text stringlengths 316 100k |
|---|
Image courtesy Shaun Kreider, Kreider Designs
NHL Numbers previously published a couple of articles on zone entry tracking. We first looked at the results in Flyers games from 2011-12, observing that shot differential at 5-on-5 appears to be largely determined by neutral zone play, and that retaining possession as a team enters the offensive zone is particularly important, generating more than twice as much offense as a dump-and-chase play.
We then called for volunteers to join the project and have had a number of people contribute. We have expanded our database to include a full season of data from the Wild, a half-season of data from the Sabres, a half-season of data from the Capitals, and over 100 assorted games from other teams in 2011-12. This has allowed us to further generalize and strengthen our conclusions for a paper that will be presented at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.
You can read that paper here.
One unique wrinkle in the new data is that for the first time, we have tracked failed zone entries. Previously, we had inferred that teams should be more aggressive at the blue line, that the benefits of carrying the puck in were large enough that it was worth the risk. Now we have the data directly to assess how likely it is that a blue line turnover gets turned around the other way and how many shots result from that play. The result is the following decision matrix, taken from that paper:
The solid blue line represents the boundary between when a player should try to carry the puck in or when he should dump it in if the two teams are roughly equal. So on a given play, imagine you are carrying the puck up the ice towards the opposing blue line. If you think successfully gaining the zone would result in a typical ~0.56 shots (the dotted grey line), then you should challenge the defense if you think it’s better than roughly one-in-three that you’ll beat them and gain the zone.
If your skaters are good shooters (or the opposing goalie is bad) and your opponents are bad shooters (or your goalie is good), then getting extra shots for you has more benefit and turning it over carries less risk. So then instead of using the solid blue line, you can use the dashed blue line, which shows the cutoff for a team whose shooters score on 9% of their shots on goal and save 93% of the opponents’ shots. This would allow you to be even more aggressive, and test the defense even when they are so well set up that you expect them to break up the play three out of four times.
When you watch a game, keep an eye on how often teams carry the puck into the offensive zone. You’ll find that the players who really drive possession are the ones who are aggressive at the blue lines, and that teams in general seem far too willing to dump the puck in, making the seemingly conservative play that actually costs them in the long run. |
Relatives of three US Green Berets killed last year in Jordan are demanding accountability from the US and Jordan. The three men were killed after a Jordanian gate guard opened fire on the men when their convoy passed a checkpoint.
While the US government determined the deaths of three Green Berets last November to have been an accident, the families of the men feel there is more to be done. On Tuesday, they explained their frustrations during a press conference with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Missouri).
Read more
"Over four months have passed since our boys were murdered,” Brian McEnroe, father of Kevin J. McEnroe, 30, said. “None of our families has heard any apology, condolences or explanation from the Jordanians other than these false narratives.”
The deaths of Sgt. 1st Class Matthew C. Lewellen, 27, Staff Sgt. McEnroe and Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty, 27, were determined by an investigation to have been caused by the soldiers’ failure to follow directions when entering Al-Jafr Air Base. However, the fathers, who reviewed footage of their sons’ deaths, claimed that the real story was completely different.
The three sergeants were the second vehicle in a four-car convoy that was passing through.
"Vehicle number one went through the gate with no problems," Chuck Lewellen said. "Vehicle number two being driven by Staff Sgt. McEnroe and my son, Sgt. 1st Class Lewellen, was going through with no problem."
However, after they pulled away, they were allegedly ambushed by a Jordanian guard “who was inside the guard shack with an M16, with accurate and lethal precision," Lewellen said. This is where the stories presented by Jordanian investigators and the fathers of the soldiers diverge.
According to a letter from the Jordanian Embassy, the shooter, Abu Tayeh, rushed over to the location after hearing gunfire and believed that they were under attack, the Military Times reported. He opened fire on the soldiers after mistaking them for enemy combatants, in this version of events.
The families of the soldiers claim he was already in the guard shack and waited to attack the US soldiers. Either way, he first shot McEnroe and Lewellen who died quickly, while Moriarty exited the vehicle with another special operator known only as “Mike” and attempted to reason with Tayeh.
Former Marine James Moriarty explained: "My son and the survivor held their hands up and communicated that they were not a threat” in both English and Arabic. However, he was shot.
"My son takes a couple of assault rifle rounds in the chest. Mike, using that opportunity, is seen circling around the Jersey barrier and finally he empties his gun in the side of the Jordanian soldier, where he is able to put rounds" into Tayeh’s body armor, Moriarty said.
The fathers expressed their displeasure with Jordan’s investigation of the incident. There were two reports written about their deaths that made two different assertions over what happened, but the fathers are displeased that both reports blamed the Green Beret soldiers for their own deaths.
"There were two different reports that the Jordanian press released, and both of them accused our men of doing something wrong," Chuck Lewellen said.
The fathers are not only hoping that Jordan will look into their sons’ deaths again, but also hope that the US government holds Jordan accountable for the deaths.
"We are told that Jordan is an important ally in the war on terror – a war which I support – but I encourage our president and our administration to take a hard look at our relationship with an ally who would so callously disrespect the sacrifice made by our boys," McEnroe said. |
Leading French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen told 60 Minutes on Sunday that France “isn’t burkinis on the beach, France is Brigitte Bardot.”
From CBS News:
Like President Trump, Marine Le Pen takes a hard line on immigration and champions the unemployed workers of France, who she says have been harmed by globalization. Her views have resonated within the French electorate. She wants to drastically reduce legal immigration and deport all illegal immigrants, and she says she would also like to ban conspicuous religious garb in public, including Muslim headscarves and yarmulkes. One thing Le Pen and some other French conservatives are upset about is a full-body swimsuit called the Burkini, which French Muslims have been wearing to the beach. Le Pen brought up the Burkini to make a broader point about immigration and assimilation in France, enlisting a French film star of the 1960s and 70s to help illustrate it. “[France] isn’t Burkinis on the beach. France is Brigitte Bardot. That’s France,” she tells Cooper. Is she trying to “make France great again,” just as Donald Trump promised during the campaign to “make America great again?” asks Cooper. “Of, course,” she replies, “I’ve been saying so for many years.” She is also like President Trump in her attitude toward Russia. Calling the notion of a Russian threat a “scam,” Le Pen says, “I’ll tell you what the danger is for Europe. It’s carrying out a cold war against Russia and pushing Russia into China’s arms. That’s the threat.”
The fake news media in France and Europe is literally copying the propaganda here and accusing Le Pen of being a Russian puppet.
Facebook and Google are also censoring stories on social media by calling them “fake news.”
Since taking the lead in the polls, the EU parliament also voted to strip Le Pen of her immunityfor posting pictures of ISIS killing people, including journalist James Foley.
They want to throw her in prison for three years for showing the crimes ISIS commits, insisting it’s the same as sharing pro-ISIS propaganda.
This is how desperate they are to keep her from winning.
Le Pen sees the modern political fault lines not as left vs. right, but rather, she says, between those who support what she calls “wild, savage globalization” and those who don’t. Le Pen says this “savage globalization” has ravaged France’s economy, stripped France of its sovereignty and led to an influx of immigrants that she believes are changing the national character of the country. And while she isn’t talking of building a wall, she advocates much tougher immigration laws, and a radical shift in France’s foreign policy, including renegotiating its place in the European Union, or else holding a referendum to leave altogether. French journalist Thierry Arnaud says if Le Pen wins the presidency, the impact could soon be felt across Europe. “The potential result of Marine Le Pen winning this presidential election is the end of the European Union as we know it,” Arnaud tells Cooper in the clip above. “The end of 27 countries being closely united in a number of areas. And the end of the single currency, the euro.” Arnaud says that, like Trump, Le Pen is succeeding by painting a dark vision, a vision that appeals to people who feel that their way of life, their culture, is disappearing. “And what Marine Le Pen is telling those people is, ‘I’m the one who can bring it back.’”
Their way of life and their culture is disappearing.
It’s not a “feeling,” it’s an objective fact.
The only question is whether you feel they have a duty to die because they’ve already gone so far, or do you believe they have a right to fight to preserve their heritage now that they’re realizing the multicultural utopia they were promised is an illusion which will end in their destruction. |
Everton defender Seamus Coleman will miss their pre-season friendly in Thailand to ensure he does not aggravate a hamstring problem.
Everton defender Seamus Coleman will miss their pre-season friendly in Thailand to ensure he does not aggravate a hamstring problem.
The Republic of Ireland international came on at half-time in Tuesday's friendly at Tranmere but was withdrawn in the second half.
He will stay behind at the club's Finch Farm training ground with striker Arouna Kone and defender Bryan Oviedo, who are still making their way back from knee surgery and a broken leg respectively.
However, England midfielder Ross Barkley returns to the squad for the match against Premier League newcomers Leicester in Bangkok on Sunday.
"We assessed Seamus' injury this morning," manager Roberto Martinez told evertontv.
"He will miss the Thailand trip to give proper consideration to his injury, for proper treatment and to remove any chance of aggravating that feeling that he had.
"We don't really know the extent of the injury yet but it is sometimes a little bit of a setback that comes with pre-season preparation and getting a lot of volume into the bodies.
"Hopefully it is going to be just a minor setback."
Martinez has confirmed a deal is close for for Anderlecht teenager David Henen as the Spaniard looks to bolster the club's youth ranks.
The Belgian 18-year-old will go into the Under-21 squad once his reported £1.5million move has been completed.
"It is in the process of being completed," Martinez told the Liverpool Echo.
"He's a young, talented footballer who represents Belgium in the lower teams, in the Under-18s and has had good experience in going to France.
"He is a bright boy and we feel he is something different that we haven't got in the Under-21s so we are hoping he is going to be giving us something different in that group.
"We want a strong group. We have already got talented and very interesting footballers and I think David can fit in really well in that environment."
Online Editors |
An editorial in the Akron Beacon Journal criticized recent maneuvers made by Ohio's attorney general Mike DeWine who has "join[ed] the bashing" of Planned Parenthood following release of deceptively-edited videos produced by the anti-choice Center for Medical Progress.
A December 16 editorial by the Akron Beacon Journal discussed the attorney general's investigation into Planned Parenthood based on the "heavily edited and thus misleading" videos which alleged the organization was illegally selling fetal tissue. The videos that prompted the investigation have been thoroughly debunked despite being continuously touted by right-wing media. As the editorial notes, the attorney general's investigation "found no indication that fetal tissue is sold by the Planned Parenthood organizations in Ohio" which "mirrored results elsewhere." However, the attorney general has recently claimed Planned Parenthood was violating state law in its disposal of fetal tissue, which the editorial explained, "fits the pattern" of Republican lawmakers "seizing [the] opportunity" to take "a range of steps to curb abortion rights in the state." The editorial said "nothing indicates that Planned Parenthood has been out of compliance in the past, let alone some dark, rogue operation":
Mike DeWine launched his investigation last summer to determine whether Planned Parenthood in Ohio sold fetal tissue for profit. That was the accusation Planned Parenthood faced in the wake of videos put together by anti-abortion activists. The videos proved heavily edited and thus misleading, to say the least. The state attorney general pushed ahead, anyway, as did officials in other states, encouraged by Republican presidential candidates.
What did DeWine discover? On Friday, he told the director of the state Department of Health, that "a thorough investigation ... found no indication that fetal tissue is sold by the Planned Parenthood organizations in Ohio." That outcome mirrored results elsewhere.
The attorney general didn't stop there. He argued that his investigation turned up information showing that Planned Parenthood violated state law in disposing of fetal tissue. State regulations require disposal in a "humane manner." The attorney general described Planned Parenthood contracting with a waste firm, the "steam cooking" of tissue and sending it to "a landfill ... in Kentucky," suggesting the tissue received treatment in line with trash left at the curb.
No surprise that many lawmakers in the Republican majorities at the Statehouse voiced their outrage. They already have approved denying funding to Planned Parenthood, not to mention taken a range of steps to curb abortion rights in the state. They now have proposed legislation that would define "humane" as either burial or cremation. One bill would require the woman to select one of the two as part of receiving an abortion.
The attorney general plainly is sincere and passionate about his opposition to abortion, as are many Ohioans. At the same time, it is hard to overlook the political theater at work, before the cameras, springing his revelation.
[...]
If Planned Parenthood weren't portrayed as such a villain by Republicans in the legislature, this episode might not appear so calculated. As things are, it fits the pattern, the attorney general seizing his opportunity to join the bashing, just as he eagerly enters controversial lawsuits across the country to trumpet his views.
And yet, Planned Parenthood makes a valuable contribution in communities, providing access to health care for many who are disadvantaged, earning a reputation for trust and quality. Its family planning services help to curb abortions. Still, when a woman chooses to end a pregnancy, difficult as that decision is, Planned Parenthood is there to see that it is done safely, without shaming and demonizing. |
California Regulators Trip Magic 3-Year-Payback Tipping Point for Solar Hot Water
January 22nd, 2010 by Susan Kraemer
Solar hot water is finally getting the respect it deserves in California. In some well designed and much awaited legislation, the California Public Utilities Commission has decided, after a lengthy cost-benefit analysis, to go ahead with a nearly statewide program to provide financial incentives to encourage the rapid development of the solar hot water industry in California. For most utility customers, this will bring costs down by 51% to 60%, into 3 year payback territory.
[social_buttons]
The measure will bring major greenhouse gas reductions to the state, because all buildings that use the sun to preheat 55 degree city water to about 90 degrees before it gets to the tank; can reduce their natural gas use 25% to 90% with solar hot water. And with these incentives, it becomes cost-effective right away.
Californian customers of the state’s three biggest utilities can now get a 30% rebate for solar hot water. If they add the rebate to the new 30% Federal tax credit (signed into law with the Obama administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009) they are looking at 60% (or if the tax credit is on the after rebate cost – 51%) off a technology that is not only very effective, but is not that expensive to begin with.
Solar hot water for a typical house is between $4,000 and $7,000, so even with a $1,010 limit, after the 30% tax credit and the 30% rebate, a homeowner could wind up paying only $2,000 to $3,500 to get a greatly reduced carbon footprint and utility bill forever.
Apartment owners get a higher limit; up to $500,000 to defray 30% of the upfront cost of the larger (therefor more expensive) systems that multi-family commercial buildings need to heat water. Commercial buildings would get up to $250,000 off (daytime hot water needs in offices are not as high as when lots of people are living in a building).
This is an incentive that is perfectly designed to trip the tipping point to jump-start a solar hot water industry. It has been commonplace among solar industry professionals that there must be a 3 year payback for large building owners to make any investment, regardless of how much their long term savings are; and in this economy, that position has only hardened.
Despite the fact that solar hot water systems can save literally millions of dollars for apartment owners over 20 years compared with continuing to pay for natural gas, many apartment owners have been loathe to invest long term, and unwilling to wait longer than 3 years for payback to get permanently cheap hot water with a low carbon footprint.
The 30% Federal tax credit got payback to 6 years. This does the rest.
By combining the 30% Federal tax credits with this new 30% California rebate, apartment owners would see break-even very quickly. To sweeten the investment, the 30% tax credit is also available as a cash grant for businesses that owe no tax this year, because the economic apocalypse last Fall felled any profits.
Because this tipping point is now reached, this rebate could create a real boom for Californian green jobs, and these are jobs that many unemployed Californians already know how to do. Solar hot water installations require the skills that plumbers and electricians already have, and construction is currently suffering a 17% unemployment rate.
Most solar estimators agree that solar hot water provides the most cost-effective greenhouse gas reduction pound for pound yearly between solar panels and solar hot water. This even more true when it is used for radiant floor heating, not just hot water. Solar companies do custom calculations of savings over time for free.
Tripping the magic 3 year payback math that makes it commercially acceptable should have an enormous impact in the most populous state in the US.
Related stories:
Feinstein Expands Solar Tax Credit to Include Public Swimming Pools
Consider a New Measure of Carbon Footprint
Image: Sun Light & Power
Source: Todd Woody at NYT
More from Susan Kraemer: Journalists on Twitter |
Spread the love
Battle Creek, MI — A video uploaded to Facebook over the weekend has caused quite the debate online showing Battle Creek police officers apparently abusing a disabled African American man.
The incident happened on Thursday, Dec. 15 as police pulled over a driver for a suspended license. The video shows cops yelling at the man they just pulled over as he lays on the ground immobilized.
The driver is politely telling police that he needs his walker to get up and instead of giving it to him, they yell in his face.
“You dragged me out of the car bro,” says the driver as he lays there helplessly on the ground. “Look what you just did to me.”
“How would you like to get up,” asks one officer.
“I can’t get up without my walker,” responds the driver.
The driver continues to plead with the officers for his walker, but they hold it just out of reach while screaming in his face.
Instead of allowing the man to get up slowly, like he knows how to do, the cops resort to what they know best — force.
The man is yanked from the ground and painfully dragged to the police car as he screams in agony. When they get the man to the car, he attempts to explain to the officers that he must unlock his leg braces in order to get in the cruiser. Again, they ignore him and apply more force.
Instead of simply listening to the man who is repeatedly telling them that his legs cannot fold unless he unlocks his braces, the officers continue to shove the man into the car. His screams of agony are hard to endure.
According to a press release, Battle Creek police are aware of the video and plan to make an official statement this week. Police noted that the driver’s condition was assessed at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo before being released back to police custody.
Police also noted that the driver had an outstanding arrest warrant, but they did not elaborate on the details of it.
The reason this video caused so much controversy is because people believed the man was faking the fact that he can’t walk. On the surface, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that this man is acting and trying to milk the situation since people were filming. However, that conclusion would be wrong.
According to several people who know the driver, he is indeed paralyzed. But the controversy arises when people ask how a paraplegic can get around with a walker. And the answer is, in fact, simple — lots of paraplegics get around with a walker using leg braces.
The reason police couldn’t get the driver in the car was due to the fact that his legs were locked straight so he can use his walker. Studies have shown for decades that paralyzed individuals, using leg braces, can, in fact, walk long distances, short distances, and can even climb stairs.
Now that we know all the facts of this incident, the behavior of the officers is dramatically different than what many initially perceive.
Instead of assisting a non-complying man into a police cruiser, as will be the likely statement from the department, these officers, whether they knew it or not, tormented a man by keeping his walker just out of reach and then abused and humiliated him by dragging him and forcing him into the cruiser. All the while, they completely ignore everything the man was saying that would have prevented the entire ordeal. |
In 2001, the Patriot Act opened the door to US government monitoring of Americans without a warrant. It was unconstitutional, but most in Congress over my strong objection were so determined to do something after the attacks of 9/11 that they did not seem to give it too much thought. Civil liberties groups were concerned, and some of us in Congress warned about giving up our liberties even in the post-9/11 panic. But at the time most Americans did not seem too worried about the intrusion.
This complacency has suddenly shifted given recent revelations of the extent of government spying on Americans. Politicians and bureaucrats are faced with serious backlash from Americans outraged that their most personal communications are intercepted and stored. They had been told that only the terrorists would be monitored. In response to this anger, defenders of the program have time and again resorted to spreading lies and distortions. But these untruths are now being exposed very quickly.
In a Senate hearing this March, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told Senator Ron Wyden that the NSA did not collect phone records of millions of Americans. This was just three months before the revelations of an NSA leaker made it clear that Clapper was not telling the truth. Pressed on his false testimony before Congress, Clapper apologized for giving an “erroneous” answer but claimed it was just because he “simply didn’t think of Section 215 of the Patriot Act.” Wow.
As the story broke in June of the extent of warrantless NSA spying against Americans, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers assured us that the project was a strictly limited and not invasive. He described it as a “lockbox with only phone numbers, no names, no addresses in it, we’ve used it sparingly, it is absolutely overseen by the legislature, the judicial branch and the executive branch, has lots of protections built in…”
But we soon discovered that also was not true either. We learned in another Guardian newspaper article last week that the top secret “X-Keyscore” program allows even low-level analysts to “search with no prior authorization through vast databases containing emails, online chats and the browsing histories of millions of individuals.”
The keys to Rogers’ “lockbox” seem to have been handed out to everyone but the janitors! As Chairman of the Committee that is supposed to be most in the loop on these matters, it seems either the Intelligence Community misled him about their programs or he misled the rest of us. It sure would be nice to know which one it is.
Likewise, Rep. Rogers and many other defenders of the NSA spying program promised us that this dragnet scooping up the personal electronic communications of millions of Americans had already stopped “dozens” of terrorist plots against the United States. In June, NSA director General Keith Alexander claimed that the just-disclosed bulk collection of Americans’ phone and other electronic records had “foiled 50 terror plots.”
Opponents of the program were to be charged with being unconcerned with our security.
But none of it was true.
The Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday heard dramatic testimony from NSA deputy director John C. Inglis. According to the Guardian:
“The NSA has previously claimed that 54 terrorist plots had been disrupted ‘over the lifetime’ of the bulk phone records collection and the separate program collecting the internet habits and communications of people believed to be non-Americans. On Wednesday, Inglis said that at most one plot might have been disrupted by the bulk phone records collection alone.”
From dozens to “at most one”?
Supporters of these programs are now on the defensive, with several competing pieces of legislation in the House and Senate seeking to rein in an administration and intelligence apparatus that is clearly out of control. This is to be commended. What is even more important, though, is for more and more and more Americans to educate themselves about our precious liberties and to demand that their government abide by the Constitution. We do not have to accept being lied to – or spied on by our government.
Read more by Ron Paul |
SAN CARLOS (CBS SF) – A mountain lion was spotted in San Carlos Monday afternoon, San Mateo County officials said.
The animal was spotted at around 2 p.m. near the 100 block of Exeter Drive.
Residents are advised not to hike or jog when mountain lions are most active—at dawn, dusk and night, county officials said.
Residents are also reminded to keep an eye on small children.
Do not run if a mountain lion is spotted, emergency officials advised. Instead, face the animal, make noise and try to appear bigger by waving arms and throwing objects.
Do not approach a mountain lion, especially if the animal is feeding or with offspring.
For more information about mountain lions, visit www.keepmewild.org.
(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.) |
Shigeru Miyamoto once stated in a Nintendo Power interview that the Zelda team’s primary goal for Majora’s Mask was to “present something which is very mysterious”. The game invites the player to act as a detective, to investigate the secrets and troubles of the people of Termina, and of Termina itself, and to heal them in the end. Though the central story of a troubled imp using a cursed mask to try to cause the moon to crash into Termina may seem fairly straightforward, many subtle details in the game add layers of darkness and complexity to this tale.
One example would be the implicit story of the Deku Butler’s son. Upon being transformed into a Deku Scrub, Link finds a strange tree that resembles his present shape and seems to be crying. Later, Link meets the Deku Butler, who is reminded of his absent son when he sees Link’s Deku Scrub form. At the end of the game, the Deku Butler is seen crying before the strange tree. Though the game never bluntly states it, it is clear that Majora’s Mask forced Link into his Deku form by stealing the soul of the Deku Butler’s son, leaving an inanimate tree in his place.
While I was recently replaying Majora’s Mask, I noticed a number of subtle details that seemed to penetrated the mystery of the game and led me to a shocking discovery. It occurred to me that the moon might not be falling just because of the unfortunate actions of Skull Kid. As its name implies, the world of Termina evidently has been destined to end ever since the early days of its dark history. Subtle details in the game indicate that the evil acts of Termina’s people had brought about the impending apocalypse. It’s all tied to the Stone Tower.
Many people have noticed, and dismissed, the fact that the image of the sacred Triforce can be seen on the tongues of the statues that line the path to Eastern Termina. Termina doesn’t seem to have a connection to the goddesses of the Triforce, and no one seems to worship, or even know of them, so the Triforce design seems like a sort of weird joke slipped in by some random designer at Nintendo. But considering how complex and mysterious the game is, such details should not be overlooked so quickly.
Termina may not be part of the world of Hyrule, but the goddesses are most certainly not a nonentity in Termina. In Hyrule, Zelda prayed to the Goddess of Time, asking her to be there for Link. And while Link was in Termina, the Goddess of Time came to his aid again and again. This proves that the same goddesses watch over both Hyrule and Termina.
I believe that the Goddess of Time is another title for the Goddess of Wisdom, Nayru. According to Ocarina of Time, Nayru created the natural laws of the universe, which should include time. Additionally, the color blue is associated with both time travel and Nayru. Majora didn’t mention Nayru by her name for the same reason Navi’s name was never mentioned: people who hadn’t played Ocarina wouldn’t be familiar with those names, and those names weren’t so vital to the story that they’d make a bunch of exposition about Ocarina‘s story necessary. People who had played Ocarina should be able to understand which characters Majora was referring to, and people who hadn’t played Ocarina would still be able to appreciate the story without getting those references.
When Link finds Kaepora Gaebora in the swamp, the owl mentions that the land of Termina is destined to fade. Was that just an insignificant comment, or had Termina actually been marked for destruction long before Skull Kid found Majora’s Mask? If the goddesses are indeed watching over Termina, why does it have such a dark fate?
The answer, it seems, is that the ancient people of Termina had rejected the goddesses. The statues leading to the Stone Tower, shown licking the Triforce, are signs of blasphemy. And inside the Stone Tower, the slander against the goddesses is far more obscene and terrible.
The Triforce can be seen again, hidden on the bottom of the floating blocks Link manipulates in order to enter the temple. Each block depicts a naked creature sitting and sticking his tongue between his legs, where he is licking the Triforce.
And at the top of the Stone Tower, the temple entrance is surrounded by four rather phallic pillars. Next to one of them, there is an enormous burning hand pointing towards the heavens. This unsettling architecture seems to be sending a certain implicit message: “Screw you, goddesses!”
This of course begs the question, why would the ancient Terminians reject the goddesses? When the goddesses created Termina, they created four guardian deities to shape the corners of the world and protect its people. The Giants are similar to the Great Deku Tree: they are mystical and benevolent, they watch over races of people, and they can be overthrown by more potent beings.
Early in Termina’s history, the Giants saved the people from the chaos Skull Kid wreaked upon them. The people responded by worshipping the Giants as gods. Afterwards, perhaps, the goddesses made themselves known and offered to make a covenant with Termina through the Triforce, as they had done with Hyrule. The Triforce designs indicate that the ancient people had knowledge of the Triforce. It’s possible that the Terminians had been disgusted by the notion that some female beings could be greater than their four beloved male Giants. That could explain why they built four giant pillars representing part of the male body sticking out towards the goddesses.
But was the Stone Tower simply built as a testament of the people’s rejection of the goddesses? There are hints that imply that the tower was built for an even more twisted reason. In the first room of the Stone Tower Temple, a strange vortex is visible far overhead, concealed by the inverted pathways above. It doesn’t share the design of the portal to Twinmold’s lair, or of the glowing light that appears when Link breaks Ikana’s curse, so it seems that Nintendo placed it there intentionally, rather than letting it slip in accidentally. My theory is that the portal leads to the realm of the goddesses, and the Stone Tower was perhaps built as a stairway to the heavens, as a sort of Tower of Babel.
Deep inside the temple, Link finds the Giant’s Mask, which contains a tremendous power. It’s clearly established in the stories Anju’s Grandmother tells that the ancient people of Termina loved the Giants. If there is a significance to the Giant’s Mask, it seems as if it was created as an homage to them. Additionally, the four phallic pillars outside the temple indicate that the Terminians believed that the Giants were superior to the goddesses. These details seem to sugguest that the builders of the Stone Tower intended to invade the heavens and use the power of a Giant to slay the goddesses. Who were the wicked people who built the tower? There isn’t enough information to be sure, but consider how in the deepest room of the temple, Link finds the leader of the bloodthirsty Garo tribe waiting for him. The Garo Master also wears a mask that is shaped similarly to the Giant’s Mask.
Whether or not it’s builder intended to wage war against the goddesses, it seems pretty clear that the Stone Tower was a wicked monument, and the goddesses were obligated to act. So they flipped the universe upside down.
In order to flip the universe, Link needed to shoot a Light Arrow into the Stone Tower emblem, which the Garo Master describes as being blood-stained. The Garo Master guards the Light Arrows. Now, the Light Arrow is a divine weapon meant to smite the wicked. In Ocarina of Time, it was given to Link by Zelda herself. What would it be doing lying in the most corrupt corner of Termina?
I would guess that the goddesses sent the Light Arrows there so that they would smite the wicked.
The blood-stained emblem of the Stone Tower perhaps signifies the evil arrogance of its architects. When the Light of Justice shines upon it, it causes justice to be done to those corrupt people. The builders of the Stone Tower had been seeking the heavens. But the universe was flipped, so it seems they found a sort of hell instead. They found a desert realm.
According to the Happy Mask Salesman, the ancient tribe that first used Majora’s Mask eventually sealed the artifact away, fearing the havoc it would wreak upon them. At the end of the game, when Link is pulled through the moon into a surreal universe, it seems that that tribe was the one the Salesman referred to. Consider how that realm seems to be the polar opposite of the desert realm where Link fought Twinmold. The ancient tribe had sealed Majora’s Mask in that desert, hoping it would never be found. But it was.
The architects of the Stone Tower found Majora’s Mask. They built towers there adorned with the mask’s image, and they brought the mask back into their world. And so it seems that the goddesses punished the wicked people by allowing that destructive demon to escape into their world.
It’s worth pointing out that Majora seems to be a female demon. What better way is there for the goddesses to punish these people obsessed with their male gods than to unleash such a being? In addition to Majora’s feminine screams and dancing, the patterns on Majora’s Wrath’s body seem to resemble breasts and ovaries. It might be a coincidence, but I’ve often been weirded out by those markings.
This theory probably seems far-fetched, but there is actually evidence that practically proves that Majora’s Mask has some connection to the tower. In the first room of the Stone Tower Temple, there is a gigantic statue of a deformed face sticking its tongue out. When the temple is flipped upside down, that statue resembles Majora’s Mask. It has two enormous horns above its eyes, horns on the sides of its face, and is shaped like a heart, although the bottom is missing.
But the statue is incomplete, because the bottom part has broken off. Not only is one of the horns broken, part of the Stone Tower emblem appears on the statue. The rest of the emblem is gone.
Strangely enough the statue only has two horns on each side, while Majora’s Mask has four.
The door above that statue leads directly to the desert. The statue is essentially the gateway to the desert.
And in the desert there are monuments depicting Majora’s Mask. They show the mask with what seem to be a nose and a mouth, and only two full-sized horns on each side of the face.
The Happy Mask Salesman knows the story of the ancient tribe that had sealed Majora’s Mask away and very closely resembles the children in the moon world, who seem to represent that tribe. If he has some sort of connection to them, perhaps he sensed that their evil mask had escaped its prison and was free to wreak havoc upon some unfortunate world. He set out on a journey to find the whereabouts of the mask, and was successful. He brought it out of Termina and into Hyrule, the world favored by the goddesses. But Majora’s power was not meant to be unleashed in Hyrule, so fate led Skull Kid to steal the mask just then and bring it back to Termina, finally setting the apocalyptic events into motion.
But as modern Termina was being torn apart by the power of the mask, it seems the goddesses took pity on the world that was so desperately in need of healing. And as I see it, Link the Hero of Time also seemed to be in need of healing after the ordeal of Ocarina of Time. He was a lonely outcast desperately searching for his beloved and invaluable friend. Between being a Hylian amongst Kokiri and a child in an adult’s body, fate always seemed to set him apart from the people around him. Link’s adventure in Termina finally allowed him to overcome his loneliness and fully mature by easing the private sorrows and troubles of the people around him and receiving their heartfelt gratitude in the form of masks. As Link was being healed, he was also healing Termina so that it’s destiny could be changed.
I also believe that Link wasn’t working against the goddesses by saving the doomed world, because without the aid of the Goddess of Time he would have failed. And as the moon is cast back into the heavens, an enormous rainbow appears over all of Termina, perhaps as a sign from the goddesses that they had forgiven that world.
Though some of this speculation is probably inaccurate, I’m convinced that there are indeed more layers to the story of Majora’s Mask than the ones that most people have noticed. Bear this in mind as you play Twilight Princess in the upcoming weeks. People have generally overlooked or dismissed the Triforce markings in Termina and the images of Majora in the desert for a variety of reasons. Whether or not you believe Zelda games could have tales this complex, these sorts of details deserve serious consideration. There is always the chance that they are meant to hint at something deeper. |
A significant part of San Francisco’s public transit system was hit by a cyberattack this weekend. It looks like ransomware, but the hackers haven’t actually asked for anything yet. SFMTA is currently just giving everybody free rides. Their email system was also impacted. Employees aren’t sure if payroll will go through properly.
lol who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I saw two different people tweet that this virtual hijacking is a sign: we live in a dystopian sci-fi novel after all! (What else is new…) Immediately, I thought of the essay that I linked in response to the election, “On Trying Not To Be Wrong”:
Like many people, I’ve thought 2016 was a surreal year; the Cubs won the World Series, the Secretary of State went on television to warn people about white-supremacist memes, Elon Musk has landed rockets on ocean platforms and started an organization to develop Friendly AI. Surreal, right? No. It’s real, not surreal. If reality looks weird, this means our stories about it are wrong. […] And being totally wrong about how the world works is a threat to survival.
Sarah Constantin is right. Reality marched on without those of us who misjudged it. Ironically, since I was so thoroughly deceived by 2016, “The Cyberpunk Sensibility” feels pretty damn correct right now. All those ’80s authors who pioneered computer-noir were more prescient than they probably realized.
Venkatesh Rao wrote about engaging with uncomfortable realities in a particularly good episode of Breaking Smart:
23/ This means accepting that your mind will need to go into both distressing and flow regimes as required by the situation, and accepting whatever emotions result. 24/ Perhaps the most important emotion to manage is that of feeling powerless. This causes acute distress and strong retreat-to-prowess urges. 25/ But you’re rarely entirely powerless. You can usually cobble together some meaningful, if clumsy, response to a situation with the skills you have. 26/ On the frontier, where there are no experts, and everybody is a beginner, this is often the only possible response. Unexplored nature is the ultimate asymmetrically superior adversary. […] 49/ The world is full of people and groups terrified of wandering beyond situations they are confident about handling. Those who make overcoming that terror a habit have an advantage. 50/ When a group of such people, with better-than-the-rest levels of emotional self-regulation, band together, they can form an unstoppable force. That’s what it takes for groups and organizations to break smart.
We can do it. Well, some of us. Which of us remains to be seen. Honestly, I am frightened that I may not be able to manage this. |
WATCH: James Alex Fields, Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, faces one count of second degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and one count of hit-and-run after the incident, which sent pedestrians flying.
WATCH: James Alex Fields, Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, faces one count of second degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and one count of hit-and-run after the incident, which sent pedestrians flying.
An Ohio man was charged with murder after a car plowed into a crowd of demonstrators following a foiled white nationalist rally Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing a 32-year-old woman and leaving 19 others injured, police and officials said.
James Alex Fields, Jr. of Maumee, Ohio faces one count of second degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and one count of hit-and-run after the incident, which sent pedestrians flying. In the wake of the crash, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into the incident.
James Alex Fields, Jr., 20, of Maumee, Ohio is pictured Saturday, August 12, 2017 in a mugshot released by the Abermarle Charlottesville Regional Jail.
"It was absolutely the most horrible thing I've ever witnessed," said Brittany Caine-Conley, the lead organizer with Congregate Charlottesville. "We ran to the scene and one of my friends actually tried to hold the wounds together for the woman who has passed away."
In a statement, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that "the violence and deaths in Charlottesville strike at the heart of American law and justice. When such actions arise from racial bigotry and hatred, they betray our core values and cannot be tolerated."
White nationalist and other attendees clashed with those who arrived to oppose the demonstration, which began with a torch-wielding group marching through the city Friday evening and was intended to culminate in an event entitled "Unite the Right," set to begin at noon on Saturday.
However, the event -- which was roundly criticized on both sides of the aisle and included calls for the actions to be deemed terrorism -- was shut down by authorities early Saturday afternoon. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency in the city and police ordered the crowds to disperse.
President Trump denounced the "egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides," but drew scrutiny for not condemning the white nationalists directly.
Dramatic video taken after the demonstration was shut down shows crowds walking along a downtown Charlottesville street as several cars move slowly along the same avenue. Abruptly, a gray Dodge rams into the back of another vehicle, slamming one or more cars ahead of it amid the crowd of protesters. The driver then rapidly reverses away from the scene.
Warning: The video contains graphic images.
The University of Virginia Health System confirmed that 20 patients were brought to UVA Medical Center and that 19 were being "assessed and treated" in addition to the woman who died. Five of the 19 individuals were listed as being in critical condition as of 7 p.m. Saturday.
Thomas identified the victim only as a 32-year-old woman, and saying her name would not be released until her next of kin were notified.
President Donald Trump tweeted his condolences to the family of the woman Saturday evening, adding his "best regards to all of those injured."
Charlottesville has become a flashpoint for white nationalists following a City Council vote in February to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a park formerly called Lee Park.
The park was renamed Emancipation Park in June. |
Senate Majority leader Harry Reid pushed a Constitutional amendment that would have gutted the 1st amendment. Thankfully, it failed.
The arguments for it loudly declared that “MONEY ISN’T SPEECH” and thus that restricting how or even if one spends money on political speech does not limit that speech. This is facially false: If one limits the means by which speech communicated, you limit the speech.
But this is just another example of limiting speech by redefining what free speech is.
Already we see the Left using the state compelling others to use their “personal creative abilities to promote and endorse a same-sex ceremony,” while at the same time trying to declare that “H8 speech” isn’t free speech and rather akin to shouting “fire” in a crowded theater.
“Free Speech,” then, is reduced to whatever speech the state deems acceptable, to be expanded or contracted when it is useful to do so. This is yet another example of the “war on words”: If you can’t get around that pesky letter of the law called the 1st Amendment, then you just redefine the terms until they are suitable.
Tweet |
Beginning May 19 in the GLBC Gift Shop, Turntable Pils and Lightkeeper Blonde Ale will arrive in 12 oz. can 12-packs along with Rally Drum Red Ale in 16 oz. can 12-packs. Cans will hit the rest of the GLBC distribution footprint beginning May 22!
To celebrate, we're throwing a special can release Patio Party on the Brewpub patio ahead of the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds games May 24 and 25. Join us from 4:00PM - 6:00PM as we crack open cans of Rally Drum, Turntable, and Lightkeeper on our beautiful patio with music and food specials. Stick around after to watch the games at the bar or hop on our Fatty Wagon for a ride straight to Progressive Field.
We know how good it's going to feel cracking open that first can, but our a canned food drive for Trials for Hope is going to make that feeling even sweeter! Bring in 5 canned food goods between May 22 and June 3 and be entered to win a gift basket full of GLBC gear. Together we're Brewing Good one can at a time.
Full can release details:
GLBC Gift Shop: Beginning Friday, May 19 at 10:00AM
GLBC Market Distribution: Beginning Monday, May 22
To learn more about GLBC cans, click here. |
The “gold star” list projected on a big screen at last week’s meeting of California’s State Water Resources Control Board heaped praise on several water agencies whose residents had made major strides in conservation and were now among the communities using the least water per capita.
Most of the 19 communities highlighted are towns near the coast that long have been conservation leaders, made easier by moderate climates and a development model centered on small yards and apartment-living. But wedged between Sunnyvale and Daly City was an outlier from Sacramento’s suburban expanse: The city of Roseville, a hot, parched suburb surrounded by communities that generally consume far more water.
That such a “gold star” list even exists is a reflection of the magnifying glass placed on communities small and large in response to California’s historic drought. With the state facing a fourth dry year – and the snowpack that feeds its reservoirs at a critical low – Gov. Jerry Brown this month ordered an unprecedented 25 percent cut in statewide urban water use. The state water board, the agency charged with overseeing water distribution in California, followed last week with a detailed framework of how those cuts would play out across the state, with communities that use the most water per person targeted for the biggest cutbacks.
Once the framework is finalized next month, cities and towns across California will have until February 2016to meet their conservation targets by reducing average monthly usage. Those that fail to meet the targets could face hefty fines.
Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee
Under the draft framework, most water districts in the Sacramento region are required to cut consumption by 35 percent compared with 2013 – a category reserved for the state’s most profligate water users. Though water districts throughout the region have made strides in conservation over the past year, most still use more water per capita in the summer than the state average and far more than cities in more moderate coastal climates.
There are exceptions: Davis, Woodland, Sacramento and a string of noncontigious suburban neighborhoods mostly in eastern Sacramento County served by California American Water all have made significant reductions in water usage – and are starting to look more like the state average.
But in recent months Roseville, a city of 125,000, has topped the region in residential water conservation. In February, it ranked in California’s top 12 percent of communities using the lowest amount of water per capita, averaging just 56 gallons per person per day, according to state figures self-reported by water districts.
Roseville is not an intuitive water-conservation champion.
It’s farther inland than almost any other city on the state’s gold-star list, and so subject to high temperatures and long, dry summers. And its an affluent suburb in a region where suburban living traditionally has celebrated large lots planted with expanses of green grass.
But Roseville, like Davis and a few other local water conservation leaders, did not stumble into frugal water use. The city was laid out in a way that makes conservation easier. It invested relatively early in incentives for household conservation that continue to pay off. And it has aggressively tried to persuade residents to cut water use.
In many ways, Roseville offers a glimpse of a future that the rest of the region is only beginning to contemplate: A place where residents willingly tear out lawns in favor of drip irrigation and drought-tolerant succulents; where indoor water use is almost on par with coastal cities; and where the landscape overall is beginning to look a bit more like Phoenix, with its hot, dry climate, than Philadelphia, with its year-round rain showers.
“Even without the drought, we were always at the forefront,” said Roseville Mayor Carol Garcia.
Early start on conservation
A drive through Roseville’s Sun City senior community offers a window into the town’s conservation successes. In this neighborhood of 3,000 homes, every fifth or sixth house features a yard landscaped with some combination of rocks, concrete and drought-resistant shrubs instead of lush grass.
Mary Baker, 79, has lived in a couple different Sun City homes over the last several years, and each utilized a landscape style suited to dry conditions. “We don’t need lawns,” she said. “We need water.”
Lawns consume most of the water used by Sacramento-area households. A 2006 study from the Public Policy Institute of California estimated that a typically sized lawn in the Sacramento region sucks up about 100,000 gallons of water each year. The region has more large lots – defined as an acre or more – than most of the state, and larger lots tend to use more water.
After the governor declared a drought emergency in January 2014, all water districts in the region started targeting outdoor water use, with many imposing strict rules on when residents can turn on their sprinklers. Compliance with those regulations helped cut residential water use regionwide by about 18 percent from summer 2013 to summer 2014.
But Roseville started earlier than most. In 2008, it launched a “cash for grass” program that paid residents to replace their lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping. The program was immediately popular and since has expanded in scope.
At launch, the city paid $1 per square foot of lawn replaced. But it found itself running out of money each year because of sharp demand. This year, it offered 50 cents per square foot up to $1,000. So far this fiscal year, it has paid out about $145,000.
“It’s pretty contagious,” said Lisa Brown, Roseville’s water efficiency administrator, a position created in 2004. “When you drive by, you see clusters.”
Kathryn and Steve Ries replaced their front lawn last year with help from a city rebate. Since then, they’ve reduced their summer water usage by about 80 percent, they said.
They know this because, unlike Sacramento and some other communities in the region, all Roseville’s customers have water meters. The city also sends about half its customers a report each month breaking down their water use and showing how they compare to other homes in the city.
A couple of years ago, the Ries’ lawn was a blanket of uniform green grass. Today, it is covered by mulch dotted with purple lavender.
“The rebate certainly made it more attractive,” said Kathryn Ries, explaining one reason they replaced their yard. Among the others: “We are in a drought. That occurs more frequently than we’d like. It’s just a part of living in California.”
By the time Marc and Jeana Kenyon decided to rip out their lawn last year, Roseville had run out of rebates due to high demand. They decided to do it anyway.
“Our focus was really to benefit wildlife,” said Marc Kenyon, an environmental scientist who works for the state. “Also, to have more of a native landscaping look. The drought also weighed heavily on our decision.”
Kate Bowers, the landscape designer who laid out the Kenyons’ new yard, said she has seen a spike in demand from customers in and around Roseville. “I see people redo regular-size front yards for $5,000 on the low end on up to however much you want to spend,” she said.
“Really, everybody asks for a low-water yard. It’s on everyone’s mind.”
Rate hikes, night patrols
The “regular-size” lawn Bowers referenced is smaller in Roseville than in some surrounding suburbs, a fact that makes it easier for residents to consume less water per household. The median-size lot for a single-family home built in Roseville during the last 15 years is about 7,100 square feet, according to a review of housing permit data. That’s less than half as large as the median-size lot for homes built during that period in adjacent Granite Bay, which uses much more water per capita.
Roseville residents also have made significant indoor conservation gains. This past winter, when outdoor irrigation was not as much of a factor, the city posted the lowest residential water use per capita in the region.
City officials credit much of that decrease to intensive outreach, including a “Water Wise” program that sends a conservation expert to customers who request a house visit.
The gains have not been painless. Like other cities, Roseville issued restrictions on water use early last year, telling residents that they had to reduce consumption by 20 percent by limiting irrigation, fixing leaks and controlling runoff.
Roseville officials also recently started “night patrols” to catch water wasters when they think no one is watching. The city has the power to issue citations and fines, though mostly it has found that residents comply with warnings
The city has employed tiered billing since 2011, with sippers paying less than guzzlers. Last year, the city imposed a drought surcharge of 15 percent on the metered portions of bills. They are considering an 8 percent increase next year, and another 8.5 percent increase in 2016.
When Roseville introduced its conservation measures, it was a pioneer for the region. But increasingly, area cities are adopting similar programs.
California American Water serves about 200,000 people in several suburbs including Antelope and parts of Rancho Cordova. It started a “cash for grass” program about a year after Roseville began its effort. It regularly competes with Roseville for the lowest per-capita water use in the region, beating it some months. Like Roseville, its households are fully metered.
“We’ve spent about $40 million to install 47,000 water meters in the Sacramento region,” said California American spokesman Evan Jacobs. “We have been fully metered since 2013 – that really makes a difference.”
The city of Sacramento started a “cash for grass” program last year, and is in the midst of a meter installation program, with the goal of having all homes metered by 2020. Other cities have relied on public information campaigns and a mix of voluntary and mandatory conservation targets to pressure customers.
Every local community has made progress. The region’s water districts reduced residential water use by between 14 percent (Davis) and 23 percent (El Dorado Irrigation District) from summer 2013 to summer 2014, state records show.
But all will be asked to do more. The state’s draft framework would impose mandatory cutbacks ranging from 10 percent to 35 percent on cities and towns statewide, with communities that have the highest per-capita water use targeted for the deepest reductions. In meting out those cutbacks, the water board chose September 2014 water use as its point of comparison for agencies, and targets them for cutbacks based on four tiers of usage that month: 0 to 55 gallons per person per day; 55 to 110; 110 to 165; and more than 165.
Seventeen Sacramento-area districts used more than 165 gallons per person per day in September, targeting them for the largest cuts under the state’s proposal. Five local districts used between 110 and 165 gallons per person per day in September.
Only one – California American Water – used less than 110 gallons of water per person per day, and would need to cut use only 20 percent over 2013.
The cuts apply to total water use, including businesses and schools. That matters because many of the region’s largest water districts including Sacramento, Folsom, Roseville and Woodland report that nonresidential water use comprises more than a third of total consumption.
Under the framework, Roseville would need to cut its use 25 percent by next February, compared with 2013. It appears well on its way. The city reported using 18 percent less water in summer 2014 than it used in summer 2013.
Roseville officials said they believe the city can hit its target, though it may take another push. “Our council is going to come back in May with a proposal from staff on exactly what we can do to change our (drought) ordinance,” Mayor Garcia said. “I think that we are going to be able to comply.” |
NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force has some new weapons in its armoury. No, they are not hypersonic cruise missiles, nor bunker-bursting ‘smart’ bombs. Instead, they are innocuous looking tablets called 'Go/No-Go' pills. And they are said to pack quite a punch. IAF fighter pilots are now increasingly using these “authorised” pills to boost alertness levels and cognitive powers as well as fight fatigue and sleep deprivation during round-the-clock combat exercises as well as long-range sorties designed to hone war-fighting skills.The ‘Go’ pill is Modafinil, which has gained currency in military aviation circles around the world for its alertness-enhancing and fatigue-managing properties. The ‘No-Go’ pill is Zolpidem, a sedative used to treat insomnia.In the works for the last three to four years, these pills were used extensively in the highvoltage ‘Livewire’ exercise conducted by IAF from October 31 to November 8, which saw the “activation” of all its 54 airbases across the country.From fighter and helicopter pilots to air traffic controllers and even the top brass, the Go/No-Go pills were used to “good effect” during Livewire, which was designed to test both offensive and defensive capabilities for a two-front war contingency with “swing forces” being rapidly moved from the western theatre to the eastern one, and vice-versa. “It was a 24x7 exercise to stimulate a war, which requires high adrenaline levels and the ability to push the envelope.The Go/No-Go pills are being used to optimise performance only after extensive clinical trials, both in simula tors and actual flying, with all necessary safeguards,” said a senior IAF officer. “The field trials and studies were conducted by our doctors to validate pharmacological strategies for sleep and alertness management for aircrews in extended operations.It was established both Modafinil and Zolpidem would help to optimise our personnel’s performance in a sustained operational scenario,” he said.After the adrenaline rush of a combat sortie with the Go pill, a fighter pilot needs to sleep well to ensure he remains sharp for the next mission.“This is where the No-Go pill comes into play. It relaxes you, does not let your mind wander or worry,” said a Sukhoi pilot.Incidentally, a Sukhoi-30MKI has a cruising range of 3,200km, which can be doubled with mid-air refuelling.This leads to an extended sortie. A sleep-deprived pilot will suffer from lower performance levels, poor judgment and reaction time, which becomes all the more deadly if he is flying a supersonic fighter undertaking inherentlyrisky combat manoeuvres.But can the use of Go/NoGo pills lead to addiction or adversely impact health? For one, the pills are not meant for everyday use, and are allowed only for specific missions under strict supervision. “For another, side-effects of both the pills during trials were negligible and did not appear to be a cause for concern,” said the senior officer. |
Audi R8
In just over a week the LA Auto Show will begin. For the largest automotive show on the west coast Audi will be bringing some new versions of their performance vehicles. The cars will be making their North American debut at the show.
“The Audi Sport and performance models have always been an essential part of our brand’s character,” said Filip Brabec, Director of Product Management for Audi of America. “The Audi R8, RS 7 Performance and S8 Plus represent the maximum of Audi performance, premium design and technology for our customers.”
Audi’s pure performance machine is surely the R8. For the 2017 model development of the street car came along side the R8 LMS race car. The two vehicles share 50 percent of the same parts, including the V10 power plant.
The 2017 Audi R8 can be purchased with two engines, both being V10s. The “little” engine is a 5.2-liter V10 that offers 549 horsepower which is 15 more than the previous model. The R8 Plus ups the power to 610 horsepower which is 60 more than the previous year. The finished result is a faster and more powerful supercar.
The 2017 R8 will be available staring in spring of 2016.
Audi S8 Plus
The Audi S8 Plus takes performance beyond the standard S8. The Plus offers more luxury, but it is the 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 that we want. The power plant puts out over 600 horsepower.
Expect pricing and exact specs for the S8 Plus to be announced closer to the car’s release.
Audi RS 7 Performance
The new RS 7 Performance offers 45 more horses than the current RS 7. That takes the output up to 605 horsepower. While most will only enjoy the luxury performance car on the road, the track is the only place that you can get an idea of the vehicle’s limits.
The LA Auto Show starts on November 20th and these Audis will be on display during the event. |
Though the NDAA detention provisions -- and the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) on which they are based -- are unclear on whether Congress authorized such actions, any attempt by this or a future president to deploy the military to take custody of or indefinitely detain individuals picked up on U.S. soil would offend the very foundation of the Constitution.
ADVERTISEMENT
Thankfully, dozens of members of Congress have introduced or co-sponsored bills to try to remedy some of the most dangerous aspects of the NDAA detention provisions. These bills seeking to “fix” the NDAA essentially break down into three categories. Let’s take a look.
First, there’s an effort to reinforce the habeas corpus rights of individuals detained in the United States, as is reflected by a bill introduced today by Representatives Landry and Rigell. Though the bill is well-intentioned, there’s one glaring problem: the NDAA did not take away anyone’s habeas corpus rights.
Habeas corpus is the right to appear before a judge, who decides whether the individual in question is being lawfully detained. The problem with the NDAA is that it seeks to codify the authority of the military to “lawfully” detain individuals suspected of terrorism “until the end of hostilities.”
Though habeas corpus serves the important function of ensuring that the government must make its case in front of a judge, under the NDAA, the government doesn’t need to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in front of a jury as our Constitution typically requires; it just needs to show the judge that the individual in question was more likely than not a member or substantial supporter of al Qaeda or an “associated force.” Bottom line: the end result could mean life behind bars in a military brig without ever being charged with a crime.
A second approach, championed by Sen. Feinstein and Rep. Garamendi, does seek to protect against indefinite detention, but only extends such protections to American citizens and Legal Permanent Residents picked up in the United States. This approach, though an admirable effort, arguably concedes to the NDAA’s proponents one of their key arguments: that the United States can be considered a “battlefield” and that there could be some among us that are enemy combatants.
As a result, even with the protections in the Feinstein/Garamendi bill, the military could still in theory be used to pick up or indefinitely detain within the United States a category of non-citizen terrorism suspects. The Constitution extends fundamental due process protections to all persons in the United States. Any approach to fixing the NDAA should be consistent with this key constitutional principle.
A third approach, put forth by Sen. Mark Udall Mark Emery UdallGardner gets latest Democratic challenge from former state senator Setting the record straight about No Labels Trump calls Kavanaugh accusations ‘totally political’ MORE and Rep. Adam Smith David (Adam) Adam SmithOvernight Defense: White House eyes budget maneuver to boost defense spending | Trump heads to Hanoi for second summit with Kim | Former national security officials rebuke Trump on emergency declaration White House to propose using budget maneuver to prevent defense spending cuts Overnight Defense: Trump to leave 200 troops in Syria | Trump, Kim plan one-on-one meeting | Pentagon asks DHS to justify moving funds for border wall MORE, would ensure that no one within the United States can be indefinitely detained without charge or trial, or tried by legally problematic military commissions. It also reverses an NDAA provision -- opposed by virtually every national security expert, even former Bush administration officials -- that tries to force our military to take custody of a category of foreign terrorism suspects.
The Smith/Udall bill, while far from perfect, is the best available first step towards fixing the NDAA. It makes clear that our armed forces should never be asked patrol our streets, or take custody and indefinitely detain terrorism suspects picked up on U.S. soil. As such, the Smith/Udall bill is consistent with the spirit of the Posse Comitatus Act, which counsels against deploying the military on U.S. soil for law enforcement purposes. It also reinforces core safeguards of the Constitution that provide equal protection and due process to all individuals within the United States.
In the coming weeks, Congress will yet again be debating the appropriate role for the military in counterterrorism operations. A key question will be what to do about the troubling0 detainee provisions from last year’s NDAA. Let’s hope that Congress takes the right path forward.
Rear Admiral Hutson served as the Navy's Judge Advocate General from 1997 to 2000. He recently retired as President and Dean of the University of New Hampshire School of Law. |
It’s official: To promote drugs in Chicago, you’ll need a $750 license—and some serious record-keeping skills.
The Chicago City Council approved an ordinance last week that requires pharmaceutical sales reps to obtain special licenses before promoting their drugs within the city limits. Reps also must track their interactions with doctors and other healthcare professionals.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed the measure in October, claiming it would help curb opioid abuse. Emanuel has cited “deceptive marketing” for contributing to epidemic abuse, and the city has sued a range of painkiller makers for damages.
Free Daily Newsletter Like this story? Subscribe to FiercePharma! Biopharma is a fast-growing world where big ideas come along daily. Our subscribers rely on FiercePharma as their must-read source for the latest news, analysis and data on drugs and the companies that make them. Sign up today to get pharma news and updates delivered to your inbox and read on the go. SUBSCRIBE NOW
Needless to say, drugmakers aren’t happy with the new rules, and several of them teamed up with patient groups and PhRMA to protest the ordinance ahead of its passage, the Chicago Tribune reports.
In a letter to the council, 16 drugmakers—including Horizon Pharma and Pfizer—and other groups had called the license a "harmful tax increase" and said they'd rather have a "meaningful dialogue" with the city about the opioid crisis.
Separately, in July, Pfizer and the city agreed to a painkiller marketing code. The marketing agreement could potentially be used as a model for other drugmakers selling the highly addictive opioid drugs.
The city’s licensing proposal goes far beyond Pfizer’s code of conduct, which, according to the company, essentially reflects its current marketing rules.
By licensing sales reps and using them to gather information on their visits to and contacts with doctors, the city hopes to identify worrisome trends and prevent misleading promotions. Reps will be required to track their marketing activities in detail, noting all contacts with healthcare professionals, the drugs discussed, marketing materials handed out, and samples distributed. They must also note whether doctors are paid for their time.
The city can then demand access to those records as desired, or set up standard reporting periods.
Plus, reps will have to participate in five hours of training every year, including brush-ups on ethics, rules, and safety. And they’ll be prohibited from “deceptive or misleading” marketing. The licenses have to be renewed every year.
Pharma companies say Chicago’s rules aren’t necessary; after all, pharma marketing is already heavily regulated. And the $750 annual charge per rep isn’t fair, they say. “These proposed reporting requirements are unnecessary and duplicative, creating an unnecessary tax on one of the most important sectors of our economy," the letter stated.
Meanwhile, the city's lawsuit against several painkiller makers, including Endo, Teva Pharmaceutical and Purdue Pharma, remains pending. The city filed an amended complaint last November. |
About
To follow this project please visit our Website and like our Facebook Page:
ABOUT THE MOVIE
"We went to the Moon as technicians; we returned as humanitarians." - Dr. Edgar Mitchell
The Space Less Traveled is a feature length documentary about Apollo 14 astronaut and sixth man on the moon, Edgar Mitchell, whose three day return flight to Earth in 1971 was a revelation, shaping the rest of his life. The Space Less Traveled shines a light on Ed’s ceaseless exploration since his return, focusing on his work as a scientist, philosopher, author, poet, and humanitarian. With unprecedented access, we’ve spent the last year filming Ed and his closest friends, colleagues, and family. This has culminated in numerous never before heard stories and insights. Ed’s pursuits in the areas of consciousness, healing, sustainability, cosmology, extraterrestrials, and the paranormal have made him an outsider to many, and an icon to others. Previously unknown information about Ed’s days in NASA are revealed, and serve as a launching pad for a lifetime of achievements, from Ed's formation of The Institute of Noetic Sciences, to his current mission of harnessing zero point energy, and everything in between. The Space Less Traveled promises to be an enlightening, fun biopic about one man's ceaseless exploration.
The DVD copy of our movie will include dozens of complete interviews with various fascinating people, along with a commentary track detailing the making of this film.
WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP
We have been in production and filming for just over a year and have exhausted our funds. This is where you can help! We have big plans for the next 6 months of production, which includes Ed meeting with someone very special. Your backing will go towards hiring an editor, mixing & mastering, color correction, licensing video, gear, and covering filming expenses. The target we've set is the lowest figure on which we can bring this film to completion. Any additional funding will go towards additional filming, soundtrack licensing, film festivals, distribution, and extra rewards for our backers.
WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON’T REACH OUR GOAL
If we don't reach our goal then we receive nothing, no rewards will be sent, and you will not be charged. You are only charged if we meet or exceed our goal. We must reach or exceed our goal or this film will not be finished.
WHAT HAPPENS IF WE GO OVER OUR GOAL
We are asking for the bare minimum amount of money we need to finish this film. If we can exceed our goal then we will use those funds to create an even better and more comprehensive documentary. We will be able to use better equipment, travel to more locations, and interview people that we may have not been able to before. In addition to that we will be able to provide higher quality rewards and give back more to you. |
× The Star Trek Tricorder is now a real medical device
By Jacopo Prisco
(CNN) — In 2013, an Illinois man convinced several investors to fund a revolutionary medical device, to the tune of over $25 million.
He called it the “McCoy Home Health Tablet,” and promised it would instantly deliver patient data to doctors.
In other words, he was pitching the legendary Tricorder from Star Trek, even naming it after Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, the blue-clad, very irritable medical officer from the 1960s show.
It was a scam. The device didn’t exist, and the man was caught and convicted for his crimes. But as a testimony to how quickly reality catches up with fantasy nowadays, less than two years later the Tricorder does exist. And it works.
The Bluetooth doctor
It’s called “Scanadu Scout” — after Xanadu, an ancient city of great splendor and scientific progress, made famous by English poet S. T. Coleridge — and the greatest thing about it is that it’s not a design concept, nor a million-dollar prototype, but an actual product. After a successful crowdfunding round via Indiegogo, the Scanadu began shipping to backers at the end of January.
It is a tiny, round and rigorously white device — even though a black version is in the plans — and it works by placing it on one’s forehead.
Through its sensor, and in a matter of seconds, the Scanadu measures heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, oxygen level and provides a complete ECG reading.
Just like “Bones”
The device is the brainchild of Walter De Brouwer, a Belgian entrepreneur who had to learn how hospitals work — and don’t work — the hard way after his son suffered brain damage as the consequence of a fall.
His inspiration came directly from science fiction: “Star Trek was more than just a movie, it was a business plan,” he told CNN’s Nick Glass.
In Star Trek, the Tricorder was handled by a doctor, but De Brouwer thinks the most revolutionary aspect of the Scanadu is that it can be used by anyone: “We’ve medicalised your smartphone. You can now check your health as easily as your email. People will no longer ask if there’s a doctor on the plane, but if there’s a Tricorder.”
Real word testing
Scanadu operates out of the NASA Research Park in California: “Each of us has more computer power in his pocket now than the whole of NASA in the 1960s when they launched Apollo,” notes De Brouwer.
The device is not yet available to purchase, pending FDA approval, but those who contributed to the Indiegogo campaign are already receiving it and providing “in the wild” testing:
The comparison with the Tricorder, even in the form of a toy replica, is an obvious one:
Scanadu is also working on another product, called the Scanaflo, which is a complete urine test kit that can be used at home.
Health through lasers
De Brouwer’s vision for the future is even more forward thinking than his current achievements: “I think in ten years from now we’ll be relying heavily on silicon lasers,” he says.
The reason for firing a laser beam at a patient? “We have to think of patients as non-cooperative, because we’re lazy, we forget to go to the doctor. With lasers, our medical data can be taken when we pass in front of one of the lasers in our home, or in our car. We will be unaware. But healthier.” |
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Rangers left wing Rick Nash does not quite look all of his 6 feet 4 inches and 200-plus pounds without his equipment. On the ice, he looms much larger — as the Islanders found out Thursday night.
Nash scored the tying goal with just over five minutes left in the third period, then set up Marian Gaborik for the winning power-play goal at the 42-second mark of overtime to lift the Rangers to a hard-fought 2-1 win at Nassau Coliseum.
With Michael Grabner — who scored for the Islanders — in the penalty box for hooking, Gaborik’s shot from the point blew past goaltender Evgeni Nabokov for his eighth goal of the season.
The win was the fourth straight for the Rangers and broke a two-game Islanders winning streak. A loud eruption from Rangers fans in an opponent’s building surprised Nash, who had toiled nine seasons with the often cellar-dwelling Columbus Blue Jackets before his 2012 trade to the Rangers. |
Narendra Modi addressing students of SRM University on February 9, 2014.
Batting for home grown corporates, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today exhorted the student community to set up their own enterprises in India in line with global giants like Apple, Microsoft and Google."Do whatever you can to make India innovative and to be competitive. Recently, Sathya Nadella became the CEO of Microsoft. Most of you must be dreaming to reach the heights of Nadella," he said in his address at the ninth Convocation of SRM University near Chennai."My advice to you is to create a similar enterprise here. Create a Microsoft here. Create an Apple. Create a Google here in India. And then own it and manage it," he said.He said India has 65 per cent people below the age of 35 years. "It is most unfortunate that even after 65 years of independence, we have not focused on education. As a nation we should focus not only on individual progress or economic progress, but also nation building", he said. |
Last week, former NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
While speaking with the media, O'Neal was asked by CSN Philly about the 2016 rookie class and if any players stood out as future stars.
"I don't know all of them, but I know my guy's going to be pretty good, Ben Simmons," O'Neal told CSN Philly, referring to the Philadelphia 76ers rookie who was picked No. 1 overall.
O'Neal said he's familiar with Simmons' game because he attended LSU, O'Neal's alma mater. O'Neal compared Simmons' unique skill set and potential on-court impact to that of arguably the best player in the world: Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.
"He's a LeBron-type player," O'Neal said Simmons, a 20-year-old forward. "What I mean by that, LeBron does a nice job of making everybody else around him better -- passing the ball, doing the small things -- and Ben is that type of player."
Despite impressive averages of 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game -- numbers not too far off of O'Neal's collegiate production of 21.6 points, 13.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists over three seasons at LSU -- Simmons was criticized because LSU failed to meet preseason expectations and missed the NCAA tournament.
O'Neal said he views Simmons' freshman season differently, though.
"He took a lot of flack (sic), especially at LSU with not really taking over games," O'Neal said. "But he's young. He'll get to that.
"When it comes to other aspects of the game, he's very, very intelligent. He plays the game very well." |
BRUSSELS (AP) - Belgian authorities tightened security Thursday in the port city of Antwerp after a Frenchman drove his car at high speed through a busy shopping area, forcing pedestrians to jump out of the way.
French President Francois Hollande compared the incident to the attack in London that that left three people dead Wednesday, saying the Frenchman was "trying to kill people or create a dramatic event."
The federal prosecutor's office said the car was intercepted late Thursday morning at the port docks and police arrested a man, identified as 39-year-old Mohamed R. , who has been living in France.
FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2015 file photo, Belgian para-commandos patrol near a synagogue in the center of Antwerp, Belgium. Belgian authorities on Thursday, March said they have raised security in the port of Antwerp after a car with French license plates drove at high speed through a busy shopping street, forcing pedestrians to jump out of the way. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
In the car, authorities said they found knives, a shotgun and a gas can with an unknown liquid. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Authorities immediately raised security in the center of Antwerp.
At first sight, the incident appeared to have the hallmarks of several extremist attacks in Europe - a vehicle in a busy area bent on mowing down pedestrians. Trucks were used last year in deadly attacks in Nice and Berlin, and an SUV was used Wednesday in London, where three people died in a rampage close to the British Parliament. The attacker was shot dead by police.
The office said "because of these elements, and the events in London yesterday, the case is being taken on by the federal prosecutor's office," which usually deals with extremist attacks.
Prime Minister Charles Michel said "we remain vigilant. Our security services have done excellent work." He also expressed sincere condolences to British Prime Minister Theresa May, saying the two nations are "working in close cooperation with our security and intelligence services."
The high-speed event happened a day after Belgium held anniversary remembrance services for the Brussels airport and subway attacks, which killed 32 people on March 22, 2016.
Belgium has been living under the second highest anti-terror alarm ever since. Soldiers in the busy shopping street Thursday were immediately involved in trying to control and stop the car, which was speeding away at high speed.
___
Associated Press writer Philippe Sotto contributed from Paris
FILE - In this Dec. 8, 2011 file photo, people walk down the main shopping street called the Meir in Antwerp, Belgium. Belgian authorities on Thursday, March 23, 2017 said they have raised security in the port of Antwerp after a car with French license plates drove at high speed through a busy shopping street, forcing pedestrians to jump out of the way. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)
French president Francois Hollande, center, delivers his speech to inaugurate the French Anticorruption Agency, at Bercy Economy ministry in Paris, Thursday, March 23, 2017. The French Anticorruption Agency is a public organization focusing on business activity, the latest move in government efforts to fight corruption. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, Pool)
FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2015 file photo, Belgian para-commandos patrol near a synagogue in the center of Antwerp, Belgium. Belgian authorities on Thursday, March said they have raised security in the port of Antwerp after a car with French license plates drove at high speed through a busy shopping street, forcing pedestrians to jump out of the way. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
People release white balloons during the one-year anniversary for Brussels attacks victims at the Bourse in Brussels on Wednesday, March 22, 2017. Belgian leaders, victims and families of those who died in the suicide bomb attacks on the Brussels airport and subway are marking the first anniversary of the attacks, which killed 32 people and wounded more than 300 others. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) |
About time I got to something Undertale-related.
So yeah. Undertale was an absolutely fantastic game. Despite a fandom that, for many people, over-hyped the game to the point of absurdity, there was pretty good reason for it all. Between the hugely innovative gameplay, the unique story, great chara- you’ve heard this all before. And of course, even if you HAVEN’T played the game, you must know about Sans. That one smiling skeleton that’s literally everywhere? Get dunked on? Of course.
What you don’t know, is that Sans is linked with a Nihilistic view on life, and despite being one of the most relaxed, fun characters in the game, is lowkey a badass suffering through an exis- oh. You’ve heard this already too? Damn.
Well then. Guess I gotta do a new take on this. Everyone loves to throw around the idea that Sans the skeleton is a Nihilist, but I thought, is he really now? Philosophy is such a touchy, crazy subject after all. So I did some research, and came to an interesting conclusion. If I may have a few minutes of your time, I’d like to give you a little briefing on philosophy, and how Sans, really, doesn’t seem to be a Nihilist.
This goes without saying, but there will be spoilers for Undertale spread throughout, but at this point, does anyone who’d be reading this NOT know about Undertale? Regardless. Let’s get some philosophy up in here!
What’s the Score?
We have Sans, perpetual slacker, cryptic, mysterious figure, and secret badass, who has become infamous in the Undertale fandom for hiding his extreme intelligence, his casual judgement of the player, and having, bar none, the toughest boss battle in the game. Throughout said boss battle, as per Undertale standard, he has different lines of dialogue throughout the fight that explain more about his character, and what the player learns is extremely, extremely interesting to say the least.
Sans is aware of the player’s resets: perhaps not having full memory of them, but he is at least perceptive enough to tell exactly how many times you’ve died (up till eleven at least). He has knowledge of some sort of quantum physics, enough to know of differing timelines, and how it affects the entire underground. More importantly – at least for our current purposes – we learn that this is the reason why Sans is so laid-back, despite the hope that monsters have to escape the Underground.
It doesn’t matter whether they escape or not. And from this series of interactions, people theorized and concluded that Sans had a Nihilistic view of the world: that is to say, he had concluded that life inherently had no meaning, and nothing mattered, due to the thought that everything would be reset someday anyways.
That’s the score. But now, we’re going to get into just why Sans might not have a Nihilistic philosophy.
What’re We Dealing With?
We’re going to take a look at some straight up philosophy, starting with just what Nihilism is, since I’m sure you’ve heard the term thrown around everywhere, but really, just what is it?
To define Nihilism, one only needs to look back on the words of Friedrich Nietzsche, the philosopher who popularized this specific view. From the Internet Encyclopedia of Psychology, I quote: “‘Every belief, every considering something-true,’ Nietzsche writes, ‘is necessarily false because there is simply no true world.’ ” Essentially, all values are baseless in the end, existence itself is denied as having meaning, and any attempt to ask “why” would result in failure.
Now this sounds familiar doesn’t it? No true world? Nothing mattering anymore? Yeah, sounds exactly like Sans. So, it’s understandable that many would believe that Sans is a Nihilist. However.
Nihilism is just one of three views that philosophers have held, concerning the inherent meaningless of existence. The second then, is Existentialism, which holds that humans are in charge of their own meaning, that life, despite having no meaning, is given it by humans that choose to create one through knowledge, reason, and free will. Obviously now, this does not seem to relate to Sans in any way, shape, or form, but is perhaps a thought that many people may appreciate. Now, what we’re looking for in considering Sans is not Existentialism, but Absurdism.
The idea, pioneered by one Albert Camus, is that in life, there are two things that are important in regard to meaning: “the Absurd”, a fundamental lack of meaning, in spite of our desire for meaning, and “Revolt,” a desire to defy the Absurd, an assertion that human nature exists and should continue existing, acknowledging that it doesn’t seem to make sense. In his own words:
“I‘m filled with a desire for clarity and meaning within a world and condition that offers neither.”
An odd idea for sure, but I believe this is what Sans exemplifies more than anything in the end – a desire to keep living despite apparent meaninglessness.
Nihilism or Absurdism?
So essentially, the difference between Absurdism and Nihilism is rather simple. The view on the universe as having no meaning is the same, but the way the two philosophies treat life is drastically different. When looking at the behaviors a Nihilist would exhibit compared to an Absurdist, you might notice something rather interesting. Quoted directly from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
“A true nihilist would believe in nothing, have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy.”
This sounds a lot like a certain genocidal savage in the game, doesn’t it? Perhaps it doesn’t fit absolutely perfectly, but considering Chara’s knowledge of resets, Flowey’s treatment of the Undertale world as a game, it’s reasonable to presume that Chara’s desire to destroy is taking Nihilism to its ultimate conclusion.
To contrast this, an Absurdist could only live in defiance of what is considered meaningless- fighting tooth and nail for the sake of living, if not anything else. Such an act aligns much more with the behavior of Sans, wouldn’t you say? Caught up in the meaninglessness of ever trying, yet when it comes down to it, he’ll do all he can to prevent the destruction of it all. Perhaps he gave up a long time ago, but that doesn’t stop him from appreciating the basics of life, it seems. Perpetual jokester, slacker, able to acknowledge the value of friendship, I believe that if Sans was really a Nihilist, he wouldn’t be the way he is portrayed in the game.
Again, both philosophies treat existence as meaningless, but it’s what someone decides to do with that conclusion- living on in spite of it, believing that there is meaning that you can create yourself, or simply accepting the pointlessness of it all- that’s what differentiates these philosophies. Ultimately, that is also what separates characters like Sans, Frisk, Chara, and Flowey from each other. They all share knowledge of resets, and react to it accordingly, creating their own philosophies as a result.
Basically. Undertale’s a good game. Good characters. And Sans is an Absurdist, not a Nihilist! Any thoughts? Any ideas on what to write next? Write a comment, I’d love to hear thoughts on this idea!
Advertisements |
Bankrupt Warren Sapp Makes $100K Super Bowl Bet ... With Rick Ross
Bankrupt Warren Sapp -- $100K Super Bowl Bet ... With Rick Ross
EXCLUSIVE
better get on his knees and PRAY for Peyton Manning to have the game of his life, 'cause the guy who declared BANKRUPTCY in 2012 just made a $100,000 bet withthat the Broncos will win the Super Bowl ... andhas the video proof.It all went down at the Hudson Hotel in NYC ... when the Hall of Famer made the bet with Rick in front of a ton of people. They also tweeted about the wager, so neither side can try to Aaron Rodgers their way out of this one.As for the $100k wager -- it's PRETTY DAMN SHOCKING considering Warren has serious financial issues. It was just back in 2012 that he filed for BANKRUPTCY ... and due to his brokeness, Warren's giant collection of Nike shoes were auctioned off in Sept. 2013.As for Rick, the guy just bought the biggest house in Georgia ... so, we're guessing he can afford it.Maybe Sapp knows a little something about the game that we don't.Stay tuned ... |
The maths of the credit crunch
More or Less BBC Radio 4 and iPlayer Subscribe to the podcast As the downturn takes hold, BBC Radio 4's More or Less programme looks at the maths behind the credit crunch. Since 2007, presenter and economist Tim Harford has been exploring and explaining the numbers which have contributed to - and have characterised - the global economic downturn. He met the mathematicians at the heart of the City - and found out why some say they are to blame for the financial crisis. He uncovered the flaws of the bankers' bonus system, and discovered a mathematical error which might have led the banks into trouble. He interviewed quantitative finance expert Paul Wilmott and The Financial Times journalist Gillian Tett. And he met the guardians of what could be the financial world's most important number. You can listen to all of Tim's reports here. PAUL WILMOTT, QUANTITATIVE FINANCE EXPERT Paul Wilmott is a lecturer in financial mathematics and runs the profession's most popular website. He is a fan of quantitative finance - but he thinks that its misuse has played a part in creating the current banking crisis. In November 2007, More or Less asked whether the financial mathematicians known as "quants" - short for quantitative analysts - were to blame for what was then being termed "the credit squeeze".
WHO ARE THE QUANTS? Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Paul Wilmott discussed his concerns with Professor William Perraudin of the Tanaka Business School at Imperial College London. Tim Harford chaired the discussion. The risks of risk management In December 2008, Tim invited Paul Wilmott back to talk about the problems in more detail. Banks and hedge funds rely on highly-paid mathematicians and economists - "quants" - to evaluate risk. So why did they not they see the credit crunch coming? Paul Wilmott says some mathematicians have a tendency to get fixated on the numbers, failing to think about the big picture. RISKY RISK MANAGEMENT Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. He posed a scenario. Imagine you are at a magic show. The magician takes an ordinary pack of 52 playing cards, and gives it to a man in the audience to shuffle. He then asks a volunteer to think of a card. "The ace of spades," she replies. The magician turns to the man with the pack of cards and removes a single card from the deck. What is the probability that the card is the ace of spaces?
To hear the answer listen to the interview, or read Paul Wilmott's article on the risks of risk management. A fundamental mathematical error Paul Wilmott says an additional cause of the credit crunch is that people simply got their sums wrong. GETTING THE SUMS WRONG Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. He told More or Less these errors might have contributed to the mispricing of financial derivatives, and thus to the travails of the banks, the credit crunch, and the economic downturn. The maths of the bonus system Many traders were paid bonuses if they made money. And yet, collectively, their trades bankrupted some banks and nearly bankrupted many more. THE TRADER'S DILEMMA Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Why did traders, paid for performance, all make the same mistake at the same time? Paul Wilmott considered this question. He set out the trader's dilemma. AT HOME WITH THE QUANTS In October 2007, Tim Harford got a glimpse into the world of the quants.
The most successful of these talented mathematicians will come up with mathematical formulae that make them and their bank or hedge fund employers millions of pounds per year. They are highly secretive about their work, not wanting others to know the details of their systems. MEET THE QUANTS Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. But one of them, William Hooper, invited Tim Harford into his beautiful London home. Read more about quantitative analysts A trader's apology William Hooper has since left the world of finance to start his own business. He has been reflecting on the global economic problems and the question of who is to blame - read A trader's apology . GILLIAN TETT, THE FINANCIAL TIMES Gillian Tett is an assistant editor of the Financial Times and oversees the global coverage of the financial markets.
Five years ago, she was shocked to discover what she says could best be described as an iceberg in the middle of the City. The role of the media She was studying media coverage of the City and began to realise journalists were doing lots of stories on stocks and shares, mergers and acquisitions, but nothing on what had become a much bigger part of finance - the credit and derivative markets. She says business journalists were simply not covering the City in a representative way. THE FINANCIAL ICEBERG Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. You had a small part of the financial system bobbing above the water but a vast shadowy mass of activity pretty much hidden beneath the waves. And hidden not just from ordinary people, but hidden from politicians, from many regulators, and unfortunately from much of the media too.
UNDERSTANDING LIBOR The London Interbank Offered Rate - LIBOR - has been dubbed the financial world's most important number. Published each day in the UK, it is the rate at which the banks lend to each other and it influences over $150 trillion (£100 trillion) of funds worldwide. The Libor number is compiled by putting together the estimates of the cost of borrowing from at least eight banks, and then discarding the highest and lowest of the sample to leave an average rate which then becomes the daily 'Libor Fix'. LIBOR Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. But the figure's validity has been questioned, with critics dubbing it "the rate at which banks won't lend". Tim Harford went behind the scenes at the operations centre where the daily rate is compiled. Huge numbers On January 23 2009, Paul Wilmott returned to explain how the value of the global derivatives market could possibly be three times that of the world economy - a figure amounting to $150 trillion. THE TRADER'S DILEMMA Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Listen to the interview for a reminder about what derivatives markets are. But hold on to your hats - Paul and Tim discuss some very big numbers indeed. More or Less is broadcast on BBC Radio 4. To find out more, visit the programme website , or you can subscribe to the More or Less podcast.
Bookmark with: Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version |
Bill Clark via Getty Images UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 8: A stunned crowd, including the hotel staff, at the Nevada Democrats' election night watch party at the Aria Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas watch as Donald Trump delivers his victory speech after being elected the 45th President of the United States on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2016.
A new report weighs in on the performance of last year’s polls. Few Americans have faith in the government. And trust in scientists’ accuracy is deeply polarized. This is HuffPollster for Friday, May 5, 2017.
WHAT HAPPENED WITH 2016 ELECTION POLLING? - An American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) report, released Thursday, digs into the performance of last year’s surveys. HuffPollster: “National polls, which largely predicted a modest win for Hillary Clinton in the popular vote, weren’t too far off. But state polling missed the mark significantly, and often uniformly, leaving much of the public feeling utterly blindsided by Donald Trump’s victory...A late shift in key swing states and a failure to correct for the underrepresentation of less-educated voters played out against the backdrop of a close race that saw different winners in the Electoral College and the popular vote. The resulting errors were fundamentally worsened by pollsters, forecasters, and aggregators who were either overconfident in their results, or unable to convey a proper level of uncertainty to the public.” [HuffPost, full report, additional coverage from WashPost, Politico, AP]
What went wrong, according to the report: More from HuffPollster: “In Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, between 11 percent and 15 percent of voters said they made up their minds in the final week of the campaign. Late deciders in those states, several of which saw a last-minute surge in attention from the campaigns, broke heavily for Trump….[B]etter-educated voters were likely to support Clinton. That presented a problem for some pollsters, because highly educated voters are also more likely to answer polls….While many pollsters weight their surveys to correctly reflect Americans’ educational backgrounds, some, especially at the state level, did not.”
What we still don’t know: “The impact of other potential factors is less clear, according to the report. The report sheds no light, for example, on the effect of FBI Director James Comey’s letter to Congress….Similarly, while likely voter models ― pollsters’ efforts to determine which of the people they talk to will actually show up on Election Day ― presumably played a role, much of the data that would help measure the exact effect isn’t yet available.”
What didn’t go wrong: “The study found no evidence of a consistent bias toward one party in recent polling. While Trump was underestimated last year, Democrats Barack Obama and Al Gore also saw their standing underestimated in election polling. ‘The trend lines for both national polls and state-level polls show that ― for any given election ― whether the polls tend to miss in the Republican direction or the Democratic direction is tantamount to a coin flip,’ the report’s authors write.”
What to know for next time: “Pollsters who didn’t already account for educational levels can take more care to do so. But there’s no reason why future elections won’t also see last-minute shifts in swing states, or an Electoral College result that doesn’t reflect that popular vote…. panelists on Thursday suggested that pollsters, aggregators and journalists should spend more time emphasizing that surveys represent only a snapshot of public opinion at the time that they’re taken, and that the uncertainty surrounding polling goes far beyond the stated margin of error.”
HOUSEHOLDS WITH LANDLINES ARE NOW THE MINORITY - Pollsters who only call landline phones have an ever-shrinking universe to work with. Stephen J. Blumberg and Julian V. Luke: “The second 6 months of 2016 was the first time that a majority of American homes had only wireless telephones. Preliminary results from the July– December 2016 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) indicate that 50.8% of American homes did not have a landline telephone but did have at least one wireless telephone (also known as cellular telephones, cell phones, or mobile phones) —an increase of 2.5 percentage points since the second 6 months of 2015... Despite operational challenges, most major survey research organizations include wireless telephone numbers when conducting RDD surveys. If they did not, the exclusion of households with only wireless telephones (along with the small proportion of households that have no telephone service) could bias results. This bias—known as coverage bias—could exist if there are differences between persons with and without landline telephones for the substantive variables of interest.” [CDC]
TRUST IN THE GOVERNMENT IS AT A NEAR-HISTORIC LOW - Pew Research: “The changes in the dynamics of power in Washington have registered with members of both political parties. Somewhat more Republicans express trust in government today than did so prior to the election, while views among Democrats have moved in the opposite direction. For the first time since George W. Bush’s presidency, Republicans (28%) are more likely than Democrats (15%) to say they can trust the government in Washington to do the right thing just about always or most of the time. The share of Democrats expressing trust in government is among the lowest levels for members of the party dating back nearly six decades. The national survey by Pew Research Center, conducted April 5-11 among 1,501 adults, finds that the overall level of trust in government remains near historic lows; just 20% say they trust the government to do what’s right always or most of the time. Far more say they trust the government only some of the time (68%); 11% volunteer that they never trust the government to do what’s right.” [Pew]
TRUMP’S APPROVAL RATING DIPPED SLIGHTLY BUT RECOVERED THIS SPRING - Mark Blumenthal, on SurveyMonkey’s data: “After a brief dip in March, President Donald Trump’s job approval rating rebounded slightly in April….That slight dip in March represented the lowest ebb so far in Trump’s presidency. Prior to that, our tracking of Trump’s ratings varied between 44 and 48 percent – essentially where they are now….[W]hile it is difficult to attribute recent changes to any one issue, it is likely that the shift in news coverage from a high-profile defeat of an unpopular proposal to military action and other news helps explain the glacial regression to the mean in Trump’s ratings. Independents who lean Republican have also been more variable in their assessment of Trump (partly because that subgroup is smaller, typically about 10 percent of all adults), but do show a slightly different pattern: Well over 80 percent approve of Trump, and while the numbers dipped slightly in late March, hitting a low of 84 percent in the week ending on April 3, they only rebounded in the past week (to 89 percent).” [HuffPost]
TRUST IN SCIENTISTS SPLITS ALONG PARTISAN LINES - HuffPollster: “Americans’ trust in scientists is deeply split along partisan lines, a new HuffPost/YouGov survey finds. 54 percent majority of Democrats, compared with just 13 percent of Republicans, say they have ‘a lot’ of trust that what scientists say is accurate and reliable…. In a HuffPost/YouGov poll taken four years ago, Democrats were 28 percentage points likelier than Republicans to express a lot of trust in scientists’ findings; in 2015, the gap was a relatively similar 25 points. But by last spring, that divide was 31 points, and the most recent poll finds it widened to 41 points, due both to increasing levels of trust among Democrats and a corresponding decline among Republicans.” [HuffPost]
HUFFPOLLSTER VIA EMAIL! - You can receive this update every Tuesday and Friday morning via email! Just click here, enter your email address, and click “sign up.” That’s all there is to it (and you can unsubscribe anytime).
FRIDAY’S ‘OUTLIERS’ - Links to the best of news at the intersection of polling, politics and political data:
-Nate Cohn sees risks for the GOP in the current health care debate. [NYT]
-Harry Enten hypothesizes that the health care bill could hurt President Trump among working-class voters. [538]
-Philip Bump charts out the expected impact of the Republican health care bill. [WashPost]
-Polls find little support among either the public or the medical community for weakening protections of pre-existing conditions. [Politico, WashPost]
-Quoctrung Bui, Claire Cain Miller and Kevin Quealy explore whether Trump’s presidency is becoming more normal. [NYT]
-Amy Walter asks whether GOP voters will stick with the party in the 2018 midterms. [Cook Political]
-Scott Bland notes Jon Ossoff’s surprisingly high level of Republican support in GA-06. [Politico]
-Eshe Nelson contends that the French presidential election won’t have a shock outcome. [Quartz]
-Most Americans say that LGBT athletes face discrimination from their teammates. [Marist] |
YES YES YES YES!! *nod nod* Yes I like this one, and I think I'll be keeping Misty if you don't mind.
I read a sample for this books years ago on my kindle, but I never had enough money to order it off of Amazon. So when my tio and tia gave me amazon money I jumped at the chance to get this book (even though it is kinda small in comparsion to some of the other books I read) and I do not regret it one bit!
I haven't read a book like this since... Mmmm I am gonna have to say Percy Jackson. The chara
YES YES YES YES!! *nod nod* Yes I like this one, and I think I'll be keeping Misty if you don't mind.
I read a sample for this books years ago on my kindle, but I never had enough money to order it off of Amazon. So when my tio and tia gave me amazon money I jumped at the chance to get this book (even though it is kinda small in comparsion to some of the other books I read) and I do not regret it one bit!
I haven't read a book like this since... Mmmm I am gonna have to say Percy Jackson. The characters were amazing, and not flat, the world was additcting and the villians... Well that's kinda confusing and all but whatever, let's get into it!
Setting
As a very proud Texan, I can personally say there is no better place for an awesome story like this to take place. And naming the head of the Rangers, Lone Star *bows head* That was great.
But anyone, in this fiction version of Texas (at least I'm assuming it's fiction because of... well the people with powers running around and all) you have the Cloak Society and the Rangers of Justice (which is... just an awesome name for them). Then you have all those boring folk that I don't really care too much about.
Despite having different plots, characters, and settings, the world gave off a Percy Jackson kinda feel to it. Just the way that the author described the land made it seem very interesting and I was glad that he made it like that.
Characters
OMG I LOVE THE CHARACTERS GEESH I DIDN'T WANT TO STRANGLE THEM THE ENTIRE TIME WHICH IS SUCH A HUGE RELIEF!
It has been so long since I read a story with characters I didn't want to hit I forgot how good it felt to agree with the characters!
Alex
We have our lovely main character here, a telekinetic twelve year old. Unlike most of the time with main characters, I got an actual personality off of Alex. He wants to do the right thing, even though he really doen't know that that is. He just wants to protect his friend and Sterling City along with it in the end. It's clear that he wants to impress his parents, and cares a lot about his friends Mal and Gage, and is like a protector to Misty. Which. Is. Adorable.
One thing I found myself asking though, is why he was such a good person. I mean, if the main character was Mal (which I am glad it's not, don't mistake my words) it would make sense for her turning her back in the last second. But Alex has no reason to end up being a good guy, not before he started talking to Kirbie, at least. He wasn't raised to have mercy on these people, and I don't think anyone ever taught him how to be good, so how did that happen?
A person isn't just raised bad and all of a sudden, because of instinct or something, good. Not that I'm complaining! I loved the way that Alex's character slowly transformed. Even as a villian, he was still more relateable than someone, say, like Artemis Fowl *gags in disgust*
And by the end, he has grown really strong, which is awesome since my favorite power has always been tekinsis, even before reading this book. So... Yay!
Kirbie
*FIST PUMPS THE AIR*
Kirbie isn't a main character! YESSS! That sounds odd, but she isn't like a huge side character, like Annabeth is to Percy, she wasn't a main character. She was a important one, but besides when they are battling for the first time, she, or anyone else for that matter, doesn't take the attention off of Alex, which is something I am internally grateful for.
I have said before that most female characters annoy me to death, but this story did a great job of taking care of that. None of the female characters annoyed me, not even Shade and Julie. Kirbie, the one girl I thought was going to annoy me, ended up just being really cool and nice, and not overly nice that I kinda wanted to punch her. She wasn't overly anything, which I guess made her more standable than most female characters I meet in these stories.
Plus her power is stinkin cool.
Misty (aka; The Mist)
Next to Alex, this adorable little ball of Mist is probably my favorite character. Right off the bat she is really likeable, to me at least, with her wanting to be called The Mist and not Misty, and just walking in wherever she pleased without knocking. Again, I thought that I might grow to be annoyed with her, but that never came.
She was really chirpy, kinda senstive, but she was also ten. And I think the author portrayed Misty perfectly. She was fun and happy, also kinda sad when Alex was in trouble, nervous about her powers, but brave when she needed to be.
She was like the not annoying little sister that tagged along for the ride as the story played through, and then in the end saved them all. That's exactly what she was now that I think about it, and that was BRILLIANT!
Mallory
I don't think I spelled that right... So I'm just gonna call her Mal for here on out.
Mal was a pretty interesting character too. Next to Misty, she had a really different backstory from everyone else. And her power to control temperture was cool. She pulled through in the very end, and Alex looks at her as a close friend, and she goes to him when she starts to have her doubts about the plan, which is really sweet and I like that.
I wasn't annoyed by her at all... Well maybe a bit towards the end, but that changed quickly.
Gage
I have to admit, I find it hard to believe that a twelve year old can be this smart. Where did he even learn the stuff he knew? I mean, sure his dad was smart, but it didn't mention anything about genetic smartness did it? Other than how unbelievable that was, Gage was pretty cool.
He was the tec guy, one for which I am glad was there. And I'm glad that he is Alex's friend, because then we got to see more of him. He was loyal to his friendship with Alex to a fault, and even driving out of the place that he called home.
I found it a bit odd that he stayed with the Cloak even after his father was killed. Wouldn't his father being killed because of the Cloak be all the more reason for him to leave? No? Yes? Alright moving on.
Lone Star
We don't get to see too much of Lone Star. All we really know is that he has the power of the sun, is the leader of the Rangers of Justice, and was the only one that the Cloak actually feared.
But I just wanted to take this chance to bring up how awesome this guy's name was. Lone Star is... *flat tight smile*
Texas- for one, is the Lone Star state (and I assure you it was that before this book came out) and the SUN is a STAR. It's representaion and a pun at the same time.
Shade
I guess the real bad guy in a book about bad guys in Shade. She is the one that leaves everyone for dead in the end, but I don't actually see her as a bad guy. Even towards the end when she leaves her own son to die with a bunch of other children, she isn't the bad guy. I mean, in the beginning of the book Alex was on her side, fighting with her.
In fact, from her point of view, Alex is the bag guy and she is just doing what she has been planning on doing this entire time, and was hoping to have her son fight by her side.
From the very beginning of the book we see that she is certainly fond of her son, hoping that he will become the strongest of the Betas. And even through everything, up until the end she still holds a place for him, to welcome him back. Obviously, for most of the story she doesn't want to hurt him, but wants to mold him into the strongest member of the Cloak so he can later become what she wants him to become.
That makes her a very intersting bad guy. She didn't get worse, she just stayed the path that Alex was going to follow. Sure, at the end though, she did stop trying to recruit him, but she was proud of him, even if it was for trying to defeat her. SO... She's kinda confusing really.
Volt
Volt was just there. I didn't think he ever wanted to even hurt Alex in the first place. From what I could read, Volt was more fond and caring towards Alex, but just went along with his wife's plans like "yes honey, whatever you say honey."
Julie and Titan
Again, Titan is a fraiggin awesome name. I'm starting to think that Jeramey just wanted a book filled with awesome super hero and super villian names.
Titan is, ovbiously from the very start, the bully bad guy. He's made of metal, annoying, is teasing and braggy, judgemental, and hot headed. He turns out to be a bigger part of the threat near the end, but Mal took care of that.
Julie... Well she wasn't really important at all. Frankly, I don't even know what her power was. Was she transforming into a dragon the entire book? I just got that she was snoody... that's it.
Overall
GAH I LOVED IT! The not-magic-magic was perfect, the setting was amazing, the characters were likeable and the plot got me hooked. The underground bunker, Sterling City, Victory Park, it was all so... GAHHHH AMAZING! I got lost in this book in a way I hadn't in so long I forgot what it felt like to live in the world of books.
Seriously, if you haven't read it, read it. It is worth the, what? six dollars? Maybe more? It won't disappoint! |
k vs. kdb
this article is more a product placement of kx/kdb+ than explanation of k. The reference to the free k-language implementation is missing (https://github.com/kevinlawler/kona/wiki/Group) and it is focusing to much on kdb+ the database which is finally based on q which is based on k. So there is only a second level link to k.
Is http://www.schneier.com/code/sol.k in this "K programming language"?
yes.
NPOV [ edit ]
I'm missing NPOV here. Seems like this entry was written by the language designer, or (more likely) somebody who's using the language and a bit too fond of it.
Nothing wrong with that in itself, but not very informative - if somebody says "combines the best of foo, bar, and baz", I still don't know *which* features of foo, bar, and baz went into the language.
<rant> The section on the Hello World program is entirely misguided. Nobody is interested in how easy it is to write a Hello World program (except those who're learning the language, and the interest persists only until the program runs).</rant> (Sorry for ranting, but the section really deserves it. IMHO.)
Joachim Durchholz
I like the Hello World program because it can give you an immediate sense of the language. A comparison of the K example with a comparable example from Java is representative of the differences between the two language in general. However I certainly agree that you need additional examples. I've added a word sort and prime number examples since they were the two examples used in the APL section. If you want a different example or additional ones say something and I should be able to help.
Abcarter 13:37, 25 November 2006 (UTC)
completely agree! Claims like "speed" and "expressive syntax" should be backed with facts and definitions. Fast compared to what? What does expressive mean? A language is expressive to the extent that it is able to expresses the solution using abstractions from the problem domain. K expressions look like noise on an excessively long and capacitive RS-232 connection. It's possible that they are expressive if the surface syntax is transliterated into a notation which is readable. In 2011, it is not important to be able to cram an entire application onto a single 80 column punched card. That is not what "expressive" ought to mean, in any case. 24.85.131.247 (talk) 16:50, 29 September 2011 (UTC)
I followed the kuro5hin discussion, and looked at the Kx Systems website, but failed to find any information about how to get hold of K.
Along the way I found K Links put up by the other of the kuro5hin article, and "No Stinking Loops", a collection of links for various APL-derived languages; interpreting the latter my best guess is that versions 2 and 3 of K are obsolete and version 4 is now called "Q".
The link to "K4/Q" throws you into a directory which appears to contain libraries for the Q runtime, but there isn't much in the way of documentation there to tell you what to do with them.
Maybe this will help someone work out how to improve the current article ... Hv 02:24, 8 February 2006 (UTC)
Anyone found any evidence that K is free for free software? I've gotten nothing but rude responses from their sales people.. note I said sales. :) 216.199.93.178 20:59, 6 June 2006 (UTC)
It used to be the case that you could download a demo version of K from the Kx website. However, in 2003 Kx systems released Q which merges the features of K and Ksql and is meant to be the successor to both. At some point they deleted the K download since it is no longer a featured language; however they did not add a Q download. Kx still offers trial versions of Q, but it is on a by request basis. Abcarter 15:05, 25 August 2006 (UTC)
You can download an older version of K for linux from http://cs.nyu.edu/cs/faculty/shasha/papers/klinux. Other version are referenced in http://www.cs.nyu.edu/shasha/papers/cousins.html. I hope Kx Systems would consider once again providing official access, but without any support, to the last version of K prior to Q as this is an excellent language. Bakul Shah 18:54, 29 November 2006 (UTC)
A correction and a comment. I had thought that Q was the successor to both ksql and k. It is the successor to ksql and it does merge the features of ksql and k, however it is still written entirely in k, though a newer version. It would be nice for Kx to offer older versions of k without support, but it's not clear that it is in their interest to do so. Abcarter 00:19, 1 December 2006 (UTC)
Proposed merge with KDB [ edit ]
Unless there are objections I will begin the process of merging the entry on KDB (database) with K (programming language). This is based on discussions on the KDB entry. This is based on the close linkage between the language and the database:
Both KDB and KDB+ are developed in K Ksql and Q, the query languages for KDB and KDB+, respectively, are written in K. With a few minor exceptions in academia no, the K language is always used in conjunction with KDB.
Abcarter 23:12, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
Merged the KDB (database) and did a very rough clean up. I deleted anything that was more marketing than factual. I'm embarrassed to say that there is really very little left as a result. I will expand on this in the next couple of weeks. Abcarter 01:48, 29 November 2006 (UTC)
I'll be making numerous changes to the K entry in the next few weeks and using this section for comments when necessary. Abcarter 11:59, 29 November 2006 (UTC)
Made some corrections to the infobox.
The Kx site lists 1993 as the year when k was first developed. KDB+ is not an implementation of k but an application built on top of it. k is written in c but its design is not influenced by c in any obvious way. Apparently Scheme was the specific dialect of Lisp that influenced Arthur Whitney in the design of k
Abcarter 11:59, 29 November 2006 (UTC)
Your remarks on performance characteristics is great stuff. I'm not too sure if I follow it completely, any change of providing a source that one could read for more detail? Also, do you have any objective sources giving performance benchmarks or numbers? Abcarter 00:42, 1 December 2006 (UTC)
Hello World Program [ edit ]
After thinking about it I've reverting the deletion concerning the Hello World program. The wikipedia definition of such programs is:
A "hello world" program is a software program that prints out "Hello world!" on a display device.
Interpreted languages such as k can do this in a trivial way. Look at the list of Hello World programs and you'll see a number of similar languages with the same trivial example. While the example is trivial the point being made is not, the interpreted nature of k is a distinctive feature of the language and one of the first things you should know about it. Abcarter Talk 14:53, 3 January 2007 (UTC)
This is nothing to do with the interpreted nature of the language; it would be trivial to design a language that had an identical "Hello World" program but compiled down to machine code. It is, however, illustrative of K's concise syntax. 81.86.133.45 18:47, 6 September 2007 (UTC) In K every statement is evaluated and the results immediately displayed. Literal values, like strings, evaluate to themselves. Consequently, you can argue that a Hello world program can just be the string, "Hello world!". While this feature of K facilitates an expressive and concise syntax, but it really isn't illustrative of it. A B Carter (talk) 04:16, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
Performance Characteristics [ edit ]
I'm not sure if I understand some of this paragraph:
>> The performance of modern CPUs is improving at a much faster rate than their memory subsystems.
Check. Memory is comparatively slow.
>> The small size of the interpreter and compact syntax of the language makes it possible for K applications to fit entirely within the level 1 cache of the processor.
Check. Smaller is better, but it would be nice to know exactly what a level 1 cache, and exactly what processor.
Leveal 1 cache is the smallest memory cache in modern processors and therefore the fastest. The point is that the K executable is so small that it can stay resident in the L1 cache.
>> Vector processing makes efficient use of the cache row fetching mechanism and posted writes without introducing bubbles into the pipeline by creating a dependency between consecutive instructions.
Suppose I have an array expression like D = A + 3*(B+C) and I apply the classic do loop treatment of this statement, i.e. D[i] = A[i] + 3*(B[i]+C[i]), factors which would degrade the speed as array length increases would be the locality of access and cache utilsation (i.e. individual vectors are farther than the cache apart).
But K is an interpreter and is more likely to do something like D = 3*(B+C) then D = A + D, assuming A does not promote the type of D. But even if D, B, and C fit in the cache window for part 1 and A and D fit in part 2, would this really present such a speedup opportunity?
Yeah, can't help you here. Hell, I don't even know what a pipeline "bubble" is.
This pipeline bubble thing is explained nicely in at least two places - have a look at Jim Blinn's book, Notation, Notation, Notation, Chapter 7, pp. 107-121. I often see it in Borders. Although the article is nearly 10 years old and he's writing about MMX, I imagine this problem is not unique to Intel hardware. Also, Intel has some nice code tuning tools and documentation on their web site. I imagine the average Kdb user does not use this hardware.Cowznofski 21:52, 28 January 2007 (UTC)
>> These characteristics, combined with a highly optimized implementation, tend to make interpreted K programs significantly faster than hand-coded C/C++.
I would be more inclined to belived that well-coded K programs would tend to run significantly faster than their poorly-coded C/C++ counterparts.
Even though I agree with the sentiment of this statement, it has all sorts of problems. The defensible claim is that the first version of a C program will often run slower that the first version of a K program that performs the same task. The C program isn't necessarily poorly-coded, just not optimized. While I believe this to be true, there is no cited source to back this up and obviously has NPOV issues.
I've never been particularly happy with this section. It was entered anonymously as a single edit. I asked for a citation and additional information (see above), but there was never a response. Still it's an valid topic. K is incredibly fast and it would be nice to have a clear and extended explanation for this. A B Carter (talk) 16:27, 25 January 2007 (UTC)
PS - Please remember to sign your name with ~~~~ :). A B Carter (talk) 16:29, 25 January 2007 (UTC)
Sorry... Cowznofski 21:31, 28 January 2007 (UTC)
So for instance, if I use longer variable and function names in my C program, I can expect to exceed the L1 cache and get slower behavior? What insipid crock!!!24.85.131.247 (talk) 17:18, 29 September 2011 (UTC)
first prototype J interpreter [ edit ]
This might give some insight as to how Arthur Whitney thinks and why K is so fast. Arthur's first prototype J interpreter
typedef char C;typedef long I; typedef struct a{I t,r,d[3],p[2];}*A; #define P printf #define R return #define V1(f) A f(w)A w; #define V2(f) A f(a,w)A a,w; #define DO(n,x) {I i=0,_n=(n);for(;i<_n;++i){x;}} I *ma(n){R(I*)malloc(n*4);}mv(d,s,n)I *d,*s;{DO(n,d[i]=s[i]);} tr(r,d)I *d;{I z=1;DO(r,z=z*d[i]);R z;} A ga(t,r,d)I *d;{A z=(A)ma(5+tr(r,d));z->t=t,z->r=r,mv(z->d,d,r);R z;} V1(iota){I n=*w->p;A z=ga(0,1,&n);DO(n,z->p[i]=i);R z;} V2(plus){I r=w->r,*d=w->d,n=tr(r,d);A z=ga(0,r,d); DO(n,z->p[i]=a->p[i]+w->p[i]);R z;} V2(from){I r=w->r-1,*d=w->d+1,n=tr(r,d); A z=ga(w->t,r,d);mv(z->p,w->p+(n**a->p),n);R z;} V1(box){A z=ga(1,0,0);*z->p=(I)w;R z;} V2(cat){I an=tr(a->r,a->d),wn=tr(w->r,w->d),n=an+wn; A z=ga(w->t,1,&n);mv(z->p,a->p,an);mv(z->p+an,w->p,wn);R z;} V2(find){} V2(rsh){I r=a->r?*a->d:1,n=tr(r,a->p),wn=tr(w->r,w->d); A z=ga(w->t,r,a->p);mv(z->p,w->p,wn=n>wn?wn:n); if(n-=wn)mv(z->p+wn,z->p,n);R z;} V1(sha){A z=ga(0,1,&w->r);mv(z->p,w->d,w->r);R z;} V1(id){R w;}V1(size){A z=ga(0,0,0);*z->p=w->r?*w->d:1;R z;} pi(i){P("%d ",i);}nl(){P("
");} pr(w)A w;{I r=w->r,*d=w->d,n=tr(r,d);DO(r,pi(d[i]));nl(); if(w->t)DO(n,P("< ");pr(w->p[i]))else DO(n,pi(w->p[i]));nl();} C vt[]="+{~<#,"; A(*vd[])()={0,plus,from,find,0,rsh,cat}, (*vm[])()={0,id,size,iota,box,sha,0}; I st[26]; qp(a){R a>='a'&&a<='z';}qv(a){R a<'a';} A ex(e)I *e;{I a=*e; if(qp(a)){if(e[1]=='=')R st[a-'a']=ex(e+2);a= st[ a-'a'];} R qv(a)?(*vm[a])(ex(e+1)):e[1]?(*vd[e[1]])(a,ex(e+2)):(A)a;} noun(c){A z;if(c<'0'||c>'9')R 0;z=ga(0,0,0);*z->p=c-'0';R z;} verb(c){I i=0;for(;vt[i];)if(vt[i++]==c)R i;R 0;} I *wd(s)C *s;{I a,n=strlen(s),*e=ma(n+1);C c; DO(n,e[i]=(a=noun(c=s[i]))?a:(a=verb(c))?a:c);e[n]=0;R e;} main(){C s[99];while(gets(s))pr(ex(wd(s)));}
Personally, I like this style. Tradition goes out the window, where it belongs. My eyes don't have to wander too far, nor do I have to turn any pages, to find something.193.8.106.71 14:09, 9 February 2007 (UTC)
malloc() and no free()? No wonder it's fast. Monadic Mike 21:11, 27 June 2007 (UTC)
Ouchie. 69.255.27.90 (talk) 00:49, 14 July 2010 (UTC)
My eyes hurt from looking at this. Dtm1234 (talk) 14:19, 28 June 2012 (UTC)
K3, K4 and Q [ edit ]
This desperately needs to be forked into "k3" (historical interest only) and "k4" (actually useful) articles, especially since a personal version of q is now available free (as in beer) i'm capable of porting all the k3 code here to k4, it's not that hard and i'm quite familiar with both, but i'm not sure what the "wiki way" is to do a major change like this--do i just change this into the k4 article and create a k3 stub saying "obsolete functional language from Kx"? Adavies42 (talk) 18:35, 22 August 2008 (UTC)
I've moved this comment to a separate section so that the discussion can focus on the more general issue of the boundaries of the present article.
Two quick comments. First, K version 4 is not significantly different from K version 3 in terms general syntax and semantics. I'm not too sure there is anything in the present article that needs to be changed in this regard. Second, I assume you are actually talking about q, a new language that is written in the k language. Take a look at the q.k script and you'll see how q is defined in terms of the underlying k language. There is already a short article on Q and presumably your efforts should be devoted to that article. A B Carter (talk) 16:23, 25 August 2008 (UTC)
um, yes and no. there are big chunks of k3 that were dropped completely (all the gui stuff), chunks that were changed drastically (i/o), and the merger with the database layer. (kdb/ksql was a completely separate software package, a set of k3 scripts that implemented the db; kdb+ is built into the q interpreter and the q.k language implementation.) second, k4 is still of some interest; if nothing else, some k4 knowledge is generally picked up by q programmers, and it's helpful when debugging q, as all the error messages are in k. but yes, you're right that the main effort should be devoted to the q article. Adavies42 (talk) 03:45, 19 September 2008 (UTC)
Code samples do not appear to work [ edit ]
I attempted to run the code samples provided on this page using the KDB, which includes a k4 interpreter, and of all the samples only "x@>#:'x" actually ran without errors. For example:
q)k)2!!7!4
'type
q syntax highlighting lost [ edit ]
Since the switch from Geshi to Pygments for syntax highlighting (phab:T85794), support for 'q' was unfortunately dropped, as can be seen with the plain text formatting on this page. Are there other pages using this syntax? If we want 'q' syntax highlight support again, it will need to be added to Pygments. However, Pygments does include support for 'apl', which may be a suitable fallback, and it can be very easily added like this patch. John Vandenberg (chat) 03:44, 13 July 2015 (UTC) |
Calgarians will soon be hit by a one-two punch of electricity and natural gas price increases, say utility companies and analysts.
While the average home will be paying $136 more for natural gas a year due to the carbon tax this year, the price of electricity is expected to double by 2020.
The market outlook for electricity prices, which are currently in an historic trough of around $25 per megawatt hour, will likely see them rise to near $50/MWh in three years, say analysts and utility operators.
Already starting Jan. 1, households are paying an extra $2.61 a month on distribution charges to help stabilize an electricity industry grappling with slumping prices — essentially an increased fee to enjoy low power costs.
Those higher electricity prices on the way are due to an expected growth in demand as the economy strengthens, modest increases in natural gas prices and financial contracts, said University of Calgary economics professor Trevor Tombe.
But he said that increase should be put in the context of electricity’s recent roller-coaster price ride of recent years.
“It may seem dramatic but if we look back, the average price from 2000 to December, 2014 was $72 per MWh,” he said.
But it’s still a significant hike, much of it the result of the cost of building a renewable energy network the province hopes to have supplying 30 per cent of Alberta’s needs by 2030, said Nicole Black, Direct Energy’s senior manager of government and regulatory affairs.
Related
“Remember that those increases are monthly … basically doubling the electricity commodity cost,” said Black.
“When you look at the cost of building out the new system, there’s no magic money and this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Next year, that electricity price increases will likely add $14 a month to the average homeowner’s bill and $18 the following year.
And unlike cost increases spurred by the carbon tax, there’s no provincial rebate to cover rising electricity bills, she noted.
All of it’s coming at a time when many Albertans are still struggling with the impacts of a sluggish economy that’s only beginning to show signs of renewed vigor, said city Coun. Sean Chu.
It’d also be only the latest hike in a series of tax and fee hits absorbed by ratepayers, he added.
“We nickel and dime to death — it’s like a death of a thousand cuts,” said Chu.
Last fall, city council slashed increases to the cost of water and sewer-wastewater fees through 2018, shaving an estimated $278 a year from Calgarians’ monthly bills.
The city also temporarily halted a $6.50 fee for the upcoming green cart program by using $13 million from a rainy day fund to cover it.
Chu said it’s a good start but to Calgarians who are dinged with a host of utility fees even when they use little or no natural gas during the summer, more cutting needs to be done.
As for the carbon tax, it’ll add $205 to the average household natural gas bill next year and $250 when it hits $50/tonne in 2022, said the Direct Energy’s Black.
If gas prices remain stable, that levy will make up the lion’s share of the cost of heating.
“That’ll be $5 on a $2 commodity and the glut of natural gas is expected to last for some time,” she said.
To help cushion the blow, the province is sending carbon levy rebates to about 60 per cent of Albertans.
Revenue raised by the tax is to be used to fund renewable energy development and efficiency and the rebates.
BKaufmann@postmedia.com
Twitter/BillKaufmannjrn |
Sir Tim Barrow, Britain’s new permanent representative in Brussels, faces the daunting task of stopping what colleagues and critics suspect is a tumble towards a disorderly exit from the European Union.
Where once the choice was between hard and soft Brexit, the new worry in diplomatic and business circles is that the UK is heading for “train crash” Brexit, a scenario in which incompatible negotiating demands from Downing Street and the other 27 member states result in Britain walking away without a deal on either the terms of separation or future trading relations with the EU.
UK's lack of negotiating experience may lead to 'very hard Brexit' Read more
That was the concern of Barrow’s predecessor, Sir Ivan Rogers, who wrote to the 120 staff at the UK’s imposing office block at 10 Avenue d’Auderghem to warn them of “muddled thinking” back in London. “Contrary to the beliefs of some, free trade does not just happen,” concluded one of the most stinging resignation letters in Foreign Office history.
Aside from a groaning intray, Barrow inherits a demoralised and depleted team. He has just lost his deputy, Shan Morgan, who is due to start a new job in Wales, and gained a new turf war in Whitehall, where the top civil servant at the department for exiting the EU opposed his appointment and demanded to be in charge of talks instead.
“The structure of the UK’s negotiating team, and the allocation of roles and responsibilities to support that team, needs rapid resolution,” warned Rogers in his farewell letter.
Officials at the other No 10, in Downing Street, rushed to counter their outgoing ambassador’s claim that the government did not have a proper plan. A speech by Theresa May at the end of January will make clear, they briefed, that the top priority was ending the free movement of people and that, if Britain could not remain a member of the single market as a result, then so be it.
After receiving instructions and rebuilding his team, Barrow’s next priority is convincing the other 27 governments that Britain is still serious about negotiation. Previous intransigence over wanting both free market access and an end to free movement have left many in Brussels thinking London misunderstood its basic membership principles.
But even though the UK appears ready to concede the need for reduced market access and possibly ongoing budget payments, the new ambassador also needs to convince his counterparts of the need to negotiate any new trade deal at the same time as the talks on the terms of separation – or, at the very least, agree a transition phase.
With EU demands for a divorce settlement of tens of billions of euros looming large, the Brits risk having to agree to pay this budget contribution before they are even allowed to move to the next step. Only then could Barrow get to the crunch issue for his political bosses, which is the negotiation of new trade terms.
Rogers had warned that talks on a replacement free trade agreement could drag on for up to a decade. The swift appointment of Barrow, an FCO veteran and former ambassador to Moscow, was intended to reassure civil service mandarins worried that the government no longer wanted to hear bad news – a signal, it was claimed, that it was at least trying to strike a deal in Brussels.
But the reaction from those in favour of a more hardline approach has only underlined the suspicion in Whitehall that many politicians secretly relish the possibility of walking away with no agreement.
“It’s very simple,” claimed the Brexit-backing former cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith on Wednesday when asked what the government’s objective was. “We are leaving the European Union.”
“The only significant issue outstanding about our future relationship is trade,” added fellow Tory John Redwood on Friday. “I suspect, after all the huffing and puffing, they will want tariff-free as it is more in their interests than ours.”
Despite Rogers’s withering remark that trade does not just happen, there is some support for falling back on World Trade Organisation rules if a new trade deal cannot be agreed.
The view of Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, is that even without a deal Britain can always temporarily rely on international tariffs agreed by the EU and strike bilateral deals in future. Though some WTO tariffs, such as those for cars, are punitively high, most would be tolerable.
“It’s really not an abyss,” said Brendan McGivern, a WTO expert at White & Case in Geneva. “This is the basis that the USA and Japan trade with the EU. It’s a robust system.”
The problem is that even moving to WTO tariffs would require agreement. Other signatories around the world would need to accept that Britain had a right to inherit the same rates negotiated with the EU. In the case of agriculture, where there are shared quotas in place to limit cheap imports, Britain would have to negotiate its share with French farmers or risk losing entire export markets.
“People like Fox suggest it will be an easy and painless process [to inherit WTO rules] but I am not really convinced of that,” said McGivern. “It will be relatively easy for industrial goods but not for agriculture. Because the pie has to be split, it becomes a zero-sum game.”
Martin Schulz: EU hamstrung by Brexit and rise of populist right Read more
Some even argue that this would still not prevent the UK selling the same products elsewhere. One reason forecasts by groups such as Economists for Brexit are more rosy is that they assume all trade eventually finds a global price regardless of tariffs, much like commodity markets for crude oil. The reaction of more complicated export industries, such as the British car industry, is one of horror.
Exporters are not the only ones worried about the chaos that might follow a disorderly Brexit. There is also the question of where it might leave the dozens of regulatory agencies that provide vital services for the economy, or the millions of EU citizens stuck on either side of an increasingly bitter immigration row.
Already there are concerns that so-called shared regulatory competences will unravel chaotically unless a comprehensive transition deal is agreed with the other EU member states. This is bad enough for those based in the UK, such as the European Medicines Agency, which has reported an exodus of skilled staff. But finding replacements for other vital bodies, such as the European Atomic Energy Community, presents a whole other level of challenges.
Many of the Tory sceptics pressuring Downing Street fear all this talk of transition arrangements is a trap to prevent the Brexit referendum result from being implemented.
“They are looking for ways they will be betrayed,” said Mark Leonard of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “They don’t want to get bogged down. They would rather just take the economic hit.”
Timeline - Brexit spring
January
May gives speech outlining negotiating objectives.
Supreme court rules on parliament’s right to be consulted.
February
David Davis expected to provide written plan for Brexit.
Bill on triggering article 50 likely to enter parliament.
March |
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website
A revamp of the Thames Barrier is likely as sea levels rise
Sea levels globally are very unlikely to rise by more than 2m (7ft) this century, scientists conclude. Major increases would have to be fuelled by a faster flow of glaciers on the Greenland or Antarctic ice sheets. But writing in the journal Science, a US team concludes that a rise of 2m would need glaciers to reach speeds that are "physically untenable". However, even increases substantially less than 2m would cause major issues for many societies, they say. "Even a sea level rise of 20cm (8in) in a century will have quite dramatic implications," said Shad O'Neel from the US Geological Survey (USGS). Woe betide any government that thinks a 2m rise in sea level isn't something to take notice of
Dr David Vaughan
British Antarctic Survey "This work is in no way meant to undermine the seriousness of climate change, and sea level rise is something we're going to have to deal with," he told BBC News. Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth received some criticism for implying that a rise of 20ft (6m) was possible in the near future, although it did not give a definite timeframe. By contrast, this latest research tallies broadly with the conclusions of other groups that have examined the question using different approaches. Fast work In its landmark assessment of climate change published last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that sea level rise would probably fit in the range between 28 and 43cm over the century, although 59cm was a possibility. The current rate is about 3mm per year. But the IPCC specifically excluded the mechanism able to produce the biggest amounts of water quickly - acceleration in the flow of ice from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, the world's two major ice masses that would between them raise sea levels by about 70m if they completely melted. Most of the ice comes off in glaciers. Scientists know that many of the glaciers have accelerated in recent years - some quite spectacularly. The Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland, for example, doubled its speed in six years to about 12km per year. The acceleration of glaciers is not well understood But the processes involved are poorly understood, and the IPCC concluded that on that basis it would be unreasonable to draw any conclusions about how far the acceleration might go. Individual scientists, however, have not be so coy. The team behind the current research looked at what we do know about Greenlandic and Antarctic glaciers, about the rates of flow and the factors that might prevent acceleration. "We don't really know a speed limit for glaciers," said Dr O'Neel, "but we can look at what we have today and ask 'what would happen if they all behaved like Jakobshavn?' "It's been going fast for several years now and hasn't gone another marked increase in speed. Helheim had a brief period at 14km per year, Columbia at nine or 10; so that kind of figure, in the region of 10km/year, seems to be about as fast as it gets." To achieve a 2m sea level rise by 2100, by contrast, every Greenland glacier would have to increase its flow rate to at least 27km per year and remain at that velocity for the rest of the century. 'Scary' scenario Antarctica is rather different. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet rests on rock that is mainly below sea level, meaning that warming seas could increase the rate of ice loss, though again the new analysis suggests this is also very unlikely to result in a catastrophic melt during this century. David Vaughan from the British Antarctic Survey believes the US team has got its figures about right. "The point is that whatever happens in this century can only start from present conditions and present rates of sea level rise, and that constrains the rise that can occur this century," he told BBC News. "However, if you're looking further ahead than 2100 - and many governments are, including the Netherlands and the UK which are thinking about infrastructure that would last more than 100 years - then that second century still looks quite scary. "I certainly don't disagree with them that we shouldn't be making outlandish statements about sea level rise, and some outlandish statements have been made; but the high end of the estimates here is still about 2m, and woe betide any government that thinks a 2m rise in sea level isn't something to take notice of." Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
Bookmark with: Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version |
Far-right nationalists are planning a demonstration in a London borough next month to protest the alleged “Jewification of Great Britain.” Anti-fascist groups have pledged to deny marchers “an inch of our streets.”
The march, organized by British National Party-linked activist Joshua Bonehill-Paine, is called “Liberate Stamford Hill.”
Bonehill-Paine is calling for a “fight back” against what he calls “Jewification and anti-white oppression” in the north London area.
Stamford Hill is home to one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities in Europe. The march appears to be directly targeting the Shomrim, a Jewish community patrol group which supports the Metropolitan Police.
Bonehill-Paine further claims that “white people” in the area are subjected to abuse.
A Facebook post promoting the march condemns the Jewish patrol group for “enforcing their law” on the area.
“It’s utter disbelief that the Jews of Stamford Hill have set up their own police force which enforces their own talmudic law on the streets of a White British city,” the post reads.
“In Stamford Hill, White people are openly spat at on the streets and viewed simply as ‘Goyim’, slave to the Jew. I refuse to ignore the on-going Jewification of my country whilst other ‘Patriotic’ organizations are busy attacking issues that don’t matter.”
READ MORE:UK must ‘wipe out’ anti-Semitism - Home Secretary
“That’s why on the 22nd of March, 2015 in Hackney at Clapton Common, I will be demonstrating against the Jewification of Stamford hill (sic) in an effort to ‘Liberate’ the area and draw attention to the Jewish problem,” he adds.
Bonehill-Paine, 22, is a controversial figure who has described himself as a “rising star” in the far-right, yet was dubbed “moronic” by an expert in a court case in which he was found guilty of issuing anti-Muslim death threats against a pub landlord in 2013.
An ex-Conservative party member who previously tried to organize an anti-Islamist march in London after the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby, Bonehill-Paine publishes a blog called The Daily Bale (“Britons Against Left-Wing Extremism”) which ran a number of stories that later turned out to be hoaxes, the BBC reported.
He is due in court on Monday, where he is accused of writing a hoax story for his local newspaper, claiming that Tesco's food was contaminated with Ebola, though this is not the first time he has been reprimanded for fabricating information.
In September 2014 he appeared in court accused of posting information online falsely claiming that individuals were paedophiles, homosexuals and held religious faiths.
In response to the call for an anti-Jewish march, anti-fascist groups have rallied, pledging to stop the event taking place.
The North London Anti-Fascists said they would work with members of the community in Stamford Hill to gain as much anti-fascist support as possible.
READ MORE:'Murmurings and mutterings': Labour warns against politician’s anti-Semitism
“This demonstration will not only be opposed, it will be stopped. We will do everything we possibly can to refuse National Action, or any other anti-Semitic, White Pride, nationalist or neo-Nazi groups who join this protest, even an inch of our streets,” a statement read.
“More information shall be released shortly about counter-demonstration plans and how we shall be working with Stamford Hill residents, community groups, and other antifascist groups to ensure that the intimidation and hate that this demonstration is designed to create is stopped.”
The Facebook event for the march currently lists 50 people as attending. Posts on the page refer to Jews as “the corruption behind mankind.”
Post by Joshua Bonehill.
The Metropolitan Police say they are still deciding whether to allow the demonstration to take place.
“We are aware of an application to hold a demonstration on March 22 in Stamford Hill. A decision as to whether the demonstration will be permitted has yet to be taken. We're in consultation with the community about the possible impact it will have,” a spokesperson said.
Labour MP Luciana Berger protested against the march on Twitter, saying “this ‘rally’ has no place in Britain.”
News of the march comes only weeks after Home Secretary Theresa May said efforts must be doubled in the UK to combat anti-Semitism.
Her comments followed a warning from the UK’s former chief rabbi Lord Sacks, who claimed British Jews are frightened to go to Jewish shops in the wake of terror attacks in Paris, when a kosher supermarket was targeted by Islamist gunmen.
Lord Sacks told Sky News’ Murnaghan Show that anxiety within the Jewish community was at a “record high.” |
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's Exo Zombies mode will be included in the game's first DLC expansion, Havoc, due this January.
This will be the first of four Advanced Warfare add-ons with Ascendance, Supremacy and Reckoning rounding out the pack. Season Pass owners will save £10 off buying each expansion a la carte.
Xbox users will get early access to the AE4-Widowmaker directed energy assault rifle on 11th December.
"As things were wrapping up around launch, we started playing around with the idea of what happens when zombies were thrown into the mix with exoskeleton gameplay," said developer Sledgehammer Games on its official blog. "What we came up with is Exo Zombies - an entirely new breed of zombies and an entirely new co-op experience that is truly unique to Advanced Warfare."
Here's the official version of the previously leaked trailer. |
The mother of one of the victims of the 2012 Benghazi terror attack slammed Hillary Clinton on Wednesday for calling the criticism she faced in connection with the tragedy “political.”
“I don’t see how it was political in any way—it was Hillary’s baby from day one. She ordered all that stuff, and then she went to bed when [the attack] was going on,” said Pat Smith, the mother of U.S. Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith, who was killed along with Ambassador Christopher Stevens and Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods.
She spoke to Fox News after Clinton discussed Benghazi during her first live interview since the election, part of the promotion of her newly released campaign memoir “What Happened.” Clinton brought up the controversy over the Benghazi terror attack in response to a question about her likability.
“Take the Benghazi tragedy—you know, I have one of the top Republicans Kevin McCarthy, admitting we’re going to take that tragedy—because, you know, we’ve lost people, unfortunately going back to the Reagan administration, if you talk about recent times, in diplomatic attacks,” Clinton told Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s “Today.” “But boy, it was turned into a political football. And it was aimed at undermining my credibility, my record, my accomplishments.”
Clinton's reference to House Majority Leader McCarthy was an apparent swipe at his 2015 boast that the Benghazi committee was hurting Clinton politically. And her mention of Reagan administration-era attacks was likely a reference to the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut, in which 17 Americans were killed.
However, the criticism of the Obama administration after the 2012 Benghazi attack in which four Americans were killed was based on several factors. Specifically, the Clinton State Department was faulted for ignoring security concerns in the run-up to the attack, contributing to the poor defense posture at the post. The Accountability Review Board that examined the tragedy concluded there were “Systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels” at the department.
CLINTON LAMENTS HOW BENGHAZI TRAGEDY HURT HER POLITICALLY
Fox News also reported Tuesday that contractors said they were pressured to stay quiet about security lapses by the State Department.
Smith, who has long been critical of Clinton, said the former secretary of state “still has not called me” despite promising to do so after Sean’s death.
Smith also said the State Department and Clinton ignored her requests for information. “I am his mother. He was 34 years old, but he was still my baby,” Smith said. “I know what the government thinks of me, and I think just that much of the government – it stinks. This is how you get treated by the government, or, at least the way you used to.”
Sean Smith’s uncle, Michael Ingmire, also criticized Clinton’s comments Wednesday.
“She has been in plausible deniability about Benghazi ever since it happened,” Ingmire told Fox News. “She was standing, basically before the coffins of Americans, blaming a horrible anti-Islamic video, but she’s just being consistent with her psychosis. The liar, the criminal, the crooked politician—those are the three faces of Hillary.” |
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — March weather in Colorado is Mother Nature gone bipolar.
While the Rapids practiced on Wednesday in sunny, 60-degree weather, the team was preparing for playing in blizzard-like conditions for their home opener at Dick's Sporting Goods Park (above, after a past snowstorm) on Saturday afternoon.
“We’re in Colorado,” Rapids head coach Oscar Pareja told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday. “That’s the nature of our weather, and we deal with it.”
Weather forecasts are calling for up to as much as a foot of snow on Saturday, with the worst of the snow scheduled to fall – you guessed it – right in the middle of the Rapids’ home opener Saturday afternoon against Philadelphia (6 pm ET, MLS Live).
READ: Rookies impress for Colorado Rapids in season-opening loss to FC Dallas
But rather than complain about it, the Rapids are taking the snow forecast in stride, and not necessarily just involving players and coaches.
The team announced on Wednesday that they would distribute 10,000 snow-white “Rapids rally towels” to fans attending the game on Saturday, and team president Tim Hinchey has started a “#ColoradoForLife” hashtag on Twitter to help fans embrace rather than resent the oncoming weather.
“It might hurt on a couple of headers,” right back Marvell Wynne told MLSsoccer.com about the possible impacts of Saturday’s weather. “If the ball hits you right in the ear, that just ruins your life for a little bit. But other than that, it’s just a mental game.”
READ: Rapids claim they were "best team on the field" in loss to Dallas
Wynne and his teammates are aware that a possible foot of snow could create adverse playing conditions, but he doesn’t think it will seriously affect Colorado’s possession-based attack.
“My fingers are going to be really cold. But other than that, you’ll still be able to be able to pass the ball just as well, go for some headers and hopefully we’re going to be able to score some goals,” Wynne said.
Meanwhile, Pareja also said the snow won’t affect his game plan and he doesn’t plan to alter his game preparations despite the ominous forecast.
Chris Bianchi covers the Colorado Rapids for MLSsoccer.com. |
The stable isotope ratio of carbon is often used as an indicator of life in old rock samples. A high carbon-12 to carbon-13 ratio suggests the carbon has been processed by living organisms, because some metabolic enzymes involved in fixing inorganic carbon ‘prefer’ carbon-12. In this case, the carbon sample came from two microscopic specks of graphite embedded in a sliver of zircon, one of hundreds of zircons from the Jack Hills of Western Australia, which are thought to contain some of the oldest minerals on Earth.
After spotting the graphite inclusions, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles in the US measured their isotopic make up using secondary ion mass spectrometry, shooting a beam of caesium ions onto the surface of the graphite. ‘We used the caesium ion beam to drill through the [zircon] surface and into the graphite, such that the graphite was never exposed to contaminants prior to analysis,’ says Elizabeth Bell, who was part of the team.
The team’s analysis showed that the carbon in the sample was enriched in carbon-12 by around 2%, compared with carbon in the Earth as a whole. ‘Since living organisms tend to concentrate carbon-12, this is a potential signature of life,’ Bell says. Given that the zircon sample is 4.1 billion years old, and the enclosed graphite even older, she adds, this could be evidence that life on Earth started hundreds of millions of years earlier than is currently thought. The observations could also offer new insights into what Earth was like during the Hadean eon, 4– 4.6 billion years ago.
‘Although the previous view of the Earth’s first few hundred million years … was that of a sterile, dry, hot planet under heavy meteorite bombardment, evidence from Hadean zircons has provided a new picture of a much more hospitable planet more like the Earth of today in many respects,’ says Bell. ‘For instance, the zircons’ low crystallisation temperatures and enrichment in oxygen-18 suggest the presence of liquid water.’
Alternative mechanism
‘If it turns out that the carbon indeed comes from microorganisms, this would push back the record of life by 300 million years,’ says geomicrobiologist Andreas Kappler from Tübingen University in Germany, who was not involved in the study. ‘However, it also has to be kept in mind that they found these inclusions only in one out of 565 zircons and – as the authors also acknowledge – abiotic processes can lead to a similar isotope fractionation.’
It is true that there are processes that don’t involve living organisms that could lead to a similar isotope ratio being observed, Bell explains. But she also points out that any mechanism for concentrating this carbon in graphite form and trapping it in a zircon with the geochemical characteristics of this particular sample would be incredibly complicated, perhaps unfeasibly so.
The best way to settle the debate will be to find and measure more samples of carbon in other ancient rocks, Bell says. ‘With, for instance, 1000 samples spanning 3.8 to 4.4Ga [billion years old], we could start to see patterns in the data to make a much more solid case for Hadean life and to constrain the Hadean carbon cycle in general.
‘Zircons older than 3.8Ga make up around 5% of the Jack Hills zircon population, so there is plenty of material to continue the search.’
This article is reproduced with permission from Chemistry World. The article was first published on October 20, 2015. |
Today marks the release of Scala IDE for Eclipse 2.0, which makes it easy to develop Scala and mixed Scala/Java projects in the familiar Eclipse Integrated Development Environment.
After 9 months of intensive work by open source community contributors, users, and the IDE project team at Typesafe, we are proud to release this new version with improved reliability, performance, and responsiveness. New features include error reports as you type, a project builder with dependency tracking, definition hyperlinking, inferred type hovers, code completion, better integration with Java build tools, and more.
A lot of effort has gone into this version of the IDE and we would like to recognize the people who have contributed so much time and energy to the success of the project.
A bit of history
The Scala IDE project began a few of years back, when Miles Sabin layed down the foundations of the open source project and an enthusiastic community formed around the effort to create a free, open-source, Eclipse-based IDE for Scala. In late 2010 the Typesafe team decided to support the open source project, and in September Eugene Vigdorchik became the first full-time engineer to work on the project. At the same time, Typesafe founder and Scala creator Martin Odersky led a reimplementation of the Scala presentation compiler, the engine behind the IDE semantic actions.
Version 2.0
For version 2.0 we had some tough decisions to take, and development started with a very limited number of features, aiming for a very reliable core. Naturally, this raised the need for early and frequent feedback from our users: on March 28 we had the first beta of the upcoming 2.0 release. This was followed by a stream of betas (12 in total), packing around 300 closed tickets over the next months. As Eugene moved on to other projects, two other Typesafe engineers joined the IDE team: Iulian Dragos and Mirco Dotta, followed by Luc Bourlier in September. Together with the great community (Mirko Stocker and Matt Russell just to name a few), the IDE took great strides to reach its first production-ready release.
Diversity
As things moved forward and the 2.0 branch became the main version in use, it became clear that we needed to have more than one IDE version: 2.0 remained the rock-solid branch, where only bug-fixing happens, while 2.1 is the place where new features, such as semantic highlighting or implicit highlighting are developed.
Besides the two IDE versions, we support three versions of the Scala compiler: 2.8.x, 2.9.x and 2.10 (Scala trunk), with nightly builds for all of them, so you can choose what suits you the best: the latest IDE developments on a stable Scala compiler, the stable IDE on the bleeding edge Scala compiler, or even the latest and greatest of both -- like the core Scala team, who uses the Eclipse IDE for their daily scalac development! The choice is yours.
Community
While the IDE always had a vibrant community around it, contributing to the project itself was sometimes challenging for newcomers. On October 4 we moved the project to Github, leading to a much simpler process for contributors. In just a few weeks we had 17 forks, some of which are extremely interesting developments in their own right (for example, check out ScalaGWT, which brings Scala to the GWT framework).
Web site
Today we also release a redesign of the Scala IDE web site, along with reworked documentation, including screencasts. Thanks Heather for the awesome work. We believe that the new site is not only pretty, but makes it much easier to find documentation, both for users and contributors (and everyone is a potential contributor). The web site is backed by Git too, so you can contribute by using the awesome Pull Request button!
A look at the future
Even though it's been a long ride, today's release is not the end of the road, but rather a beginning. We can now look at adding new features on a solid base, and great things will come, such as improved compilation speed, find references, and a Scala debugger. Suggest your favorite feature, and help us build the next great IDE.
After the 2.0.0 release we will continue to support the 2.0 branch with maintenance releases including important bug fixes. However, the focus will shift to the 2.1 development stream, and concentrate on the upcoming features. Also, 2.0.0 will be the last version to support the 2.8 compiler. This decision was not taken lightly, but the effort to support 2.8 is substantial and detracts from our ability to innovate on newer releases. We believe that 2.0.0 is a solid release that can help people who cannot upgrade to 2.9.x in the immediate future.
Features
Scala IDE version 2 improves developer productivity through a large number of features. Below we highlight the main ones, but don't forget to check out the full list on the web site, and watch the screencast to see them in action.
Report errors as you type - The IDE saves you time by type-checking your program as you type, and notifying you of errors before you build. This greatly reduces the number of times you need to build your project during development.
- The IDE saves you time by type-checking your program as you type, and notifying you of errors before you build. This greatly reduces the number of times you need to build your project during development. Project builder with dependency tracking - The IDE saves you time even when you *do* have to build your project: by using sbt's engine for tracking dependencies between source files (and even between dependent projects), the IDE builds only the necessary sources. This is often many fewer than all the source files in your project.
- The IDE saves you time even when you *do* have to build your project: by using sbt's engine for tracking dependencies between source files (and even between dependent projects), the IDE builds only the necessary sources. This is often many fewer than all the source files in your project. Definition Hyperlinking - Ctrl-click on an identifier to navigate to its definition. This allows you to concentrate on your program, since you don't need to remember in what source file a certain definition lies. Try it out by surfing through the Scala collection library!
- Ctrl-click on an identifier to navigate to its definition. This allows you to concentrate on your program, since you don't need to remember in what source file a certain definition lies. Try it out by surfing through the Scala collection library! Content assist - Hit Ctrl-space to see a list of all members you could invoke at a certain point in your program. Even members added through *implicit* conversions are available. Moreover, you can find any class on your classpath, even if it hasn't been imported in your file yet (and the completion engine takes care of adding the import).
- Hit Ctrl-space to see a list of all members you could invoke at a certain point in your program. Even members added through *implicit* conversions are available. Moreover, you can find any class on your classpath, even if it hasn't been imported in your file yet (and the completion engine takes care of adding the import). Inferred type hovers - Hover with the mouse over an identifier to see its type. This comes in handy when the compiler infers a different type than what you expect.
And there is more! Check out the full list of features, and download Scala IDE 2.0 today at www.scala-ide.org.
Share
Comments
Cookies are required for this functionality.Allow Cookies
View All Posts or Filter By Tag |
Progressives claim to be proponents of diversity. The ideal conversation table would consist of various people from various backgrounds, as long as they aren’t conservative. In many instances, progressives are comfortable with people who do not speak like them, as long as they think like them.
There seems to exist a liberal intolerance within many spheres of society. Whether these are progressive circles within the political landscape, academia, or the social sphere, often right-leaning views are summarily and promptly dismissed as empirically false. We have all witnessed it. Some have been on the receiving end of this parochialism and others have been on the end handing out the snide remarks. The left frequently and publicly shames right-leaning South Africans for the slightest deviation from liberal orthodoxy. The ironic thing is that this shaming is almost always an ad hominem that is directed to the person, rather than the merits of the views that the person holds.
The complete disregard for the values that many progressives believe they uphold and cherish, is a great threat to the advancement of our society. Progressives maintain that they value and seek to protect freedoms such as the freedom of expression, freedom of religion, etc. Yet, when it comes to the expression of opinions that do not conform with what progressives deem correct, they turn a blind eye. This is a devolution from the classical definition of liberalism, to illiberalism.
This intolerance leads to a milieu where there is no room for a diversity of opinions. One need not look any further than the question of free tertiary education, to see that diverging opinions from the politically correct status quo are branded as ‘racist’ or ‘backward’. When differing perspectives are not sufficiently represented in discussions, these exact same discussions transform from constructive-sounding boards to mere perpetual echoes in halls, classrooms, and auditoriums full of conditioned nodding heads. As soon as this happens, none of us is the winner. In many ways, today’s progressives are not much different from the right-wing people who, throughout history, refused to surround themselves with critical and engaging dissimilar individuals, to test their own ideas. No one could argue against this being the precise definition of closed-mindedness – the exact mentality that classical liberalism aimed to tackle. The only difference is, here we have liberals that assert that they represent progress and open-mindedness.
Liberal intolerance sees progress as a one-way street without any alternative route. Progress, in their closed-minded view, is only achievable through what has to be liberal schools of thought or policies. The issue of free tertiary education, and the vitriolic and emotive responses to alternative viewpoints, offers proof enough that the progressives are violently entrenched in their belief that only one possible solution to the problem exists: theirs. This consequently creates the widely-unchallenged perception that many causes are noble, solely based on the subjective views of a few – in turn leading to the attempts to justify class disruptions and damage to property because of the supposed nobleness of the cause.
Liberals have in recent years ringfenced their own quest for progress. I hope the similarities to the rhetoric of dark times in our past are not lost on those who bother to understand our history and better our future. When arguments such as these are made – that there is only one possible way to achieve certain goals and that it is not open for discussion – it sounds more and more like the closed-mindedness of oppressors of the past, does it not?
The disregard for opinions that do not augur favourably with the views of the politically correct threatens real progress and freedom of expression. The same supposed guardians of free speech have become the threat against it. This deception is where the problems lie. As T.S. Eliot said, the menace is not with a loud and prominent threat to freedom of expression, but the subtle slipping away of it.
In our modern time, discussion is advocated for by the very people shutting down debate. Open-mindedness is championed by the very people ensuring closed-mindedness in society’s intellectual discourse. Progress is campaigned for by the very people responsible for intellectual stagnation.
But who really needs the big questions discussed and debated, when an ideology already has the unassailable answers?
Author: Daniël Eloff is a final year law student at the University of Pretoria. On completion of his undergraduate degree he will pursue an LLM degree in constitutional law. He is the co-founder of the Tuks Leadership and Individual Program and the UP Debatsvereniging. He is an avid debater and orator and has coached numerous debating teams. Daniël has a keen interest in the liberty movement and hopes to advance the values of freedom of expression, a free market and freedom of religion in South Africa. He is a firm Gladstonian liberalist and a proponent of the rule of law. |
Sandra Mu / Getty Images
The kids are coming home to roost.
Surprise, surprise: Thanks to a high unemployment rate for new grads, many of those with diplomas fresh off the press are making a return to Mom and Dad’s place. In fact, according to a poll conducted by consulting firm Twentysomething Inc., some 85% of graduates will soon remember what Mom’s cooking tastes like.
PHOTOS: See the evolution of the college dorm
Times are undeniably tough. Reports have placed the unemployment rate for the under-25 group as high as 54%. Many of these unemployed graduates are choosing to go into higher education in an attempt to wait out the job market, while others are going anywhere — and doing anything — for work. Meanwhile, moving back home helps with expenses and paying off student loans.
The outlook isn’t sunshine and roses: Rick Raymond, of the College Parents of America, notes, “Graduates are not the first to be hired when the job markets begins to improve. We’re seeing shocking numbers of people with undergraduates degrees who can’t get work.”
Guess moving back home isn’t limited to philosophy majors anymore.
LIST: What to do when your adult kid is horrible with money |
Share. Online-only. Online-only.
Battleborn will require a constant internet connection to play both online and single-player, publisher 2K Games confirmed.
Originally reported by VideoGamer, 2K also provided IGN with a statement, saying the reason for requiring an internet connection is so "experience points earned in Battleborn's Story Mode carry over to Multiplayer and vice-versa."
Exit Theatre Mode
This XP in Battleborn is "earned through the game's persistent progression system," which helps a player level up both individual Character Rank and player profile Command Rank. What's more, a constant online connection maintains data integrity, which protects player data "even after experiencing a hardware malfunction or purchasing a new console."
VideoGamer also reports that the PlayStation 4 box art for the MOBA-shooter states PlayStation Plus as a requirement to access "certain gameplay and functionality," although the upcoming open beta for the game doesn't require a Plus membership to participate.
Last week, 2K revealed a $20 season pass for Battleborn, which comes with five add-on packs.
Michael Passalacqua is a freelance writer for IGN. Chat with him about the New York Giants' offseason spending spree on Twitter @mikepass20. |
To push into top five pharmaceutical innovation hubs by 2020 and establish global presence by launching one out of every five to 10 drugs discovered in at global level, the government is preparing for multi-billion dollar investment with 50 per cent public funding through its public private partnership (PPP) model to enhance innovation capability, reveals the joint study.
The Indian Government has been very active in boosting growth and investment in Indian pharmaceutical It allows 100 per cent FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) under automatic route (without prior permission) in the pharmaceuticals sector.
FDI favourably impacts the Indian pharma by providing access to more capital/funds for investing in Research and Development, which in turn, leads to creation of more IPR, highlighted the study titled 'IPR in pharmaceuticals: Balancing, innovation and access,' jointly conducted by and TechSci Research.
The Government has been actively undertaking policy initiatives for growth of the pharmaceutical One such initiative is tax-breaks in the pharmaceutical sector.
There is also a weighted tax deduction at a rate of 150 per cent for the research and development expenditure incurred.
Steps to streamline methods for development of a new drug molecule, or clinical research, etc., have also been considered. Indian Government also launched two schemes including New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative in 2003, and the Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Research Programme in 1994-95, specially targeted at pharmaceutical research, adds the study.
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) data suggests that the drugs and pharmaceuticals sector in has attracted FDI worth $1,523 million during April 2014-March 2015.
Additionally, industrial licenses are not essential in India for most of the pharmaceutical products. Hence, drug manufacturers are free to develop any drug upon approval by the Drug Control Authority.
The act of protecting one's innovation through a patent has initiated investments from many multinational pharmaceutical in India. These MNCs are looking at India for its strength in contract manufacturing and as an attractive base for research and development (Research and Development), particularly for conducting clinical trials and other services.
Indian and foreign pharmaceutical are progressing with rising patented drug launches in India. The Indian Patent Office granted 2008 patents between 2010 and 2013.
The Department of Pharmaceuticals has drafted Pharma Vision 2020 document, with an aim to establish India as a leading county for end-to-end drug manufacturing and innovation. This initiative by the government aims at providing support to Indian pharmaceutical sector through state of- the-art infrastructure, internationally competitive scientific research personnel for pharmaceutical Research and Development, and funding for research in the public and private sectors.
The Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which falls under the scope of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is the main pharma regulatory body in India. The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) presides over the at both the central and state levels.
Sun Pharmaceuticals acquired Laboratories in 2015, in order to achieve full compliance with regulatory framework for drug manufacturing in India, meet expectations of Indian regulatory authorities, and increase Research and Development for launch of innovative products, thereby generating high revenues across India. |
A woman with the Instagram handle @electricfyme has exposed a married man who she claims has been disturbing her for sex for almost two years now. She mentioned his instagram handle and also posted his photo.
While some have been praising her for shaming the man publicly, others are saying she should have spared him the public disgrace. Read her note below;
“Can someone please tell this idiot to stop calling my line with private number and then he’ll put the speaker on a porno he’s watching. He has a family but my son hasn’t slept well for almost 2yrs bcos of this rubbish act. .
“I don’t know how he got my number but from the first time he started , he was using his number, I’d call back, he won’t pick, then he’ll call again, wanking and moaning for me, I’d be mad, who’s this, I’d send messages, call back all to no avail till recently God sent the people that invented TRUECALLER, I found out his name.
“I confronted him, thought it’d stop, but he continued with private number, everyday I wake up to see 45 missed calls from private number, he calls 2am 3am, there was one my 2yrs old son picked around 3am cos I was sleeping and d phone had been disturbing him.
“I was just hearing porno sounds in my dream cos my baby can put phone calls on speaker, that’s how we tot him so he can talk to his grandmother, I woke up and saw my son seriously listening to d moanings and slammings, say “eyo eyo”.
“This guy has a daughter and I’m sure she sleeps well at nite, why won’t he leave me and my son to sleep well, I’ve been enduring for almost 2yrs thinking and praying he’ll grow up but now I’m sure someone cursed his mother when she was pregnant with him, @hipnotikfuncity this is just the beginning, it’s PAYBACK TIME!!!…… some ppl feel it was his mother dt cursed someone n d thing now backfired. Whatever d case may b, an age long curse must definitely b involved.” |
My fix for my laptop
Dell xps l502x, so it is Intel + Nvidia optimus graphic card.
Have a look at what you have
dkms status
You may get something like this
bbswitch, 0.7, 3.19.0-15-generic, x86_64: installed nvidia-340, 340.76, 3.19.0-15-generic, x86_64: installed
Remove all Nvidia drivers, make Ubuntu back to “clean” state.
Have a look at this: https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/144871/remove-all-nvidia-files
Basically, you do:
sudo apt-get purge $(dpkg -l | awk '$2~/nvidia/ {print $2}')
This should remove all nvidia drivers and now you should be clean.
You may want to double check:
dkms status
Install Nvidia driver
Have a look at this: http://www.binarytides.com/install-nvidia-drivers-ubuntu-14-04/ (the command line part)
I tried to install nvidia-349, it didn’t work, then I remember previously I used nvidia-340. It seems important to remember what works for you. I do:
sudo apt-get install nvidia-340 #(you may want to try nvidia-346)
Look at this long guide
http://rajat-osgyan.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/how-to-install-bumblebee-on-ubuntu.html
On step 4, instead of
sudo echo ON > cat/proc/acpi/bbswitch
I changed it to
sudo tee /proc/acpi/bbswitch <<<ON
based on https://github.com/Bumblebee-Project/bbswitch
Sometimes after turn on bbswitch, reboot, when I do echo /proc/acpi/bbswitch , I still see it OFF . Make sure Nvidia is installed in the first place or reboot for couple of times. If it is OFF , follow the guide to next step.
Reboot
After the guide, reboot, see if you still have the login loop issue. If you still have issues ,then look at /var/log/Xorg.0.log
/var/log/Xorg.0.log
Look for the error messages, which are indicated by (EE). In my case, it says
Failed to load /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/xorg/extra-modules/libglx.so: libnvidia-tls.so.340.46: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
I do a locate libglx.so , it seems the file is sitting in another locations. It is time to rebuild xorg.conf
Rebuild xorg.conf
Have a look at this guide: https://lkubuntu.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/quick-and-easy-way-to-fix-x11-issues/
This was my last step and I was able to boot to the GUI. |
Spotify's personalized Discover playlists are incredibly popular; as of last year, over 40 million users had listened to almost 5 billion Discover Weekly songs. While this is a great new feature, it's a little puzzling why Google wouldn't want to make this playlist available to all subscribers, using it as a lure to bring in more listeners who currently use other services. It seems like a bad idea to make such a potentially popular feature exclusive only to a small percentage of Google Play listeners.
Or is it? There are reports on Reddit that users have been able to add the New Release Radio station to their libraries when using the Google Play web interface. One of our own Engadget editors tried this trick and was able to access the playlist on an iPhone, Android device and on the web. We've reached out to Google and Samsung on the exclusivity of this deal and will update when we have a comment.
It's unclear what exactly is happening here, and whether the ability to access the playlist from non-Samsung devices is a bug or an intentional workaround for Google Play listeners. However, anything that helps users wade through the countless new music releases every week is welcome news, so here's hoping that this playlist isn't, in fact, a Samsung exclusive. |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Davidson does not make exceptions to its rules for honoring former athletes. Not even for favorite son Stephen Curry.
The school retires only the jerseys of players who graduated. And Curry, the most recognized and accomplished player in school history, has not completed his degree requirements after going to the NBA a year early in 2009.
So arguably the new face of the league, whose profile only increased after leading the Golden State Warriors to the 2015 NBA title, will not be formally recognized on his former campus until he finishes his courses.
Steph Curry starred at Davidson under coach Bob McKillop but won't have his jersey retired until he graduates. AP Photo/Chuck Burton
"I knew what I signed up for when I went to Davidson," Curry said. "I made a promise to coach [Bob] McKillop and my family that when I left school back in '09 that that would be accomplished -- and it will be soon. Hopefully sooner than later."
McKillop called Curry "the biggest catalyst for Davidson basketball that Davidson College has ever had." Despite Curry's popularity, Davidson athletic director Jim Murphy said there hasn't been any movement to make an exception and allow him the recognition.
"It's one of those things where, I'm not even sure who would make that decision to be honest with you, just because it's never come up before," Murphy said. "I assume it would be the board of trustees."
Murphy said a similar debate has happened in the past at Davidson surrounding a Hall of Fame candidacy. Mike Maloy, another former basketball standout, left school a year early in 1970 to play in the ABA. Entrance into the school's Hall of Fame also requires the inductee have graduated. Maloy, who still holds the school record for rebounding, has not been inducted.
"There has not been an exemption for it, to my understanding, for anyone," said Murphy, a 1978 Davidson graduate who has served his current role since 1995. "The policy itself speaks a lot to what Davidson is all about. It'd be an interesting discussion, but it hasn't been started yet."
Myriad obstacles have hindered Curry's process. Davidson does not offer classes in the summer, when it might have been easier for him to take his remaining courses.
That was before the Warriors were making deep playoff runs. Now it's virtually impossible for him to undertake another major time constraint during the summer.
Regardless of how far Golden State goes in the playoffs this season, he'll spend the rest of the summer at Team USA training camp as it prepares for a run at a gold medal in the Rio Summer Olympics.
"It's still a priority for sure; obviously there's a lot going on right now," Curry said. "Taking advantage of my career right now on the court in the NBA, it's only a very short window, so you want to give all the attention and effort. But to be able to finish out that part of my life, whenever it does happen, will be huge."
Curry said he's short just a couple of classes and he's "researched a plan of attack of how to get it done."
Until then, Curry's jersey will continue to be seen in Davidson's Belk Arena only by fans who wear replicas. And in the Davidson locker room, where the team keeps a "Steph Curry locker" open, complete with his old Wildcats jersey hanging up. |
Karl Ove Knausgaard, the author about whom Zadie Smith wrote, “I need the next volume like crack”, is on the longlist for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2014 for A Man in Love, the second volume of his blockbuster My Struggle. This is his second time on the longlist, and he goes head to head with contemporary greats such as Spanish writer Javier Marías, frequently tipped for the Nobel Prize, for his crime novel, The Infatuations, and Prix Goncourt winner Andreï Makine, author of The Brief Lives that Live Forever.
This year’s 15-strong longlist was chosen by a panel of five judges from a record number of entries and languages – 126 titles from 30 source languages.
Boyd Tonkin, senior writer and columnist at The Independent and one of this year’s judges commented: “Every year this unique prize delivers to our doorsteps an outstandingly rich harvest of the world’s finest fiction. This year, a record number of submissions has resulted in a longlist as diverse and powerful as any in its history. From Iceland to China, Israel to Iraq, Spain to Japan, the contenders – served by a selection of the most gifted translators at work today – represent a huge variety of nations and cultures, all bound together in the border-free republic of talent and imagination.”
The list features a number of pairs: two female Japanese writers; two German writers, both tackling the shadow of East Germany; and two Iraqi authors, Hassan Blasim and Sinan Antoon, offering very different pictures of post-Saddam Iraq. There’s also an Icelandic duo: Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir and Jón Kalman Stefánsson, an astonishing achievement for a nation of 320,000 people.
Four newcomers are translated into English for the first time: Andrej Longo whose short story collection Ten uncovers the darker side of southern Italy, and Man Asian prize shortlistee Hiromi Kawakami for her unconventional romance, Strange Weather in Tokyo. English-language readers can also discover Hubert Mingarelli for the first time (A Meal In Winter) and Birgit Vanderbeke, whose debut novel The Mussel Feast was first published in 1990 and is viewed a modern German classic.
Readers of Sayed Kashua, a Palestinian Israeli writing in Hebrew, whose title Exposure is on the longlist, might be intrigued to know that he is also the author of Israel’s best-known sitcom, Arab Labour.
The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize celebrates the work of authors and translators equally. Translator Anthea Bell, who won in 2002 for her translation of Austerlitz by W G Sebald, is longlisted for her translation of Julia Franck’s Back To Back. Franck herself made the shortlist in 2010. Margaret Jull Costa, Javier Marías’ translator, has also been shortlisted before. Sometimes, of course, authors translate their own work, and in 2008 Paul Verhaeghen won with his self-translated Omega Minor: this year, Sinan Antoon, who was shortlisted for the International Prize of Arabic Fiction 2013, (the “Arabic Booker”) has translated his own work into English. Ma Jian’s work is translated by his wife, Flora Drew, representing an unusually special bond between author and translator – this is the second time they appear on the shortlist.
This year’s books tackle some challenging themes including war, corruption and totalitarian regimes. Some of the writers have faced oppression in their own lives: Ma Jian’s work has been banned in his own country and he also cannot now return; Andreï Makine, a Siberian Afghan War veteran fled to France from Soviet Russia; while for years anyone who wished to read Hassan Blasim in Arabic could only do so online. Their lives and work are a stark reminder of the power of fiction, still seen by many of the world’s governments as dangerously subversive.
Penguin Random House is the publisher most represented on the list with seven books, with four from Harvill Secker, two from Chatto & Windus and one from Hamish Hamilton. Five independent publishers have made the list including Comma Press, MacLehose Press, Portobello Books, Pushkin Press and Peirene Press. The final publisher securing a place is Yale University Press.
British writer, broadcaster and former stand-up comedian Natalie Haynes, one of the judges, said: “This is a very strong list, reflecting both the enormous diversity of nationalities, themes and subjects which we received. It shows that there has never been more of an appetite for translated fiction in the UK, and from every corner of every populated continent. It ranges from the intellectual to the emotional via the political, and no-one could come away from reading these books without having a greater understanding of a complex world. In the face of so much bland globalisation, it’s both a relief and a delight to see world fiction remains as quirky and individual as ever.”
The £10,000 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize is awarded annually to the best work of contemporary fiction in translation. The 2014 Prize celebrates an exceptional work of fiction by a living author which has been translated into English from any other language and published in the United Kingdom in 2013. Uniquely, the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize acknowledges both the writer and the translator equally – each receives £5,000 – recognising the importance of the translator in their ability to bridge the gap between languages and cultures. The Prize is funded by Arts Council England, supported by The Independent and Champagne Taittinger, and managed by Booktrust.
Previous winners of the Prize include Milan Kundera in 1991 for Immortality translated by Peter Kussi; WG Sebald and translator, Anthea Bell, in 2002 for Austerlitz; and Per Petterson and translator, Anne Born, in 2006 for Out Stealing Horses. The 2013 winner was The Detour by Gerbrand Bakker translated from the Dutch by David Colmer (Harvill Secker).
The shortlist will be announced on April 8th and the winning author and translator will be announced and awarded their £10,000 prize at a ceremony in central London at the Royal Institute of British Architects on May 22nd.
The full longlist of 15 titles is:
A Man in Love by Karl Ove Knausgaard and translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett (Harvill Secker)
A Meal in Winter by Hubert Mingarelli and translated from the French by Sam Taylor (Portobello Books)
Back to Back by Julia Franck and translated from the German by Anthea Bell
(Harvill Secker)
Brief Loves that Live Forever by Andreï Makine and translated from the French by Geoffrey Strachan (MacLehose Press)
Butterflies in November by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir and translated from the Icelandic by Brian FitzGibbon (Pushkin Press)
The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon and translated from the Arabic by the author (Yale University Press)
The Dark Road by Ma Jian and translated from the Chinese by Flora Drew (Chatto & Windus)
Exposure by Sayed Kashua and translated from the Hebrew by Mitch Ginsberg (Chatto & Windus)
The Infatuations by Javier Marías and translated from the Spanish by Margaret Jull Costa (Hamish Hamilton)
The Iraqi Christ by Hassan Blasim and translated from the Arabic by Jonathan Wright (Comma Press)
The Mussel Feast by Birgit Vanderbeke and translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch (Peirene Press)
Revenge by Yoko Ogawa and translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder
(Harvill Secker)
The Sorrow of Angels by Jón Kalman Stefánsson and translated from the Icelandic by Philip Roughton (MacLehose Press)
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami and translated from the Japanese by Allison Markin Powell (Portobello Books)
Ten by Andrej Longo and translated from the Italian by Howard Curtis (Harvill Secker) |
Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi salutes upon his arrival in Abu Dhabi on March 11. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images) Story Highlights Al-Sisi was a little-known military figure until he staged a power grab last July
Critics say an election would only formalize his rule after months of governing behind the scenes
Authorities claimed they have imposed harsh measures to fight terrorism
CAIRO — Egypt's army chief and defense minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi resigned from the military Wednesday, saying he will run in the first presidential vote to be held since he forced an Islamist leader out of power.
"This is my last day in a military uniform," al-Sisi said, wearing military fatigues in a televised speech. He vowed to always fight for Egypt.
"If I am honored to be the president I promise you we can, together, people and leadership, achieve stability in Egypt, security in Egypt, safety in Egypt, hope in Egypt," he said.
Hailed by many here as a strongman who can bring the country back to life, he is widely predicted to become the next president of Egypt.
Al-Sisi was a little-known military figure until he staged a stunning power grab last July that many celebrated as a second revolution and others reviled as an unjust coup.
Millions had taken to the streets in protest against Mohammed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader who was elected president of Egypt in 2012 but later criticized for failing to effectively govern. Among his opponents, Morsi was slammed for what they viewed as dictatorial political moves and conservative religious ideology.
After days of billowing unrest, al-Sisi took center stage as Morsi was swept into custody. The army chief announced a political roadmap on July 3 that called for fresh elections and a new constitution to replace one drafted under Morsi's rule. The legislature was dissolved, and a military-backed government was appointed.
Opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood immediately praised al-Sisi as a national hero who saved the nation from sliding into war, and from Muslim Brotherhood rule. Over the last nine months, many have expected his presidential bid while some avid fans have urged him to run for president.
"In a period of transition, any country, any state, is very fragile and can fall into civil war, chaos and anarchy," said Egyptian political sociologist Said Sadek. "During that period, people look for a strong leader, someone who can end the chaos."
"Sisi is the man of the hour," said Sadek, who plans to vote for al-Sisi.
Mammoth posters of him sporting a pair of black shades have sprouted up across the capital. T-shirts, necklaces, chocolates and cakes have carried his face and name and sandwiches were named after the leader.
Others, however, are staunchly opposed to his presidential run.
An election would only formalize al-Sisi's rule after months of him governing behind the scenes, said Youssof Salhen, spokesman for Students Against the Coup, which staged protests against the government on Wednesday. And repression would only continue if al-Sisi is named president, he said.
"The coup government and system punishes everyone against it — not only Islamists, but even seculars and liberals," Salhen said. "We are against the return of the military state and the security state, and it's worse now than the (Hosni) Mubarak era."
On Wednesday, al-Sisi urged Egyptians to work hard and said he will work toward a program aimed at building a modern and democratic state. He also said that now is not the time for excessive spending.
"Egypt deserves a better future," Salhen added.
Al-Sisi, 59, was raised in the Cairo district of El Gamaliya, an old quarter in the heart of the capital. A 1977 graduate of Egypt's Military Academy, al-Sisi has no combat experience but is a longtime military man who was chosen by Morsi — the same leader he ousted — to lead the armed forces.
He previously commanded infantry brigades, served as military attaché to Saudi Arabia and was chief of staff to the commander of the Northern Military Zone of Egypt. He was later named head of military intelligence — an asset that analysts said gives him clout in a nation facing rising militant violence, arms smuggling and porous borders.
If elected president, al-Sisi will likely emphasize security both domestically and in foreign policy, said Robert Springborg, an expert on Egypt's military and a visiting professor in the Department of War Studies at Kings College London. He is also likely to have a positive message, Springborg said.
"On the one hand it will be that Egypt is open for business, it's a good investment venue," Springborg said, adding that the Suez Canal zone will be touted as a bridge between Asia and Europe and as an area that will emerge as a global economic powerhouse.
"That will be coupled on the other hand with assurance being provided in quite symbolic ways to the poor… that their needs are going to be looked after," he said. "And I think the military will expand its provisions and goods and services to the poor."
Meanwhile, Egypt's leaders will do everything possible to avoid a discussion of reforms of food and energy subsidies, which eat a solid chunk of the budget, Springborg said.
In addition to seeing massive economic problems, al-Sisi will face deep political fissures that some analysts said would only worsen under his rule since he likely won't be open to political inclusiveness — leaving little room for real democracy.
"Sisi has become part of the problem, not part of the solution to the Egyptian crisis," said Egypt expert Khalil al-Anani, adjunct professor in the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
Authorities in place since last July have sought to crush political opponents, focusing on the Muslim Brotherhood. Security forces killed over a thousand mostly peaceful protesters in attempts to silence dissent. Thousands of others — including journalists and academics — are sitting in jail. And many, including Morsi, are facing politically motivated charges such as espionage and terrorism-related accusations.
On Monday, an Upper Egyptian court sentenced more than 500 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death for killing a policeman and attacking police, sparking outrage from international observers and global rights groups which slammed the ruling as grotesque and shocking.
Authorities — with al-Sisi believed to be ruling behind the scenes — claimed they have imposed harsh measures to fight terrorism. But experts said there is no evidence linking the Brotherhood to recent militant attacks, which have spiked in recent months as some angered by the crackdown retaliate.
"Despite Egyptian officials' statements that the measures they are taking are necessary to stabilize the country, the opposite is true," the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Michele Dunne and Scott Williamson wrote in a recent report. "Egypt is a far more violent and unstable place than it was before July 2013 or indeed has been for decades, as government repression drives an expanding cycle of political violence."
As president, al-Sisi would not be immune to potential public backlash if security concerns are not resolved and if an economy struggling with rising unemployment, a high budget deficit and a sunken tourism industry fails to recover.
"Despite the fact that old institutions support him, the public might turn against him very soon — sooner than you might expect," al-Anani said. "Once he (resigns) from the army, from the military, he loses his political weight because he will be under more public scrutiny and criticism."
"He would be like another civilian running for presidency," he added.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/OVG3ZX |
PlayStation 4 players can now experience the full adventure of Blizzard’s epic action RPG, Diablo III, and the upcoming expansion, Reaper of Souls all from the comfort of their couch in Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition! Take on the role of one of six powerful character class Barbarian,
PlayStation 4 players can now experience the full adventure of Blizzard’s epic action RPG, Diablo III, and the upcoming expansion, Reaper of Souls all from the comfort of their couch in Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition! Take on the role of one of six powerful character class Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Monk, Witch Doctor, Wizard, or the all-new Crusader and embark on a dark journey through Acts I-V to save the world of Sanctuary from ancient and sinister forces. With the new DUALSHOCK 4 wireless controller and a custom-designed console interface, players will be outfitted with touch pad functionality and new social features as they engage in pulse-pounding combat with hordes of monsters and acquire items of incredible power.
… |
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is a veteran. It takes him a little while to really warm up to people stepping into new roles. He had the same issue with the veterans when he first came on board more than a dozen years ago.
You can tell in his comments that he has made over the years the way he veils his reservations. He did so when talking about Le’Veon Bell during his rookie training camp. With the exception, perhaps, of offensive linemen, he always takes the wait and see approach.
Which is the approach that he took with this year’s “Ferrari”, free agent tight end Ladarius Green, whom the Steelers didn’t see on the field, at all, until a few weeks ago. Green, of course, spent the first half of the season in the Physically Unable to Perform List.
But he has been active for the past three weeks and has played a limited role since then. He caught three passes for 30 yards in his first game. On Thursday, he had two big catches for 32 and 35 yards, respectively, which more than tripled his total yardage on the season. And it got Roethlisberger excited to see.
He talked about it during his radio spot yesterday on 93.7 The Fan. He talked about Green “stretching the defense”, and how “we were making fun of him” following the first reception, joking that it was a great play, but they wanted to see him score. “We want to see even more”, he said.
“Maybe we’re being a little greedy”, he continued, “but just for him to come back to us and really start doing some awesome things, we’ll all excited about that”. The Steelers brought in Green this year because of his potential big play ability from the tight end position.
He was asked about his thoughts on Green’s journey and how he has been questioned every step of the way, even to the point of people saying that he shouldn’t have been signed, and wondering if he would even play.
“You see every week, almost every day”, he said, “different growth things. Even yesterday, him and I were talking about plays in the game. ‘Hey what do you think about this?’”, Green would ask him, as he went on to talk about a route being run and how his seventh step is so fast that Roethlisberger’s timing is off.
“If we would have had that time in training camp, that wouldn’t have been an issue”, he said. “I wouldn’t call it an issue now, but it’s something that we’re working through as we’re moving through a season. He’s such a hard worker and a guy that wants to learn and wants to be great”.
Roethlisberger concluded his comments about Green talking about how he is excited about their growing relationship on the field and what element that is going to bring to the offense. Clearly, he and Green’s teammates are expecting this to be just the beginning. |
We told you awhile back about Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal’s bill to change state code so it no longer equates homosexuality and child molestation. The Assembly approved the measure unanimously in April, and now gay rights advocates are happy to report that the Senate did the same thing this week.
The measure, AB2199, strikes a 20-year-old line of state code that directed the Department of Mental Health to conduct research into “the causes and cures of sexual deviation” including “the causes and cures of homosexuality.”
Now, it reads:
The State Department of Mental Health shall plan, conduct, and cause to be conducted scientific research into sex crimes against children and into methods of identifying those who commit sexual offenses.
The bill will head to the Assembly for concurrence and then on to the governor’s desk. |
It’s rush hour on Rice Street and commuters bound for downtown or the northern suburbs speed past aging storefronts and bars.
The main thoroughfare and ragged economic heart of St. Paul’s poorest neighborhood, the North End, has once again become drive-through territory.
Residents and business owners along the roadway say their part of the city is overlooked. They don’t have trendy restaurants, like Payne or University avenues, or the condos and boutiques of Selby Avenue. Locals watched those streets transform and said a similar evolution is due on Rice Street.
Public and private investments and resident advocacy seem to be aligning this year.
Council Member Amy Brendmoen will launch a “10 for the North End” campaign this week, aimed at highlighting and generating $10 million worth of projects. Both Ramsey County and St. Paul plan to make street improvements. And St. Paul has joined forces with neighboring cities to re-imagine the busy intersection with Larpenteur Avenue, considered a gateway to St. Paul.
“I don’t want our neighborhood just to be a thoroughfare,” said Richard Holst, who has lived in the North End for 20 years. The neighborhood has long been home to immigrants and working-class families who have little time to advocate at City Hall. But Holst is part of a small group of residents who are trying to bring more attention to the area.
A homeless person slept under a blanket in recent single-digit temperatures. The North End neighborhood is St. Paul’s poorest.
“There’s lots of potential,” he said. “Hopefully we can get some people to realize it.”
Road with a reputation
Tales abound of cars hitting or nearly hitting pedestrians on Rice Street.
Some residents, like Holst, want to lower the speed limit and narrow the county road, much of which is four lanes in St. Paul. Ramsey County is considering those ideas, said Nick Fischer, project manager for the county’s Rice Street reconstruction.
County staff will hold public meetings, starting Feb. 1, to ask residents what the road should look like in 20 years, from sidewalk landscaping to bicycle lanes, Fischer said. They plan to start construction in 2019. St. Paul, meanwhile, will reconstruct and landscape a small section of the street this year, between Sycamore Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
Ted Natus, who owns Hamernicks Decorating Center on Rice Street, said the city and county should prioritize investments in businesses over pedestrian improvements.
At Dar’s Double Scoop, an ice cream and pizza shop down the road, owner Kevin Barrett said traffic and on-street parking are critical for his business. But North End residents need safe places to walk, he said.
About 20 percent of households in the neighborhood do not have a vehicle, census data show. At the northern edge of the city, where Rice Street and Larpenteur Avenue divide St. Paul, Maplewood and Roseville, there are many people who rely on transit or walk, Brendmoen said.
That massive intersection is intimidating to pedestrians, St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce President Matt Kramer said. He said he is working with the cities and county to rethink it this year.
Roads and sidewalks aren’t the area’s only challenges.
Rice Street has a rough reputation, residents and business owners are quick to admit. When city officials discussed an image to print on banners for the area, a beer or boxing glove were jokingly suggested, Brendmoen said.
“It’s a rough street, but it’s such a beautiful street, too, because you get to see everyone here. Every culture is here,” Barrett said.
The North End has the highest poverty rate of any St. Paul neighborhood. The median household income was $32,156, compared with $50,885 citywide, according to 2014 census data.
‘Stop being hidden’
Suggestions for ways to buoy Rice Street extend beyond the road. Landlords who want to fix up properties need more resources, locals said, as do renters who want to become homeowners. And people have to feel safe walking at night.
Police Chief Todd Axtell said the North End has seen an uptick in police calls, many involving youth.
A homeless person slept under a blanket in recent single-digit temperatures. The North End neighborhood is St. Paul’s poorest.
One of the area’s biggest needs is jobs and activities for youth, said Bruce Larson, a businessman and the neighborhood’s informal historian. He also said the many immigrants who own businesses in the area need to speak up about issues.
“We have decent, honest neighbors who want to see things happen,” Larson said. “But they don’t have the money, or the power, or are not willing to take the risks necessary to become a lightning rod for the neighborhood.”
When someone drew graffiti on the Hmong Elders Center on Rice Street, CEO Ilean Her said people were hesitant to call police, saying they “didn’t want to be a bother.” Many people don’t know or ask about city services, like fixing graffiti or grants to improve storefronts, Her said.
Brendmoen hopes her new campaign will highlight projects such as park improvements and plans for an outpost of the popular Bangkok Thai Deli, and attract new residents and investments.
“The whole point of why we are doing this 10 for the North End is to stop being hidden,” she said. “People think there’s nothing going on.”
Lena Buggs bought a home in the North End a little more than a year ago. Homes were more affordable there, she said, and she wanted to raise her kids in a diverse community. Now she is helping lead a new effort to generate more neighborhood activities and improvements.
“Ultimately, it’s not going to depend on city initiatives,” she said. “It’s got to come from the community.”
She and Holst held a meeting earlier this month to hear what changes neighbors want to see. The turnout was small, about 15 people.
But, Buggs said, this is just the start.
Staff reporter Chao Xiong contributed to this report. |
Let’s celebrate February with some delicious food for thought. Or you literally could say, “Eat your heart out.”
The tables are set, the special menus are planned and the service staff at dozens of restaurants are eager for culinary enthusiasts to dine out, sampling some of the best tastes in town.
Why? The inaugural Naperville Restaurant Week kicks off February 16 to showcase Naperville’s hospitality industry with special menus to help put the Naperville fine dining scene on the map.
“We have been talking about doing a restaurant week in Naperville for the last few years,” said Ray Kinney, chairman of Dine Naperville and the Naperville Restaurant Week committee.[intense_hr type=”dotted” color=”primary” /]
“Tell me what you eat, I’ll tell you what you are.”
– Brillat-Savarin
French Gourmand and food writer
[intense_hr type=”dotted” color=”primary” /]“Many cities do it as a way to entice people to dine in restaurants they have not tried yet, at a time in the season when restaurants experience fewer diners. In Naperville we have over 260 restaurants and all have been encouraged to participate. We have about 25 so far—Meson Sabika, Heaven on Seven,CityGate Grille, Morton’s, Sullivan’s, Bella Familia, for starters— and expect to see many more as we get closer,” he said.
Sure to whet every appetite, participating restaurants will offer choices from a prix-fixe menu to special appetizers and desserts. Bars, pubs and taverns also will be participating.
For instance, Quigley’s Irish Pub, known for its exceptional menu of “bar food,” will be offering its famous Reuben Rolls as an appetizer.
“Come and get your Irish on,” said Andy Nosek, general manager of Quigley’s. “It’s a good prelude into St. Patrick’s Day.
“Since Naperville has a wide range of restaurants, we decided to have two ways for a restaurant to participate,” explained Kinney. “The first is a pre-fixe meal—each restaurant can pre determine a menu for a fixed price. For example, Catch 35 is offering a 3-course dinner for $27 and there are six choices of your main entree in addition to a soup or salad and any dessert.”
Other restaurants will offer a straight discount or special offer. For instance, with the purchase of an entrée, BD Mongolian is offering a complimentary Thai Shrimp Appetizer or Fried Oreo Dessert.
“We are thrilled that the restaurants are getting creative.You’ll need to keep up to date by visiting www.dinenaperville.com,” said Kinney.
“Catch 35 emphasis is fresh, quality consistent seafood and steaks providing a great value to our customers,” said Sam Berngard of Catch 35. “The menus at Catch 35 are always changing and there are always new and exciting menus items.”
Berngard suggests trying the Maine Lobster Rolls, Point Judith Calamari, Georges Bank Haddock, Florida Red Grouper or the Reserve New York Strip Steak.
“We are always trying to raise the bar at Catch 35,” said Berngard.
“Naperville’s dining scene is rich with variety,” added Kinney. “We have dining destinations such as Freedom Commons, CityGate Centre and Naperville Crossing, all in addition to the choices in downtown. Each location comes with its own characteristics and dining options—and all with free parking, of course!”
From Your Neighbors Bar and Grill and Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House, to Kiku and SugarToad, to El Hogar Mexican Restaurant and Sharko’s BBQ, Naperville offers many dining options and ethnic flavors throughout the city.
“I get hungry just thinking about it!” Kinney said.
With delectable Spanish tapas, delicious sangria and Flamenco performances, Meson Sabika has developed a tradition of great food and service within the walls of an historic mansion.
“Tapas-style dining evokes conversation and the sharing of both food and company,” said Hossein Jamali, owner of Meson Sabika. “Whether you’re out for a night on the town with friends, Sunday brunch with your family or one of those special occasions, we hope that Meson Sabika is an unforgettable place for you to celebrate your most memorable moments with your loved ones.”
Craft beer rising
The craft beer scene has exploded in recent years. A series of local ale fests let thirsty connoisseurs sample beer from breweries from around the country. The Naperville Winter Ale Fest is Sat., Feb. 22 at Frontier Park.
Many bars and restaurants offer an array of beers on tap that can be paired with food, including Heaven on Seven and The Wise Boxer Pour House in downtown Naperville.
“We’re an upscale gastropub and it’s about the wine list, craft beer, good bourbon and great food,” said Jim Bergeron of The Wise Boxer Pour House. The gastropub will be offering $1 soup or salad and $2 desserts with the purchase of an entrée during restaurant week.
Heaven on Seven has monthly beer dinners pairing seven courses with craft beer. Last month, they hosted 3 Floyds Brewery of Munster, Ind. and featured Cask Conditioned Zombie Dust – one of the most sought after beers in the country. Next up, Heaven on Seven will host a Mardi Gras Beer Dinner with Abita Brewing of New Orleans on Tues., Feb. 11.
Wise Boxer Pour House also will be tapping into the beer pairing scene. They’ll present a dinner with Goose Island Brewery of Chicago Wed., Feb. 12.
From savory to sweet
Chef Terrell Cole recently moved from savory to sweet. After being the chef for Sullivan’s Steakhouse for nine years, he has started a business called Dark Horse Pastries.
“I started my own company when I realized there was no bakeries in town. I went to culinary school for pastries and saw this as an opportunity. Naperville supports its small businesses very well. You do still have to make sure the product is solid, but people out here seem to want their neighbors to succeed. Especially if there’s chocolate involved,” said Cole.
Cole utilizes restaurant kitchens throughout Naperville during off-peak hours to make his desserts. Many of his desserts are featured at Naperville restaurants, including the Wise Boxer Pour House.
“The food is just part of it, Naperville has all the makings for the total package of a fantastic experience. Friendly people, nice family owned shops, original boutiques and some of the best food in the western suburbs,” said Cole.
SECA
In July 2004, the Naperville City Council passed an ordinance establishing a one percent food and beverage tax for food and beverages consumed on premise city-wide. Since the first grants in 2005, the tax has funded Special Events and Cultural Amenities, known as the SECA Fund.
In October 2008, the Council passed an additional 1.5 percent food and beverage tax for downtown area establishments. Which, in addition to the one percent tax, is a total of 2.5 percent. The City allows establishments to keep two percent of the tax revenue for administrative costs.
“What could be easier than to eat and drink out locally?” asks Becky Anderson, Chairman of the Advisory Cultural Commission, the city board that assists, informs and advises the City Council regarding applications for SECA grants.
“By supporting our local restaurants we are supporting dozens of great events; both cultural and special—from Ribfest to the DuPage Symphony, from NCTV that covers all that is Naperville to Kidz Kabaret, from Riverwalk maintenance to Simply Vedic and their Indian cultural events.”
Anderson added, “By eating and drinking out Naperville style you support the 1 percent SECA tax that helps to keep this city rich with incredible events both cultural and unique. By encouraging SECA grant recipients to shop locally in Naperville, we keep dollars recycling in our community, and this benefits us all. So eat, drink and be merry Naperville style; it’s our city. It’s where we live, it’s where our hearts are.”
A meeting of the Advisory Cultural Commission was held on Jan. 25 to make recommendations for $2 million to fund 91 requests for SECA grants. Going forward, a Public Hearing will be held beginning at 9AM on Sat., Feb. 22, in the City Council Chambers of the Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle St. During the Public Hearing, applicants will have the opportunity to address the Commission. After the final speaker, the Commission will determine final recommendations for the 2014-2015 SECA Grant Fund allocations and forward their decisions to City Council for approval in April.
Let’s put Naperville in the conversation
America’s food scene is still in its infancy compared to Old World counterparts. The French will argue about chefs and the best restaurant in much the same way Americans argue about football and who will win the Super Bowl.
New York, Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans and Charleston are internationally recognized for their restaurants. Worldly gourmets flock to these destinations to eat and experience regional specialties.
Due to size and population, Naperville will never be able to compete on the world scene, but this city can continue to build an intimate food culture.
Boulder, Colo.; Portland, Maine; and Traverse City, Mich. are all small towns consistently recognized for their local food scenes and vibrant restaurants.
With farmers’ markets, engaged diners, food-driven festivals, crafty brewers and artisans alike, initiatives such as Naperville Restaurant Week will help create a great food destination.
Restaurant Week sound bites
Courtesy of Ray Kinney, chairman of Dine Naperville and the Naperville Restaurant Week Committee
Why is it important to dine locally?
Margins are thin in lots of businesses—and restaurants certainly fall in that category. Shopping and dining locally is critically important to the local economy. From the hostess who seats you to the server, bartender and bus boy, each one relies on your support (and your tips!) of their business so they can earn a living as well.
Employees in the hospitality industry also shop in stores, and spend money in the local economy. Plus, locally-owned businesses tend to spend more of their dollars locally. And let’s not forget the sales tax and real estate taxes businesses pay help local units of government. The local restaurant industry contributes greatly to the quality of life in our community.
Anything else we should know?
Naperville Restaurant Week is actually 2 weeks long, and that will give individuals ample time to try a few new restaurants in addition to their longtime favorites.
Use this time well and always remember to tip your bartenders and servers.
Notable Naperville food related festivals and events
From January through December, many local festivals and fundraising events are enhanced by the generosity of the local hospitality industry while general managers also tend to the operation of their restaurants and catering businesses.
The “Naperville Events Calendar” and the “Festivals & Traditions” are chocked full of local opportunities to taste the fruits of local culture.[intense_hr type=”dotted” color=”primary” /]
[intense_hr type=”dotted” color=”primary” /] |
That is the warning of new Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene, following recent reports that the Finnish driver wants to stay at Maranello not only next year but perhaps also in 2016.
35-year-old Raikkonen, however, struggled notably on his return to the Maranello team from Lotus this season, with a points haul one third the size of Fernando Alonso's and not a single podium appearance.
He is a former world champion, and more importantly he won the title driving a Ferrari. Maurizio Arrivabene
"Last season was difficult for Kimi," Arrivabene is quoted by Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper, "but that does not mean that he has lost his speed.
"He is a former world champion, and more importantly he won the title driving a Ferrari.
"I want to emphasise that next season Kimi needs the time to show that he is capable, and after that it will be possible to make a decision about the future."
Raikkonen's teammate in 2015 will be his friend Sebastian Vettel, F1's quadruple consecutive world champion for Red Bull between 2010 and 2013.
"For sure," Arrivabene insisted, "drivers are not a problem for us." |
Strate Colbath, General Manager for Benny Boyd in Andrews, said, "For every new Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep sold here in Andrews, we're going to give customers a choice of an AR-15, Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun or American Ruger 243 deer rifle."
But Benny Boyd in Andrews doesn't just hand you the gun, they give customers a $500 gift card for Gebo's in Andrews. Also, car buyers still have to go through the proper steps to get their firearm.
David Corley, Manager of Gebo's, said, "They are responsible for paying their own tax plus they have to pass the background check."
The promotion has gotten a lot of national attention and lots of shares on social media.
"We've had a great response, you know "Only in Texas" those kind of things and it's nice to live in Texas and see the response like that the people do want to celebrate their 2nd Amendment right," said Colbath.
Kevin Wilson, an Andrews resident, said, "I probably would by one because I am a rifle man, gun man,"
But not everyone agrees with the promotion.
Esmerelda Brisceno, another Andrews resident, said, "I'm not too crazy about guns, but of course, nowadays, you know I guess it's all right. You know who ever can use them, they can and just to be careful."
If you're not the gun type, the promotion doesn't limit customers to buying only guns but the gift card is exclusive to Gebo's.
"If you don't want a gun, you want a hat, you want a shirt, you want some boots, you want clothes, you can still use it there. You want feed for your cattle you can still use it there. It's a $500 gift certificate," said Colbath. |
PORTLAND, Ore. -- What began as a peaceful march for labor rights on May Day in Portland turned violent as a group of self-described anarchists threw objects at officers and officers fired non-lethal weapons back. Police canceled the permitted march and deemed it a riot as tensions escalated.
Portland police arrested 25 protesters, on charges ranging from arson to assault, criminal mischief and theft. All 25 suspects were cited for failing to obey a peace officer, and police said the arrests will be reviewed for additional charges.
"In Portland we respect peaceful protest, but we do not and cannot support acts of violence and vandalism," Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said Tuesday morning. "That's not political speech. That's crime."
"Last night was another chapter in a story that has become all too familiar in Portland: Protests that begin peacefully but devolve quickly due to the actions of those whose only desire is to damage people and property," he said.
“Unfortunately, yesterday, like we've seen in the past, a small group of folks hijacked a lawfully permitted event, and almost instantly started doing crimes and committing vandalism, breaking windows and setting things on fire. So, an unfortunate turn of events yesterday for the city of Portland,” said Portland Police Chief Mike Marshman.
Sign up for the daily 3 Things to Know Newsletter Thank You Something went wrong. This email will be delivered to your inbox once a day in the morning. Thank you for signing up for the 3 things to Know Newsletter Please try again later.
Submit
Three minors, ages 17, 17, and 14, were among those arrested (full list of names and charges below). All three were charged with riot and released to their parents.
Photos: May Day 2017 protests in Portland
Photos: Portland May Day rally, march Damage to the old federal courthouse building on SW Madison St. and 6th Avenue <p>May Day protest in Portland</p> 3 people detained at May Day protest Graffiti on city hall May Day protest in Portland Anarchists lit a trash can on fire Police surround vandalized SUV Window damage at city hall Anarchists put flare in back of police car May Day protest in Portland May Day protest in Portland May Day protest in Portland May Day protest in Portland <p>May Day march 2017 (photo: Pat Dooris) </p> May Day march 2017 (photo: Pat Dooris) May Day march 2017 (photo: Pat Dooris) The Burgerville Workers Union marches Protesters march with large black spiders (photo: Sky8) May Day 2017 march in Portland The march begins in Portland Riot police prepare for the march. (Photo: Ryan Grady) Portland Fire in their new protest uniforms. They say they allow them to embed with police but still be distinct. A labor rally started around noon in Portland on May Day (photo: Pat Dooris) Early at the May Day rally the scene was calm.
Rallies began at noon and a march started at about 3 p.m. Portland police reported members of an anarchist group threw Molotov cocktails, fireworks, rocks, smoke bombs, a full Pepsi can and other objects at police officers, starting at about 4:10 p.m.
The Pepsi can struck a Portland Fire and Rescue paramedic, police said.
Police first said protesters with children should leave the march, then told everyone to disperse.
At 4:30 p.m. police said the permitted march was canceled as it was an "unlawful march" based on the violence. Police said anyone in the roadway was subject to arrest.
"Various fires were set in the street and in garbage cans, a police car was spray-painted and vandalized, and there were attempts to set at least one business on fire," said a news release from Portland police late Monday night. "Numerous projectiles were thrown at or launched at police and firefighters including rocks, bottles, ball bearings, fireworks, smoke bombs, and road flares."
Anarchists have destroyed a police car, damaging numerous windows & property, starting fires, attacking police. #MayDayPDX — Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) May 1, 2017
Police fired non-lethal weapons at protesters, according to KGW reporters on the scene.
Protesters burned objects, including road cones and a Portland Tribune newspaper stand, in the streets. Riot police rushed at the protesters, detaining multiple people and extinguished the flames.
Police officially called the march a riot at 5 p.m. Many protesters could be seen detained, lying on Portland streets.
"I want to thank the Portland Police Bureau for doing a tremendous job under very dangerous circumstances," Wheeler said. "They reacted swiftly and effectively to minimize incidents of vandalism and violence when they occurred."
Damage, including broken windows, was reported at multiple downtown locations. Windows were broken at Portland City Hall, the Gus J. Solomon U.S. Courthouse and Goldmark Jewelers.
Broken window and trash fire sw 10 and Taylor pic.twitter.com/VQlV4fr9L8 — Pat Dooris (@PatDooris) May 2, 2017
Wheeler said he planned to reach out Tuesday to the businesses that were damaged. "They play a vital role in the economic life of our community and they have my support."
Officers seized a small slingshot from one suspect, along with "various materials" for ammunition, according to police.
Any business or person who was a victim of a crime during the riot is encouraged to file a police report by calling 503-823-3333 or filing a report online.
Watch video of some of the damage
At 5:30 p.m., police said the situation was beginning to calm down. TriMet buses and trains started to resume normal service just before 6 p.m.
Sky8 video showed the streets mostly clear at 6 p.m., but some protesters gathered at the downtown Portland police building.
List of suspects
In addition to the three juveniles, the following suspects were arrested, according to police:
21-year-old Ayden Michael Foster-Wysocki -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
18-year-old Madhab Pulle -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
37-year-old Tyler Hans Larsen -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
44-year-old Luis Marquez -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
20-year-old Grahme Meneses -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
22-year-old Jace Anthony Willis -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
42-year-old Corey Daniel Joe -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree and Assaulting a Police Officer
19-year-old Brianna Borgen -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
34-year-old Rachel Visco -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
33-year-old Phoebe Loomis -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
19-year-old Michell Korin Myers -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
22-year-old Rylie Wolff -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
35-year-old Lucy Elizabeth Smith -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
38-year-old Glenn Allen Silbersdorff -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
28-year-old Christopher Fellini -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
24-year-old Frank Martinez -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree and Resist Arrest
28-year-old Ian Lawrence Henderson -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
20-year-old Javier Ivan Reyes -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
34-year-old Dan Edward Wright -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
29-year-old Jeff Richard Singer -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree and Interfering with a Peace Officer
24-year-old Taylor James Evans -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree and Interfering with a Peace Officer
26-year-old John Barton Elliott -- Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree
Police were prepared for riot
Before the march, Portland police said they were prepared to make arrests like they have in the past.
“Traffic officers will be helping escort the march through downtown," said Sgt. Pete Simpson with Portland Police. "We'll have other officers on bike and on foot."
They also had riot gear on hand just in case.
“We don't like to bring that out unless we have to," Simpson said. "Sometimes it's to let people know that are in the crowd that are intent on doing things like violence or damage, it's to let them know that we're there and we're not going to stand for that."
May Day protests began as peaceful rallies
There were three scheduled events in Portland on Monday. One, a permitted rally organized by the Portland May Day Coalition, started at Shemanski Park in Downtown Portland at noon. The march began at 3 p.m. with a scheduled end time of 5 p.m.
A rally at Portland State also began at noon. Those in attendance marched to Shemanski Park at 1 p.m. to join the larger rally and march.
Mid-day Monday, the scene was peaceful. Friends Marian Drake and Martin Anderson attended the Portland rally and watched from a nearby park bench as they held balloons supporting the International Workers Union.
"Things are so screwed up in this country. You've got a city right here that's full of homeless people and you've got a president ...whose budget is going to cut 40 percent to the EPA and end Meals on Wheels. We don't like those kinds of things," Anderson said.
Across the street, friends Josh Elms and Ryan Falck sported red scarves and carried small Soviet flags as they prepared to march in support of workers' rights.
Elms, a teacher's aide who teaches kindergartners how to read, said it was his first political rally and march and Trump's election drove him to participate.
"This is the first actual protest that I've participated in because this year, with the election, I was flummoxed," he said. "I could not believe that the election went the way it did. I do not have words."
A third event, being put on by the Anarchist Student Union, began at 1 p.m. at Shemanski Park. That group also participated in the 3 p.m. march. Their Facebook event page said they would march until 11 p.m.
Before the rally and march, Lili Elbe, a spokesperson for the Portland May Day Coalition, said the purpose of Monday's event was to show solidarity.
“We are here today to show support and solidarity with International Workers Day, it’s an international movement,” Elbe said. “We are here to show solidarity with immigrant movements, worker movements, indigenous, land reformation movements, the world over.
May Day marches in downtown Portland Reporter Mike Benner is live in downtown Portland, where several groups are marching for May Day. Story: http://on.kgw.com/2qts14w Posted by KGW-TV on Monday, May 1, 2017
“This has been a movement that has been building for decades. In the past few years we have seen steady growth, increase in discontentment from people who want to make their voices heard. We are here with about 60 organizations represented, different community organizations and national organizations."
Elbe also said before the march began that the May Day Coalition was aware of the anarchist group and believed the group was not planning to create mayhem.
“We are cooperating with them in an effort to make this event as safe as possible," Elbe said. "They aren’t here to crash our march, or to make anything else unsafe. They are doing their own thing."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
May Day rallies around the world marked by violence, demonstrations
Demonstrators with a laundry list of grievances rallied in New York, teachers picketed in Philadelphia and police in Paris fired tear gas to disperse angry political protesters Monday as May Day was marked with events around the world.
May Day, also known as International Workers' Day, annually prompts rallies highlighting workers’ rights. In the U.S., hundreds of thousands of demonstrators across the nation were expected to turn out, many protesting the policies of President Trump.
Photos: May Day events around the world
Photos: May Day protests around the world An opposition activist takes part in a march against President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas on May 1, 2017. Security forces in riot vans blocked off central Caracas Monday as Venezuela braced for pro- and anti-government May Day protests one month after a wave of deadly political unrest erupted. / AFP PHOTO / RONALDO SCHEMIDT (Photo credit should read RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 01: Demonstrators confront police on the annual May Day worker's march on May 1, 2017 in Paris, France. Police dealt with violent scenes in central Paris during the rally held close to the Place de la Bastille, where protestors shouted 'Fascists out!'. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) A man grabs an General Union of Workers (UGT) banner in his van past demonstrators waiting to get flags and placards as they take part in a protest against the Spanish government's policies during the Labour Day in the centre of Madrid on May 1, 2017. Thousands of people demonstrated today to defend workers' rights and "against corruption" one of the slogans of the May 1 marches in Madrid. / AFP PHOTO / OSCAR DEL POZO (Photo credit should read OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP/Getty Images) PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 01: Demonstrators confront police on the annual May Day worker's march on May 1, 2017 in Paris, France. Police dealt with violent scenes in central Paris during the rally held close to the Place de la Bastille, where protestors shouted 'Fascists out!'. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Venezuelan opposition activists taks part in a march against President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas on May 1, 2017. Security forces in riot vans blocked off central Caracas Monday as Venezuela braced for pro- and anti-government May Day protests one month after a wave of deadly political unrest erupted. / AFP PHOTO / RONALDO SCHEMIDT (Photo credit should read RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) Guatemalan union members take part in the May Day rally, in Guatemala City, on May 1, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / JOHAN ORDONEZ (Photo credit should read JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP/Getty Images) Leftist demonstrators walk through the streets of Berlin's Kreuzberg district during May Day demonstrations on May 1, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Tobias SCHWARZ (Photo credit should read TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images) Gabonese police forces confront members of Dynamique Unitaire, a coalition of labour unions, during a May Day demonstration on May 1, 2017 in Libreville. The gathering was organized on International Workers Day to protest against the government policy against striking unionists in Gabon, including members of the teachers' union CONASYSED (National Convention of Education Sector Labour Unions), following the suspension of their activities beginning in March, raising the possibility of a lost year for Gabonese students. / AFP PHOTO / STEVE JORDAN (Photo credit should read STEVE JORDAN/AFP/Getty Images) Paraguayan workers' unions members take part in the May Day rally in Asuncion, on May 1, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / NORBERTO DUARTE (Photo credit should read NORBERTO DUARTE/AFP/Getty Images) Protesters arrive with placards to join a demonstration to mark May Day in New York on May 1, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) Guatemalan union members take part in the May Day rally, in Guatemala City, on May 1, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / JOHAN ORDONEZ (Photo credit should read JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP/Getty Images) BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 01: Policemen form a line to shield Leftist demonstrators marching during the "Revolutionary 1st of May" May Day protest in Kreuzberg district on May 1, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. Labour unions and leftists each had their own marches across the city today and thousands of revelers celebrated at the MyFest street party. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) A protester enacts wearing skeleton costume of the Statue of Liberty during a demonstration to mark May Day in New York on May 1, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) Ivory Coast's Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly (L) speaks with vice-persident Daniel Kablanu Duncan (R) at the presidential palace during a May Day rally on May 1, 2017 in Abidjan. / AFP PHOTO / ISSOUF SANOGO (Photo credit should read ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP/Getty Images)
In New York, chants of “Sí se puede” and “the people united will never be defeated” bellowed through Union Square Park. Demonstrators came from across the nation to protest a variety of issues ranging from the Black Lives Matter movement and refugees, to climate change and the Puerto Rico debt crisis.
“We’re seeing a consistent awakening of people to the realities of the Trump administration," Bernadette Ellorin, 40, one of the event's organizers, told USA TODAY. She said Trump supporters and the mainstream media think of such efforts as "small and ineffective."
"If you study history it is these type of actions, the people marching on the streets, that actually make history," she said. "So this is our contribution towards making history, towards making change.”
Crowds gathering in Union Square for #MayDay2017. pic.twitter.com/MbPKyTETDN — Eli Blumenthal (@eliblumenthal) May 1, 2017
In Philadelphia, the focus was more local for teachers who shut down a busy section of North Broad Street to protest the lack of a contract. About 1,000 of them skipped school, many taking personal time to highlight what they view as unfair working conditions, philly.com reported.
In France, scores of hooded youths threw firebombs at security forces as the country’s main unions drew a massive turnout for a “day of mobilization” against far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, the Associated Press reported. Le Pen faces a runoff election Sunday against centrist Emmanuel Macron.
VIDEO: Police, protestors clash in Paris May Day rally
In Russia, about 1.5 million people rallied in Moscow "but public order has not been violated," a city police spokesman told the state-run TASS news agency.
In Greece, thousands rallied in Athens against austerity measures that have increased working hours, cut salaries and weakened protections for workers. Speakers called for a general strike May 17.
"We are still fighting for eight-hour shifts, we are still fighting for permanent positions," marcher Christos Zarkinos told Anadolu Agency news service.
In the U.S., protesters were planning marches for issues ranging from immigrants' rights to LGBT awareness to police misconduct.
“There’s a real galvanization of all the groups this year,” said Fernanda Durand of CASA in Action, which will lead a march of about 10,000 people for immigrants' rights through downtown Washington. “Our presence in this country is being questioned by Donald Trump. We are tired of being demonized and scapegoated. We’ve had enough.”
Erick Sanchez, another Washington-based organizer, said he’s seen the melding of different groups in previous events this year, from the Women’s March on Washington to climate change awareness protests. Monday will be the culmination of gelling these disparate groups, he said.
“There’s really a sense that we’re in this together,” he said. “That an attack on one is an attack on all.”
Trump released a statement Friday declaring May 1 “Loyalty Day” as a way to “recognize and reaffirm our allegiance to the principles” upon which America was built, calling on all government buildings to display the U.S. flag and schools to observe the holiday with ceremonies.
Originally a pagan celebration dating back two millennia and heralding the return of spring, May Day has morphed into a global observance of workers’ rights. But its emergence as an international workers' rights day actually arose from a May 1, 1886, Chicago strike for the eight-hour workday.
Durand said her group will march near the White House and culminate with speeches from immigrants and elected officials. More than 200 immigrant-owned businesses in the area will also shut down, she said.
“We’re going to be able to show we are one voice, one people speaking for those whose lives are being trampled on,” Durand said.
USA TODAY reporters John Bacon , Eli Blumenthal and Rick Jervis contributed to this report. |
Jason Becker: The Amazing Musician with ALS Who Composes with His Eyes
By the age of 20, Jason Becker was already a guitar legend—but after being diagnosed with ALS, he lost his mobility and was told he would have just several years to live. 20 years after that awful diagnosis, this inspiring man is still going strong and creating beautiful music.
At the age of 20, Jason Becker was the envy of every rock guitarist in the world. Though barely out of his teens, the young musician had already been performing to huge crowds for four years, and had gained worldwide acclaim for his unique shredding style. At concerts, he showed off his skills by playing a guitar solo with one hand while yo-yoing with the other. The fans ate it up.
Becker was such a promising young talent that he caught the eye of singer David Lee Roth, who invited Becker to join his band in 1989. Becker’s contributions helped Roth’s album, A Little Ain’t Enough, achieve gold record status. Becker was planning to go on tour with Roth after the album’s release, and partake in all the typical rock star indulgences—but life had other plans for him.
During the album’s recording, Becker noticed something strange going on with his body. He developed a “lazy limp” in one of his legs, which soon progressed to his other leg and his arms, making it impossible for him to pull off his virtuoso guitar moves. Though Becker managed to finish recording the album, he knew touring in his condition was out of the question. While the rest of Roth’s band drove off to begin the tour, Becker stayed at home with his family, who took him to endless doctors’ examinations to find out what was causing his problems.
Becker soon learned that he had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), which causes the gradual degeneration of all motor functions. Doctors told him he would have just three to five years left to live.
As the doctors had predicted, Becker’s health soon got worse. First, he lost all motor function in his legs, and had to begin using a wheelchair. Not long after that, he lost the use of his arms as well. Eventually, the disease robbed him of his ability to speak. But despite the toll that ALS has taken on his body, Becker is still very much alive more than 20 years after his diagnosis—and, incredibly, he’s still composing brilliant music for his fans.
Even though Becker is unable to hold a guitar or even talk, he has an active, fulfilling life. He communicates with friends and family by blinking his eyes according to a communication chart that his father invented for him. Though he needs a translator to verbalize his thoughts to people who don’t know his blinking system, Becker is able to hold conversations and joke around—as well as create innovative new music pieces that are even better than his earlier work.
For Becker, writing a song is a little bit more complicated than experimenting on his guitar and writing down the tablature.
“I have the program called LogicPro and thousands of sound samples,” he told Guitar World in a recent interview. “I am with whoever is my caregiver at the time. I tell them what tempo and sound I want (I direct everything by spelling with my eyes using the communication system my father invented. It is way faster than any computer could be). Then I try to teach my caregiver the notes I want.”
The process may be time-consuming, but the results are astonishing. When Becker has finished writing a song, he hires a band to perform the piece for him. Since becoming ill, he has released several albums that include rare outtakes from his early performing days, as well as some of his inspiring new music played by other musicians, including guitar legends like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. His newest album, Collection, was released in 2008, and includes three beautiful instrumental songs that Becker has composed in recent years.
Now, Becker is hard at work writing an autobiography with the assistance of a translator. But composing music will always be a part of his life as well. For Becker, the creative impulse is “part of what keeps me alive,” he said.
Although Becker still has extremely limited motor function, he has long since surpassed his estimated death date, and plans to keep on going for many years to come. His positive spirit, relationship with his friends and family, his spirituality, and his love of music all keep him from giving up on his life. “I guess I still have a point or a purpose for being here,” he said. “I don’t really know why, but I am grateful.”
Becker knows that even though it’s become far more difficult for him to express himself, he can still send messages through his music, and is determined to make a difference in the world.
“Not being able to play guitar anymore has made me focus more on beautiful melodies and soul stirring stuff,” he told Guitar World. “Now I want people to feel something so deep that they can’t help but reflect and make positive changes in themselves.”
Learn more in this video interview with Jason Becker, or check out his albums on Amazon.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
Disqus |
Gardai have today shown replicas of the blanket and bags that were used to wrap the naked newborn baby who was abandoned on the Dublin Kildare border last Friday afternoon.
Gardai have today shown replicas of the blanket and bags that were used to wrap the naked newborn baby who was abandoned on the Dublin Kildare border last Friday afternoon.
'You're not in any trouble' - appeal to mother of 'Maria' to come forward
The light brown coloured fleece blanket from a Primark store was used to wrap the baby along with a small blue cloth, and the baby was then wrapped in a black plastic bin liner and placed within a paper Marks and Spencer shopping bag.
Sgt Maeve O Sullivan, Clondalkin Garda Station Child Protection Unit with Rita Byrne, Principal Social Worker at the Child and Family Agency Tusla, and Supt Brendan Connolly, Clondalkin Garda station, pictured with three replica items which they put on display. Photo: Frank Mc Grath Primark blanket, M&S bag, and bin liner similar to ones found with abandoned baby from Friday Sergeant Maeve O'Sullivan, Superintendent Brendan Connolly and Rita Byrne, Principal Social Worker with the Child and Family Agency Tusla
The baby, which has now been named Maria by social workers and staff caring for her at the Coombe Hospital, is now reported to be doing well and stable.
At a press conference at Clondalkin garda station, Superintendent Brendan Connolly said the items were similar to those found with the baby girl.
"We have had some help from the public but we appeal for anyone who has any more information to come forward," he added.
Sergeant Maeve O'Sullivan of the Child Protection Unit, and Rita Bryne, Prinicpal social worker with the child and family agency Tusla, also appealed for the mother to make herself known because of obvious concerns for her welfare.
"Our hope is that mom will come forward and contact us," said Ms Byrne.
"We are very concerned for the mother's welfare. She may need medical treatment and we will deal with her sensitively," echoed Sgt O'Sullivan.
“Sergeant Maeve O’Sullivan of the Child Protection Unit here in Clondalkin and her staff are available at any time. Anyone, or indeed any family member or friends, wishing to speak with Sergeant O’Sullivan will be dealt with with the utmost discretion.”
The newborn was between 24-36 hours old when she was found by a couple last Friday afternoon on Steelstown Road in Rathcoole.
It is understood that the driver who discovered the baby on Steelstown Road pulled into a side road off the Dublin to Naas road at the back of the Blackchurch Inn and heard the baby crying.
Superintendent Brendan Connolly from Clondalkin garda station also renewed his appeal today for the mother to come forward because there are concerns for her welfare.
He stressed that the mother has nothing to fear and the matter will be dealt with with compassion and sensitivity.
"The baby was discovered by a young couple who were driving on the road and pulled into the gateway and heard the child whimpering," he told the media.
The baby was found on the Steelstown Lane near Rathcoole at 3.30pm on Friday.
Gardai confirmed that the child is Caucasian.
The child and family agency Tusla said that the baby would only remain in hospital until she is well enough to leave.
“She will then be placed with a foster family, probably in the coming days,” a Tusla spokeswoman said.
“From our perspective, we would appeal for the girl’s mother to come forward because she needs help and also to have a say in the future of her child."
“The mother will not be forced into taking her back, and she will not be judged or pressurised, but she can have a say in the child’s future with regard to fostering or adoption,” she added.
Superintendent Connolly said gardai will deal with the case with the "utmost sensitivity and care for the mother and child".
He refused to speculate when asked if 'Maria' had been born in a hospital or through a home birth.
Online Editors |
Starting a Mission and Building a Parish
by Priest John Whiteford
The following suggestions are going to fit best in a missionary situation that is in urban or suburban America. The more rural the situation, the more other factors would have to be weighed into the mix, and I can’t speak from experience about that.
1. Starting from Scratch
It generally takes at least three families (including the priest’s family) to start a viable mission. This insight came from Matushka Ann Lardas, but my experience and observation have found it to be true.
An Orthodox parish needs a lot of basic liturgical items. When starting off, you should talk to other clergy in the area and see if they have any older items that they no longer use that they would be willing to donate to you. You can make do with homemade versions of some items. For example, a nice censer stand can cost several hundred dollars, but you can make one by buying less than twenty dollars worth of matterials from Home Depot. If you talk to priests who have started missions from scratch, you can get many good ideas from them. You should also put a wish list of items that you need on your parish web site. People who want to make a one time donation, perhaps in memory of someone, often like to buy something specific for a parish and donate it.
One thing you should be cautious about at this stage: do not put yourself in the position of having services in a location that is under the control of a parishioner, but which has no lease. You may think that beggars can't be choosers, but you may find yourself having the rug pulled unexpectedly out from underneath you, if that parishioner becomes disatisfied with your parish, and that might happen during Holy Week, or at some other very inopportune time.
2. Be Patient
A priest starting a mission has to be prepared to be patient, and to gut it out over the long hall. There may be more than a few services that are not attended by anyone other than your own family (and sometimes, it may just be you), but you have to be persistent and not give up. It can be frustrating, and disappointing. There may be many times in which you ask yourself why you are wasting your time preparing for and doing such services, but unless there is some other barrier in the way of your parish growing, this will pass, if you don’t give up. Also, you should keep in mind that services are primarily our service to God; not a service for the people (though one hopes that the people come, and benefit from it). God will always be there, if you will be. If you remind yourself of that, you will never feel that a service to God is a waste of time.
3. Having a Predictable, Dependable, and Full Liturgical Life
A schedule of services has to be predictable and dependable. Matushka Ann Lardas also said that people expect a parish to be like the light bulb inside your refrigerator. When they open the door, they expect the light to be on. And, for another example, someone may not want to ride a bus system today or tomorrow, but when they do, they expect it to be running, and on schedule. If you cancel a Sunday service, and some family shows up and finds the doors locked, chances are good that they will not make a second attempt. There may be occasions when cancelling a service has to be done, but it should be very rare, and you should communicate with as many people
as possible
who might be coming, to avoid such things unnecessarily. And if you do cancel a service, you should post a map to the nearest parish in the area that will be having services, with a note telling whoever may be showing up why the service at your parish was cancelled, and when services will be held at the other parish.
You should try as much as possible to do a full cycle of services for Sundays, Feasts, and other major commemorations of the Church year that are most commonly observed on a parish level. Not all of these services will be as well attended as you might wish, but over time, attendance will improve, and this makes for a stronger community. When your Saturday evening services are not well attended you might be tempted to just do Vespers until you get bigger, but once you get people used to doing Vespers only, it will become difficult to get them used to doing a full Vigil.
Vigil in a parish should normally not be more than about 2 ½ hours, though sometimes it will be because of the particular commemoration. I first heard this rule of thumb from Archbishop Gabriel (Chemodakov), but
have
also heard other bishops such as Archbishop Alypy (Gamanovich) comment along similar lines. Also, if you follow standard Russian parish practice, that is about how long the Vigil will be. Trying to do the services like an Athonite monastery will keep people from attending, because of the difficulty.* However, cutting down the services to the minimum robs people of the chance to experience the beauty of the services, or find their spiritual treasures.
*I am aware of some parishes that do much longer Vigils, that are very well attended, and so can't say that it is impossible to make that work, but I think for the average parish, striving to just be a normal parish (by historical, and pious standards) is probably what most missions should shoot for.
4. The Stages of Development
The further your parish is from having a nice building and a full liturgical life, the harder it will be for you to attract new members. And so, if you are having reader services in someone’s home, it will be very slow going. If you start having a regular liturgy in a home, that will help, but it will still be relatively difficult to get the average person interested in coming. When you get into a store front location, or get the use of some portion of some other Church for services, that will make a big difference, because then it looks like there is at least the beginnings of a serious mission. And at each step in the process of getting into a nice free standing Church, with a full liturgical life, and a good choir, you will see the rate of growth accelerate. At each stage, you need to build up the critical mass of people and money to make the leap to the next stage, but generally it will get easier with each leap.
If, however, you experience a set back in your mission, it is only fatal, if you give up as a result, unless the set back is of an extremely serious nature. Again, patience and determination will normally win out in the long run.
5. Limiting Factors
Your growth will be limited by the smallest capacity of your worship space, fellowship space, and your parking. You may have a very large fellowship space, and a large worship space, but if your parking lot can only accommodate 30 people, that is about as big as you will get until you expand it. And the same goes if your worship space can only handle 30 people, though you have a huge hall and parking lot. And this is also true if you have a huge Church and parking lot, but can only handle 30 people in your fellowship space.
When you get to about 80 percent of your maximum capacity, you will see growth level off, and then fluctuate up and down, but on average, it will stay about 80 percent. When you reach that point, you either need to expand, or begin thinking about starting another parish. Remember, everything that is living, is either growing or dying.
6. Be Welcoming
If someone visits your parish, and they walk out of the service without anyone saying hello to them, there is a good chance they will not be back. It is best if someone takes them under their wings, and guides them, especially if they are not Orthodox. It is also best if you have some system for following up with those visitors after they have visited.
You should make a point of welcoming children, and encouraging your people to be welcoming of children too. In our anti-child culture, many people do not like to be around children, but a parish without children is a parish that will soon die off. It is good to express your happiness that small children are present from time to time, and remind them of this undeniable truth about our need for the "inconvenience" of children.
7. Fellowship
Having a meal (trapeza) after the liturgy is a key way to build fellowship in your community. After a Liturgy, when people have fasted, if you want them to stay and visit, you need to have something to satisfy their hunger. You do not have to have a seven course meal. It could be soup and bread, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and coffee, but it needs to at least tie them over until they can eat a fuller meal later. In an urban American context, there really is not going to normally be another time when your people can get to know each other. It does require work, but people will look forward to it, and will feel like they belong to a real parish family.
8. Have a Plan
Map out a plan for growth. Think about where you want your parish to be when it is full grown. Then lay out the steps between where you are, and where you want to be and set realistic goals for growth. People will surprise you with what they will do to make things happen when they see a plan, and get excited about where things are going. On the otherhand, if you shoot for nothing, you will hit the target everytime.
When you get to the point where your parish can seriously begin looking for property to buy, talk to clergy who have bought property in recent years, and get their advice. There are a lot of expensive lessons that can either be learned the hard way, or learned from other people's experience. Generally, you will find that you will have a lot fewer regulatory hurdles outside of a municipality. Sometimes crossing a county line will make a huge difference in how hard it will be to develop a piece of property. Inside of a city, you may be better off trying to buy an existing Church building. In either case, buying property that has an existing structure that can be used for services, at least initially, is a good idea, because buying the property alone is hard enough. Building a new building right off the bat is probably more than a small parish can afford, and you don't want to have a new property that you can't make any use of for several years.
9. Finances
Do not even begin to talk about parish dues. Encourage your people to tithe. Dues systems focus on a minimal amount of financial support, and that is generally what they manage to get. Define a parish member in your by-laws as someone who is in good standing with the Church, financially supports the Church (without defining a dollar amount, or a percentage), and trust that your people will step up to the plate. You shouldn’t have to beat the drum on this, but just like you should not be afraid to preach against fornication or stealing, you should not be afraid to let your people know that the Church not only wants us to tithe, but wants us to try to do much more than that as we are able; but tithing is Biblical, it is consistent with the teachings of the Fathers on the subject, and it is a good goal for everyone to shoot for, until they are able to go beyond it. I would also encourage a parish to not set a price on candles, or prosphora, but just have a donation box and let people donate what they will. This encourages tithing, and sacrificial offerings, rather than keeping the focus on a minimal amount that someone should feel obligated to pay. I know that parishes that have a long history of these things have a hard time imagining how this works, and maybe in such situations change should move very slowly, but if you institute these things at the beginning of a mission’s life, you will be way ahead in the long run.
10. Letting People Know You are There
You should have a good sign out in front of your Church that tells people how to get in touch with you, and when you normally have services. That should go without saying, but I have seen many parishes that did not have even this minimal level of advertising. If someone wanted to visit their parish, it would be difficult for them to know how. But since they may not even know that your parish is a Christian Church, much less Orthodox, how would a person from the outside even know if they might want to visit?
Having a good parish web site is crucial. The main thing your web site needs to communicate is how to get to your parish, and when the services are held. That information should be very easy to find. It is also good to have information about life in the parish, pictures of events, information about who can commune, links to information about the Orthodox Faith, etc.
Having a parish blog can also be useful. For one thing, it is free. It is easier to update, if you don’t know how to edit web pages, and your blog can help drive traffic to your web site.
Having a parish e-mail list is also very useful. It allows for you to keep people updated on what is going on, even if they are not attending regularly at the time. Yahoo groups is free, and makes setting up such a group very easy.
It is also a good idea to have occasional events that you invite the larger (non-Orthodox) community to, to let them know that you exist, and give them a non-threatening opportunity to walk in the doors and ask questions. Such events can range from yard sales, icon exhibits, choral concerts, guest speakers, cookouts, etc.
You should also get to know the other Orthodox clergy and parishes in your area. It helps strengthen your community to have fellowship with them; and if they know you, when people ask about your parish, they will have some basis for answering such questions.
"Building a Liturgical Library: Some Practical Tips," by Priest John Whiteford |
Chelsea's Matt Miazga set to remain on loan but not at Vitesse
The Blues loan star is looking to continue his development at a bigger club with opportunities in Antonio Conte's squad likely to be limited
EXCLUSIVE
defender Matt Miazga will again leave on loan next season, but will look to leave for a club at a higher level than Vitesse Arnhem, Goal understands.
The United States defender has had a successful year on loan in the and helped Chelsea's feeder club secure the KNVB Cup, the club's first major honour in their 125 year history. The cup win will also see Vitesse play in Europe for the first time.
Terry: Title win is perfect way to bow out
Miazga made a big impact in the Eredivisie despite only breaking into Vitesse's team in January.
Eindhoven and may be possible destinations and they have shown some early interest but he there have been no concrete talks - as Chelsea await further offers for Miazga.
The 21-year-old had loan offers from two clubs in the summer and club , but his moves broke down as Chelsea held onto Miazga as a contingency plan with David Luiz's return still unconfirmed on transfer deadline day.
They ultimately pulled off a £32 million move for the then- defender but it led to Miazga going to Vitesse. Chelsea also had a loan offer in for 's Aymen Abdennour which broke down due to the arrival of Luiz.
Chelsea's arrangement with Vitesse doesn't stop them loaning players to other Dutch clubs, with Bertrand Traore helping Dutch giants to a final against .
Well done, Chelsea, but you had it easy!
Miazga will likely play in one of Europe's top five leagues, or at one of the Eredivisie's biggest sides next season, while Chelsea will have meetings with all of their 35+ loanees before the transfer window opens on 1 July.
Chelsea's loanee Andreas Christensen remains ahead of Miazga after an impressive two-year spell with .
He is at the front of the queue in defence and he is expected to get his chance in Chelsea's squad for at least their pre-season tour of . |
Hail a yellow taxi in New York City, and there is a good chance the driver is from another country. Passengers are regularly exposed to a range of languages that span the globe, from Spanish to Bengali to Urdu.
It can be charming, but also maddening for riders who feel that drivers do not understand where they want to go. Don’t you have to speak English, some wonder, to drive a taxi here?
As of Friday, the answer is no.
That is when new rules went into effect eliminating the requirement that taxi drivers take an English proficiency exam. Now, the test for a taxi license is available in several languages, to accommodate non-English speakers.
The sponsors of a City Council bill to remove the English test argued that the requirement was a barrier for would-be drivers from immigrant communities who were looking for work. But the shift has prompted concerns over whether communication between taxi drivers and passengers could become even more difficult. |
I recently wrote about Goldsmiths Islamic Society’s (ISOC) attempts to have human rights campaigner Maryam Namazie disinvited from a speaking event organised by The Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Society (ASH). When they didn’t get their way, members of ISOC simply turned up to the talk and initiated a campaign of disruption and intimidation instead. Despite the group comprising of thuggish, male Islamists attempting to silence and intimidate a female minority, The Goldsmiths Feminist Society, in a display of utter moral confusion took the decision to release a statement in solidarity with ISOC. Full video of the event is now available here, which I urge you to watch, however the full video is nearly two hours long, so I’ve taken the liberty of editing it down to highlight the main instances of thuggish behaviour and disruption from ISOC members:
It’s worth noting that throughout the entire talk, doors were banged and mobile phone notifications were consistently audible from the ISOC members on the front row. This was during the moments they weren’t shouting out, turning off Maryam’s PowerPoint equipment or switching off the main lights.
It’s interesting to note from the full video, that once the male disruptors from ISOC had been removed or left, some meaningful dialogue actually took place. And that’s what’s needed. That’s what Islamists fear and seek to close down.
Maryam Namazie is a hero for refusing to be intimidated and silenced by the behaviour of these thugs. It’s a travesty that those purporting to stand for feminism betrayed her.
I hope Goldsmiths Student Union identifies these culprits and takes the appropriate action. I will be contacting them myself and requesting as much. I urge others to do the same by clicking here.
Stephen Knight is host of The #GSPodcast. You can listen to The Godless Spellchecker Podcast here, and support it by becoming a patron here.
Like this: Like Loading... |
Dutch far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders sits in a courtroom of the courthouse in Schiphol, the Netherlands March 18, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Kooren
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch anti-immigration leader Geert Wilders called on Friday for a referendum on the Netherlands’ membership in the European Union after Britain voted to leave the 28-member bloc.
Wilders, who is leading opinion polls, said if he is elected prime minister in March general elections in the Netherlands he too will call a referendum.
“We want be in charge of our own country, our own money, our own borders, and our own immigration policy,” he said in a statement.
“As quickly as possible the Dutch need to get the opportunity to have their say about Dutch membership of the European Union.”
A survey by a television channel Een Vandaag this week found that 54 percent of the people in the Netherlands, a founding EU member, want a referendum.
Dutch voters have twice voiced strong anti-EU sentiment at the polls, most recently in April when a vast majority rejected the Ukraine-EU treaty in a nonbinding referendum. [A5N162015]
“It is time for a new start, relying on our own strength and sovereignty. Also in the Netherlands,” Wilders said.
“If I become prime minister, there will be a referendum in the Netherlands on leaving the European Union as well. Let the Dutch people decide.” |
CANADALAND has obtained a memo presenting Toronto Star staff with the findings of management’s investigation into the death of Raveena Aulakh:
Subject: Note To All Toronto Star Staff
Date: June 15, 2016
To: All Staff
From: Brian Daly
I am writing to all Toronto Star staff in my role as Chief Human Resources Officer, to provide an update on the actions that the Star is taking in response to the tragic death of Raveena Aulakh.
Yesterday evening we met with union officials to discuss the internal investigation into the tragic circumstances of Raveena’s passing. Joining me from the company were John Honderich, Chair of the Board of Directors of Torstar, and Alan Bower, Executive Director of Labour Relations (and my co-investigator on this matter). Present from the union were Paul Morse, Gary Ellis, Steve Gjorkes and Jim Rankin.
During the meeting, union representatives indicated that employees are seeking more transparent communication from the company concerning the investigation that has occurred and the actions that are being taken. We are hopeful that this memo will bring more transparency in this regard, while still respecting the privacy of individuals involved.
Immediately following Raveena’s tragic passing in late May, HR began an investigation and review of the circumstances, led by me in partnership with Alan Bower. Both Alan and I are experienced and trained workplace investigators. I hold degrees in clinical psychology and human resources. Alan also has extensive education and training in industrial relations and related areas. I report directly to David Holland, President and CEO of Torstar, and this report was conducted entirely independently from the Star newsroom, as is the standard protocol in such situations.
At the outset, we did consider engaging an external investigator, which we always assess in more complex or executive-level cases. Our conclusion was that an external legal investigator was not necessary or appropriate in the circumstances. Such 3rd party investigations, by their very nature, follow formalized, legalistic protocols, with minimal if any transparency of findings or conclusions. It was our professional assessment that such a formal legal procedure didn’t make sense in this case, and that an internal independent investigation would allow for greater transparency as well as providing the necessary level of independence. We stand firmly behind that conclusion, and we believe that our investigative procedures, conclusions and recommendations further affirm that this was the right decision.
Our investigative process included a series of interviews, review of emails and other correspondence, and a thorough review of all related policies and practices. Based on our investigation, I brought forward a series of conclusions and recommendations to John Honderich and David Holland, all of which were fully endorsed and are outlined below.
Consistent with our recommendations, two senior managers are no longer in their positions in the newsroom. This is a matter of public record. Understandably, specific details are private personnel matters between the company and these individuals.
We are also modifying the company’s Code of Business Conduct, which applies across all Torstar-owned businesses. That policy includes a Conflict-of-Interest clause, which states that “Employees should avoid situations in which their personal interests interfere or conflict in any way, or might appear to interfere or conflict with, the interests of Torstar. Not only actual conflicts of interest but the very appearance of conflict should be avoided.”
The current policy then goes on to list a number of examples of potential conflict-of-interest situations. We are modifying the policy by adding an additional example, explicitly indicating that a personal relationship between a manager and his/her staff represents a conflict-of-interest situation, unless appropriately declared and approved. This policy change will be distributed to all staff once the necessary formalities are in place. We recommended this change to ensure that all managers and staff are aware of the company’s expectations in this regard.
We are also moving forward this year with revisions to the Star’s Respect in the Workplace Policy and related complaint procedures, to bring greater clarity on expectations in this area. These changes were already underway and will be rolled-out to all staff in the next few months.
Our report also concluded that newsroom staff should have better access to HR, independent of the newsroom management team. As in all workplaces, it is helpful for employees to have access to an independent sounding board to discuss workplace issues and opportunities.
Subsequent to this initial investigation, HR has conducted a second review, which focused on the extent to which Raveena was appropriately supported during her period of mental distress. As we reviewed in detail with union leadership yesterday, this second investigation concluded that Raveena’s immediate manager provided outstanding and exceptional levels of support and assistance to Raveena. The company’s Health Services unit also, by all accounts, provided active support and assistance, both during and following Raveena’s sick leave. Raveena was cleared by her own doctor to return to work on a modified work schedule following her sick leave, and the company’s Occupational Health Nurse contacted her every few days to monitor her state of health. Overall, our conclusion is that the company provided all reasonable support and assistance to Raveena. Her co-workers should also be acknowledged for their support. Tragically, such extensive efforts by many individuals were not enough. But it is nonetheless important to acknowledge the efforts by many to support and assist Raveena.
Notwithstanding this conclusion, we do believe and have recommended that the Star take steps to ensure that all managers are well-equipped and trained to deal with individuals experiencing significant mental distress. We have begun to develop such a training program for roll-out this year. We also believe that HR needs to do a better job of informing staff of the various support services that are available, and efforts are underway in that regard as well.
I hope that the above summary provides greater transparency into the investigation that was conducted, and the actions that are being taken as a result. In such tragic and difficult circumstances, we all seek answers and strive for ways to avoid such a terrible incident in the future. I sincerely believe the Star has investigated this matter thoroughly and objectively, and has taken all appropriate and necessary actions.
Both Alan Bower and I remain available to speak to any Star staff who may wish to speak to us privately on this matter. I also want to make note of Irene Gentle’s recent note to newsroom staff, encouraging anyone in the newsroom with questions or concerns to meet with her directly.
Our thanks to Unifor officials for participating in our discussions yesterday evening. Most of all, we thank all staff for their continued commitment and dedication during this tragic period.
Brian Daly
VP & Chief HR Officer
CC:
John Honderich
Alan Bower
Paul Morse – Unifor
Gary Ellis – Unifor
Steve Gjorkes – Unifor |
Get the latest from TODAY Sign up for our newsletter
Nov. 18, 2013, 9:24 PM GMT By Jim Galligan
There’s a saying that it takes a lot of beer to make a good wine, because winemaking is thirsty work. The latest edition of Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Anniversary Ale proves it’s a two way street – it can take a lot of winemakers to create a world-class beer.
Firestone Walker is located in the wine country surrounding Paso Robles, Calif., which was just named Wine Enthusiast magazine’s 2013 Wine Region of the Year. The brewery has taken full advantage of the local vintner talent to craft Firestone XVII, their 17th Anniversary Ale, a blend of seven barrel-aged Firestone Walker beers that were produced over several months and years.
Instead of blending these beers into their Anniversary Ale themselves, Firestone Walker invites local winemakers to join in a friendly competition to see who can whip up the tastiest concoction. This comes as second nature to the winemakers, who are master blenders by trade and know how to bring out the best from the contents of an oak barrel.
The winemakers are paired into teams, and work to create the best blend of beers they can dream up. These blends are then recreated by Firestone Walker and served in a blind tasting to all the winemakers who vote for their favorites.
These competitive blending sessions started seven years ago, when Firestone Walker decided to create a special beer to commemorate their 10th anniversary. A new edition of Anniversary Ale has followed every year.
This year’s winning blend was crafted by Neil Collins and Chelsea Franchi from Tablas Creek Vinyard. Like every edition of Firestone Walker Anniversary Ale, it’s a big beer, clocking in at a toe-curling 13.3 percent ABV, which is high for a beer but typical for a dark wine.
Here’s the breakdown of what went into Firestone XVII. Each of these beers lends its character to this remarkably delicious and hearty brew:
30 Percent Bravo (13.6 percent ABV): An imperial brown ale aged in Bourbon and brandy barrels
25 PercentStickee Monkee (15.3 percent ABV): A Mexican turbinado (brown sugar)-infused English barley wine aged in Bourbon and whiskey barrels
15 percent Velvet Merkin (8.7 percent ABV): A traditional oatmeal stout aged in Bourbon barrels
15 percentParabola (12.8% ABV): A Russian imperial oatmeal stout aged in Bourbon barrels
8 percent Double Double Barrel Ale (12 percent ABV): A double-strength English pale ale aged in retired Firestone Union barrels
Four percent Helldorado (11.5% ABV): A blonde barley wine aged in Bourbon and brandy barrels
Three percent Wookey Jack (8.3% ABV): A Black rye IPA
Like most dark and rich beers, Firestone XVII is best served just slightly chilled, allowing for the deeper subtleties of this complex masterpiece to open up and shine.
It pours a deep mahogany with gorgeous ruby highlights when the light catches it just right. The nose is loaded with dense notes of milk chocolate, dark fruit and cocoa. The mouthfeel is rather light, but the beer has a heavy presence to it; perhaps it’s the intensity of the flavor playing tricks on the tongue.
This beer has flavor for days. It starts with a boozy brace of whiskey, followed by big notes of milk chocolate, figs, cocoa and tobacco that slowly unfold in your mouth. There's just a hint of cloying earthiness lurking in the background, no doubt thanks to the barley wines in the blend and the use of brandy barrels for aging the Bravo imperial brown ale. All of these flavors hang on the palate long after the sip has slid down your throat.
A couple of years in a cellar would do wonders for this beer, allowing time to tame the alcohol bite and give the rich flavors a chance to deepen, just like one of the wines created by the alchemists who crafted it.
Firestone XVII Anniversary Ale is available in limited supply in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Illinois, Texas, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania, D.C., and Maryland and it runs $23.99 a bottle. Be sure to keep an eye out for the fancy cardboard box the beer is packaged in, because it’s easy for the eyes to glide past its flat surface on the shelf.
With all the beer-versus-wine talk out there, it’s cool to see that great things can happen when brewers and vintners collaborate. Here’s to Firestone Walker for finding an innovative way to bring these two worlds together and for many more happy anniversaries. |
Leading knitwear designer Falke has just launched a luxury pair of socks in time for Christmas. The only drawback? They cost £495. Luxury sock-lover Dean Kissick tries them on for size
The other day I received an invitation to come and review “the latest luxury sock to come to London”. Released in a limited edition of only 10 by German knitwear designers Falke, each pair costs a staggering £495 and is made of the vicuña wool once favoured by Incan royalty. Could they possibly be worth it, or am I having the wool pulled over my eyes?
Facebook Twitter Pinterest £495 Vicuna socks by Falke. Photograph: Falke
Most likely I will never walk the world’s most expensive dog (a £1.2m Tibetan mastiff) nor chop an onion with the world’s most expensive kitchen knife (a £63,000 Nesmuk Jahrhundertmesser) but today I can try one of the world’s most expensive socks. Surprisingly, they’re not actually the world’s most expensive, as Harrys of London sells an £895 pair made from the down of the New Zealand red deer, but they’re less of a gimmick and – what’s more – they’re new in-store.
Knitted from the wool of Peru’s national animal the vicuña (of which much more later), they’re only stocked in London’s Selfridges until Christmas, as an outrageously luxurious stocking-filler for the dad/oligarch/ sultan who has everything. Contrary to popular belief, some men like receiving socks as presents; my otherwise miserable flatmate says one of his favourite feelings in the world is pulling open a new pack of socks, popping the plastic asunder. Myself, I love putting on a new pair of socks for the first time, so I travel into Central London prepared for a world of sensual delights
These £495 socks come in a wooden presentation case adorned with Falke’s founders’ signatures. They are naturally coffee-coloured and they’re soft, very soft; but actually, not as soft as I was expecting. Vicuña wool is the finest available at 12 microns thick, but then cashmere measures only 15 microns and is available on every high street. The harsh sock critic within thinks these could be softer, and possibly more golden in colour too, at that price, but on the other hand if it’s good enough for Incan kings then …
Earlier in the morning I spoke to a wool expert and she advised me to sniff the socks, so sniff them I do – these are clean socks so it’s not that perverted – and they smell amazing, woody like a cedar forest, like the Andean mountain meadows that they came from maybe. I think I can detect hints of caramel and llama but I was most likely imagining those. Anyway, smelling super-expensive socks is pretentious, also weird, but in the calming setting of a PR company’s reception it’s more-or-less acceptable.
The best thing about these socks is that they’re vicuña, the national animal of Peru that lives in the high alpine passes of the Andes. It’s the thinking man’s llama, the sybarite’s alpaca, and unlike these beasts it has never been domesticated; a vicuña will always escape. They roam the mountains and can only be shorn every few years, so the harvesting of their wool is highly sustainable. Occasionally, they are worshipped with an ancient wedding ritual in which two of the animals must drink each other’s blood, but they’re always released back into the wild.
Shy and graceful, with long necks and doe-like eyes, vicuña are the supermodels of the camelid family, so perhaps it’s unsurprising that the fashion industry has honoured them so expensively. According to tradition, the animal is the reincarnation of a young, gorgeous girl who was seduced by an old, ugly king, and rewarded with a golden fleece. In the past it was prohibited by Incan law for anyone except royals to wear vicuña, but now it is, well, available in Selfridges for anyone with lots and lots of money. Which is progress of sorts.
I usually wear lambswool blend socks from M&S, which are four for £15 and much more affordable than those German-Peruvian frivolities. But in the interests of luxury wool-reviewing, and patriotism, I also try a pair of the North Circular’s £119 dip-dye socks on my way home.
These may be the most British socks ever. Designed with a Kitchener Stitch – a more seamless sock pattern that was, supposedly, invented by Lord Herbert Kitchener for the comfort of soldiers in the first world war – they are hand-knitted by grannies using the wool of the endangered Wensleydale sheep; a rare and naturally be-dreaded breed that looks rather like Roma striker Gervinho. These are thicker and cosier, and ideal for the coming long winter nights, but then they don’t smell quite as exotic. They smell of sheep.
Socks are one of life’s small pleasures, and need not be turned into extravagances. £495 a pair is far too much, but then that’s the point. So if there’s someone in your life who somehow deserves to be treated like an Incan royal, then a pair of vicuña socks is far more acceptable than, say, a sacrifice. They are nice socks, and vicuña are very cool animals; as are Wensleydale sheep.
This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative.
The links are powered by Skimlinks. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that Skimlinks cookies will be set. More information. |
There aren't too many anime studios with serious "studio reputations" in the broader anime community. Gainax is one of the big names, though their star has faded in recent years, leading into much of their community goodwill being picked up by the recent Studio Trigger . Studios like MADHOUSE and A-1 Pictures release a great number of anime, but aren't necessarily associated with a single "core style," being more platforms for a wide variety of individual creators. In fact, when it comes to "house style," there are two modern names that tend to be brought up more than any others - Kyoto Animation and SHAFT . Well, I covered Kyoto Animation, so I suppose it's time to talk SHAFT .
The two do have something in common, outside of their reputations as “known quantities” with clear stylistic throughlines. In the anime community, what they have in common is meme identities - their shows are often disregarded as all the same, either visually or narratively, in spite of the myriad interesting differences separating their works. But it is true that each of them possess a distinctive studio culture that sets them apart from other studios. I've talked about how Kyoto Animation promote a healthier work environment and in-studio training, resulting in routinely polished works that somehow demand far fewer animators than their competitors' products. So today let's talk about SHAFT - what forces led them to become such a known and specific quantity in the anime community, and what strengths ultimately set them apart.
SHAFT is at this point associated with some very specific stylistic tics. Minimalist and often abstract/interpretation-friendly backgrounds are one element of this, clear in works from Monogatari to Nisekoi to Hidamari Sketch. Massive shifts in background art and even art design between airing and bluray editions is another, as well as the self-conscious theatrical leanings of shows like ef and March comes in like a lion . And of course, the inescapable, neck-breaking head tilt is a staple of their productions, and something Akiyuki Shinbo has even acknowledged as a studio signature.
Shinbo himself is also one of the studio's trademarks, as his Head Director title stands at the top of basically all of their recent productions. But the ubiquity of his name should be a clue to the strangeness of his job. No human being could truly direct all the shows Shinbo is credited for, and his name has a way of dampening criticism of the individual qualities that make the directors beneath him shine. There is a lot more to SHAFT than their visual tropes, and even what is known about them can be very misleading. So let's start at the top with that Shinbo name, and see if we can draw a clearer picture of SHAFT along the way.
Akiyuki Shinbo is certainly a fascinating artist in his own right, one who honed a very distinctive style through the 90s and early 00s. While he directed a fair number of OVAs in his early years, his first widely known claim to fame came as an episode director on Yū Yū Hakusho . His episodes during the Dark Tournament arc reflect many of the qualities that would come to define his work even at SHAFT - a preference for bold, striking color palettes that jump off the screen or even clash, and compositions that make an interpretive, contiguous tapestry of the whole screen.
Shinbo isn't an artist who seems terribly interested in naturalism, or in creating a world the audience could conceivably fall into or believe in as a real place. His visual preferences fall towards the opposite end of the spectrum - visual compositions as emotive spectacles, where the background, lighting, and effects work seem to “feel” the action in the same way the characters do. And his framing of characters also plays into this, as hyper closeups and strange angular shots make them expressive more as physical objects filling the screen than human beings conveying emotion through expressions and body language. He has described himself as being interested such visually aggressive elements of production from a young age (an excerpt from this instructive interview), as well as not being terribly interested in narrative content. Shinbo sculpts moods through visual violence, favoring loud, striking compositions over the portrayal of a consistent world.
Shinbo's star continued to rise across more OVAs, before his style reached an early culmination in releases like Soul Taker and Le Portrait de Petite Cossette . It was at this point, in 2004, when Shinbo's fortunes and SHAFT were aligned. Though SHAFT had existed as an anime subcontractor and occasional collaborator for many years, it was the retirement of former studio head Hiroshi Wakao and ascent of current president Mitsutoshi Kubota that marked the birth of the studio as it currently exists. Kubota wanted SHAFT to truly stand out, to have their own signature in a crowded animation landscape. And with Shinbo's help, the tenets of that signature were defined.
Creating a defined “ SHAFT house style” wouldn't just give SHAFT a visual calling card - it would smooth the process of transitioning from production of one show to the next, as Kubota himself has described (from another handy interview). Along with Shinbo himself, the “Team Shinbo” responsible for defining this style included Tatsuya Oishi and Shin Oonuma , two professional friends of Shinbo's with clear stylistic strengths of their own. It is the conscious choice to settle on and refine this “ SHAFT style” that gives all of their shows a somewhat cohesive, distinct visual identity. The ostentatious backgrounds, the sometimes sterile tone, the odd cuts, the juxtaposition of flat colors or real-world objects - that's all part of the visual language of these core creators, something Kubota and Shinbo beneath him overtly chose to embrace.
The fact that these traits reappear across so many of SHAFT 's shows points to Shinbo's current role at the company. Though he did indeed direct a variety of interesting shows in his early years, he hasn't done any hands-on directing for quite some time. Shinbo occupies a more supervisory role at the company, dictating tone, collaborating and discussing work with other key staff on shows like Madoka Magica , and ensuring SHAFT productions generally “feel” like, well, SHAFT productions.
But even if SHAFT has self-consciously chosen to align its output with Shinbo's name, to call the studio and all the works produced by it “Shinbo works” would be a vast discredit to the many talented, unique creators leaving their own marks on SHAFT shows, or who have carried elements of the “Team Shinbo” style to other companies.
Shin Oonuma is one such notable ex-pat. As one of the core members of Team Shinbo, Oonuma was one of the key voices defining the revitalized SHAFT aesthetic. Though he directed several early "new SHAFT " shows like Pani Poni Dash! and Negima!? , the best example of his work at SHAFT might be the ef franchise : ef: a tale of memories and ef: a tale of melodies . In that series, you can see a variety of the stylistic tricks that would later be cannibalized for use on shows like Monogatari . Note how the visual composition of this train station sequence, with the foreground objects adding a sense of discord to an otherwise harmonious visual landscape, is mirrored in one of Monogatari 's climactic arcs. His work is evocative in a way that sets it apart from Shinbo's; rather than creating holistic compositions with a focus on an overall visual effect over all else, his work restlessly leans on the actual narrative variables, echoing the feelings of the characters involved.
After leaving SHAFT , Oonuma went on to become a major creative voice at SILVER LINK SILVER LINK aren't really known for their beautiful productions, but you can still see Oonuma's talent in shows like WATAMOTE , C3, or Dusk maiden of Amnesia . The stark lighting, strong compositions, and angular, often purely metaphorical backgrounds reflect his voice and his roots. Those ostentatious foreground elements and gorgeous sense of color have stuck around, as well. Even in a run-of-the-mill light novel adaptation, you can see Oonuma and his new compatriots' visual flair in sequences like this ridiculous, extremely indulgent match cut.
Shinichi Omata is another key SHAFT ex-pat. After contributing to SHAFT productions like Arakawa Under the Bridge and Hidamari Sketch , he went on to provoke another artistic renaissance, this time at the oft-maligned Studio DEEN . Omata's presence added a theatrical and composition-savvy touch to shows like Sankarea , before he finally got the chance to direct the phenomenal Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū (a triumph I've discussed before).
But even those who've remained at SHAFT have ultimately developed strong individual voices. Some of them have always been dramatically gifted directors, like Tatsuya Oishi . Considered the third pillar of Team Shinbo, he directed the first season of Monogatari before disappearing for years, working diligently on the followup film Kizumonogatari (a story that's been covered in great detail elsewhere).
The Monogatari series itself offers a clear example of the contrast in SHAFT directorial styles, in the contrast between Tatsuya Oishi 's Kizumonogatari films and the series proper. Though it's inherently unfair to compare a film with years of development time to a TV series suffering from constant scheduling crunch, you can see the clear difference in aesthetic priorities between Oishi's Kizu (a bizarre mix of sumptuous traditional animation and incongruous 3D spaces) and the later Monogatari seasons. Under Tomoyoki Itamura's direction, those seasons have embraced a more animation-minimal (by necessity) but visually cohesive design, focusing on sharp color contrasts and far more narrative loyalty to the source material (along with more distinctly partitioned but still evocative style shifts). Even two directors adapting the same franchise at a studio as ostensibly "visually cohesive" as SHAFT will create two noteworthy and wildly different productions. |
Edit (3/29/17, 7:55 pm EDT): Brent Hershey of BaseballHQ and Ron Shandler’s Baseball Forecaster (very politely) brought to my attention that this has been done before! By Bill Macey back in 2012. Formerly behind a paywall, it has now been made public for your reading pleasure. I didn’t even know this research existed (so I’m really glad Murphy brought it to my attention); I am always reluctant to ever claim to break ground in this field that progresses so quickly but also has such a rich history of research. Please consider the following research a companion to and external validation of Macey’s work.
* * *
I welcome all constructive criticism. This research is not especially rigorous, but given the nature of the claim — a legitimately significant spring training statistic! — it merits the disclaimer.
I found a statistically significant spring training statistic.
I’d rather not rehash the history of research and speculation regarding The Spring Training Stat(s) That Matter. Just know that, outside the modest results from this Dan Rosenheck piece in The Economist, it’s generally accepted that Spring Training statistics mean virtually nothing, and you’ll read all manners of baseball writers bashing this notion.
The big caveat is most of this research concerns individual players. Mine: team-level statistics. Alas, it’s an inherently different beast with which I’m dealing. Despite small within-year populations (30 teams rather than hundreds of players), the observation-level sample sizes are much larger (hundreds of plate appearances rather than dozens), making the odds of finding meaningful correlations much better despite fewer data points.
Per usual, I buried the lede: a team’s rate of stolen base attempts (calculated from stolen bases [SB] plus caught stealing [CS]) during spring training is actually meaningful. I’ll get to the implications of this later because there are many. First, let’s dig into the guts of the research. I gathered team-level spring training statistics from 2006 through 2016 and paired it with regular season statistics from the same span plus 2005.
A couple of quick correlations, using the Pearson correlation coefficient:
Current-year spring training SBs vs current-year regular season SBs: r = 0.41
Current-year spring traning attempts (SB+CS) vs current-year regular season attempts: r = 0.48
Both of these results surprised me. A Pearson r of 0.41 is not particularly strong, but nearing 0.5 — close to a 0.25 r-squared — is an indication of a weak-bordering-on-moderate correlation. (Which isn’t promising, when I say it like that, but it is something.) Then again, this isn’t particularly surprising. You could probably do the same for many statistics and at least see some sort of statistically significant correlation without scaling for playing time because (1) every team plays 162 regular season games, usually; (2) every team plays 30-something spring games, making any kind of scaling not really necessary; and (3) spring skills in aggregate probably carry over relatively well into the the season. In other words, I wouldn’t be surprised to know that teams in spring training at least slightly resemble their regular-season selves.
Ultimately, the whole purpose for this is, for the most part, identifying teams that choose to try to steal more bases — that’s why this is interesting to me in the first place. Stolen bases attempts are the most controllable aspect of the game (arguably), so upticks (or decreases) in attempt rates, if meaningful, could have important fantasy implications.
Teams attempt more stolen bases during spring training — I imagine this is a function of the somewhat lax nature of spring training combined with players trying to win jobs or test particular skills in a low-leverage context. I verified this by calculating attempt rate (att%) as attempts divided by opportunities, the latter of which is computed for simplicity as singles plus walks:
Stolen Base Attempt Rates (att%) Spring Season 2006 10.86% 8.56% 2007 10.27% 8.51% 2008 10.80% 8.43% 2009 10.79% 9.05% 2010 10.70% 9.22% 2011 11.54% 10.49% 2012 12.19% 10.26% 2013 10.51% 8.66% 2014 10.62% 8.98% 2015 10.33% 8.48% 2016 10.35% 8.33% att% = (SB+CS)/(1B+BB)
Knowing this, it’s important to index attempt rates — in other words, scaling them around the average attempt rate, as we might with statistics such as ERA+, OPS+, and so on. Then I calculated percentage change the way you normally would, in the form of (Y t –Y t-1 )/Y t . This methodology makes the effort more predictive than descriptive, which is important for the sake of trying to predict fantasy performance (obviously).
The correlation I wanted to test involved calculating the following percentage changes:
Season Δatt%: Y t-1 season att% to Y t spring att%
Y season att% to Y att% Spring Δatt%: Y t-1 season att% to Y t season att%
The hypothesis is an increase in indexed attempt rate from last year’s regular season to this year’s spring training will correlate with an increased in indexed attempts from last year’s regular season to this year’s regular season. In fewer words, do spring training attempt rate gains carry over into the regular season? Why, yes, they do.
Season Δatt% = 0.439*(Spring Δatt%) + 0.017
Adjusted r2: 0.34
(Evaluating this relationship using a simple measure of correlation, such as the Pearson correlation coefficient used in the bulleted list above, produces r = 0.58. This exceeds the correlation coefficients from the bulleted list and is equal to the unadjusted r2 of for the above equation.)
We might be spoiled by some of the remarkably strong correlations seen in equations such as xBABIP, xISO, and so on. Know, however, that a 0.34 r2 is nothing to sneeze at.
However, these results could be interpreted in ways that don’t necessarily align with my hypothesis. I would hope that increased attempts during spring training would indicate a fundamental methodological shift by a particular team. It might be such that a team steals more bases in spring simply because it now has faster players, both at the major- and minor-league levels. Maybe it’s a combination of both. Maybe it’s one begetting the other — the promotion and/or acquisition of faster players inducing a methodological shift.
So, that’s it. Maybe it’s not actually that exciting. But in light of the bleak landscape of The Spring Training Stat(s) That Actually Matter, this felt at least like a minor breakthrough.
Of course, here are your biggest changes in indexed stolen base attempt rates from 2016 regular season into 2017 spring training, and how that reflects upon the upcoming season:
Indexed Stolen Base Rates (att%) Team 2016 Regular Season 2017 Spring Training % Change Orioles 28.4 110.4 +289% Cardinals 53.1 118.0 +122% Angels 90.4 195.2 +116% Mariners 69.3 118.6 +71% Blue Jays 63.7 107.4 +69% Rangers 117.3 160.5 +37% White Sox 96.9 130.4 +35% Rockies 86.1 108.4 +26% Red Sox 81.6 95.3 +17% Yankees 80.7 92.7 +15% Dodgers 60.3 66.8 +11% Braves 89.8 93.0 +4% Cubs 78.1 80.3 +3% Giants 89.7 89.1 -1% Astros 125.4 123.5 -2% Pirates 122.5 115.2 -6% Athletics 65.9 61.7 -6% Tigers 71.0 63.1 -11% Royals 135.4 119.5 -12% Nationals 134.0 112.8 -16% Mets 52.3 43.9 -16% Marlins 80.7 65.5 -19% Padres 162.0 129.9 -20% Twins 105.9 78.6 -26% Rays 93.8 68.6 -27% Indians 137.7 94.6 -31% Brewers 198.8 123.3 -38% Diamondbacks 143.4 81.8 -43% Reds 165.8 93.3 -44% Phillies 130.4 64.5 -50% Indexed att% = ([team SB+CS) – (lg avg SB+CS)] / (lg avg SB+CS)
2017 Spring Training stats as of Monday, March 27
Notes :
As someone who pays zero attention to spring training stats, I was floored when I saw the Orioles at the top of this list. Needless to say I was disappointed after rushing to see if Manny Machado topped the list of steal attempts. He, in fact, has zero, and their attempts are composed entirely by current bench bats and minor-league depth. Boo. This kind of (negative) context is important. Still, it doesn’t preclude Baltimore’s regular hitters from running more during the season. (I mean, Machado reached base literally six times this spring — woof — so the opportunities weren’t there to begin with.)
when I saw the Orioles at the top of this list. Needless to say I was disappointed after rushing to see if Manny Machado topped the list of steal attempts. He, in fact, has zero, and their attempts are composed entirely by current bench bats and minor-league depth. Boo. This kind of (negative) context is important. Still, it doesn’t preclude Baltimore’s regular hitters from running more during the season. (I mean, Machado reached base literally six times this spring — woof — so the opportunities weren’t there to begin with.) With offseason additions Cameron Maybin, Ben Revere and Eric Young Jr. running wild (as we’ve come to expect them to), Mike Trout living up to his self-appointed goal of running more this season, and even C.J. Cron stealing more bases in 64 plate appearances than he did in six times as many last season, the Angels look like they’re going to run wild in 2017. If there’s any team to watch in this regard, it might be this one . Revere, with seven attempts in 53 PAs (which includes eight walks ), looks poised for a bounceback, albeit in a part-time role; Maybin looks similarly poised to carry his career-best 2016 season into this year; and Cron might do his best Paul Goldschmidt impression for all we know. Everyone’s talking about the Mariners’ speedy outfield, but maybe it’ll be Los Angeles of Anaheim’s that ultimately wins our hearts.
. Revere, with seven attempts in 53 PAs (which includes ), looks poised for a bounceback, albeit in a part-time role; Maybin looks similarly poised to carry his career-best 2016 season into this year; and Cron might do his best Paul Goldschmidt impression for all we know. Everyone’s talking about the Mariners’ speedy outfield, but maybe it’ll be Los Angeles of Anaheim’s that ultimately wins our hearts. (But, speaking of the Mariners: Jarrod Dyson, Mitch Haniger and Jean Segura continue to run, run, run.)
The most profoundly disappointing team on this list: the Brewers. They won our hearts with their lukewarm bats and plus legs last year, but their pace has slowed markedly this season (albeit still rests comfortably above average). Keon Broxton fans should be excited to learn (or be reminded) that he is attempting stolen bases about one-third of the time (in the context of this study), and the Hernan Perez doubters will be disappointed to learn he, too, continues to hit dongs and swipe bags, with three apiece in a mere 40 PAs. All that said, should we be concerned about Jonathan Villar? Three attempts in roughly eight opportunities, but zero successes to show for them. Personally, I’m not concerned, but I understand why someone might sour on the lack of success.
As aforementioned, I would love to hear any feedback you might have. This is an exercise in predictiveness, but the conflation of intent — whether it’s speedy runners moving to new teams (or from old teams), or it’s actually a team deliberately makes more attempts — hugely impacts this study. The evidence suggests the two might beget each other, and it’s hard to tell which one is the chicken and the other the egg. When you consider a team like the Angels and the cause of their stolen base surge, it’s a no sh*t moment — I mean, I’ll be the first to admit these aren’t the most revelatory results when subjected to intellectual duress. But knowing someone like Cron might keep running because his teammates are doing so? That’s not bad.
No matter what, the statistical significance of the model suggests there’s validity to mining for extra stolen bases using this method. Simply use your best judgment when investigating further. |
Published online 5 September 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.1086
News: Q&A
American climate scientist James Hansen explains why he's testifying against coal.
James Hansen: no friend of coal. AP
James Hansen, the director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, is well known for rattling his nation's political establishment. This week, the climate scientist was in London, UK, to testify on behalf of activists who defaced a coal-fired power station in Kent. Geoff Brumfiel caught up with Hansen at a London hotel to find out what has got him all hot and bothered.
Why did you come to testify?
Nothing could be more central to the problem we face with global climate change. If you look at the size of the oil, gas and coal reservoirs you'll see that the oil and gas have enough CO 2 to bring us up to a dangerous level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
There's a potential to solve that problem if we phase out coal. If we were to have a moratorium on coal-fired power plants within the next few years, and then phase out the existing ones between 2010 and 2030, then CO 2 would peak at something between 400 and 425 parts per million. That leaves a difficult problem, but one that you can solve.
Do you think that leaders like UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown have lived up to their promises on climate change?
It depends on whether they will have a moratorium on coal-fired power. I think that the greenest leaders, like German chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Brown, are saying the right words. But if you look at their actions, emissions are continuing to increase. All of these countries and the United States are planning to build more coal-fired power plants. And if you build more coal-fired power plants, then it is not possible to achieve the goals that they say they are committed to. It's a really simple argument and yet they won't face up to it.
So do you think that these activists were justified in doing what they did?
The activists drawing attention to the issue seems to me as justified. You should try to do things through the democratic process, but we really are getting to an emergency situation. We can't continue to build more coal-fired power plants that do not capture CO 2 if we hope to solve the problem.
We need to get energy from somewhere. So if we're not getting it from coal, then where?
The first thing we should do is focus on energy efficiency. The fact that utilities make more money by selling more energy is a big problem. We have to change those rules. Then there is renewable energy — in order to be able to fully exploit renewable energy, we need better electric grids. So those should be the first things, but I think that we also need to look at next-generation nuclear power.
Some have said you are hypocritical for flying all the way from the US to the UK just to testify. How do you respond?
I like to travel as little as possible, not only because it uses less CO 2 but because I prefer to do science. But sometimes there are things which are sufficiently important that I think it makes sense.
What do you think the roll of the scientist should be in the broader societal debate on climate change?
I think it would be irresponsible not to speak out. There is a clear gap between what is understood by the relevant scientific community and what is known by the public, and we have to try and close that gap. If we don't do something in the very near future, we're going to create a situation for our children and grandchildren that is out of control. |
We have our own desires, few of which might be one of the following:
To have a stable and fulfilling job and to become successful in our chosen field.To travel the world and explore itTo own a car and high-end gadgetsTo be buff and to have a toned physiqueTo become famous and have many friendsTo become the most followed person on twitterTo live a glamorous and luxurious lifeTo become a powerful and influential personality
"But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." - Matthew 6: 33
I read the last part twice, processing the wisdom which was right in front of me - "...and all these things will be given to you as well."
Before, I wanted to be successful. Specifically, I wanted to be rich (like filthy rich,) with sport cars and olympic-size swimming pools. It was already instilled in my mind that being successful equates happiness and that is the whole point of my existence here on earth - finding happiness and bei… |
- Former professional wrestler, Bryan McGhee did what many inmates have tried to do, he dodged the death penalty while it remains in limbo in the state.
Hillsborough Public Defender Charles Traina explained the plea deal to the judge, " Mr McGhee would be sentenced to Florida State Prison without the posibilty of parole and the state would withdraw their intention to seek the death penalty."
Prosecutors say three years ago, Bryan McGhee stabbed his ex-girlfriend Bianca McGauhey to death, while she was on the phone with his wife.
Assistant State Attorney Ronald Gale had every intent of showing this was a heinous, malicious act, describing how she was caught off guard while walking her dog.
"He walked up to Ms. McGauhey and immediately attacked her with a knife, " said Gale.
He said the victim had no idea what was coming,
"Ms. McGauhey held the phone up to Mr. McGhee and said something to the affect of 'here there is someone who wants to talk to you' she was in fact talking to Mr. McGhee's wife who was concerned for his safety. Mr. McGhee began attacking Ms. McGauhey without saying a word, " explained Gale.
When the knife broke, they say he went back to car to grab another one and continue the attack.
Prosecutor say he then bragged about it, "there were also admissions made on social media. Made by Mr. McGhee specifically on Facebook, " said Gale.
He also posted bloody pictures of McGauhey after the attack.
While McGhee avoided the possibility of death row he will never leave prison.
Hillsborough Judge Samantha Ward made it crystal clear to the defendant, "do you understand in the State of Florida life, means life?"
"Yes ma'am, replied McGhee.
His formal sentencing will be scheduled soon. The victim's family will be allowed to give victim impact statements during that time. |
If you’ve found yourself bristling when settling into your seat on an airplane, particularly if you’re back in coach, there’s a reason. A new study by researchers at the University of Toronto and Harvard Business School suggest that the cabin becomes a microcosm of a class-based society and that physical and situational inequality sets off antisocial behavior, more common known as air rage.
Katherine DeCelles from the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management and Michael Norton from Harvard analyzed an international airline’s database of thousands of incident reports, involving millions of flights. It found that cases of “air rage” are more frequent on flights when there’s a first class cabin. And the unruly and abusive behavior is more likely to occur in both first class and economy class when economy passengers have to walk through the first class section while boarding.
Taking that humbling walk past those already seated in first class becomes a clear reinforcement of their “relatively disadvantaged status,” the authors wrote, which can “prompt negative emotions and aggressive [behavior].” And the antisocial behavior can come from the haves as well as the have-nots.
Almost 84% of the incidents occurred in economy class, while 15% happened in first class. Men were involved in more than three times the number of incidents than women, and usually the target was a flight attendant, not other passengers.
Lately the shrinking room in passenger seats, especially in economy, has been a source of complaints, and flight attendants have suggested it is leading to more air rage.
But this new study identifies the physical layout and boarding procedures that trigger air rage. The study also found that air rage among first class passengers increased when there were more first class seats, larger cabins, and delayed flights. The incidents in first class were more likely to involve a passenger being belligerent or angry. DeCelles calls this “entitled reactions.”
In economy class, the incidents tended to emotional outbursts, the result of stress, fear or frustration.
The data available to the researchers did not include how many people were in each section of the plane, so it is impossible to know for certain whether people in economy are actually more likely to undergo air rage than those in first class or if the greater number of cases was due to there being more people in economy than first class. In addition, it may be that more planes have forward entry than middle, so comparing air rage rates by absolute numbers based on how people board could also be misleading.
With first class cabins getting more lush and larger, the risk of air rage could grow. “As both inequality and class-based airplane seating continue to rise, incidents of air rage may similarly climb in frequency,” the authors note. |
Penrose Tilings Tied up in Ribbons How can we create a tiling by Penrose rhombs that will cover the entire plane... David Austin
Grand Valley State University
david at merganser.math.gvsu.edu Mail to a friend Print this article Introduction While Penrose tilings are both mathematically interesting and aesthetically pleasing, constructing these tilings is a particularly important issue since they seem to model the structure of quasicrystals appearing in the natural world. As we saw in this space last August, however, constructing Penrose tilings is not easy for the first approach that comes to mind typically fails. In this column, we will first review some of what was discussed in the previous column and then describe three methods for constructing Penrose tilings, each of which presents a different perspective on the tilings. A quick review For the purposes of this column, we will concentrate on the tilings by Penrose rhombs: There are two types of tiles, typically called thick and thin rhombs. When placing tiles, we will require that certain matching rules be obeyed: we imagine that the edges of the tiles are decorated with arrows, as shown below, and we require that the arrows on adjacent edges agree in both number and direction. With this additional requirement, we saw that Penrose tilings admit no translational symmetry. This means that there is no fundamental unit that can reconstruct the tiling through repetition in the way that, say, the tiling below can be reconstructed from one of the yellow parallelograms. In spite of the fact that Penrose tilings have no translational symmetries, they do exhibit a remarkable structure. If we focus attention on half-rhombs, as shown below, the matching rules force every half-rhomb to belong to one of the following patches: In this way, the half-rhombs may be combined, through a process known as composition, to obtain new half-rhombs whose linear dimensions are scaled by a factor of the golden ratio , one of mathematics' revered numbers. There is, of course, the reverse process of decomposition, in which a half-rhomb is replaced by smaller half-rhombs. Through composition, a tiling by Penrose rhombs creates another tiling by larger Penrose rhombs, called the inflated tiling. Composition applied to the inflated tiling creates its own inflated tiling, and, continuing in this way, we see that there is a hierarchy of tilings, each of which is the inflated tiling of its predecessor. This hierarchy imposes strong constraints on how we may place the tiles. More specifically, we saw that simply placing tiles according to the matching rules usually leads to a situation in which a patch of tiles cannot be extended further as happens in the following figure at the location indicated by the red dot. The question remains: how can we create a tiling by Penrose rhombs that will cover the entire plane? We will now describe three different methods, each due to de Bruijn. Updown generation The first method, known as updown generation, is demonstrated with an example. Begin with a single half-rhomb. Then choose how this half-rhomb will sit inside a half-rhomb in the inflated tiling. Here we have chosen Now consider the new half-rhomb, and choose how it will be contained in a half-rhomb in its inflated tiling. In this example, we have chosen again. Continue in the same way. We have chosen And again with And again using And again using And again using So far we have used composition to take seven steps up in the inflation hierarchy. We will now begin to work our way back down the hierarchy using decomposition. The decomposition is not readily apparent from this figure, but it will be in subsequent figures. Decompose again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Now that we have taken seven steps back down the inflation hierarchy, we can combine the half-rhombs to form rhombs. The result is a portion of a Penrose tiling of the plane that extends the half-rhomb we began with. It should be apparent why this method is called updown generation: We first move up in the inflation hierarchy as we make choices about composing half-rhombs, then use decomposition to move back down the inflation hierarchy. Of course, we have made a finite sequence of choices here and consequently have covered only a finite portion of the plane. If we had continued so as to create an infinite sequence of composition choices, we would most likely have filled the entire plane. (There are some infinite sequences that cover only a portion of the plane, say, a half-plane, but these sequences are the exceptions.) Besides providing a specific technique for constructing Penrose tilings, updown generation shows that there are many distinct Penrose tilings. While moving up the inflation hierarchy, there are several choices we can make at each step and hence there are infinitely many composition sequences. This implies that there is an infinitude--in fact, an uncountable infinitude--of distinct Penrose tilings. The pentagrid method You may feel a bit dissatisfied with updown generation: as we move up the inflation hierarchy, we cover larger and larger portions of the plane but, with only finitely many steps, never the entire plane. You may ask, "Is there a way to construct a tiling using just a finite amount of information?" De Bruijn's pentagrids provide such a method. To understand how this method works, let's begin with an observation. First, opposite sides of a rhomb are parallel to one another. Therefore, if we begin with a rhomb and a pair of opposite sides, we may form a "ribbon" by adding the rhombs attached to that pair of opposite sides and then continuing outward. While there are, of course, many ribbons running through a tiling, they fall naturally into families of parallel ribbons consisting of ribbons that do not intersect. Since the sides of the rhombs may be aligned in five different directions, there are five such families of ribbons. Of course, every rhomb is defined by the intersection of two ribbons from different families. If you take a moment to study the ribbons, you may begin to feel they are a key that can unlock the structure of the tiling. In fact, de Bruijn noticed that the relationship between the ribbons can be used to describe the tiling. While the ribbons move through the tiling in a snaky sort of way, de Bruijn's fundamental insight is that it suffices, as we'll see, to represent the ribbons with straight lines. The intersection of two lines representing ribbons then defines a rhomb. With this intuition in place, I will now describe the pentagrid method. First, if we are given a unit vector in the plane, we may consider a family of parallel lines perpendicular to the vector each of which is one unit away from its closest neighbors. Using the integers, we will label the regions between the lines in such a way that the label increases by one every time we cross a line in the direction of the unit vector. This family of parallel lines will model a family of ribbons in the tiling we are about to construct. Now we will choose five unit vectors where the angle between any two is a multiple of . For each vector, we will consider the associated family of parallel lines where one line passes through the origin and the regions between the lines are labeled as described above. We will think of each family of parallel lines as a family of ribbons. However, some care is required for there are five lines intersecting at the origin and we know that, in a tiling, three or more ribbons cannot intersect. Therefore, we will choose real numbers and translate the ith family of parallel lines by so that no more than two lines intersect at a point. Indeed, most choices of real 5-tuples have this property. The resulting collection of lines, characterized by this 5-tuple, is called a pentagrid and leads to a Penrose tiling. Since the lines in each family are to represent ribbons in the tiling, it should follow that the intersection of two lines corresponds to a rhomb. We will now see how this happens. Here is the intersection point from above drawn on a larger scale. For each family of lines, we have labeled the region between the lines with an integer. This means that the four regions around the intersection point are labeled by a 5-tuple of integers, one integer from each family of lines. To such a 5-tuple we will associate the point in the plane . With this convention, we can see that the four points given by the four regions surrounding the intersection of the red and gold lines define a rhomb. Indeed, when we cross over the red line from left to right, we move in the direction and when we cross over the gold line from bottom to top, we move in the direction . Therefore, the intersection point shown above defines the rhomb shown to the right. One sees that a thick rhomb is formed when the lines intersect at and a thin rhomb is formed when the lines intersect at . Of course, this does not yet mean that a Penrose tiling is formed: We need to make sure that the matching rules are obeyed. Thankfully, de Bruijn checked this for us. The result is that a pentagrid, determined by the 5-tuple , defines a Penrose tiling of the plane. For instance, the pentagrid on the left generates the tiling on the right. Perhaps more remarkably, de Bruijn has proven that every Penrose tiling results from a pentagrid. A curious fact The pentagrid leads to a surprising fact about the relative number of thick and thin rhombs in a Penrose tiling. Your first thought may be that there are more thin rhombs; they are, after all, the smaller ones and so you might think that more of them are required to fill up little gaps that appear. However, we will see that the ratio of the number of thick rhombs to the number of thin rhombs is equal to the golden ratio . In other words, it takes about 60% more thick rhombs than thin ones to construct a Penrose tiling. (Of course, there are infinitely many rhombs of both types; the precise meaning of the previous sentence will become clear presently.) We can understand this fact by showing that it is true for the ratio of thick to thin rhombs on a single ribbon. Shown on the right is a single line in a pentagrid and how it is cut by the lines in two of the other families in such a way so as to produce thick rhombs (indicated by blue intersection points) and thin rhombs (indicated by green intersection points). Let us focus on one line and suppose that a family of parallel lines, separated by one unit of distance, cuts this line at a constant angle . The distance between the intersection points is given by . If we now look at a segment of length in a line in our pentagrid, the number of intersections defining thick rhombs will be approximately while the number defining thin rhombs will be approximately . Therefore, the ratio of the number of thick rhombs to thin rhombs in this segment of length is approximately As grows larger, this approximation becomes exact showing that the ratio of the number of thick rhombs to thin rhombs equals the golden ratio. One consequence is that Penrose tilings are non-periodic, a fact that we determined through other means in August's column. In a periodic tiling with two tiles, the ratio of the number of one type to another must be a rational number equal to the ratio in a single fundamental unit. Out of the shadows There is an alternative point of view on the pentagrid method, usually called the projection method, that enables us to construct a Penrose tiling from a pentagrid as the "shadow" of a five-dimensional lattice. To see this, we will need to consider the five-dimensional space consisting of points with five real coordinates . Don't worry if you can't see this five-dimensional space; we can draw some two-dimensional figures to help think about it. Beginning with a pentagrid defined by the 5-tuple , we will define a special two-dimensional plane that lies in five-space which is the plane containing the Penrose tiling we are constructing. First, there is a linear transformation of five-space given by permuting the coordinates , and there is a unique plane that this transformation rotates by . Translating this plane by the vector gives the plane . With a convenient choice of coordinates on , it turns out the map that projects a point in five-space to its closest point in is given by . This projection map should remind you of how regions in the pentagrid define vertices in the Penrose tiling. We will therefore consider the lattice of points in five-space with integer coordinates for if we project some of these points into we will find the vertices of the tiling. A two-dimensional analogue of this situation is illustrated on the right; the plane is represented by the line. In the pentagrid method, the vertices of the tiling are defined by 5-tuples of integers corresponding to regions in the plane cut out by the lines in the pentagrid. Of course, not every 5-tuple of integers corresponds to such a region. In the five-dimensional picture, we therefore do not want to consider every lattice point. To determine which lattice points are relevant, we will study the Voronoi cells around each lattice point. By the Voronoi cell around a lattice point we mean the set of points that lie closer to that lattice point than any other. The lattice points that we will project into are those whose Voronoi cell intersects the plane . Project these lattice points to their closest points in . Add edges between the projected points when the lattice points are adjacent. The result is the Penrose tiling defined by the pentagrid. In fact, the lines in the pentagrid are given by the intersections of with the faces of the Voronoi cells. The point is that we may now forget about the original pentagrid and simply view the tiling as arising from the projection, or the "shadows," of the chosen lattice points onto the plane . Incidentally, we have used a two-dimensional analogy to illustrate the projection method in the sequence of figures shown above. The slope of the line was chosen to be , and the projection method results in a tiling of the real line, called a Fibonacci tiling, by a pair of one-dimensional tiles, sometimes called short (green) and long (blue) tiles. Fibonacci tilings are interesting in their own right for they are nonperiodic and appear naturally in Penrose tilings. Summary The methods of constructing tilings presented here have rather distinctive flavors. Updown generation shows how a small portion of a tiling may be grown to produce larger and larger portions. At any step of the process though, the entire tiling has not yet been determined. In contrast, the pentagrid method, and the related projection method, gives the complete structure of the tiling at a glance. References General references on Penrose tilings and inflation N.G. de Bruijn, Updown generation of Penrose tilings, Indagationes Mathematicae, New Series 1(2) , 1990, 201-19.
N.G. de Bruijn, Algebraic theory of Penrose's non-periodic tilings of the plane, Proceedings of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen Series A, 84 (1) , March, 1981, 39-66.
M. Gardner, Extraordinary nonperiodic tiling that enriches the theory of tiles, Scientific American, January 1977, 110-121.
B. Grünbaum and C.G. Shephard, Tilings and patterns, W.H. Freeman, New York, 1987.
M. Senechal, Quasicrystals and geometry, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1995.
R. Penrose, Pentaplexity, Eureka 39, 1978, 16-22. History and biography J.V. Field, Kepler's star polyhedra, Vistas Astronomy 23(2) , 1979, 109-141.
M. Senechal, The Mysterious Mr. Ammann, Mathematical Intelligencer 26, 2004, 10-21. Quasicrystals R. Lifschitz, Introduction to quasicrystals
D. Schechtman et al, Metallic phase with long range orientational order and no translational symmetry, Physical Review Letters 53, 1984, 1951-1954. Nonlocal properties of Penrose tilings R. Penrose, Tilings and quasicrystals: a nonlocal growth problem?, in Introduction to the Mathematics of Quasicrystals, edited by Marko Jaric, Academic Press, 1989, 53-80.
J. Socolar, Growth rules for quasicrystals, in Quasicrystals: the state of the art, edited by D. DiVincenzo and P.J. Steinhardt, World Scientific Publishers, 213-38. David Austin
Grand Valley State University
david at merganser.math.gvsu.edu NOTE: Those who can access JSTOR can find some of the papers mentioned above there. For those with access, the American Mathematical Society's MathSciNet can be used to get additional bibliographic information and reviews of some these materials. Some of the items above can be accessed via the ACM Portal, which also provides bibliographic services.
Welcome to the
Feature Column! These web essays are designed for those who have already discovered the joys of mathematics as well as for those who may be uncomfortable with mathematics.
Read more . . . Search Feature Column Feature Column at a glance |
by
Photo by Jake Cunningham | CC BY 2.0
An attack on an ammunition dump that contained chemical weapons has touched off a massive propaganda blitz aimed at drawing the United States deeper into Syria’s six year-long war. The incident which took place in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun, killed an estimated 72 people and left several hundred others severely ill. According to Russia Today:
“The warehouse (that was bombed) was used to both produce and store shells containing toxic gas…The shells were delivered to Iraq and repeatedly used there… Both Iraq and international organizations have confirmed the use of such weapons by militants.” (RT)
Reports in the western media have dismissed the RT account as “nonsense” and placed the blame squarely on Syrian President Bashar al Assad. Leading the charge once again is the New York Times chief propagandist Michael R. Gordon who, readers may recall, co-authored fake news stories with Judith Miller about Saddam’s elusive Weapons of Mass Destruction. Here’s a sample of Gordon’s work from a piece he wrote (with Miller) in 2002. It helps to put Tuesday’s incident into perspective:
“More than a decade after Saddam Hussein agreed to give up weapons of mass destruction, Iraq has stepped up its quest for nuclear weapons and has embarked on a worldwide hunt for materials to make an atomic bomb, Bush administration officials said today. In the last 14 months, Iraq has sought to buy thousands of specially designed aluminum tubes, which American officials believe were intended as components of centrifuges to enrich uranium. American officials said….” (New York Times)
Gordon’s article helped pave the way for invasion of Iraq, the killing of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and the destruction of one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Now he’s moved on to Syria. Here’s a blurb from his latest piece titled “Worst Chemical Attack in Years in Syria; U.S. Blames Assad”:
“The United States blamed the Syrian government and its patrons, Russia and Iran, on Tuesday for one of the deadliest chemical weapons attacks in years in Syria, one that killed dozens of people in Idlib Province, including children, and sickened scores more. A senior State Department official said the attack appeared to be a war crime and called on Russia and Iran to restrain the government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria from carrying out further chemical strikes. Britain, France and Turkey joined Washington in condemning the attack, which they also attributed to Mr. Assad’s government. The United Nations Security Council was scheduled to be briefed on the attack on Wednesday.” (New York Times)
Does that sound like a justification for war? Gordon seems to think so.
And Gordon is not alone either. He is joined by the entire western media and their blood-thirsty colleagues on Capital Hill. Now it appears that President Donald Trump –who promised an end to Washington’s regime change wars– has joined their ranks. Here’s the statement Trump issued on Tuesday shortly after the attack:
“Today’s chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world. These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration’s weakness and irresolution. President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a “red line” against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack.” President Donald J. Trump, Office of the Press Secretary, April 04, 2017
Repeat: “These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime …cannot be ignored by the civilized world”.
Is Trump planning to lead the U.S. into a war with Syria?
Compare ‘President Trump’s’ comments this week to ‘Candidate Trump’s’ comments in December 2016:
“We will pursue a new foreign policy that finally learns from the mistakes of the past…We will stop looking to topple regimes and overthrow governments…. Our goal is stability not chaos, because we want to rebuild our country (the United States) …In our dealings with other countries, we will seek shared interests wherever possible and pursue a new era of peace, understanding, and good will.”
Quite a difference, eh? Now check out these blurbs on Trump’s Twitter account in 2013 when Citizen Trump was trying to persuade Obama that he should “stay the hell out” of the Syrian conflict.
From the Real Donald J. Trump– “We should stay the hell out of Syria, the “rebels” are just as bad as the current regime. WHAT WILL WE GET FOR OUR LIVES AND $ BILLIONS?ZERO” 5:33 PM – 15 Jun 2013 Donald J. Trump– “President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and tremendous downside. Save your “powder” for another (and more important) day!” 6:21 AM – 7 Sep 2013 Donald J. Trump– “What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval.” 11:14 AM – 29 Aug 2013
The difference between Citizen Trump and President Trump could not be starker. Citizen Trump was nearly a pacifist while President Trump has deployed more Marines and Special Forces to Iraq and Syria, 2,000 more US combat troops to Kuwait (in anticipation of a broader conflict) and stepped up US operations in Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan and beyond. Even more troubling is the fact that he has loaded his foreign policy team with right-wing militarists like James “Mad Dog” Mattis (who leveled the Iraqi city of Falluja in a vicious fit of rage.) and Lt Gen HR McMaster, who was recently denounced by a retired senior US Military Police officer, Arnaldo Claudio, as a war criminal for “human rights abuses of detainees in Tal Afar, during the Iraq war.” (See: “US Army Investigator Accuses National Security Adviser McMaster of War Crimes in Iraq”, The Libertarian Institute)
What’s so disturbing about the appointments of Mattis and McMaster is that Trump has apparently relinquished control over foreign policy and handed it over to his generals whose political orientation is at the far right-end of the spectrum.. Check out this clip from an article at Antiwar.com by Jason Ditz:
“Trump Expands Pentagon’s War Authority– Trump Giving Commanders Increasing Autonomy to Conduct Operations While most of the talk about the Pentagon’s proposals for various wars to President Trump has focused on requests for more troops in more countries, a much less publicized effort has also been getting rubber stamped, one giving commanders in those wars increasing autonomy on operations…. While President Trump is eager to make such moves early on to show that he is “listening to the generals,” granting so much autonomy to the military to fight its own wars without political oversight is risky business…. as it further distances America’s direct foreign interventions from politicians, and by extension from the voters, turning the details of major military operations into little more than bureaucratic details for career military brass. These major changes are happening in almost complete silence, as while there have been mentions of the Pentagon seeking these new authorities, always as an afterthought to getting more troops, there is little to no interest in debating the question.” (antiwar.com)
Think about that for a minute: The world’s most lethal killing machine is now in the hands of career militarists who are trained to win wars not seek political solutions. How can this not lead to a dramatic escalation? Trump thinks that by abdicating his responsibility as Commander in Chief he is showing his support for his generals, but what he’s really doing is revealing his feeble grasp of how the system works. His approach can only lead to more needless carnage, that much is certain.
So what happens now, and how does all this fit with Tuesday’s chemical attack in Syria?
The western media and the political class have already decided that the incident is going to be used for two purposes:
1. Discredit Syrian President Bashar al Assad 2. Create a justification for increasing US military involvement.
The fact that Assad and Putin have already denied that Syria used chemical weapons (“We deny completely the use of any chemical or toxic material in Khan Sheikhoun town today and the army has not used nor will use in any place or time, neither in past or in future,” the army said in a statement, as quoted by Reuters) is not going to make any difference at all. The pretext has already been established and the Pentagon’s strategy may soon be launched.
At the very least, we can expect a more forceful attempt to seize and occupy the eastern quadrant of the country, establish military bases, impose a no-fly zone, and boost the number US combat troops in the theater. There’s also a good chance that the US will engage the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) at Deir Ezzor in their effort to clear and capture east Syria.
The prospects of a conflagration between the United States and Russia are increasing by the day.
God help us all. |
LAS VEGAS, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- A Las Vegas homeowner fed up with package thieves tricked a person into stealing a very special delivery -- a box filled with dog poop.
Eric Burdo said a rash of front porch packager thefts in his area inspired him to find a way to strike back against the brazen crooks and record the revenge on his new security cameras.
"One day I kind of just thought about cleaning up the poop and putting it in a box and that's what I did," Burdo told KTNV-TV.
Burdo said he put the bait package on his porch Dec. 6 and it was stolen by a young man about 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
"I was kind of excited and I just kept replaying it," Burdo said of his security footage. "I just kind of wanted to give them back something."
Burdo said he hopes the thief and an accomplice caught on a second security camera have learned to stay away from his house.
"Hopefully they don't do it again and they learn their lesson," he said.
Andrea Hutzler of Washington, D.C., carried out a similar revenge plot last year. She said a string of three package thefts from the front porch of the home she shares with her boyfriend led them to place a package of doody outside the door of their home in early December 2014.
Security footage shows a man Hutzler believes to have been behind at least one of the previous thefts taking the package filled with his excremental comeuppance.
"You give me [expletive], I'll give it back to you," Hutzler said. |
Please enable Javascript to watch this video
LOUISA COUNTY, Va. – Pastor George Hunley, who yesterday said that he was robbed and shot while attempting to be a “Good Samaritan,” has been arrested for making false statements to police. Hunley told police that he stopped to help a family he believed was having car trouble in Louisa County, according to Louisa Sheriff’s Office Major Don Lowe. He told police that he saw a man, woman and infant in a blue Taurus along the side of Chalk Level Road.
When he pulled over to check on them, he told police he was robbed. A fight between the man and Hunley also allegedly ensued, in which he was shot twice.
Right now police are investigating how Hunley actually got the gunshot wounds. He was taken to UVA Medical Center for his wounds and released Thursday night.
Mugshot of George Hunley. Charged w/falsely summons a police officer with intent to deceive or mislead. @CBS6 http://t.co/8wm8FRarez—
Chelsea Rarrick (@ChelseaCBS6) February 06, 2015
Hunley is currently out on $2,500 personal recognizance bond. His court date is set for Feb. 17. He called the situation "ridiculous."
CBS 6 first reported on Hunley in April 2014, when his home burnt to the ground,started by a turkey fryer. That charred foundation has since been replaced with a brand-new one with a new house in Carson’s Corner.
Please enable Javascript to watch this video |
Canberra GP facing allegations of 'grooming' female patient to be chaperoned during consults
Posted
A Canberra GP fighting allegations of inappropriate behaviour during a consult with a female patient will have to be chaperoned during his work.
A patient of Dr Mohamad Helmy complained to medical authorities in March this year that he had been "grooming her", and had been physically inappropriate with her.
Dr Helmy denied any suggestions of "grooming" the patient, but said he had kissed her on the cheek after she hugged him.
The Medical Board of Australia decided to place an immediate ban on Dr Helmy treating female patients, or patients under 18, while the complaint was investigated.
The GP appealed the decision in the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT), seeking to have the ban overturned.
He decided to cease practice after the ban was imposed, citing the "embarrassment and humiliation" of having to explain the restrictions to his patients.
But he told the ACAT he planned to return to practice if the bans were lifted.
He also told the ACAT that between 60 and 80 per cent of his patients were female, and he could no longer treat the majority of his patients.
His lawyers argued there was not enough evidence to find that he posed an immediate and serious risk to patients.
Admitted behaviour warrants chaperone: ACAT
But in its ruling, the ACAT found that even if the allegations were not proven, Dr Helmy's admitted behaviour was serious enough.
"Even if it is the case that the incidents did not occur as alleged, the tribunal is concerned that the practitioner has on his own account behaved inappropriately," it found.
The ACAT also considered two other complaints made against Dr Helmy in the three years prior, one of which was not pursued by the patient with police, and another that was retracted.
It decided to remove the restriction banning him from treating female patients or patients under 18, but replace it with a chaperone requirement.
A Medical Board-approved chaperone will have to attend all consults with such patients, until it makes a ruling on the complaint.
The Medical Board is expected to complete its investigation in October this year.
Dr Helmy is not facing any criminal charges.
Topics: doctors-and-medical-professionals, health, medical-ethics, law-crime-and-justice, canberra-2600, act, australia |
Fortnite Battle Royale has seen quite a surge of players since Epic Games announced last week Fornite had surpassed 7 million players.
Today, Epic Games announced Fortnite Battle Royale has surpassed 10 million players.
When the free-to-play PvP companion mode to Fornite launched two weeks ago on September 26, it attracted over a million players. That’s a massive jump.
Along with the player base figures, some other interesting stats were provided.
As of press time, over 44.9 million hours have been spent playing Fortnite Battle Royale and during this time, 58.9 million traps have been found.
Over 797 million stairs, walls, ceilings, and floors have been built and 292.7 million jumps from the battle bus have been taken. Compare that to the number of jumps Patrick Swayze took from a plane in Point Break*, and you have to agree that’s a lot of jumping.
(*that was Epic’s joke, not mine – I’m not that funny)
More stats are included in the infographic below.
Yesterday, it was announced Fortnite Battle Royale had 3.7 million daily active users just last weekend.
Fortnite and Fortnite Battle Royale are available on Mac, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. |
It should be obvious to anyone who is paying attention that the American system of government has broken down. The checks and balances of the three branches of government have failed to check and balance and the growth of state power has not only continued, but accelerated. Government spending has increased as a percentage of national economic activity to the point where the risk of default or hyperinflation approaches a mathematical certainty. Supreme Court Justices and legislators are biased toward increasing presidential power because, among other reasonst they draw their paychecks from the Executive Branch Department of the Treasury. Personal freedom has diminished to the point where we actually celebrate the ability to choose between despot A and despot B the way a condemned prisoner might be grateful to choose between death by hanging or firing squad.
The reason why I am so concerned about the usurpation of power by the Executive (and to a lesser extent the Judicial) branch is that the effect is a transfer of power from the citizenry to the government as a whole. Only Congressmen and senators are directly elected by majority vote. The president is selected by the Electoral College and the justices and judges of the federal courts are nominated by the president. The legislature is the branch of government most accountable to the people and it is the branch that has yielded it's authority to the other branches. Among other things, it has lost much of its authority to make war, negotiate treaties, and control spending.
Many patriotic Americans will argue that, although the system is imperfect, it is still better than many alternatives. I actually agree with that claim, but that doesn't mean that the current state of affairs is acceptable. A failure is a failure, regardless of the degree to which it is preferable over worse failures. Having herpes is wonderful compared to having AIDS. House arrest is better than prison, but the domicile we are confined to is starting to look more and more like a penitentiary every day as the cage's gilding loses its luster. Considering the rate at which our less-than-ideal situation is deteriorating, the “it could be worse” defense is particularly unconvincing.
The central weakness with constitutional government is the government's ability to use its rule-making power to modify the rules that limit its power. This is accomplished through constitutional amendments, presidential signing statements, judicial review, judicial activism, selective law enforcement, and other legislative tricks. In the U.S., this has meant that, in just over two hundred years, the government has morphed from a relatively benign force of minor inconvenience into a near-omnipresent leviathan that interferes with almost everything we do. It may not be totalitarian yet, but it is clearly headed in that direction. In order to arrest and reverse this descent into servitude, alternatives should be considered.
I propose that, instead of three branches of government, we adopt three (or more) completely independent and non-territorial governments. I make this proposal because it is not the concept of checks and balances that has failed, but the inadequacy of the particular system in place that is the source of our problems. I know this is a radical proposal, but no more radical than the constitutional republic that we live under now was when it was first proposed. A radical solution is called for because, in my opinion, attempts at incremental reforms have been no more effective than efforts to liberalize the mafia or the Ku Klux Klan would be. It is simply not in the nature of a territorial or monopoly state to relinquish its power or operate in a non-coercive fashion.
Considering how unusual non-territorial competing governments are, several objections spring to mind. I will address a few of them here.
1. Isn't a known but flawed system preferable to an untried solution?
In fact, a system similar to that which I propose lasted for 300 years in Saga-era Iceland, which is longer than our current experiment in democratic republicanism has been running. Actually, as drastic as my solution admittedly is, when looked at another way, it is not so radical. People have the option of changing governments today by moving. I am merely suggesting we extend that same option to those who choose not to relocate. By increasing the ease at which we could switch governments, they would be forced to become more responsive or risk losing their subjects (and tax revenue).
2. Wouldn't a lack of a strong central Government invite invasion?
It's true that a group of non-territorial governments would be less able to protect us from foreign and domestic threats, but the upside of that limitation is that the governments themselves would be less threatening both domestically and abroad. The attacks on Pearl Harbor and the World Trade center killed thousands, but not nearly as many as the Washington policies of slavery, the draft, Indian eradication, and Jim Crowe. Protection from government is at least as important as protection by government, and a decreased ability to prevent attacks is a decreased ability to aggress against other nations and consequently a decreased likelihood of provoking attacks against us.
3. What's to keep anyone from just choosing no government and stop paying taxes altogether?
Most people would still prefer to choose a government for the same reason most people now prefer to buy food rather than growing or raising their own. In economics, the phenomenon is known as Specialization. Nothing would absolutely prevent anyone from opting out of collective government altogether, but the benefits of specialization would encourage most to retain the services of a government at the same time such an arrangement would ensure that the governments would provide services equal to or exceeding the tax revenue they collect (otherwise, they would go out of business).
4. Wouldn't having several competing governments be less efficient?
Some economies of scale would be lost by having several redundant governments, but the benefits of competition outweigh the benefits of monopoly. If governments were run more like private businesses, the incentives would be reversed. Currently, a state agency that does a poor job asks for and receives more funding, which effectively rewards poor performance. Alternately, private companies usually lose revenue or go out of business altogether when they perform poorly and they profit when they do well.
These objections are by no means comprehensive, nor are my responses to them. The purpose of this proposal is not to end discussion but to start it. Real world constraints require practical, not utopian, solutions. As time progresses and the failure of democratic republicanism becomes more apparent, this discussion will assume greater importance and the need for some kind of alternative will be obvious. In my pursuit of a solution to the separation of powers problem, I have drawn on the ideas of many others. I don't claim to have developed this idea on my own and in fact very little of it is original. My goal is not to challenge the ideals of the American Revolution, but to advance them beyond their current implementation. Liberty is a noble objective in itself, but it is also the surest path toward future prosperity. |
They are one of the greatest combos in the history of musicals. The Pulitzer-winning pair behind Into the Woods talk about bumpy first nights, how to read audience coughs – and why shows today are too loud
Stephen Sondheim once gave James Lapine, his friend and longtime collaborator, a useful if inadvertent piece of advice. The two first worked together in the mid-1980s on Sunday in the Park With George, and a revival of their second musical, Into the Woods, is transferring from the US to London this summer. They are very different, says Lapine, when we meet in a rehearsal space near Times Square in New York. Although in life, Sondheim is “the dark soul and I’m the light one”, when it comes to work, Lapine characterises himself as the gloomier of the two. “I just think everything will flop,” he says, while Sondheim once shocked him by saying: “‘You know, I think everything I do is going to be a huge success.’ I said really? Why? He said because it’s so interesting to me, I assume it will be interesting to others.”
The lesson of this is to confine one’s anxieties to the project at hand. When I see Sondheim a day later at his home in New York, he confirms that Into the Woods was not written as a critique of the contemporary world, nor with an eye on the box office nor the potential longevity of its appeal. “I was just thinking about telling these fairytales,” he says. “I had no sense of anything but showbiz.”
Lapine thinks everything will flop – while Sondheim thinks everything he does is going to be a huge success
The 2013 movie adaptation of Into the Woods, directed by Rob Marshall and starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Anna Kendrick, renewed interest in the musical, which weaves together classic Grimm Brothers fairytales, before complicating each story and rolling it on. The revival, by the Fiasco theatre company, is what Lapine calls a “ground-up” production, driven by the ethos of “let’s get in a room and play” and against what has become the unwieldy mega-musical of Broadway.
Sondheim has only praise for the group, which is not always the case with revivals. Legally, a theatre company is prohibited from changing a single word of the text without running it by the author, but “quite often they say to hell with that, and they do it anyway”, he says, and cites the example of a production of Merrily We Roll Along, staged at a university in Long Island in which the entire timeline of the musical was reversed. “They only had a week’s worth of performances but we stopped it,” says Sondheim, who diagnoses the problem as one of “directors showing off”. This is, he says, “particularly true of student directors. They take it upon themselves to distort in order to draw attention to themselves.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The new ‘ground-up’ production of Into the Woods, at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory. Photograph: Catherine Ashmore
If this sounds a little stern, it is. Lapine and Sondheim have, through long experience, learned that the effects of even minor tweaks on a show can catastrophically – or, miraculously – affect its impact. The question, for the creators, is when to tweak and when to leave be, a decision made by interpreting tiny fluctuations in the response of an audience.
Can you rhyme like Sondheim? – quiz Read more
Before it ever got to that stage, the two men would meet once a week to go over the work in progress and, Lapine says jokingly, for him to “make sure [Sondheim’s] working. I’m sort of the go-getter. I’ll throw anything on a piece of paper, I don’t give a shit. And he’s like ... everything’s so meticulous. It’s hard for him to let go of things. We’re a good combo that way.”
“No, not at all,” says Sondheim, when appraised of this assessment. “No, no, no, no. The point is, writing a scene is one thing; writing a song is another. Writing a song you are restricted; you have certain rhythms and meters and rhymes. You can’t just go–” (he makes a retching sound) “–whereas you can write a scene that should be two pages long and is eight pages, and just vomit on the page and then you cut back and edit and go to your collaborator. But that’s not the same thing.”
Sunday in the Park was their first collaboration and it was, Lapine believes, a mark in his favour that he wasn’t a huge Sondheim devotee before they met. “I’d only seen one show he had done. I knew of him of course, but I wasn’t a fan. That was kind of good. I think in retrospect he must have liked that it wasn’t somebody who’d seen everything he’d done and was so impressed with him.”
Sondheim’s songbook: performers pick their favourites Read more
For the most part, he says, writing a musical with someone else is so much “silly fun. Stimulating, and he’s so funny, and we enjoy each other’s company. And there’s real excitement to it. It never feels like work.” How would conflict be resolved? “Easily. He always said whoever cares most, wins. We’ve never had an argument. Never. The nice thing about the theatre is you can always change it. With a movie, once it’s there, you’re stuck with it.”
Depending on the collaborator, Sondheim sees each of his shows as inhabiting a unique and “entirely different colour. George Furth was very urban and contemporary. John Weidman was very political. James is a poet. They’re writers of distinction. They have their own whatever-it-is.”
The hard part is what Lapine calls the “birthing process” and many of the musicals had a bumpy first run. In 1994, he and Sondheim wrote a musical called Passion, to which the reaction, says Lapine, “was just so hostile that we had to change it. We knew we hadn’t solved the fundamental problem. It’s one thing if people don’t like it, and you like it. It’s another when they’re not getting it. Then you have to solve it. And then if they don’t like it, it’s fine.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘Oh, now you like it’ … Sunday in the Park With George, inspired by the painter Georges Seurat. Photograph: Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images
This, Lapine says, was the case in 1984 when Sunday in the Park opened. The audience, he says, “didn’t know what they were seeing; it wasn’t what they wanted. Then the night after the review came out in the New York Times, we got a standing ovation. And it made me go, “Ew.” Like, oh, now you like it?!”
Sondheim says: “It’s not as simple as that. The New York Times wrote a favourable review and it may have affected the audience, but it certainly didn’t change it from everybody booing to everybody standing on their feet.” This only happened over time. For Sondheim, “the most important principle is to start at the very beginning of the show and say: does the audience understand what’s going on in this scene? Do they understand what the musical’s going to be? The point is when you fix something for the better, it affects everything that follows. I mean everything. I mean an hour and a half later, you’ll suddenly get a laugh on a line you never got a laugh on.”
Are focus groups ever useful? Sondheim makes a face like Dracula being struck by a beam of sunlight. “Focus groups are the death of all entertainment. Some forms of entertainment depend on that kind of death.” Instead of a focus group, he says, you listen to the audience. “You can tell from silences, from restlessness, sometimes from coughing. Sometimes from the quality of the applause.” The key is not to rush into a response. “It’s a great mistake just to go home and rewrite. Or just fire an actor. To zero in on what’s wrong immediately is always wrong. You gotta let it play.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim in 2014. Photograph: Vera Anderson/WireImage
One of the biggest rewrites he did was in 1962 on the musical A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, which bombed in its out-of-town tryouts. Then he changed the opening number – from a “sweet romantic” song, which set up the wrong expectations in the audience, to something more raucous that announced the “burlesque” show to come – and it opened to a rapturous reception in New York.
Hamilton aside, the current health of Broadway musicals relies heavily on stage adaptations of blockbuster movies, something regarded critically by both men. “Most musicals are real crowd pleasers,” says Lapine. “They just want to fuck the audience.” Sondheim sees the effect on Broadway musicals of “pop music where the idea is to sing loud. That’s what it’s about. Make loud songs. And so musicals are now very loud. Over an evening, that can get tiresome.”
Into the Woods review – a bare-bones take on a meaty musical Read more
Does he think they pander to the audience, that they’re market driven? “I suppose. I’m not sure that the people who write and produce the musicals know the difference.”
Sondheim’s art is a question of specificity. Story is all. “I don’t think the theatre is about converting people to new ideas,” he says. “I think it’s about confirming ideas you have by dramatising them and making them human. As opposed to novels which, as Tolstoy proves, can teach you things.” At its most basic level, it’s “about how you combine song and dance and libretto to make a whole. That’s what it’s about; it’s an exercise in style.”
“It’s making a puzzle for yourself to solve,” says Lapine and, as Sondheim says, in the spirit that has defined his career – there is only one way to do that. “You have to try to be free, and try not to worry about what people think.” |
Reports say the US is to get its top secret surveillance drone back from Iran. The catch is, the device, intercepted in December, has been reduced to 1:80 of its original size and is being marketed as a popular toy.
Iranian state radio was quoted by Associated Press as saying on Tuesday that the US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone toy models would soon be on sale in Tehran.
They are expected to sell for 70,000 rials – around US$4.
One of the models will even make it to the White House in response to a formal request from Washington last month asking Iran to return the top-secret device.
State radio reports that the model will be of the original aircraft, but one eightieth of the actual size.
The top secret US drone was intercepted over the Iranian town of Kashmar, some 225 kilometers from Iran’s border with Afghanistan, in early December.
Engineers with the Iranian military confirmed they had managed to hijack the system inside the craft with ease and bring it to a safe landing without incident.
Since then, the Obama administration has asked Iran to return the drone, but Tehran has refused, claiming that its incursion into Iranian airspace had rendered it Iran’s property.
Reports also suggest the trophy might be put on public display after a thorough examination, and in a year or two it may be put up for auction. |
Fearing implication and imprisonment, Al gets rid of the body and assumes the driver’s identity, which leads a larger problem after he picks up a woman with a connection to the deceased man. The woman, Vera (Ann Savage) is your classic femme fatale; beautiful on the outside but carrying sinister and devious motives underneath. While I won’t spoil the climax and denouement between these two characters, it does manage to conclude with deadly consequences that fit squarely with the film’s overarching themes of tragedy and misfortune.
Detour was shot in only six days and its cheap quality really shows, with the overall style coming across as a hardboiled affair with a despairing, hellish outlook on the fates which conceal us. Ulmer truly crafts a masterpiece of the noir genre here, a rare feat given the massive constraints working against the production. Today, it is one of the celebrated films preserved in the National Film Registry, and has also fallen into the public domain. If you’d like to check out Detour, do so at the link below: |
BANGALORE: The Karnataka government is set to declare the IT/ITeS industry as an essential service, a move that will insulate the industry from bandhs and strikes.It's doing this on the grounds that the industry serves critical needs of global customers 24x7 and all 365 days a year, and therefore cannot afford to shut down.In 2010, Andhra Pradesh enacted a similar law under its Essential Services Maintenance Act ( ESMA ).Karnataka's ESMA lapsed in 2004, but the new Congress government planned to reintroduce ESMA with the Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance Bill, 2013, expected to be tabled in the winter session of the legislature. Trade unions have opposed it, but the government is determined to see it through.For investors in the IT/ITeS industry, Karnataka's move could provide a lot more confidence. Sections of employees may feel differently. The move may also make it obligatory for the government to provide adequate security for IT/ITeS employees during bandhs and strikes.Sources said the declaration of IT/ITeS as an essential service will be part of the new IT policy the government will formally announce at the BangaloreITE.biz 2013 conference that begins here on Tuesday.This policy will also have a slew of incentives designed to create IT companies and employment in Mysore, Mangalore, Shimoga, Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum and Gulbarga. Currently, almost 98% of IT in Karnataka is accounted for by Bangalore, and efforts over many years to push it beyond Bangalore have made little progress.The government will introduce the Employment Linked Incentivized Land Allotment (Elila), under which companies establishing operations for the first time in the state in Tier II & III cities, would be entitled to leased land at a subsidized cost on the condition it creates 1,000 jobs per acre. "These firms should also pay Rs 20,000 per employee for the first two years to avail the benefit. We're bringing a radical change in our IT policy to make it more investor-friendly. Our aim is not to compete with neighbouring states, but with Silicon Valley (California)," said the state's IT, BT and S&T minister S R Patil.He said the state would also reimburse provident fund and gratuity for the first three years for companies setting up operations in smaller cities. "We'll offer stamp duty and power concessions too," Patil said.The government is extending the industrial power tariff concessions restricted in the IT/ITeS sector to electronics, system design and manufacturing (ESDM), animation and gaming segments. Companies moving to tier 2 & 3 cities will enjoy power tariffs of Rs 5.75 per unit instead of Rs 7.25 per unit."IT requires a particular ecosystem, talent pool, and ancillary support system, which today is available largely in Bangalore. The new policy makes specific incentives to bring in IT companies into tier 2 & 3 cities," said Srivatsa Krishna, secretary, IT/BT department.The state government has exempted the IT/ITeS industry from the archaic factory-centric Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act of 1946 for another five years."We issued a cabinet note last week. We will issue a government order to that effect on Tuesday," said the state's IT/ BT minister S R Patil. IT/BPO companies were granted a 10-year exemption from this Act in 1999. Since the industry was in the midst of a severe slowdown in 2009, the exemption was extended. That extension ended in August last year.The IT sector was told to draft standing orders relevant to the industry, and some companies had submitted draft proposals. But the latest move effectively kills this initiative.Employment standing orders mandate classification of the company workforce into permanent and temporary and also provide a written code on the rules pertaining to shifts, wages, termination, retirement and redressal. |
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s administration said on Wednesday it had resumed security coordination with Israel in the occupied West Bank, frozen in July, and sought sole security control of the Gaza Strip, where Hamas Islamist forces dominate.
Hazem Attallah, the Palestinian chief of police, gestures during a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah November 8, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman
The remarks, by the Palestinian police chief, left open the question of how Abbas might bring his former rivals in Hamas to heel given their refusal to disarm as demanded by Israel and the United States.
An Egyptian-brokered reconciliation deal last month formally restored Abbas’s administrative control of Gaza after a 10-year schism with Hamas, though the details of implementation have yet to be worked out fully.
Palestinians hope the pact will ease Gaza’s economic woes and help present a united front in their drive for statehood.
The vision includes the West Bank, where Palestinian security forces have tried to tamp down violence, often sharing intelligence and cooperating across jurisdictions with Israel, despite a three-year impasse in diplomacy between the sides.
Under interim peace deals with Israel, Abbas’ Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank.
Abbas halted security coordination with Israel on July 21, demanding it remove metal detectors it had installed outside a Jerusalem compound housing Al-Aqsa mosque in response to the killing of two of its police guards by gunmen holed up there.
Amid Palestinian and Jordanian unrest, and U.S. mediation efforts, Israel dismantled the walk-through gates within days and said it would install less obtrusive security measures.
SECURITY COORDINATION
Police chief Hazem Attallah told foreign reporters in a briefing that the suspension of ties had ended two weeks ago.
“Security coordination between Palestinian and Israeli services have resumed as it used to be before it stopped,” Attallah said, adding that he was referring to joint efforts to prevent militant attacks, as crime-fighting police cooperation between the sides had never stopped.
Attallah said his police forces were ready to impose order in Gaza, likening the situation there to the West Bank a decade ago, where the Palestinian Authority set about disarming and dismantling Hamas and other armed factions.
“We will have ‘one gun’ in Gaza,” Attallah said. “How can I do security when there are all these rockets and guns? This is possible? This doesn’t work.”
In Gaza, Hamas has a guerrilla army believed to include tens of thousands of fighters and rockets.
Hamas continues to police Gaza with nearly 13,000 security personnel. Fatah plans to discuss security responsibility further in talks with Hamas and other factions in Cairo on November 21. |
One-In-Four New Children Murdered... 56 MILLION Per Year
One in four pregnancies ends in an abortion each year, global estimates from the World Health Organization and Guttmacher Institute suggest.
The report in the Lancet said 56m induced abortions take place annually - higher than previously thought.
Researchers acknowledge rates have improved in many rich countries but warn this masks no change in poorer areas over the past 15 years.
Experts are calling for new approaches to contraceptive services.
Scientists say the annual number of abortions worldwide increased from 50 million a year between 1990-1994 to 56 million a year between 2010-2014.
The rise in numbers is mostly seen in the developing world - driven in part by population growth and by a desire for smaller families.
Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. - Genesis 6:11
Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. - 2 Peter 3:3-7
A new study reveals that one-fourth of unborn children around the world are murdered -. The study reveals that the number is actually significantly higher than previously thought.This is what the Bible says about the timeGod judged thethe first time:Consider that in the bloodiest war in all of human history, World War II, roughly 60 million were killed over a six year period . We've now reached a point where approximately the same number of children are killed. That means over the same length of time some. Then factor in the 50+ wars that are currently underway , terrorism, and the murder of those already born.Did the pre-Flood world have evenlevel of violence before judgment? I seriously think not, which makes one wonder:The Bible describes two great worldwide judgments. The first was by water (the Flood) and the second is by fire:Considering how the signs have now reached a climactic moment and Jesus' return is imminent, I implore every reader who is not right with God to get right with Him now |
Dr. Edward Floyd, a prestigious South Carolina vascular surgeon, goes way back with the most powerful family in Republican politics.
Both Bush Presidents and former First Lady Laura Bush have stopped by his South Carolina home during various campaigns over the past two decades. Former President George W. Bush appointed him as a delegate to the U.N. General Assembly. And as a member of the South Carolina University board of trustees, Floyd lobbied to get former Florida governor Jeb Bush an honorary degree at the school in December.
But Floyd says he just can’t endorse Jeb Bush in his coming presidential run. That’s because Floyd is committed to his home-state’s favorite son, Senator Lindsey Graham, whose White House ambitions, while seemingly quixotic, may upend the race in the nation’s third primary state. “It’s a little personal with me,” Floyd told TIME, explaining his reasons. More than a decade ago, Graham helped arrange what few other politicians could: visas to Russia for his daughter and son-in-law, who wanted to adopt a child from a St. Petersburg orphanage.
Such stories are not hard to find in South Carolina these days, where Graham’s deep ties to the state party still hold enormous sway. As Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker visit the “first in the South” primary state this week, they will encounter many faces like Floyd’s: friendly, but not up for grabs. “Senator Graham has frozen people who otherwise might be inclined to support Bush,” said one top South Carolina GOP operative. “They’re not making direct asks for money … they’re here saying, ‘Hey, we want to be your second choice after Senator Graham.’”
“They’re friend-raising and not fundraising,” the operative added.
Graham, a foreign policy hawk, is unlikely to clear the Palmetto State’s field like Senator Tom Harkin’s Iowa campaign for President did in 1992. But fresh off a 2014 re-election that he won by a 15.5 percentage-point margin, Graham has become one of 2016’s biggest wild cards — a dark-horse candidate whose decisions will determine not just his own fate, but also potentially the outcome of the GOP race.
In Iowa earlier this month, Graham stole the spotlight with witty rejoinders on the need for immigration and entitlement reforms and zingers sending up the Obama Administration’s foreign policy. From there he flew to New Hampshire, where Graham hopes to rekindle the “straight talk” that turned the Granite State into his friend John McCain’s political Avalon. He’s buoyed by the likes of billionaire GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson for his opposition to online gaming and strong support for Israel and drew a half-dozen GOP Senators to a fundraiser for his PAC tied to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress.
Though few nationally or in his home state believe Graham will truly stick it out, he’s poised to play kingmaker or spoiler, and maybe assassin.
Graham’s candidacy could have the biggest impact on Senator Rand Paul’s presidential run — a vehicle for the South Carolinian to attempt to torpedo the more isolationist lawmaker’s ambitions. He’s also sparred with Senator Ted Cruz, another hopeful with whom he rarely sees eye to eye and whose tactics he’s condemned. Critics call him a stalking horse for the establishment, picking a fight with the party’s extreme to provide a favored candidate — like Bush — with political cover.
Graham’s strong advocacy of comprehensive immigration reform makes Bush a likely beneficiary of his support, but many candidates are seeking to remain on Graham’s good side. (Rand and Cruz are some of the few 2016-ers to have even announced hires in South Carolina, bringing on veteran strategist Chris LaCivita and former GOP Spartanburg county chairwoman LaDonna Ryggs, respectively, to advise campaigns in Graham’s home state.)
In New Hampshire last week, Texas Governor Rick Perry called Graham “my buddy.” “I am a big Lindsey Graham fan,” he was caught saying on an open microphone, adding he seeks out Graham’s counsel on foreign policy. “I think he is one of the most knowledgeable people that we have on foreign policy, and we need to listen to him. He is a very, very bright U.S. Senator. He’s carved out his niche, and it is foreign policy.”
Graham’s cache of supporters are loyal, but they’re hardly a majority in his home state. The South Carolina Republican Party put him on its online presidential straw poll — featuring uninterested politicians such as Representative Paul Ryan and Senator Tim Scott — only last week. And 60.2% of South Carolinians and more than 55% of Republican-leaning voters don’t think he should run for President.
“I wouldn’t say there is a predisposition to automatically supporting Lindsey Graham for President,” said Charleston-based GOP consultant Jim Dyke. “I think that every election is different and people judge you by the job that you’re running for.”
If the 34% of GOP leaners supportive of Graham running break his way, it’s a surefire victory in a jam-packed field. But even a 5% draw — an easy feat — could be determinative.
“It’s hard enough to see Jeb Bush winning South Carolina, and with Graham in the race it’s just about impossible,” said another veteran national strategist. “And he pulls the business and military votes that Walker might need to hold off a Ted Cruz or Rand Paul.”
The social conservative state’s electorate is notoriously fickle. In 2000, then Texas governor George W. Bush won the state after a nasty primary fight with McCain. But in 2008, McCain eked out a victory over Iowa victor former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee with Graham’s assistance. In 2012 they rallied just days before the primary to Newt Gingrich’s defense on the heels of salacious reporting about the collapse of his second marriage, which he turned into a high-profile critique of the “gotcha” press.
The divided loyalties between Jeb Bush and Graham even extend to the ranks of Graham’s own campaign. His exploratory committee, Security Through Strength, is run by David Wilkins, a U.S. ambassador to Canada under President George W. Bush. Wilkins, who chaired Bush 43’s 2000 and 2004 South Carolina campaigns, says he would support Jeb if it weren’t for Graham, a friend for over 23 years, dating back to when they served in the South Carolina House of Representatives in the early 1990s.
“I don’t know of anyone that’s better versed in foreign policy and really knows more about it than Lindsey Graham,” adds Wilkins. “He knows the world leaders, he’s traveled the world, he’s been to the hot spots. He’s just immersed himself in that issue. I don’t know anyone more knowledgeable than him.”
It’s those kinds of personal testimonials that could shake up the South Carolina primary, and by extension the rest of the Republican primary calendar in 2016.
See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential Mark Peterson—Redux Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME Susan Walsh—AP Win McNamee—Getty Images Mark Peterson—Redux Jim Young—Reuters Jessica McGowan—Getty Images David J. Phillip—AP Charlie Neibergall—AP Chris Usher—AP Melissa Golden—Redux Susan Walsh—AP Steve Helber—AP Tony Dejak—AP Brooks Kraft—Corbis Jeffrey Phelps—AP Susan Walsh—AP Jonathan Ernst—Reuters Alex Wong—Getty Images Brian Snyder—Reuters 1 of 20 Advertisement
Contact us at editors@time.com. |
KTVU's Somerville left sleepless after funeral for teen girl shot dead in Oakland
Mattie Scott of San Fransisco hugs friends of Reggina Jefferies on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 in Oakland, California. Jeffries was killed on June 14, 2016 during a broad-daylight shooting. Mattie Scott of San Fransisco hugs friends of Reggina Jefferies on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 in Oakland, California. Jeffries was killed on June 14, 2016 during a broad-daylight shooting. Photo: Michael Noble Jr., The Chronicle Photo: Michael Noble Jr., The Chronicle Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close KTVU's Somerville left sleepless after funeral for teen girl shot dead in Oakland 1 / 14 Back to Gallery
I can’t go to sleep. I keep thinking about the funeral I was at this morning. I have so many thoughts running through my head.
The funeral was for 16-year-old Reggina Jefferies. She was shot and killed in Oakland last week for no reason.
This post isn’t me talking as a reporter. This is me talking as a dad. This is me talking as someone who lives in Oakland. And this is me talking as a white guy. Trying to understand a world that is so foreign to him.
I met so many people at (Thursday's) funeral. Good people. Really good people. But so many of them had one thing in common.
They had all been touched by murder.
So many of the people told me how they have lost their son, daughter, father or brother to violence. It’s very hard for me to relate. I only know one person killed by violence. And that was back in 1976.
I don’t know how people in the black community do it. I don’t know how they are able to deal with all the sadness. Their strength and spirit and support for each other is amazing to me.
Over the past few years I’ve probably gone to 8 or 9 funerals for young black men and women who were murdered.
It’s bizarre because as I drive through East Oakland now, I recognize the different funeral homes.
In fact when I went to the viewing for Reggina two days ago, someone came up to me and said:
"Hi Frank. Do you remember me? The last time I saw you was at a memorial service here for a little baby who was shot and killed."
He was right. It was the tiniest casket I’d ever seen.
I’ve asked some of the people I’ve met at funerals how many services they’ve gone to in the past year. One guy literally counted them out on his fingers. And finally said: “I think about 13.”
I was stunned. I asked a young girl the same question. She told me: “I’ve gone to so many that now I only go to funerals for people I ‘really’ knew.”
When I looked at Reggina in the casket I saw my daughter. (In case you don’t know my youngest daughter is black.)
I kept thinking that could be her. That could be my baby.
I don’t know what I would do if something ever happened to her. She is the love of my life. Both of my daughters are the love of my life.
There was so much sadness at today’s funeral. But at the same time there was also a spirit. It’s difficult to describe. But to me it’s a spirit that says:
“No matter how sad we are.
No matter how much pain we are in.
We will support each other.
Because we understand what it’s like.
And we will survive.”
I admire that. I really admire that.
Thank you for allowing me to attend the funeral today.
RIP Reggina.
Frank Somerville contributes commentaries to SFGATE and anchors the 5, 6, and 10 p.m. news on KTVU. This post originally appeared on his Facebook page. |
For the sake of keeping things manageable, let’s confine the discussion to a single continent and a single week: North America over the last seven days.
In Houston they got down to the hard and unromantic work of recovery from what economists announced was probably the most expensive storm in US history, and which weather analysts confirmed was certainly the greatest rainfall event ever measured in the country – across much of its spread it was a once-in-25,000-years storm, meaning 12 times past the birth of Christ; in isolated spots it was a once-in-500,000-years storm, which means back when we lived in trees. Meanwhile, San Francisco not only beat its all-time high temperature record, it crushed it by 3F, which should be pretty much statistically impossible in a place with 150 years (that’s 55,000 days) of record-keeping.
Floods in drought season: is this the future for parts of India? | Raghu Karnad Read more
That same hot weather broke records up and down the west coast, except in those places where a pall of smoke from immense forest fires kept the sun shaded – after a forest fire somehow managed to jump the mighty Columbia river from Oregon into Washington, residents of the Pacific Northwest reported that the ash was falling so thickly from the skies that it reminded them of the day Mount St Helens erupted in 1980.
That same heat, just a little farther inland, was causing a “flash drought” across the country’s wheat belt of North Dakota and Montana – the evaporation from record temperatures had shrivelled grain on the stalk to the point where some farmers weren’t bothering to harvest at all. In the Atlantic, of course, Irma was barrelling across the islands of the Caribbean (“It’s like someone with a lawnmower from the sky has gone over the island,” said one astounded resident of St Maarten). The storm, the first category five to hit Cuba in a hundred years, is currently battering the west coast of Florida after setting a record for the lowest barometric pressure ever measured in the Keys, and could easily break the 10-day-old record for economic catastrophe set by Harvey; it’s definitely changed the psychology of life in Florida for decades to come.
Oh, and while Irma spun, Hurricane Jose followed in its wake as a major hurricane, while in the Gulf of Mexico, Katia spun up into a frightening storm of her own, before crashing into the Mexican mainland almost directly across the peninsula from the spot where the strongest earthquake in 100 years had taken dozens of lives.
Leaving aside the earthquake, every one of these events jibes with what scientists and environmentalists have spent 30 fruitless years telling us to expect from global warming. (There’s actually fairly convincing evidence that climate change is triggering more seismic activity, but there’s no need to egg the pudding.)
That one long screed of news from one continent in one week (which could be written about many other continents and many other weeks – just check out the recent flooding in south Asia for instance) is a precise, pixelated portrait of a heating world. Because we have burned so much oil and gas and coal, we have put huge clouds of CO 2 and methane in the air; because the structure of those molecules traps heat the planet has warmed; because the planet has warmed we can get heavier rainfalls, stronger winds, drier forests and fields. It’s not mysterious, not in any way. It’s not a run of bad luck. It’s not Donald Trump (though he’s obviously not helping). It’s not hellfire sent to punish us. It’s physics.
Maybe it was too much to expect that scientists’ warnings would really move people. (I mean, I wrote The End of Nature, the first book about all this 28 years ago this week, when I was 28 – and when my theory was still: “People will read my book, and then they will change.”) Maybe it’s like all the health warnings that you should eat fewer chips and drink less soda, which, to judge by belt-size, not many of us pay much mind. Until, maybe, you go to the doctor and he says: “Whoa, you’re in trouble.” Not “keep eating junk and some day you’ll be in trouble”, but: “You’re in trouble right now, today. As in, it looks to me like you’ve already had a small stroke or two.” Hurricanes Harvey and Irma are the equivalent of one of those transient ischaemic attacks – yeah, your face is drooping oddly on the left, but you can continue. Maybe. If you start taking your pills, eating right, exercising, getting your act together.
Play Video 1:48 Hurricane Irma's path of destruction - video report
That’s the stage we’re at now – not the warning on the side of the pack, but the hacking cough that brings up blood. But what happens if you keep smoking? You get worse, till past a certain point you’re not continuing. We’ve increased the temperature of the Earth a little more than 1C so far, which has been enough extra heat to account for the horrors we’re currently witnessing. And with the momentum built into the system, we’re going to go somewhere near 2C, no matter what we do. That will be considerably worse than where we are now, but maybe it will be expensively endurable.
The problem is, our current business-as-usual trajectory takes us to a world that’s about 3.5C warmer. That is to say, even if we kept the promises we made at Paris (which Trump has already, of course, repudiated) we’re going to build a planet so hot that we can’t have civilisations. We have to seize the moment we’re in right now – the moment when we’re scared and vulnerable – and use it to dramatically reorient ourselves. The last three years have each broken the record for the hottest year ever measured – they’re a red flashing sign that says: “Snap out of it.” Not bend the trajectory somewhat, as the Paris accords envisioned, but simultaneously jam on the fossil fuel brakes and stand on the solar accelerator (and also find some metaphors that don’t rely on internal combustion).
This is a race against time. Global warming is a crisis that comes with a limit – solve it soon or don’t solve it
We could do it. It’s not technologically impossible – study after study has shown we can get to 100% renewables at a manageable cost, more manageable all the time, since the price of solar panels and windmills keeps plummeting. Elon Musk is showing you can churn out electric cars with ever-lower sticker shock. In remote corners of Africa and Asia, peasants have begun leapfrogging past fossil fuel and going straight to the sun. The Danes just sold their last oil company and used the cash to build more windmills. There are just enough examples to make despair seem like the cowardly dodge it is. But everyone everywhere would have to move with similar speed, because this is in fact a race against time. Global warming is the first crisis that comes with a limit – solve it soon or don’t solve it. Winning slowly is just a different way of losing.
Winning fast enough to matter would mean, above all, standing up to the fossil fuel industry, so far the most powerful force on Earth. It would mean postponing other human enterprises and diverting other spending. That is, it would mean going on a war-like footing: not shooting at enemies, but focusing in the way that peoples and nations usually only focus when someone’s shooting at them. And something is. What do you think it means when your forests are on fire, your streets are underwater, and your buildings are collapsing?
• Bill McKibben is a writer and the founder of the climate campaign 350.org |
Sous vide, literally meaning "vacuum" in French, is a method of cooking that uses a water bath to cook vacuum sealed foods to exact temperatures. Steaks, for instance, can be cooked to perfect medium rare with incredible texture and flavor without fear of over/under cooking. Sous vide machines are pretty pricey but there are a few new models coming out aimed toward the home cook. Although cheaper, they're still fairly expensive at $199+.
When I first read about cooking food sous vide I was very interested, but I didn't want to spend a few hundred dollars on a machine to experiment with. I did some searching and stumbled upon a few homemade sous vide machines using the STC-1000 temperature controller. It's cheap, available on Amazon, and came with just about everything you need for a primitive sous vide setup. I already had the other main component, a crock pot. Note that digitally controlled crock pots will not work with this setup because the STC-1000 is going to be cycling the crock pot on/off. Digital versions reset to "Off" when they lose power. Make sure the crock pot you will be using has a knob to select the temperature. A vacuum food saver isn't completely necessary but it does make things easier. Ziploc sells a cheap vacuum pump bag otherwise you can use regular Ziploc bags with the submersion seal method that I will talk about below. Here's the full list of parts you will need:
To make the controller, I used a Dremel tool to cut a hole into a plastic enclosure I had laying around. I drilled a couple holes in the back of the enclosure, one large hole for the extension cords and one smaller hole for the sensor. Once I had the STC-1000 fitted, I cut the extension cord and wired it up to the STC-1000 using a few wire nuts. I tied a knot in the sensor wire to keep it from pulling out of the STC-1000. I then used the included instructions to select a set temperature just above room temperature. The heating relay clicked on and an LED lit up on the STC-1000. Using a multimeter I measured the output of the heating relay to make sure it was providing the 120 volts. When I warmed the sensor up with my hand, the relay clicked off, and I verified 0 volts. I've included a wiring sketch below. I wired up the sensor, and sealed the enclosure. I then plugged in my crock pot and set the controller to a few different temperatures to verify the accuracy. All measurements were well within the reported ±1°C accuracy. |
Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas canceled a pre-Rosh Hashana toast with more than 30 ministers and Knesset members that was set for Tuesday because he came under pressure from the anti-normalization movement in Ramallah.
Abbas invited the Knesset’s Caucus on Ending the Israeli- Arab Conflict to his headquarters in Ramallah after a Palestinian delegation was greeted by 30 MKs and ministers and a Palestinian flag at the Knesset on July 31. That meeting emphasized the need to have a show of force in Ramallah to boost the nascent Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
But the anti-normalization movement, which is strong inside Abbas’s Fatah party, criticized him for meeting such a high-profile Israeli delegation so soon after the IDF killed Palestinians in recent incidents in Jenin and Kalandiya . They also did not like it that he was hosting a toast in honor of the Jewish New Year.Statements released by the PA and caucus head Hilik Bar (Labor) blaming the cancellation on Fatah party meetings and the American strike on Syria that has been delayed to next week at the earliest, were greeted with derision by both Palestinian officials and MKs.But Bar said those were the reasons the Palestinians gave him and that they promised the meeting would be held soon.“I told the Palestinians that if this is not the ideal time, we can do it after the holidays,” Bar said. “I want the president [Abbas] to feel comfortable and hold the meeting in the best environment possible.”Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid decided last week to bar the 19 Knesset members in his faction from attending the meeting because it would weaken Israel’s side in ongoing negotiations with the Palestinians. He said attending the event would be counterproductive and could undercut Israel’s position.
Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>> |
Have your say
Barclay’s coffee van is coming to Edinburgh on Friday - and giving out free money who whoever buys a coffee and a croissant.
DOWNLOAD THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS APP ON ITUNES OR GOOGLE PLAY
Food AND 7 pounds! Picture: PA
The small blue van was in London’s Covent Garden on Tuesday and Wednesday and will be in Manchester on Thursday before venturing north of the border.
The van is offering customers coffee and a pastry for £3, giving them back £7 in change.
In other words, customers will have to spend £3 but they’ll get their breakfast and £7 for free.
Catherine McGrath of Barclays said: “We’re looking forward to brightening up commuters’ mornings – sending the van across the UK to show that some deals are good enough to be true.”
The breakfest deal from the #cashback coffee van mirrors the Barclays Blue Rewards offering, which gives customers a minimum £7 loyalty reward each month.
It comes as research reveals that Britons are losing out on £520 a year in missed deals as they fear there could be a hidden catch.
The Blue Rewards scheme originally launched in 2015 but is awaiting to new and existing customers.
The van will be based at 63A Cockburn St in the Old Town between 8am and 10am on Friday.
200 Voices: find out more about the people who have shaped Scotland |
Patients in Vietnam and other places with central nervous system infections may well be suffering from the effects of a newly discovered virus. As they describe in their study in mBio this week, researchers have detected a virus they're calling CyCV-VN in spinal fluid from 4% of 642 patients with central nervous system infections of unknown cause. CyCV-VN is also present in an average of 58% of fecal samples from pigs and poultry, a fact that suggests animals may serve as reservoirs for transmission to humans. The virus belongs to the Cyclovirus genus, a group that has never before been implicated in human or animal disease.
"The detection of CyCV-VN in a usually sterile material like cerebrospinal fluid is remarkable and may point to a pathogenic role of this virus as a single or a co-infecting pathogen," says corresponding author Tan Le Van of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The results in this study, Van cautions, amount to correlation, not causation, and further work is needed to see whether they can fulfill Koch's postulates and confirm that it poses a threat to human and animal health.
Acute CNS infections: often idiopathic
Acute central nervous system infections are responsible for illnesses and deaths around the world, but they are a particular problem in tropical regions. These infections can be caused by any of a number of bacterial, parasitic, fungal or viral pathogens, but the majority of cases go undiagnosed despite extensive efforts to identify a cause. "One of our particular interests is to improve patient diagnosis," says Van. Proper diagnosis "is essential to improve clinical management and prevention of these devastating diseases," he continues.
Inspired by the high incidence of acute central nervous system infections in Vietnam, Van and his colleagues set out to identify previously uncharacterized viruses in undiagnosed patients. Using fluid samples from more than 1,700 patients with suspected central nervous system infections or suspected viral encephalitis, the researchers generated 161,000 DNA sequence reads for further analysis.
Could a Cyclovirus be a pathogen?
Among these thousands of sequences, the researchers identified a sequence from a member of the Cyclovirus genus that was present in two patients, one adult and one child, both with acute central nervous system infections of unknown cause. Follow-up work with a technique called inverse PCR used that short sequence to determine the entire genome sequence of the virus present in one of the samples. CyCV-VN is a unique new species of Cyclovirus, a group that includes no known pathogens.
With the full genome in hand, the researchers went back to 642 samples from patients with suspected acute central nervous system infections and were able to detect the virus in samples from 26 patients (4%). The virus was not detected at all in samples from patients with non-infectious conditions of the central nervous system, like multiple sclerosis, a fact that argues that the virus could well be a human pathogen.
The virus was also detected in samples from farm animals in the province where the index patient lived: between 42% and 100% of fecal samples from pigs, ducks, and chickens in that region harbored viruses that are extremely closely related to CyCV-VN. This raises the possibility - but not certainty - say the authors, that livestock could represent a source for human infection with the virus.
Van also cautions that it is too soon to point an accusing finger at CyCV-VN. "Detection of a virus in human samples alone is insufficient to provide a direct link with an ongoing infection," he says. "Addressing the question of causation requires extensive effort."
Van says they are currently trying to isolate the virus in cell culture and develop a serological assay. If they are able to identify an antibody response to the virus in patient samples, he says, they would be one step closer to linking the virus to disease. meanwhile they are also working with research groups outside Vietnam to explore the geographic spread of the virus among both humans and livestock. |
– Cleanup is underway in Civic Center Park after some people got into trash bags left over from Thursday’s 4/20 rally and threw trash all over the grass and sidewalks.
So far it’s not clear who made the big mess, but an organizer of the rally said he is taking responsibility for it.
“The park had been picked up last night. All the trash had been placed in about 74 big trash bags and I believe last night, from what I hear from Parks and Rec, we had a few people come and dump all the bags out on the park,” Santino Walter told CBS4.
Walter said trash bags from the marijuana celebration should have been cleared out sooner.
“This was my fault, this was a producer mistake. I should’ve at midnight, when I staged all the stuff, I should’ve had it set up to have all the trash bags thrown into the roll-off. So, as bad as the park looks, the one thing that I know is we have a really good cleaning crew that we work with and we have the permit for today so I imagine this will look a whole lot different at noon today.”
The 4/20 rally ran from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday.
Employees with Denver Parks and Recreation were on hand to help deal with the mess, and while it’s unknown who actually took part in making it, some employees from the city department told CBS4 they believe some members of the homeless population are to blame.
Miguel Lopez, another organizer of the rally, says cleanup efforts were stalled Thursday night when a man with a knife started cutting open trash bags.
Lopez said he called the police’s non-emergency line and the man was asked to leave. That’s when he allegedly threatened the contracted cleanup crew with the knife.
Lopez said Denver Police arrived but he declined to press charges and said the man ran off. Denver Police say they have no record of the call or response but did say they responded to an incident at around 2 a.m. about people throwing trash into the park. |
Washington is bracing for a burst of legislative activity at the start of 2017. Topping the agenda for the Republican party, which will control both houses of Congress and the White House, is a full assault on President Barack Obama’s health care law, his signature domestic achievement that has dramatically reduced the number of uninsured Americans but failed to keep the cost of health care premiums in check.
“When it comes to #Obamacare, repeal means relief — relief from higher costs, low-quality care, & more broken promises,” tweeted House Speaker Paul Ryan on Friday.
Nearly seven years after Obamacare became law, a record number Americans have health insurance. More than six million have signed up this year alone, even as the law’s future has been in doubt. But not everyone is happy.
“Unfortunately, it’s not affordable,” said Pennsylvania retail worker Kristy Burgina. “Everybody’s health insurance, their health premiums keep going up, keep going up.”
Large premium increases were common before Obamacare. But the law’s premise — that younger, healthier Americans would buy health care plans and offset the cost of insuring the elderly — has not panned out. Major health insurance providers have dropped out of the program, with those remaining boosting premiums by an average of 25 percent for next year.
“We will repeal the disaster known as Obamacare and create new health care, all sorts of reforms that work for you and your family,” President-elect Donald Trump told supporters at a post-election rally last week.
Democrats insist Obamacare should be saved rather than scrapped.
“We want to try to improve the bill. We know it could be improved,” said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada earlier this month.
For years, Republicans promised to end Obamacare. Once Trump is president, they believe they will have their chance.
“We will move right after the first of the year on an Obamacare replacement resolution,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “And then we will work expeditiously to come up with a better proposal than current law.
“Doing nothing is not an option,” the Kentucky Republican added.
Democrats note that, so far, Republicans have not provided exact details of their replacement plan. When pressed by reporters, McConnell would say only that a Republican proposal would be produced at a later date.
"What do you want to replace it with?” asked Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, who will replace Reid as minority leader next year. “They [Republicans] can’t come up with an answer. We’re certainly not going to be part of this idea of repeal and put nothing in its place.”
Democrats are betting any Republican plan to replace Obamacare will anger just as many Americans as Obamacare itself.
“To our Republican friends across the aisle: bring it on [show the plan],” Schumer said.
Health care spending accounts for more than 17 percent of U.S. gross domestic product — the the highest level in any advanced industrialized nation. |
A Congressional report released this week warned that Russian-Chinese military-to-military cooperation is moving toward a disturbingly high level. Commenting on the report, Radio Sputnik commentator Ilya Kharlamov suggested that its authors have a pretty superficial understanding of the causes behind the expanded cooperation.
Put out earlier this week, the report, created by the US-China Economic & Security Review Commission, indicates that Russian-Chinese military cooperation, including arms deals, joint war-games and increased contacts, has reached a level which "could pose challenges" to the US and its allies, particularly in the Asia Pacific Region.
© Photo : JSC Sukhoi Company Russia-China S-400 Deal and Other Defense Agreements Unnerve Washington
The report stresses that as far US interests in the Asia go, the normalization of relations between Moscow and Beijing that started nearly thirty years ago, and which has gone on to include increasingly complex and expansive military exercises, as well as the sale of Russian Su-35 4++ multirole fighters and S-400 SAM systems, is troubling, for several reasons.
The Congressional report explains that the S-400s in particular could "pose a challenge for Taiwan's air assets" and those of its US allies, in the event of a potential cross-Strait conflict. The Su-35s, meanwhile, would "help the [PLA] contest US air superiority, provide China with technology that could help accelerate the development of its own advanced fighters, and serve as a valuable training and learning platform before China fields its next-generation aircraft."
Additionally, the focus on missile defense in recent joint exercises is also concerning to the analysts. Commenting on the latter aspect of the report, Radio Sputnik contributor Ilya Kharlamov suggested that US strategists' concerns are understandable, if not entirely warranted.
Of course, Kharlamov remarked, it would be much more agreeable for Washington to simply deploy its own missile defense system in the region, "disregarding the fears of other countries. Like in South Korea for example." Unfortunately for US planners, the observer added, the tone of the report, referring to Washington's effort to continue to ensure its supremacy over the region – is becoming increasingly obsolete amid the global drive to multipolarity – and not just in Asia, but other regions, including the Middle East, as well.
© AP Photo / U.S. Force Korea In this photo provided by U.S. Forces Korea, trucks carrying U.S. missile launchers and other equipment needed to set up the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system arrive at the Osan air base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Monday, March 6, 2017.
"In the triangle between the great powers of the US, Russia and China, the US side isn't looking very confident either," the commentator noted. "Relations with Moscow have been damaged, and for a long time." Washington has gone out of its way to ensure that, Kharlamov added.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov Experts Say Russian Game Plan in Eurasia Could Bring India, China Closer
"And with Beijing too it looks as though [the US has fallen on] hard times. 'Chimerica', as the financial and economic symbiosis of the US and China is jokingly called, is stumbling more and more on geopolitics. The US is struggling to contain China in the South China Sea, to which the latter has legitimate claims, and supports those countries which have long-standing territorial disputes with Beijing."
China, naturally, does not appreciate this, and the issue has already led to diplomatic scandals. "Furthermore, Washington is trying to offset the capabilities of Chinese nuclear forces by deploying the above-mentioned elements of missile defense in Asia."
© AP Photo / Zha Chunming/Xinhua In this Friday, Sept. 16, 2016 photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Navy frigate Huangshan, left, and Russian Navy antisubmarine ship Admiral Tributs take part in a joint naval drill at sea off south China's Guangdong Province.
For its part, Russia is concerned about US and NATO military activity around the globe, including in Asia. "At the same time, Beijing and Moscow regard one another as strategic partners. It's being said at the highest level that relations between the two countries have reached a level not yet seen in the history of their relations. And here," importantly, "it's not only a question of energy supplies and the delivery of Russian hydrocarbons," the commentator stressed.
In the report to Congress, analysts attempted to attribute this undesirable convergence of Moscow and Beijing's positions to the personal relations between the two countries' leaders – Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, and to some historical factors. "They say," Kharlamov noted, "that China is looking to get revenge for the recent era of humiliation and aggression by the West, while Russia is looking to fight back following the collapse of the Soviet Union and NATO's expansion in Europe."
But such conclusions are weak at best, the analyst suggested. "Beijing and Moscow are drawn together not so much by history or abstract philosophy as they are by life itself – by common interests and a closeness in their approach to the architecture of international relations, which should be based, at a minimum, on mutual respect and the consideration of one another's interests. And this is what remains unacceptable for [many] politicians in Washington."
© Sputnik / Vladimir Vyatkin Russia, China Could Cooperate on Developing Reusable Rockets
"Instead of rebuilding their perception of reality, [US analysts] are asking rhetorical questions" (including about whether the countries are getting set to form some kind of new geopolitical axis or full-fledged alliance). "Gentlemen, calm down," Kharlamov quipped. "Moscow and Beijing stand firmly behind the position that bloc-based thinking – the corporate model of behavior in international affairs – is archaic."
"But this does not mean that strategic partners will look indifferently toward what is happening next door in the event of a major conflict, either," the analyst added. "Admittedly, even individually, each are capable of neutralizing any external threats," he concluded. |
The United States and China are attempting to negotiate what would be the first cyber arms-control agreement to ban peacetime attacks on critical infrastructure. The talks reflect the commitment that Washington and Beijing made at the conclusion of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent U.S. visit to “identify and promote appropriate norms of state behavior in cyberspace.” The first ministerial-level meeting on cybersecurity is due to take place before the end of this year.
The two countries’ effort to limit the cyber arms race is being widely compared to Cold War nuclear arms-control treaties. But this Cold War analogy is flawed because of fundamental differences between the nuclear and cyber domains.
President Barack Obama acknowledges that an “international framework” to regulate great-power competition in cyberspace is unlikely to be “perfect” because it would not solve cybersecurity threats posed by “non-state actors and hackers.” Yet as the president told the Business Roundtable on Sept. 16, “there has to be a framework that is analogous to what we’ve done with nuclear power because nobody stands to gain.”
In the nuclear domain, the United States has long advanced state-based strategies to curb capabilities and manage the increasing risks of superpower competition. For, unlike cyber capabilities, nuclear weapons have been in the sole custody of states. State-based strategies have been successfully pursued to limit the size of arsenals, reassure nonnuclear states to forego the weapons option and compel nuclear weapons states to secure their arsenals so that terrorist groups cannot obtain them.
A similar strategy for cyber limitations would start by leveraging states’ mutual interests as stakeholders to ensure that the Internet operates smoothly by eliminating system-threatening viruses, or “botnets,” and combatting cybercrime. Another priority would be to complete the U.S.-China negotiations on a cyber arms-control agreement. The Obama administration views the potential bilateral agreement as a base on which to develop a global consensus.
The bedrock of a state-based strategy to address cyber challenges would be sound national policies, codified in domestic law and fully enforced. The key to this is to ensure that states rein in non-state actors, whether individuals or groups.
The problem, however, is that authoritarian states, such as Russia and China, have an interest in preserving “patriotic hackers” as a policy instrument while maintaining plausible deniability. They also seek to control politically threatening Internet content that most democratic states would regard as protected speech.
This arms-control push needs to be buttressed by a robust strategy of deterrence in both its variants — deterrence by denial and deterrence by punishment.
In the cyber realm, deterrence by denial would mean defensive measures that block an adversary’s ability to achieve its objective, such as disrupting a U.S. government website. For individual personal computers, anti-virus and anti-malware software can provide one form of deterrence by denial.
As significant as a cyber arms-control agreement to ban attacks on critical infrastructure might be, the necessary complement to it is effective cyber defense mechanisms. This could include strengthening computer networks to block unauthorized access and increasing their resilience. That would frustrate any potential attacker. In these terms, the Chinese hack of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management database, which compromised the personal data of some 22 million current and former U.S. employees, was a stunning failure of deterrence by denial.
Deterrence by punishment would hold states accountable for cyberattacks that either they or their proxies conduct. Cold War nuclear deterrence relied on an ability to accurately attribute a potential attack to a specific adversary. In the cyber realm, however, attribution is a major problem.
In the case of the Sony hack last December, for example, the FBI was able to trace the attack back to North Korea only because of the country’s “sloppy” use of proxy servers to mask its action. The Obama administration responded covertly with a form of deterrence by punishment, when it essentially shut down North Korea’s Internet for a short period.
Cyber deterrence requires investments in cyber forensics to improve America’s real and perceived attribution capabilities. Any adversarial state contemplating a cyberattack must be made to believe, through the credibility of U.S. attribution capabilities, that it would be held accountable for its actions, or for the actions of a proxy acting indirectly on its behalf.
The goal is to make what one cyber expert calls the Internet “Wild West” less wild. Retooled versions of Cold War strategies — arms control and deterrence — will be essential policy tools for U.S. policymakers to achieve that goal. Their effectiveness is likely to be limited, however, because of the challenging character of the cyber domain — in which non-state actors increasingly exercise power and influence rivaling that of major states. |
USTR Insists Secret, MPAA-Backed TPP Is 'Most Transparent Trade Negotiation In History'... From Hollywood Studio
from the does-anyone-believe-this-crap? dept
He also called the talks over the trade pact “the most transparent trade negotiation in history,” noting that they have held more than 1,000 briefings on Capitol Hill, have enlisted 600 advisers for input from various groups and have invited stakeholders to address negotiators from all 12 countries, among other efforts.
Listening : People ---- information -----> USTR
: People ---- information -----> USTR Transparency: USTR --- information ----> The Public
“For example, as I understand it, I wasn’t around for it, (the Stop Online Piracy Act) was about blocking rogue Internet sites from accessing the Internet from the United States. There is nothing in the Trans Pacific Partnership, zero, that has anything to do with that,” he said.
“Our goal through these trade negotiations is to make sure we are raising the standard of protection around the world, for artists and the people who support them,” he said.
Honestly, it's somewhat difficult to believe thatwho works in the USTR didn't recognize that it was a bad idea to have their new boss, Michael Froman, who was once called one of the most "egregious examples" of the "revolving door" between companies and government, head out to visit two of the largest Hollywood studios just days after the IP chapter of the secretive TPP agreement was leaked, showing that it was basically Hollywood's wishlist of copyright crap. It's even more difficult to believe, given all that and given that Froman decided to go hang out with some friendly folks in Hollywood anyway, that someone at the USTR didn't think maybe, just maybe, Froman should avoid giving an interview in which he'd be asked about the leaked chapter.But, it happened. Of course, the interview was with Variety, so maybe they figured that only Hollywood people would read it, and that the rest of the world would never catch on to the fact that Froman is eitheror aabout the TPP. However, he did give an interview , while "touring Paramount's backlot" in which he said a bunch of nutty things. Here's my favorite:Let's just say, this is pure bullshit. Extreme bullshit. Honestly, even Variety (which, as you might imagine, tends to toe the Hollywood line) seems to suggest that this claim isn't actually true. And, of course, considering that the USTR is infamously secretive, being "the most transparent in history" doesn't mean you were actually transparent at all. And, in this case, the fact that he's claiming it's "the most transparent in history"should highlight the level of bullshit that Froman is spewing.He seems to have pulled this "most transparent" bullshit from his predecessor, Ron Kirk, who used to claim the same thing. Both are fundamentally trying to mislead. We've said it before, and we'll say it again,to lots of people, while is not transparency . It's listening. Listening may be better than not listening, but it's completely different than "transparency." Let me make this even clearer:What Froman described above is about listening. They get "advice" from various stakeholders. That's not transparency. That's listening. So long as no one gets to see what crap they're negotiating "on our behalf," there's no transparency. At all. The only time this negotiation had any transparency was when Wikileaks finally released the IP chapter which the USTR should have and could have done years ago.The other bit of bullshit in the interview was his misleading response to the claim by some that TPP is like SOPA. Now, I should be clear that we've avoided making that comparison, because there is a different set of issues here. And Froman used those differences to try to discredit all criticism of TPP:But "blocking rogue websites" isn't what's making people make the comparison between TPP and SOPA. It's two things: (1) a backroom deal negotiated in secret with no input from the public which (2) includes basically a wishlist from Hollywood. The fact that the two wishlists are not identical is not really the point, but it's the point Froman chose to focus on, because he's trying to mislead the public.Froman continues to demonstrate that he has no business in the role he's in:Except that's not supposed to be the goal at all, and the fact that he thinks it is makes him clearly unqualified for his job. Remember that the TPP is supposed to be about, yet here he is admitting that his actual agenda is. Second, as anyone who knows anything about intellectual property knows, "raising the standard of protection" has been shown repeatedly to be ratherto creators and the public. And, again, the entire purpose of copyright law is supposed to be about promoting progress. It would appear that Froman doesn't know this. And yet he's in charge of negotiating this thing? Really?This is the reason why transparency matters. Because when you take someone who doesn't understand intellectual property at all, such as Froman, and tell him to negotiate a trade agreement in which thepeople he shares the negotiating text with are maximalists, all he hears is how they have to "raise" standards, even as most of the world has realized that the "standards" are already way too high and tremendously damaging to the economy and innovation.Either way, this whole situation is incredible. You have the USTR, just days after the secret treaty that was written with the help of Hollywood's lobbyists is leaked out, declaring that it's the most transparent in history despite the fact that, if he had his way, none of the public would have seen it, and saying so. The USTR is either extremely confident that no one cares about trade agreements, or a large segment of the staff there is profoundly clueless. Or maybe it's both.SOPA was taken down because it was a backroom deal and a Hollywood wishlist, without respect for the public. ACTA went down for the same reason. If Froman doesn't want the same thing to happen to TPP, he might want to learn a thing or two about intellectual property and what transparency means. Because as of right now, he appears to be setting himself up to be roadkill for another internet uprising.
Filed Under: acta, michael froman, sopa, tpp, transparency, ustr
Companies: disney, mpaa, paramount |
By Crewman Becky | March 2, 2011 - 11:22 pm
The Vulcan Tourism Board in Alberta Canada has been running a VulCon: Spock Days/Galaxyfest event for the last several decades. It’s held on the second weekend in June each year. They just announced this year’s special guest and it’s none other than Star Trek Voyager’s Garrett Wang. They had Garrett shoot a quick video announcing his participation which they played at a recent Vulcon Tourism/Trek Station evening event. You can check out Garrett’s video on Facebook here.
Tourism co-ordinator Catherine Pooley said Wang was asked if he would be willing to prepare the video announcement ahead of time, and he gladly accepted.
"He did a funny one," Pooley said. "Everyone got a kick out of it so we were quite pleased."
Read the full article here.
Be sure to “friend” their Facebook page for updates to the VulCon: Spock Days/Galaxyfest event.
We’ve not had the chance to head up to Canada for VulCon, but would love to sometime soon. If you’ve attended VulCon we’d love to hear from you. Comment and let us know all about it!
Oh…and with this story in particular, we feel fairly obligated to end with…….
…..Live long and prosper. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.