had a stake until 2015, when Vedomosti and The Moscow Times were bought out by Russian business interests). 5 The six character base36 sequence space contains over 2.1 billion combinations. Checking each one with a one-second delay (so as not to abuse the Tiny.cc web service) would take approximately 66 years.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
It’s been a rough recovery for American labor. In the aftermath of the 2007 financial meltdown and the deep recession that followed it, unions have bled more than 1.3 million members. Sharp declines in construction, manufacturing, and transportation jobs have battered private labor; tax shortfalls and high costs have led state and local governments to pare budgets, and hence public-union jobs. Meantime, unions face growing public resentment. Four states in recent years have adopted right-to-work policies, which let workers opt out of joining unions. Polls show that the public is increasingly questioning the efforts of labor groups and the economic toll they impose. Government unions may have dodged a bullet in late March, when an evenly divided Supreme Court refused to overturn state laws that allow obligatory worker fees, but unions have recently lost other key court cases, undermining their ability to organize. The Great Recession and the underwhelming Obama recovery have, in other words, reshaped the map of labor in the United States. Private unions began to rally somewhat in 2012 but thus far have regained only 42 percent of the members they lost. A disproportionate share of that rebound, moreover, has occurred in right-to-work states—not because these states are welcoming labor environments but because they’ve done better economically than union-friendly states. Public unions have yet to boost their rolls, six years after the recession ended. It was commonly observed, after 2009, that government unions had grown larger in membership than private ones—but this advantage proved short-lived. Three years ago, private unions regained their old lead. Unions typically lose members in recessions. But years into an economic recovery, the striking decline in government-union membership and the limited recovery of private unions bode poorly for the labor movement. And with America perhaps facing another economic slowdown, things could soon get worse for unions. America lost about 8.7 million private-sector jobs by the nadir of the economic downturn that began in late 2007 and continued until mid-2009. Private-sector union membership began dropping in late 2007, too, but it kept on falling for another two years after the recession ended. By the time membership started rising again, in 2012, private unions had shed 15 percent of their membership, or 1.2 million people. Since then, though the nation has regained all the jobs lost in the recession and added 5 million more, private labor unions remain 700,000 members short of their 2008 enrollment, according to unionstats.com. The unions’ most significant shrinkage has come in strong labor states. Of the 28 states at the start of the recession deemed union-friendly—that is, they had laws that compelled workers in unionized businesses to pay dues or fees to the union—all but six have fewer private-sector labor jobs today than they did in 2008. California has led the negative trend, with a staggering 181,305-member decline in private unions as of the end of 2015. New Jersey’s private-union rolls have fallen 79,840, Pennsylvania’s have slumped 71,801, and Illinois’s are down 69,614. The massive losses in these states more than offset labor’s one bright spot: 141,000 new union jobs in New York. In total, the compulsory-unionization states have accounted for approximately 675,000 of lost private-sector union jobs. True, three of these states have recently turned right-to-work, ending mandatory union dues, but two—Indiana and Michigan—sustained all their private-union losses while labor-friendly laws remained in place. Only in Wisconsin did union losses pile up after right-to-work went into effect, which happened last year. Private-unionization rates in pro-labor states plummeted. In Missouri, for example, unionization has fallen from 9.3 percent of private workers to 6.6 percent since 2008, while in California it dropped from 10.7 percent to 8.7 percent. States with laws less friendly to unions, ironically, have been better for union jobs. Thirteen of the 22 states that were right-to-work in 2008 have more private-union jobs today. The biggest gainers include Florida (up 81,174), Texas (31,456), Virginia (16,313), and Louisiana (13,070). Most of these states have low levels of union penetration, however, and the gains have altered that fact only slightly. In Texas, just 2.5 percent of private-sector workers are unionized, the same level as in 2008, all the new jobs notwithstanding. Nebraska, Mississippi, and Georgia saw their unionization rates climb just 0.03 percentage points or less since 2008, despite union membership increases in each state; labor groups still enroll less than 5 percent of private workers in the three states. The unionization rate in Florida did rise by a full percentage point, but even with that rise, only 3.3 percent of the state’s private workforce belongs to unions, well below the national average of 6.7 percent. Some of the recent rebound in private-union employment in right-to-work states owes to job growth. States that began 2008 with right-to-work laws have 41 percent of America’s population but have generated 60 percent of the nation’s new private-sector employment above the prerecession employment peak. And right-to-work states have added more blue-collar work, while the jobs being added in union-friendly states have largely been in industries not heavily unionized, like high technology in California. Since 2010, when manufacturing job losses bottomed out, the sector has regained 821,000 of the 2.3 million jobs lost during the downturn, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics; nearly seven in ten of those positions have been in right-to-work states, including Florida, Georgia, and Texas. One consequence is that manufacturing unions in these states have rebuilt their memberships more successfully than their counterparts in compulsory-unionization states. In the face of this evidence, labor unions have nonetheless blamed antiunion forces for their misfortune. “We recognize . . . that right-wing billionaires’ extremist policies, a rapacious Wall Street and insufficient advocacy from political leaders thwarted further progress,” AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka said in early 2015 about the slow recovery of union rolls. The union’s membership, which had peaked at 13.7 million in 2005, was 12.5 million at the end of last year. To speak of any recovery of private-union membership is somewhat misleading, since nongovernment labor positions created over the last few years are mostly in industries that didn’t lose employment during the recession—indeed, in industries not traditionally associated with labor. Health care, professional and technical services, and real-estate leasing and services have all seen expansion in unionized jobs and, with the exception of health care, an increase in the percentage of workers unionized, too, though from single-digit levels. These industries typically share two characteristics that help unions. First, they involve service work that isn’t easily outsourced overseas. Second, in many instances, the work is connected to government, either through direct funding or through heavy regulation, which makes employers more likely to cooperate with unionization efforts, so as to build lobbying alliances for favorable government treatment. Organizing campaigns for health-care workers in California illustrate how this process works. In 2003, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) launched a drive to unionize private nursing homes, many of which had patients with bills that state Medicaid programs were paying. The union made a pact with the owners of 42 nursing homes, telling them that it would push the state legislature for more funding if the owners didn’t try to block their unionization drive. The SEIU won thousands of new members, and the alliance subsequently gained $2 billion in extra Medicaid reimbursements for nursing homes over a two-year period. Health-care unions have also turned to friendly politicians to help boost enrollment. In several states, Democratic governors have signed executive orders designating government-paid, home health-care workers as state workers, not independent contractors, as they’d previously been categorized. This allows unions to organize those workers into bargaining units, which isn’t possible with independent contractors. In Illinois, for example, Governors Rod Blagojevich and Pat Quinn enacted a series of such orders, resulting in the local SEIU unit signing up roughly 24,000 home health-care-worker members. The organizing drive and election proved controversial, however; many of the workers later said that they knew nothing about these efforts. Home health care has been among the fastest-growing areas of unionization, with 111,000 workers now in unions around the country—a 44 percent increase since 2008. But labor’s new strategy may be only so effective. In June 2014, the Supreme Court overturned the Illinois directives after several workers sued the state, arguing that they weren’t really state employees—because they were hired and fired by those they worked for, not by Illinois. Since the Court’s decision, the Washington Times has reported, at least 8,000 dues-paying Illinois home health-care workers have left the union. Unions that represent grocery stores have lost 103,000 workers, a decline of 20 percent, since 2008. Other major organizing campaigns have also faltered in the post-2008 recovery. Over the last several years, unions have targeted fast-food workers with a highly visible “Fast Food Forward” drive, featuring rallies and sporadic strikes. The campaign’s impact has been nominal, at best. Though union rolls in restaurants rose by 13 percent, or 15,000 members, since 2008, that’s a small chunk of the more than 600,000 new jobs generated by fast-food and other limited-service restaurants over that period. Fast food’s unionization rate, meantime, remains a mere 1.6 percent. So far, the campaign’s failure mirrors unions’ other recent flubs—most notably, the ten-year-plus push to organize Wal-Mart and other discount stores, which has yielded few victories. Indeed, retailing unions, which 30 years ago claimed some 1.25 million organized workers, have yet to regain the jobs lost from the latest downturn. Unions now count only slightly more than 750,000 retail members. More worrying still for labor, retailing’s most unionized sector—supermarkets and grocery stores—continues to shed members rapidly. Unions that represent grocery stores have lost 103,000 workers, a decline of 20 percent, since 2008; the unionization rate shrank to 15.5 percent from 20.6 percent, as the spread of nonunionized food stores—from high-end Whole Foods, which has vigorously resisted organizing efforts, to Wal-Mart super-grocery centers—has eaten into the business of unionized chains. Trumka is right about one thing: unions haven’t won many friends in recent years. Since 2012, four states—Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and, most recently, West Virginia—have adopted right-to-work laws. The surge began when Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, in the last year of his second term, responded to pressure from members of the Republican-controlled state legislature to sign a right-to-work bill. Daniels had shown little interest in passing such a law during most of his tenure, but he has admitted that it sparked renewed business interest in the state: “I may have underestimated the impact,” Daniels said. “We have had a flood of calls and inquiries, starting literally the day I signed the bill.” Michigan quickly followed suit, and then Wisconsin in 2015. In early 2016, West Virginia’s Republican-controlled legislature passed a right-to-work law over Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s veto. In general, employees’ freedom in right-to-work states to opt out of union membership restrains labor’s growth; right-to-work states have, on average, only about a 4 percent rate of unionization in the private sector, compared with 9 percent in compulsory-unionization states. The rapid addition of new right-to-work states since 2012—it had taken a half-century for the previous group of four states (Wyoming, Louisiana, Idaho, and Oklahoma) to adopt the policy—reflects changing attitudes toward unions. A 2014 Gallup poll found that 53 percent of Americans approved of unions—down from about 70 percent in the late 1960s. More significantly, 71 percent also supported giving workers a choice of whether to join a union, something that unions themselves fight against vigorously. “Americans . . . are clearly less supportive of labor unions, and somewhat more supportive of right-to-work laws, than in the past,” Gallup’s Jeffrey Jones said. Union members might also begin wondering whether labor leaders are their own worst enemies. One of the movement’s biggest campaigns these days, for instance, is to get states and the federal government to hike up the minimum wage. Successful efforts in 12 states in 2014 and 2015 are raising rates—in some cases, dramatically. California and New York enacted laws that will eventually move their minimum wages to $15 an hour. Unions argue that a higher minimum wage helps lift workers out of poverty, but research shows that it also destroys jobs or drives them to less expensive environments. Writing recently in the Wall Street Journal, the chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants, Andy Puzder, described growing automation in his business and attributed it to the rising price of employing workers: “Dramatic increases in labor costs have a significant effect on the restaurant industry, where profit margins are pennies on the dollar and labor makes up about a third of total expenses,” he explained. Shortly after California governor Jerry Brown signed the state’s latest minimum-wage boost, Los Angeles–based American Apparel said that it might relocate 500 jobs—not overseas but to another state. Apparel manufacturing has lost 71,000 jobs in California in the last 25 years, a 60 percent decline, and American Apparel was one of the few major employers still in the state. And from the looks of things, union jobs are particularly at risk. The 28 states that since 2008 have raised their minimum wages faster than the federal wage floor increased have borne the vast majority of private-union job losses—560,000 in total. That’s more than three times the losses in states where the minimum wage rose merely at the federal rate, a boost of 70 cents per hour over that time period. As tough as the post-2008 period has been for private unions, their public-sector counterparts have had it even worse. State and local budgets have remained under intense pressure since the recession, as tax revenues have grown only haltingly and government costs—especially employee costs—have risen fast, producing a near-continuous squeeze on finances. In response, state and local governments have slashed about 700,000 jobs. Unionized government workers bore the brunt of cuts, with membership down about 660,000 workers, or 8 percent, since 2008. Most of the lost jobs were municipal—that is, held by workers employed by towns, counties, cities, and school districts. That’s not surprising: local government budgets are largely made up of employee costs. The typical school district budget, for instance, is composed of 80 percent personnel costs, leaving administrators few alternatives but to lay off workers during major fiscal nosedives. As in the private sector, labor-friendly states have taken some of the biggest losses in government-union rolls. Just eight states, led by New York—with the highest rate of public unionization in the country—and including California, Ohio, Washington, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Illinois have accounted for nearly 427,000 lost government-union jobs, 66 percent of the total national reduction in the public sector. Just six of the 24 compulsory-unionization states have more government-union jobs today than in 2008. Public-sector unions have also taken significant hits in two states that have adopted right-to-work rules during the last five years—Wisconsin and Michigan. Wisconsin passed a law in 2011 eliminating mandatory fees for government workers who don’t want to belong to a union and narrowing collective bargaining for many government workers. Unions have subsequently lost nearly 74,000 members in Wisconsin, where previously nearly half of all government workers were unionized. Michigan saw a drop of about 25,000 government-union jobs after the state adopted a right-to-work law in 2012. Some of the nation’s most politically muscular labor organizations haven’t escaped these trends. The National Education Association, America’s largest labor group, has seen its membership fall by 282,000 since its 2009 high, according to the Department of Labor. Education Intelligence Agency (EIA), a blog that closely follows teachers’ unions, has counted 22 state NEA affiliates with fewer members today than they had 20 years ago. Meanwhile, 17 state teachers’-union locals operated in the red during the 2014 school year, the latest for which data are available, EIA reports. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers, which represents the largest number of noneducation public workers, has lost 196,000 members. Neither NEA nor AFSCME has avoided shrinking membership in any of the last five years. The outlook going forward isn’t much more promising for government unions—especially because the country may be nearing another economic downturn after more than six years of expansion. If so, local governments are in the weakest position in decades to withstand such a storm. State and local collections of property, income, and sales taxes peaked before the downturn at $1.22 trillion, before falling off a cliff and then recovering only slowly. By the end of 2015, taxes brought in $1.33 trillion in revenue, which represents an average annual growth rate of just 1.25 percent since 2008. The skyrocketing price of benefits negotiated by workers has made it hard to reduce costs, even when governments have reduced their workforce. Rising pension bills are a key reason. Since the financial crisis, annual contributions by state and local governments, including schools, into underfunded pension systems have risen by about $47.8 billion, or 64 percent, to $121 billion, even as government payrolls have shrunk. And paying down retirement-related debts in some states will require years of higher contributions. Union-friendly states will face the greatest financial squeeze. A new study on government pension debt by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research shows that nine of the ten states with the greatest unfunded pension liabilities are union-friendly environments, including Illinois, California, and New Jersey. At the same time, state tax collections have started to slow again, apparently because of a weakening economy. The Rockefeller Institute for Government predicts that tax revenues will likely deteriorate throughout 2016 and 2017. Further, with budgets pressured, public opinion has turned against many government unions. Recent polling by Harvard’s Program on Education Policy and Governance, for instance, found that only 30 percent of those surveyed say that teachers’ unions have a positive impact on schools, while 39 percent view their influence as a negative. Some opponents have taken the case against unions into the courts. In 2012, the parents of nine California public schoolchildren filed a case arguing that the state’s teacher-tenure laws, which grant many teachers virtually permanent employment, regardless of their abilities, violated children’s right to receive an adequate education. A California superior court ruled for the plaintiffs in 2014, but an appeals court overturned that verdict. Now the state’s supreme court must weigh in. A ruling against the union threatens to upend the entire union-backed regime of teacher job security in the state, and could spark copycat suits elsewhere. Government unions narrowly escaped a potentially far more damaging outcome in March, when the Supreme Court failed to overturn a nearly 40-year-old ruling that lets unions collect mandatory fees from workers. In Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, ten teachers objecting to forced fees sued the California teachers’ union. All indications during Supreme Court oral arguments in January suggested that a majority of justices were sympathetic to the plaintiffs. But the untimely February death of originalist justice Antonin Scalia resulted in a 4-4 split in Friedrichs, protecting the fees—at least for now. The lawyers for the Friedrichs plaintiffs have refiled the case, however, and other workers unwillingly paying fees may sue on their own. “We can’t leave this issue for another time,” says Terry Pell, president of the Center for Individual Rights, the public-interest law firm that brought the case. “The Court has already agreed to decide this case and it should hold the case until it can issue a definitive decision.” If Scalia’s eventual replacement (whoever that may be) sees the issue in the same way as the Court’s conservative judges, these kinds of fees may yet disappear. The sudden fleeing of workers from labor’s rolls in places like Wisconsin and Michigan after they ended compulsory unionization suggests what might then be in store for public unions. Such a scenario could make organized labor’s recent struggles seem mild by comparison. Top Photo: Jim West/The Image Works	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (or Industrial Internet of Things if you prefer) are so closely related that we may as well use the terms interchangeably. Every day there seems to be some news about the Internet of Things and how it’s going to change everything – connected cars, connected people and even connected washing machines. Yet those connections don’t mean a whole lot without real use cases – yes, it’s now possible for your fridge to talk to your phone but that’s answering a question that nobody is asking, solving a problem which nobody cares about (although I’m prepared to eat my words in 5 years’ time when we are all sharing our fridge stats on whatever is the hottest fridge-based social network). As an industry, Manufacturing has some very well defined problems – customers want goods quickly, at lower costs and at high quality. If these demands aren’t being met because of unplanned downtime, the consequences are expensive. It’s easier to make a case for using IoT technology to solve these issues; for example, better supply tracking using RFID tags can help to reduce supply-chain delays and improve quality. But it’s not what is really interesting. With data storage being cheap, bandwidth ever-increasing and the cost of sensing devices steadily coming down whilst their abilities increase (being able to push straight to the cloud, being able to sense more than one thing at a time, etc.), doing intelligent things with machine data, beyond basic analytics is increasingly viable. If a manufacturing business is not producing when it needs to be, it is not fulfilling its purpose – it is not making money. By applying diagnostic and prognostic techniques to machine data, you can reveal how machines are currently performing (diagnostics) and how they will perform in the future – will they be able to produce when they need to be (prognostics)? As we’ve mentioned before, prescriptive, calendar-based maintenance is a great way to spend money unnecessarily – predictive maintenance is the smart way to save money. Prognostics –the science of predicting when a machine will stop being able to perform its intended function is a direct enabler of predictive maintenance. The data from your machines, processed by the right application can tell you when your machines will fail, so that you can maintain them ahead of this time and save yourself from downtime, failing your customers and spending more than you should to keep the machine performing. This knowledge of when a machine will fail is calculated as Remaining Useful Life (RUL). With an accurate prediction of RUL, maintainers are better able to prioritise which machines need maintenance and in what timeframe; significantly reducing the risk of machine failure and avoiding costly over-maintenance. Think of it as another tool to help boost the effectiveness of maintainers. Prognostic models giving RUL have traditionally been difficult to calculate and have needed talented data scientists to implement effectively on a bespoke basis. The high costs of this approach have harmed widespread adoption. Thankfully with the advent of advanced machine-learning and inexpensive cloud-computing, prognostics is becoming more accessible and in-turn predictive maintenance is achieving scalability. Security, compliance, integration, process awareness and improvement are all important things that Industry 4.0 enables. Yet none of those matter without effective machinery, delivering reliable throughput and with minimal downtime – all enabled by prognostics. Tell me more! Want to learn more about prognostics and Sesnseye, our easy-to-use product for predictive maintenance? Book a demo and discussion here:	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images The latest hot rumor circulating within the NBA is that the Minnesota Timberwolves are looking to deal Jonny Flynn and its No. 16 and No. 23 draft picks in exchange for Danny Granger and the Indiana Pacers No. 10 draft pick. Mike Wells, beat writer for the Pacers, tweeted late into the evening on June 21 that the teams are exploring a straight trade in which the Wolves send Flynn to Indiana in exchange for Granger. If there is any truth to either trade rumor, the Wolves need to pull the trigger and make the trade. Granger fills the most pressing need for the Wolves, a legitimate scoring threat from the small forward position. Granger has exceptional shooting range, passing skills and is not a liability on the defensive end. Last year, Granger averaged 24 points, six rebounds, three assists and had two steals a game. If his numbers weren’t enough, the book on Granger is that he is a great teammate and he is an intelligent player. Granger played in first All-Star game last year and it may be the first of many appearances for him. Flynn is valuable and could develop into a solid point guard in the league. Last year, Jonny showed flashes of brilliance but it is not clear if he will become one of the more elite guards in the league within Minnesota’s system. The immediate problem for Flynn and the Wolves is that Flynn’s game is more suited to a pick and roll offense and Minnesota is committed to the triangle offense. Flynn will likely learn how to effectively run the triangle offense but next year will likely be another year in which Jonny is learning on the job. The Wolves have a solid dependable point guard in Ramon Sessions. Sessions will not likely become one of the top five point guards in the league, but he is dependable enough for the Wolves to trust turning the keys of the team to him. Further, President David Kahn still from all accounts is very hopeful that point guard Ricky Rubio will join the Timberwolves in the 2011-2012 season. Losing Flynn will hurt the Wolves but with Sessions at the helm this season and Rubio in the wings, the Wolves need to make the deal to get Granger. If Minnesota needs to swap its draft picks with Indiana to make this trade happen, the Wolves should proceed with the trade. The 10th overall pick in the draft is high enough in the draft that the Wolves should get a quality player. Also, the Wolves could package the draft pick from Indiana with a player currently on the roster to move up earlier in the draft. Is this rumor too good to be true for Wolves? Why would Indiana make this trade? The only answer for why the Pacers would make this trade is that they have payroll issues—Granger is scheduled to make about $50 million over the next four years. The Timberwolves have the luxury of having plenty of cap space to absorb Granger’s contract. Many Wolves fans would hate to see the warm infectious smile of Flynn leave the Twin Cities but they will likely forgive the brain trust of the Wolves if the team moves from the cellar to respectability next year.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
If it seems like it was exactly a year ago that turmoiling retailer Radioshack shut down 500 stores due to lack of consumer interest in its wares (and or consumer disposable cash), it is because it was. So how does Radioshack demonstrate its morbid sense of humor on the one year anniversary of said announcement? Well, by closing another 500, or about 12% of the retailer's total 4500 outlets currently in existence. The WSJ reports that the company which once was the butt of all LBO-rumor jokes (and still is, only this time in the context of an M&A-rumor with JCPenney and/or the Joseph A. Wearhouse joint venture), is "planning to close around 500 stores in the coming months as the electronics retailer continues working with advisers to restructure the company." RSH's pre-bankruptcy operation problems are well-documented. And funded - "in October, RadioShack secured $835 million in loans to refinance about $625 million of debt. Those funds, from a group led by GE Capital, also freed up cash for RadioShack's overhaul." Of course, when said overhaul fails, the loans rolls into a DIP loan which funds the company's bankruptcy. As was well-documented during the Super Bowl, the Fort Worth, Texas, retail chain has been working on transforming its image from an old-school electronics store into a destination for shoppers looking for entertainment gadgets, like headphones and smartphone cases. Sadly, it appears to not be working. The retailer has struggled to reverse a string of losses deepened by a sales strategy focused around smartphones, which failed to improve revenue over the past two years. RadioShack executives last year suggested the company would resist downsizing its store footprint as they focused most of their attention on reinventing the brand's image. Stores might close in one section of a neighborhood to set up shop in more highly trafficked locales, but the number of outlets would stay the same, they had previously said. "I think we're a 4,000-plus network," RadioShack Chief Executive Joe Magnacca said in a November interview. "My job is to make sure that we've got the market covered." That, or a '0-precisely network.' And while the Shack struggles to find just what market it is that it covers, if any, the population will enjoy how it spends several months of cash flow on amusing Super Bowl gimmick ads such as this one which is a fitting - and hilarious - epitaph of what happens to every retailer that stop adapting to its current environment. Finally, while the ultimate fate of Radioshack is quite clear to most, a far more important topic is what happens to all the commercial real estate secuiritizations and/or malls that currently have a RSH location which is about to shutter. Then again, this is the new normal, and things such a fundamentals and cash flows are merely an irrelevant footnote.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
An anarchy-friendly theme park? A fun day out for the whole family that features book burning, a puppet Jimmy Savile, and political commentary? “Dismaland,” a temporary art installation recently unveiled in the U.K., could only be the work of Banksy, the anonymous street artist whose guerilla artworks frequently sell for six figures at auction despite his best efforts. Constructed as a decrepit interpretation of the happiest place on earth, and based in the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare, the “bemusement park,” as it’s called, is ironically billed as “the latest addition to our chronic leisure surplus,” as well as “an art show for the 99 percent.” Dismaland, which opened Thursday, features attractions including a grinning Grim Reaper sitting in a bumper car, paparazzi snapping shots of a deceased Cinderella after a pumpkin-carriage crash, and a butcher making lasagna out of carousel horses. A sculpture of paparazzi snapping shots of a mangled Cinderella (Toby Melville / Reuters) Audience participation is encouraged: “A dead princess is only complete when surrounded by gawping crowds with their cameras out or the opportunity to photograph yourself pulling an amazed expression when a killer whale leaps from a toilet,” Banksy told the BBC. A sculpture of an orca erupting out of a toilet bowl at Dismaland (Toby Melville / Reuters) Built on the site of an abandoned outdoor swimming facility that the artist frequented as a child, Dismaland features politically charged works by Banksy and 58 other artists, including Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, and Jimmy Cauty, who built a model village swarming with riot police.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
GAGAN was jointly developed by the ISRO and Airports Authority of India (AAI) with a view to assist aircraft in accurate landing. ISRO has said it will provide navigational support to the country’s Railways through ‘GAGAN’ (GPS-aided geo-augmented navigation) system. “ISRO will provide satellite-generated information to the railways through space technology-based tools that will provide safety at unmanned level crossings,” ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar told reporters in reply to a question on how will ISRO help the Railways in using the navigational support system. “There are host of requirements for using GAGAN in railways. We are providing some solutions,” Mr. Kumar said. GAGAN is an indigenous navigational guide system developed by ISRO on the lines of GPS system of the U.S. Elaborating on it, Mr. Kumar said “At some places the railway tracks are under stress. If water accumulation happens, then based on digital elevation model data, other host of information which they generate, can be given.” “There is specific information provided for aligning the railway tracks, particularly in mountainous regions, and also identifying tracks which are most stable when you are going through tunnels. In all these things, space technology is useful,” he said. “We are trying to provide space technology-based tools for enabling them to deal with unmanned level crossings,” he said. GAGAN was jointly developed by the ISRO and Airports Authority of India (AAI) with a view to assist aircraft in accurate landing. The GAGAN signal is being broadcast through two Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites — GSAT8 and GSAT10. With the use of GAGAN software system, a tr ain would know the location of any unmanned level crossing and soon a a warning signal can be given. As soon as the warning signal will be given, the train’s hooter will automatically start when it comes near an unmanned crossing.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Az OKCupid nevű társkereső oldal folyamatosan elemzi a náluk randizó embereket, és az adatokból egyszer már összeállítottak egy igen érdekes listát arról, hogy milyen csajozós/pasizós dumák rettentik el leginkább a másik nem képviselőit. Legújabb kutatásaikban ők is a szépséggel foglalkoztak, annak alapján, ahogy a felhasználók egymást értékelték feltöltött fotóik alapján (a férfiak a nőket és fordítva). A válaszban azt kellett 1-től 5-ig osztályozni, hogy az illetőt mennyire találják vonzónak. Forrás: National Library of Australia A férfiak válaszait összesítve nem volt sok meglepetés. A nők zömének az "átlagosan vonzó" osztályzatot adták, és ahogy annak lennie kell, csak néhány százaléknyit értékeltek kiugróan szépnek vagy kiugróan rondának. Ehhez képest megvizsgálták azt is, hogy a férfi társkeresők írnak-e üzenetet ezeknek a csajoknak, amiből az derült ki, hogy a legnépszerűbbek nagyjából a 4-es osztályzatúak. A kivételesen szép nőkkel ugyanannyi férfi próbál megismerkedni, mint az átlagosakkal, de még így is a legtöbb férfi az átlag feletti nőkre nyomul, akik akár 28-szor annyi üzenetet is kaphatnak, mint alacsony osztályzatot kapott társnőik. Tehát az urak meglehetősen reálisan fel tudják mérni, hogy egy hölgy mennyire számít szépnek, de ettől függetlenül - vagyis talán éppen ennek függvényében - jobbára csak a szépekre nyomulnak (katt ide egy jó kis grafikonért!). Még meghökkentőbb a nők adatait megfigyelni. Miután a női felhasználók leosztályozták a férfiakat vonzósági szempontból, az derült ki, hogy a követelmények igen szigorúak. Az adatok azt mutatják, hogy a nők szerint a férfiak 80%-a kevésbé vonzó, mint ami szerintük átlagos lenne. Azaz a hölgyeknek nem igazán reálisak az elvárásaik az urak kinézetével kapcsolatban, hiszen a reális az lett volna, ha többség átlagos osztályzatot kap, ahogy az a férfiak által adott osztályzatoknál történt. Még szerencse, hogy a nők azért üzennek azoknak is, akiket egyébként nem tartanak túl vonzónak. Sőt, szinte csak nekik üzennek. A csajok érdeklődését távolról sem a legjobb pasik keltik fel, vagy legalábbis a gyakorlatban nem ezekkel próbálnak meg kapcsolatot teremteni. Hanem azokkal, akiket az átlagnál kicsit rondábbnak találnak - holott igazából valószínűleg nem is olyan rondák (a hölgyek ízléséről készített grafikonért katt ide!).	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 A Portokalos family secret brings the beloved characters back together for an even bigger and Greeker wedding.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Can you spot some familiar faces?! Animals can live in mixed habitats, and it will actually count as enrichment if it's a species they live with naturally. Our first highlighted staff member is the Zookeeper, who will take care of your animals' needs like hunger and hygiene. You can follow along inside of staff buildings, so you can watch your diligent keepers at work! Some animals, like the Western Chimpanzee, have the need to climb, and they will climb any player-defined surface! So not just the piece-by-piece climbing frames you build them, but also trees, rocks, roofs (if you're not careful)! Terrain affects the animals in their habitat; for example, a Saltwater Crocodile will want a nice mix of soil, water, and sand - you'll have to make sure it's all balanced for them to thrive (and the slider update in real-time, and are super satisfying to watch). Hi fellow zookeepers, and hope you're having a lovely start to the week!We are back from a busy week at E3, and there's so much to catch up on - so here is a handy overview on everything Planet Zoo-related that was released last week.It all started with our segment on the PC Gaming Show on Monday 10 June - Game Director Piers Jackson and Senior Artist Liesa Bauwens were on stage telling us all about Planet Zoo, our new trailer, and of course: the release date and pre-order news!That's right, in case you didn't know yet:, and pre-orders are live now You can watch the PC Gaming Show back here (we're at the 1h22min mark).Of course our big first glimpse at Planet Zoo came from our E3 In-Game Trailer : sleeping animals waking up in a quiet zoo, a zookeeper feeding the African Elephant, a temperate modern European-style zoo, the now-viral Hippo Poo, Western Chimpanzees climbing and playing, different types of weather, and a gorgeous nostalgic shot of a West African Lion cub roaring with its big brother. It was all there, and back home we were so nervous when we first saw it appear in public! To have worked on something behind the scenes for so long, and then to finally reveal it to all of you, it's a kind of nervous/excitement we cannot fully describe!After all the wonderful comments on that trailer, you were in for two more quick treats: a Twitch stream with Senior Artist Liesa and Community Manager Bo, and a Mixer stream with Liesa on her own! We showed two slightly different and shorter versions of our upcoming gameplay reveal, and were so excited for all the love and hype in the chat. It's quite scary when you think about how many people could be watching the official streams, but our Liesa is an expert at Planet Zoo and an excellent tour guide on our venture through the safari park we've been showing you!You can watch the Twitch stream back here (we're at the 2h35min mark).You can watch the Mixer stream back here (we're at the 2h40min mark).We spoke to so many community members, content creators, and other industry folk about the game, and we've got loads of positive feedback to bring back home. Our E3 booth was not on the main showfloor, but instead a BCD (Behind Closed Doors) meeting space where we could freely talk about everything we would surprise YOU with on Friday! Here's a picture of the team that was out in LA to represent Frontier and Planet Zoo:Don't worry, the team back home was also doing incredibly hard work to make sure everything was running smoothly - it was a true team effort!Last but not least, our full E3 Gameplay Reveal was released on Friday; together with you we counted down to 7PM BST and watch the video premiere live - thank you so much if you were in the chat showing your support and passion for Planet Zoo, or if you've watched it back later and left us a happy comment. If you haven't seen it yet, the video is down below, and here are some highlights:There's loads more, just watch the video:And now we're back home and ready to have more fun with you all! Thank you again for all your support during E3, we're so happy to see all of your reactions and cannot wait to show even more!Be sure to follow our social pages as well to stay up to date with all the latest news.Bo	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
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Post-#MeToo, brands and advertising agencies have apparently gotten the message that it is financially lucrative, good PR, and ethically responsible to speak up on behalf of sexual assault survivors. One byproduct of that is an ad campaign from Ogilvy Sao Paulo, featuring a “smart dress” that tracks how often women get groped. Produced by the ad agency in partnership with beverage company Schweppes back in May, the project is a smart dress embedded with sensors that register pressure from touch. Three women wore the dress (which is actually very cute!) to a nightclub in Brazil and were followed by a camera. When the women were subjected to unwanted touching, data from the dress was transferred to a control center via wifi and the area of the dress where they had been touched lit up. All told, the women spent a little less than four hours at the club and were groped a total of 157 times. This number is staggering, which is precisely the point: The goal is to show just how widespread sexual assault is. To drive that point home, the video shows a bunch of men making dismissive comments about sexual assault prior to entering the club. For example, they implied that women were inviting harassment simply by being at a club on a Saturday night, and that they’re “just complaining about everything.” Afterward, the video shows men watching the footage in horror. (The faces are blurred, so it’s unclear if these are the same men interviewed at the beginning, but the editing suggests that they are.) This is not the first time wearable technology has been proposed as a solution to sexual assault. Last year, an MIT graduate student created a Bluetooth-enabled sticker that would alert the wearer’s emergency contacts if an assailant took off their clothes by force, unless they specified the encounter was consensual within 30 seconds. And earlier this year, a design firm developed a bracelet that tracked blood alcohol levels and alerted prospective sexual partners if the wearer was too inebriated to provide informed consent. For the most part, such gadgets have been met with skepticism, largely from sexual assault survivors’ advocates who believe the issue is far too insidious and culturally entrenched for Silicon Valley to attempt to disrupt. But the smart dress wasn’t developed for consumer use. (We reached out to Ogilvy San Paolo to confirm this, and will update if we hear back.) Nor does it purport to offer a pragmatic and simple solution to a less-than-simple problem. (There’s also an added level of irony here that entrepreneurs have proposed anti-sexual assault wearables, given that survivors have long been accused of inviting assault based on what they were wearing.) Rather, the goal of the project is to illustrate sexual harassment in concrete terms, such as numbers or graphics — a method that was used to similar effect by a Teen Vogue editor who reported being groped 22 times in 10 hours at the music festival Coachella. The Ogilvy project was shot in Brazil, where street harassment is arguably an even bigger issue than it is in America: The video opens with a stat from a 2016 survey saying that 86 percent of Brazilian women have experienced harassment. And according to HuffPo Brazil, a woman on Sao Paolo’s transportation system is sexually harassed every 20 hours. Still, it’s more than a little bit sexist to imply that men are so inherently right-brain-driven that they need to see hard data on sexual assault to register it as legitimate. And the suggestion that this data is enough to turn the most hard-boiled misogynist into a women’s rights advocate is more than a little bit silly. The thing is, though, men do have hard data to suggest that sexual harassment is an issue; all they need to do is pay a quick visit to Google. The actual prevalence of sexual assault is often up for debate, for various reasons: For example, many survivors do not report their assaults or decline to file charges. But the data we have suggests that anywhere between one in five and one in six US women has been sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. These are not hard numbers to find, nor is it difficult to figure out why as many as 5 to 20 percent of these assaults go unreported. It does not take particularly complex reasoning skills to draw a direct line between the treatment someone like Christine Blasey Ford received after accusing then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, and why a scared teenage girl would choose to keep her assault a secret. But ultimately, the problem with this smart dress stunt is that men shouldn’t need to see hard data — or even see women’s harassment unfold on camera, which poses its own set of ethical issues — to wrap their minds around the full extent of the problem. Just this year, there have been countless women who have come forward with their own allegations of harassment and assault — against Kavanaugh, against news anchor Tom Brokaw, even against the president of the United States — only for their stories to be ignored, and for the accused men to emerge unscathed from brief media maelstroms. The onus should not be on women to prove to men that sexual assault is inherent in their daily lives. The onus needs to be on men to listen to women’s stories and believe them. And no clever ad for soft drinks is going to do anything to change that.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
THE COUNCIL OF Europe has recommended that the United Kingdom introduce legislation to protect the Irish language and the rights of Irish speakers. In a new report published today, the organisation also recommend that the UK government attempts to create a “political consensus” to ensure this happens. The Council of Europe is distinct from the European Union and aims to promote human rights, the rule of law and culture across Europe. The European Court of Human Rights is under the Council of Europe and 47 states are signed-up members. Part of the Council of Europe’s work is to promote language and it is under this role that it is critical of the UK’s progress on minority languages. As well as Irish, the council has also encouraged greater protection for the Cornish language. Among today’s recommendations were that the UK: Adopt appropriate legislation protecting and promoting the Irish language and take measures to ensure progress on language rights of Irish Speakers And that the UK government: Should engage in a dialogue to create the political consensus needed for adopting legislation. The push for a standalone Irish Language Act by several Northern Ireland parties was cited by the DUP as the reason talks with the Sinn Féin over government formation broke down last week. In its report, the Council of Europe also said the Northern Ireland Executive has a duty to ensure that national and ethnic minorities have access to their rights. The recommendations from the Council of Europe have been welcomed by numerous Irish language groups. Conradh na Gaeilge said it again shows that the British government has “clear outstanding obligations” in this area. “This is not the first time the British government has been subject to criticism from international committees due to the lack of progress on Irish-language rights but we now hope, with the spotlight currently focusing on the language questions, that satisfactory provision will be implemented without further delay,” said CnaG president Dr Niall Comer. Irish language advocacy group Pobal said the British government now has “no escape” from the need for an act to protect the Irish language. “In this case, we see no reason why Westminster should not now act to bring in Irish language legislation,” said Pobal director Janet Muller.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Charges stemming from a fatal Radiohead concert stage collapse in 2012 were stayed Tuesday when a judge ruled the justice system had failed in allowing the case to take far too long to come to trial. The inordinate delays, Ontario court Judge Ann Nelson ruled, had violated the rights of those charged to a timely hearing. "This case was a complex case that required more time than other cases in the system," Nelson said in her 21-page judgment. "After allowing for all of the exceptional circumstances that were in play, this case still will have taken too long to complete." The Supreme Court of Canada, Nelson noted, had set a presumptive ceiling of 18 months for proceedings in provincial courts, and this case — which would have taken almost five years to complete if it had gone to a second trial — would have lasted three times longer than that limit. The case arose June 16, 2012, just hours before the British band Radiohead were due to perform in the north end of Toronto when part of the massive stage structure crashed down. Scott Johnson, 33, a British drum technician, was killed. Three others were injured. Timely justice 'not just important to persons facing charges' A year later, entertainment company Live Nation and Domenic Cugliari, an engineer, and contractor Optex Staging were charged with a total of 13 offences under provincial health and safety laws. In the spring, with the case set to wrap up after 40 trial days scattered over 14 months, the presiding judge, Shaun Nakatsuru, declared he had lost jurisdiction given his appointment to a higher court. That decision led to a senior justice declaring a mistrial in May, and a new hearing was set to begin Monday and wrap in May. However, lawyers for Live Nation and Cugliari argued before Nelson last month for a stay in light of the delays. The parties agreed her ruling would also apply to Optex. "It is important to emphasize that timely justice is not just important to persons facing charges," Nelson said in her ruling. "It is also important to our society at large." A stay is a remedy of last resort given that it signals a "failure on the part of the administration of justice," Nelson said. The judge acknowledged her ruling would have a "negative impact" on the victims of the stage collapse, especially on Johnson's family. Ruling would be 'brutal' for technician's relatives "No doubt, this decision will be incomprehensible to Mr. Johnson's family, who can justifiably complain that justice has not been done," Nelson said. Neither Johnson's father, Ken Johnson, who works for a scaffolding safety association in the U.K., and has attended some of the previous hearings, nor Live Nation, which has called what happened a "tragic incident," was immediately available to comment Monday. However, Live Nation's lawyer acknowledged the ruling would be "brutal" for the drum technician's relatives. Crown lawyer, Dave McCaskill, said he was not surprised by the stay decision given the current state of Canadian law. He said it was too early to consider any appeal but said Nelson was correct in one assessment: "The family and friends of Mr. Johnson will be quite discouraged and disappointed by this, and perhaps not comprehend why this has come to pass, and why there's never been an adjudication on its merits," McCaskill said. The collapse, which the prosecution blamed on inadequate safety measures, prompted Radiohead to put off part of its 2012 European tour.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Rassismus – Gestern und Heute Das Pogrom von Hoyerswerda: Eine Reise in die Gegenwart Von Sebastian Dörfler und Julia Fritzsche Im September 1991 greifen Neonazis ein Wohnheim für ausländische Vertragsarbeiter und ein Flüchtlingswohnheim in der sächsischen Stadt Hoyerswerda an. Die Anwohner applaudieren. Wie hat sich die Kleinstadt verändert? Siegreicher Mob: Applaudierende Jugendliche beim Abtransport der Asylbewerber in Hoyerswerda (imago / Detlev Konnerth) Die Polizei schreitet nicht ein, sondern eskortiert die Geflüchteten in Bussen aus der Stadt. Neonazis erklären Hoyerswerda zur "ersten ausländerfreien Stadt". Das Feature erinnert an diese "Urszene rassistischer Gewalt" im gerade wiedervereinigten Deutschland. Heute ist die rassistische Mobilisierung so stark wie damals. Das Pogrom von Hoyerswerda: Eine Reise in die Gegenwart Von Sebastian Dörfler und Julia Fritzsche Regie: Martin Heindel Mit: Bibiana Beglau, und Philipp Moog Ton: Fabian Zweck Produktion: BR 2016 Länge: 53'05 Julia Fritzsche, geboren 1983 in München, ist Juristin und Autorin. Sie schreibt Radiofeatures, Texte und Fernsehbeiträge zu gesellschaftspolitischen Themen. Sebastian Dörfler, 1982 in Nürnberg geboren, Journalist für Funk und Print. Hat Politik studiert und war danach Volontär an der Evangelischen Journalistenschule in Berlin. Lebt in Berlin. Gemeinsam u.a.: "Rebel Cities" (BR 2013) und "Austerität tötet" (BR 2014).	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Carrie Underwood shared another photo of her healing face ahead of her first performance since the injury that required 40 to 50 stitches Carrie Underwood Confidently Shows Off Face After Injury as She Rehearses for the ACM Awards Carrie Underwood shared another photo of her healing face ahead of her first performance since her Nov. 10 accident. The singer, 35, confirmed she would be performing on Sunday’s ACM Awards with a photo of herself during rehearsals. It’s the third photo she’s shared of her face since she fell down the steps of her home in November. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “Getting ready for the weekend…#CryPretty #ACMawards@CALIAbyCarrie,” Underwood wrote in the caption. The last time she hinted at a performance was last week when she shared another shot of herself during rehearsals. Underwood suffered a broken wrist and damage to her face that resulted in 40 to 50 stitches. Want to keep up with the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox. The Academy of Country Music Awards will broadcast live from Las Vegas on April 15, and Underwood — a frequent performer at the show — is nominated for two of the night’s honors: female vocalist of the year and vocal event of the year, for her duet with Keith Urban on “The Fighter.” It would be her first public appearance since the incident. RELATED VIDEO: Carrie Underwood ‘Looked Amazing’ Posing for Photo with Below Deck Alum One Month After Fall Earlier last week, she also shared a black and white photo of half of her face while forgoing a caption. The American Idol winner shared a black and white photo of herself gazing intently inside a music studio. Not only were fans excited to see Underwood was making new music again, but they were also happy to see was once again sharing a photo of herself on social media again as she has kept selfies and pictures to a minimum since her fall.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Better Call Saul Emmy-nominated writer/director on the origin of the series and previews Season 5.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Une candidate aux élections qui affiche des pancartes unilingues anglaises, et d’autres qui ont distribué un dépliant « authorisée par un agent official [sic] » recevront une contravention symbolique pour leur mauvaise utilisation du français. « C’est dommage d’avoir à en arriver là, mais les candidats doivent comprendre que ça heurte les gens », dit Sophie Stanké, présidente de la section montréalaise du Mouvement Québec français. Sur la rue Wellington, à Verdun, certaines pancartes de la candidate Jency Mercier du Parti vert sont entièrement en anglais. Elle fait donc partie des six candidats aux élections fédérales qui recevront une visite du Mouvement Québec français au courant de la fin de semaine. Des membres de l’équipe leur remettront alors une « contravention » symbolique pour leur rappeler l’importance du français. Sur la liste se trouve le ministre de la Justice sortant, David Lametti. Des dépliants du candidat comportant des fautes ont été distribués cette semaine dans LaSalle–Émard–Verdun. Photo Dominique Scali En petit caractère, la phrase finale au verso indiquait que le document avait été « authorisée par l’agent official [sic] de David Lametti ». « Malgré toute l’attention que l’on porte à la qualité du français et de l’anglais, il est possible que des erreurs se glissent parfois », dit Pierre-Olivier Herbert, porte-parole du Parti libéral du Canada. Les erreurs seront corrigées et les dépliants réimprimés, assure-t-il. Le Mouvement reproche aussi la prédominance de l’anglais dans les publications de plusieurs candidats sur Facebook et Twitter. « Tout candidat qui prétend accéder au pouvoir doit être exemplaire », dit Sophie Stanké. « Si les élus ne le font pas [respecter le français], qui le fera ? » Mauvais message Pour elle, l’unilinguisme manifesté par certains candidats doit être dénoncé, mais aussi le bilinguisme. « Ça envoie le message que le français est un choix au Québec. Mais c’est un mauvais message. Le français est la langue commune. » Sur le plan légal, les messages politiques ne sont pas soumis à la loi sur l’affichage en français, indique l’Office québécois de la langue française. Quant à la loi électorale fédérale, elle ne réglemente pas l’utilisation des langues officielles, selon Élections Canada. Mais ces exemples ne respectent pas l’esprit de la loi, dit Mme Stanké. « C’est une violation de nos droits. [...] Et ce n’est pas intelligent du point de vue marketing », ajoute-t-elle. La plupart des candidats ne se sont pas montrés offusqués d’être visés par une « contravention ». Même que le Parti vert, qui recevra le plus grand nombre de visites avec trois « infractions », les félicite. Mettre plus d’efforts La candidate Jency Mercier est elle-même francophone et « ne voulait choquer personne », assure Natassia Ephrem, attachée de presse du parti. D’ailleurs, la plupart de ses pancartes sont en français, rappelle-t-on. « Il faut qu’on mette plus d’efforts », avoue en français au téléphone David Tordjman, candidat conservateur dans Mont-Royal, qui recevra lui aussi un « constat d’infraction » pour son fil Twitter à forte prédominance anglophone. Jusqu’à hier matin, sa page en français présentait aussi la biographie du « candidate », comme en anglais, au lieu de celle du « candidat ». La faute incombe à un bénévole, a expliqué M. Tordjman, qui admet « [qu’] on n’a pas assez bien vérifié. » Le texte a d’ailleurs été modifié au courant de l’après-midi. La section montréalaise du Mouvement Québec français continuera de recueillir les exemples signalés par le public à l’adresse info@quebecfrancais.org dans les prochaines semaines. Plus graves que des « coquilles » Les fautes dans les communications de certains candidats sont si évidentes qu’elles témoignent d’un manque de volonté plutôt que de l’inattention des partis, selon Impératif français. Dans le courriel d’envoi d’un communiqué de presse d’un député libéral de Laval de mercredi, pratiquement tous les verbes étaient mal accordés. Plein de fautes « Andrew Scheer annonce qu’il couperai l’aide destiné au pays à revenu moyen ou élevé en donnant l’exemple de l’Italie. L’aide que le Canada a envoyé à l’Italie a été à travers la Croix-Rouge pour venir en aide suite aux tremblements de terre dévastateurs qui tuèrent plus de 300 personnes en 2016. De nombreux pays venirent en aide à l’Italie pendant cette triste période ». C’est ce qu’on peut lire dans le message signé d’un membre de l’équipe d’Angelo Iacono, qui se représente dans la circonscription Alfred-Pellan. « En campagne, les journées sont longues et stressantes. Des erreurs peuvent parfois se glisser dans nos communications. Nous veillerons à ce que ce type de fautes ne se reproduise plus », assure l’équipe du candidat libéral. Après la chanson... Ces impairs viennent s’ajouter à celui de la chanson de campagne du parti, dont la traduction française maladroite a fait couler beaucoup d’encre à la mi-septembre. Mais pour Jean-Paul Perreault, de l’organisme Impératif français, ce genre d’erreurs est « impardonnable ». « Une coquille, ça peut passer. Mais des fautes de cette nature, ça témoigne d’une incompétence [...] et d’une insouciance », particulièrement quand il s’agit d’un document officiel, insiste-t-il.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Such has been the reality in a city where untreated water leached lead off aging pipes before making its messy way out of residents’ faucets. The Flint water crisis has been called “a national embarrassment,” “a crime of epic proportions” and a “public health disaster.” So when Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) arrived in the city last week to encourage residents to start drinking filtered water from their taps, no one could blame them for hesitating. AD Their challenge to Snyder, according to the Detroit Free Press? AD You try it first. The Free Press reported that residents wanted Snyder to come to their homes and personally test their tap water before they risked drinking it themselves. “Yes, if someone…I’m happy to look into that,” Snyder told reporters. The governor, who has been called on to resign amid accusations that his administration was negligent in its response to the emergency, followed up on this promise on Monday. After visiting a house with confirmed high levels of lead, the Associated Press reported, Snyder left with five gallons of filtered water that he pledged to drink for at least a month. “What better way to help show support,” he told the AP, adding that he will continue to get refills from other Flint homes for the next 30 days. After the financially troubled city switched its water source resulting in both discolored water running from taps and concerns about the health of its children, eventually suspicions in Flint turned to science, as independent researchers and the state itself found that the lead in children’s blood had reached dangerous levels, an escalation corresponding with the change in water source. AD AD The World Health Organization has found that lead affects children’s brain development, resulting in reduced IQ and behavioral issues that could lead to criminal activity. Since evidence of the health consequences have become public, Flint has been inundated with media attention and one declaration of emergency after another, yet things have remained slow to change. Marc Edwards, a Virginia Tech professor who played a pivotal role in drawing attention to the crisis, told The Washington Post last week that “despite very positive trends,” potentially hazardous levels persist in Flint’s unfiltered water. As a result, residents have been told to drink water from their taps only if it has undergone filtration. AD “All Flint residents should continue to use bottled water, or Flint water passed through a lead filter, for cooking or drinking until further notice,” a Virginia Tech study concluded last week. Snyder’s announcement on Monday angered some, as commenters on his Facebook statement noted that 30 days of filtered water could not be equated with the experience of Flint residents over the last two years. For months after the water source switch, city and state officials denied that the water was unsafe despite growing complaints from the community. AD “Be sure to get enough and give it to your grandchildren!” one user wrote. “Continue to have Flint water delivered to them daily for a year or so and then talk about it!” AD Another said: “You weren’t washing yourself and your babies in it…” “I completely understand why some Flint residents are hesitant to drink the water,” Snyder said in his statement, “and I am hopeful I can alleviate some of the skepticism and mistrust by putting words to action.” The governor’s wife, Sue Snyder, “is on board” with the project, Snyder told the Free Press. The couple have three children who no longer live at home. Officials have encouraged residents to start drinking filtered water from the tap to help the distribution system recover with treated water running through it. But many residents are still wary, and rely on the free bottled water handed out at distribution stations across the city.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
In the Profiles in Confidence series I interview writers, bloggers and other guys who have generously agreed to share their stories, struggles, secrets and tips about using self-improvement to build self-confidence. The series is designed to let you learn from their struggles, and provide a reminder that you’re not the only guy out there working to improve himself. Quite the opposite, actually: you’re surrounded by like-minded friends and brothers in arms. For the latest instalment, I talked to Khoi Nguyen, founding editor of the excellent style blog Gentleman Within and author of the I Am a Gentleman Manifesto, both of which he created to help men dress better and feel their best. Khoi believes that style is worth caring about, and we discussed the ways that style helped him become his best self – and how it can help you do the same. On a scale of 1 to 10 – 1 being extremely low self-esteem and 10 being a Tony Robbins-level of confidence and self-worth – how would you rate your self-confidence right now? This is hard to quantify in numbers, but if I had to, I’d say I’m somewhere between a 6 and 7 in confidence and self-worth. There are definitely levels to this and much like emotional and mental state of mind, confidence comes and goes, wavering from time to time. I struggle like anyone else when it comes to self-confidence, and I know that I have a lot of growing to do. There are times that I still doubt myself. It’s especially easy in a world where so much of our self-worth is predicated on external factors in the form of number of followers on social media or likes that we get. Having confidence is definitely a mindset and is something that can be groomed. I believe the more you know about a subject and how well prepared you are can shape your level of confidence. For example, I’m more confident in some areas than others. When it comes to my craft of design and menswear, my confidence grows by the day because I’m so immersed in it. It’s a huge part of my life. The more you can immerse yourself into something you absolutely love, the higher your levels of confidence can grow. On the same scale of 1 to 10, what would you your lowest number was? Where and when did your self-confidence bottom out? I can’t say I’ve ever been a 3 or below just because I’m an optimist at heart and most of the times it’s difficult for an optimist to bottom out on self-confidence. I’d say I had a pretty low self-confidence after I graduated college. I was accepted into a post-graduate internship at a NYC advertising agency for 3 months. It was a rigorous program and the selection process was grueling. You’d think my confidence would be through the roof, but in all honesty, I felt like a hack, like I didn’t belong, that everyone else around me was so much more talented. These were the things I told myself and I actually believed to be true. Everyone plays the comparison game. But yeah, it’s the story we tell ourselves on a daily basis that can dictate our confidence levels. The years that followed, no matter how well I did, promotions that I got, it didn’t matter, I always had a feeling that I didn’t belong, that the ad world wasn’t for me. And I was right, but more on that later. How did you get from where you were then to where you are now? What was that journey like for you? I went from working in the ad world for a handful of years to slowly building a brand I can call my own. I’ve been laid off twice, so I know the feeling all too well. The last time I was laid off my boss told me that it’s probably the worst day of my life and I was thinking to myself that it’s the best day of my life, because I saw the possibilities and I knew that I was meant for something different. Something better for me. Something where I can utilize my abilities and experience and create something great, that’s fueled by passion and purpose. Gentleman Within was the best thing that I could have ever started. I want to spread the message that style is worth caring about and that through style you can improve in all areas of life. For me the journey has been long and slow and it still is. I’m slowly growing and making my way in the industry, but I feel as if the work I’m creating is making a difference and that I am helping people. My thought is that if I can help just one person, I’m doing a good job. Getting feedback from my followers, knowing that I am helping is what keeps me going. Nothing feels better than to know you’re making a positive difference in people’s lives. The journey is long, but if I keep going I know I’ll find myself in a place I’m happy with…actually, I’m happy now. I’m having fun through the process and I think if you are having fun and enjoying the ride, that’s ultimately what it’s all about. FREE E-BOOK Build a Strong Foundation Enter your email address below to discover five fundamental ways to start building self-confidence. I will never send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. During this period, when you were in the process of going from your lowest level of confidence to your current level, what would you say were your greatest challenges, fears or pitfalls? Greatest challenges I’d say is consistently putting in the work, especially when I didn’t feel like doing it which can happen more often than you’d think. I feared being broke, jobless, homeless and nothing to live for. I know, sounds pretty morose, but my mind tends to venture into worst case scenarios so that I know the feeling and do everything in my control to ensure that those things do not happen. For me, it’s just to stay the course. I know the end game and where I want to go, and now it’s just execution and consistent action to get there. It takes time…Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither is personal style and neither is going from the bottom to the top in terms of confidence. How did you work to overcome these obstacles? What do you continue to do to beat back your fears and overcome obstacles? I remind myself daily why it is that I’m doing what I’m doing. The hows and the whats are cool, but it’s the why that will get you to take action day in and day out. Like Tony Robbins says, if you can get a big enough why, you can do anything. And everything really is ‘figureoutable’ and so when I’m confronted with something I don’t know about, I educate myself. We have endless technology and knowledge at our fingertips, there really is no excuse not to learn whatever it is that we’re seeking to do. It’s a matter of getting off our asses and doing something about it. Entrepreneur Gary Vee says that people complain way too much and what comes out of their mouths doesn’t align with their actions. He’s so right, I see it first hand with many of my friends and acquaintances. People who say a lot, but in the end don’t put in the necessary work to get there. I myself was in that position for the longest time and it wasn’t until I found my why that I had this unquenchable thirst to keep pushing. Find your why, and the game changes. On your blog Gentleman Within, you’ve written that, “Style is a foundation that can help you reach your greatest achievements.” What role has style played in the development of your confidence and your ability to achieve? To me style served as a conduit. Simply put, ss I started caring about my appearance, the world around me began to change. My eyes finally opened. I became confident. I went on more quality dates, I excelled at work, I earned more money, I quickly paid off all of my student debt, I learned to manage my money, and I achieved a level of happiness that money can’t buy. Essentially I improved in all areas of my life. And I owe it to a simple shift in thinking. Learning how to dress well taught me how to see and it really did change my life. But as I said before, there are levels to confidence and gaining high levels of confidence comes from so much more than how you dress. If you could go back and make the journey again, what would you do differently? If I could go back and do it all again, I would get started sooner. Easy to say now, but time is our most valuable asset and I can honestly say I wasted so many years doing something I didn’t truly love. Besides starting sooner, I wouldn’t take anything back, because as cliche as it is, everything that I am today is because of where I’ve been and so, it’s a process and I’m still in process. It’s lifelong learning, experimenting and not knowing because when you can admit that that you’ll never know everything, that’s the key. To humble yourself and let go of the ego. The state of unknowing and that every single day is an opportunity for growth, that’s how we get better and become more confident day by day. What advice would you give to someone who wants to get from a low level of self-confidence to high one? This is a long one. For me confidence is something that comes with preparation and the more you know. For example, if I were to give a presentation to a room of hundreds, on a topic that I know very little about, or that I am not passionate about, then I wouldn’t feel confident that I could deliver a rousing talk. A little bit of preparation goes a long way. I think confidence comes over time, and when you become great at something, the more confident you become in yourself and your abilities and the less you care about external factors and learn to trust and believe in yourself regardless of others’ opinions. You become self motivated and that confidence is cultivated in a way that no one can take it away from you. You can always fake it till ya make it. But I like the idea of making it till you make it. By that I mean to create. Instead of spending your days consuming content (TV, reading blogs, endlessly scrolling through various social media feeds, etc…) take the time to figure out what it is that drives you. When you go all in on your passions, the whole game changes. A world of opportunities begins to open up that you never realized were even possible. I say this from experience with deciding to go all-in on my blog, Gentleman Within, and growing my brand with genuine patience. It’s been one of the best decisions of my life and I think that anyone is capable of creating. As humans we’re all meant for so much more than coming home after a long day’s work and bingeing one tv show to the next, hopping from one app to the next. If you’re always reading self-help material, I’d say implement what you consume immediately. It’s been said that we tend to forget more than 95% of the things that we don’t implement right away. It’s not worth it to waste time reading about doing better, being better and not taking actions to actually get better. And finally, it’s been said many times, but try to spend more time creating than consuming. That’s the key. Anything else related to self-confidence or self-improvement you’d like to share with our readers? Sure. I’d say that self-confidence, self-worth or any other type of mood or feelings that we as humans can feel is something that can be worked on. We can groom ourselves to be great. I think confidence comes with mastery of a given topic. The more you can immerse yourself into something you love, the greater your chances of becoming the most self-assured, confident and best version of yourself possible. Connect with Khoi: Website: www.gentlemanwithin.com YouTube: youtube.com/c/gentlemanwithin Instagram: @thegentwithin FREE E-BOOK Build a Strong Foundation Enter your email address below to discover five fundamental ways to start building self-confidence. I will never send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. More Profiles in Confidence:	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the Bayern vice-president, has assured that "Klopp's arse will end up in the Bayern museum". This was how he responded to claims made by the Borussia Dortmund manager after the Champions League semi-finals draw, when he said: "I bet my arse that Bayern will be calling up Guardiola." The director of the German side did not stop there and lashed out against the 'Borusser' coach again: "He should have bet his hair transplant. It would be easier to transport than his arse." Jürgen Klopp does not believe the claims by Bayern manager, Heynckes, and director of football, Sammer, who have assured that they do not need any help from Guardiola to give them a report on Barcelona.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
TN Tipplers Association wants Tasmac to accept old currency notes Daily wagers who make up most of the association are finding it hard to get their dose of alcohol. news Demonetisation With the government struggling to make available new notes after demonetisation and extending the use of old currency for utility services, tipplers in Tamil Nadu do not want to be left behind. The Tamil Nadu Tipplers Awareness Association members have petitioned the Chief Ministers’ Grievance Redressal Cell to direct Tasmac outlets in the state to accept Rs 500, Rs 1000 notes. “We presented petitions to the CM's Cell and Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation MD seeking relaxation in liquor shops on using demonetised currencies. We are finding it difficult to find exact change to purchase a quarter bottle,“ said M Chellapandian of the association. The association argued that if government-owned transport corporations can give a relaxation, then Tasmac which is also a government institution could do the same. “Tasmac is also government-owned. Why should the concession of using old currencies not be extended to liquor shops,“ asked Chellapandian. Daily wagers who make up most of the association are finding it hard to get their dose of alcohol. “Most of our wages are in denominations of `500 and `1,000. We will lose a day's wage if we stand in queues to exchange demonetised currencies. It is only in the evening we have a drink,“ he said. However, there is no proposal to accept old currency notes. “If the government directs us we will take a decision,“ said a Tasmac official.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
The late, great crime novelist Elmore Leonard’s novel Killshot opens like this: “The Blackbird told himself he was drinking too much because he lived in this hotel and the Silver Dollar was close by, right downstairs. Try to walk out the door past it. Try to come along Spadina Avenue, hundreds of light bulbs in your face, and not be drawn in there.” When the news came this week that the Silver Dollar might be closing — possibly temporarily, it turns out — my friend Lynda Spark shared a story of going to see Leonard read when Killshot was still a work in progress. “Later in the reading he mentioned the clientele of old drunks; people down on their luck. But the bar was under new management then, just starting to book bands,” Lynda says. “When I went to get a book signed, I decided to mention this to Mr. Leonard. ‘Well I just drove by, and it looked pretty disreputable to me,’ he said, testily.” But when the book was published, sure enough there was a change in that section: “Also, there were more punks coming in there, crazy ones who coloured their hair pink and green; he didn’t like the way they called him Blackbird, the way they said it.” Leonard died in 2013, so there’s no way to check with him if Lynda inspired a revision of his hardboiled Toronto, or not. But Lynda is both trustworthy and perpetually cool, and when she was my copy editor for years, she made a million helpful tweaks, so I will choose to believe she was also involved in this one. But I like this story for another reason, as we lament that the Silver Dollar is closing while construction and redevelopment takes place around it, and suspect that it will be a changed place if and when it reopens, even if the sign and bar and stage and terrazzo tiles of it are protected by city law. Killshot reminds us that the place we knew and loved was the impostor version in someone else’s mind — since opening in 1958, the Silver Dollar has been an upscale hotel bar, then a seedy dive, then a jazz hot spot, then a seedy dive again, then a blues landmark, then an indie rock institution. Maybe there have been more lives lived there than that, ones that live on in the memories of former regulars. But you gotta figure at every stage, there was a group of people who shook their heads at what the place they knew was turning into, who didn’t like the new crowd, didn’t like their haircuts or the way they said things. Read more: Is Toronto facing a live-music crisis? In a city growing and changing and developing as fast as Toronto, we get occasions for nostalgia almost daily as another familiar signpost of the city gets boarded up or torn down — Dangerous Dan’s burger joint is now closing, across the street from where the hot pink neon lights of Jilly’s peeler bar turned off for good a few years ago; last year saw the death of the Brunswick House and Honest Ed’s and Come as You Are; the Victory Pub has just recently poured its last pint, the HMV record store chain is in its final weeks. I like marking the passings, both those I wish weren’t happening and those I think are probably for the best. In either case, a place that has provided memories is good to memorialize, worth marking on the personal civic historical record, an entry in book of stories that add up to what Toronto is to us. But I also think it’s worthwhile to realize, and remember, that where the stories start and end, what the key conflicts and who the main characters are and what it all means — these are different for each of us, and ever changing. For everyone who wanders down Princes’ Boulevard and feels the phantom cold of steel bleachers under their butt from the years they cheered Damaso Garcia at Exhibition Stadium, there is a Toronto FC fan following a drumbeat to BMO Field to see the Atomic Ant make Canadian soccer history. Both may feel their own version of Toronto sports history in that spot is the real story and represents the authentic experience of the city. Neither is wrong. A significant feature of the Queen St. W. in my mind is sipping cocktails at the Cameron House on Sunday nights while Kevin Quain and the Mad Bastards perform gravel-voiced cabaret — and even while I was there seeing it happen in person more than a decade ago, there was someone beside me recalling Big Rude Jake smoking cigars on the bartop, and Quain himself was singing about memories of the dear departed Squeeze Club. The sign over the bar said “This is Paradise,” and for each of us, in a different way, it was. For those who go there now every Sunday to see New Grease Revival, it probably still is. The sign over the bar is still there. Whatever you used to do, and love doing, people are probably still doing it, or something like it, somewhere. Wherever you used to do it, people are probably still doing something there, or will. And probably those things and places are as meaningful to them as the old ones were to you. There’s room in this city for all those competing and overlapping versions of How Things Should Be. And if we’re lucky, some of the buildings and signs and physical markers of our personal definitive version remain in place, forming an impression on the shroud outlining the sacred things that have passed. Another Spadina Ave. live music institution, we learned recently, will soon be reopening. The El Mocambo — which was the setting for live albums by the Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Elvis Costello, April Wine and others, and was at one time programmed by Dan Burke, who is now leaving the Silver Dollar — closed in 2014, but will reopen this summer. It will feature a new recording studio alongside the famous stage. No doubt it will be different than it was, again — just as when it was reborn under new management in 1989, 2001, and 2012. But it will still have the neon palm-tree sign, and the name, and the stories. And now there will be new songs to go with the old ones still stuck in our heads. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... That’s the way things go, all over the city: things ain’t what they used to be, it’s true. But then again, they never were.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Mohammed Harun Arsalai interviewed René Schuijlenburg of the Enough is Enough team. René is also a Cars of Hope activist and worked a lot on the Balkan route in the last two years. Image by Cars of HopePublished by Enough is Enough. Interview done by Mohammed Harun Arsalai. Mohammed is an independent journalist and political activist from the Bay Area of California, and co-founder of the independent media project, Documenting Afghanistan. He is currently based in his native Afghanistan. Twitter account: @ArsalaiH An interview with René Schuijlenburg about his work on the Balkan route. Cars of Hope distributes food, sanitary products, fire wood and SIM cards to refugees, but also supports the improvement of the infrastructure of other groups who are permanently active on the Balkan route. Cars of Hope also organizes a lot of information events in Germany to create awareness about the situation on the Balkan route. Image gallery by Cars of Hope mde dav dav Mohammed: What are the main challenges refugees face taking the Balkan Route? René: There are many challenges refugees for refugees on the Balkan route. First, they have to cross the sea (from Turkey) to reach one of the Greek islands. Although the sea crossing is not as dangerous as the sea crossing from Libya to Italy, there are still people drowning. When they reach the Greek islands they get imprisoned in camps like Moria on Lesvos. At the Moria prison camp the conditions are bad. Last winter there were refugees who froozen to death at Moria. There is also a lot of police violence inside the Moria camp. These kinds of camps shouldn’t be called “hot spots” like European politicians call them, but concentration camps. Although there is no mass murder like in the concentration camps in the 1940’s, there are many similarities with the concentration camps during the second Boer war at the beginning of the last century. Even when refugees get released from the Moria camp they are still imprisoned. Since the start of the EU-Turkey deal in March 2016, refugees are not allowed to leave the Greek islands. So more and more refugees are stuck in huge “open air prisons” like Lesvos. If people do manage to reach the Greek main land, they face the next challenges. The European borders are closed and there are fences between Greece and Macedonia, but not the only fences. Almost all countries on the Balkan route have build walls and fences at their borders. People are forced to pass the borders on the long Balkan route illegaly and are subject to police violence and illegal deportations in countries like Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary and Croatia to name a few. Apart from all the repression, they also have to fight against hunger. Mohammed: What are the challenges for activists? What are the best and proven ways to engage in this work? René: When I speak for myself… I am a white and priviliged person from northern Europe. So for me the biggest problem is to handle the images in my head — The suffering of people on the Balkan route. Every now and then I get nightmares and if I am in such a phase I talk a lot with people. Our group also worked with Out of action. Out of action is a group that support activists who have had traumatic experiences. That helps a lot. People from our group were also threatened with arrest in Greece and in Serbia, but that doesn’t really bother me. Until now none of us have been arrested and we’re highly motivated, so we are not easy to intimidate. The challenges are more on other levels. Organising the logistics and working with people on the Balkan route at eye level. Important is to understand our work on the Balkan route as an act of solidarity, not charity. I dont work in state camps, as I dont want to support the inhumane policies against people who are seeking refuge. This means that we have to organise everything ourselves, mostly in cooperation with local groups. I always advice people not to just travel on the Balkan route and start doing something — Create networks, contact local groups and refugees. Be prepared. Mohammed: On a broader level, what should be done to end the injustices refugees face on the Balkan route and around the EU? René: Its important to undestand the work on the Balkan route as an act of solidarity. Its also important to act at home. In Germany I am involved in protests against deportations. Our group is active in the Welcome United initiative, which will organise protests against the sharpened asylum laws and against deportations next month. In the past we already did a lot of protests in Germany often together with refugees who live here. We also organise a lot of info events to create awareness about the challenges people are facing on the refugee routes because of our border regimes as well as the causes why people are forced to flee. Still I think that’s all not enough — People are dying and the politicians we have elected are responsible for the killings — So we are responsible. In my opinion we have to organise broader and more resistance against the border policies, the deportations and capitalism, which is one of the main causes why people flee. Thats not easy but the resistance is growing almost everywhere in Europe. Mohammed: What about the legal situation? The European laws stay the same… René: We actually don’t only do actions on the street. We also fight against deportations at the courts. Legal battles are costing a lot of energy but every deportation we can stop is worth it. But this doesn’t change the system, it’s a case by case fight. I also support people during the whole asylum procedure. Nowadays that’s more difficult as let’s say 2 years ago. The migration authorities in Germany are very creative in finding reasons to reject asylum applications. So the number of court cases are growing. Changing the law is very difficult at the moment as most parties in Germany support the border closures and treaties like the EU Turkey deal or more restrictive asylum laws in Germany. The Welcome United campaign next month is trying to influence German elections in a positive direction but it’s very difficult in these dark days. Racism is growing in Europe and it will be a long and hart battle on multiple levels to change that. But we are not giving up. Mohammed: What Can People Do to Support? René : Our work is depending on donations so it would be great if people could donate something at our paypal- or bank account or join our crowdfunding campaign (Details below). But we are also always looking for people to join us on the Balkan route. A third thing how people can support the struggle is by joining actions at home or organise some themselves. Not just demonstrations but also little things like banner drops would help. Support can be given on many levels and its important that we stop the border policies and the deportations. Feature on German WDR TV (English subs) about the second Cars of Hope mission on the Balkan route in November 2015. Please support the Cars of Hope Crowdfunding Campaign for refugees in Greece: https://www.youcaring.com/cohsupportrefugees You can slso support the work of Cars of Hope with donations on our bank- or Paypal account: Paypal account: carsofhopewtal@gmx.de Bank account: Name of account holder: Sozialtal e.V. Iban: DE80 3305 0000 0000 6968 49 Bic: WUPSDE33XXX Description: Cars Of Hope By supporting the Cars of Hope crowdfunding campaign or a transfer on their bank- or Paypal account you are not just supporting their work. You are the ones who make their work possible. This is why they are happy with any donation, even the very small ones. Cars of Hope do their bookkeeping with Sozialtal e.V. If you want to ask for a receipt of your donation; Please send an email to carsofhopewtal@gmx.de with your full name and adress so Cars of Hope can send you the receipt. Tax payers in Germany can use the receipt for a tax deduction. Image gallery Cars of Hope on the Balkan route: Images by Cars of Hope cof cof cof cof cof cof cof cof cof dav cof Share this: Twitter Facebook Reddit Tumblr Pinterest LinkedIn Print Email Pocket Telegram WhatsApp Skype Like this: Like Loading...	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
On Sunday, Bill Kristol, chronically incorrect steward of his daddy's magazine movement, dismissed liberals' and black activists' outraged response to the Trayvon Martin killing as "just demagoguery... mostly on the side of those who want to indict the whole society for this death." The following day, Rush Limbaugh said the response was "doing more harm to the black community than anything else." How blessed the black community must feel to have their best interests overseen by the living embodiment of everything wrong with white people. Thus we've reached the inevitable conservative endpoint of any race conversation in the United States. Racism, violence, the horror of an entire community—these are mere emotional reactions cynically drummed up by "race hustlers," marshaled against a demonized white society. If black people are upset about black people getting shot, they have only themselves to blame for their unwillingness to forget about it. And if they're still so upset after so much time, they must have an agenda. After all, the victim was only a black boy. Our own Max Read posted a detailed breakdown of the white, conservative backlash against the Trayvon Martin coverage (and both Mediaite and Alex Pareene have added yet more). But what's interesting about the unfolding conservative commentary is that Trayvon's irrevocable silence re-defines ghoulish conservative blame-shifting. Trayvon is dead, and he can't speak or act to drive the news cycle. The right must walk its disingenuous path alone—spurred on by habitual loathing that any black man, even a dead one, might cast light on their boundless twilight ethnocalypse. Conservative race-baiters set their clocks by the dog-whistle. They can't dismiss Trayvon outright: blaming him explicitly because he is black goes nowhere. That would just shift the conversation onto the accuser. Nobody illustrated this principle better than former Reagan and Bush I strategist and Republican National Committee chairman Lee Atwater, in a kind of "Come to Jesus" moment shortly before his death (emphases mine): You start out in 1954 by saying, "Nigger, nigger, nigger." By 1968 you can't say "nigger"—that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me—because obviously sitting around saying, "We want to cut this," is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than "Nigger, nigger." Atwater addresses national policy, particularly the linguistic erosions that allow us to arrive at "entitlements" as code words for "welfare queens cashing lavish checks while rutting like animals on the whites' dime." But this is just the Trayvon treatment writ large, on a national scale: the same linguistic counterrevolution has been imposed on blacks on the personal level as well. Look to the frequent application of "street thug" to Obama, invoking images of saggy-pants gangbangers, chugging 40s. Look to Newt Gingrich calling him "the food stamp president," hammering that point home in the South Carolina and Florida debates. There's no value for Gingrich in citing food stamps as a program: the plurality of Americans on assistance are white, not black. But to an audience reared on the Southern Strategy since 1968, calling Obama the president of food stamps sends a familiar mute signal to those meant to hear it: the danger isn't that the president is black—which we know—but rather that his economics will complete the ghettoization of America. Why, if you had to go on food stamps, you'd be just as shameful as him—as them. The dog-whistling tweets and rants against Trayvon were inevitable. As Read pointed out, the right lustily impugned his character for his having a screwdriver, an impulse of vandalism and some loose (though not dispositive) association with someone who had possessed marijuana—all of which qualified him for nothing more than being an American boy. Right-wing blogs ran pictures of him flipping the bird, which also qualified him for being an American boy. Most damning of all, there were pictures of him wearing fake gold in his grill—a gangster signifier shared by me at a party once and probably 10% of all white kids at American colleges goofing around with a roll of Reynold's Wrap. Trayvon Martin is a boy in the worst possible way. This thin characterization is all they need. The right-wing audience only needs a few traits from the bad novelist's toolbox. Like the big-titted blonde used and murdered by a Japanese man in Tom Clancy's Debt of Honor, whose sacred American vagina serves as both metaphor and explanation for that tiny, vengeful people's plunder of America, all you need are one or two red flags. They first say that Trayvon was black, and then they reference vandalism and "marijuana residue." A fake grill, tattoos and the word "thug" do the rest of the heavy social code-wording. By the end of that four-phrase personal inventory, anyone predisposed against blacks wants to know if the coroner shaved Trayvon's eyebrows to reveal hidden left-to-right "FUCK" and "WHITEY" tats. These people are already on board. You just have to punch their ticket. The most important effect of race-baiting through the dog whistle, however, is that it really does function as bait. When you conspicuously label black kids as "thugs" and white kids as "unruly teens," you bait someone else into noticing it and responding. In this respect, conservative commentators for the last 20 years have been nothing short of masterful. They've turned unregenerate racism into a thought exercise you might as well call "Schrödinger's Black." A classic (oversimplified) version of the Schrodinger's Cat thought-experiment describes how a cat in a box, with a given atomic particle, can be alive or dead up until the moment you open the box and check on the cat. The act of observation ineluctably helps determine the outcome. Until you looked at it, everything was up in the air. You, the observer, are at fault for the result. Placing the burden of racism on its observer is the natural, cynical result of decades of conservative dog-whistle racism. Commentators throw out deliberately "ambiguous" statements intended to motivate racists willing to read into them what they want to hear. They make repeated references to Obama and watermelons. They talk about "strapping young bucks" with t-bone steaks. Then, when black or liberal commentators denounce those statements, conservative pundits label them as the racists. After all, you'd have to be a racist to think there was racist commentary there; the only people who think about racism are racists. You have to be importing your own racial hangups to the exchange: you altered the outcome of the reaction when your gaze introduced a racial force to the social reaction. This is largely how the American right wing created "reverse racism." In the realm of Limbaughean physics, racism is something generated by race hustlers. These rabble rousers alter the dynamic of natural social interactions by injecting wacky racism particles into a totally innocuous discussion about the natural laziness of young black people who just want to own guns and steal buckets of Popeye's fried chicken. A noble white truth teller merely means to pull back the curtain on the inequities demanded by an indolent black class, and when he's called racist, it's someone else's fault for noticing it. People then victimize that noble soul for telling a hard truth, like Jesus. In any physical exchange, this reversal of causation or responsibility would inspire laughter and contempt. If, to take a random example, some radio-show-hosting triple-chinned drug-addicted serial-divorcé and bloviator stabbed you repeatedly in the stomach, and you complained that you had "lots of knife-holes" in you, nobody could reasonably claim that you were a "stabbing hustler" who was "condemning mere knife enthusiasts" in a cynical ploy to" gain sympathy via stabbism." But this is the state of right-wing racism in America: it exists only on its moment of detection. Until then, it's merely an amorphous cloud of words. The people who are targeted by it are the real racists, because they have the insufferable gall to notice it and then divisively, unrepentantly point it out. They are malcontents operating without the privilege to speak freely. This is how you get people like Bill Kristol accusing you of "demagoguery" and trying to "indict the whole society," which is not only paternalistically dismissive but shows their powerful white privilege in being able to decide what is our whole society. The act of creating it allows them to define its terms, drawing the line between a reasonable thought and a paranoid hippie/activist fantasy. Thus advocating mandatory sentencing laws for drug possession busts that disproportionately affect black youths is just smart business and safe policy. (Never mind if the advocate is invested in a privatized prison system whose profits are bolstered by a continual flow of inmates. Sure, he's breaking the whole society, but, hey—investors!—free enterprise!) Meanwhile, saying that the criminal-justice system and the industrial-prison complex disproportionately incarcerates and profits off targeting young blacks makes you a demagogue and a rabble-rouser. When you cite The Bell Curve after a black youth shoots a suburban homeowner, you are a sober, reasoned sage. When you cite centuries of slavery, decades of Jim Crow, decades of exclusionary lending, predatory lending, white flight, inequitable distribution of tax monies, voter suppression, regressive voter-registration laws, regressive taxation, dog-whistle racism, spooky attack ads featuring menacing black figures and NRA-sponsored legislation that all but screams "a big negro might break into your daughter's hymen"—well, then you're just some kinda whackjob race-obsessive. Works like The Bell Curve merely update the Jim Crow quackery of phrenology and the simian negroid skull with the soft bigotry of inconclusive or incomplete statistical data interpreted in bad faith. They feed a pundit circus and a criminal justice system that reduces a race of people to a collection of ungovernable animal impulses. They lend a patina of rationality to the automatic presumption that Trayvon Martin was a rebellious addict who attacked a stand-up citizen. This is what Limbaugh meant when he said that the Trayvon Martin murder was "doing more harm to the black community than anything else." It's counterproductive to get these sorts of people angry, because their emotionalism has already retarded their development. It's the same reversal of responsibility employed by anti-abolitionists, anti-unionists, anti-suffragettes and anti-civil-rights types: "Irrationally ranting and raving distracts you people from your own advancement, and your clamoring about the normative, accepted levels of social hate are rending the fabric of our society. It's all on you." You victimize me by complaining about my actions; your truth is less valuable than, and antagonistic to, my peace of mind. The act of describing fundamental fractures in our society only exacerbates them. Sure, even in 1787, there were those opposed to slavery, but nearly 80 years later, we eradicated it. And only 100 years later, we gave blacks a full franchise. Any day now, woman will be equal, too, and we'll get around to finalizing that whole black thing. But dislocation is your responsibility when you demand that ice be cracked instead of rolled back glacially. You dishonor Trayvon Martin when you make him a "black victim" and not part of the process, where we all grow, like a nation of stalagmites. The real racists, the real life-hating agitators, are those who reject the tranquilizing powers of gradualism, who rock the boat. Because the rising tide will lift all those boats. Now shut the fuck up about income inequality. Image by Jim Cooke. "Mobutu Sese Seko" is founder of the blog Et tu, Mr. Destructo?	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Six days after a major fire gutted Tardeo Regional Transport Office, a minor fire broke out at their canteen on Friday. Two canteen workers, Nagendra Kumar and Rajesh Kumar, sustained minor injuries were admitted to Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central. “The fire broke out due to a gas leakage. Though two fire engines were sent to the spot, the fire was extinguished before they arrived,” said a BMC official. In the major fire on Sunday, the RTO lost out on files, learning licenses and computer machines. They now operate out of a makeshift office. 📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines For all the latest Mumbai News, download Indian Express App.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
New Jersey – Mia Higginbotham was charged with unlawful possession of her own, lawfully owned unloaded handgun, which was packed in its original box and locked in her hard-sided luggage. She was moving from her residence in New Jersey to her residence in Florida. She declared the firearm at check-in, but was ssubsequently arrested at Liberty International Airport in Elizabeth / Newark. She had no ammunition in her possession whatsoever, and was plainly trying to follow the law. Mia is married and has a young daughter. She is currently facing 10 years in State Prison with a minimum mandatory of 3.5 to 5 years with no chance of parole for her attempt to lawfully transport her handgun between residences. Watch the video below to be shocked by her story. Then post the link to this tragedy all over let's shame New Jersey for this unamerican beavior. Outraged yet? You can help. Send money to Mia's legal defense fund, don't let her go to prison just because she lives in New Jersey. http://gogetfunding.com/mia-higginbotham-legal-defense-fund/	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
American Said To Have Carried Out Suicide Bombing In Syria Abu Hurayra Al-Amriki Performed a martydom operation in Idlib, Jabal Al-Arba'een. May Allah accept him pic.twitter.com/MeewywKqDD — أبو سليمان المهاجر (@abusulayman321) May 27, 2014 U.S. officials are investigating claims circulated on social media sites that an American fighting with Syria's rebels helped carry out a suicide truck bombing in the war-torn country over the weekend. Al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaida-linked rebel group, announced via Twitter the "martyrdom" of Abu Hurayra al-Amriki (Abu Hurayra the American), releasing what it said was a photo of the bomber as well as a video of the attack. If true, it would be the first time in Syria's civil war that an American recruit participated in a suicide attack, according to Laith Alkhouri, a senior analyst with Flashpoint Global Partners, which monitors militant websites for government and private clients, who is quoted by Haaretz. In the video, bearded men can be seen loading artillery shells onto a large truck. Later, what is described as a government-controlled building is suddenly consumed in a massive explosion. A voice on the video is heard yelling "Allahu Akbar!" Video purporting to be of suicide attack in northwestern Syria. Al-Nusra YouTube The bombing is followed by what appears to be an assault by militants on the complex. Reuters says that according to Internet postings, Abu Hurayra al-Amriki "carried out one of four suicide bombings on May 25 in Syria's Idlib province on behalf of Jabhat al-Nusra, al Qaeda's affiliate fighting to oust the government of President Bashar al Assad." Syria Direct, which describes itself as an independent nonprofit journalism service covering the Syrian war, tweets a photo via al-Nusra Front purporting to be the four suicide bombers photographed prior to Sunday's attack, each wearing an explosive vest. One of the four appears to be the same Caucasian man in the photo with the cat. Reuters reports:	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
There is a show about an obese woman on TLC that has such cultural significance that anyone in our modern society would benefit from watching. For starters, it’s hard not to fall for My Big Fat Fabulous Life because its star, Whitney Thore, is downright lovable. First a YouTube sensation for her viral Fat Girl Dancing video, she is whip-smart, funny, open and kind, but at 380 lbs., she also represents something that does not exist on reality TV: A fat person who is truly happy with herself, just the way she is. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Thore, 30, spoke to PEOPLE about life as a newly minted reality star – whose show was renewed for a second season, we have learned exclusively – the biggest misconceptions about her (no, she’s not promoting obesity) and how she learned to accept herself. Your critics say you’re promoting obesity. Any fat person who’s just living and not miserable is apparently promoting obesity! If I’m pro-anything it’s simply pro-loving yourself in this moment because it’s all we have. And I do want to lose weight. I’m not naïve to the health risks that are going to come to me at almost 400 lbs. But does that mean I’m going to hate myself in the process? No. People seem to think that as I go about my daily life, just living and existing, that I’m trying to get some reaction out of people. When I’m at the beach, people say, ‘Well Whitney, of course they’re going to call you Shamu, you’re putting yourself out there, you’re asking for it.’ No, I’m living like every other person on this beach. And what’s the alternative? I’m going to sit in my house? I think people are very threatened by happy fat women. We have an idea that thinness leads to happiness. But to see a fat woman living her life and being happy in the moment now, I think people feel slighted: ‘Well, she just cut in line! I’ve been buying gym memberships and starving myself and buying wrinkle creams and who is she to get to feel happy?’ And I’m like, ‘No, sister, jump outta line. You can do it too.’ You talk about PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome, an endocrine disorder) being responsible for your weight gain. But is it completely to blame? No. I am totally about personal responsibility. My initial weight gain in college was 100 lbs. in eight months. I absolutely blame that on PCOS. It happened out of nowhere, I had no control over it. But since then, of course, I’ve continued to gain weight. What made me fat was a combination of PCOS and the shame and the stigma that you face being a fat woman in America. When I gained weight, did I want to leave my house? No. When I walked to the gym and people called me a fat ass, did that make me want to go work out? No. Did I want to take really good care of myself? No. But if anybody thinks that I just blame the fact that I’m 380 lbs. on PCOS, that’s clearly wrong. Have you lost weight since the filming of the first season? I’ve lost a little bit, and I have been working on eating better – that’s my biggest challenge because I love exercising. It’s not that I eat really unhealthy all the time. I’ve had eating disorders when I was younger. I am definitely focusing on getting a plan in place but it’s got to be something that’s more sustainable. When I lost 100 lbs. [two years ago], I became totally obsessive. I was eating 500 calories a day sometimes, and I was purging, too. And I’m proud to say that I haven’t engaged in any disordered eating behavior in two years. That’s big for me because that’s lasted my whole life. When I lose weight this time, I want it to stay off. I only have a goal of 100, maybe 150 lbs. I’m okay with being fat for the rest of my life as long as I’m healthy and happy. But you haven’t always been happy with being fat. Lord, no. It was actually always not this way, even when I was thin. I can’t even explain it, I just feel liberated now. Like I broke out of a prison. I made the viral video when I was 350 lbs. I said, I’m just going to do it. I’m just going to dance anyway. And that’s all I ever had to do, I just didn’t know it. For 10 years when I was fat I was able to project a happy face, but I was absolutely miserable. Up until two years ago it was, ‘I gotta lose weight, I gotta lose weight,’ in a panic almost. This idea that life can’t start until I’m thin. Life won’t be what it should be until I’m thin. And I don’t believe that any more. You say on the show that you love the way your body looks right now. I always cringed at my body, no matter what size it was. Now, the only reason I want to lose weight is for health and lifestyle. I am happy in my body as it is right now. But if my stomach gets any bigger I won’t be able to bend down and tie my shoes. I love to be active, I like to dance. So for me to live my most fulfilled life, I need to drop 100 lbs. But I honestly love the way that I look. I look at myself naked all the time and I’m like, all right, sister, that’s what it is. For me, confidence is a product of action. It’s not like you have a certain amount that you’re born with, it’s something you have to work on every single day. People have it backwards. They think, ‘I’ve got to have the confidence to do it,’ whatever ‘it’ is. But I don’t think that. I think, just go do it, and then it’s okay. I mean, how often do we do something and think, ‘Why didn’t I do that 10 years ago?’ What sort of feedback have you gotten from the show? I hear from just as many anorexic women as I hear from fat women. This is a universal problem about being a woman – it’s not exclusive to fat people. We’re indoctrinated from a very young age that thinner is better, that we can always be skinnier. That the worst thing you can be is fat – especially if you are a woman. I hear from people dealing with society-induced shame, people with chronic illnesses, mental illnesses, disabilities. I heard from a boy in Lebanon, this one just killed me: He’s 16 and he wrote to me and said, ‘I’m gay, and it’s illegal to be gay here. But I watched your videos and I feel like my life can be okay.’ I mean, I can’t even. [Cries] I don’t go read the negative stuff, and not because it hurts me personally. It doesn’t. I hear so much positive, and I think the world is changing and things are getting better so I choose to just focus on the positive. But can’t nobody touch me. I have the most amazing family and friends. I’m happy for the first time in my life.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia wants an apology from a Dutch politician who said Muslims should “tear out half the Koran” if they wanted to live in his country and has asked the Dutch government to intervene, a Saudi newspaper said on Sunday. The Dutch government, which said it did not agree with the remarks made by populist anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders, confirmed that foreign ministry officials held informal talks last week with the Saudi embassy in The Hague. “It (the embassy) appealed to the appropriate authorities on the need for Wilders’ insulting statements to be withdrawn and an apology given to Muslims,” the Saudi newspaper al-Watan reported. “The embassy has demanded that the Dutch side put an end to such statements and actions.” Wilders said in an interview published last week that Muslims should throw away half their holy book if they wanted to stay in the Netherlands and that he would chase Islam’s Prophet Mohammad out of the country if he were alive today. “Our minister is not happy with Wilders’ remarks,” a Dutch foreign ministry spokesman said. “It is not the point of view of the Dutch government. Wilders is a parliamentarian, it is his right to express himself,” the spokesman added. Last year Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home to its holiest shrines, withdrew its ambassador to Copenhagen over Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet, which provoked worldwide protests among Muslims. Wilders, who has lived under heavy guard since 2004 when a Dutch-Moroccan killed filmmaker and Islam critic Theo van Gogh, has campaigned to ban the Muslim burqa veil, wants to freeze immigration and ban new mosques and religious schools. Wilders, who is seen as an heir to murdered populist Pim Fortuyn and whose new party won nine seats out of 150 in November parliamentary elections, has warned of a “tsunami of Islamisation” in a country that is home to 1 million Muslims out of a population of some 16 million. “Islam is a violent religion. If Mohammad lived here today I could imagine chasing him out of the country tarred and feathered as an extremist,” Wilders said in the interview with the daily De Pers on February 13. The Dutch news agency ANP quoted Wilders as saying on Sunday he would not retract his remarks. “I would not dream of taking any of it back,” Wilders said. “Have they gone completely mad? It is scandalous that a country which does not have freedom of speech teaches me a lesson. They must learn that when you are a parliamentarian here, you may say what you want.”	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Der Einfluss des türkischen Staates auf Schüler in Deutschland hat sich in den vergangenen zehn Jahren erheblich ausgeweitet. Sogenannte Konsulatslehrer unterrichten allein in Berlin an 150 Schulen – eine Steigerung um 50 Prozent gegenüber 2007, wie eine Anfrage des Tagesspiegels bei der Berliner Bildungsbehörde ergab. Abgeordnete, Verbände und Wissenschaftler sehen diese Entwicklung mit Sorge, da seit dem Putschversuch in der Türkei nur noch regimetreue Lehrer arbeiten dürfen. Die Konsulatslehrer nutzen Räume an staatlichen deutschen Schulen und werden nicht kontrolliert. Sie unterrichten Heimatkunde und Türkisch. „In Anbetracht der politischen Entwicklungen in der Türkei ist es angebracht, den Konsulatsunterricht an Berliner Schulen durch Lehrer aus der Türkei genauestens unter die Lupe zu nehmen. Alles, was integrationshindernd ist oder politischer Propaganda entspricht, darf nicht hingenommen werden“, sagte der Bundestagsabgeordnete Özcan Mutlu (Grüne) dem Tagesspiegel. In Hamburg gibt es das Angebot an 60 Schulen Der Konsulatsunterricht orientiert sich an einer Richtlinie des Rates der Europäischen Gemeinschaften über die Kinder von „Wanderarbeitnehmern“. Auch andere Bundesländer bieten ihn an, darunter Hamburg, wo knapp 900 türkischstämmigen Schüler an rund 60 Schulen teilnehmen. Hamburg kennt die Zahl der Schüler genau, weil die Stadt den Unterricht finanziell unterstützt. Berlin beschränkt die Zuwendungen seit 2002 darauf, dass die Schulräume kostenlos genutzt werden dürfen. Wie viele Berliner Schüler teilnehmen, ist der Schulbehörde nicht bekannt. Safter Çinar vom Vorstand des Türkischen Bundes warnt vor einer „Indoktrinierung“ der Kinder. Nachdem in der Türkei zehntausende Lehrer gegen Erdogan-treue Kräfte ausgetauscht worden seien, würden jetzt „problematische Lehrer“ kommen. „Der Konsulatsunterricht konterkariert alles, was die Schulen machen“, lautet die Einschätzung des deutsch-türkischen Politologen und langjährigen Berliner Schulpsychologen Ali Uçar. Ein Vater erreichte, dass der Lehrer ausgetauscht wurde Eine Umfrage des Tagesspiegels an mehreren Grundschulen ergab, dass die Lehrer ein- bis zweimal wöchentlich Gruppen von rund 15 Kindern jeweils 90 Minuten am Nachmittag unterrichten. Das Interesse ist groß, weil es an den meisten Grundschulen keine Alternative für Eltern gibt, die für ihre Kinder einen muttersprachlichen Unterricht wünschen. Aus der Community Wer sein Kind indoktrinieren lassen will, kann daran sicher nicht gehindert werden. Aber dass diese Indoktrinierung von der Schulverwaltung direkt oder auch nur indirekt gefördert wird, ist nicht zu akzeptieren. …schreibt NutzerIn carolina „Wir möchten, dass unsere Kinder etwas Türkisch schreiben können und die wichtigsten Feiertag und Gebräuche kennenlernen“, begründet ein Vater seine Entscheidung, sein Kind in den Unterricht des Konsulats zu schicken. Allerdings war er entsetzt, als sein Sohn hörte, in welcher Form die „Unterweisung“ stattfand: „erzkonservativ, autoritär, nationalistisch“. Er meldete sein Kind daraufhin ab. Ein Vater an einer anderen Schule erreichte, dass ein Lehrer nach Kritik vom Konsulat ausgetauscht wurde. Eine derartige Einmischung von Seiten der Eltern ist allerdings die Ausnahme. „Bildungsferne Elternhäuser hinterfragen den Unterricht gar nicht“, berichtet eine Neuköllner Schulleiterin. Andere Rektoren beklagen, dass die Konsulatslehrer kein Deutsch sprächen und auch keinen Kontakt suchten. Allerdings gibt es auch andere Erfahrungen wie etwa an der Kreuzberger Galilei-Grundschule, die laut Rektorin Yvonne André sehr gut mit dem Konsulatslehrer zusammenarbeitet. Der GEW-Chef weiß von nichts Wie sehr dieses Angebot – außerhalb der betroffenen Grundschulen – in Vergessenheit geraten ist, zeigt die Tatsache, dass selbst der Berliner GEW-Chef Tom Erdmann „noch nie davon gehört hatte“. Dies allerdings ist brisant, denn bei der GEW-Landesdelegiertentagung trat erst vor wenigen Tagen die Generalsekretärin der türkischen Bildungsgewerkschaft, Sakine Esen Yilmaz, auf, die in Deutschland Asyl beantragt hat, weil sie – als kritische Gewerkschafterin – mit 22 Jahren Haft in ihrer Heimat rechnet: Yilmaz berichtete der GEW darüber, dass „bis zu 70 000 Lehrkräfte“ suspendiert und gegen Erdogan-Getreue ausgetauscht worden seien. Mit einem „Austausch“ wird auch in Berlin gerechnet: Die Konsulatslehrer sind nur für fünf Jahre abgeordnet. Spätestens wenn ihre Zeit um ist, könnte Erdogan für konservativen Nachschub sorgen. Lehrer berichten, dass von Pädagogen neuerdings ein Fragebogen ausgefüllt werden muss, in dem sie Auskunft über Anschauungen und Herkunft geben sollen. Safter Çinar vom Vorstand des Türkischen Bundes befürchtet denn auch, dass künftig extrem linientreue Lehrer entsandt werden. Auch bisher schon sah er diesen Unterricht kritisch, zumal die verwendeten Schulbücher nationalistisch eingefärbt sind. Dies hatte zuletzt 2013 auch eine Untersuchung des Zentrums für Türkeistudien in Essen belegt. „Wir müssen Licht in diese Blackbox bringen“ „Wir müssen Licht in diese Blackbox bringen“, findet Joschka Langenbrinck, Bildungspolitiker der SPD. Er fordert „klare staatliche Kriterien und eine Kontrolle der Qualität. „Es muss auch die Frage gestellt werden, wie grundsätzlich verhindert wird, dass der türkische Staat diesen Unterricht zur politischen Indoktrination von Kindern nutzt,“ sagte der Abgeordnete auf Anfrage. Generell erlaube Konsulatsunterricht wenig Einfluss, gibt Hildegard Bentele zu bedenken. Die CDU-Schulexpertin schlägt aber vor, sich – „ähnlich wie in Baden-Württemberg und Bayern“ – in bilateralen Kommissionen über Lehrinhalte auszutauschen und zudem eine Zusammenarbeit mit den betreffenden Schulen anzuregen. „Das würde allerdings voraussetzen, dass es in der Bildungsverwaltung entsprechendes Interesse, Personal und Fachverstand für dieses Thema gibt. Das ist nicht der Fall“, glaubt Bentele. Mehr zum Thema Panorama Türkisches Konsulat unterrichtet 3000 Grundschüler „Regelmäßige Kontakte bestehen nur mit dem Erziehungsattaché des Generalkonsulats der Republik Türkei“, lautet die Auskunft der Bildungsverwaltung zum gegenwärtigen Verfahren. An dieser Praxis hat sich bislang nichts geändert, obwohl bekannt ist, dass die Türkei seit dem Putschversuch ihre Lehrer noch mehr als früher zwingt, Erdogans islamisch-nationalistisches Weltbild an die Schüler zu vermitteln. Auf Tagesspiegel-Nachfrage kündigte die Verwaltung aber an, „mit den Schulen über ihre Erfahrungen mit dem Konsulatsunterricht zu sprechen“.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Iranian state media have given a distorted view of Western news coverage of a rare public sermon by Iran’s supreme leader, ignoring how Western outlets highlighted perceived shortcomings in his responses to domestic problems. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led Friday prayers in Tehran for the first time since 2012, giving a sermon at the capital’s Grand Mosque. The longtime supreme leader has limited such public sermons to times of national crisis in the past. In his speech, Khamenei harshly criticized the United States and its European allies Britain, France and Germany. He singled out American leaders as “clowns” for professing to stand with Iran’s people while in practice seeking to “stab” Iranians in the back with a “poisoned dagger.” Khamenei’s speech came two weeks after the U.S. carried out what it called a self-defensive strike that killed his top general, Qassem Soleimani, at Baghdad airport. In his remarks, Khamenei accused the U.S. of engaging in a “terrorist” act by killing Soleimani, who led Iran’s elite Quds Force and whom the U.S. had designated as the head of a terrorist organization that killed hundreds of U.S. troops in Iraq and directed proxy militias to fight U.S. allies in the region. The Iranian supreme leader also denounced Britain, France and Germany as U.S. lackeys after they decided this week to trigger a dispute resolution mechanism in their 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, a potential step toward joining the U.S. in re-imposing economic sanctions on Tehran. Khamenei expressed sorrow over the Jan. 8 shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger plane by Iranian forces that mistook it for an enemy threat shortly after it took off from Tehran. Hours earlier, his forces had fired missiles at U.S. troops in Iraq in retaliation for the Soleimani killing and had braced themselves for a U.S. counterattack. No U.S. forces were killed in the Iranian missile strike, however, and Washington did not hit back. FILE - A rescue worker shows pictures of a girl recovered from a Ukrainian plane crash site in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran. For three days after the plane crashed, killing all 176 people on board, Iranian officials insisted it was not their fault despite Western media and officials citing intelligence sources as saying Iranian missile fire downed the aircraft. Officials belatedly acknowledged that their denials of responsibility were false on Saturday, angering hundreds of Iranians who joined four days of anti-government protests in Tehran and other cities. “The plane crash was a bitter tragedy that burned through our heart,” Khamenei said in his sermon. However, he made no apology for his government’s initial false statements about the crash and criticized those who joined the anti-government protests as unrepresentative of the Iranian people. Prominent Western news agencies had extensive coverage of Khamenei’s rare public sermon. Iranian state media outlets Fars News Agency and ISNA published summaries of those Western news reports, highlighting their references to Khamenei’s strong denunciations of the U.S. and European powers. Fars and ISNA also cited the Western news agencies as noting the large size of Khamenei’s audience, with thousands of people cramming into the mosque for the sermon. A VOA Persian review of Khamenei sermon articles by the eight Western news agencies cited by Fars and ISNA, though, found that the two Iranian state media outlets ignored several key elements of the Western news coverage. In one example, Fars avoided mentioning that a Reuters report said Khamenei stopped short of a direct apology for the plane disaster. “On social media, some Iranians reacted angrily” to the lack of an apology, the report said. In another example, ISNA made no mention of the New York Times reporting that Khamenei “offered only scant condolences” to the families who lost victims in the plane crash and dismissed the anti-government protesters as “stooges of the United States.” The New York Times article also noted that Iran “choreographed” the Friday sermon by busing in schoolchildren, civil servants and worshippers from neighboring provinces “to present an image of power and unity.” “When it comes to reporting an important speech by the supreme leader, it is no surprise to see there has been an attempt to pick and choose bits of coverage in international media that are either positive or neutral and leave out the negative bits,” said BBC Monitoring journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh, a former Iranian state media employee, in a message to VOA Persian. “Reports about the views and speeches of Khamenei are almost always entirely supportive,” Sardarizadeh said. “It would be highly unusual to see state media highlight any criticism of the supreme leader even in normal times, let alone now. But Khamenei is one of the few individuals about whom all media sources in Iran tend to be highly cautious and selective in their reporting.” This article originated in VOA’s Persian Service. It was produced in collaboration with VOA’s Extremism Watch Desk.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Longtime Lawfare readers may be familiar with the work we have published on “sextortion”—a form of remote sexual violence that usually involves a perpetrator obtaining explicit images or video of a victim and using that material for blackmail, often to produce further sexual material or money. Editor-in-chief Benjamin Wittes and I, along with colleagues Cody Poplin and Clara Spera, did a fair bit of research on the matter a few years ago. At the time, we thought of it as something near the edge of the issues with which Lawfare concerns itself—certainly within the publication's ambit as a question of violence enabled by changing technology, but not a matter at the dead center of “hard national security choices.” Well, that’s changed, thanks to the Internet Research Agency troll farm. On Dec. 17, the Senate intelligence committee released two reports on Russia’s social media influence efforts, one by the Computational Propaganda Research Project and one by the group New Knowledge. The documents are lengthy and worth reading through with care. But one passage immediately stuck out to me: a description in the New Knowledge report on what appear to have been Internet Research Agency efforts to stockpile material for sextortion. The relevant section of the report reads as follows: Recruiting an asset by exploiting a personal vulnerability—usually a secret that would inspire shame or cause personal or financial harm if exposed—is a timeless espionage practice. So is the tactic of infiltrating protest movements. The [Internet Research Agency] attempted both, even going so far as to create help hotlines for people struggling with sexual behavior, creating an opportunity to blackmail or manipulate these individuals in the future. And it includes the below samples of the advertisements placed to funnel people toward those hotlines: From the report, it’s not clear how much material the troll farm collected or whether it ever took action to actually “blackmail or manipulate” anyone. But the fact that an entity linked with the Russian government took at least an initial step toward stockpiling material with which to sextort Americans is an ominous sign of the direction in which we might be headed. Before this, the only sextortion attempts of which my coauthors and myself have been aware were conducted by private actors—people seeking money or control over others for sport. We’d never seen evidence of a state-sponsored attempt for intelligence purposes. Somewhat ominously, the report writes of these efforts along with other, similar Internet Research Agency posts: “This tactic will be increasingly common as platforms make it more difficult to grow pages and buy ads with fake personas. It will be extremely difficult to detect."	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Two heatwaves that engulfed France over the summer led to an additional 1,500 deaths, the country's health minister has confirmed. Speaking to France Inter radio on Sunday, Agnes Buzyn said preventative measures meant there was a drastically lower number of deaths in comparison to a heatwave in 2003 that killed 15,000 people. Ms Buzyn said: "The 2003 heatwave lasted 20 days. We had 18 days in two waves and we managed to cut mortality by a factor of 10 thanks to preventative measures." According to the health ministry, there were 1,465 more deaths than usual: 567 during the first heatwave in June, and 868 during the second heatwave in July. The average number of deaths reported increased by 9.1% over the period, with more than half aged over 75. France experienced its hottest-ever day on record at the end of June, with temperatures reaching 46C (114.8F) in Verargues, a commune in the country's south. Image: People refresh themselves next to a water atomizer on a central square in Strasbourg A second heatwave hit in mid-July, which broke several regional records as temperatures surpassed 40C (104F). Paris broke its all-time temperature record during this heatwave - recording 42.6C (108.68F).	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Why are Republican senators, including self-proclaimed uber-reformer Rand Paul of Kentucky, working to shield Congress from transparency about its own Obamacare subsidies? Senator David Vitter of (R., La.) has made it his mission – a very admirable one — to force Congress to live under the same Obamacare rules everyone else does. Most recently, as chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Vitter has pushed for his committee to subpoena documents from Washington, D.C.’s Obamacare exchange as part of an investigation into whether members of Congress or staff falsified documents in order to receive Obamacare subsidies for which they would otherwise be ineligible. Judicial Watch had obtained the documents through a Freedom of Information request, but important information had been redacted — so Vitter wanted to subpoena the unredacted documents. Congress employs 13,700 people who are enrolled in the health plans, yet it certified itself as a small business, with under 50 employees, in order for its employees to qualify for the subsidies. Vitter says this amounts to yet another way for Congress to exempt itself from rules that pertain to everybody else. But when he called for a vote to subpoena the documents, not only did committee Democrats oppose him, but so did half the committee’s Republicans: Jim Risch (Idaho), Deb Fischer (Neb.), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), and Mike Enzi of Wyoming, along with Paul. In a press release, Vitter said: “The message [sent by his colleagues] is clear: Congress should be able to lie so that members can get a special Obamacare subsidy unavailable to anyone else at that income level. Designating the House and Senate as ’small businesses’ with 45 employees is not right. And we owe it to our constituents to find out how this was permitted to happen.” Conservative group American Commitment is particularly exercised about this dodge. “One of the only good provisions in the Obamacare law was the provision that forced Congress and its staff into Obamacare,” said Phil Kerpen, the group’s president. “But they are using a secret, corrupt deal to avoid complying with its terms. Chairman Vitter has bravely taken the lead on this, and it’s extremely disappointing to see Republicans join Democrats in obstructing his investigation.” Of the five Republicans who voted against Vitter, the most firmly opposed, according to multiple reports, was Paul. This is the guy running for president under the slogan “Defeat the Washington Machine.” Opposing transparency about special rules for Congress looks far more like acting as a cog in the machine, not as someone trying to dismantle it.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Efforts to ban drivers from holding a phone or other device in their hand while driving died yet again in the General Assembly this year, despite an successful effort to address some legislators’ concerns that similar bills in the past could open to the door to lots of “driving while black” traffic stops. It’s not completely clear whether opposition arises from a view that Virginia shouldn’t enact “nanny state” laws or whether legislators perhaps are worried that a dip in cell phone usage minutes might hurt telecom companies’ or hospital revenues.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Dopo aver giocato un paio di volte alla demo di Devil May Cry 5 che Capcom ha approntato per la Gamescom di Colonia, ci siamo infilati in una piccola stanzetta privata nello stand della Software House, dove abbiamo incontrato il game director Hideaki Itsuno. Itsuno-san è al lavoro sulla serie a partire dal secondo episodio: il titolo gli fu consegnato appena quattro mesi prima del lancio, strappato dalle mani di un misterioso designer che - come ben sappiamo - rischiò di rovinare irrimediabilmente le avventure di Dante. Dopo aver ingoiato il boccone amaro di una ricezione non proprio positiva, Itsuno si mise al lavoro di buona lena e riuscì, con il terzo e quarto capitolo, a riportare la serie in carreggiata, pur senza le estrose trovate di Kamiya (il creatore originale del brand che nel frattempo aveva abbandonato l'azienda). Adesso, a dieci ani di distanza dall'ultima avventura canonica, si è dimostrato prontissimo a rispondere a tutte le nostre domande. Domande a cura di Francesco Fossetti e Marco Mottura Intervista a Hideaki Itsuno Everyeye.it: DmC, l'ultimo episodio della saga, è stato un titolo molto chiacchierato sin dal suo annuncio (anche se riteniamo insensato l'odio di alcuni e anzi consideriamo il gioco un grandissimo action). Personalmente, ti ritieni soddisfatto da DmC? Ci sono aspetti di Devil May Cry 5 che in qualche modo hanno preso ispirazione da DmC, qualche lezione che il franchise secondo te può dire di aver appreso da quell'episodio? Hideaki Itsuno: Siamo rimasti assolutamente soddisfatti di DmC, dei risultati raggiunti a livello qualitativo, tecnico e soprattutto creativo. All'epoca della sua uscita, DmC aveva scalato rapidamente la mia classifica personale dei migliori titoli della serie, posizionandosi ai primi posti. Pensiamo inoltre che lavorare a stretto contatto con un team occidentale sia stato importante anche per altri motivi, e abbia segnato una tappa fondamentale nella crescita del franchise. Lavoravamo con Ninja Theory su base quotidiana, e io stesso visitavo gli studi del team circa una volta ogni due mesi. Scambiavamo idee e prospettive, e all'epoca abbiamo imparato molto su cosa il pubblico occidentale consideri "stiloso", e abbiamo acquisito una maggiore consapevolezza di strumenti, metodi e risorse espressive alternativi a quelli che utilizzavamo di solito. Allo stesso modo noi abbiamo cercato di trasmettere al team gli elementi che ritenevamo fondamentali per un Devil May Cry, e questo ha aiutato a concentrarci sui concetti essenziali, sul DNA della saga. Abbiamo insomma fatto mente locale su quale fosse il nostro approccio ai giochi d'azione, sulla figura di Dante, sui "requisiti minimi" in fatto di reattività del sistema di controllo. È stato un processo di mutuo scambio. DmC, in ogni caso, ci ha insegnato molto anche per un altro motivo: i feedback del pubblico. Ne abbiamo raccolti moltissimi, e abbiamo condensato suggerimenti, critiche e richieste in un bagaglio che ci è servito molto anche durante lo sviluppo di Devil May Cry 5. Everyeye.it: Devil May Cry 4 aveva all'epoca sorpreso i fan mettendoli per una vasta porzione di gioco nei panni di Nero, un personaggio diverso dallo storico protagonista della serie. Anche in questo caso, almeno a giudicare dal trailer di presentazione, la situazione con Devil May Cry 5 sembra simile, con Nero ancora una volta al centro della scena e Dante sullo sfondo: qual è la ragione dietro a questo cambio di protagonista, a maggior ragione dopo il chiacchierato Dante di DmC? Immaginiamo che molti si aspettassero di vedere Dante nei panni della star, anche un po' come dichiarazione di intenti... Hideaki Itsuno: Abbiamo deciso di concentrare il reveal e la prima demo sulla figura di Nero, perché in una qualche maniera lo sviluppo di Devil May Cry 5 è iniziato con la volontà di portare avanti la sua storia, di ripartire da dove ci eravamo fermati con lo scorso episodio. L'idea alla base era quella di mostrare finalmente Nero al picco della sua condizione fisica e mentale. In Devil May Cry 4 Nero era ancora un ragazzotto, ma adesso sono passati due anni ed il personaggio è cresciuto. Nel mondo reale abbiamo un sacco di atleti che raggiungono il picco della propria prestazione a circa 20 anni, rappresentando il vertice della condizione umana. Abbiamo provato a immaginare la stessa situazione per un mezzo demone. Tuttavia Nero non sarà l'unico protagonista, e neppure il protagonista principale. Anche Dante sarà un personaggio giocabile e avrà lo stesso rilievo nell'economia del racconto. Il punto è che per molti giocatori Dante rappresenta l'essenza di Devil May Cry, ma non per tutti: ci sono alcuni utenti che hanno iniziato a conoscere la saga con il quarto capitolo, e per loro è Nero il personaggio più rappresentativo. Inserendoli entrambi abbiamo un elemento familiare per ciascuna di queste due categorie. E poi ci sarà un terzo personaggio misterioso: lo avete già visto sul lato destro della copertina, di spalle. Per ora non sapete nulla a riguardo, neppure se si tratti di un lui o una lei. Questo è un personaggio pensato per chi si avvicinerà solo oggi alla saga. Everyeye.it: Tre personaggi giocabili, quindi. Immaginiamo che ognuno avrà un suo stile di combattimento distintivo... Hideaki Itsuno: Assolutamente sì, ciascuno dei protagonisti avrà un combat system completamente diverso per quanto riguardi stile, attacchi speciali, ritmi e tempistiche. Il gameplay di Nero è legato all'utilizzo del guanto, per Dante sarà diverso. E se volete scoprire come, vi basterà attendere il Tokyo Game Show. Everyeye.it: Visto che l'hai citato, puoi parlarci più nel dettaglio dell'utilizzo del guanto? Hideaki Itsuno: Il meccanismo che regola l'utilizzo di Nero nasce da un azzardo. Se ci pensate bene, è la prima volta che all'interno della serie avremo un'arma consumabile, con un numero di proiettili - o di cariche - limitato. Quando questa idea è stata messa sul tavolo abbiamo titubato un po', poi abbiamo detto: 'd'accordo, proviamoci!'. In pratica il guanto di Nero è in grado di eseguire delle mosse speciali chiamate Devil Breaker. Si tratta di mosse molto potenti: efficaci e utili per interrompere l'azione degli avversari, schivarne gli attacchi, infliggere danni ingenti, estendere la durata delle combo, a seconda dei casi. Dovevano necessariamente essere mosse d'impatto, altrimenti per il giocatore sarebbe stato poco interessante usarle, consumando una delle poche cariche a disposizione. In ogni caso ci saranno otto diverse tipologie di Devil Breaker: il giocatore dovrà decidere quali equipaggiare, ma anche in quale ordine. In pratica sarà possibile costruire un proprio "loadout", scegliere quali attacchi portarsi dietro a seconda delle situazioni. Quest'idea si applica anche alle boss fight: ci saranno delle combinazioni di Devil Breaker più utili di altre. Starà ai giocatori capire quali sono. Everyeye.it: Puoi dirci qualcosa in più sull'utilizzo dei Red Orb? Nella demo i menù legati allo sviluppo del personaggio erano disabilitati. Hideaki Itsuno: Da una parte funzioneranno esattamente come nella trilogia originale, per acquistare nuove abilità, attive e passive, oppure per potenziare le armi a disposizione dei protagonisti. Nel caso di Nero, potrete anche dare delle sfere a Nico per farvi costruire le cariche per specifici Devil Breaker. Everyeye.it: I rumor riguardo a questo gioco sono in giro da parecchio tempo, e anche tu in prima persona ti sei divertito a stuzzicare i fan dicendo di essere al lavoro su qualcosa per anni, dando l'impressione di uno sviluppo forse non così tranquillo. C'è mai stato un momento in cui il franchise era a rischio? Perché abbiamo dovuto aspettare più di cinque anni per un nuovo Devil May Cry? Capcom forse non era più così sicura del potenziale appeal di Dante? Hideaki Itsuno: Devil May Cry 4 è uscito una decina di anni fa, e visto che DmC non è mai stato considerato un capitolo canonico, capisco che alcuni abbiano pensato che la serie fosse in stato di fermo. In realtà questa percezione è abbastanza lontana dalla realtà dei fatti. Ho continuato costantemente a lavorare a diversi progetti, e molti riguardavano appunto il franchise di Devil May Cry. È vero che inizialmente mi sono spostato su Dragon's Dogma, ma poi sono stato comunque impegnato in DmC, anche se non è stato direttamente il mio team a svilupparlo, e infine mi sono occupato della Special Edition di Devil May Cry 4, che è uscita appena tre anni fa. Insomma, mi sono sempre concentrato su quello che mi piace fare: giochi d'azione. Capcom ha sempre supportato i miei progetti e la mia visione, tant'è che appena finiti i lavori sulla Special Edition del quarto capitolo mi è stato chiesto: 'adesso a cosa vuoi lavorare?'. Ho risposto Devil May Cry 5, e abbiamo subito iniziato l'iter produttivo. Everyeye.it: Sfortunatamente oggi il genere degli hack'n slash non sembra essere più popolare come qualche anno fa. Hai mai considerato l'ipotesi di seguire un percorso leggermente diverso per questo progetto, in maniera simile a quanto accaduto a God of War? Sony ad esempio ha deciso di introdurre alla formula originale elementi adventure e di dare più enfasi alla narrazione, e il risultato è stato un successo. Pensi che Devil May Cry potrebbe seguire o avrebbe potuto seguire una strada simile? Hideaki Itsuno: No, non abbiamo mai pensato ad una svolta del genere. Per noi l'importante è concentrarci su quello che vogliono i nostri fan. Pensa che molti dei feedback raccolti con DmC e Devil May Cry 4 erano richieste relative al numero di puzzle ambientali o fasi "platform". In tanti ci hanno chiesto i ridurne il numero, e così abbiamo fatto in Devil May Cry 5. Everyeye.it: Qual è l'aspetto di Devil May Cry 5 che ti rende maggiormente orgoglioso, e qual è stata la più grossa sfida da affrontare durante lo sviluppo? Hideaki Itsuno: Come spesso succede, si tratta in entrambi i casi dello stesso aspetto del gioco. Del resto quando ti impegni tanto per superare una difficoltà, se il risultato ti soddisfa non puoi che esserne fiero. Uno degli aspetti su cui abbiamo lavorato con più attenzione è il fattore stilistico: volevamo trovare il giusto bilanciamento (lo "sweetspot") fra il realismo dei modelli, dei personaggi e la verosimiglianza delle animazioni, e questa azione esagerata e fantastiche che non trova posto e controparte nel mondo reale. I nostri personaggi sono indiscutibilmente umani, siamo arrivati a eliminare persino le sensazioni legate alla cosiddetta "uncanny valley", eppure le azioni di cui sono capaci spaccano e superano le leggi fisiche, senza che queste due tendenze (quella naturale e quella sovrannaturale) entrino in conflitto in maniera evidente. Everyeye.it: Al di là della serie Devil May Cry, qual è il tuo hack'n slash preferito? Spiegaci anche i perché della tua scelta. Hideaki Itsuno: Devo ammettere che non ho giocato molti titoli del genere, ultimamente. L'ultimo videogame in cui mi sono perso, pur non appartenendo al genere Hack'n'Slash, è The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Yet another trove of internal Facebook documents has been leaked, this time the New York Times gained access to 1,400 pages of Facebook’s guidelines for global political speech. A recent report from the New York Times has provded an insight into how Facebook polices global political speech. A trove of internal Facebook documents obtained by the Times shows how the social media platform is “a far more powerful arbiter of global speech than has been publicly recognized or acknowledged by the company itself.” A Facebook employee reportedly leaked 1,400 pages of the internal guidelines because they “feared that the company was exercising too much power, with too little oversight — and making too many mistakes.” The documents reportedly consist of a “maze of PowerPoint slides” outlining rules for a large network of over 7,500 moderators to follow when dealing with political speech on the social media platform. These guidelines are reportedly reviewed every other Tuesday morning by several dozen Facebook employees. The Times claims that these documents are filled with gaps, biases, and errors that have resulted in moderators allowing extremist speech to flourish in some countries while cracking down harshly on mainstream comments in others. The Times provided an example of this problem: Moderators were once told, for example, to remove fund-raising appeals for volcano victims in Indonesia because a co-sponsor of the drive was on Facebook’s internal list of banned groups. In Myanmar, a paperwork error allowed a prominent extremist group, accused of fomenting genocide, to stay on the platform for months. In India, moderators were mistakenly told to take down comments critical of religion. These guidelines are set by young Facebook engineers and lawyers who attempt to distill complex political situations and statements into simple “yes or no” categories, then Facebook outsources actual moderation to other companies where unskilled workers spend their time attempting to enforce these ever-changing rules. Many of these moderators are often relying on tools such as Google Translate just to determine what is being said on Facebook’s platform and whether it violates any rules. Sara Su, a senior engineer on the News Feed, commented on the process stating: “It’s not our place to correct people’s speech, but we do want to enforce our community standards on our platform. When you’re in our community, we want to make sure that we’re balancing freedom of expression and safety.” Monika Bickert, Facebook’s head of global policy management, stated that Facebook aimed to “prevent harm” and believed that they had been successful in that endeavor so far. “We have billions of posts every day, we’re identifying more and more potential violations using our technical systems,” Bickert said. “At that scale, even if you’re 99 percent accurate, you’re going to have a lot of mistakes.” Navigating the actual documents seems like a huge task itself, Facebook says that they are only used as training material but employees claim that they are used as reference sheets on a daily basis. The Times outlines the complexity of the documents stating: One document sets out several rules just to determine when a word like “martyr” or “jihad” indicates pro-terrorism speech. Another describes when discussion of a barred group should be forbidden. Words like “brother” or “comrade” probably cross the line. So do any of a dozen emojis. The guidelines for identifying hate speech, a problem that has bedeviled Facebook, run to 200 jargon-filled, head-spinning pages. Moderators must sort a post into one of three “tiers” of severity. They must bear in mind lists like the six “designated dehumanizing comparisons,” among them comparing Jews to rats. Bickert discussed the issues they’ve faced compiling these documents saying: “There’s a real tension here between wanting to have nuances to account for every situation, and wanting to have a set of policies we can enforce accurately and we can explain cleanly.” Facebook does, however, consult with outside groups about what constitutes hate speech and what should be banned, “We’re not drawing these lines in a vacuum,” Bickert said. The Times notes some of Facebook’s more extreme stances relating to “hate speech,” for example, right-wing groups such as the Proud Boys are banned but internal documents instruct moderators to allow users to praise the terrorist group known as the Taliban in certain situations: In the United States, Facebook banned the Proud Boys, a far-right pro-Trump group. The company also blocked an inflammatory ad, about a caravan of Central American migrants, that was produced by President Trump’s political team. In June, according to internal emails reviewed by The Times, moderators were told to allow users to praise the Taliban — normally a forbidden practice — if they mentioned its decision to enter into a cease-fire. In another email, moderators were told to hunt down and remove rumors wrongly accusing an Israeli soldier of killing a Palestinian medic. Jasmin Mujanovic, an expert on the Balkans, commented on Facebook’s moderation of speech stating: “Facebook’s role has become so hegemonic, so monopolistic, that it has become a force unto itself. No one entity, especially not a for-profit venture like Facebook, should have that kind of power to influence public debate and policy.” Jonas Kaiser, a Harvard University expert on online extremism, said that for Facebook to become the arbiter of what constitutes extremism is “extremely problematic” as it “puts social networks in the position to make judgment calls that are traditionally the job of the courts.” The full report from the New York Times can be read here.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
A Youngstown State University student has started a petition to remove Ma'lik Richmond from the football team, stemming from his conviction in the 2012 rape of a 16-year-old girl in Steubenville, Ohio. Richmond and former Steubenville High School teammate Trent Mays were found delinquent in juvenile court of rape in March 2013, charged with sexually assaulting a West Virginia high school student who had passed out after a night of drinking. Richmond was sentenced to a minimum of one year in a juvenile detention center but was released a few months shy of a year in January 2014. He returned to school and the Steubenville football team. Mays, who was also convicted of using his phone to take a naked picture of the underage girl, was sentenced to at least two years and was released in January 2015. The Change.org petition, started by Katelyn Davis on Saturday morning, had garnered close to 6,000 signatures as of Sunday night and will be delivered to Youngstown State University president Jim Tressel and football coach Bo Pelini. "I'm not saying that Richmond should be expelled. He does deserve a second chance at his education," Davis told WKYC. "I do hope that he is successful in life, but he should not be representing YSU as a football player." Pelini told WFMJ in Youngstown earlier in the week that Richmond, who enrolled as a student in August 2016 and walked on to the team in January, is practicing for the upcoming season. "I gave him some stipulations and some things he had to be able to do, and if he lived up to them, he'd be able to come out and see if he could be a member of our football team. He did those things and continues to do those things right now, and he's done a nice job for us," Pelini told the station. Richmond is expected to play for the Penguins this fall but not start, according to WFMJ. The YSU athletics page lists his position as defensive tackle.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Astonished at the sight, the king followed the chase. At times, the dog ran in wide circles, while the hare took a shorter and more zigzag course. On one occasion, the hare closed in on the dog, only to be quickly shaken off. And so the race continued until both animals were exhausted. When they were approaching the site where the race had begun, after a circular chase of 12 km, the dog pounced on the hare and killed it. The king rode back to Ballarpur to tell the story to his queen. Again, Queen Hiratani was able to divine the actual meaning of the events that had just occurred. It was clearly an omen sent by the gods, that Khandkya Ballal Shah was to change his capital and build a fortified city around the temple of Anchaleshwar. The chase was but a metaphor for the town planning he was meant to follow. The walls of the city were to be built over the tracks of the sacred hare – strong bastions in the places where the dog had made his circular detour, and special fortifications where the hare had closed in on the dog and also where the dog had slain the hare. These would always be danger zones in the new city. This is how the city of Chanda or Chandrapur came into being. While some believe that the city derives its name from the moon, others say it is from the white spot on the hare's forehead.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Donald Trump is an unlikely president. He is also an unlikely cultural warrior. That hasn’t stopped him from becoming both. Besides throwing American politics into a tumult that won’t end in the near future, President Trump has reoriented and reinvigorated the American culture war. He has wrenched it away from its decades-long focus on issues related to religion and sexual morality and created another axis around populism and nationalism. The issues involved in this new culture war – anti-elitism, political correctness, immigration, national sovereignty, multiculturalism – are every bit as charged as the ones that animated the old one. They involve the symbolically and emotionally fraught questions of how we should live and who we are as a people. Other advanced countries don’t have culture wars quite like the United States. A fight has raged here since the 1970s over such issues as abortion, school prayer, traditional sexual mores, gay rights, religious displays on public property, pornography, graphic content in television shows and movies and school curriculums. The combatants have been, roughly speaking, secular coastal elites on the one hand and a religious heartland on the other. Perhaps the high point for the right in the culture war came in 2004 when George W Bush, touting his support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, won re-election on the strength of his support among evangelical Christians. Worried Democrats wondered how they could make inroads among these “values voters”. They haven’t had to worry since. Barack Obama’s election in 2008 heralded a new day. If the old culture war wasn’t quite lost for the right, it was slipping away. Traditional marriage continued to decline, the entertainment culture got more coarse and old-fashioned sexual morality became the stuff of mockery. The rout on gay marriage has been so complete, with the supreme court making gay marriage legal throughout the land, that the left has moved on to the new cause of transgender rights. Once, Democrats felt it necessary to play defence on social issues. No more. In an act that would have been unimaginable just a few years prior, the Obama administration got embroiled in litigation with an order of nuns – yes, nuns – on the question of whether they should have to technically abide by a federal contraception mandate or not. Californians celebrate a supreme court ruling on same-sex marriage in 2015. Photograph: David McNew/Getty Images In this context, Donald Trump is extremely ill suited as a culture warrior. The cliched charge against conservatives was always that they wanted “to impose their morality” on everyone else. The wag might say that Trump is not threatening to impose his morality on anyone because he doesn’t have any to impose. He has bragged about bedding beautiful models. His marriages have exploded in spectacular fashion, providing endless fodder for tabloids. His religious literacy is extremely limited, at best, and he was comfortable for decades in a New York City that, besides San Francisco, is the nation’s foremost symbol of out-of-touch, decadent liberalism. Five or 10 years ago, a Republican could have been forgiven for thinking that if Donald Trump jumped into the culture war, it would be on the other side. But Trump has changed the terms of the nation’s cultural contention. He accepts gay marriage and has no interest in fighting over what bathrooms transgender people should use. On the other hand, he has been steadfastly anti-abortion, a function of coalition politics for him more than anything else. (Trump never would have won the Republican presidential nomination if he had remained pro-choice and evangelical Christians were a key Trump voting bloc in the general election.) Trump is most vested in different battles, mainly against an establishment and a north-eastern elite that he considers overly insulated and self-interested and due to be taken down a notch. All during his campaign, he inveighed against political correctness, whose enforcers on college campuses and in the elite culture have had the upper hand in establishing the agreed-upon rules for public speech. They had the power to make transgressors against their rules grovel, cry and apologise. To deny them their jobs. To make them worry about telling the wrong joke or posting an impermissible thought on Twitter. Trump’s election, despite violating almost every rule set down by political correctness, represented a step toward the disempowerment of this elite. His ongoing war with the media has to be seen through the same prism, as a tug of war for cultural power with an arm of the establishment. It is not unusual for Republican presidents to disdain, and complain about, the media. The ferocity of Trump’s daily fight with the press is different. It is more tribal and raw, a cultural clash that Trump’s team welcomes and intends to win. Trump’s nationalism is another front in this war. A nation isn’t just a collection of people. It is a cultural expression – it has founding fathers, patriotic rituals and symbols, inspiring legends, traditional poetry and songs, a historical memory, military heroes and cemeteries. In the United States, what the late political scientist Samuel Huntington called a “denationalised” elite has undermined these patriotic pillars. This elite has worked to submerge American sovereignty in multilateral institutions and treaties and undermine its national identity through multiculturalism and mass immigration. President Trump’s unapologetic nationalism is a slap in the face to those political and business leaders who thought we were living in a “borderless” world. It is no accident that in his first week, Trump authorised the building of his famous border wall, an emphatic statement of American sovereignty, and prepared the way to begin enforcing the nation’s immigration laws more vigorously again. A barrier already stands at the US-Mexico border. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Immigration is so central to Trump because it involves the foundational questions of whether American citizens get to decide who comes here to live or not and whether the interests of American workers or foreign workers should be paramount. The left had thought most of these questions were settled, or at least were inevitably bound to be decided in its favour. It believed, in the cliche it repeats over and over, that “history was on its side”. Well, Trump shows history is much less predictable than those who profess to speak in its name realise. The great and the good assumed that Trump’s working-class supporters were dying off and would have a steadily declining influence in American politics. No one had to pay attention to them any more, as the world steadily became more cosmopolitan and integrated. These voters picked up on the disdain with which they were held and their instinct to hit back propelled the billionaire populist Donald Trump all the way to the White House. Still not recovered from its shock, the left has had to grapple with the fact that it is living in a different country than it thought and that it is on its back foot in a new culture war it didn’t expect to have to fight. Donald Trump is an unlikely cultural warrior, but if he can harness a sense of national solidarity and speak persuasively for ordinary American workers – while restraining his worst instincts – he may prove a powerful one.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
She has different kinds of relationships, with the various Thai idols. As the latest Thai idol to debut, BLACKPINK’s Lisa was asked what kind of relationships she has with with the other K-Pop idols from Thailand. She name dropped some of the hottest Thai K-Pop stars for her friends list! “I’m close with my seniors, BamBam (GOT7), Sorn (CLC) and Nichkhun (2PM).” — Lisa But surprisingly, that didn’t mean they were close as a group. “I’m close to everyone, but the others aren’t close to each other.” — Lisa Lisa and Bambam have also known each other since long before they were famous! They were close since childhood when they were still living in Thailand. Despite being in different agencies, the two of them were trainees at the same time, and supported each other in order to debut! Whenever they see each other, there’s an unspoken acknowledgement that they both made it, and succeeded in their dreams of becoming K-Pop idols. Lisa also described the level of her popularity back at home. “I visited Thailand, and a lot more people recognized me than I thought. When I was coming back to Korea, fans cheered and gave me lots of gifts at the airport.” — Lisa Lisa is certainly making Thailand proud!	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Rep. Adam Schiff Adam Bennett SchiffTop Democrats call for DOJ watchdog to probe Barr over possible 2020 election influence Overnight Defense: Top admiral says 'no condition' where US should conduct nuclear test 'at this time' \| Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings Overnight Defense: House to vote on military justice bill spurred by Vanessa Guillén death \| Biden courts veterans after Trump's military controversies MORE (D-Calif.) suggested on Thursday that U.S. national security would be better off if President Trump Donald John TrumpObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE watched cartoons in the morning rather than Fox News. "If I could make one national security recommendation to the president it would be stop watching Judge Napolitano on Fox," Schiff said on CNN, referring to Andrew Napolitano, a Fox News analyst. "This may be the only time where the country would benefit from a national security point of view if the president of the United States were watching cartoons in the morning instead of something else," Schiff added. ADVERTISEMENT Schiff said a Thursday morning tweet from Trump almost "doomed" a key House vote to renew the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance program. The president wrote on the social media site that the provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702 was potentially used to justify alleged government surveillance of his presidential campaign. The comment appeared to be at odds with the White House's official position, which was supportive of the measure. Trump soon followed up with another tweet calling on lawmakers to reauthorize the program. But the tweets stirred confusion among lawmakers, including Schiff. "Earlier this morning when those tweets started coming in, I also asked that we hold off [on voting on the bill] because it created so much of a cloud of uncertainty about — among other things — what was the administration's position on this bill," Schiff said on CNN. Many have observed a connection between topics discussed on Fox News and Trump's early morning tweets. He has previously praised "Fox and Friends," the network's morning show.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
MOSCOW, October 4. /TASS/. Ex-Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev has said in an interview on occasion of the 25th anniversary of the German reunification that event was the only right decision. Gorbachev, who had a major role in concluding a treaty on the final settlement that paved the way to the German reunification in 1990, said in the interview with the Rossiya 1 television channel: "I believe we did the right thing." "That’s from all the viewpoints. We did everything as it should have been," the former Soviet leader said. "It turned that Russia democratizes the country, conducts the reforms. Around, all those European countries carry out their reforms, the velvet revolutions. And Germany remains as it is. This touched Germans a lot," he said. According to Gorbachev, there was an English point of view rooted in the post-war slogans that Germany "should be cut into pieces." However, the Soviet politbureau backed the German reunification. The treaty on the reunification of the East and West Germany after 45 years of separation was signed on August 31, 1990. The reunification took place on October 3, 1990. Since then, the German Unity Day has been marked annually as a national holiday.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
New York Times best-selling author and populist conservative columnist Ann Coulter says President Trump is “not doing anything” about a caravan of about 1,500 Central Americans trying to seek asylum in the United States. In an interview with Fox News’s Steve Hilton, Coulter slammed Trump for not more effectively stopping the arrival of the caravan at the U.S.-Mexico border. COULTER: Well, I wish Trump would just stay on the road like he was in campaign mode again because he gets instant feedback from the crowd and that’s when he says really popular things that get Republicans elected and could possibly defend against a blue wave. But, then he gets back to Washington and he’s not doing anything about the caravan. [Emphasis added] He sent out a tweet a few weeks ago saying ‘Don’t worry, thanks Mexican government has stopped the caravan.’ And then the Daily Mail goes to Mexico and says ‘No we haven’t stopped the caravan, we’re giving them 30 day passes, 20 day passes to make sure that they can make it to America.’ They’re not all traveling with the caravan anymore but they’re spreading out so they can go to different access points. They’re 100 percent still coming. All they have to do is step across the border. And they have lots of lawyers from countries without borders advising them. This is a political attack on our nation by a political group that doesn’t believe nations should have borders. They’re advised, they’re told what to say, they step across the border. They say ‘asylum’ and that’s it. They’re going to get shipped in and we’ll get another round of MS-13 and another round of MS-13. [Emphasis added] I mean, Trump has a lot of power. He was the one who was elected. It’s Republicans and Congress that the American people hate. If he wants Congress to pass this law it wouldn’t be very hard. Maybe if he spent a little more time on making America great again and not working on South Korea and China great again. He could get back to pressuring Congress to do something for the American people and that would be pass a law saying you don’t just get to step in and say ‘I’m claiming asylum’ and then get a bus and a box lunch into America. [Emphasis added]	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Parents who use assisted reproduction should be able to confer Canadian citizenship on their children, even if they are genetically unrelated. In a 2015 article I asked: “does sperm have a flag?” The answer is, as it turns out, yes. And in the context of Canadian citizenship, it seems likely that eggs and wombs have flags too – although we can’t yet be entirely sure. But one thing is clear: a genetic/biological relationship plays a critical role in citizenship – even in this contemporary era of reproductive technologies and diverse practices of family formation. Canada’s Citizenship Act enables people born abroad to a Canadian-born citizen parent to be Canadians. But who is a parent? Traditionally, marriage turned husbands into (presumptive) fathers and mothers were women who gave birth. All Canadian provinces (which have jurisdictional authority for domestic parentage determination) maintain this definition, and they also include provisions for cohabiting different-sex partners. Some provinces have gone further, including specific provisions for same-sex partners, and incorporating provisions to name parents in situations involving assisted conception and surrogate mothers. In all provincial statutes that address parentage and reproductive technologies, donors are not automatically considered parents, despite their genetic relationship to the child. Surrogate mothers are considered mothers until they waive their rights. In British Columbia, it is possible for three people to be named parents to a child, and in Ontario, up to four people can be named parents – but both provinces require a preconception agreement among the parties for these parentage designations to apply. The provinces are not the only jurisdictions that are required to define who are parents. Given that citizenship status is a federal jurisdiction, and that the vast majority of Canadians become citizens on the basic criteria of birth, one might imagine that parentage would receive some attention in the federal Citizenship Act. While the word “parent” appears 95 times in the English text of the Act, it is never defined. As far as how children are understood, the Act tells us that a “child includes a child adopted or legitimized in accordance with the laws of the place where the adoption or legitimation took place.” So, what should be done about children born abroad with the assistance of reproductive technologies? Since the Citizenship Act is imprecise on exactly who constitutes a parent, the courts have necessarily been compelled to offer clarification. With regard to reproductive technologies, the case of record on this matter is Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) v. Kandola 2014 – heard by the Federal Court of Appeal. There, the court determined that a genetic relationship with a Canadian parent was required for a child born abroad to acquire Canadian citizenship. The case involved the denial of Canadian citizenship to a child born in India to a Canadian father married to an Indian mother. The couple was forthright with citizenship officials regarding their use of reproductive technologies in the conception of their child and the fact that neither parent was genetically related to their daughter, even though her mother had given birth to her. In the lower court decision, the judge had ruled that the child was indeed a Canadian because she was born to married parents – she was “legitimized…in accordance with the laws of the place where the legitimation took place.” In the Federal Court of Appeal, however, the court held that the absence of a genetic tie to her Canadian parent meant that the child was not a Canadian. The fact that her parents were married when she was born – and thus, that her birth was legitimate – did not suffice, since to be legitimized, as the Citizenship Act states, requires a prior state of illegitimacy. The justices also examined the meaning of the word parent. Finding that the term was unhelpfully ambiguous in English, they sought clarity in the French text of the Act. In their reading, in order to be born of a father (né d’un père) or a mother (né d’une mère), a child would have to be genetically related to her Canadian parent. And while the Kandola case did not concern a Canadian citizen mother, the justices opined that both genetic and gestational motherhood would be required in order to confer Canadian citizenship from mother to child. One might appreciate the clarity of genetic relationship as a means for determining citizenship for children born abroad. Unfortunately, though, genetic relationship is not an especially reliable indicator of a parental social identity or commitment. Indeed, one can envision the possible, lucrative opportunities for Canadian men abroad that such a genetic definition of citizenship would confer. But more seriously, as the availability of reproductive technologies increases and the domestic definition of parentage and families expands, this narrow cleaving to genetics – to Canadian blood – fails to reflect the realities of Canadians’ lives and practices of family formation. We can do better. Taking the lead from provinces that already have provisions for parentage determination in situations involving reproductive technologies, a revised Citizenship Act (or regulations) could require that Canadian parents register their intent to seek out reproductive services and the possibility that their child could be born abroad. Parents could be required to provide supporting evidence from health care providers; and the Canadian regulations might limit recognition to certified providers, clinics or hospitals. Such provisions would apply to people normally resident in Canada who seek out foreign reproductive health services, and would address a broader social interest in the health and well-being of Canadian-citizen parents and children, as well as international human rights obligations to protect women from exploitation. For Canadians who are resident abroad and thus less likely to be aware of Canadian legal developments around parentage, the Act could rely on the parentage provisions of the country of residence – as it currently does for the definition of a child. In the context of Canadian citizenship and foreign adoptions, Canadian law underscores the importance of a genuine parent-child relationship. By contrast, the citizenship of children born to Canadian parents requires only genetics. Surely people who pursue parentage through the use of reproductive technologies are sufficiently genuine in their intent to form a parent-child relationship that they, too, can confer citizenship on their children. It’s time for Canada’s Citizenship Act to catch up. This article is part of the Addressing the Gaps in Canada’s Assisted Reproduction Policy special feature. Photo: Shutterstock, by Per Bengtsson. Do you have something to say about the article you just read? Be part of the Policy Options discussion, and send in your own submission. Here is a link on how to do it. \| Souhaitez-vous réagir à cet article ? Joignez-vous aux débats d’Options politiques et soumettez-nous votre texte en suivant ces directives.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
As previously reported, the limited edition of Fate/Extra CCC will come with a Saber Bride Figma figurine. This week, the Good Smile Company showed the figure off on their blog with photographs: The Saber Bride Figma will also have a second head part with an expression and fringe that’s based on Type-Moon co-founder Takashi Takeuchi’s design, which you can find below. Bear in mind that the illustrations for Fate/Extra CCC are provided by Arco Wada. Fate/Extra CCC will be released in Japan on February 21st, 2013.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
This is actually the second Contact Vector Kickstarter that is running. I noticed the first one a few weeks back, and I literally was in the middle of writing up a post about it when it was cancelled after only a couple of days. The original Kickstarter campaign was heavily focused on developing Contact Vector as a multiplayer only game, and apparently the devs received a lot of feedback suggesting that a single player version of the game would be more welcome. And so, here we are again with the Contact Vector Kickstarter, except this time the will focus on single player first and add multiplayer options as stretch goals. Oh, and there is a web-based demo of sorts available for you to try. I myself am quite interested in Contact Vector, and have been waiting for this second Contact Vector Kickstarter to appear. The reason for my interest is that I actually tried the demo a few weeks ago, and while trying the demo it occurred to me that Contact Vector might capture some of the magic I felt when I played Nexus: the Jupiter Incident (I am still bummed that the Nexus 2 Kickstarter failed). Contact Vector is less about ship micromanagement and more about fleet command, which is what I loved about Nexus. Contact Vector will be largely about fleet positioning and tackforce tactics rather than about frantic maneuvering. Contact Vector will include a number of features that should appeal to a lot of strategy fans. First off, it will be possible to play the game either in real-time or as a turn-based game. This should appeals to both the RTS players and the turn-based strategy fans. Second, each new game of Contact Vector will use a procedurally generated galaxy to explore and conquer, which will increase replayability. Players will also have to worry about things as reinforcements and logistics, and keeping your fleets well supplied will be critical. Oh, and you will be able to heavily customise your ships with different components. I recommend reading over the Contact Vector info page to get more details All in all, Contact Vector sounds very promising and I really hope they can deliver on the game. It is worth trying out the demo to get an idea of what they are going for, although bear in mind that this is a “style demo” and there isn’t much to do other than order the ships to fire at each other and have a look around. In any case, check out the Contact Vector Kickstarter and see what you think. Oh, and many of the pledge tiers will give you early access, beta, or alpha testing access depending on the level. Check it out! As always, Death by Beta is committed to keeping you up to date with the latest alpha and beta testing news. Please follow us on Twitter and check out our Facebook page in order to get the latest news as soon as it hits. Feel free to send us an email with any comments or feedback via our Contact page , or leave a comment below. Return to the DBB homepage.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
A committee of members of European Parliament has voted to approve amendments to European copyright law that could spell disaster for the internet in a number of ways. If it gets voted in by the wider European Parliament, it threatens to eradicate mods, memes, and will even affect things as commonplace as sourced news and posting photos of you wearing a t-shirt of your favourite game. First net neutrality in the US, now this. There are two highly-controversial articles in a piece of legislation called the Copyright Directive, approved by the EU’s Legal Affairs Committee. Article 11 would require anyone using snippets of online journalistic content to pay their sources via a license, which would make reporting on news broken by other sites impossibly expensive for mid-tier publications like us. There’s also Article 13, which makes platforms responsible for monitoring potentially copyright-infringing content themselves, even that which is published by users. The problems with Article 11 are pretty clear on the surface, but Article 13 is potentially very dangerous. If all sites and services are required to strictly monitor for copyright infringement, then most will likely turn to unreliable algorithms that automatically flag copyrighted content. With how much of a problem this has been on sites like YouTube, and how stricter it looks to be than Google’s current systems for the video platform, this could ruin instances of fair use and make it hazardous to share and produce memes, make mods for games, and even something as innocuous as posting a photo on Twitter or Facebook of yourself wearing a t-shirt with copyrighted material on it. This all comes after last week, when 70 leading figures in tech including Vint Cerf and Tim Berners-Lee, signed a letter opposing Article 13, which called the proposal “an imminent threat to the future” of the internet. Talking to BoingBoing, activist Cory Doctorow criticised what he called a “foolish, terrible idea … No filter exists that can even approximate this. And the closest equivalents are mostly run by American companies, meaning that US big tech is going to get to spy on everything Europeans post and decide what gets censored and what doesn’t.” Voting on the European copyright law legislation in the wider EU Parliament will happen in July. Until then, every advocate, tech leader, and activist is encouraging people living in Europe to contact their local MEPs and voice their concerns about the legislation. After today’s committee vote, US not-for-profit organisation Creative Commons called it “a dark day for the open web.”	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Cedar Acres East offers you a wonderful place to call home. We are located in beautiful Lancaster, PA in a peaceful community filled with historical landmarks and a rustic setting. Whether you are seeking new 1 bedroom apartments for rent or the perfect 2 bedroom apartment for rent, we have the best options available to choose from. Our rental apartments offer an affordable living experience with all utilities included in the price of rent. There is no better deal on cheap apartments for rent available in Lancaster, PA. Our apartment units come with everything paid for including trash removal, lawn maintenance, water, sewage, landscaping, and gas for cooking, heating, clothes drying, and hot water. We also provide maintenance services 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for your convenience. Cedar Acres East apartment homes are not only affordable but they are also beautifully laid out with roomy interiors and many different appliances. Every apartment has a washer and a dryer as well as a dishwasher, garbage disposal, refrigerator-freezer, range and oven, thermostats, and central air conditioning. We have included everything you need for convenient and affordable living so you can enjoy all that your new apartment has to offer. Enjoy the best in apartment living and make Cedar Acres East your new home. We look forward to providing you with a beautiful apartment that is both affordable and nicely located. Give us a call for more information by calling us at (717) 397-4968 today.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
(Akihabara Chou Doujinsai) [Setoran (Itou Seto, Tanno Ran)] Koisuru Formidable wa Aishitagari -Nagisa de Tawawa- \| My Beloved Formidable is Eager for Loving at the Beach (Azur Lane) [English] english translated azur lane formidable shikikan f:big breasts f:bikini f:hair buns f:inverted nipples f:sole female f:swimsuit f:twintails	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
President Trump’s approval rating has fallen significantly amid the coronavirus outbreak. Both traditional polls and aggregations have shown that the president’s approval rating has fallen over the last two weeks. More than 1,100 people in the United States have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, and at least 32 of those patients have died. Trump’s approval index on Feb. 25 stood at +1, according to Rasmussen, a right-leaning polling company that tracks the president’s approval rating on a daily basis. On Wednesday, that number fell to -11. The president’s net approval rating fell two points, from -8.9 on Feb. 24 to -10.8 on Wednesday, according to the FiveThirtyEight aggregate of polls. Trump’s popularity has also dropped in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. On Feb. 26, his net disapproval rating was +4.3. In two weeks, his net disapproval had doubled to +8.8. Trump, who is set to deliver a statement on Wednesday night about his administration's response to the coronavirus as the number of cases grows, has been criticized for not adequately dealing with the growing crisis. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden called Trump the “worst possible leader” to manage the coronavirus outbreak. At a recent rally in South Carolina, the president accused Democrats of “politicizing” the outbreak. The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic on Wednesday.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
C# 6.0 Null-Conditional Operator and robustness of code Today I had an interesting chat with one of my colleagues. He sent me this link talking about the new improved C# 6.0 features. Quite interesting stuff. He had one special thing to discuss about and pointed to these lines code. It is about the null-conditional operator, certainly: My buddy asked me what do I think about it. Isn’t that great reduction of code size? Let’s consider that code. What is my expectation when calling that function? What do I want to accomplish, what do I need to make this code robust? How do I make my infrastructure of calling methods and retrieving information unified to all my code? Yes this is not a comprehensive example. It’s a small piece of code that should show how we can reduce logic and therefore have less lines of code in the first place. No certainly I don’t want to have extra lines of code to check if the return value is null. Why doesn’t this method just simply returns an empty list instead of null? If this would be the case, there is actual no need to use the null-conditional operator at all. We can happily return the count without any problems of checking. Generelly applied to as a rule we may not even think about return values. (This area is quite some kind of different when we’re talking about algorithims that must be highly optimized). Actually there is nothing against the usage of the null-conditional operator when it is simple and straight. But what about misuse? Not only shorten the code but thinking about this operator as an ever healing cure. As described in a former post – What’s wrong with that: I am not that good in naming classes – , I more often see misuses. Have a look here: This is a pretty good example of avoiding taking responsibility of the written code. Let’s summarize the usages. _excelApplicationManager?: Actually we use dependency injection. This is a service that will be created by Windsor Castle and injected into that class. It will be stored in an readonly field variable. When we really need to do this check, we have a pretty huge problem – then there is something really problematic in our environment. This one is really absolutely senseless and will confuse the reader. .Application?: So this may be a valid one? Why not write more readable code by another property called „HasApplication“ that this service provides? Especially the code after anyway has to deal with the results. So just returning null value here will lead to not evaluate the full line of code but what then? I prefer to check the necessary variables directly and throw descriptive exceptions that show why the program misbehaves. In this case, there is nothing beside a null exception that will come up somewhen later in code. And then I don’t know what the reason was. .ActiveWorkbook?: The same applies here. When the activeworkbook is not specified the program has to communicate that taking action is impossible without that prerequisite. .Excel: There is no operator anymore. Why? Cannot be null? Why going back to Excel instance? A lt of question raises here. .Sheets(chartGraphic.ShareRange.AlternativeText): I did write about that problems in the other post, but certainly also here we need to act more straight forward. If there is no Sheet with that name it will fail ungracefully. Again my suggestion is to take responsibility. Every single line of code has a meaning. Shorten code is great when it simplifies, not on cost of readability. Be clear about how to handle null values, either within a method or when returning information after calling a method. Then this operator will not be overused, and not be used in wrong places.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
She was replaced by world No.54 Cardwell, the daughter of squash great and Squash Australia director Vicki Cardwell, who leap-frogged the higher ranked Urquhart and Lisa Camilleri, to win a late singles spot. Donna Urquhart is Australia's third highest ranked singles player. Credit:Colleen Petch It was a decision that prompted Urquhart to engage Sydney lawyer Chris Barnes, who is also representing Matt Karwalski, the player who arrived in Glasgow on Friday to take Alexander's spot in the men's doubles after winning an appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week. Barnes claims that Cardwell had been in the squad as injury cover, and when it was discovered that the squash team were not permitted to have a non-playing member in Glasgow, the call was made to cut Urquhart from the singles. "They sat her down and said 'actually we're now going to pull you out of the singles'. And the reason was that they stuffed up and didn't realise that they couldn't take a player over who wasn't going to play in an event," said Barnes, who is also vice-president of NSW Squash. "At that stage Sarah Cardwell was the reserve but they told (Urquhart) they were putting her in the singles instead, even though she's ranked massively below Donna and Donna had beaten her about two days beforehand." Urquhart won the Victorian Open just before the Commonwealth Games. Credit:Stuart Walmsley The selection storm comes only a month after Squash Australia was dealt a huge blow, having its high performance funding cut by $320,000 or 35 per cent by the Australian Sports Commission, who described as "limited" the sport's ability to contribute to the targets of their 'Winning Edge' scheme. The criteria for future funding revolves directly around medal-winning capacity in major international events and Squash Australia's performance pathway manager, Gordon Young, said the decision to withdraw Urquhart from the singles was made so she can focus on the doubles, in which they hope her and Camilleri can challenge for the podium. However, if medals here for the squash team could help shore up squash's immediate future then the rationale has done little to appease Urquhart, according to Barnes. He said she would be entering the doubles bitterly disappointed about her singles ousting, which he claimed had occurred without the blessing of selectors. "I can tell you I spoke to the selection committee about the Donna situation and they were appalled and they said 'no we should be putting our best singles players in'," Barnes said. "This isn't anything against Sarah Cardwell. If they did this from the start then (Urquhart) might have been able to cop it. But what she has found hard is knowing from April (she was playing singles) and training her guts out, to the point that she was on a roll and won the Victorian Open, and the next day being sat down and told 'you're not playing'." Urquhart had defeated Cardwell, 22, in the quarter-finals of this month's Victorian Open before upstaging Grinham 12-10, 14-12, 12-10 to claim the title and was approaching Glasgow on a wave of confidence she hoped could put her in contention for a singles medal. Instead, she had to sit out the singles while Cardwell took her place, losing 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 to Canadian Sam Cornett in the first round in Glasgow. Young, who is the squash team's section manager, denied Cardwell had been included at the expense of Urquhart to provide back-up in case of injury, saying the call was made because Australia's primary focus was doubles. "The medals in doubles are very important to us and we want everybody at 100 per cent," said Young. "We made a team decision to put certain people in certain events and that's where we have to go. It's up to us to make sure we maximise our medal opportunities and that's what we've done. "The athletes have to follow the direction that we give them. They're not running the show. You have to make decisions for the whole team, not just one individual." On the court's decision on Alexander, Barnes said Karwalski had mounted a case that he deserved selection based on Squash Australia's selection criteria.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Deputy White House Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said Friday House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler’s push for Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s “complete and unredacted” Russia report is “just more political grandstanding.” Gidley made the comments on “America’s Newsroom” when he was asked if the White House has a problem giving Nadler the full, unredacted report. Nadler, D-N.Y., issued a subpoena Friday to obtain the "complete and unredacted" version of Mueller's report, as well as the underlying materials. “I’m shocked,” Gidley said sarcastically. HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE ISSUES SUBPOENA FOR 'COMPLETE AND UNREDACTED' MUELLER REPORT He added, “Jerry Nadler is irrelevant in the situation. The American people now know that regardless of what the Democrats were saying about the president, lies they were telling with zero evidence and zero proof, now he wants to go deeper. When does this ever stop? I mean, if we gave him the unredacted report, if we gave him all the tax returns unredacted as well, he would still want something else.” Gidley was then asked again if he would have a problem releasing the full report. “We are not going to deal with Jerry Nadler in that matter. We have already cooperated so much with the House Democrats and we’ll continue to do so,” Gidley said in response. “But the fact is, this is just more political grandstanding by someone who has nothing to run on, nothing to talk about, other than trying to attack a man who has now been proven completely innocent of any crime.” After two years of suspense, Mueller’s report was released into Washington’s partisan scrum Thursday showing investigators did not find evidence of collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia – as Attorney General Bill Barr declared last month – but also revealing an array of controversial actions by the president that were examined as part of the investigation’s obstruction inquiry. Mueller ultimately did not reach a conclusion on whether the president's conduct amounted to obstruction, stating: "[W]hile this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." On Friday, Gidley also reacted to Rep. Adam Schiff’s, D-Calif., recent claim that "significant evidence of collusion" existed. BIDEN EXPECTED TO DECLARE 2020 BID ON WEDNESDAY: SOURCES “Yesterday he was on another network and they asked him about moving to impeach the president and he sided with Nancy Pelosi. She said it wouldn't be worthwhile, quote unquote, to do that, but he said the reason we won’t is because we need overwhelming and demonstrable evidence against this president. Wait a minute. You've been on network television telling everyone you had this evidence,” said Gidley. “Just like the special counsel, it's time to put up or shut up. If you have the evidence, show it. The problem is, he doesn't, he knows it. He's been lying to the American people. He's been lying to all of us, accusing this president of treason for two and a half years.” When asked if he welcomes Joe Biden into the 2020 race, Gidley answered, “Absolutely.” He added, “The president is going to beat anyone and everyone who comes into this race.” Joe Biden is expected to declare his candidacy for president next week, two sources with knowledge of the former vice president’s plans confirmed to Fox News on Friday.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
The international edition of the New York Times will no longer feature editorial cartoons. The move to self-censorship follows the uproar sparked by publication of a widely denounced antisemitic caricature of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The cartoon, published in April, depicted Netanyahu as a dog wearing a Star of David collar and leading a sightless U.S. President Donald Trump — who was wearing a Jewish skullcap. The offensive piece was drawn by Portuguese artist António Moreira Antunesas and published during the Passover holiday. The cartoon prompted an uproar within the Jewish community and sparked protests outside the Times’ office in New York City, with Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. likening it to the content of Nazi propaganda newspaper Der Sturmer. Blaming its publication on “a production editor who did not recognize its anti-Semitism,” the paper was eventually forced into a backdown: An Editors’ Note to appear in Monday’s international edition. pic.twitter.com/1rl2vXoTB3 — New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) April 27, 2019 Now it has moved beyond apology to giving up altogether on the notion of publishing editorial cartoons. Editor James Bennet explained the paper had planned for a year to cease running political cartoons in the international print version of the Times, in line with the U.S. edition. The decision will come into effect on July 1, Bennet said in a Monday statement. New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger announced in May that the editor who published the original cartoon would be disciplined. AFP contributed to this story	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Enable Javascript! This HTML 5 app requires Javascript to run. Please check that Javascript is enabled in your browser.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Roche, the world's biggest maker of cancer drugs, said it would offer 'significantly' cheaper, locally branded versions of its two cancer drugs Herceptin and MabThera by early next year The Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche plans to offer sharply discounted versions of two cancer drugs in India. The news comes after the Indian government stripped the German drugmaker Bayer of exclusive rights to produce the kidney cancer drug Nexavar earlier this month, and licensed a local company to make a cheap, generic version, arguing that many Indians could not otherwise afford the life-saving drug. Roche, the world's biggest maker of cancer drugs, said it would offer "significantly" cheaper, locally branded versions of its two cancer drugs Herceptin and MabThera towards the end of the year or in 2013. They will be renamed and packaged by Roche's Indian partner Emcure Pharmaceuticals. "The scope is to enable access for a large majority of patients who currently pay out of pocket as well as to partner with the government to enable increased access to our products for people in need," said a Roche spokesman. Monthly doses of Herceptin, for breast cancer, and MabThera, for cancers of the blood and lymphatic system, cost between $3,000 (£1,889) and $4,500 per patient at wholesale prices. The spokesman added: "With this strategy, we expect to significantly increase the number of patients treated with our therapies and help patients currently under treatment to continue to use our products properly." He denied that the move was prompted by the Bayer case. "Rather it is part of our overall strategy in emerging markets, where we work closely with governments and payers in order to enable access to our medicines," he said. For example, working with the Egyptian health authorities Roche introduced a second brand of its HCV medicine Pegasys in Egypt that was packaged locally. "This allowed for differential pricing, with the local brand available at a significantly reduced price enabling greater access to those in need. We are considering this approach as part of our strategy for various emerging markets." Roche's decision will reignite the debate over whether prices for life-saving medicines should be cut in poorer countries. Several drugmakers, including GlaxoSmithKline, have already slashed their prices for HIV/Aids drugs in Africa, as well as some middle-income countries elsewhere. However, there are fears that a proposed free trade agreement between the EU and India, which could be signed by the autumn, could spell the end of cheap drugs for the developing world.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
After enjoying a first-round bye in the playoffs, the Kansas City Chiefs hit Arrowhead Stadium Saturday against the Colts. You probably know the Chiefs' playoff history, last winning a home playoff game in January 1994. The drought has some fans thinking something insidious is at play, Including two fans who say they've got proof of bad spirits.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Steve Stich and Evan Sally teamed up on this week’s Hard Foul Podcast. The guys spoke about what the Bills did at the NFL Draft, what the selection of Cardale Jones says for Tyrod Taylor. The guys then took a look at the NBA Playoffs. What’s wrong with Toronto? Can the Thunder shock the Spurs? We talk all that and more on the latest edition of the podcast. Two Ways to Listen: iTunes SoundCloud If you have an Android device and don’t want to use SoundCloud there are several apps on the Play Store that our show is available on. We recommend Podcast and Radio Addict. Feedback is always appreciated! Tweet us @HardFoulSports, message us on Facebook or email us at hardfoulsports@gmail.com. As always thank you for listening, and if you like the show tell a friend, give us a review on iTunes or a like on SoundCloud and help us continue to bring you great content!	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
On May 9, 2018, Nintendo discontinued service for its Miitomo smart device app. Miitomo was Nintendo's first smart device app, and we are glad we were able to deliver this unique and fun experience to users. The development and operational know-how we cultivated through the Miitomo app can be applied to the development and operation of future smart device apps and games. We sincerely thank our fans for their support of Miitomo and all our apps, and we look forward to bringing you new experiences in the future. We see this app as accomplishing a portion of our goal of getting Nintendo IP (in this case, Mii characters) into the hands of consumers across a variety of environments worldwide. At the same time, we've seen the number of ongoing users for the app decrease. We have decided to discontinue this service so that we can better optimize our operational resources across our entire smart device business. May 9, 2018 at 12:00am PT. The app (including features such as Friend Suggestions and Miifoto image-sharing) cannot be used or downloaded after that date. Yes. The service was discontinued simultaneously worldwide. No refunds will be provided. We announced the discontinuation of service well in advance to give players time to use any remaining game tickets or Miitomo Coins. At the end of May, users who don’t own a dedicated Nintendo console or have a Nintendo Network ID can create a Mii character through their Nintendo Account settings and/or the My Nintendo website via a web browser. My Nintendo can be accessed by visiting http://my.nintendo.com. If you linked your Nintendo Account to Miitomo before May 9 you can still use your Miitomo Mii as your Nintendo Account Mii. Its personality and other information do not carry over. The Mii character will be displayed as the user’s Nintendo Account avatar, as well as in related applications like the Nintendo Switch parental controls and Super Mario Run. When this feature becomes available at the end of May 2018, users can create up to six Mii characters per each Nintendo Account. If Miitomo or a Nintendo Network ID is already linked to the Nintendo Account, the previously created Mii character will take up one of those slots. Mii characters can be created, edited or deleted through the Nintendo Account settings. This feature is compatible with web browsers on iOS, Android and PC. As of 5/9/18, Miitomo Rewards are no longer available through My Nintendo. The process would be the same for deleting any app from your particular device.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Thursday, December 17, 2015 A contribution to the emerging law of Facebook from the New York Appellate Division for the First Judicial Department. In this personal injury action, plaintiff alleges that while riding one of defendant's horses, the stirrup leather attached to the saddle broke, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground. Plaintiff claims that defendant was negligent because, inter alia, he failed to properly prepare the horse for riding, and neglected to maintain and inspect the equipment. Plaintiff alleges that the accident resulted in cognitive and physical injuries that have limited her ability to participate in social and recreational activities. At her deposition, plaintiff testified that she maintained and posted to a Facebook account prior to the accident, but deactivated the account at some point after. Defendant sought an order compelling plaintiff to provide an unlimited authorization to obtain records from her Facebook account, including all photographs, status updates and instant messages. The motion court granted the motion to the extent of directing plaintiff to produce: (a) all photographs of herself privately posted on Facebook prior to the accident that she intends to introduce at trial; (b) all photographs of herself privately posted on Facebook after the accident that do not show nudity or romantic encounters; and (c) authorizations for Facebook records showing each time plaintiff posted a private message after the accident and the number of characters or words in those messages. Plaintiff now appeals. The majority ...plaintiff must provide defendant with all photographs of herself posted on Facebook, either before or after the accident, that she intends to use at trial. Plaintiff concedes that she cannot use these photographs at trial without having first disclosed them to defendant. We disagree with the dissent's position that we should reconsider the well-settled body of case law, from both this Court and other Departments, governing the disclosure of social media information. Both parties here agree with the general legal principles set forth in the existing case law and differ only as to the application of those principles to the specific facts of this case. Neither party asks us to revisit our controlling precedent, and the doctrine of stare decisis requires us to adhere to our prior decisions (see People v Aarons, 305 AD2d 45, 56 [1st Dept [*3]2003] ["stare decisis stands as a check on a court's temptation to overrule recent precedent. Only compelling circumstances should require us to depart from this doctrine"], affd 2 NY3d 547 [2004]). Although we agree with the dissent that social media is constantly evolving, there is no reason to alter the existing legal framework simply because the potential exists that new social network practices may surface. Furthermore, there is no dispute that the features of Facebook at issue here (i.e., the ability to post photographs and send messages) have been around for many years. The dissent There are two aspects of these previous rulings that are problematic: first, the showing necessary to obtain discovery of relevant information posted on Facebook or other social networking sites, and second, the procedure requiring that once a threshold showing is made, the trial court must conduct an in camera review of the posted contents in each case to ensure that the defendant's access is limited to relevant information. In view of how recently our initial rulings on the subject were issued, it makes sense to revisit those initial rulings sooner rather than later; in any event, the topic is too new to warrant rigid adherence at this time to our initial rulings under the doctrine of stare decisis... The majority suggests that the doctrine of stare decisis precludes us from altering our previous rulings. However, in my view this so-called "well-settled body of case law" is not so long-established that it is deserving of immutable stare decisis treatment. "[T]he relevant factors in deciding whether to adhere to the principle of stare decisis include the antiquity of the precedent, the reliance interests at stake, and of course whether the decision was well reasoned" (Montejo v Louisiana, 556 US 778, 792-793 [2009]). Not only are the precedents under consideration here only a few years old, but they concern social networking practices that are still in the process of developing. Under these circumstances, the relationship of social media and thelaw ought to be flexible, open to discussion and re-examination, rather than bound by our initial views regarding the optimal procedure to be used. In addition to relying on stare decisis, the majority concludes that there is no need to "alter the existing legal framework." Little is said about how the existing decisions have unfairly created a rule of judicial protectionism for the digital messages and images created by social networking site users, in contrast to how discovery of tangible documents is treated under the CPLR. In this context — the area where litigation and social media converge — it is important to keep in mind that in recent years social media profiles have become virtual windows into subscribers' lives. The breadth of information posted by many people on a daily basis creates ongoing portrayals of those individuals' lives that are sometimes so detailed that they can rival the defense litigation tool referred to as a "day in the life" surveillance video. And, just as "day in the life" videos are a staple of tort practice (see Ken Strutin, The Use of Social Media in Sentencing Advocacy; Technology Today, NYLJ, Sept. 28, 2010 at 5, col 1), the contents of a self-made portrait of a plaintiff's day-to-day life may contain information appropriate for discovery in personal injury litigation. Facebook and other similar social networking sites are so popular that it will soon be uncommon to find a personal injury plaintiff who does not maintain such an on-line presence. We should keep that in mind when unnecessarily creating new discovery procedures for them, especially when those procedures are unduly burdensome on our trial courts. (Mike Frisch) https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2015/12/a-contribution-ton-the-emerging-law-of-facebook-from-the-new-york-appellate-division-for-the-first-judicial-department.html	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
There’s a saying that for every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong. On tuition fees and student debt in England, both Theresa May and her new education secretary, Damian Hinds, are going for the “clear, simple and wrong” option. May’s intuition is: why should students at Oxbridge and a former polytech have to pay the same £9,250 a year to study as undergraduates? Why should someone taking an English course pay the same as someone doing engineering, when the complete works of Shakespeare are a fraction of the cost of a laser cutter? And why should someone who goes on to earn bucketloads in the City pay the same as a nurse or teacher? May warns universities over high cost of tuition fees Read more The obvious answer would be to charge variable fees, but those who study the issue for at least 10 seconds quickly realise that all those cases contradict each other. It is true that different university courses cost different amounts. That’s why the government subsidises the more valuable ones, such as medicine and engineering, so that the uniform £9,250 fee is maintained. An English degree might be cheaper to teach than physics, but an English course at a Russell Group university is going to cost much the same as at any other university. And yet, we know that graduates from Oxford or Cambridge and graduates from newer universities tend to earn different amounts. Ironically, the highest-earning undergraduate courses in the country are among the cheapest to run: economics degrees at Birkbeck College and the London School of Economics. It’s partly because they attract qualified students, but also because both colleges are located right next to the UK’s most lucrative employers in the City of London. Under the current loans system, those well-paid graduates will pay back far more of their student loans than the mythical graduate hairdressers. So they do end up paying variable fees. We don’t know what Theresa May’s review will come up with yet, but forcing down tuition fees by itself will not solve the problem of making university more affordable. Tuition fees account for less than half of many students’ debts – so cutting them still leaves a lot owing.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Not sure if song is good or just really loud 139 shares	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
This article is more than 2 years old This article is more than 2 years old Thomas Müller’s thunderous equaliser ensured the heavyweight friendly showdown between Germany and Spain finished all-square in Dusseldorf. Rodrigo gave Spain an early lead in the battle between the last two World Cup winners, but Müller levelled things up before half-time with an unstoppable 25-yard shot. Both teams had chances to win the game, with Germany defender Mats Hummels hitting the crossbar and opposing goalkeepers David de Gea and Marc-André ter Stegen cementing their reputations as two of the best stoppers on the planet, but no more goals were forthcoming as the match finished 1-1. Spain travelled to Germany unbeaten in 16 games since Julen Lopetegui took the reins after Euro 2016, but Friday’s clash at a sold-out Esprit Arena represented arguably their biggest test of that run. Jesse Lingard strikes as experimental England defeat Netherlands Read more With that in mind, Lopetegui named a strong side - as did Germany counterpart Joachim Löw - which included a 150th international appearance for Sergio Ramos. And the 2010 World Cup winners could hardly have made a better start against the reigning world champions, taking the lead inside six minutes. Andres Iniesta picked out Rodrigo’s run in behind Hummels with an inch-perfect pass into the box, and the Valencia forward fired a rising first-time shot past Ter Stegen. That was just the start Spain would have been hoping for, but Germany - also unbeaten since the European Championships in a run of 21 matches - rallied and went close through Jonas Hector and Timo Werner before Müller drew them level 10 minutes before the break with a stunning strike. Mesut Özil, Hector, Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira were all involved before the ball was fed to Müller and the Bayern Munich forward took one touch before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner of De Gea’s net. Germany v Spain, Italy v Argentina and more: international football – as it happened Read more De Gea had no chance to save that, but Germany found the Manchester United keeper unbeatable otherwise. He was called into action just moments after the restart to brilliantly turn away Julian Draxler’s 25-yard piledriver and then produced another impressive stop to deny İlkay Gündoğan. In between those efforts Germany keeper Ter Stegen showed what he can do with a fine save from Isco. The hosts continued to pose the greater goalthreat,and Werner went close again before Hummels sent a 65th-minute header crashing against the crossbar from Kroos’s cross. Spain substitute Diego Costa had chance to snatch a late winner but he could not convert and the two countries - who could meet again in the World Cup semi-finals - ended up sharing the honours.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Almost a dog’s lifetime later, it’s still controversial. In 2005, in the wake of disturbing dog attacks, Ontario passed a law designed to permanently remove pit bulls — and dogs that looked like them — from the province. The law stopped short of a total ban, at least in the short term, but went some distance in that direction. Under the law, four breeds (pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers and American pit bull terriers) had to be kept muzzled or leashed in public and sterilized within two months of the bill’s passage. It also became illegal to import them into the province. The four breeds are often referred to together as ‘pit bulls’. “Over time, it will mean fewer pit bull attacks and, overall, fewer attacks by dangerous dogs,” then-attorney general Michael Bryant told the Ontario legislature in 2005. Story continues below advertisement Bryant did not respond to an interview request. The law certainly succeeded in cutting bites by the four affected breeds — Toronto recorded only 19 in 2014, down from 112 in 2005. It’s not surprising, since there are far fewer of them around to bite anyone — there were only 338 registered in Toronto in 2014, down from 1,411 in 2005. Also, since the dogs were supposed to be unable to breed starting in 2005, the remaining ones are becoming elderly. Gradually, they are dying off without being replaced. They should cease to exist in the city by 2020 or so, at least in theory. That isn’t airtight — the Toronto Humane Society still sees the occasional pit bull puppy come in to its shelter, says spokesperson Tegan Buckingham. What it hasn’t succeeded in doing is reducing the total number of dog bites (though it looked that way for a time). Toronto’s reported dog bites have been rising since 2012, and in 2013 and 2014 reached their highest levels this century, even as pit bulls and similar dogs neared local extinction. Graphic: As pit bulls disappear, dog bites rise Story continues below advertisement When Ontario’s ban was being debated in 2004, opinions split between those who saw pit bulls as uniquely dangerous, and those who argued that any big dog could be very dangerous, if mistreated or trained to be violent. “I’m not surprised at all by those statistics,” says Parkdale-High Park MPP Cheri DiNovo, an opponent of breed-specific bans. “I would think they were inevitable.” DiNovo favours a system more like Calgary’s, where officials avoided breed-based bans while promoting education of dog owners and children, combined with enforcement. Bites in Calgary have dropped dramatically since the mid-1980s. “The current law isn’t working, and thankfully we’re getting the stats to back that up. Anybody who’s been on this issue for a long time knows that it’s a predictable failure.” WATCH: Abandoned dog, vet eat breakfast together in kennel Toronto’s dog bite statistics are based on reports that doctors who treat bites are required to file, says Mary Lou Leiher, a program manager at the city’s animal services department. Bites from German shepherds (Toronto’s #4 dog, after Labradors, Shih Tzus and golden retrievers) were most common in 2004 and 2014. Bites from pit bulls and Staffordshires were less common in 2014 than ten years earlier, but bites from American bulldogs and boxers were more common. The bites reflected in the data vary in seriousness: Story continues below advertisement “People are afraid that they are going to get a disease from being bitten by an animal, so it doesn’t have to be severe at all for them to go to the doctor,” Leiher explains. The breed of the offending dog in the city bite data is based on what the owner, or a city investigator, says it is. There has been no procedural change in recent years that would cause there to be more bite reports out of proportion to actual bites, she said. “We would love to see the pit bull ban lifted,” Buckingham says. “Of the ones that come into the shelter, the majority are the sweetest dogs.” In the meantime, they are shipped to shelters in Quebec. By 2012, the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association estimated that the law had led to over 1,000 dogs and puppies in Ontario having been needlessly put down.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
While debate over the removal of Confederate statues rages on, Funny or Die decided to ask a Robert E. Lee statue how it felt about the issue. Turns out the statue had a lot to say, in the form of a catchy ballad: “Take me down / I’m not the kinda statue you want to gather ’round / I only attract pretty scary crowds.”	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
The most recent NHL lockout cost 34 regular season games and led to losses of over $70 million for the league, but it was a good year for commissioner Gary Bettman, who apparently received a raise for his efforts. Yahoo! Sports' Puck Daddy cites a report by Chris Botta of Sports Business Journal that puts Bettman's earnings during the 2012-13 season at $8.8 million, a half-million more than he earned in the previous fiscal year. The report (available to SBJ subscribers) also says the league spent almost $17 million in legal fees during the lockout, which added to a total loss of $71.9 for the shortened season. As the Puck Daddy piece points out, Bettman's salary ranked him among some of the league's highest-paid players that season, including Alex Ovechkin ($9 million) and Eric Staal ($8.5 million). The NHL's deputy commissioner Bill Daly and COO John Collins both saw pay decreases in 2012-13, with $280,000 less for Daly and $500,000 less for Collins.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Este decreto abarca a los trabajadores privados El aumento decidido por el Decreto 14/2020 publicado este sábado en el Boletín Oficial y firmado por el presidente Alberto Fernández se pagará en dos tramos, el inicial, con el salario de enero, de 3.000 pesos, y otro de 1.000 pesos en febrero hasta completar una suma de 4.000 pesos que tendrá carácter “remunerativo", por lo que formará parte de la base de cálculo de conceptos como aguinaldo y salario básico y de los aportes de empleadores y empleados al sistema previsional, aunque tendrá excepciones para el sector pyme. Las principales precisiones del decreto oficial, son las siguientes: Cuánto. Se cobrarán 4.000 pesos, en dos tramos, uno inicial de 3.000 pesos, con el salario de enero, y otro de 1.000 con el de febrero . No será el valor neto que perciban los trabajadores, en tanto tendrá carácter parcialmente remunerativo. Será tenido en cuenta para el cálculo de aportes previsionales, tanto del empleador como del empleado, pero no para adicionales previstos en el convenio colectivo o en el contrato individual de trabajo. ¿Bono o salario? No es un bono, sino que se integra al salario y deberá ser absorbido por las futuras negociaciones paritarias. “Solidario”. El aumento deberá consignarse aparte en el recibo de sueldo, bajo el título “incremento solidario”. A cuántos empleados alcanza. La medida dispone “un incremento salarial mínimo y uniforme para todos los trabajadores y trabajadoras en relación de dependencia del Sector Privado. Obviamente, se refiere a los trabajadores formalizados, que en la Argentina son aproximadamente 6.100.000 trabajadores del sector privado “en blanco”, aunque Juan Luis Bour, economista jefe de FIEL planteó la duda de si quedaban excluidos de ese universo el tercio de “no convencionados”, en cuyo caso el universo alcanzado sería de aproximadamente 4 millones de asalariados Claudio Moroni, ministro de Trabajo Casos especiale s. Para los asalariados que trabajen menos de las horas “legales” o “convencionales” , la suma no será exactamente de 3.000 y 1.000 pesos hasta completar 4.000, sino que será “proporcional”, de acuerdo a las pautas del convenio colectivo aplicable o, supletoriamente, según las reglas generales contenidas en la Ley N° 20.744 , de contrato de trabajo. Para las micro, pequeñas y medianas empresas el gobierno decidió que, siempre que cuenten con “Certificado MiPyME” vigente, no deberán pagar las contribuciones patronales con destino a la Anses , tal cual disponía la ley de Pymes 24.467, sancionada en 1995. Aquellas empresas que no tengan ese certificado, tendrán un plazo de 60 días para tramitarlo y eximirse de mencionado aporte. Las entidades civiles sin fines de lucro tendrán el mismo beneficio. Quiénes quedan afuera. Este aumento no regirá para el Sector Público Nacional, los trabajadores bajo el Régimen de Trabajo Agrario y los empleados domésticos, sujetos del Régimen Especial de Contrato de Trabajo para el Personal de Casas Particulares. Aunque el proyecto de decreto oficial dice que a través de la Comisión Nacional de Trabajo Agrario y la Comisión Nacional de Trabajado de Casas Particulares “se evaluará la posibilidad de instrumentar medidas tendientes a contemplar la situación de dichos trabajadores”. La medida oficial faculta al ministerio de Trabajo a dictar las normas complementarias, y aclaratorias necesarias, que probablemente serán numerosas y serán también motivo de consulta en la conferencia de prensa del jefe de Gabinete, Santiago Cafiero y el ministro de Trabajo, Claudio Moroni. ¿Lo cobrarán los empleados estatales? No están incluidos en este decreto, pero la situación de estos empleados se resolverá la semana próxima, con otro decreto, según le dijeron a Infobae fuentes oficiales. No hay detalles aún de las cifras: se habla de 3.000 pesos. Bour, el experto laboralista de FIEL, comparó los 4.000 pesos brutos en dos tramos contra el RIPTE (Remuneración Imponible Promedio de los Trabajadores Estables), que suele tomarse como referencia de distintos cálculos, incluidos los previsionales, que para diciembre (aunque todavía no fue informado oficialmente) será de aproximadamente 50.500 pesos brutos, lo que arroja un 8% de mejora promedio (6 puntos en enero y otros 2 en febrero) que serán fácilmente absorbidos en las próximas paritarias. En términos netos, se trata de un aumento de poco menos de 3.300 pesos en dos tramos. “El sentido de esto es anticipar una parte de los aumentos, para que no queden detrás de la inflación del primer trimestre, que será de 8 a 9%”, estimó Bour. Además, agregó, sigue la lógica del aumento a jubilados, pues al ser de suma fija es porcentualmente más importante para los sectores más bajos de la escala de ingresos, "Es menos expansivo de lo que se pensaba, dijo el economista de FIEL. “El gobierno se mete, pero más respetuosamente que otras veces”. Más ruido que nueces El asesor laboral de empresas Julián de Diego interpretó que el decreto incluye a todos los trabajadores, convencionados o no, por lo que alcanza a gerentes y otros empleados jerárquicos. “Si lo que buscaban era mejorar la base, no necesitaban hacer esto”, señaló. E l salario bruto promedio de los sectores convencionados es de $ 30.000, con lo que el primer tramo significa un aumento de 10% y el segundo 3,3 puntos porcentuales más, que serán absorbidos en las paritarias, cuya fecha varía por sector, aunque hay convenios de actualización trimestral, como Sanidad y Smata, que absorberán rápidamente el aumento. Ahí, por cierto, la “mejora de la base” sería por un tiempo muy breve. La exclusión de los adicionales busca no recargar a sectores como camioneros, en los que el básico empequeñece ante los adicionales. El básico ahí es de cerca de 25.000 pesos, precisó de Diego, pero con los adicionales un camionero llega fácilmente a 70 u 80.000 pesos. En tanto, la “proporcionalidad” para los trabajadores con menos horas que las legales o de convenio, es una disposición de la mayoría de las medidas que tienen que ver con los salarios. Si lo que buscaban era mejorar la base, con esto no lo lograrán. Será rápidamente absorbido por las paritarias. Es un efecto placebo, concluyó De Diego. Seguí leyendo: Deuda, emisión, jubilaciones y nafta: los temas más urgentes del Gobierno para el primer trimestre de 2020	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
For years Kevin has been under the shadows of his two other band mates and brothers Joe and Nick. Now we are not trying to get people to go against Joe or Nick, we just think that it's time for Kevin to come out of the shadows to shine in the spotlight. What will you get if you sign up for this petition? You get the satisfaction of knowing that you can change the world and the life of Kevin Jonas once and for all.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Attorneys for computer hacker Andrew "Weev" Auernheimer filed an appeal on Monday asking the United States District Court to overturn what they call “a remarkable and unprecedented criminal conviction.” Auernheimer, a 27-year-old security researcher from Arkansas, was found guilty last year of violating the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act after he used a computer script to collect the email addresses of 114,000 registered Apple iPad owners. Although that information was freely available on the Internet and was not password protected, Auernheimer was convicted of accessing a computer “without authorization” under the CFAA and was sentenced earlier this year to spend 41-months in federal prison. Along with Auernheimer’s case lawyers Tor Ekeland and Mark Jaffe, attorneys at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and law professor Orin Kerr have authored a 74-page statement filed this week with the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit asking them to toss out what they call an unjust conviction that could set a dangerous precedent with regards to how computer legislation could be used in the future. EFF staff attorney Hanni Fakhoury wrote in an editorial published by Wired on Tuesday that the “future of the Internet may well depend” on the outcome of the appeal. The CFAA “has run amok,” Fakhoury wrote, adding, “The outdated law has been abused to cover situations far removed from the type of criminal hacking Congress had in mind when it passed the law in 1986.” In the appeal, Fakhoury and his colleagues say the conviction and sentencing of Mr. Auernheimer raises legal issues that should pursue the court to overturn the earlier ruling “on multiple and independent grounds.” At the heart of the attorneys’ argument is that Auernheimer never accessed a computer “without authorization” as outlined in the CFAA. Because Auernheimer collected a trove of email addresses by visiting a publically available website — namely the one owned by telecom giant AT&T — his lawyers say he never broke into a restricted computer and logically can’t be charged with such. Auernheimer himself equated his crime with “incrementing a digit at the end of a URL on a public webserver” during a blog post on the eve of his sentencing hearing and said on more than one occasion, “I’m going to prison for arithmetic.” “AT&T chose not to employ passwords or any other protective measures to control access to the email addresses of its customers,” the attorneys wrote. “The company configured its servers to make the information available to everyone and thereby authorized the general public to view the information. Accessing the email addresses through AT&T’s public website was authorized under the CFAA and therefore was not a crime.” The legal counsel also insists that Auernheimer was wrongly convicted of a felony count in lieu of a more appropriate misdemeanor, and that a second charge of committing identity theft was wrongfully lobbed by the prosecution. That conviction, they argue, must be overturned because a violation of the federal identity theft statute requires a suspect to transfer personally-identifiable information “in connection with unlawful activity.” “Even assuming Auernheimer violated [the CFAA] to obtain the e-mail addresses, he did not then possess or transfer the emails ‘in connection with’ another crime,” they wrote. “The phrase ‘in connection with…any unlawful activity’ means unlawful activity other than the wrongful act of obtaining the means of identity.” Congress specifically created that law “out of concern that it may be difficult to prove an identity thief’s specific intent to put stole identities to criminal use,” they continued “The government’s contrary view would render the statute unconstitutionally vague. Under the government’s theory, if it charges a defendant with hacking for illegally acquiring personal information, the government can always add a second count of identity theft for possessing the information just acquired. After all, possession of information will always be ‘in connection with’ the way a person came to possess it,” the appeal reads. “Imagine a bank robber asks the bank teller for her name in the course of the crime. After his arrest, the robber tells his lawyer that the teller gave her name as ‘Beth.’ Under the broadest reading of [the identity theft statute], both the robber and his lawyer would be guilty of felony identity theft. After all, the robber “transfer[ed]” and his lawyer “possess[ed]” a means of identification (the name Beth), all ‘in connection with” the crime of bank robbery.’” A jury said last year that Auernheimer violated the CFAA and that identity theft statute because the email addresses — and no other information — were shared with the media. As a result of both convictions, he was sentenced to pay AT&T a restitution of $73,000 and spend the next three-plus years in prison: the upper tier of the sentencing guidelines used by the court. The fee will reportedly compensate the telecom for the mass mailer they sent to customers informing them of the security breach. The attorneys are also asking for the court to overturn the conviction because they dispute the venue used to hear the case and say that, contrary to the presiding judge’s opinion, AT&T’s decision to spend a five-figure sum to send letters to their customers did not constitute the subsequent sentence.Those are just some of the aspects, however, that they say should prompt an appeal. “The fundamental question in this case,” they add, “is whether it is a crime to visit a public website.” “Websites are open and available to the public. By publishing information on the World Wide Web, a website owner inherently authorizes others to view that information,” they attorneys wrote. “Any other rule would have disturbing implications. Most Americans surf the web every day. How are they supposed to know when visiting a webpage is legal and when visiting a webpage might land them in jail?” they ask. When Auernheimer was convicted of both counts last year, he told a reporter outside of the courtroom, “Have you ever received permission from Google to go to Google?” Kerr, the George Washington University law professor who is assisting with the appeal, said in a statement that “This case is about the freedom to surf the Internet.” "Anyone who cares about the free flow of information on the Internet should be concerned about this case," Ekeland added. "The government is criminalizing computer behavior that millions of Americans engage in every day. The government's reckless and myopic prosecution of Auernheimer for obtaining public information from a public website endangers that vital aspect of the Internet and our national economy, which depends on the free flow of information." According to friends of Auernheimer, he has only in recent days been removed from a segregate housing unit at a federal detention center in Pennsylvania where he had been confined to a 10x10 cell shared with another roommate. He is scheduled for release in late 2016. Meanwhile, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) introduced a bill last month that if approved in Congress could reform the CFAA. “The CFAA is a sweeping Internet regulation that criminalizes many forms of common Internet use,” they wrote. “It allows breathtaking levels of prosecutorial discretion that invites serious abuse. As Congress considers policies to preserve an open Internet as a platform for ideas and commerce, reforming the CFAA must be included.” The proposal, dubbed “Aaron’s Law,” is named in memory of Aaron Swartz, a 26-year-old computer prodigy who committed suicide earlier this year while awaiting trial for a felony CFAA case. "Like Aaron Swartz, I've no faith in the justice system," Auernheimer told The Guardian in January.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
This beautiful cheetah was rescued when he was just a little cub, and in spite of never being able to return to the wild, he is now living the life!	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
The legacy of Hera Syndulla has already begun. Photo : Disney XD In Star Wars, a new child usually means something big is about to happen. Luke and Leia brought the return of the Jedi and the fall of the Empire. Ben Solo almost restored the Jedi, before bringing back the dark side. So one moment at the end of the Star Wars Rebels finale definitely stood out above the rest. In the epilogue, which you can watch above, we learn that Hera Syndulla fought with the Rebels through the battle of Endor and even had a son, Jacen Syndulla, whose father was the Jedi Kanan Jarrus. A son with a Jedi father? What could possibly go wrong? Obviously, this character could have major ramifications for the future of Star Wars—but if you talk to Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni, he may be the only one who isn’t thinking about it. “I have not given a lot of thought to where that goes, to be honest,” Filoni told io9. “That doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t in the future. I’m already getting asked internally a lot about it from people here [at Lucasfilm]. Creatives here. So that’s good. I like that.” But that doesn’t mean Filoni threw the character out there without thinking about it. When he had the idea, he kept it very quiet for as long as he could. “[The idea of Jacen Syndulla] developed, really, through the fourth season as an idea I thought would be good and meaningful,” Filoni said. “I talked to [development executive] Kiri Hart about it and she was pretty much the one person I confided this idea in, until we went to design him obviously.” And yes, the name was chosen very, very specifically. Jacen Syndulla may have a big future ahead of him, and we don’t mean that green on the end of his ears. Image : Disney XD “It seemed, in a very small way, naming him ‘Jacen’ was a way to honor the expanded universe character of Jacen Solo who just really isn’t there anymore as the timelines have changed,” Filoni said. “I thought that’s a little bit of a wink to people that I know that was an important character. And maybe, in some way, that lives on through this character. I don’t know yet.” Well, Jacen Solo was the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia; he became a Jedi and then turned to the dark side, becoming the powerful Sith Darth Caedus. Not the best role model for young Jacen Syndulla but, unlike Solo, his path has yet to be discovered.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
About: I'm a digital artist/crafter/maker who likes electronics and sewing. I used to run the blog Soft Circuit Saturdays, which is now part of my site GellaCraft - dedicated to techy crafts, costuming, and art. Create your own screen accurate Hello Unicorn backpack from Altered Carbon that automatically lights up when you unzip and open it. Ever since I first watched the show I've been obsessed with this backpack, so I built one to bring to Denver Comic Con. I even found a Takeshi Kovacs cosplayer to model it for me! I also use it when I teach workshops on costume tech as an example of incorporating electronics into cosplay prop builds. Don't know what the Hello Unicorn backpack is? Check out this reference: a video with lots of Hello Unicorn moments from the official Altered Carbon Facebook page. How Does It Work? The interior is lined with addressable LEDs set to a blueish hue (matching the show) that turn on when the backpack is open and turn off when it is closed again. The trigger mechanism is a small magnet and reed switch placed on either side of to center of the backpack that connect to an Arduino microcontroller. Skills Needed: You'll need some basic soldering, painting, and sewing skills to complete the project and basic experience uploading code and installing libraries in Arduino. Electronics Needed: SparkFun Pro Micro 5Vor equivalent microcontroller with micro USB connector ~2.25 meters of NeoPixel LED strips, I used these(you can sub a single color/non-addressable strand to save money or if you don't care about the blue hue matching the show exactly) Electrolytic capacitor - 1000uF/25V (optional, but helps with performance) USB power bank, I used this slim 5Ah lithium ion battery pack Micro USB cable (if not included with the power bank) Insulated reed switchthe plastic casing is more durable ~3-4 ft of stranded hookup wire (ribbon cable works great for this) Soldering iron and solder Heatshrink I made a wishlist on SparkFun.com with most of the parts I used for this build (excluding soldering tools). Feel free to swap any of the parts in this list with compatible parts as needed for price and sourcing considerations. Non-Electronic Parts/Tools: Pink hard shell backpack (I found one on Amazon with construction very similar to the one used in the show) Spray paint - white primer and pink slightly darker than the fabric of the backpack bring print outs with you to the store to find the perfect color Paint brushes large and small for fine detail Acrylic paints in red, yellow, orange, green, light blue/teal, dark blue, purple, light purple, white, and black Spray acrylic clear coat/sealer Masking tape Vinyl cutter and vinyl I used a Silhouette Cameo and 12x12 vinyl sheet Permanent marker and pencil Clear vinyl (I used less than 1/2 yard) Clear or pink thread and needle Exacto knife and/or small scissors Hot glue gun Velcro Pink fabric to match interior of backpack Thick black webbing (if you'd like to attach to the top of the backpack for screen accuracy) Small magnet (rare earth magnet works best) Sewing machine (optional) Small plastic bags (optional, for 'drugs' to fill the bag with) Addipak 3ml unit dose containers, wax stick candy, or mini glow sticks (optional, for 'drugs' to fill the bag with) Software Needed:	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Wanting Women to Receive the Priesthood is an Inherently Misogynistic Idea Note: My views on this topic have evolved and changed. But I’m not deleting it. “No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men. There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a third power stronger than both, that of women.” – Muhammad Ali Jinnah When I initially approached the thought of sharing my opinion on women receiving the Priesthood, I wanted to reply with one word: NO. However, after more consideration, I thought I should explain why I, a very adamant and active feminist, am beyond annoyed with the idea. Thinking that women need the Priesthood is not only a fundamental misunderstanding of doctrine, but it also demeans the position and influence that is held by women within the church. Because we live in a world where strength and power have always been defined by men, many think that they must be the same as a man to be strong and powerful. The idea implies that only what a man does is of worth, and therefore, if a woman wants to be of worth, she must become like a man. This is wrong. Women should be valued for what they contribute based on their own individual and differing strengths, not based on how much like a man they may have become. First, let’s talk doctrine. What is the 4-fold mission of the church? Perfect the saints. While it is true we need Priesthood ordinances to eventually attain perfection, the necessity is in the receiving of the ordinance, not the giving. We, as women receive all necessary ordinances for the attainment of salvation. Preach the gospel. Don’t need the Priesthood to preach. I’m preaching now! Redeem the dead. Again, we don’t need to hold the Priesthood to do our genealogy. The research I have accomplished while in college is huge, and puts my mother to shame (She told me to say that). Care for the poor and needy. Yeah, we have that one nailed. Women have been called of God to lead his people for a long time. If you are having a hard time recalling examples, then I suggest you campaign to have better Sunday School teachers. There’s Eve (that’s a whole other blog), Esther, Mary, for whom I need not expound, Anna, who prophesied of Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem, and the list goes on. Perhaps my favorite example is Deborah, a prophetess, judge, and military advisor in Ancient Israel. “Known for her wisdom and respected as a leader, Deborah is introduced in the biblical record with no indication that the fact of a woman’s holding of such influence was inappropriate or surprising.” Camille Fronk Olson, Women of the Old Testament, pg. 107. Women are not denied title or rank because of their lack of Priesthood. This is as true in modern times as it was in Ancient Israel. Eliza R. Snow is probably my favorite example of a modern day prophetic woman. To quote her official church profile, “A profoundly wise and revelatory woman, she left behind some 500 poems—many of which provide tremendous comfort as well as doctrinal insight.” Go learn more about her if you don’t know about her contributions to doctrine. Next, may I direct your attention to a picture from a campaign by UN Women. Hey. Look at that last one. I’ve been speaking from the pulpit since I was 12 years old. In General Conference, women preach doctrine as well as men. Their words should be heeded with as much respect and reverence as the men’s. If you are ignoring the multiple talks from women every General Conference, that is a problem I suggest you quickly reevaluate. Women are to teach, lead, and serve alongside the men in this church. In fact, there are callings in the church requiring a man to be married; however, there exists no such requirement for women. Recently, female leaders (The General Relief Society, Young Women’s, and Primary Presidents) have been making major innovations in the church and how it functions as a worldwide entity, becoming the first organizations to have international boards. I will not be surprised if all other organizations in the LDS Church will soon follow their new changes. The general boards of the church have women sitting on them, and many organizations are run by women. Beverly Campbell, author of perhaps one of my favorite books, Eve and the Choice Made in Eden, was the head of the church’s International Affairs Department for 12 years. Sheri Dew is the CEO of Deseret Book (owned by the church). Oh wait… did I just mention Sheri Dew? Time to listen to the woman herself. Women are powerful forces for influence within the church. Insisting that women go about making change or being leaders in the exact fashion of a man is ridiculous and frankly degrading. Women do not need to become as men to have value added to what they do. There may be instances of unrighteous dominion happening within wards or stakes, with a male leader not listening to female leaders, or allowing them to function properly; however, this is not true to how the church is supposed to run. If this is the problem, it is a local problem, and the answer is not to give women the Priesthood, but to evaluate the leader in question, so that all may lead and contribute to Zion. This was recently made by the church. These are all amazing women who have followed the example of the women who came before them, and are leading in God’s church and in the world. Now tell me again why I need to be more like a man to be of worth? I intend to shape this world I live in for the better, and I shall do so as the woman I have become, a woman who knows she need not become like a man in order to believe in her own inherent worth and power. UPDATE: I love discussion, and I love hearing people voice their opinions, so I don’t wan’t to shut of the comments on this. However, the last time I had a really popular post I got a little exhausted from moderating and responding to so many comments. So with that in mind, I will be mostly be doing quick skims of comments to make sure they don’t contain profanity, and then approving them. Please don’t be offended if I don’t respond. But keep up the discussion! It’s always good to lear from other people’s perspectives. CLARIFICATION: Based on some of the comments I’ve seen here and other places I just wanted to say a few things. One: While I clearly do not agree with the desire to ordain women to the Priesthood, I respect the Ordain Women movement, and their desire to start this discussion. I do think there is sexism in the church (I wrote a post called Modest Is Not Hottest calling out some of the sexism I’ve seen.) but I do not believe the gospel is sexist. I think there are changes that should be made, I have simply never seen anything to make me think giving women the priesthood was the answer. But however much I disagree with that idea, I do not think it is acceptable to condemn these women for making their voices heard. Calling for their excommunication is not ok (in reference to the members, as this is not a matter that random people who do not know these women get to weigh in on), and I would ask those of you who are, to try and take a second to at least understand where they are coming from. You don’t need to change your mind, but all sides could do well to see each other with more empathy. Disagree with ideas, but do not condemn people. Two: Some have felt this is a straw man argument, but I would like to remind you that this is an opinion piece on my personal blog. It is shaped by my experiences and dealings with others. This was written based on very real issues I have personally dealt with, however I realize they are not a perfect example of the whole church, but neither is any one experience. In response to my post about modesty, I had similar comments, those saying that they have never dealt with any of the issues I brought up, so they must not be real. As I said, I think this is a good discussion, and this is my contribution to it. If you have have different ones, feel free to write about those. Like this post? Wanna help a soon-to-be recent graduate? Click here!	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
TOKYO -- Honda Motor Co. slashed its earnings forecast and announced further cuts in its Japanese production and work force, as global demand for cars continues to falter and the soaring yen hits its overseas profit. Honda, Japan's No. 2 car maker by volume, Wednesday cut its net profit forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2009 to 185 billion yen ($2.08 billion) from the 485 billion yen profit it expected in late October. In the year ended March 31, 2008, Honda's net profit totaled 600.04 billion yen. This...	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
«La réalité, c’est que nous allons couper le signal... Ce n'est pas normal que Bell nous donne 3,59$ pour notre chaine TVA Sports et tous les autres câblodistributeurs nous donnent plus que 5$. Pourquoi? Encore une fois? Parce que les petits amis du CRTC donnent toujours raison à Bell. Ça fait plusieurs fois qu'on s'en va justement en arbitrage au CRTC et malheureusement, nous avons toujours perdu.»	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
ya-boi-leto asked: I know I already sent on of these but your writing makes me feel so much! I adore "The World Around Us Turns" and quite frankly would love to see it as a full time novel. All of your writing is amazing and you are a huge inspiration. Thank you for making the world just a little bit brighter.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
A border wall with Mexico is happening, but it has to be see-through so that Americans aren’t knocked out by 100 pounds of drugs catapulted across the border, President Donald Trump told supporters. Trump offered the catapult story as an example of the lengths people are going to in order to get drugs into the United States. "So now they take drugs, literally, and they throw it, a hundred pounds of drugs. They throw it over the wall, they have catapults, but they throw it over the wall, and it lands and it hits somebody on the head. You don't even know they're there," Trump said Sept. 22 in Alabama while campaigning for Luther Strange, who was later defeated by Roy Moore for the Republican nomination in the Senate race to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions. "Believe it or not, this is the kind of stuff that happens. So you need to have a great wall, but it has to be see-through," Trump said. Back in July, Trump also spoke of a need for a transparent wall to avoid getting hit by 60-pound sacks of drugs. This fact-check won’t get into whether a see-through wall is the best approach for border security. What we wanted to know is if drugs have been catapulted across the border and hit people on the head. Trump was largely accurate about drugs being catapulted. Immigration officials have seized marijuana launched across the border, and in some cases, found catapults. Whether people have been hit on the head by these sacks is uncertain. Catapults have been used for years Reports from U.S. Customs and Border Protection about catapults date back at least to 2011. An attempt to catapult marijuana into the United States failed in January 2011 after U.S. officials noticed the preparation through remote video surveillance. They contacted Mexican authorities who went over and thwarted the plan. Mexican officials seized a sport utility vehicle, about 45 pounds of marijuana and "a catapult capable of launching contraband into the U.S.," the release said. The attempt happened near Naco, Ariz. In February, Border Patrol agents in Douglas, Ariz. seized two bundles of marijuana catapulted from Mexico, weighing more than 47 pounds combined, CBP said in a news release. Agents on patrol noticed several people retreating from the south side of the border fence as the agents approached, CBP said, and at the fence "they found a catapult system attached to the south side of the border fence." A search of the area led them to the two bundles of marijuana. In July, the Douglas Police Department in Arizona seized more than 140 pounds of marijuana launched over the border fence. An officer responding to calls about bundles being launched over found "a large bundle of marijuana that had broken upon impact, exposing multiple smaller bundles inside," CBP said. And last month, Border Patrol agents in Arizona operating remote video surveillance saw an object launched over the border. Other agents then went to the area and found a large cylindrical bundle of marijuana weighing more than 96 pounds and worth $48,000, CBP reported. Sanho Tree, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and director of its Drug Policy Project, said he hadn’t heard of any injuries associated with catapults or trebuchets (a common type of catapult). "Traffickers have definitely used catapults (and trebuchets) to hurl drug packages over the existing wall, but the chance of anyone getting hit by such a package along a 2,000-mile wall is simply laughable," Tree said. Other experts also told us that cartels have used catapults to throw marijuana over the border, but they were unaware of anyone actually being hit by the bundles. There are drug catapults and trebuchets that launch loads up to 100 pounds over the border wall, but that happens very rarely. Smaller payloads of 20 to 40 pounds are more common with the drug catapults, said Brandon Behlendorf, an assistant professor at the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity within University at Albany, SUNY. Our ruling Trump said, "So now they take drugs literally and they throw it, a hundred pounds of drugs. They throw it over the wall, they have catapults, but they throw it over the wall and it lands and it hits somebody on the head." Trump is accurate that, from time to time, catapults have been used at the border by traffickers. Packages of marijuana thrown over the border range from less than 50 pounds to more than 100 pounds. But we found no reports of people on the U.S. side of the border hit by the falling bundles. We rate Trump’s statement Mostly True.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
In recent testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, four former U.S. diplomats provided remarkably candid commentary on recent U.S. involvement in the Middle East, revealing a number of the most closely guarded secrets of U.S. diplomacy. The four former diplomats emphasized the importance of the region’s oil, spoke critically about the weaknesses of U.S. strategy, made a number of crude comments about U.S. partners, displayed little concern about ongoing violence, and called for more “discipline” throughout the region. One of the former diplomats, James Jeffrey, criticized the Obama administration for withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011 rather than going through with a secret deal to maintain a secret network of military bases in the country. Even today, Jeffrey said, officials in Washington must not “melt down” and retrench when U.S. forces get killed. Officials must accept that there could always be “new Benghazis and new Nigers,” he said, referring to incidents in which U.S. agents have been killed. The four former diplomats also lambasted U.S. partners in the region. They criticized many of their closest allies for poor governance, a lack of democracy, and an inability to coordinate on shared strategic objectives. Jeffrey made some of the strongest criticisms, charging Kurdish leaders in Iraqi Kurdistan with making their region into “another basket case” in the Middle East. He also complained that U.S. officials had to deal “with a lot of bitching” from the Turkish government over U.S. support for the Kurdish fighters confronting the Islamic State (ISIS or IS) in Syria. In addition to Jeffrey, who once held high-level positions in the George W. Bush administration, the group of former diplomats included Ryan Crocker, Eric Edelman, and Stuart Jones. Crocker has been the U.S. ambassador to six different countries in the Middle East. Edelman and Jones, who have both been diplomats in the Middle East, have held senior positions in numerous administrations. Over the past few decades, all four men have played significant roles in crafting and implementing U.S. policies in the region. They were “giants” who had “walked the earth,” according to Edelman. Together, these four former diplomats called on the Trump administration to play a more assertive role in the Middle East. Although they largely agreed that IS has been significantly weakened over the last two and a half years, removing a significant challenge to U.S. power, they saw ongoing challenges from Iran and Russia and growing problems between the U.S. and its allies. They wanted to ensure that the United States remained well positioned to call the shots in the region and maintain a U.S.-led system of regional order. “Clarity on U.S. plans and goals and particularly success against Iran will help mobilize allies, but the U.S. must discipline the system and overwatch partners constantly,” Jeffrey said. The Strategic Concerns Some of the more astounding revelations concern the basic reason why U.S. officials remain so focused on the Middle East. Although U.S. officials typically emphasize the problems of terrorism and security, a number of the former diplomats indicated that the major concerns have always been the region’s oil, location, and function in the global economy. Former diplomat Eric Edelman made the clearest statement on the matter, explaining in his prepared statement that geostrategic calculations have been central factors in U.S. policy since the end of World War II. “U.S. policymakers have considered access to the region’s energy resources vital for U.S. allies in Europe, and ultimately for the United States itself,” he wrote. “Moreover, the region’s strategic location—linking Europe and Asia—made it particularly important from a geopolitical point of view.” Edelman went on to suggest that U.S. actions in the region have been consistently based on these geostrategic factors. He cited the Carter Doctrine of 1980, which identified the Persian Gulf as a region so vital to U.S. interests that the U.S. would militarily intervene in the region to expel outside forces. He also cited the first Gulf War against Iraq, in which the U.S. militarily intervened to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait. “The geostrategic and economic factors that made the Middle East so important to our national security in the past are just as potent today,” Edelman said. Even with recent increases in U.S. energy production as a result of the fracking revolution, “real or even potential disruptions to the flow of oil anywhere would have serious negative effects on our economy.” With his remarks, Edelman made it clear that U.S. officials continue to value the Middle East for its oil. The region “contains half of global proven oil reserves, accounts for one-third of oil production and exports, and is home to three of the world’s four biggest oil transit chokepoints,” he explained. When Edelman raised these points during the hearing, nobody disagreed with him. Neither his colleagues nor the committee members challenged his observations about why the region was so important. His remarks were considered so uncontroversial that they never came up for debate. Instead, the current and former officials focused their discussion on what they thought were the main challenges to U.S. access to the area. Their primary concern was that Russia and Iran were working together to challenge the U.S.-led system of regional order with the hopes of creating some alternative system. “In reality, both Russia and Iran want to roll back U.S. influence even further in the region, and each depends on the other to help it do so,” Edelman warned in his prepared statement. During the hearing, Jeffrey made a similar point, saying that “Russia and Iran and, to some degree, Syria want to change the mix of the Middle East.” The U.S. and its allies, he continued, must maintain the current system and “at the end of the day we just have to push back.” In these ways, the former diplomats provided some remarkable insights into the most basic reasons behind U.S. actions in the Middle East. They revealed that basic U.S. policy was to maintain a U.S.-led system of regional order so that the U.S. government could influence how all parts of the world gained access to the region’s oil. Frictions Throughout the hearing, the four former diplomats also made a number of unusually blunt criticisms of U.S. strategy. They felt that their superiors in Washington and their many partners throughout the region kept taking steps that were creating more problems in the area. Jeffrey was especially critical of the Obama administration, which he blamed for failures in the second Gulf War against Iraq. Jeffrey, who was the Obama administration’s ambassador to Iraq during the period when U.S. forces withdrew from the country in 2011, said that the administration should have accepted a secret plan to keep U.S. forces in the country. Jeffrey explained that administration officials had arranged a secret plan with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki “to cheat, with Maliki’s acknowledgement,” on the final agreement to withdraw U.S. forces from the country. “We had Black SOF, White SOF,” he said, seemingly referring to different kinds of Special Operations Forces. “We had drones, we had all kinds of things,” he added. Jeffrey was reluctant to provide more details, but he insisted that the secret plan could have worked if his superiors in the Obama administration had tried it. He did not express any concern about the fact that an estimated 100,000 people had already died in the war. “It was a very big package, including a $14 billion FMS program,” Jeffrey said, referring to a program of military sales. “We had bases all over the country that were disguised bases that the U.S. military was running.” Although the other former diplomats on the panel largely agreed that the Obama administration should not have withdrawn U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011, they were convinced that U.S. partners shared much of the blame for ongoing violence in the area. The former diplomats accused many of their closest partners and allies of acting in ways that were creating problems. Sometimes, “they will do things in a way that we think makes things worse rather than better,” Edelman said. Jeffrey agreed with his colleagues, saying it was simply the price of operating in the Middle East. To maintain access to the region, he explained, “we have to rely on five countries—Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, and Egypt.” Each of them, he said, came with significant problems, all of which made it difficult to operate in the area. “We wouldn’t pick these allies if we were coming up with a different Middle East, but we have to deal with the Middle East we have,” he said. Jeffrey was especially critical of Turkey, a NATO ally. He said that “the things they do are toxic.” Since a putsch attempt against the Turkish government in July 2016, Turkish leaders have accused the U.S. government of involvement. As part of the government’s subsequent crackdown on its domestic opponents, an estimated 150,000 Turks have been fired from their jobs, 60,000 have been arrested, 1,500 civil society organizations have been disbanded, and more than 100 media outlets have been closed. The crackdown came amid a period of growing tensions between the U.S. and Turkish governments. Differences over how to deal with the war in Syria and relations with Russia have added to the tensions in the relationship. “It’s unpleasant, it’s transactional, it’s ugly,” Jeffrey said. Edelman, who believed that the U.S. bore “a little bit of the blame here for this deterioration in relations,” still called for a tougher approach. “I don’t think we can tolerate some of the behavior that our Turkish allies are showing,” he said. Ryan Crocker reminded the committee members that the United States still relied on Turkey to maintain access to the region. He said that it would be necessary to continue working with the country’s repressive leadership, despite its troubling behavior. “They are a NATO partner in a region where we don’t have a choice between democracy and autocracy,” Crocker said. “That’s not on the table.” Jeffrey provided one of the most telling comments on the situation when he acknowledged that the Turkish government continued to tolerate U.S. support for the Kurdish fighters who were fighting IS in Syria. The Kurdish fighters, he explained, were an offshoot of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), a group that both the U.S. and Turkish governments consider to be a terrorist organization. “The Turks are allowing us to support the PKK offshoot Kurds in Syria every day—reluctantly, with a lot of bitching, but they do it,” Jeffrey said. The U.S. decision to support the Kurdish fighters created additional controversy because of Kurdish aspirations to create their own state. The governments of countries with significant Kurdish populations, including Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, all opposed the idea. When Iraqi Kurds living in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan voted last September to explore the possibility of independence, they faced a significant backlash. Weeks after the vote, the Iraqi government sent its military forces into the region, reclaiming the oil-rich area of Kirkuk while weakening the independence movement. The former diplomats signaled their support for the Iraqi government’s military operations, despite the fact that the Iraqi Kurds were playing a significant role in the war against IS. Jeffrey argued that Iraq must hold together because of its potential to produce so much oil. He said that Iraq could eventually enter “into the Saudi Arabia category,” meaning that it could become a major player in the global oil market. “That’s a very important trump card, so to speak, in the Middle East, and we don’t want to just break it up,” he said. Jeffrey was especially critical of the Iraqi Kurds for pursuing independence, saying that “they have gone in three months from one of the best good-news stories in the region to another basket case.” If they keep crossing “red lines,” Ryan Crocker said, “we’re probably not going to be around to back them up when the going gets rough.” “It’s the same as, sadly, with the Christian communities,” Crocker added, referring to Iraqi Christians who were facing their own challenges. In these ways, the former diplomats made it clear that they were willing to ignore the plight of their partners and other marginalized groups if they could not find any strategic reasons to support them. The challenges facing the Kurds and Christians, they indicated, were minor factors compared to the strategic factors at play. Taken together, their comments indicated that geostrategic calculations remained paramount. The four former diplomats may not have liked all of their partners, but they all believed that they had to accept these trade-offs if they were going to achieve their plans for the region. “We can’t be going at each other, scratching each other because of these secondary sins when the real sinning in the region is done by Islamic terrorists and Iran,” Jeffrey said. “So we have to get a better hold of our allies.” The Final Outlook In spite of the rather complex strategic landscape, the four former diplomats still acknowledged that the United States maintained tremendous influence throughout the Middle East. They largely agreed that the United States remained the dominant power in the region with no comparable rival. In his prepared statement, Edelman acknowledged that U.S. naval and air power in the Persian Gulf “outmatches Iran’s.” Jeffrey agreed, explaining that the U.S. maintained “significant assets” throughout the Middle East. “Most of the states in the region are our security partners, with a huge conventional superiority, along with CENTCOM, over Iran, even with Russian support,” Jeffrey explained. CENTCOM, short for U.S. Central Command, hosts about 80,000 U.S. military forces at numerous bases and offshore sites throughout the region. Over the past two-and-a-half years, CENTCOM has put its power on display in the war against IS. Since August 2014, coalition forces have conducted nearly 25,000 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. As of April 2017, they had killed as many as 70,000 ISIS fighters, according to their own estimates. As part of the campaign, U.S. forces have gained a major new foothold in Syria. “We have a lot of assets in Syria even though it doesn’t look that way,” Jeffrey said. “We and the Turks between us hold about a third of the country and have a lot of local allies.” U.S. forces have also reestablished a powerful military presence in Iraq, now basing more than 5,000 U.S. forces in the country. Currently, all signs indicate the United States is increasing its hold over the Middle East. The only problem, according to the former diplomats, is that the United States continues to face significant resistance. Although the U.S. has constructed a kind of informal American empire, they believe that U.S. actions and polices are creating blowback that is bringing more conflict and violence to the region. “Anything we do to contain Iran, to push back, will bring with it great risks to us and to people in the region,” Jeffrey said. These were the lessons of history, he explained, citing “the chaos we deliberately created” to confront past challengers in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran. Moving forward, Jeffrey believed it would be better to conduct what he called “economy-of-force, light-footprint operations with our allies.” He suggested that these types of operations would be more effective, even if they resulted in additional violence. “That will produce new Benghazis and new Nigers,” Jeffrey said. But “we have to be able to move on and not melt down when these things happen because this is the right way to approach it.” Indeed, Jeffrey insisted that it would be necessary to accept more death and violence if the United States was going to achieve its strategic objectives. This kind of trade-off, he believed, was simply how things worked in the area. Citing recent retaliatory actions by the Israeli and Saudi government against missile attacks, Jeffrey said that the high civilians death tolls that resulted from such operations had simply become one of the costs of military engagement in the region. “Ten thousand more dead civilians in the Middle East, in a region that’s seen 1 million in the last 30 years, by my count… are not going to deter the Saudis and the Israelis from acting against this threat,” he said.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
The United States hit President Nicolas Maduro's government with crippling sanctions, targeting the country's oil industry and banking sector in a bid to force him out, but economists say these measures have had a terrible impact on the local population. US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has lashed out at Donald Trump's point man for Venezuela, Elliot Abrams, and argued that the sanctions Washington slapped on Venezuela's government aren't in the US' own interests. "A lot of the policies that we have put in place have kind of helped lead the devastation in Venezuela," Omar, a Democratic representative from Minnesota, said in an interview with Democracy Now! "And we've sort of set the stage for where we're arriving today. This particular bullying and the use of sanctions to eventually intervene and make regime change really does not help the people of countries like Venezuela, and it certainly does not help and is not in the interest of the United States." The congresswoman also hit out at Elliot Abrams, a veteran diplomat who was appointed US special envoy for Venezuela in late January to oversee the US response to the deepening political crisis in the Bolivarian republic. In February, Omar grilled Abrams at a House hearing over his checkered career in the Reagan and Bush administrations. She recalled his attempts to whitewash reports about US-trained death squads, who killed nearly a thousand people during the infamous 1981 El Mozote massacre in El Salvador, as well as his 1991 guilty plea to withholding information from Congress in the Iran-Contra affair. Back then, Abrams falsely denied that the Reagan administration was involved in arming the Contras, a right-wing rebel group which sought to topple the social Nicaragua government, through profits from secret arms sales to Iran in violation of US regulations. Omar said: "Elliott Abrams, neocons and warmongers, you know, for so long have pushed for policies that are now-we can see, not only in Central America, but many parts of the world, the kind of devastations that they've had for decades." She recalled a conversation with former US state secretary Madeleine Albright about how some of the sanctions the US introduces against adversarial governments have "devastating effects" on the people rather than the governments. "And she concurred with me that many of the sanctions that we impose ultimately lead to devastations and we are seeing it now in Venezuela-and ultimately lead to having severe problems in that country, which doesn't stabilize life for the people, and certainly puts us here in the United States at risk," she remarked. READ MORE: Bolton Pushes Military Option for Venezuela as Trump, Pentagon Hesitate – Report In the interview, Omar several times cited world-renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs. He recently blamed US sanctions against Nicolas Maduro's government for reducing the availability of food and medicine while aiding the spread diseases, resulting in the death of some 40,000 Venezuelans. Sachs' report also branded the US economic sanctions against Venezuela illegal under international law because constitute collective punishment.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }

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