text stringlengths 316 100k |
|---|
The No. 1 FORBES Top College 2015 is Pomona College, followed by Williams College and Stanford University. The highest ranking public school is the University of California, Berkeley.
The nation's 18 million undergrad students heading off for the next school year will pay an estimated total $18,943 on public college tuition and fees ($42,419 for private schools). An average newly minted grad with student loan debt will have to pay back some $35,000; overall national student debt has escalated to an all-time high of $1.2 trillion.
While the cost of U.S. higher education escalates, there's a genuine silver lining in play. A growing number of colleges and universities are now focusing on student-consumer value over marketing prestige, making this a new age of return-on-investment education. This pivot is the result of intense public scrutiny on the substantial cost of a degree vs. long tail worth -- the very heart of FORBES definitive Top Colleges ranking, now in its eighth year. (View full methodology here.)
This year's No. 1 FORBES Top College is Pomona College, followed by Williams College and Stanford University. The first Ivy League school to show, Princeton University, comes in at No. 4, followed by Yale University (No. 5), Harvard University (No. 6) and Brown University (No. 8). Rounding out the 10 finest schools in America are Swarthmore College (No. 7), Amherst College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Click here for our full list of America’s Top Colleges
Read: America's Most Entrepreneurial Colleges 2015
The three highest ranking public schools are University of California, Berkeley (No. 35), University of Virginia (No. 36), and the College of William & Mary (No. 39). Three of the U.S. Service Academies earn highest medals as some of the nation's leading higher education institutions: the U.S. Military Academy at West Point comes in at No. 11, followed by U.S. Naval Academy (No. 27) and U.S. Air Force Academy (No. 38).
The number of large, brainy, research-oriented universities closely associated with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) have a slight edge at the peak of the rankings over small, student-centric, liberal arts colleges, although the Gold and Silver medals go to the latter. Wellesley College (No. 26) was ranked the best all-women's college.
Recipe for a Top College
Satisfied students: Almost no one at the top schools transfers out. Ninety-nine percent of Stanford and Yale students opt to say put, and the lowest retention rates for a top college is Swarthmore at 96% and Wesleyan University (No. 17) at 95%. These same schools rate high on student satisfaction with professors and overall campus experience.
Low student to faculty ratio: Each of the top 25 has an extremely low student-to-faculty ratio. Nine of 10 has an an 8:1 ratio or less. Stanford is 11:1 and Cornell University (No. 25) is 12:1.
Out in four years: Graduating on time means paying fewer dollars for tuition. At 24 out of the top 25 schools, 84% or more of students graduate in four years. That puts them in the top 8% of the top 650 schools in four-year graduation rates.
Financial aid/debt: The top schools are above average in the average amount of aid granted and the percentage of students at the top schools who take out loans is strikingly small.
Private College Financial Health Grades 2015: Is Your Alma Mater At Risk?
Coastal: Consider that every one of the top 10 college and universities are located on either the East or West Coasts. The first inland school is University of Notre Dame in Indiana (No. 13), followed by two Chicago schools: Northwestern University (No. 16) and University of Chicago (No. 20). The highest ranking school in the South is Duke University in North Carolina (No. 22) followed by Washington and Lee University in Virginia (No. 29).
Founding: The top 10 schools were all founded in the 1600s to 1800s. The most recent is Pomona College in 1887; the earliest is Harvard in 1636.
Acceptance rate: With 72,676 applications received, the University of California, Los Angeles (No. 45) is the most applied to school in the nation. Of the top 10 schools, Stanford leads in number of applications at 38,828 with a 6% acceptance rate -- the nation's lowest, a distinction it shares with Harvard. Williams College has the highest acceptance rate in this grouping at 17%.
The Value of Rankings
Has the "rankings race" dominated the college admissions landscape? In 2015's Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be, author Frank Bruni says they "have enormous meaning:"
...rankings maintain their quasi-biblical power, year after year, exploiting people's insecurities about their own judgments and indulging our love of tidy and digestible lists, preferably numbered ones with scores attached, in a digital world of so much random information.
On the flip side, Richard Vedder, Ph.D., the director of College Affordability and Productivity and the mastermind behind FORBES Top Colleges ranking formula, offers a defense of rankings here:
Colleges often bitterly criticize the rankings. What is ironic is that colleges are themselves in the rankings business in a big way. College professors like me “rank” their students all the time by giving grades. If colleges can rank their students, why can't disinterested other folks rank the schools themselves?
It's true that some students and their families (not to mention academia itself) aren't able to resist the siren song of rankings. I've heard directly from schools -- and college presidents -- that they have to "answer" to their boards and alumni for a ranking drop, and parents who swear they won't fund their child's tuition at a less than top 50 college.
But the FORBES list, to pull a quote from Pirates of the Caribbean, "is more what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules." Use it as a means and not an end to your final college decision. Our focus is on the individual student-consumer, and that means each student has his or her own unique constellation of "top colleges" based on each school's particular academic strengths (degrees offered, research opportunities, etc.) and campus experience (location, size, athletics), as well as cost vs. family finances.
Special Feature
In Photos: #MyTopCollege. This year marks the second annual #MyTopCollege social media campaign. We asked students and alumni to take to Twitter and Instagram to share their school spirit and tell us what makes their college experience unique. Over 250 of schools participated this year, with current, former and prospective students submitting about 7,000 tweets and 4,000 Instagram posts.
After almost shuttering earlier this year, Sweet Briar College came out with an incredible showing of #MyTopCollege submissions and are the clear winner among small schools. Last year’s champ, California State University, Fullerton, returns as the most active large school in our campaign. The medium-sized school title-holder, Gettysburg College, joined later on in the campaign and blew us away with amazing photo submissions, using Instagram better than any other school. |
Download raw source
MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.25.200.195 with HTTP; Wed, 1 Jul 2015 23:14:48 -0700 (PDT) Received: by 10.25.200.195 with HTTP; Wed, 1 Jul 2015 23:14:48 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: <CAEMn5Q=4bcPm_7QBdW_WtvxNdQ_xDS7KppJwcrNwOLqzdzySWg@mail.gmail.com> References: <CAEMn5Q=4bcPm_7QBdW_WtvxNdQ_xDS7KppJwcrNwOLqzdzySWg@mail.gmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2015 02:14:48 -0400 Delivered-To: john.podesta@gmail.com Message-ID: <CAE6FiQ8c3sK=9F9bOG1ohxcNi9TAQmVAkb0qaMO0B1ywmGSpew@mail.gmail.com> Subject: Re: FOR APPROVAL: Quote for Politico on Huma? From: John Podesta <john.podesta@gmail.com> To: Milia Fisher <mfisher@hillaryclinton.com> CC: Nick Merrill <nmerrill@hillaryclinton.com> Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=001a11c36e2c488d7b0519de5bf4 --001a11c36e2c488d7b0519de5bf4 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Change bright to "wicked smart" and after humilty add "and strategic sense" and i'm fine. On Jul 2, 2015 1:18 AM, "Milia Fisher" <mfisher@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: > Hi John- > > Tomorrow morning (likely today when you read this) Politico will run a > profile on Huma. See details below from Nick. At the last minute tonight > they asked if we could provide a quote from you on the record. Would you be > willing to offer one? Comms thinks it might lend an air of community to the > piece. > > Here's a suggestion from Nick: > > I was there at the White House when Huma was a young intern, and now > she's an integral part of the team. She's as multi-faceted as she is > bright, and when you combine that with her humility, you couldn't ask > for a better colleague. > > Copying him here so there's no delay in case we decide to send something > over. Please let us know what you think. > > Thanks much, > Milia > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Nick Merrill <nmerrill@hillaryclinton.com> > Date: Thu, Jul 2, 2015 at 12:37 AM > Subject: Huma > To: Milia Fisher <mfisher@hillaryclinton.com> > > > Hi- > > As I mentioned on the phone, Politico has been working on a profile on > Huma that we are being what I'd call partially cooperative with. > Annie Karni came to us about it, said she was writing, so after > consulting with Jen and Huma we decided to point Annie to some folks > and sit Annie down with Huma off the record. We think there is some > value in demystifying her a bit in general, and Politico isn't a bad > place to do it. > > Huma and I saw Annie for coffee yesterday, and the story runs > tomorrow. They sped it up in light of all the email stuff making her > sort of omnipresent today. > > Annie came to us this evening and asked if John would be willing to > weigh in, which I think would be good in the spirit of showing team > unity. > > The piece will be about Huma's evolution from body person to senior > staffer, so if he's up for it, maybe John could say something about > her being a multi-faceted team player. > > Like: > I was there at the White House when Huma was a young intern, and now > she's an integral part of the team. She's as multi-faceted as she is > bright, and when you combine that with her humility, you couldn't ask > for a better colleague. > > Feel free to tweak that, put it in John's voice, or blow it up. > > And thanks for sending this along. > > Nick > > > > -- > Milia Fisher > Special Assistant to the Chair > Hillary for America > mfisher@hillaryclinton.com > o: 646.854.1198 c: 858.395.1741 > --001a11c36e2c488d7b0519de5bf4 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <p dir=3D"ltr">Change bright to "wicked smart" and after humilty = add "and strategic sense" and i'm fine.</p> <div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Jul 2, 2015 1:18 AM, "Milia Fisher"= <<a href=3D"mailto:mfisher@hillaryclinton.com">mfisher@hillaryclinton.c= om</a>> wrote:<br type=3D"attribution"><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote"= style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><d= iv dir=3D"ltr">Hi John-<div><br></div><div>Tomorrow morning (likely today w= hen you read this) Politico will run a profile on Huma. See details below f= rom Nick. At the last minute tonight they asked if we could provide a quote= from you on the record. Would you be willing to offer one? Comms thinks it= might lend an air of community to the piece.=C2=A0</div><div><br></div><di= v>Here's a suggestion from Nick:</div><div><br></div><div>I was there a= t the White House when Huma was a young intern, and now</div>she's an i= ntegral part of the team. She's as multi-faceted as she is<br>bright, a= nd when you combine that with her humility, you couldn't ask<br>for a b= etter colleague.<div><br></div><div>Copying him here so there's no dela= y in case we decide to send something over. Please let us know what you thi= nk.=C2=A0</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks much,<br>Milia<br><div><br></div>= <div><div class=3D"gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>= From: <b class=3D"gmail_sendername">Nick Merrill</b> <span dir=3D"ltr"><= <a href=3D"mailto:nmerrill@hillaryclinton.com" target=3D"_blank">nmerrill@h= illaryclinton.com</a>></span><br>Date: Thu, Jul 2, 2015 at 12:37 AM<br>S= ubject: Huma<br>To: Milia Fisher <<a href=3D"mailto:mfisher@hillaryclint= on.com" target=3D"_blank">mfisher@hillaryclinton.com</a>><br><br><br>Hi-= <br> <br> As I mentioned on the phone, Politico has been working on a profile on<br> Huma that we are being what I'd call partially cooperative with.<br> Annie Karni came to us about it, said she was writing, so after<br> consulting with Jen and Huma we decided to point Annie to some folks<br> and sit Annie down with Huma off the record.=C2=A0 We think there is some<b= r> value in demystifying her a bit in general, and Politico isn't a bad<br= > place to do it.<br> <br> Huma and I saw Annie for coffee yesterday, and the story runs<br> tomorrow.=C2=A0 They sped it up in light of all the email stuff making her<= br> sort of omnipresent today.<br> <br> Annie came to us this evening and asked if John would be willing to<br> weigh in, which I think would be good in the spirit of showing team<br> unity.<br> <br> The piece will be about Huma's evolution from body person to senior<br> staffer, so if he's up for it, maybe John could say something about<br> her being a multi-faceted team player.<br> <br> Like:<br> I was there at the White House when Huma was a young intern, and now<br> she's an integral part of the team.=C2=A0 She's as multi-faceted as= she is<br> bright, and when you combine that with her humility, you couldn't ask<b= r> for a better colleague.<br> <br> Feel free to tweak that, put it in John's voice, or blow it up.<br> <br> And thanks for sending this along.<br> <span><font color=3D"#888888"><br> Nick<br> </font></span></div><br><br clear=3D"all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div><div d= ir=3D"ltr"><div><div dir=3D"ltr"><div><div dir=3D"ltr">Milia Fisher<div>Spe= cial Assistant to the Chair</div><div>Hillary for America</div><div><a href= =3D"mailto:mfisher@hillaryclinton.com" target=3D"_blank">mfisher@hillarycli= nton.com</a>=C2=A0</div><div>o: <a href=3D"tel:646.854.1198" value=3D"+1646= 8541198" target=3D"_blank">646.854.1198</a> c: <a href=3D"tel:858.395.1741"= value=3D"+18583951741" target=3D"_blank">858.395.1741</a></div></div></div= ></div></div></div></div> </div></div></div> </blockquote></div> --001a11c36e2c488d7b0519de5bf4-- |
We all know examples of everyday substances that can be classified as acids or alkalis: lemon juice is acidic, bleach is alkaline, and so on. Another substance that can be found in your kitchen can be used to test other substances to determine whether they are acidic or alkaline. The chemicals that give red cabbage its colour also allow it to be used as a pH indicator – this post looks at how!
You probably remember the pH scale from school chemistry lessons, but in case you don’t here’s a brief reminder. In short, substances are deemed acidic if they have a pH lower than 7, and alkaline if they have a pH higher than 7. Indicators are chemicals which change colour at different acidities or alkalinities, allowing us to determine whether a substance is acidic or alkaline.
Red cabbage gets its colour from compounds called anthocyanins in its leaves. These anthocyanins are peculiar in that they’re pH-sensitive, and this allows them to be used as pH indicators. If they are extracted from the red cabbage leaves by boiling the cabbage in water, the resulting solution can be added to different substances to test them. The pH of the solution they are added to can affect the structure of the anthocyanin molecules, subtly changing them in a way that causes them to appear a different colour, as shown in the graphic above.
Red cabbage is just one example of something you might find at home that can be used in this manner. The red leaves of poinsettia plants, common around Christmas time, can also be used!
Enjoyed this post & graphic? Consider supporting Compound Interest on Patreon, and get previews of upcoming posts & more!
The graphic in this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. See the site’s content usage guidelines.
Share this: Facebook
Twitter
Reddit
LinkedIn
Tumblr |
(Charles Dharapak/AP Photo)
ANALYSIS By RICK KLEIN
Hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk. Delays await at airports. Padlocks are ready at national parks.
The nation will suffer greater risk of wildfires, workplace deaths, and even surprise weather events, if government predictions are to be believed. Our entire military readiness and superiority are at risk.
What if nobody cares?
President Obama sure does. He's making the case, aggressively and comprehensively, that the automatic spending cuts set to go into effect at the end of the month will have a devastating impact, both on the economy and on essential government services.
"They will slow our economy. They will eliminate good jobs. They will leave many families who are already stretched to the limit scrambling to figure out what to do," the president said Saturday in his weekly radio address.
But there are few signs to suggest the public is listening. A poll out late last week found that barely one in four Americans said they'd heard much about the automatic spending cuts - known unhelpfully for public-comprehension purposes as "sequestration" - and four in 10 said they were comfortable with the cuts going into effect.
"Here's yet another deadline, and everyone's telling us everything will be destroyed if we go past it," said Michael Dimock, director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, which conducted the poll. "It's very hard to get the same sense of urgency for a third time in a row, just two months after the last one."
Call it cliff fatigue. After a series of dramatic confrontations with congressional Republicans, an American electorate that has little trust in Washington - and that's seeing a soaring stock market, plus a recovering housing market - looks to be tuning out the latest round of fiscal fighting, at least for now.
That's troublesome news for Obama, and not just for the recurring fights over spending and deficits. As his second-term agenda gets cranking with Congress' return this week, the president needs to convince the public not just on the merits of his priorities but also on the urgency.
This may be the only time in his presidency where heavy legislative lifts are realistic. That period is starting with a rough stretch: The spending cuts Obama once guaranteed would never take place now almost definitely will.
The fight is displaying Washington at its worst - all accusations and finger-pointing, no real attempts at problem-solving. Both sides have plans, but the president is spending far more energy explaining why the sequester is the Republicans' fault, and how bad the consequences of those cuts will be, than he is trying to negotiate something that would stop it.
"It really is sad. The president's stock in trade is political games, and this is another political game he's playing," Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., vice chairman of the House Budget Committee, told ABC News. "It results in greater cynicism on the part of the public, and none of the things he's saying are true. And people recognize this - it's 2-and-a-half cents on every dollar."
Price said the president is exaggerating the impact of cuts that amount to less than 2.5 percent of federal spending - an estimated $85 billion this year, out of a federal budget in the neighborhood of $3.5 trillion.
Moreover, Price said, the public will wind up blaming the president - notwithstanding polling that suggests the opposite for now. While many Republicans are on record preferring alternatives to the across-the-board cuts, they also argue that the president could mitigate their impact if he so chose.
"People know that if bad things occur, it's because the president wants them to occur," Price said. "The president is the president. He's in charge of the government. He has the authority right now to make sure bad things don't happen."
The White House disputes that such flexibility exists, given the blunt mechanisms in a law that was designed to never be implemented because it was so draconian.
"Only Congress can avoid this self-inflicted wound to our economy and middle class families," White House communications director Jennifer Palmieri wrote in an official blog posting last week.
Lawmakers may wind up explicitly granting the administration flexibility in distributing the cuts as part of a compromise that would only be passed after they go into effect. Beyond that, however, one side will have to give to avoid the once-unthinkable from being reality.
In the meantime, the president will continue to make the case that the sequester is Republicans' doing. He'll be at a shipyard in Newport News, Va., on Tuesday, to highlight the particular impact on defense programs.
The president needs the public to care deeply about budget cuts. If the sequester doesn't register in the national consciousness, airport lines will be nothing compared to the wait for Republicans to join the president at a negotiating table again. |
This story is about Published Sep. 2016
Washington basketball star John Wall shows up to Redskins-Cowboys in Dallas gear Share This Story On... Twitter
Facebook
Email
Jon Maxhota John Wall
By SportsDayDFW.com Contact SportsDayDFW.com on Twitter: @SportsDayDFW
Washington Wizards star guard John Wall was at the Redskins-Cowboys game on Sunday dressed in a Cowboys jersey of Emmitt Smith. He also said hello to Dez Bryant and threw up the X.
John Wall threw up the X before having quick chat with 88 pic.twitter.com/9mGpeLnnmZ — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 18, 2016
Wall, who despite being firmly entrenched in Redskins' territory is remaining true to his roots as he continues to cheer for the Cowboys. Wall admitted as much when he was originally drafted by the Wizards but years later not much has changed. The All-Star point guard says, "I'm a mama's boy and that's my mama's team."
Staff Photographer Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) greets Washington Wizards John Wall before a game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland on Sunday, September 18, 2016. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News) Staff Photographer Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) hugs Washington Wizards John Wall before a game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland on Sunday, September 18, 2016. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)
So what's up with all these Cowboys fans up in the East? New Jersey Governor Chris Christie? Big Cowboys fan. Cleveland Cavs superstar LeBron James? Big Cowboys fan.
And Cowboys fan Bryce Harper, the Nationals' stud outfielder, makes it at least three pro athletes from Washington (Dallas' long-time NFC East rival) that pull for America's Team. Here's a list, including Harper, of the many celebs who pull for the Cowboys.
DeSean Jackson saw John Wall on the sideline and playfully grabbed on Wall's Cowboys jersey — Jake Russell (@_JakeRussell) September 18, 2016
Emmitt Smith took notice as well.
This Topic is Missing Your Voice. |
The former president praised Palestinian industriousness during a visit a Riyadh, saying, "I have never met a poor Palestinian in the United States."
Former president Bill Clinton had a very, very different take from Mitt Romney on Palestinian culture and its impact on Palestinian economic success when he visited Saudi Arabia in the winter of 2011. According to a report in the Arab News:
"Ever since I left office I have tried to stay in touch with my friends in the Palestinian community and continue to press my friends in Israel on the case for peace," Clinton said. "It is a different world than it was 10 years ago when we brought the Palestinians and the Israelis together to strike a peace agreement, but then the underlining realities have not changed; political realities have not changed." He said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad have done a remarkable job in the West Bank. "It is just an example of what would happen for the Palestinian people if they are given a chance to govern," Clinton said. "Palestinians are a hard-working and an incredible community. They have done remarkably well outside their country. I have never met a poor Palestinian in the United States; every Palestinian I know is a college professor or a doctor." The problem in Israel, he said, is what happens in multiparty democracies around the world. "If you take a poll today, two-thirds of Israelis will support peace and a peace agreement," Clinton said. "However, it is hard to get an Israeli Parliament that reflects the people's views on this one issue. But we all have to keep pushing."
Clinton's diplomatic skills are not only demonstrably superior to Romney's here, Clinton appears to be using a more up to date understanding of the facts on the ground in the Middle East. Romney's original comments, as he's described them, appear to reflect an analysis of the situation formed during his years as a businessman in the 1980s and 1990s.
(Via National Journal's @mattizcoop.)
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com. |
I’ll be writing a follow-up to my piece from earlier this week about the various one- and two-state formulations shortly, where I’ll be
focusing more on the one-state side. But today, I saw a very important example of one of the problems in the two-state crowd, especially from the Israeli side.
The Middle East Policy Council put on a very interesting panel about the future or lack thereof of the two-state solution. The leading two-stater on the panel was Jeremy Ben-Ami of J Street. Let me say that I like Jeremy, and I think he and J Street come in for criticism from the left that is often over the top and much too harsh (and, I’ll admit, sometimes I’ve been guilty of that myself). I’ve known Jeremy for the better part of a decade and I am convinced his heart is in the right place and that on balance, J Street has done good work.
On this particular panel, Jeremy defended the two-state solution in various ways, and I found some of them problematic. He echoed the “pragmatic” view that the two-state option, and particularly the Oslo formulation is the only viable option, and sometimes implied that those who advocated some other option were naïve and utopian thinkers. But he made one point that I think reflects a deeply problematic mode of thought in even the most progressive pro-Israel thinking.
The issue of the Jordan Valley came up. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that it is a “security requirement” for Israel to maintain a long-term force in the Valley and has said that the force must be there for a term of thirty years. The Palestinians, naturally, object to the idea of any occupation forces remaining in what would be their new state. Jeremy essentially said that if one side says thirty years, the other says zero, the compromise is somewhere in the middle, say ten or fifteen years.
It’s a very American approach, of course, split things down the middle. But sometimes that isn’t the best solution, as King Solomon knew very well. The notion that the forces of an occupation would remain in any part of a proposed Palestinian state – one which, by the same formulation which Jeremy shares, would already have agreed to sacrifice one of the basic tenets of sovereignty, the right of self-defense, by agreeing to be de-militarized and protected by some as yet to be determined international force which would really be there to ensure Israel’s security – is in no way a compromise. It is a total surrender, and cutting down on the length of time initially agreed to – and we must remember that in the intervening years, that agreement could be changed – changes nothing.
The problem with the Oslo formulation is not that it is made of two states, but that it is based on Israeli dominance. While one needs to acknowledge that dominance and understand that it means that any final agreement is unlikely to be perfectly equitable, a realistic and pragmatic view of the situation also leads to another conclusion: a deal can be forced on the Palestinians, but such a deal will not hold and, ultimately, will lead back to the status quo or worse. Such a deal will not bring stability in the short or long term, nor will it enhance Israeli security. On the contrary, it would increase hostility and suspicion against Israel and the United States; will increase despair and rage among Palestinians, which is likely to lead to more extremism and absolutist stances; and while in the short term this might be portrayed as Palestinian intransigence, that kind of charade is not going to last long outside of Israel and the United States.
The sort of “compromise” Jeremy proposed demonstrates a mindset where Israeli and Palestinian claims to security are not equal, but that Israel’s must absolutely trump Palestine’s. And that comes from someone who, I am quite convinced, is among the most open-minded and fair of the pro-Israel crowd, a man who does understand, in the abstract, that peace must provide real freedom for Palestinians. I know that from speaking to him directly over the years. And J Street has done good work in opening up the discussion (though they still have a good way to go in that regard, as I explained last year in Open Zion)
But the politics that follow don’t necessarily reflect those abstract views. And voices of influence in Washington are largely, with a few exceptions, far to the right of Jeremy’s. Indeed, that’s a big part of the issue for J Street—most of their arguments take place with them in the left wing, peacenik role. In such circumstances, it is hard to be optimistic about hopes for peace.
Advertisements |
Image caption De'Marquise Elkins was also sentenced for shooting a pastor 10 days before the murder
A US teenage robber who counted down to shoot a baby dead after his mother refused to hand over her purse has been jailed for life without parole.
De'Marquise Elkins, 18, shot 13-month-old Antonio Santiago, who was in a pushchair, between the eyes on 21 March this year in the US state of Georgia.
Elkins was spared the death penalty as he was 17 at the time. He showed no emotion as he was sentenced.
The mother of the dead child said Elkins had taken "the love of my life".
During Thursday's sentencing, the judge handed down the maximum sentence.
He imposed an additional 105 years in prison on other charges, including 30 years for Elkins' shooting and wounding of a pastor outside a church, 10 days before killing the baby.
Antonio's murder appalled the nation.
'Cruel and unusual punishment'
The jury in the town of Marietta, Georgia, last month found him guilty on 11 counts, including two counts of felony murder and one count of malice murder.
During the trial, prosecutors said Elkins had approached Antonio and his mother, Sherry West, to demand cash.
When she refused, Elkins twice threatened her baby and counted down from five as Ms West pleaded that she had no money.
She tried to cover her child with her arms as the gunman fired a warning shot, a bullet into her leg and then shot Antonio.
On Thursday, Ms West delivered a victim statement, made to rhyme like a poem, about the loss of her son.
"His first word was never heard. His first sentence was never said," she told the court through tears. "He never got to sleep in a toddler bed."
Defence lawyer Kevin Gough said afterwards that the sentence had been harsh.
"Life without parole for a juvenile, our position remains, is cruel and unusual punishment," he said.
The defence team said Elkins had been neglected by a mother who struggled with drug abuse and sometimes left him home alone without food.
Elkins' accomplice, 15-year-old Dominique Lang, is to be tried later for his role in the death of Antonio. |
Mae West Life Preserver: Countless Owe Lives to It
Most of the time, it’s the little things that count.
Anyone in the military knows that the mode of transport and the types of firepower available to each soldier are important, but ultimately, the most important equipment provided is the “back-up plan.” What happens in an emergency?
During World War II the U.S. aviators and the Royal Air Force servicemen had available to them a vital piece of American-made equipment for emergencies that had only been in use for a few years: an inflatable (Mae West) life preserver, courtesy of a man named Peter Markus (1885-1973). Markus developed his invention in the 1920s and received a patent on it in 1928; in 1930 and 1931 he patented some minor changes to the vest.
Markus came up with the invention when he was living in Minnesota. He was a merchant in the area who loved to boat and fish, and he was attuned to the fact that boaters and fishermen sometimes went overboard and drowned because they refused to wear the life vests in use at that time. The vests were cork-filled and bulky; sportsmen didn’t like to wear them because they hindered arm movement.
Looking for an Answer
Markus started experimenting to find an acceptable alternative. He eventually created a device that was patterned after a man’s vest. The rubberized cloth was made with air pockets; when deflated it weighed under two pounds. It was designed to slip over a person’s head and straps were sewn onto the front panels and could be secured behind.
To inflate the vest, two cords with knots on the ends were connected to small cartridges of fluid carbon dioxide. When the wearer needs to inflate the vest, he or she pulled the cords which triggered the carbon dioxide and caused gas to instantly fill up the vest’s air pockets.
Because the front air pockets filled quite completely, the wearer than had the look of a buxom woman. The World War II men who wore these began to call them the Mae West. (In the 1970s some thought the term should be updated, and they called the vest the Dolly Parton.)
Shortly after perfecting the invention, Peter Markus began marketing the device at sports equipment shows. At one he was attending, a Navy captain saw him demonstrating the life vest and realized the value the preserver could have to the military. Markus was invited to come to Washington to demonstrate the device.
Government Puts Vest to Use
The life vest was accepted quickly and the U.S. government began purchasing them, asking for only one change–that of color. One of the people at the early meetings with Markus noted that a bright yellow-gold color would be more practical if a plane or ship was lost and rescue teams were searching for the crew.
The first demonstration of the value of the vest came shortly after the Navy began purchasing them. A Hawaiian aviator was flying just off the shore of Honolulu when the plane stalled; both the pilot and passenger were forced to jump before the plane crashed. Only the pilot was wearing a life vest; only the pilot was saved. That was a powerful message and the vests soon became regulation equipment for Navy fliers; soon more branches of the service began using them.
The vests soon made headlines. In 1935, the dirigible, the “Macon,” went down in the Pacific, 98 of the craft’s crew of 100 were saved. Those who died had gotten trapped under the wreckage. Shortly thereafter Markus began receiving letters from appreciative airmen.
In Laura Hillenbrand’s recent book, Unbroken, the story of Louis Zamperini, an airman in the Pacific during World War II, the Mae West vest is noted for its value to the aviators. According to the author, the only times the vests failed the men was when some of them had tampered with the carbon dioxide cartridges, occasionally removing them to carbonate their drinks. Any soldier will say that wars are terrifying—and boring. Clearly, this is one of the things they did during the boring parts, unfortunately.
Still Saving Lives
Before World War II, the life vest was a profit-making venture for the rubber companies to which Markus had licensed the rights to make the vests, and Markus earned royalties on the units sold and did quite nicely with his invention.
During the war, Congress passed an “Excess Profits” tax on earnings from sales to the military during wartime, and in support of the government, Markus cancelled his patent rights for war time and the future. From that date forward, the vests were available to the government royalty-free. According to the inventor’s son, Alvin A. Markus, his father “was happy his ingenuity contributed to saving lives.”
Today the military still uses a form of this life vest, and the basic model provided for all commercial airline travelers is based on this “Mae West” model.
In 2005 an inventor named Andrew Toti died, and newspaper obituaries credited him with the invention of the inflatable life preserver. Alvin A. Markus provided documents to the newspapers and news magazines proving that his father was the inventor and the first patent holder (by many years) for the inflatable life vest. Newspapers ran corrections on their stories, and it was finally determined that Toti held no patent at all on any life vest, though he had added a crotch strap to Markus’ invention, which provided a means of securing the vest so that the chest panels did not bob up.
This story comes to us courtesy of one of our readers. Alvin Markus, now a retired engineer living in Los Angeles with his wife Hilda.
Do any of you have stories about yourself or your families that deserve to be part of the American story? If so, please contact me: [email protected] |
WASHINGTON – As few as 12 different Chinese groups, largely backed or directed by the government there, commit the bulk of the China-based cyberattacks stealing critical data from U.S. companies and government agencies, according to U.S. cybersecurity analysts and experts.
The aggressive but stealthy attacks, which have stolen billions of dollars in intellectual property and data, often carry distinct signatures allowing U.S. officials to link them to certain hacker teams. Analysts say the U.S. often gives the attackers unique names or numbers, and at times can tell where the hackers are and even who they may be.
Sketched out by analysts who have worked with U.S. companies and the government on computer intrusions, the details illuminate recent claims by American intelligence officials about the escalating cyber threat emanating from China. And the widening expanse of targets, coupled with the expensive and sensitive technologies they are losing, is putting increased pressure on the U.S. to take a much harder stand against the communist giant.
It is largely impossible for the U.S. to prosecute hackers in China, since it requires reciprocal agreements between the two countries, and it is always difficult to provide ironclad proof that the hacking came from specific people.
Several analysts described the Chinese attacks, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigations and to protect the privacy of clients. China has routinely rejected allegations of cyberspying and says it also is a target.
"Industry is already feeling that they are at war," said James Cartwright, a retired Marine general and former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A recognized expert on cyber issues, Cartwright has come out strongly in favor of increased U.S. efforts to hold China and other countries accountable for the cyberattacks that come from within their borders.
"Right now we have the worst of worlds," said Cartwright. "If you want to attack me you can do it all you want, because I can't do anything about it. It's risk-free, and you're willing to take almost any risk to come after me."
The U.S., he said, "needs to say, if you come after me, I'm going to find you, I'm going to do something about it. It will be proportional, but I'm going to do something … and if you're hiding in a third country, I'm going to tell that country you're there. If they don't stop you from doing it, I'm going to come and get you."
Cyber experts say companies are frustrated that the government isn't doing enough to pressure China to stop the attacks or go after hackers in that country.
Much like during the Cold War with Russia, officials say the U.S. needs to make it clear that there will be repercussions for cyberattacks.
The government "needs to do more to increase the risk," said Jon Ramsey, head of the counter threat unit at the Atlanta-based Dell SecureWorks, a computer security consulting company. "In the private sector we're always on defense. We can't do something about it, but someone has to. There is no deterrent not to attack the U.S."
Cyberattacks originating in China have been a problem for years, but until a decade or so ago analysts said the probes focused mainly on the U.S. government — a generally acknowledged intelligence gathering activity similar to Americans and Russians spying on each other during the Cold War.
But in the last 10 to 15 years, the attacks have gradually broadened to target defense companies, then other critical industries, including energy and finance.
According to Ramsey and other cyber analysts, hackers in China have different digital fingerprints, often visible through the computer code they use, or the command and control computers that they use to move their malicious software.
U.S. government officials have been reluctant to tie the attacks directly back to the Chinese government, but analysts and officials quietly say they have tracked enough intrusions to specific locations to be confident they are linked to Beijing — either the government or the military. They add that they can sometimes glean who benefited from a particular stolen technology.
One of the analysts said investigations show that the dozen or so Chinese teams appear to get "taskings," or orders, to go after specific technologies or companies within a particular industry. At times, two or more of the teams appear to get the same shopping list and compete to be the first to get them or to pull off the greatest haul.
Analysts and U.S. officials agree that a majority of the cyberattacks seeking intellectual property or other sensitive or classified data are done by China-based hackers. Many of the cyberattacks stealing credit card or financial information come from Eastern Europe or Russia.
According to experts, the malicious software or high-tech tools used by the Chinese haven't gotten much more sophisticated in recent years. But the threat is persistent, often burying malware deep in computer networks so it can be used again and again over the course of several months or even years.
The tools include malware that can record keystrokes, steal and decrypt passwords, and copy and compress data so it can be transferred back to the attacker's computer. The malware can then delete itself or disappear until needed again.
Several specific attacks linked to China include:
— Two sophisticated attacks against Google's systems stole some of the Internet giant's intellectual property and broke into the Gmail accounts of several hundred people, including senior U.S. government officials, military personnel and political activists.
— Last year, computer security firm Mandiant reported that data was stolen from a Fortune 500 manufacturing company during business negotiations when the company was trying to buy a Chinese company.
— Earlier this year, McAfee traced an intrusion to an Internet protocol address in China and said intruders took data from global oil, energy and petrochemical companies.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Liu Weimin, did not respond Monday to the specific allegations about government-supported cyber-attacks but said Internet security is an issue the world needs to address collectively. The international community should "prevent the Internet from becoming a new battlefield," Liu said at a daily media briefing in Beijing.
For the first time, U.S. intelligence officials called out China and Russia last month, saying they are systematically stealing American high-tech data for their own economic gain. The unusually forceful public report seemed to signal a new, more vocal U.S. government campaign against the cyberattacks.
The next step, said Cartwright, must be a full-throated U.S. policy that makes it clear how the U.S. will deal with cyberattacks, including the attackers as well as the nations the attacks are routed through. Once an attack is detected, he said, the U.S. should first go through the State Department to ask the country to stop the attack. If the country refuses, he said, the U.S. will have the right to stop the computer server from sending the attack by whatever means possible while still avoiding any collateral damage.
—
Associated Press writer Alexa Olesen in Beijing contributed to this report. |
BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China responded angrily and said it had protested to Washington after a U.S. Senate committee approved a bill calling for the resumption of port visits to Taiwan by the U.S. Navy for the first time since the United States adopted a one-China policy in 1979.
The call for the port visits was contained in a version of the U.S. National Defense Authorization Bill approved by the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. The bill would have to pass the full Senate and House and be approved by President Donald Trump to become law.
Asked about the provision, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang on Thursday called it meddling in Beijing’s internal affairs and added: “China cannot accept it.”
The legislation calls for the reestablishment of regular port visits by the U.S. Navy to the Taiwanese port of Kaohsiung, or any other suitable port, and would allow the U.S. Pacific Command to receive Taiwanese visits.
The bill also directs the Pentagon to help Taiwan develop an indigenous undersea warfare program and recommends strengthened strategic cooperation with Taipei.
“We express grave concern and firm opposition to the relative bill passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee,” Lu Kang said. “We have also lodged solemn representations about the Taiwan related content of the bill with the relevant department of the U.S. government.”
The spokesman said the bill was in violation of the principles of U.S.-China relations and called on Washington to halt military drills with and arms sales to Taiwan “to avoid further impairing broadly cooperative China-U.S. relations.”The progress of the bill coincides with, according to U.S. officials, Trump becoming increasingly frustrated with China over its inaction on North Korea and trade.
According to the officials, Trump - who alarmed Beijing after assuming office by breaking with decades of precedent and talking to Taiwan’s president - is now considering trade actions against Beijing, despite having heaped praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping after an April summit.
The U.S. Navy has not made port calls to Taiwan since 1979, when Washington adopted the so-called one-China policy, recognizing Beijing rather than Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province.
U.S. officials said in March the administration was crafting a big arms sale to Taiwan, but such talk died down as Trump sought to persuade China to do more to rein in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, an increasing threat to the United States. |
Major League Baseball started a program called Pitch Smart in November 2014. It offers guidelines on safe and effective practices for pitchers of different age groups. For pitchers 8 and younger, for example, Pitch Smart recommends pitching fewer than 60 innings per year, as well as taking at least four months off from pitching.
This is a proactive step by a league that for too long ignored the problem. At the same time, Pitch Smart suggests that an 8-year-old may throw up to 50 pitches per game. Though that is 25 pitches fewer than the limit that Little League baseball provided when it implemented pitch counts in 2007, I have no intention of letting kids on my son’s team get anywhere near that threshold. The boys who pitch will throw a maximum of one inning at a time, once a week, 30 pitches tops. The rationale behind my rules is simple: These boys have got years to build up arm strength. Until research shows more conclusively what is — and what isn’t — a safe amount of pitching for still-growing arms, no harm comes from babying them.
My own excess of caution is not a national solution. Major League Baseball must recapture the youth development apparatus from the showcase industry, which profits from year-round baseball. Coaches must better educate themselves on the perils of too much pitching. And starry-eyed parents must understand that college baseball scholarships or professional signing bonuses are almost always pipe dreams.
The day I visited Dr. Mamizuka’s office, I saw another boy, who was 9 years old. Two months earlier, he had surgery to place a pin inside his elbow. His arm remained splinted. Dr. Mamizuka inspected it and nodded. Then he asked a question of the boy. “Still like baseball?” he said.
“Yes,” said the boy, and the determined look on his face was so familiar to me. Parents and coaches fall prey to it every day. The kid who wants to keep going, who can pitch through the pain, who wants to impress with his toughness.
My son loves baseball, too — so much he wants to play sunrise to sunset. He knows better, though, because I tell him the dangers. It’s incumbent on other parents and coaches to start doing the same. |
Dear President Trump, Vice President Pence, Members of the Trump Administration and 115th Congress,
The Baptist tradition that I claim and that claims me began in religious dissent. Thomas Helwys, Baptist founder, resisted all attempts by government or state-privileged religions to coerce individual faith. In A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity (1612), he advised King James I that governments should permit all persons to “choose their religion themselves, seeing they only must stand themselves before the judgment seat of God…when it shall be no excuse for them to say, ‘We were commanded or compelled to be of this religion by the king.’”
In 1636, when the Puritan religious establishment exiled Roger Williams, America’s quintessential dissenter, into the “howling wilderness” of New England, he purchased land from the Narragansets and founded Providence (Rhode Island), the first colony to offer liberty to persons of differing religions or no religion at all. Williams called it “a shelter for persons distressed of conscience” and communicated his “purchase to loving friends…who desired to take shelter here with me.”
Good citizenship, Williams insisted, was not limited to Christians, but “Jews, Turks, [Muslims] or anti-Christians” could “be peaceable and quiet subjects, loving and helpful neighbours.” Williams’ legacy continued with 18th century Virginia Baptist John Leland, who asserted that “Bible Christians and Deists” alike were free to resist “self-named Christians,” those who tyrannized “the consciences of others, under the specious garb of religion and good order.”
Across American history, such religious pluralism is often granted grudgingly, whether exiling Baptists, hanging Quakers, shooting Catholics and Mormons, jailing Jehovah’s Witnesses, or burning churches, mosques, and synagogues along the way. Dissent remains perilous.
I hope that, under your leadership, the U.S. continues to endure as “a shelter for persons distressed of conscience.” Those who prefer otherwise can blame the early Baptists.
Sincerely,
Bill J. Leonard
Bill J. Leonard
James and Marilyn Dunn Professor of Baptist Studies
and Professor of Church History
Wake Forest University |
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence listens to a question during a news conference, Tuesday, March 31, 2015, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Goodbye Mike Pence!
It continues to amaze us -- no matter how long we cover this stuff -- how quickly fortunes can change in national politics. A week ago, the Indiana governor was seen as a possible dark-horse presidential candidate in 2016 -- the sort of guy who could appeal to social and fiscal conservatives, had ties to Washington and/but was now a governor.
Today Pence is radioactive, after botching the signing of Indiana's religious freedom law. Rather than spending the next few months -- or years -- stoking talk about his future national prospects, Pence and his team now have to spend all of their energy rehabbing his image in the state so he can win reelection in 2016.
Given that, we are taking Pence off of our list of the 10 Republicans we consider most likely to wind up as the GOP's presidential nominee against Hillary Clinton the Democratic standard-bearer in 2016. He is replaced in our rankings by Texas Gov. Rick Perry who, if you are looking for a long-ish shot that no one is really talking about but has at least a puncher's chance at the nomination, might fit the bill.
As always, the No. 1-ranked candidate below is considered the most likely to win the nomination. Enjoy!
10. Former Texas governor Rick Perry: He has an economic record in Texas that should be political gold. Of course, we said that same thing in 2012. Speaking of 2012, that's the Texas governor's biggest problem: Can he convince Republican voters who watched him implode three years ago that he deserves a second chance? (Previous ranking: N/A)
9. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal: Jindal is trying to find an issue on which he can break through and get more people to pay attention to him. He seized on the Indiana fight this week to go on a conservative talk radio binge to proclaim himself as the one true candidate in the developing race who has been on board with this issue for more than a week. Early returns would suggest it didn't take. Jindal is an intriguing profile -- Indian-American, two-term governor, Rhodes Scholar, former House member -- and no one doubts his brain power. But he's struggling to get people to look his way. Still. (Previous ranking: 8)
8. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee: Like Jindal, few Republicans were as vocal in support of Indiana’s religious freedom law over the past week as Huckabee, who of course relies on the support of Christian conservatives and remains steadfastly opposed to gay marriage. That’s a nice niche, but we still haven’t seen the former Arkansas governor doing the things he needs to to put together a winning campaign -- or even raise big money. (Previous ranking: 9)
7. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie: Nobody’s fortunes have fallen as much as Christie’s have. And it’s not just in New Jersey, either. A Washington Post-ABC News poll released this week showed his unfavorable rating (41 percent) slightly higher than his favorable rating (38 percent) ... among Republicans. That’s not exactly a winning recipe. We keep him this high because, more so than the people below him, we have seen Christie’s potential for winning. Of course, that was in 2012, and boy have things changed. (Previous ranking: 5)
6. Ohio Gov. John Kasich: John Kasich leads! In Ohio! That’s the finding of a new Quinnipiac University poll, which shows Kasich leading all comers in his home state, with 20 percent of the vote. But that’s about the only poll you’ll see Kasich really register in. For now, his candidacy is very much in the abstract. And with Bush in the race, is there really room for Kasich? (Previous ranking: 6)
5. Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.): Cruz had to be absolutely elated with the Washington Post-ABC News poll out this week that showed him running second in the GOP primary, behind only Jeb Bush. Some of that rise is directly related to the coverage Cruz got by (smartly) being the first candidate into the presidential race. What remains to be seen: Can Cruz expand beyond the 12-ish percent of the vote he's likely to have right now in each of the early voting states. And, if so, how? Plenty of Republicans aren't fans. (Previous ranking: 6)
4. Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.): Paul is expected to announce his candidacy on Tuesday, which would make him the second major GOP candidate in the race, after Cruz. And these two have already shown that they will tussle with each other. It makes sense. After all, both men are chasing both tea party and religious conservative voters in the 2016 race. There's probably only room for one of them. (Previous ranking: 4)
3. Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.): Rubio will formally enter the race shortly after Paul -- a week from Monday in Miami. Rubio seems to have concluded that he can raise the money he needs to mount a serious candidacy even with Bush in the running. And he has tremendous upside potential; the question is whether he turns into a star like Dirk Nowitzki or a bust like, say Jan Vesely. (Previous ranking: 3)
2. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: The Post-ABC poll showed Walker in third place, at 12 percent, but a new Fox News poll of the GOP primary shows him in first place. What’s clear: His standing in the polls is pretty darn good for a guy who isn't that well-known. In fact, the 41 percent of Republicans who have no opinion of Walker in the Post-ABC poll is higher than any other major candidate. (Previous ranking: 2)
1. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush: Bush leads in the new Post-ABC poll, but he’s also got problems. The poll shows 32 percent of Republicans and 50 percent of independents have an unfavorable opinion of him. Overall, his favorable/unfavorable split is 33/53 – 20 points underwater. There’s plenty of campaign ahead, but there’s something about Bush that is rubbing people wrong. (Previous ranking: 1) |
If you have a limited number of sections in your website or app and users should be able to quickly switch between these sections, a tabbed navigation might be the solution.
Luckily, more and more sites and apps are experimenting with alternative, more efficient solutions for this very problem. None of the ideas listed here is better than the others, their viability and performance obviously depend on the content and the context.
If you’re working on digital products, you have already read dozens of articles describing how and why the hamburger navigation on mobile (and desktop!) hurts UX metrics due of its low discoverability and efficiency. (You can read some of best articles on the topic here , here , here , and here .)
Tabs seem to be the simplest navigation pattern, however, you need to consider a few things when designing them:
You should have no more than five sections to display
One of the tabs should always be active and should visually be highlighted
The first tab has to be the home page or home screen and the order of the tabs should relate to their priority or logical order in the user flow
Tabs can either be displayed at the top or at the bottom of the screen, based on the context or platform (however, bottom tabs are now a pattern in Android, too)
Icons without labels only work for common actions with really well known icons and for interfaces that the users use frequently (e.g. social media apps)
More tips on designing tabbed navigation
Examples: LinkedIn and Google Photos
Icon-only tabs on LinkedIn and icon+label tabs on Google Photos
2. Tabs with a ‘more’ option
When there are more than 5 main sections, a practical solution might be to show the four most prioritized sections and have a fifth element list ‘everything else’:
The design principles for this solution are basically the same as for simple tabs. The ‘more’ item can either link to a navigation page or work as a dropdown menu with the remaining sections:
You could argue that the ‘more’ item isn’t better than the hamburger menu (it’s kind of hidden and its label does not refer to its content at all), however, if you have made the prioritization right, most users will be looking for one of the four visible items anyway so the navigation experience for the majority will still be improved.
Example: Facebook
News feed, friend requests, notification, and search is always available in the header, all the remaining functionality is available from the ‘more’ menu on Facebook
3. Progressively collapsing menu
A more sophisticated version of the ‘tabs + more’ navigation is to design a menu that adapts to the screen width, shows as much of the navigation as possible, and puts everything else under a More item if necessary:
This means that the More menu contains more items on a lower resolution — items ‘jump’ under More when there’s not enough space to show them. The flexibility of this solution provides a better experience than the ‘tabs + more’, especially on in-between screen sizes.
Example: BBC
The main menu of BBC is rendered according to the actual screen size to always show as many items as possible
4. Scrollable navigation
If you have a number of navigation items without a big distinction in priorities and having a ‘more’ category would be a bad compromise, another strategy is to list all the items in a scrollable view:
The downside of this solution is that still only the top few items are visible without scrolling and all the remaining ones are off the canvas. This is, however, an acceptable solution when the users are expected to explore the content, e.g. in a web shop or news categories.
As far as visual design is concerned you need to make sure to provide enough visual hints to suggest that there are more elements available upon horizontal scrolling (e.g. by fading and/or off positioning the last visible element).
Examples: Medium and Google
The main categories can be scrolled at smaller screen sizes on Medium.com
Categories of the Google search results page are available in a scrollable view
5. Dropdown menus
An uncommon but interesting pattern is to use dropdown-like menus when the visibility and accessibility of the other sections is not essential:
The dropdown menu actually has a double role in this case: first, it serves as a page title and the downward arrow suggests that there’s a possibility to quickly switch to similar sections. Although the options are hidden in this case, the dropdown design suggests that the list would contain options that are either siblings or children of the current page (and it should primarily be used for this purpose).
Example: Barnes & Noble and Duolingo
When browsing books, the current category and the navigation/filtering options are always available in a dropdown menu on bn.com
While not a common interaction for most users, Duolingo allows to quickly switch between the languages you practice via a dropdown
And sometimes, surprisingly, the hamburger menu might be a good choice
Since the main downside of the hamburger menu is its low discoverability, it’s recommended to consider one of the alternatives when it comes to designing the main navigation menu. However, when designing secondary navigation options, this pattern might be an appropriate solution.
If the primary options are available as prominent on-screen call to action buttons, the hamburger menu seems a good place for all the secondary navigation:
This pattern can be used when the main navigation is designed around a user flow and the related options are clearly available on the screen. Uber might be a good example:
Since everything about this screen is designed to request a car, secondary options such as History and Settings should not be available more prominently than from a hamburger menu.
Google Translate is really similar to this:
Since the main functionality (switching languages and entering text to translate) is the most prominent part of the screen, the hidden menu is a great place to host sections like Help and Community.
Conclusion
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for mobile navigation, it always depends on your product, on your users, and on the context. What works well for others might not work for you and vice versa. However, the foundation of every well designed navigation is information architecture — clear structure, priorities, and labels based on your users’ needs. So why not start finding the most efficient mobile navigation for your product today?
I’m sure there are plenty of other great ideas and patterns for efficient mobile navigation. Which ones should I add to this collection? Send them my way in the comment section. (Btw, we’re hiring, too!) |
Jerilee Bennett/Gazette/Associated Press
UNLV returns to the road Saturday at Wyoming. That statement alone might send shivers down fans’ spines, and it has nothing to do with the opponent. It’s just one word: Road.
The Rebels have lost 10 of 13 road conference games under coach Dave Rice, nine of their last 10 and four in a row. It’s obviously a big concern, one that Rice has been hinting at the past week while UNLV took care of business at home against San Diego State and Colorado State.
“It is a big deal, but I don’t want it to make it to the point that it’s overwhelming our guys,” Rice said. “But the last three games (at Boise State, at Fresno State, at Air Force) have been unacceptable.”
After the Wyoming game, UNLV has a week off before going north to face UNR in its last true road game of the 2012-13 season. There are a lot of reasons the Rebels, like most teams, struggle away from home, so with six Mountain West games played both at home and the road, we’re looking at the numbers breakdown to see what factors may be more important than others.
What’s the most important thing the Rebels need to do on the road?
“It still has to be defense, because defense is about energy,” Rice said. “But our shot selection on the road is a close second.”
Here are the figures:
Offense
Loc. W-L 2FG% 3FG% FT% FTA Ast TO PPG
Away 1-5 50.2 29.7 67.1 12.6 14.3 14 64.3
Home 6-0 47.3 32 68.3 21 17.2 14.3 66.8
Defense
Loc. 2FG% 3FG% FT% FTA RMarg. TO PPG
Away 47.1 33.3 70.5 22 +2 11.3 69.7
Home 44 26.7 68.1 15.2 +55 11.5 59.8
The numbers seem to back up Rice, whose team allows nearly 10 points less per game at home than on the road. They also rebound demonstrably better and get to the free-throw line about nine more times per game at home than on the road.
Offensively, the numbers are very similar. The Rebels shoot a little better inside on the road and a little better outside at home.
Here are a few other observations from the numbers:
• UNLV has more made free throws at home (86) than attempted free throws on the road (76). It’s no secret that it’s easier to get calls at home, and the Rebels happen to be an extreme example of this.
Two weeks ago in his Power Rankings on SI.com, Luke Winn looked at the teams in BCS conferences plus the Mountain West to see who had the greatest home-court advantage based on free throw attempts per offensive play. UNLV ranked eighth in the country, right behind Colorado State.
At home, UNLV has attempted at least 18 free throws in four games and never attempted less than 15. On the road, the Rebels have never reached the 18-attempts mark, and four of the games were below 15, including that 4-for-5 night at New Mexico.
Of course, the opponents’ numbers are similar in the Mack. Three of the teams were under 15 attempts and none had more than 20.
Part of this certainly must be credited to UNLV playing more aggressively at home, though they actually take more outside shots in the Thomas & Mack Center (see next item).
• One of the most common complaints about shot selection on the road — UNLV attempts too many 3s — doesn’t hold up to the numbers. The Rebels take a greater percentage of their shots at home behind the arc: 38.7 percent compared to 34.2 percent on the road.
And the difference in the percentage of made shots is very marginal. If the Rebels go 6-for-10 behind the line at Wyoming, their numbers would be exactly the same in conference play home or away.
• These numbers have a few surprises, although they essentially confirm what the already know: To win on the road, UNLV has to play better defense to make up for the home team’s better shooting and extra trips to the free throw line.
That effort has to start at the beginning of the game, because the Rebels make things even harder on themselves by falling into deep holes.
“I don’t think there’s anything that’s some magical fix,” Rice said. “It’s very simple; we show up and execute what we’re supposed to do.”
UNLV 4505 Maryland Parkway Las Vegas , NV 89154
Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern. |
Flickr/DPStyles Boys and girls as young as 11 struggle to be "just friends" because they are subject to sexual teasing from their classmates, led by a societal pressure to "couple up", according to an in-depth study.
Research by Professor Emma Renold at Cardiff University, in collaboration with the NSPCC, has highlighted the pressure to turn a close boy-girl friendship into a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship from a young age, because of the stigma attached to girls and boys sharing the same interests.
During a qualitative study involving interviews with 125 children aged 10, 11 and 12, one boy admitted that he had to pretend his best friend Alice was a cousin for an entire school year, so that they could hang out free from "heterosexual teasing". One boy talked about how his primary school 'girlfriend' of five years helped him cope with the death of his father.
But, says Prof Renold, the children largely talked about boyfriend-girlfriend cultures as something they had little choice about particpating in.
"Children are actively learning everyday about the contradictory and often confusing ways in which gender and sexuality shape who they are, how they feel in their bodies, what they can do, where they can go, how they relate to others and how others relate to them," she said.
However, the majority of children also spoke of the playground advantages of being in a relationship, such as the enhanced "social status and popularity" being a boyfriend or girlfriend could bring - as well as the social exclusion incurred by not being part of the boyfriend/ girlfriend culture.
One boy admitted it was a "virtual rule" that "if you had a girlfriend you were marked out as cool, if you didn't you were a chav".
Sexual imagery 'bombardment'
The study, carried out to understand how pre-teens feel about growing up in an increasingly sexualised society, also paints an alternative picture for how young boys and girls are responding to the bombardment of sexual imagery on TV and in music videos.
For examples, many girls interviewed for the study said they liked to wear high heels - not to "look sexy" - but to appear older and therefore ward off any bullying or taunts from older girls in their community.
Looking taller, which you can achieve from wearing 5in heels, was not about looks, but about "not being treated like dirt" and being less bullied. One girl said: "Sometimes we do try and look older... when you're older you have more independence."
Similarly, some boys as young as 11 in the study said they had started weight training to gain a six pack - not to look good - but to protect themselves or their friends from being beaten up.
Prof Renold said: "It wouldn't make sense just to address this risk by banning magazines advertising high heels for pre-teen girls or tightening up on the age laws of gym membership - it would involve a much broader intervention around physical safety and peer violence, as well as combatting gender and sexual stereotypes."
When it came to the pressure to conform to being in a relationship - even as young as 11 - more girls than boys found it difficult to resist, and it was often talked about as an inevitable part of being a "normal girl" and "something you had to get used to", according to the study.
Boys found it easier to admit they weren't ready to be in a couple, whereas girls were more at risk of harassment, control and coercion from boys, the research said.
Equally, girls were subject to double standards, so they were "frigid" if they didn't want a boyfriend and a "slut" if they talked about it.
Unlike boys, many girls had to negotiate who they were in terms of their relationship status, "We're either 'single pringles', or 'taken bacon'," one girl said.
Unpicking the findings
Prof Renold said: "When we connect the role of boyfriend to social status, social inclusion and proof of a boys' masculinity, we can perhaps begin to make some sense of how to intervene in these situations - and again it would involve directly addressing constraining gender norms for boys and girls."
She added that her research was set up to allow children's own views to take priority - hence personal interviews with children rather than quantitative research - rather than adults assuming they knew the pressures that children were under. "Because when it comes to sexuality, children's views have either been absent, sidelined, ignored, sensationalised or simplified in popular debate."
Another finding from the study shows girls are having to "put up with living in a sexist society".
"Children also talked at lot about the pressure to conform to gender norms and stereotypes.
"As one girl told me, 'I feel pushed to be a girl'. In contrast to what we hear in the media, many girls preferred comfy clothes, like tracksuit bottoms and hoodies - clothes that concealed rather than revealed the contours of their body. As Steph, age 12, says: 'If I don't feel good about myself, the last thing I am going to do is draw attention to myself by wearing rude stuff'."
Prof Renold's research comes after a national survey by Girlguiding found three quarters of girls and young women believe sexism affects most areas of their lives, with many subject to sexual taunting or sexist jokes at school.
Nine in 10 of the 1,288 girls and young women interviewed for the Girlguiding study said women are judged for their looks more than their ability, causing one in five girls as young as seven to go on a diet.
Prof Renold said: "Body anxiety was really strong in most girls' talk about their bodies but was much less present in boys' talk. Girls spoke a lot about constantly feeling watched and judged." |
Kid Rock for Senator?
According to a report from Rollcall.com, the 46-year-old musician, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, was brought up at a Michigan Republican Party convention last weekend to contend for Democrat Debbie Stabenow’s seat in next year’s election.
The report says no official decisions have been made yet.
In past interviews, Rock has discussed his political views without hesitation.
“I am definitely a Republican on fiscal issues and the military, but I lean to the middle on social issues,” Rock told The Guardian. “I am no fan of abortion, but it’s not up to a man to tell a woman what to do. As an ordained minister I don’t look forward to marrying gay people, but I’m not opposed to it.”
Rock endorsed then-Republican candidate Donald Trump for President in 2016 in an interview with Rolling Stone. His online store still offers merchandise backing the current Commander-in-chief, including hats that say “Make America Bada-- Again.”
Copyright 2017 WCNC |
West End theatre building in Covent Garden, London, England
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drury Lane. The building is the most recent in a line of four theatres which were built at the same location, the earliest of which dated back to 1663, making it the oldest theatre site in London still in use.[1] According to the author Peter Thomson, for its first two centuries, Drury Lane could "reasonably have claimed to be London's leading theatre".[2] For most of that time, it was one of a handful of patent theatres, granted monopoly rights to the production of "legitimate" drama in London (meaning spoken plays, rather than opera, dance, concerts, or plays with music).
The first theatre on the site was built at the behest of Thomas Killigrew in the early 1660s, when theatres were allowed to reopen during the English Restoration. Initially known as "Theatre Royal in Bridges Street", the theatre's proprietors hired prominent actors who performed at the theatre on a regular basis, including Nell Gwyn and Charles Hart. In 1672 the theatre caught fire and Killigrew built a larger theatre on the same plot, renamed the "Theatre Royal in Drury Lane"; it opened in 1674. This building lasted nearly 120 years, under the leaderships of Colley Cibber, David Garrick and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the last of whom employed Joseph Grimaldi as the theatre's resident Clown.
In 1791, under Sheridan's management, the building was demolished to make way for a larger theatre which opened in 1794. This new Drury Lane survived for 15 years before burning down in 1809. The building that stands today opened in 1812. It has been the residency of well known actors including; Edmund Kean, comedian Dan Leno, and the musical composer and performer Ivor Novello. From the Second World War, the theatre has primarily hosted long runs of musicals, including Oklahoma! (1947–1953), My Fair Lady (1958–1963), 42nd Street (1984–1989, 2017-2019) and Miss Saigon (1989–1999), the theatre's longest-running show.[3] The theatre is owned by the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.
First theatre: Theatre Royal, Bridges Street (1663) [ edit ]
After the eleven-year-long Puritan Interregnum, which had seen the banning of pastimes regarded as frivolous, such as theatre, the English monarchy was restored to the throne with the return of Charles II in 1660. Soon after, Charles issued Letters Patent to two parties licensing the formation of new acting companies. One of these went to Thomas Killigrew, whose company became known as the King's Company, and who built a new theatre in Drury Lane. The Letters Patent also granted the two companies a shared monopoly on the public performance of legitimate drama in London; this monopoly was challenged in the 18th century by new venues and by a certain slipperiness in the definition of "legitimate drama," but remained legally in place until 1843.[4] The new playhouse, architect unknown, opened on 7 May 1663 and was known from the placement of the entrance as the "Theatre Royal in Bridges Street."[5] It went by other names as well, including the "King's Playhouse." The building was a three-tiered wooden structure, 112 feet (34 m) long and 59 feet (18 m) wide; it could hold an audience of 700.[6] Set well back from the broader streets, the theatre was accessed by narrow passages between surrounding buildings.[7]
The King himself frequently attended the theatre's productions, as did Samuel Pepys, whose private diaries provide much of what we know of London theatre-going in the 1660s. The day after the Theatre Royal opened, Pepys attended a performance of Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher's The Humorous Lieutenant. He has this to say in his diary:
The house is made with extraordinary good contrivance, and yet hath some faults, as the narrowness of the passages in and out of the Pitt, and the distance from the stage to the boxes, which I am confident cannot hear; but for all other things it is well, only, above all, the musique being below, and most of it sounding under the very stage, there is no hearing of the bases at all, nor very well of the trebles, which sure must be mended.[8]
Location of the Theatre Royal on a map of London from 1700; the inset shows the streets as they are in 2006.
Performances usually began at 3 pm to take advantage of the daylight: the main floor for the audience, the pit, had no roof in order to let in the light. A glazed dome was built over the opening, but according to one of Pepys' diary entries, the dome was not entirely effective at keeping out the elements: he and his wife were forced to leave the theatre to take refuge from a hail storm.[9] Green baize cloth covered the benches in the pit and served to decorate the boxes, additionally ornamented with gold-tooled leather, and even the stage itself.[10] The backless green benches in the pit were in a semicircular arrangement facing the stage, according to a May 1663 letter from one Monsieur de Maonconys: "All benches of the pit, where people of rank also sit, are shaped in a semi-circle, each row higher than the next."[11] The three galleries formed a semicircle around the floor seats; both the first and second galleries were divided up into boxes.[12]
The King's Company was forced to commission the technically advanced and expensive Theatre Royal playhouse by the success of the rival Duke's Company, which was drawing fascinated crowds with their "moveable" or "changeable" scenery and visually gorgeous productions at the former Lisle's Tennis Court at Lincoln's Inn Fields.[13][14] Imitating the innovations at Lincoln's Inn Fields, the Theatre Royal also featured moveable scenery with wings or shutters that could be smoothly changed between or even within acts. When not in use, the shutters rested out of sight behind the sides of the proscenium arch, which also served as a visual frame for the on-stage happenings.[15] The picture-frame-like separation between audience and performance was a new phenomenon in English theatre, though it had been found on the Continent earlier. Theatre design in London remained ambivalent about the merits of the "picture-box" stage, and for many decades to come, London theatres including Drury Lane had large forestages protruding beyond the arch,[16] often including the thrust stages found in the Elizabethan theatres. The players could still step forward and bridge the distance between performer and audience, and in addition, it was not unusual for audience members to mount the stage themselves.[17]
Killigrew's investment in the new playhouse put the two companies on a level as far as technical resources were concerned, but the offerings at the Theatre Royal nevertheless continued to be dominated by actor-driven "talk" drama, contrasting with William Davenant's baroque spectacles and operas at Lincoln's Inn Fields.[18] Internal power structures were the main reason for this difference: while Davenant skilfully commanded a docile young troupe, Killigrew's authority over his veteran actors was far from absolute.[19] Experienced actors Michael Mohun (who Pepys called "the best actor in the world"[20]) and Charles Hart held out for shares and good contracts in the King's Company. Such a division of power between the patentee, Killigrew, and his chief actors led to frequent conflicts that hampered the Theatre Royal as a business venture.[21] Nevertheless, it was mostly at the struggling Theatre Royal, rather than at the efficiently run Lincoln's Inn Fields, that the plays were acted that are classics today. This applies especially to the new form Restoration comedy, dominated in the 1660s by William Wycherley and the Theatre Royal's house dramatist John Dryden. Actors such as Hart and Charles II's mistress Nell Gwyn developed and refined the famous scenes of repartee, banter and flirtation in Dryden's and Wycherley's comedies.[22] With the appearance of actresses for the first time at Drury Lane and Lincoln's Inn Fields in the 1660s,[23] British playwrights wrote parts for outspoken female characters, daring love scenes and provocative breeches roles.[6][24] In any case, the competition between the King's Company and the Duke's was good for the rebirth and development of English drama.[25]
The Great Plague of London struck in the summer of 1665, and the Theatre Royal, along with all other public entertainment, was shut down by order of the Crown on 5 June. It remained closed for 18 months until the autumn of 1666, during which time it received at least a little interior renovation, including widening of the stage.[26] Located well to the west of the City boundary, the theatre was unaffected by the Great Fire of London, which raged through the City in September 1666, but it burned down six years later on 25 January 1672.[27]
Second theatre: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (1674) [ edit ]
1: Proscenium arch. 2: Four pairs of shutters across the stage. 3: Pit. 4: Galleries. 5: Boxes. Unsigned longitudinal section showing a design attributed to Christopher Wren : Four pairs of shutters across the stage.: Pit.: Galleries.: Boxes.
During the 20th century, one illustration was repeatedly – and wrongly – published as "Christopher Wren, design for the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, 1674".[28] Since 1964, this presumption has been disputed by scholars.[29] Careful inspection of the drawing at All Soul's Library shows that it has one pencil inscription: "Play house" [sic], which may have been added by a librarian or by anyone else. No sign of a signature (by Wren or anyone else) or a date appears anywhere on the drawing.[30] Robert D. Hume of Penn State University explained that use of the drawing "rests almost entirely on the supposition that the so-called "Wren section" at All Souls represents this theatre. It could just as easily be a discarded sketch unconnected to Drury Lane in any way."[31]
Comparative evidence for Drury Lane's 1674 design can be found in the Theatre Royal, Bristol, built in 1766, whose design was modelled, in part, on Drury Lane's.[30][32] The site measured 112 ft (34 m) east-west and 59 ft (18 m) north-south. The building was smaller than this, as reliable surveys and maps of the period show three passageways measuring between 5 and 10 ft (1.5 and 3.0 m) wide surrounding the Theatre Royal on three sides. The building probably measured between 40 and 50 ft (12 and 15 m) wide (the average width of all "Restoration" Theatres) and between 90 and 100 ft (27 and 30 m) long. Architect Robert Adam designed Drury Lane's 1674 interior. The theatre was managed, from 1747 to Adam's retirement in the 1770s, by David Garrick.[30]
The King's Company never recovered financially from the loss of the old Theatre Royal Bridges Street. The cost of constructing the new theatre, replacing their costumes and scenery lost in the fire and competitive pressure from the rival Duke's Company contributed to its decline. Eventually, in 1682, the King's Company merged with the Duke's.[33] The 1674 Theatre Royal building contained a warren of rooms, including storage space and dressing rooms used by the management and performers, nearly seventy people in total, as well as some fifty technical staff members.[34] Additionally three rooms were provided for scripts, including a library for their storage, a separate room for copying actors' parts and a special library for the theatre's account books, ledger books and music scores. This jumble of rooms often made communication among various departments difficult, a problem that Garrick corrected during his tenure as manager. The entire complex occupied 13,134 square feet (1,220 m2) bounded by Drury Lane (east), Brydges Street (west), Great Russell Street (north) and Little Russell Street (south).[35]
From 1674, theatregoers accessed the Drury Lane via a long ten foot wide passageway from Bridges Street. The passageway opened onto a yard (previously a "Riding Yard"[36]) in which the theatre stood. It's likely that the yard remained open to the sky at this date, on three sides of the Theatre Royal walls. Henri Misson, a visitor from France, offers a description of the theatre in 1698: his use of the word "amphitheatre" supports the view that Drury Lane had a circular line of boxes surrounding its pit:
The Pit is an Amphitheatre, fill'd with Benches without Backboards, and adorn'd and cover'd with green Cloth. Men of Quality, particularly the younger Sort, some Ladies of Reputation and Virtue, and abundance of Damsels that haunt for Prey, sit all together in this Place, Higgledy-piggledy, chatter, toy, play, hear, hear not. Farther up, against the Wall, under the first Gallery and just opposite to the Stage, rises another Amphitheatre, which is taken by persons of the best Quality, among whom are generally very few Men. The Galleries, whereof there are only two Rows, are fill'd with none but ordinary People, particularly the Upper one.[37]
As Misson points out, the seating was divided by class, and tickets were priced accordingly. Box seats, used by the nobility and wealthy gentry, cost 5 shillings; the benches in the pit where some gentry sat, but also critics and scholars, cost 3 shillings; tradesmen and professionals occupied the first gallery with seats costing 2 shillings, while servants and other "ordinary people", as Misson refers to them, occupied the 1 shilling seats of the upper gallery. Seats were not numbered and were offered on a "first come, first served" basis, leading many members of the gentry to send servants to reserve seats well ahead of performances.[34] The stage was 45 feet (14 m) wide and 30 feet (9.1 m) deep with a raked floor from the footlights to the backdrop. The angle of the rake rose one inch for every 24 inches (610 mm) of horizontal stage. The stage floor included grooves for wings and flats in addition to trap doors in the floor. The proscenium arch covered the stage equipment above the stage that included a pair of girondels – large wheels holding many candles used to counteract the light from the footlights. Towards the latter part of the 18th century, doors were placed on either side of the stage, and a series of small spikes traced the edge of the stage apron to prevent audiences from climbing onto the stage. At the very back of the stage, a wide door opened to reveal Drury Lane.[38]
An added difficulty for Killigrew and his sons Thomas and Charles was the political unrest of 1678–1684 with the Popish Plot and the Exclusion Bill crisis distracting potential audiences from things theatrical. This affected both the King's and the Duke's companies, but most of all the King's which had no profit margin to carry them through the lean years. In 1682, the companies merged, or rather, the King's was absorbed by the Duke's. Led at the time by Thomas Betterton, the United Company, as it was now called, chose Drury Lane as their production house, leaving the Duke's Company's theatre in Dorset Garden closed for a time. In 1688 Betterton was removed from managerial control by Alexander Davenant, son of William Davenant, the original patent holder for the Duke's Company. Davenant's management (with Charles Killigrew) proved brief and disastrous, and by 1693 he was fleeing to the Canary Islands in the wake of embezzlement charges. The Theatre Royal found itself in the hands of lawyer Christopher Rich for the next 16 years.[39]
Neither Davenant's nor Killigrew's sons were much better than crooks,[40] and Rich attempted to recoup their depredations of the company's resources by cost-cutting tyranny, pitting actor against actor and slashing salaries. By 1695, the actors, including day-to-day manager and acting legend Thomas Betterton, were alienated and humiliated enough to walk out and set up a cooperative company of their own. Nine men and six women departed, all of them established professional performers, including such draws as tragedian Elizabeth Barry and comedian Anne Bracegirdle, leaving the United Company – henceforth known as the "Patent Company" – in "a very despicable condition," according to an anonymous contemporary pamphlet:
The disproportion was so great at parting, that it was almost impossible, in Drury Lane, to muster up a sufficient number to take in all the parts of any play; and of them so few were tolerable, that a play must of necessity be damned, that had not extraordinary favour from the audience. No fewer than sixteen (most of the old standing) went away; and with them the very beauty and vigour of the stage; they who were left being for the most part learners, boys and girls, a very unequal match for them that revolted.[41]
A private letter from 19 November 1696 reported that Drury Lane "has no company at all, and unless a new play comes out on Saturday revives their reputation, they must break."[42] The new play is assumed to have been John Vanbrugh's The Relapse, and it turned out the success the company needed. Christopher Rich continued as its head until 1709, when the patent in question was actually revoked amid a complex tangle of political machinations. A lawyer named William Collier was briefly given the right to mount productions in Drury Lane, but by 1710 the troupe was in the hands of the actors Colley Cibber, Robert Wilks, and Thomas Doggett – a triumvirate that eventually found themselves sharply satirised in Alexander Pope's Dunciad.[43] In 1713 Barton Booth replaced Doggett.[44] On 2 March 1717 was the premiere of the ballet The Loves of Mars and Venus choreographed by John Weaver, and was the first ballet to be performed in England.
Cibber was the de facto leader of the triumvirate, and he led the theatre through a controversial but generally successful period until 1733, when he sold his controlling interest to John Highmore. It is likely that the sale was at a vastly inflated price and that Colley's goal was simply to get out of debts and make a profit (see Robert Lowe in his edition of Cibber's Apology). Members of the troupe at the time were most displeased; an actor's revolt was organised and executed; Charles Fleetwood came to control the theatre. Fleetwood's tenure was tumultuous; his abolition of the practice of allowing footmen free access to the upper gallery led to riots in 1737, and Fleetwood's gambling problems entangled the theatre in his own financial difficulties.[45] It was during this period that actor Charles Macklin (a native of Inishowen in County Donegal in Ulster) rose to fame, propelled by a singular performance as Shylock in an early 1741 production of The Merchant of Venice, in which he introduced a realistic, naturalistic style of acting, abandoning the artificial bombast typical to dramatic roles prior.[45]
The facade on Bridges Street. Added in 1775, this gave the theatre its first on-street entrance.
In 1747, Fleetwood's playhouse patent expired. The theatre and a patent renewal were purchased by actor David Garrick (who had trained under Macklin earlier) and partner James Lacy. Garrick served as manager and lead actor of the theatre until roughly 1766, and continued on in the management role for another ten years after that. He is remembered as one of the great stage actors and is especially associated with advancing the Shakespearean tradition in English theatre – during his time at Drury Lane, the company mounted at least 24 of Shakespeare's plays.[46] Some of Shakespeare's surge in popularity during this period can be traced to the Licensing Act of 1737, which mandated governmental approval of any play before it could be performed and thereby created something of a vacuum of new material to perform. Garrick shared the stage with company including Peg Woffington, Susannah Cibber, Hannah Pritchard, Kitty Clive, Spranger Barry, Richard Yates and Ned Shuter. It was under Garrick's management that spectators were for the first time barred from the stage itself.[47]
Garrick commissioned Robert Adam and his brother James to renovate the theatre's interior, which they did in 1775. Their additions included an ornate ceiling and a stucco facade facing Bridges Street. This facade was the first time any structure that might be considered part of the theatre proper actually abutted the street: the building, like the 1663 original, had been built in the centre of the block, hemmed in by other structures. The narrow passage from Bridges street to the theatre now became an interior hallway; some theatre office space also went up behind the new facade.[48]
The interior of the third and largest theatre to stand at Drury Lane, c. 1808
With a series of farewell performances, Garrick left the stage in 1776 and sold his shares in the theatre to the Irish playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Sheridan and his partners, Thomas Linley the elder and Doctor James Ford (court physician to King George III[49]), completed their purchase of Drury Lane two years later, and Sheridan owned it until 1809.[50] Sheridan premiered his own comedy of manners The School for Scandal in 1777. Active management of the theatre was carried out by several parties during Sheridan's ownership, including himself, his father Thomas, and, from 1788 to 1796 and 1800 to 1802, the popular actor John Philip Kemble.[51] Linley took up the post of Musical Director at the theatre, receiving a retainer of £500 per annum.[52]
Sheridan employed dozens of children as extras at Drury Lane including Joseph Grimaldi who made his stage debut at the theatre in 1780.[53] Grimaldi became best known for his development of the modern day white-face clown and popularised the role of Clown in many Pantomimes and Harlequinades.[54] Towards the end of the 1790s, Grimaldi starred in Robinson Crusoe, which confirmed him as a key Christmas pantomime performer. Many pantomimes followed, but his career at Drury Lane became turbulent, and he left the theatre for good in 1806.[55]
Third theatre: 1794 [ edit ]
The theatre pictured as it was in 1809 (from an 1811 engraving). The view is from the north-east, looking down Russell Street at its intersection with Drury Lane. This shows the rear of the theatre with its dressing rooms and stage door.
The theatre was in need of updating by the end of the 18th century and was demolished in 1791, with the company moving temporarily to the new King's Theatre, in the Haymarket. A third theatre was designed by Henry Holland and opened on 12 March 1794. In the design of the theatre boxes, Henry Holland asked John Linnell for assistance. The designs by Linnell survive in the V&A Print Room – there are also designs by Henry Holland and Charles Heathcote Tatham who were involved in the design process. This was a cavernous theatre, accommodating more than 3,600 spectators.[56] The motivation behind building on such a large scale? In the words of one owner:
I was aware of the very popular notion that our theatres ought to be very small; but it appeared to me that if that very popular notion should be suffered to proceed too far it would in every way deteriorate our dramatic performances depriving the proprietors of that revenue which is indispensable to defray the heavy expenses of such a concern.[57]
New technology facilitated the expansion: iron columns replaced bulky wood, supporting five tiers of galleries. The stage was large, too: 83 feet (25 m) wide and 92 feet (28 m) deep. Holland, the architect, said it was "on a larger scale than any other theatre in Europe." Except for churches, it was the tallest building in London.[57]
The "very popular notion that our theatres ought to be very small" proved hard to overcome. Various accounts from the period bemoan the mammoth size of the new theatre, longing for the "warm close observant seats of Old Drury," as one May 1794 theatre-goer put it.[58] Actress Sarah Siddons, then part of the Drury Lane company, called it "a wilderness of a place" (and left Drury Lane along with her brother John Philip Kemble in 1803). Not only was any sense of intimacy and connection to the company on stage lost, but the very size of the theatre put a great deal of the audience at such a distance from the stage so as to make hearing a player's voice quite difficult. To compensate, the productions mounted in the new theatre tended more toward spectacle than the spoken word.[57] An example of such a spectacle is a 1794 production that featured real water flowing down a rocky stream into a lake large enough on which to row a boat. This water issued from tanks in the attics above the house, which were installed – along with a much-touted iron safety curtain – as proof against fire.[59]
After standing only 15 years, the third Drury Lane theatre building burned down on 24 February 1809. This painting from the period, artist unknown, shows the view of the fire from the Westminster Bridge
Richard Sheridan continued as theatre owner during the entire lifetime of this third building. He had grown in stature as a statesman during this time, but troubled finances were to be his undoing. The 1794 rebuilding had cost double the original estimate of £80,000, and Sheridan bore the entirety of the debt. Productions were more expensive to mount in the larger structure, and increased audience revenues failed to make up the difference.[60]
An assassination attempt against King George III took place at the theatre on 15 May 1800. James Hadfield fired two pistol shots from the pit toward the King, sitting in the royal box. The shots missed by inches, Hadfield having been jostled by a Mr Dyte.[61] Hadfield was quickly subdued, and George, apparently unruffled, ordered the performance to continue.[62]
The comedy actor John Bannister became acting-manager in 1802. With Sheridan's son Tom, and in the circle of Richard Wroughton (stage-manager), William Dowton, Michael Kelly, Tom Dibdin and their likes, he helped to see the Theatre Royal through its next catastrophe.[63] On 24 February 1809, despite the previously mentioned fire safety precautions, the theatre burned down. On being encountered drinking a glass of wine in the street while watching the fire, R.B. Sheridan was famously reported to have said: "A man may surely be allowed to take a glass of wine by his own fireside."[64] Already on the shakiest financial ground, Sheridan was ruined entirely by the loss of the building. He turned to brewer Samuel Whitbread, an old friend, for help.[65] As well as investing strongly in the project, Whitbread agreed to head a committee that would manage the company and oversee the rebuilding of the theatre, but asked Sheridan to withdraw from management himself, which he did entirely by 1811.[66]
Modern theatre: 1812 [ edit ]
The present-day Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, sketched when it was new, in 1813
The present Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, designed by Benjamin Dean Wyatt on behalf of the committee led by Whitbread, opened on 10 October 1812 with a production of Hamlet featuring Robert Elliston in the title role. The new theatre made some concessions toward intimacy, seating 3,060 people, about 550 fewer than the earlier building (though this size is still considered an extremely large theatre). On 6 September 1817, gas lighting was extended from the audience area to the stage, making it the first British theatre to be gaslit throughout.[67] In 1820 the portico that still stands at the theatre's front entrance on Catherine Street was added, and in 1822 the interior underwent a significant remodelling. The colonnade running down the Russell Street side of the building was added in 1831.[68]
Productions relying more on scenery and effects than on dialogue and acting remained commonplace in the new facility. The 1823 production of Cataract of the Ganges had a finale featuring a horseback escape up a flowing cataract "with fire raging all around."[69] Effects for an 1829 production were produced by hydraulic apparatus that reportedly could discharge 39 tons of water.[70]
There were those concerned that the theatre was failing in its role as one of the very few permitted to show legitimate drama. Management of the theatre after it reopened in 1813 fell to Samuel James Arnold, overseen by an amateur board of directors and a subcommittee focusing on the theatre as a centre for national culture. (Lord Byron was briefly on this subcommittee, from June 1815 until leaving England in April 1816.)[71] Actor Edmund Kean was the on-stage highlight; like Macklin before him, he made his reputation as Shylock, premiering in the role in 1814. Kean remained until 1820 through praise and notorious disputes with local playwrights such as Charles Bucke.[72]
King John at the theatre, as depicted in the Illustrated London News The last scene of an 1865 performance of Shakespeare 'sat the theatre, as depicted in the
Elliston leased the theatre from 1819 until he went bankrupt in 1826. An American, Stephen Price of New York City's Park Theatre, followed from 1826 to 1830.
Through most of the remainder of the 19th century, Drury Lane passed quickly from one proprietor to another. A colonnade was added to the Russell Street frontage, in 1831, by architect Samuel Beazley.[73] In 1833, Alfred Bunn gained control of both Drury Lane and Covent Garden, managing the former from 1833 to 1839, and again from 1843 to 1850. Following the lead of the Lyceum Theatre, London, Bunn championed English opera, rather than the Italian operas that had played earlier at the theatre. These included Fair Rosamond and Farinelli by John Barnett; a series of twelve operas by Michael Balfe including The Maid of Artois and The Bohemian Girl; Maritana and others by William Vincent Wallace and several by Julius Benedict.[74] In 1837, actor-manager Samuel Phelps (1804–1878) joined the company at Drury Lane, appearing with William Charles Macready, the gifted actor-manager in several Shakespeare plays. He also created the role of Captain Channel in Douglas Jerrold's melodrama, The Prisoner of War (1842), and of Lord Tresham in Robert Browning's A Blot in the 'Scutcheon (1843).[75] Macready was briefly manager in 1841–1843, putting significant reforms in place. Nevertheless, most productions there were financial disasters.[76]
The theatrical monopoly first bestowed by Royal Letters Patent 183 years earlier was abolished by the Theatres Act 1843, but the patent had been largely toothless for decades and this had little immediate effect. On the other hand, other theatres, used to presenting musical entertainments, continued to do so, and Drury Lane continued as one of the most accepted venues for legitimate theatre. The 19th-century run of financial and artistic failures at Drury Lane was interrupted by four plays produced over a twenty-five-year period by the actor-playwright Dion Boucicault: The Queen of Spades (1851), Eugenie (1855), Formosa (1869), and The Shaughraun (1875). But this period of general decline culminated with F. B. Chatterton's 1878 resignation; in his words, "Shakespeare spells ruin, and Byron bankruptcy."[45] During the 19th century, Drury Lane staged ballet as well, with performers including Italy's Carlotta Grisi.[77]
One famous musical director of Drury Lane was the eccentric French conductor and composer of light music Louis-Antoine Jullien (1812–1860), who successfully invited Berlioz to visit London and give concerts in the Theatre.[78]
The house's fortunes rose again under the management of Augustus Harris from 1879. In the 1880s and 1890s, the theatre hosted many of the productions of the Carl Rosa Opera Company. Harris focused increased resources on the theatre's annual pantomime, beginning at Christmas 1888, adding a well-known comedian, Dan Leno. These spectacular Christmas shows were a major success, often playing into March. They were choreographed by the theatre's dance master, John D'Auban. Many of the designs under Harris were created by the imaginative designer C. Wilhelm, including the spectacular drama, Armada (1888), and many of the pantomimes.[79] Productions relying on spectacle became the norm at Drury Lane under the managements first of Harris, from 1879 to 1896, and then of Arthur Collins from 1896 to 1923.[45] Examples include the 1909 play, The Whip, which featured not only a train crash, but also twelve horses recreating the 2,000 Guineas Stakes on an on-stage treadmill.[80] Jimmy Glover, Director of Music from 1893 to 1923, was a significant figure at the theatre during the Collins years and wrote books which record much more than its musical life.[81]
Oliver! billboard at the theatre in 2009
The last major interior renovation was in 1922, under the ownership of managing director Sir Alfred Butt, at a cost of ₤150,000,[82] leaving a four-tiered theatre able to seat just over 2,000 people.[83] It was decorated with one of the most notable interiors produced by the specialist ornamental plasterwork company of Clark and Fenn.[84] Composer and performer Ivor Novello, immensely popular in his time though little-remembered today, presented his musicals in Drury Lane from 1931 until the theatre was closed in 1939 because of the outbreak of the Second World War. During the war the theatre served as the headquarters for the Entertainments National Service Association; it sustained some minor bomb damage as well. The theatre reopened with Noël Coward's Pacific 1860 in 1946.[45]
In the post-war years, four of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals made their London debuts in Drury Lane, holding the stage almost continuously for nearly a decade, including Oklahoma! (1947–1950),[85] Carousel (1950–1951),[3] South Pacific (1951–1953) and The King and I (1953–1956).[86] American imports also included Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady, which began a five-year run in 1958.[45] Productions in the 1960s included Camelot (1964–1965), Hello, Dolly! (1965–1967) and The Great Waltz (1970–1972).[3] In 1974, Monty Python recorded an album at the theatre, Live at Drury Lane.[87]
The theatre became part of the West End theatre scene and still stages popular musical productions. Later long runs at the theatre include productions of A Chorus Line (1976–1979), 42nd Street (1984–1989), Miss Saigon (1989–1999, the theatre's longest-running show),[3] The Producers (2004–2007),[88] an original musical, The Lord of the Rings (2007–2008),[89] Oliver! (2009–2011)[90] and Shrek The Musical (2011–2013).[91] Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical played from 2013 through January 2017.[92] The Drury Lane is owned and managed by LW Theatres, owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber.[93] The seating plan for the theatre remains the same and the auditorium is still one of the largest in London's West End. The building was Grade I listed in February 1958.[94] It is one of the 40 theatres featured in the 2012 DVD documentary series Great West End Theatres, presented by Donald Sinden.[95]
350th anniversary [ edit ]
On 15 May 2013, Lloyd Webber revealed a £4 million restoration of the theatre to mark its 350th anniversary. Using a team of specialists,[96] the detailed restoration has returned the public areas of the Rotunda, Royal Staircases and Grand Saloon, all of which were part of the 1810 theatre, to their original Regency style.[97]
Hauntings [ edit ]
The author Tom Ogden calls the Theatre Royal one of the world's most haunted theatres.[98] The appearance of almost any one of the handful of ghosts that are said to frequent the theatre signals good luck for an actor or production. The most famous ghost is the "Man in Grey", who appears dressed as a nobleman of the late 18th century: powdered hair beneath a tricorne hat, a dress jacket and cloak or cape, riding boots and a sword. Legend says that the Man in Grey is the ghost of a knife-stabbed man whose skeletal remains were found within a walled-up side passage in 1848.[99] Various people have reported seeing the ghost, including W. J. MacQueen-Pope, who described its usual path as starting at the end of the fourth row in the upper circle and then proceeding via the rear gangway to the wall near the royal box, where the remains were found.[100]
The ghosts of actor Charles Macklin and clown Joseph Grimaldi are also supposed to haunt the theatre. Macklin appears backstage, wandering the corridor which now stands in the spot where, in 1735, he killed fellow actor Thomas Hallam in an argument over a wig ("Goddamn you for a blackguard, scrub, rascal!" he shouted, thrusting a cane into Hallam's face and piercing his left eye).[101] Grimaldi is reported to be a helpful apparition, purportedly guiding nervous actors skilfully about the stage on more than one occasion. The comedian Stanley Lupino claimed to have seen the ghost of Dan Leno in a dressing room.[102]
The paranormal investigation programme Most Haunted investigated the theatre for Episode 10 of the first series which aired on Living TV (now known as Sky Living) on 30 July 2002.
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ] |
Tinder has hit number 1 in the App Store’s top grossing category for the very first time.
Claiming top spot in the App Store likely has to do with the global launch of Tinder Gold, which lets users see who has liked them without swiping at all, among other premium features.
Tinder’s initial foray into monetization came in 2015 with the launch of Tinder Plus, which lets users “Rewind” on accidental left swipes and includes the “Passport” feature, letting users search outside of their current geographical radius.
The company has since added new revenue models, such as advertising within the feed. Plus also includes a limited amount of a la carte paid features, such as Super Like and Tinder Boost. Super Like lets you notify someone you really like that you’re into them before they even swipe on you, marking your profile with a big blue star. Tinder Boost, on the other hand, lets you skip the line and jump to the front of other users’ feeds as they browse the dating service.
While Tinder Gold was in testing in a handful of markets for the past month, the company officially rolled out Tinder Gold worldwide on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Tinder topped the Top Grossing category of the App Store.
Today Tinder is the top grossing app in the world — I told you subscriptions might be a thing one day🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/YGWJ30SKJo — Norgard (@BrianNorgard) August 30, 2017
App Annie says that dating apps made up one-third of the top 15 apps by iOS revenue yesterday, along with video and music streaming apps. The analytics service also said that Tinder has been in the top 15 iOS apps by daily revenue throughout all of 2017, and hung in the top 10 for July and August. |
Federal authorities in the United States have unsealed their fourth set of charges in nine months against Lauri Love, a 29-year-old British man accused of hacking US government and private sector websites.
On Thursday this week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia has indicted Love on new charges of conspiracy, causing damage to a protected computer, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft; he faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison if found guilty of the latest counts.
Love was the subject of a criminal complaint filed in that district last October, and in the months since has been indicted by federal prosecutors in the states of New Jersey and New York over related accusations, including his alleged participation in computer intrusions waged by the hacktivist group Anonymous against the US Federal Reserve and others.
In recent weeks, UK officials said they had released Love from his local bail conditions and would not be pursuing further charges against him there, the BBC reported. Love’s UK attorney, Karen Todner, previously told reporters that she was “vehemently opposed” to any efforts to extradite her client to the US, and said, “If Mr. Love is to face charges that they should be, and will be, in the UK.”
According to the indictment unsealed this week, federal prosecutors in the States believe that Love and unnamed coconspirators accessed without authorization the computer networks of the US Department of Energy and the Department of Health and Human Services, along with the US Sentencing Commission, the FBI’s Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory and two private companies — Deltek, Inc. and Forte Interactive, Inc. of Virginia and Florida, respectively — as well as four unnamed residents of the Eastern District of Virginia whose credit card information was allegedly compromised during the hacking campaign along with that of “thousands” of others. To do as much, authorities say, Love and his alleged coconspirators exploited a vulnerability in ColdFusion, an Adobe-sold product designed to administer websites and databases.
“After gaining unauthorized access to the protected servers, Love and his conspirators obtained administrator-level access to the networks using custom file managers, which allowed the conspirators to upload and download files, as well as create, edit, remove and search for data,” the FBI’s Washington Field Office alleged in a press release that announced this week’s indictment. “Love unlawfully obtained massive amounts of sensitive and confidential information stored on those computers, including more than 100,000 employee records with names, Social Security numbers, addresses, phone numbers and salary information, along with more than 100,000 financial records, including credit card numbers and names.” Prosecutors say the hacks caused total losses in excess of $5 million.
The latest indictment piles further charges on top of the counts already lobbed against Love in that district last October when authorities first accused him of hacking the DOE, HHS, Sentencing Commission and FBI lab. On Friday, a representative for the Eastern District of Virginia told RT that the new charge sheet containing Deltek, Forte and four unknown individuals as victims supersedes the charges contained in the original complaint.
According to the latest allegations, Love hacked into Deltek’s network on or around July 3, 2013, then pilfered “confidential and sensitive data and property” including the “financial information included approximately 23,000 credit card numbers and the associated names, and the employee access information included approximately 80,000 usernames and passwords.” One month later, authorities say, Love took “names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and credit card numbers with expiration dates and items purchased” from Forte’s servers.
However, Deltek — an enterprise software company that largely serves federal contractors — did not acknowledge the breach until April 2014, nine months after the FBI believes Love and his coconspirators compromised the network. It was only then three months ago that Michael Corkery, Deltek’s CEO, confirmed that the company’s servers had been breached in late 2013 but remained undetected until March 13 of this year.
"We have remedied the security vulnerability that we believe the hacker exploited in order to gain unauthorized access to our GovWin IQ system," Corkery wrote at the time. "We have increased the overall security of GovWin IQ, including by reviewing and improving our data security procedures and changing our practices for handling personal information."
When Deltek disclosed news of the breach, a former employee told NextGov that he believed hackers had hit the company “in tandem with a series of strikes on government agencies and financial institutions.” As RT reported previously, the Anonymous-led attack against the Federal Reserve and Sentencing Commission in which Love is alleged to have participated in during early 2013 were explained by hacktivists at the time of the hack as being responses to the prosecution of Aaron Swartz, a computer prodigy who committed suicide in January 2013 while awaiting trial to face hacking charges of his own.
FreeAnons, a group that fundraises on behalf of alleged members of Anonymous and aims to assist with their legal defenses, said in a statement on Friday that “it would be reasonable to assume” that US authorities are now championing to have Love extradited to America. Love’s attorney, Todner, did not respond immediately to RT’s request for comment on Friday about the potential for extradition.
“It is our policy not to comment on matters of extradition unless they are completed,” a spokesperson for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia added to RT.
But Irish hacker Darren Martyn, a former member of the notorious Anonymous offshoot LulzSec who has eluded charges in the US for more than two years, told RT’s Andrew Blake on Friday that he believes any attempt by the feds to bring Love to America would prove unsuccessful.
“US indictments mean nothing outside the US,” said Martyn, who served no time in Ireland for hacking but believes he is still under indictment in the States. “Free Love,” he added. |
Russell has scored four goals in his last four games for Derby County
Scotland v Republic of Ireland Venue: Celtic Park Date: 14 November Kick-off: 19:45 GMT Coverage: Live on BBC Radio Scotland & online. Live text on BBC Sport website.
Derby's Johnny Russell has been called up to the Scotland squad for this month's games against the Republic of Ireland and England.
The uncapped 24-year-old forward replaces club team-mate Craig Bryson, who has been ruled out through injury.
Russell scored twice in Saturday's 5-0 win over Wolves, taking his tally for the season to five.
He will join club-mates Craig Forsyth and Chris Martin in Gordon Strachan's 27-man pool.
Derby lead the Championship, with manager Steve McClaren recently describing former Dundee United star Russell as "the catalyst" for the team's recent run of good form.
The Irish visit Celtic Park as European Championship qualifying Group D leaders on 14 November, with England visiting Glasgow for a friendly four days later.
Scotland are three points behind the Republic of Ireland after three games.
Scotland squad
Goalkeepers: Matt Gilks (Burnley), Craig Gordon (Celtic), David Marshall (Cardiff City)
Defenders: Phil Bardsley (Stoke City), Christophe Berra (Ipswich Town), Craig Forsyth (Derby County), Gordon Greer (Brighton and Hove Albion), Grant Hanley (Blackburn Rovers), Russell Martin (Norwich City), Andrew Robertson (Hull City), Steven Whittaker (Norwich City)
Midfielders: Ikechi Anya (Watford), Barry Bannan (Crystal Palace), Scott Brown (Celtic), Chris Burke (Nottingham Forest), Graham Dorrans (West Bromwich Albion), Darren Fletcher (Manchester United), Lewis Macleod (Rangers), Shaun Maloney (Wigan Athletic), James McArthur (Crystal Palace), James Morrison (West Bromwich Albion), Charlie Mulgrew (Celtic)
Forwards: Steven Fletcher (Sunderland), Chris Martin (Derby County), Steven May (Sheffield Wednesday), Steven Naismith (Everton), Johnny Russell (Derby County) |
Another chevyz240 1973 Datsun 240Z post...
After positioning the roof where I wanted it to be, and shortening it to get the windshield slope I was looking for, I made a simple windshield template out of some tubing. I then searched the wrecking yards to try to find a windshield with the correct curvature. I ended up using one from a Peugeot 309. (You Americans probably have never seen one, which is no great loss!) The beauty of it was that, not only did it have the correct curvature, but if I let the base of it stick down in the cowl, I didn't even have to cut it to shape! This is wonderful, since cutting a windshield usually means breaking a few, before you get one that stays in one piece. I then made a new windshield frame to place the glass flush with the sheet metal. The glass will be glued to the body, instead of using weather-stripping. The front of the roof also had to be modified to get a smooth transition to the windshield. As I want the roll cage to be as invisible as possible, plus being placed as far out against the body as possible, due to strength and stiffness issues, all stock roof pillars and beams are discarded. Instead, the roof is welded directly on the roll cage tubing. The cage is made of SAE 4130 chrome moly tubing. The home made bender I used for the Volvo wasn't up to the job, so I had to get a new one in the States, when I was there on a business trip. I bought one from Pro Tools that works well. I work as a design engineer at �hlins Racing, designing shock absorbers for, among other things, NASCAR use. I also go to tests and races, which has given me a few memorable moments, such as riding with Tony Stewart in his Winston Cup car on a short track, sitting on the floor, with no seat, safety belt or helmet. Intelligent, right? If I had wanted, I could have reached out and filed my nails against the wall, going by at 150 mph! Here you can see how the windshield sticks down in the cowl . While putting the windshield in this way, I realized I could design a hidden wiper system, if I integrated the cowl panel with the hood. The silly lids in the fenders will also be a part of the new hood. This is something that will clean up the looks, I think. In May 2002, I had the roll cage tack welded enough to take the car down from the jack stands, where I had it carefully leveled. I winched the car up on the street, put on the roof, the hood and a door and a fender, to see what it would look like. The car hadn't seen daylight for several years, so this was a big psychological step! It looks a bit funky with the high stance, due to it not having the engine, interior and so on, in it. With some cool 17" wheels placed in front of the car, some boards underneath it, to simulate a lower ride height, and a cardboard spoiler, it definitely starts to look pretty good, don't you think? With some work on the computer, I ended up with my lead picture on this site. This decision, to pull the car up on the street and take these pictures, for sure was a good one. These pictures are what has kept my faith in the project through the darkest moments, when contemplating giving up cars and starting to collect stamps or spending my evenings looking at soap operas instead! Due to head clearance issues, there is not much space for a proper roof diagonal bar in the cage. Instead, I put this longitudinal bar in, and added some corner reinforcements. In addition, the roof was welded to the cage via 33 pieces of flat iron stock, each one with 3 spot welds, giving 99 spot welds total. I think this will be at least as strong and stiff as a diagonal bar. The roof is being welded to the cage. This is what it looks like from below. Each flat piece of bar stock had to be individually filed to the correct shape and thickness to make it fit to the roof sheet metal with minimal gap. A view of the rear part of the cabin, with the bracing of the rear strut towers. |
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. It is time to start thinking how to show your loved ones just how much they mean to you. Now I think flowers and candy are great starts to this holiday, however, baking a treat is what I think really shows TRUE LOVE! The best way to someone’s heart is definitely through their stomach. These heart shaped cherry hand pies are exactly what you need for your special someone this Valentine’s Day. They are cute, sweet, and delicious. The secret is making the perfect pie crust. I will show you how to do just that and you will have your Valentine swooning in no time.
The pie crust is very simple. It only has three ingredients: flour, butter, and water. The key is to make sure that the butter and water is COLD when you are mixing. I was told by a co-worker and friend that shredding the butter with a cheese grater helps the mixing process. I thought that I would give it a try. I grated the butter one stick at a time. Once one stick was grated I quickly put it in a bowl and put it in the fridge to keep cold until the rest was ready. Once all the butter was grated I put it in the bowl with the flour and mixed with my hands until the butter and flour were in small pebbles.
Once the butter is mixed in I started to add ice cold water once tablespoon at a time. It will take about 10 to 15 tablespoons total. However, only mix enough water until the flour and butter will form a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.
After dough has been refrigerated you can start to roll out. I cut the ball into 4 sections and rolled one at a time. Each section will make 2 small heart shaped pies and one large. Of course you can reshape the scraps and roll them out. The number of pies will depend on the size of cut out you use. The small heart is the size of my palm and the large is the size of my hand.
I used a 21 oz can of cherry pie filling and added two tablespoons of sugar. To the small pies add 1 tablespoon of pie filling and to the large add 2 tablespoons. Crimp pie together with a fork and egg wash both sides of the crust. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the pie for vents.
Bake pies at 375°. Small pies will need 25 to 30 minutes and large 30-35 minutes.
Let cool for at least 15 minutes before eating. The filling will be extremely hot. The crust will be so flaky and delicious! It will be the perfect Valentine’s Day gift 🙂
Enjoy!
Happy Baking!!! |
ATP Masters 1000 Madrid, outdoor clay-courts (7-14 May 2017) Mutua Madrid Open will once again welcome the best players of the World. Novak Djokovic will defend his title from last year's finalist Andy Murray.
Both players will try to win their third title in the spanish event. Rafael Nadal, who won four titles in Madrid (three on clay in 2014, 2013, 2010 and one on hard-courts in 2005), will obviously play there as well, while the big news is Roger Federer's presence.
The fact that the Swiss player, who won 2006, 2009, 2012, is in the entry list is important, because he could have skipped the event as per ATP Rules that allow players to miss three Masters 1000 events per year. Anyway, in order to be sure that Federer will play in Spain, we will have to wait him to release his official clay-courts season schedule after the Miami event.
World No. 44 Bernard Tomic is the last player to enter directly in the main draw, British Kyle Edmund is the first alternate.
↓ SHOW RANK ↓
1. Andy Murray GBR
2. Novak Djokovic SRB
3. Stan Wawrinka SUI
4. Kei Nishikori JPN
5. Milos Raonic CAN
6. Roger Federer SUI
7. Rafael Nadal ESP
8. Dominic Thiem AUT
9. Marin Cilic CRO
10. Jo-Wilfred Tsonga FRA
11. Gael Monfils FRA
12. David Goffin BEL
13. Grigor Dimitrov BUL
14. Tomas Berdych CZE
15. Lucas Pouille FRA
16. Nick Kyrgios AUS
17. Jack Sock USA
18. Roberto Bautista Agut ESP
19. Pablo Carreño Busta ESP
20. Alexander Zverev ESP
21. Ivo Karlovic CRO
22. Richard Gasquet FRA
23. John Isner AUS
24. Albert Ramos-Viñolas ESP
25. Gilles Simon FRA
Tommy Haas GER (protected ranking)
26. Pablo Cuevas URU
27. Sam Querrey USA
28. Steve Johnson USA
29. Gilles Muller LUX
30. Fernando Verdasco ESP
31. Philipp Kohlschreiber GER
32. David Ferrer ESP
33. Mischa Zverev GER
34. Juan Martín Del Potro ARG
35. Joao Sousa POR
36. Feliciano López ESP
37. Paolo Lorenzi ITA
38. Viktor Troicki SRB
39. Benoit Paire FRA
40. Fabio Fognini ITA
41. Marcel Granollers ESP
42. Diego Schwartzman ARG
43. Daniel Evans GBR
44. Bernard Tomic AUS
ALSO READ: ATP MONTECARLO - ENTRY LIST: Roger Federer and Kei Nishikori won't play |
In yesterday’s article, I mentioned in passing that Jack turns into the Smoke Monster. This bit didn’t seem to fit the conceit of the piece, but apparently I should have included it, because everyone’s asking about it. I’ve added it into the article in an addendum, and I’m putting it here as well. I’ll try to keep it “brief” and “simple”, citing only information we were given in the show.
The Mother was the Protector of the Island.
The Mother explained to her sons that going into The Source would result in a fate worse than death (i.e.- Becoming a Smoke Monster).
The Mother destroyed the Man in Black’s village in a most Smoke Monstery of ways, seen here:
What I’m getting at here is that, as Protector of the Island, Mother both had the powers of Jacob, and was a Smoke Monster. She split her duties and powers between her two sons, and made it so they could not kill each other. It would make sense that the Protector of Important Magic Island would be the incredibly powerful cloud of black smoke that can read people’s memories and kill them in seconds. Rousseau was right: The black smoke IS a security system. A very important one, meant to patrol the Island and protect it for as long as it can. Mother was this being, and she also had the power of Jacob: to make rules, to give others abilities, etc. Full-on Island Protector.
But she couldn’t decide which was deserving of the role. She loved them both. So she made it so each would get a part of her. The Gray Mother split herself into dark and light. The problem here is that The Man in Black became the Smoke Monster. He became a security system that wanted to leave its post. That was problem with the Broken Island for so long: One of its protectors had no interest in protecting anything. Both protectors wanted the other dead, but neither could kill the other. Thankfully, Oceanic 815 crashed and Jack was eventually all “Fine, I’ll save the world.”
So. How are Smoke Monsters made? They dip themselves into The Source. Into the Water and Light. Jacob tossed his Brother down and then his Brother cracked his skull, fell into The Source, and emerged as the new Smoke Monster. Later, Jacob found his body draped over a nearby rock and tree:
The Water and Light absorbs the essence of a person and turns them into a Smoke Monster. But they don’t need the person’s body. So The Source moved the body outside.
So what happened to Jack in the finale? He went down to The Source. Desmond unplugged the Island and was unaffected because of his Magic Time Brain. Jack had to plug it up again, though, and the Water and Light DID affect him. He sacrificed himself because he knew the Water and Light would kill him.
But the Water and Light doesn’t kill you. We’ve SEEN what it does. It turns someone into a Smoke Monster, into a Protector of The Island. The person needs to be dead, though, as The Man In Black was dead when he reached The Source. Then it spits out the body. So after Jack was consumed by Light and Water, where did we next see him?
The same place The Man In Black showed up. (Forgive the quality of the picture, I just screencapped an edited montage from YouTube).
The Source spit Jack out once it absorbed his essence for Smoke Monstering. But Jack wasn’t dead yet. He was stabbed and bleeding, but not dead yet. Not like the Man in Black already was when he fell into The Source. So Jack walked into the reeds, lied down with a dog, and died. His eye closed.
Then, however many yards away, a new Smoke Monster burst from The Source. And this time, it was a Security System thatwantedto stay. One that even needed to stay. Jack’s whole arc of the show ended with himneedingto stay on the Island and to do whatever he could to protect it. He believed in the Island, and he believed that he belonged there. Now he was even more correct than he thought. Jack could now happily float around in his new form, helping Hurley clean up Jacob’s mess, and protect the Island he loved, in the form of something he once feared. He did this for many many years, until Hurley’s reign ended and they could both pass off their power and position to Walt, the next true Protector of The Island.
Now let’s go to the Sideways, where Jack keptalmostremembering his life. Every other character had one moment when they remembered everything that ever happened to them. Jack, on the other hand, needed several. A moment with Locke, a moment with Kate. He kept not quite being able to remember. Now, one could argue that this is just because he’s Jack. He’s stubborn and resistant, and just needed a while. However, he wasn’t that way in the Sideways. That was one of the main points in that world. Everyone had evolved and grown in their lives, and they displayed the traits they’d developed in their time on the Island. Sideways Jack was not as stubborn as Real Life Jack.
SO. What’s my point? Jack spent we-don’t-know-how-long as a Smoke Monster on the Island. It could have been years or decades or centuries. Hurley lived a life just as long, but he never changed forms. Hurley remained himself. Jack, however, was Smoke Monster Jack. We saw what being a Smoke Monster can do to a person. As Mother said, it can be “worse than death”. You lose some of yourself. You take the form of other people, you float around asblack smoke. Yes, its essence is you, but much of you is lost over the years.
Jack needed those extra pushes in the Sideways world, because he was so far away from it. He spent his life as Jack, but then he spent X amount of years as another entity. He lost a bit of himself, and each time Locke or Kate touched him in the Sideways, he got a little closer to remembering his life before the Smoke. He needed a drastic wake-up call like his father explaining everything to him in order to truly wake up from his life. |
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Medical examiners in California say they have positively identified the body of former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner, the man authorities say killed four people over the last two weeks in a campaign of terror against the LAPD. Dorner’s body was found in the burned-out ruins of a California mountain cabin, ending the most extensive manhunt in California’s history. Dorner was chased into the cabin on Tuesday afternoon amidst a massive gun battle in which one San Bernardino County deputy was killed and another badly wounded. Police say the first shot—they first shot conventional tear gas into the cabin, but it failed to force Dorner to flee the house.
AMY GOODMAN: Authorities then shot flammable tear gas canisters into the cabin. The building soon erupted in flames and burned to the ground. Police had been alerted to Dorner’s possible whereabouts after he had broken into a nearby vacation home, tied up a couple there, and made off in their car. The couple managed to free themselves and alert authorities.
Questions are now being raised over whether police intentionally set the cabin on fire. An audio recording from a police scanner appears to show officials from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department planning to deploy “burners.”
MALE VOICE: All right, Steve, we’re going to go—we’re going to go forward with the plan, with—with the burner.
MALE VOICE: We want it, uh, like we talked about.
MALE VOICE: Seven of the burners deployed, and we have a fire.
FEMALE VOICE: Copy. Seven burners deployed, and we have a fire.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Police say the phrase “burner” referred to a grenade-like canister containing flammable tear gas. In another recording that was aired live on the TV station KCAL, a police officer can be heard in the background shouting, “We’re going to burn him out,” and “Burn it down.”
KCAL REPORTER: We do know that authorities were searching for a man in a Dodge pickup truck.
POLICE OFFICER: The last location of the suspect [inaudible].
POLICE OFFICER: We’re going to [bleep] burn him out!”
POLICE OFFICER: [inaudible] I don’t know.
POLICE OFFICER: Let’s burn it down.
POLICE OFFICER: Get going, right now!
POLICE OFFICER: Burn this [bleep]!
KCAL REPORTER: Police officers, understandably, upset.
AMY GOODMAN: On Wednesday, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon admitted his deputies deployed the highly flammable hot gas canisters, but denied they intentionally started the fire.
SHERIFF JOHN McMAHON: I can tell you that it was not on purpose. We did not intentionally burn down that cabin to get Mr. Dorner out. The tear gas canisters that we used—first off, we used a presence when we showed up. Secondly, we used a cold tear gas. Then we used—the next tear gas was that that was pyrotechnic, does generate a lot of heat. We introduced those canisters into the residence, and a fire erupted.
AMY GOODMAN: We asked a representative from the San Bernardino sheriff’s office to join us, but they declined. But for more, though, we are joined by two guests: Norm Stamper, former police chief of Seattle and the author of Breaking Rank: A Top Cop’s Exposé of the Dark Side of American Policing, and in Washington, D.C., we’re joined by Radley Balko, a senior writer and investigative reporter for The Huffington Post. He’s author of the forthcoming book, Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces, which is due out in July.
We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Chief Stamper, why don’t we start with you, former Police Chief Stamper? Can you react to how the San Bernardino Police Department dealt with—with Dorner, the burning down of the cabin? What is your understanding of what happened and what was used?
NORM STAMPER: Well, I think the sheriff has articulated what might be seen as escalating levels of force. He started with the mere presence of the deputies, presumably surrounding that cabin. Then they used cold tear gas, so-called cold tear gas. And then they went to the pyrotechnic version, or the incendiary version of CS gas. And whether it was intentional or not, a very predictable outcome of deploying seven burners in what appears to have been a wooden cabin would predictably leave it in rubble.
AMY GOODMAN: And what’s your assessment of that? Do you think they should have done that?
NORM STAMPER: You know, I’m not going to second-guess it, but I think over the days and weeks ahead it’s imperative that that agency and the rest of the country, all of us riveted by what happened there, understand what decisions were made and why they were made. I can tell you that I am troubled by the use of incendiary chemical agents. By definition, these pyrotechnic versions of tear gas start fires. They are intended for outdoor use. They are not intended for contained structures, particularly wooden structures.
Another observation that I think bears real careful examination, and that is the almost hysterical command to use those burners. The expletives that were used begin to suggest that emotion rather than professionalism, rather than a calm and deliberate approach to extracting Mr. Dorner, if in fact that was possible, were simply not used.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to go to a break, and then we’re going to return to this discussion. Norm Stamper is former Seattle police chief, author of the book Breaking Rank. And we’re also going to be joined by Radley Balko, who is writing the book Rise of the Warrior Cop. After that, we’ll be joined by Ben Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, who will talk about President Obama’s State of the Union address proposal in dealing with obstacles to voting. This is Democracy Now!. Back in a minute. |
Polish scientists in the hometown of Buddha
In the village Tilaurakot in Nepal, identified as Kapilavastu, the city where Buddha spent the first 29 years of his life, researchers from Poznań and Warsaw conducted reconnaissance using a drone.
Their work was part of the project "Assistance for the conservation and management of Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha; phase 2: Archaeological research in Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu". The project under the auspices of UNESCO was led by Prof. Robin Coningham from the University of Durham and Kosh Acharya of the Pashupati Area Development Trust, in collaboration with the Nepalese Department of Archaeology and the Lumbini Development Trust. The project was financed by the Japanese funds.
"Our goal was to document at the archaeological landscape of places related to the life of the +earthly+ Buddha, Siddhartha" - explained in an interview with PAP Kasper Hanus, PhD student at the Institute of Prehistory, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. The scientist worked in the field together with Wojciech Ostrowski from the Department of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Systems, Warsaw University of Technology.
In addition to aerial reconnaissance, excavations were conducted in Tilaurakot by archaeologists from the UK and Nepal. Polish researcher participated in the excavations - Emilia Smagur, PhD student at the Institute of Archaeology of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, who is on internship at the University of Durham under the National Science Centre scholarship Etiuda. The archaeologist, specializing in numismatics, participated in the discovery of the treasure of nearly 500 silver coins placed in a ceramic vessel. The researchers speculate that it was a foundation sacrifice made at the time of the temple construction. But it was only after cleaning the coins it will be known from which period they originate.
Researchers used a hexacopter (a drone with 6 rotors) to take photographs, which after processing were used to prepare orthophotomapa, i.e. the actual photographic maps of the area and numerical models of land - three-dimensional plans. The obtained data are still being analysed, but it is already known that the contribution to the exploration of the ancient metropolis will be significant.
"We have managed to locate elements of the archaeological landscape that surrounded this ancient city, mainly the moats, as well as stupas and iron smelting sites outside the city walls" - added Hanus.
The data collected in January and February by the Poles will also be used to better protect and manage cultural heritage, since both contemporary rural development and infrastructure facilities for pilgrims to this holy place, constantly threaten the archaeological site.
"Thanks to interdisciplinary cooperation we were able to prepare the studies, the accuracy of which is much higher than the data available in this part of the world. They can be used not only for archaeological purposes" - added Wojciech Ostrowski from Warsaw University of Technology.
The researchers have also performed reconnaissance in Aurorakot, an ancient fort only a dozen kilometres away, on which still very little is known because no excavations have been carried out within it. Polish researchers have created the first accurate topographic maps for the site. They have included the full, complex sequence of moats and walls. They have also created three-dimensional models for religious architecture at the site Kudan.
PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland
Szymon Zdziebłowski
szz/ krf/ mrt/
tr. RL |
The Commodore 64 CP/M cartridge was released sometime in the early 1980’s, shortly after the introduction of the C64 itself. The cartridge contained the necessary Z80 chip inside to run CP/M software natively. While a novel idea, it was a bit too late with the popularity of CP/M waning which itself had been released almost a decade earlier. To make matters worse, it seems to only work on very early revisions of the Commodore 64. I personally am only able to get it to work reliably on a Rev A motherboard (1982, with no s-video output).
Despite all it’s shortcomings, it’s still a highly collectible Commodore artifact. Prices for the units usually range from $50 to $100 or more on eBay, depending on condition and the original box or manual.
One problem exists that makes it difficult to actually “use” C64 CP/M, beyond typing DIR or STAT. The disks for CP/M are a custom format used only for the C64 and 1541. You aren’t able to use original CP/M discs, not even those from the Commodore 128. Plus, while there is a standard CBMDOS BAM on the disc, it’s not what CP/M uses for disc management so you can’t just copy files in C64 mode to the disc.
Luckily, there’s a tool that exists to help with this matter. Introducing CTOOLS, a suite of command-line utilities that create and manipulate D64 disc images specifically for Commodore’s CP/M formatted discs. This toolset isn’t limited to C64 as it works quite well with C128 CP/M discs as well. You’ll need to compile into binaries, which worked flawlessly on my Mac 10.10.3. An example terminal session is below. YMMV.
% cformat -0 mynewdisc.d64
% ctools mynewdisc.d64 p mbasic.com
% ctools mynewdisc.d64 p monopoly.bas
% ctools mynewdisc.d64 d
When done, simply write your new D64 disc image to a real disc. Boot up C64 CP/M, swap the disc, and type DIR to see the contents. Just like on MS-DOS, “.COM” files are executables– to run them, just type the basename without the .COM at the prompt.
Just in case you’re not up to compiling the tools, creating the images or finding CP/M binaries, I’ve packaged together six D64 disc images that you can write back to a floppy and try out on your own C64 CP/M cartridge. The ZIP archive contains MBASIC (plus a few BASIC games), Sargon Chess, Adventure, and the Zork Trilogy. Click here to download the C64 CP/M D64 archive. |
The 95 Year Old Marijuana Enthusiast, Melita Gordon
Smoking to Stay Young
What if I told you that smoking pot would let you live to the ripe age of 95, would you start consuming every day? Well I’m not going to say that’s exactly what happens but in the case of Melita Gordon, it may have assisted. She’s been smoking for 85 years and doesn’t plan on being a quitter any time soon.
Medical research has shown unbelievable benefits of cannabis usage for medical benefits. The long term effects are just coming to light and with stories like Melita’s, it’s no wonder people are picking up the pipe and dropping the bottle.
From Day 1 She Was Packing the Pipe
When Melita Gordon was 10 years old, when her parents anointed her as the family pipe lighter for their Rastafari rituals. Her parents Michelle and Richard Gordon baptized her in the Rasta ways from a young age
When her family was together for their Rastafari ceremony she would pack the pipe and light it for all attending. This was the same time she realized her affection for the herb.
Keeping it hidden from her parents, Melita smoked all through elementary and high school without alarming her parents. Marijuana is a prominent figure in the Rastafari culture, as it promotes a healthy balance of mind, body, and soul. Although not all who practice the religion smoke cannabis.
Since the beginning she claims to have smoked every day, if that’s not motivation I don’t know what is.
A Joint a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
Although Melita has been an avid smoker for 85 years, she still gets cries from her kids and other relatives to quit. Stating she can’t keep smoking forever an d maintain a healthy life. Well her doctor would beg to differ.
Melita visits the doctor quite often, and to everyones amazement she always comes back with a clean bill of health. Her doctor claims that if she quit smoking now her goal of living to 100 would go up in smoke ”
“When mi go a doctor him say him nah tell mi fi stop smoke marijuana, because if mi stop, him a go lose mi,” Say’s Mrs. Gordon.
They say opposite’s attract and this is no different for Mr and Mrs. Gordon. Manuel Gordon, Melita’s husband of 50 years never smoked pot but was an avid beer drinker. While they never requested either to stop their habits, she knew that drinking alcohol was going to end up taking her husband away.
“Him never smoke at all, the only thing him do was drink beer, but him never try force mi fi stop,” she told 18 Karat Reggae of the man who died eight years ago after making it to age 100 years, six months and 12 days. |
SYDNEY Swans stars Jarrad McVeigh and Gary Rohan may make a miraculous recovery and be fit to take on Geelong in Friday night's preliminary final after receiving good news on the injury front.
Rohan (knee) and McVeigh (calf) both went down in the first half of last week's semi-final win over Adelaide at the SCG, and their seasons looked in serious doubt.
But subsequent scans have cleared Rohan – who was stretchered from the ground – and McVeigh of any serious damage, and both remain a chance to face the Cats.
While there is still some serious doubt over their fitness, coach John Longmire said that if the pair could get through the Swans' main session on Wednesday and pull up well they're a big chance to play at the MCG.
"Gary's knee is structurally sound and the bone is fine, so he's just got a deep bruising from the knock," Longmire said.
"Jarrad (McVeigh) has a really slight strain but we've had players play before with similar strains, so we'll just see how the week progresses.
"It's a bit early to rule anyone in or out at the present time, we'll give them every opportunity (to play).
"Saturday night you're not quite sure how things are going to pan out, that’s why it's important not to jump to conclusions too early.
"At the moment we haven't got all the facts, but it's looking more positive than it could have been."
Ruckman Kurt Tippett could also be available to take on Geelong after suffering a hairline fracture in his jaw against Greater Western Sydney in the first week of the finals.
The star big man and attacking defender Zak Jones (concussion) will also press their claims for a recall this week.
"Kurt did part of our final session here last week and trained fully here on Sunday," he said.
"He'll do more on Wednesday and see how he feels.
"He was able to play the game out against GWS and train really well on Sunday, but it comes down to a discussion between the coaching staff, the medical staff, and Kurt (on whether he plays).
"Zak Jones ran last week and pulled up fine from that and trained really well on Sunday.
"He feels really good and is looking pretty good at the moment."
NAB AFL Rising Star winner Callum Mills ran laps at the SCG on Monday after straining his hamstring against the Giants, and although he's little to no chance of facing Geelong, he could be in contention to play in the Grand Final should the Swans manage to get through. |
European Commission - Press release Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to MasterCard on cross-border rules and inter-regional interchange fees The European Commission today has sent a Statement of Objections to MasterCard. The Statement of Objections outlines the Commission's preliminary view that MasterCard's rules prevent banks from offering lower interchange fees to retailers based in another Member State of the European Economic Area (EEA), where interchange fees may be higher. As a result, retailers cannot benefit from lower fees elsewhere and competition between banks cross-border may be restricted, in breach of European antitrust rules. The Statement of Objections also alleges that MasterCard's interchange fees for transactions in the EU using MasterCard cards issued in other regions of the world breach European antitrust rules by setting an artificially high minimum price for processing these transactions. The sending of a Statement of Objections does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: "Many consumers use payment cards every day, when they shop for food, clothes or purchase anything online. We currently suspect MasterCard is artificially raising the costs of card payments, which would harm consumers and retailers in the EU. We have concerns both in relation to the rules MasterCard applies to cross-border transactions within the EU, as well as the fees charged to retailers for receiving payments made with cards issued outside Europe. MasterCard now has an opportunity to respond to our charges". Payments by card play a key role in the Single Market, both for domestic purchases and for purchases across borders or over the internet. European consumers and businesses are making more than 40% of their non-cash payments per year through payment cards. Every time a consumer uses a payment card in a shop or online, the bank of the retailer (the 'acquiring bank') pays a fee called an 'interchange fee' to the cardholder's bank (the 'issuing bank'). The acquiring bank passes the interchange fee on to the retailer who includes it, like any other cost, in the final price he charges consumers for his products or services. Interchange fees are thus passed on to all consumers, even to those who do not use cards but pay in cash. The Commission's concerns Banks use MasterCard to set on their behalf the interchange fees that apply between them. The Commission takes the preliminary view that MasterCard and its licensees (who issue MasterCard branded cards to cardholders or acquire transactions with those cards for retailers) form an association of undertakings. It also takes the preliminary view that the practices outlined in the Statement of Objections violate EU and EEA rules that prohibit cartels and other anticompetitive business practices (Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement). In particular, the Statement of Objections raises two concerns: Interchange fees still vary considerably from a Member State to another. MasterCard's rules prevent retailers in a high-interchange fee country from benefitting from lower interchange fees offered by an acquiring bank located in another Member State (so called "cross-border acquiring"). The Commission is concerned that MasterCard's rules on cross-border acquiring limit banks' possibilities to compete cross-border on price for services to receive card payments and so restrict competition in breach of EU antitrust rules, leading to higher prices for retailers and consumers alike.
A second concern of the Commission is that the high levels of MasterCard's "inter-regional interchange fees" are not justified. These fees are paid by an acquiring bank for transactions made in the EU with MasterCard cards issued in other regions of the world. For example, the fees paid by an acquiring bank when a Chinese tourist uses his card to pay his restaurant bill in Brussels are up to five times higher than those paid when a consumer uses a card issued in Europe. As these inter-regional fees represent hundreds of millions of euros each year, the Commission is concerned that these high inter-regional fees increase prices for retailers and may in turn lead to higher prices for products and services for all consumers, and not only those using cards issued outside the EU or paying with cards. If the Commission's preliminary view is confirmed, it can impose a fine on MasterCard. Background A Statement of Objections is a formal step in Commission antitrust investigations in which the Commission informs the parties in writing of the objections raised against them. The addressee of a Statement of Objections can reply in writing and may also request an oral hearing to present its comments on the case. The Commission may then take a decision on whether the conduct addressed in a Statement of Objections is compatible or not with European antitrust rules. The Commission opened proceedings in the present case against MasterCard in April 2013. Today's Statement of Objections is also the latest in a series of previous actions on interchange fees: In December 2007, the Commission found that MasterCard's interchange fees on cross-border transactions in the EEA (e.g. when a Belgian citizen uses his card to pay in a shop in France) restrict competition between banks (also see MEMO). In September 2014, the Commission's findings in the decision were confirmed by the Court of Justice.
In 2009, to comply with the Commission's decision, MasterCard capped the (intra-EEA) cross-border interchange fees applied by its member banks to 0.20% for debit cards and 0.30% for credit cards, but they did not reduce their other interchange fees.
In December 2010 and February 2014 respectively, the Commission also adopted decisions making legally binding commitments offered by Visa Europe (an association of banks) to cap at the same levels (0.20% and 0.30%) the interchange fees set in the EEA for debit cards and credit cards.
Most transactions in the EEA are domestic transactions (i.e. when a consumer uses his card in his own country), and were not covered by the Commission's proceedings. The interchange fees on these transactions show wide variations between countries. They have been challenged by national competition authorities and ultimately lowered in several countries. In April 2015 the EU's Council of Ministers and the European Parliament adopted the Interchange Fee Regulation, which from December 2015 on will cap interchange fees for cards issued and used in Europe (maximum of 0.20% for debit cards and 0.30% for credit cards). The Interchange Fee Regulation will lead to lower costs for European retailers and establish a level playing field for the card payment market as a whole. However, the caps of the Regulation do not apply to inter-regional transactions, one of the two issues of the current investigation. An investigation into Visa Inc.'s (which is a separate legal entity to Visa Europe) inter-regional interchange fees is currently ongoing. More information on this investigation will be available on the Commission's competition website in the public case register under the case number 40049. IP/15/5323 Press contacts General public inquiries: |
Image copyright Getty Images
Pry-mark or Pree-mark?
How to pronounce the budget retailer's name has caused a basket-load of debate.
Some claim "Pry-mark" is an upmarket affectation. Others say "Pree-mark" is a northern thing.
But Primark have tried to settle the matter once and for all, writing on their website: "We like to use Pr-Eye-Mark."
But Primark isn't the only brand that people mispronounce...
Image copyright Adidas/EPA/Nike/Reuters
IKEA: if you follow the Swedes, it's "ee-kay-uh" not "eye-kee-ah". The word is made up of the initials of the founder's name and the village he grew up in
Does Nike rhyme with like? Apparently not. Chairman Philip Knight confirmed the pronunciation in 2014 was in fact Ni-key, after the Greek goddess of victory
Another sports brand getting our tongues in a twist is Adidas. Named after its founder Adi Dassler (Adolf Dassler), it's A-di-das not a-DEE-das.
Luxury car brand Porsche also takes it name from its founder, Ferdinand Porsche. His family name has two syllables: 'Por-shuh'
And if you're after a pint of Hoegaarden - hailing from the Flemish region of Belgium - make sure to ask for a 'Who-gar-den'. Anything else would sound daft.
Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning |
BREAKING: Former Gitmo Detainee Arrested on Terror Charges As Obama Announces Closure of Gitmo
Barack Obama announced Tuesday his plan to close Guantanamo Bay prison.
Obama told Yahoo in December that “only a handful” of Gitmo detainees has returned to a life of terrorism.
The actual number is closer to 196… So he was only off by 191.
According to Obama’s own Director of National Intelligence, 117 former detainees are confirmed of returning to terror. 79 more detainees are suspected of returning to the fight.
Another former Gitmo detainee was arrested today in a terrorist bust in Spain and Morocco.
The former Gitmo detainee was described as “a leader who was trained in handling weapons, explosives and in military tactics.”
NDTV reported:
Spanish and Moroccan police today arrested four suspected members of a ‘jihadi’ cell that sought to recruit fighters for ISIS, including one described as a former Guantanamo detainee who once fought with militants in Afghanistan. Three people were arrested in Spain’s North African enclave city of Ceuta while a Moroccan was arrested in the Moroccan border town of Farkhana, next to Melilla, Spain’s other North African enclave, statements from the two nations’ interior ministries said. One of those detained in Ceuta was the former Guantanamo detainee who was not named by Spanish authorities but described as “a leader who was trained in handling weapons, explosives and in military tactics.” Another was the brother of a fighter who carried out a 2013 suicide attack against the Syrian military, the Moroccan statement said. The suspects had set up contacts to try to acquire weapons and bomb-making materials and were aiming “to carry out terrorist acts in Spanish territory,” the statement said, without specifying possible targets. |
Red Reserve parted way with their team, which will now play under the name "passions". In the process, Mikail "Maikelele" Bill has also left the squad, with Hampus "hampus" Poser making a return to fill the empty spot.
After a three-month long tenure in Red Reserve, the team featuring the likes of Fredrik "FREDDyFROG" Gustafsson and Joakim "Relaxa" Gustafsson has been released from the organization.
FREDDyFROG and co. are looking for a new organization
In a statement released today, Red Reserve claim that the squad had problems that couldn't be fixed under their organization, leading to the team's release.
You can read the statement in full below:
"In terms of progress and placements, the team cannot be faulted, they completed goals and challenges set my themselves and the organization. However, internal problems have caused problems that cannot be fixed under our organization. We pride ourselves on our players being happy and content with the team and organization and we did everything possible to make it work. The team departs on good terms and we wish the squad all the best and truly hope to see them at the top one day."
Red Reserve added that they are looking to sign a new squad, with all inquiries to be sent to sebastian@redreserve.org.
The squad, that will play under their old tag passions from now on, has parted ways with Mikail "Maikelele" Bill for undisclosed reasons, and have welcomed Hampus "hampus" Poser—who was released 10 days ago—back to the roster.
Daniel "djL" Narancic, the team's former coach who will now return to the in-game leader role, put out a short statement as well:
"We are not a part of team Red Reserve anymore and we are looking for a new organization. If anyone is interested they can contact me by email at officialdjl@hotmail.com"
These changes mean that passions now have the following roster: |
Ben Carson, the former presidential candidate and adviser to Donald Trump, wants the GOP nominee to stop calling his opponent a racist.
“I don’t generally get into the name-calling thing,” Carson said in a phone interview with The Daily Beast on Friday morning. “I kind of left that behind in the third grade. I certainly don’t encourage it because the issues that we’re facing are incredibly important—for us and for the future generations.”
On Thursday, Trump defended calling his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton a “bigot.” A term with which he’s taken to describing her this past week.
“She is a bigot,” he said in a CNN interview. “She is selling them [African Americans] down the tubes because she's not doing anything for those communities. She talks a good game. But she doesn’t do anything.”
During a rally in New Hampshire on the same day, at which Carson introduced him, Trump assailed Clinton for saying that his voters are racists. (She did not characterize them monolithically like this but rather pointed to a number of troublesome connections between Trump and white nationalists in a sharp critique of the candidate in Reno yesterday).
But Carson—an often contemplative counterpart to Trump’s brash, bullying persona—said that he would not call Clinton a bigot, echoing the same sentiment as RNC spokesperson Sean Spicer, who chose not to use the word on MSNBC Friday morning.
“That’s what people do who don’t have anything to talk about,” Carson said of name-calling on both sides of the aisle. He said that it is the media’s responsibility to help guide candidates away from such attacks, despite the fact that Trump himself is the one who often perpetuates these self-inflicted errors.
Carson attended a meeting in Trump Tower on Thursday morning directed at beginning a process of outreach by the Trump campaign to the African-American community; a tall order for a candidate polling in the single digits with black voters in the final two months of his campaign. It’s a task made even more difficult by Trump’s history with housing discrimination and championing the birther movement.
But Carson is hopeful that Trump showing interest in issues relevant to the community will help him gain traction. He said that Democrats take black votes for granted while not providing real solutions so there’s an opening for Trump to offer a new option in the Republican party.
“The important thing is that he has started the process,” Carson asserted. “As you know, the Republican Party has been relatively missing in action when it comes to reaching out to minority communities in recent decades. I think particularly in the African-American community, a large number of people recognize that the Democrats have not done diddly-squat for them. But they don’t feel that they have any other place to go.”
In an attempt to give them another option, Trump’s campaign has planned to start visiting African-American communities, beginning with a visit to Carson’s hometown of Detroit on Sept. 3.
The former neurosurgeon’s place in the Trump orbit has waxed and waned this year, often with the former playing referee on some of Trump’s most vicious attacks. In June, Carson said it was a bad idea to attack Clinton over her faith. He also cautioned against Trump attacking judge Gonzalo Curiel over his ethnicity, saying that it was indicative of a “moral descent.”
That pattern continues today. Trump and some of his surrogates have publicly speculated about the health of Clinton, with Trump frequently commenting on her lack of “stamina,” while Carson, the only licensed medical practitioner of the bunch, has taken a different tack. He thinks that more medical information about both candidates should be publicized.
“There are plenty of people who are in their 60s, 70s, or 80s who are fit, healthy, and perfectly capable of vigorous activities,” Carson said (Trump is 70 and Clinton is 68). “When you get into that age range, obviously there’s more concern than somebody who is in their 30s or 40s. So it is not at all an unreasonable expectation to know about their health status.”
He implored both of the candidates to release even more up-to-date medical information.
At this critical juncture in the presidential election, Trump’s most ardent and sometimes perplexing surrogate thinks they are in good shape to begin chipping into Clinton’s sizeable lead with black voters.
“This is something that he’s going to focus on,” Carson said. “Now that people understand that, as he goes into the communities, I think their interests will be piqued.”
That is, so long as Trump ditches the name-calling. |
BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s first aircraft carrier will carry out drills in the Western Pacific, in what the navy called part of routine exercises, amid renewed tension over self-ruled Taiwan that Beijing claims as its own.
A live-fire drill using an aircraft carrier is seen carried out in the Bohai sea, China, December 11, 2016. Picture taken December 11, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer
The navy said in a statement late on Saturday the Liaoning, along with its accompanying fleet, would conduct “exercises far out at sea”, without giving details of the location or route, in what is likely its first blue-water drill far from home waters.
“This exercise is being carried out in accordance with annual exercise plans,” the navy said in a statement also carried on the front page of the official People’s Liberation Army Daily.
China’s successful operation of the Liaoning is the first step in what state media and some military experts say will be the deployment of domestically built carriers by 2020.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Sunday it had been monitoring the drills closely as the Liaoning went through the Miyako Strait, a body of water between the Japanese islands of Miyako and Okinawa, heading into the Pacific.
It said it was monitoring whether the aircraft carrier would continue into the Bashi Channel, which lies between Taiwan and the Philippines, on its return.
The Japanese Defense Ministry said on Sunday evening that a Maritime Self Defense Force ship and a P3C patrol airplane had spotted six Chinese naval vessels including Liaoning traveling through the passage between Miyako and Okinawa and into the Pacific.
There was no territorial incursion, the ministry said.
One Z-9 patrol helicopter that took off from a Chinese frigate flew near Miyako Island, prompting the scrambling of Japanese jet fighters, said the Japanese Defense Ministry.
Nikkei business daily reported that Japan had told China via diplomatic channels that it was closely watching the moves of the aircraft carrier.
China’s military conducted its first ever live-fire drills using an aircraft carrier and fighters in the northeastern Bohai Sea close to the Korean peninsula this month, and has more recently been in the East China Sea.
The navy showed pictures on its official microblog from the drills in the East China Sea, including J-15 carrier-borne fighter jets launching into the sky, overseen by navy chief Wu Shengli.
They conducted aerial refueling and air combat exercises on Thursday, the navy said.
China’s growing military presence in the disputed South China Sea in particular has fueled concern, with the United States criticizing its militarization of maritime outposts and holding regular air and naval patrols to ensure freedom of navigation.
The Western Pacific exercise comes amid new tension over self-ruled Taiwan, following U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s telephone call with the island’s president that upset Beijing.
China’s air force conducted long-range drills this month above the East and South China Seas that rattled Japan and Taiwan. China said those exercises were also routine.
China’s Soviet-built Liaoning aircraft carrier has participated in previous military exercises, including some in the South China Sea, but China is years away from perfecting carrier operations similar to those the United States has practised for decades.
Last December, the defense ministry confirmed China was building a second aircraft carrier but its launch date is unclear. The aircraft carrier program is a state secret.
Beijing could build multiple aircraft carriers over the next 15 years, the Pentagon said in a report last year. |
I had a rare Twitter username, @N. Yep, just one letter. I've been offered as much as $50,000 for it. People have tried to steal it. Password reset instructions are a regular sight in my e-mail inbox. As of today, I no longer control @N. I was extorted into giving it up.
While eating lunch on January 20, 2014, I received a text message from PayPal for a one-time validation code. Somebody was trying to steal my PayPal account. I ignored it and continued eating.
Later in the day, I checked my e-mail which uses my personal domain name (registered with GoDaddy) through Google Apps. I found the last message I had received was from GoDaddy with the subject "Account Settings Change Confirmation." There was a good reason why that was the last one.
From: <support@godaddy.com> GoDaddy
To: <*****@*****.***> Naoki Hiroshima
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 12:50:02 -0800
Subject: Account Settings Change Confirmation Dear naoki hiroshima, You are receiving this email because the Account Settings were modified for the following Customer Account: XXXXXXXX There will be a brief period before this request takes effect. If these modifications were made without your consent, please log in to your account and update your security settings. If you are unable to log in to your account or if unauthorized changes have been made to domain names associated with the account, please contact our customer support team for assistance: support@godaddy.com or (480) 505-8877. Please note that Accounts are subject to our Universal Terms of Service. Sincerely,
GoDaddy
I tried to log in to my GoDaddy account, but it didn't work. I called GoDaddy and explained the situation. The representative asked me the last six digits of my credit card number as a method of verification. This didn't work because the credit card information had already been changed by an attacker. In fact, all of my information had been changed. I had no way to prove I was the real owner of the domain name.
The GoDaddy representative suggested that I fill out a case report on GoDaddy's website using my government identification. I did that and was told a response could take up to 48 hours. I expected that this would be sufficient to prove my identity and ownership of the account.
Let the extortion begin
Most websites use e-mail as a method of verification. If your e-mail account is compromised, an attacker can easily reset your password on many other websites. By taking control of my domain name at GoDaddy, my attacker was able to control my e-mail.
I soon realized, based on my previous experiences being attacked, that my coveted Twitter username was the target. Strangely, someone I don't know sent me a Facebook message encouraging me to change my Twitter e-mail address. I assumed this was sent from the attacker, but I changed it regardless. The Twitter account e-mail address was now one which the attacker could not access.
The attacker tried to reset my Twitter password several times and found he couldn't receive any of the reset e-mails because it took time for the change of my domain's MX record, which controls the e-mail domain server. The attacker opened issue #16134409 at Twitter's Zendesk support page.
N, Jan 20 01:43 PM: Twitter username: @n
Your email: *****@*****.***
Last sign in: December
Mobile number (optional): n/a
Anything else? (optional): I'm not receiving the password reset to my email, do you think you could manually send me one?
Twitter required the attacker to provide more information to proceed, and the attacker gave up on this route.
I later learned that the attacker had compromised my Facebook account in order to bargain with me. I was horrified to learn what had happened when friends began asking me about strange behavior on my Facebook account.
I received an e-mail from my attacker at last. The attacker attempted to extort me with the following message.
From: <swiped@live.com> SOCIAL MEDIA KING
To: <*****@*****.***> Naoki Hiroshima
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 15:55:43 -0800
Subject: Hello. I've seen you spoke with an accomplice of mine, I would just like to inform you that you were correct, @N was the target. it appears extremely inactive, I would also like to inform you that your GoDaddy domains are in my possession, one fake purchase and they can be repossessed by godaddy and never seen again D: I see you run quite a few nice websites so I have left those alone for now, all data on the sites has remained intact. Would you be willing to compromise? access to @N for about 5minutes while I swap the handle in exchange for your godaddy, and help securing your data?
Shortly thereafter, I received a response from GoDaddy.
From: change@godaddy.com
To: <*****@*****.***> Naoki Hiroshima
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 17:49:41 -0800
Subject: Update [Incident ID: 21773161] — XXXXX.XXX Unfortunately, Domain Services will not be able to assist you with your change request as you are not the current registrant of the domain name. As the registrar we can only make this type of change after verifying the consent of the registrant. You may wish to pursue one or more of the following options should you decide to pursue this matter further: 1. Visit http://who.godaddy.com/ to locate the Whois record for the domain name and resolve the issue with the registrant directly. 2. Go to http://www.icann.org/dndr/udrp/approved-providers.htm to find an ICANN approved arbitration provider. 3. Provide the following link to your legal counsel for information on submitting legal documents to GoDaddy: http://www.godaddy.com/agreements/showdoc.aspx?pageid=CIVIL_SUBPOENA GoDaddy now considers this matter closed.
My claim was refused because I am not the "current registrant." GoDaddy asked the attacker if it was ok to change account information, while they didn't bother asking me if it was ok when the attacker did it. I was infuriated that GoDaddy had put the burden on the true owner.
A coworker of mine was able to connect me to a GoDaddy executive. The executive attempted to get the security team involved, but nothing has happened. Perhaps because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Then I received this follow-up from the attacker.
From: <swiped@live.com> SOCIAL MEDIA KING
To: <*****@*****.***> Naoki Hiroshima
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 18:50:16 -0800
Subject: …hello Are you going to swap the handle? the godaddy account is ready to go. Password changed and a neutral email is linked to it.
I asked a friend of mine at Twitter what the chances of recovering the Twitter account were if the attacker took ownership. I remembered what had happened to @mat and concluded that giving up the account right away would be the only way to avoid an irreversible disaster. So I told the attacker:
From: <*****@*****.***> Naoki Hiroshima
To: <swiped@live.com> SOCIAL MEDIA KING
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 19:41:17 -0800
Subject: Re: …hello I released @N. Take it right away.
I changed my username @N to @N_is_stolen for the first time since I registered it in early 2007. Goodbye to my problematic username, for now.
I received this response.
From: <swiped@live.com> SOCIAL MEDIA KING
To: <*****@*****.***> Naoki Hiroshima
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 19:44:02 -0800
Subject: RE: …hello Thank you very much, your godaddy password is: V;Mz,3{;!'g& if you'd like I can go into detail about how I was able to gain access to your godaddy, and how you can secure yourself
The attacker quickly took control of the username, and I regained access to my GoDaddy account.
PayPal and GoDaddy facilitated the attack
I asked the attacker how my GoDaddy account was compromised and received this response:
From: <swiped@live.com> SOCIAL MEDIA KING
To: <*****@*****.***> Naoki Hiroshima
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 19:53:52 -0800
Subject: RE: …hello - I called paypal and used some very simple engineering tactics to obtain the last four of your card (avoid this by calling paypal and asking the agent to add a note to your account to not release any details via phone) - I called godaddy and told them I had lost the card but I remembered the last four, the agent then allowed me to try a range of numbers (00-09 in your case) I have not found a way to heighten godaddy account security, however if you'd like me to recommend a more secure registrar i recommend: NameCheap or eNom (not network solutions but enom.com)
It's hard to decide what's more shocking, the fact that PayPal gave the attacker the last four digits of my credit card number over the phone, or that GoDaddy accepted it as verification. When asked about this, the attacker responded with this message:
From: <swiped@live.com> SOCIAL MEDIA KING
To: <*****@*****.***> Naoki Hiroshima
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 20:00:31 -0800
Subject: RE: …hello Yes paypal told me them over the phone (I was acting as an employee) and godaddy let me "guess" for the first two digits of the card
But guessing two digits correctly isn't that easy, right?
From: <swiped@live.com> SOCIAL MEDIA KING
To: <*****@*****.***> Naoki Hiroshima
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 20:09:21 -0800
Subject: RE: …hello I got it in the first call, most agents will just keep trying until they get it
He was lucky that he only had to guess two numbers and was able to do it in a single call. The thing is, GoDaddy allowed him to keep trying until he nailed it. Insane. Sounds like I was dealing with a wannabe Kevin Mitnick—it's as though companies have yet to learn from Mitnick's exploits circa 1995.
Avoid custom domains for your login e-mail address
With my GoDaddy account restored, I was able to regain access to my e-mail as well. I changed the e-mail address I use at several web services to an @gmail.com address. Using my Google Apps e-mail address with a custom domain feels nice, but it has a chance of being stolen if the domain server is compromised. If I were using an @gmail.com e-mail address for my Facebook login, the attacker would not have been able to access my Facebook account.
If you are using your Google Apps e-mail address to log into various websites, I strongly suggest you stop doing so. Use an @gmail.com for logins. You can use the nicer custom domain e-mail for messaging purposes. I still do.
In addition, I also strongly suggest you use a longer TTL for the MX record, just in case. It was 1 hour TTL in my case, and that's why I didn't have enough time to keep receiving e-mails to the compromised domain after losing the DNS control. If it was a week-long TTL for example, I would have had a greater chance to recover the stolen accounts.
Using two-factor authentication is a must. It's probably what prevented the attacker from logging into my PayPal account, though this situation illustrates that even two-factor authentication doesn't help for everything.
Conclusion
Stupid companies may give out your personal information (like part of your credit card number) to the wrong person. Some of those companies are still employing the unacceptable practice of verifying you with the last some digits of your credit card.
To avoid their imprudence from destroying your digital life, don't let companies such as PayPal and GoDaddy store your credit card information. I just removed mine. I'll also be leaving GoDaddy and PayPal as soon as possible. |
PLAINFIELD — Plainfield today became the state's newest transit village, giving officials access to planning expertise and grants for redevelopment projects around the train station
The designation by the state Department of Transportation and NJ Transit is the 28th in the state and the sixth in Union County.
Mayor Adrian Mapp welcomed the news.
“We believe that the Transit Village designation will greatly advance Plainfield’s continued revitalization,” Mapp said. “The transit village status, in conjunction with the one-seat ride to New York City, will help us promote the mixed-use development that has already begun in our downtown.”
Begun earlier this month, the one-seat ride on NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line allows passengers to make a direct ride into New York without first transferring at Newark Penn Station.
The city was cited for its redevelopment plans around the train station, which provides daily service to Newark and New York City and for its more than half dozen bus routes.Transit village hubs are required to be pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods where people can live, shop, work and play without the need for a car.
Plainfield joins Rahway, Cranford, Elizabeth, Linden and Summit as Union County transit villages.
“A municipality can only be designated a state Transit Village after performing the important visioning and planning work that sets the stage for redevelopment to occur,” transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson. “I applaud the city of Plainfield for their careful planning efforts and the proactive approach in their exciting current and future development.”
With an eye toward encouraging mixed use development near the train station, the city in 2010, with help from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, developed a report outlining its transit-oriented development projects, Simpson said. From those recommendations, 13 projects are either under construction, planned or under consideration, he said.
The projects include mixed-use of commercial and residential, straight commercial, and straight residential, including 218 apartments and 32,000 square feet of retail.The proposed redevelopment is a mixture of new and rehabilitated construction.
Mapp said that since 2011, the city has worked with the Transit Village Task Force, a group of 10 state agencies to earn the designation.
New Jersey's first transit village was Pleasantville in 1999. The roster now also includes Morristown, Rutherford, South Amboy, South Orange, Riverside, Metuchen, Belmar, Collingswood, Bloomfield, Bound Brook, Matawan, New Brunswick, Journal Square/Jersey City, Netcong, Burlington City, Orange, Somerville, Montclair, West Windsor, East Orange and Dunellen.
RELATED COVERAGE
•Historic first 'one-seat ride' on Raritan Valley Line arrives in NYC
•Summit is latest N.J. town to be accepted into state Transit Village program |
This is part of an article series on the top 50 players in Rivals of Aether drawing data primarily from NA competitions.
Articles in the Series
For more information about the methodology and how rankings were decided, check out the Rivals Top 50 Introduction Post.
To enter free Rivals of Aether events online, head to the Rivals Championship Series 2 Smash.gg page.
Rank Rating Rivals 10 96.00 17th 2nd 1st 1st Summary
Though Kisuno played during season one of the RCS with solid results, he’s now approached a level of skill that truly rivals the top players. Recently taking 2nd at CEO Dreamland, Kisuno also holds a ridiculous 91.7% win rate after over 120 NCS matches. Other players recognize this dominance and even though he has few season one results, our panelists voted him unanimously into the top 10. Many top players have been dormant after Genesis 4 but Kisuno has clearly been on the grind and will definitely be coming for the throne in season 2.
Rank Rating Rivals 09 96.10 9th 17th 3rd 2nd Summary
MSB is a top Kragg player with impressive results from Rivals events across the country. He most recently secured 3rd place at CEO Dreamland on the big stage, but also has great results from Super Smash Con, Garden of Gods, and Genesis 4. His presence in the online scene as both a player (and more recently a TO and mentor) has earned him many fans. MSB was recently picked up by Fable eSports and is looking forward to the opportunities to travel provided by the team. He will definitely be a player to watch out for at Bigger Balc, which is quickly turning into our most stacked tournament since Genesis 4.
Rank Rating Rivals 08 96.50 4th 9th 9th 4th Summary
Zetterburn is seen frequently in tournaments these days and LBO took no small part in pioneering many aspects of top Zetter play. A fan favorite during the RCS online streams, LBO’s aggressive offstage play and sheer dominance secured him a travel voucher to Genesis 4 by placing him firmly in the top 6 of the RCS standings. He’s looking forward to returning to online play in season 2, starting out with an impressive undefeated streak in the NCS so far this year. LBO is also a frequent streamer and you can catch him on his twitch channel here.
Rank Rating Rivals 07 97.00 6th 7th 2nd 2nd Summary
AZCards is a rock in Rivals, and not just because he plays Kragg. Even though he’s not known for his tech skill or flashy combos, AZCards’ consistency is mind boggling. He is constantly able to tangle with the best players in the game and is rarely upset, holding a solid 81.7% win rating in NCS events this year with over 80 games played. AZCards secured himself 7th place at Genesis 4 earlier this year and was recently picked up by VexX Gaming. He’s excited to be a part of their team and will be a force to be reckoned with at Bigger Balc next week.
Rank Rating Rivals 06 97.10 1st (EU) 5th N/A 185th Summary
Kaos was the European RCS champion and certainly had a lot to prove when he came to Genesis 4. No stranger to the big stage due to his experience as a pro Brawl player, he did not disappoint – defeating Kenneth, Turquoise, AZCards and others on his way to 5th place. Kaos is a multi-character main, changing characters as patches came out in early access updates. Now that the game has settled he tends to play Etalus and Zetterburn. Even though he was only here for a short time, players were obviously impressed with his skills and impact on the scene for global Rivals, as he was unanimously placed in the top ten on our panelist ballots.
Rank Rating Rivals 05 97.50 15th 3rd 24th 1st Summary
Arcanine is an impressive wildcard player that could potentially be in the top 3 with just a few more victories. He doesn’t regularly participate in the online tournament scene, but trains within the ICE crew and is a lab monster on his own. Since many top players don’t have tons of experience against him they’re never sure exactly what they’re going to get during a tournament – only that they should be afraid. Responsible for sending CakeAssault to losers bracket early at Genesis 4, Arcanine also defeated Ralph and Kaos before eventually falling to FullStream. He’s excited to travel again to the next big tournament, since he’s quite familar with getting 1st place at mid-sized events but still wants to prove it on a national level.
Rank Rating Rivals 04 98.00 3rd 4th 1st 21st Summary
CakeAssault had some of the most surprising results this past year. Whispers about how good the young player was started after he took first place at Super Smash Con and made it look easy. Then he started to win online RCS weeklies, defeating FullStream with a character the viewers had never seen him play before – Wrastor. At Genesis 4 CakeAssault solidified his legacy with one of the most epic losers bracket runs in Rivals history. After losing in game 5/last hit to Arcanine, he was able to rally and defeat Handbutt, Turquoise, LBO, DolphinBrick, and eventually eliminate Ralph from the event. This level of mental fortitude bodes well for CakeAssault’s future career as he’ll definitely be a player to look out for in season 2. |
Ask the Scientists
Join The Discussion
What is the context of this research?
The role of science blogging and science bloggers is expanding and diversifying today. More Americans get their science news online than ever, and much of that is now coming from science blogs. And yet, relatively little research has targeted the practices, routines and values of science bloggers. Traditionally, science bloggers have been the champions of fighting bad science on the internet.
But today, they are so much more. Who are science bloggers? What do they do? How do they decide what to blog about? I'm conducting a large-scale online survey to find out!
What is the significance of this project?
If we don't understand how and why science bloggers do what they do, we will never be able to fully assess the impact of science blogs - and what they COULD be for us in the future.
"the two things that get me really interested are, if it's science that I find really interesting, or, if it's something that's really, really wrong." - Science Blogger, #MySciBlog
"I think that... your gender definitely has a factor in terms of what you choose to write about." - Science Blogger, #MySciBlog
The issue of open access: "I'm thinking more and more [...] as to whether to only write about open access articles." - Science Blogger, #MySciBlog
"There's no, 'how to blog' guidebook...you have to just watch...what are the people...considered to be the best at this doing?" - Science Blogger, #MySciBlog
What are the goals of the project?
My goal is to conduct a large-scale online survey of science bloggers. I have already interviewed more than 50 science bloggers world-wide, so now it's time for a more number-crunching survey. But to collect this survey data, I need funds to offer science bloggers an incentive to take and complete my online survey. A goal of $1,000 for this project would allow me to give a $5 incentive to at least 200 bloggers.
If you are a science blogger wanting to get involved in my research, you can sign up for my survey and to receive further notifications here: https://t.co/dt6EoMyIAh |
Anvil! The Story of Anvil Promotional film poster Directed by Sacha Gervasi Produced by Sacha Gervasi
Lauren McClard
Dana Sano
Christopher Soos
Rebecca Yeldham Starring Anvil Music by David Norland Cinematography Christopher Soos Edited by Andrew Dickler
Jeff Renfroe Distributed by Abramorama Release date January 18, 2008 ( ) (Sundance Film Festival)
(Sundance Film Festival) February 20, 2009 ( ) (United States)
(United States)
Running time 81 minutes Country United States Language English Box office $951,380[1]
Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a 2008 rockumentary film about the Canadian heavy metal band Anvil. The film is directed by screenwriter Sacha Gervasi, in his directorial debut, and features interviews with other musicians who have been influenced by the band, including Slash, Tom Araya, Lemmy, Scott Ian, and Lars Ulrich.
Synopsis [ edit ]
The film begins by listing the headlining acts of the Super Rock festival held in Japan in 1984: Scorpions, Whitesnake, and Bon Jovi, all of whom have gone on to sell millions of records, except one: Anvil. Despite their ambition, the Canadian band was unable to achieve the same level of success. Instead, singer and guitarist Steve "Lips" Kudlow drives trucks for Children's Choice Catering, delivering food to schools and institutions. Drummer Robb Reiner works in construction. But both would rather be playing on stage at the local sports bar to their small but dedicated group of fans, as shown during a show for Steve's 50th birthday party.
Kudlow gets an email from a European fan named Tiziana Arrigoni, who offers to set up a European tour for the band, estimating 1500 Euros per show. The tour has a promising start at the Sweden Rock festival, where the group interacts with Michael Schenker and Carmine Appice, but it quickly goes downhill. Trains are full before the band can buy tickets, they miss travel connections altogether, they get lost in Prague due to language barriers and scuffle with the bar owner who refuses to pay since the band was two hours late, they play to mostly empty rooms and complain about the lack of promotion, and eventually run out of money and sleep in a train station. At one point, Reiner refuses to perform and announces he's quitting the band, only to be persuaded by Kudlow to stick it out. The final concert of the tour is the Monsters of Transylvania rock concert, held in a 10,000 seat arena and promising a crowd of 5,000. Only 174 people show up.
The band returns to Canada having taken five weeks off of work and making no money. Kudlow describes the financial difficulties that have befallen the band, including his own second mortgage, and bassist Glenn Five's homelessness. Guitarist Ivan Hurd ends up marrying Tiziana, and Anvil plays at the wedding reception as a handful of family members watch politely. Reiner describes his other passion, painting, focusing on themes of solitude.
Kudlow notes that recent Anvil albums have not been as well written or produced as earlier efforts, such as Metal on Metal, and sends a rough demo tape to the producer of that record, Chris "CT" Tsangarides. Tsangarides replies to Kudlow that he feels the songs have potential, and after a face-to-face meeting they decide to record their 13th album, This Is Thirteen. The band still needs to raise the £13,000 to finance the recording. He returns to Canada and tries to raise the money as a telemarketer selling sunglasses, but does not make a single sale. Eventually, he borrows the money from his sister Rhonda.
The band spends over a month recording in Dover, England. After several stressful weeks of recording, an argument ensues between Kudlow and Reiner over the quality of each other's recording takes. The argument turns heated and Reiner threatens to quit again, but they are able to reconcile and finish recording the album. Kudlow and Reiner try unsuccessfully to market it to several record labels (notably EMI Canada), but decide to sell the album themselves through Internet and concert sales. Despite the lack of major label distribution, Kudlow considers the recording process and finished album a success, stating that the band was able to stay true to their roots and form/maintain strong relationships with family and friends.
Kudlow receives a phone call asking Anvil to play a concert in Japan. Excitedly, the group returns to the site that marked the highlight of their career. Their spirits are dampened when they realize they are the very first act at a three-day festival, taking the stage at 11:35 am. Fearing disaster, the group however takes the stage to a large, receptive crowd.
Production [ edit ]
Gervasi first met Anvil on September 21, 1982, after a gig at The Marquee Club in London, where he introduced himself to the band as "England's number-one Anvil fan." He subsequently became a roadie for the band on their '82, '84 and '85 tours, and was given the nickname "Teabag" by the band.[2] He reunited with Anvil after a break of 20 years, and started shooting a documentary about them in November 2005.[2]
Release [ edit ]
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008, and won Audience Awards at the 2008 Sydney Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Festival and Galway International Film Festival. The film has been nominated in the "Truer Than Fiction" category of Film Independent's 2009 Independent Spirit Awards. The award recognizes emerging directors of non-fiction films.[3][4]
Since its first season, VH1 Classic's That Metal Show has supported the film, and on March 28, 2009, Kudlow and Reiner were the show's featured guests. It was picked up for distribution in the United States by VH1 under their VH1 Rock Docs label, and opened to limited release on April 10, 2009. The band also went on the road with the film for what was dubbed The Anvil Experience.
In North America, the film was released on DVD on October 6, 2009. Distribution was handled by Fontana Distribution on behalf of VH1.
Reception [ edit ]
The film has received praise and high acclaim in many reviews, receiving a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] The Times called it "possibly the greatest film yet made about rock and roll".[13]
The film was named Best Documentary of 2009 at the Evening Standard British Film Awards in London. Chris Martin of Coldplay presented the award. The film won Best Documentary at the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles. It also won an Emmy for Outstanding Arts & Culture Programming in 2010.[14]
Steve Kudlow: "One of my heroes is Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull, and he came up to me in Heathrow Airport and told me the movie had completely inspired him to keep playing music, and he just kept thanking me for all of the inspiration my band gave him. I mean, this is Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull—how cool is that?"[15]
Impact [ edit ]
Since the release of the film, the band has received a second wave of popularity and success. This includes an appearance at Download Festival 2009 headlining the Tuborg stage and support slots for both AC/DC and Saxon. The band also performed on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien around this time. Anvil toured the US in 2010. |
Evil in Waiting Quest Giver Valdar Location Valthume Reward Hevnoraak Type Side Quest Quest ID dunValthumeQST
Evil in Waiting is a quest available in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Contents show]
Objectives Edit
Collect all three vessels.
Perform the ritual with Valdar.
Defeat Hevnoraak.
Walkthrough Edit
The Vessels Edit
Upon entering Valthume, a spirit named Valdar will be encountered. Valdar will instruct the Dragonborn to collect three vessels in the cave and bring them back to him.
The first vessel can be found in the Valthume area inside the room with the Draugr Deathlord that has two holes in the ceiling to the sky (requires activating a handle across an apparent dead end from an iron gate that causes a hidden door to open as well as the gate). It is visually very similar to an empty wine bottle, but is instead labeled "opaque vessel." The map arrow will show the location and there will be an arrow shown in the room.
The second vessel is located in the catacombs where the three flamethrower pillars are. The room, which can be unlocked by pulling upon a chain, contains a chest and a Giant Frostbite Spider with one to three smaller Frostbite Spiders.
The third vessel can be obtained in the room behind the combination lock door, setting the correct combination on the rotating kiosks: dragon, hawk, wolf will open the door. There is a Word Wall behind the third vessel that gives a word of the Aura Whisper shout.
The Ritual Edit
Upon returning to Valdar, he will say that by pouring out the contents of the vessels, the lich entombed in the caves will be deprived from regaining its full power. After the Dragonborn pours the vessel contents into the sconce and sits in the throne, Valdar will reanimate Hevnoraak, who will still be formidable. (It should be noted that after sitting on the throne, the Dragonborn can immediately exit the throne and find a hiding spot before Hevnoraak appears. This can give stealthy characters a better chance to sneak attack him with a bow.) Valdar then awakens the Dragon Priest Hevnoraak.
Defeating Hevronaak Edit
Hevnoraak casts powerful lightning spells at the Dragonborn and summons Storm Atronachs. Beware of the lightning that Hevnoraak casts on the ground, as it is debilitating to health and magicka.
If the Dragonborn is leveled sufficiently and in possession of a strong bow such as a Daedric Bow and Glass or better arrows, Hevnoraak can be quickly taken down with a few well placed shots. Be sure to search the remains once he is defeated.
When defeated, Hevnoraak will drop his mask, which grants its wearer immunity to both disease and poison.
Journal Edit
Evil in Waiting – dunValthumeQST ID Journal Entry 3 A spirit known as Valdar has asked me to collect three vessels in Valthume to defeat the Dragon Priest Hevnoraak. Objective 5: Collect the Vessels (<GLobal=dunValthumeVesselCollectedCount>/3) 10 Objective 10: Perform the ritual with Valdar 15 Valdar has asked me to collect three vessels in Valthume to defeat the Dragon Priest Hevnoraak. I brought the vessels to Valdar who told me the vessels contained the blood of Hevnoraak. I am to use this blood in a ritual to defeat him. 40 Objective 15: Defeat Hevnoraak 50 Valdar has asked me to collect three vessels in Valthume to defeat the Dragon Priest Hevnoraak. I brought the vessels to Valdar who told me the vessels contained the blood of Hevnoraak. I used the blood to weaken and awaken Hevnoraak, and defeated him. 60 has asked me to collect three vessels in Valthume to defeat the Dragon Priest Hevnoraak. I brought the vessels to Valdar who told me the vessels contained the blood of Hevnoraak. I used the blood to weaken and awaken Hevnoraak, and defeated him. Valdar told me to take his iron mask and faded away. Quest completed
Trivia Edit
If a follower is commanded to sit on the throne, Valdar will release Hevnoraak as normal allowing the Dragonborn to choose a better location to attack Hevnoraak from.
The title is a reference to Bethesda Softwork's game The Evil Within which was in development one year prior to the release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and released three years after.
Bugs Edit
This section contains bugs related to Evil in Waiting. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following: Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template 360 / XB1 , PS3 / PS4 , PC / MAC , NX , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board. |
The U.S. economy expanded at a disappointing 1.2 percent annual rate in April, May, and June, as weak business investment outweighed strong consumer spending.
Friday's Commerce Department report also said the previous quarter's growth was slower than first thought.
Analysts say weak business investment may reflect worries about the global economy. Manufacturers have been hurt by the strong U.S. dollar that makes U.S. products more expensive on global markets. The energy industry has also been hard hit by continued low oil prices. Friday saw Exxon report its weakest quarterly profit in 17 years.
Economists were expecting a stronger GDP report, and some of them say the slow growth may prompt the U.S. central bank to delay a decision to raise interest rates that have been held at unusually low levels for many years.
White House economic advisor Jason Furman calls the strong consumer spending encouraging, and says the business spending data tends to be "volatile" and could change by next month.
Some other analysts say U.S. economic growth will probably be two percent or less for this year. |
METHUEN (CBS) – A Lowell police officer has been charged with drunken driving in a crash early Saturday morning that killed a Lawrence man.
Methuen police reported that Eric Wayne, 41, of Lowell was headed west on Riverside Drive in a 2013 Land Rover at about 12:30 a.m. when it appears he crossed the center line and crashed into a 1998 Mercury Mountaineer near the intersection of Strathmore Road.
The driver of the Mercury, 26-year-old Briant Paula of Lawrence, was trapped in his car and firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to reach him.
Paula suffered massive trauma and was taken to Lawrence General Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Paula had picked up his sister from work and was driving with her at the time of the crash. The sister, Lois, was hospitalized and was in fair condition at Lawrence General Hospital.
Wayne, a Lowell police officer, refused medical treatment and was arrested on charges of motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation, a marked lanes violation, and having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle, Methuen police said.
Wayne has a prior arrest on drunken driving charges in Lowell on July 4, 2013. He refused a Breathalyzer test in that case, resulting in an automatic 180-day license suspension.
Wayne was placed on administrative leave after his arrest in the 2013 case, which remains open. It was unclear if he is still on leave.
The officer made a cameo appearance in Mark Wahlberg’s Lowell-based movie, “The Fighter.”
His father, Gerald Wayne, was a Lowell police detective who died in 2009.
Wayne is being held on $500,000 cash bail pending his arraignment Monday at Lawrence District Court.
A friend of the Paula family remembered Briant fondly.
“He was the best. Very respectful for everybody,” said Alva Gonzales.
MORE LOCAL NEWS FROM CBS BOSTON |
Dalek patroller, reporting for duty Patrols your desk, ready to exterminate
Ground sensors allow it to turn & avoid falling
Says, "EXTERMINATE!" whenever it turns
Inboxes. We hate 'em. It seems that whenever we turn our backs, things get tossed into them. TPS reports, copies of memos, copies of last month's memo nobody read, an agenda for the meeting about the other meeting, the new menu for the favored pizza place... the amount of paper is staggering. And if you're a mostly paperless office (like we are at ThinkGeek), your virtual inbox is just as clogged up. It's a Sisyphean task, getting to inbox zero.
Don't you wish you could EXTERMINATE those people who dump things in your inbox? With the Doctor Who Desktop Dalek, you can! This 4" tall red dalek has ground sensors that enable it to turn and patrol in a new direction when it senses the edge of your desk. When the Dalek turns, it will cry out: "EXTERMINATE!" This will surely scare those pesky people away from your physical inbox, leaving you will more time to browse the internet for funny videos of cats.
Product Specifications |
printable version - js reader version - view hidden posts - tags and related articles
BREAKING NEWS: Jews Shut Down Israeli Counsulate in Protest of Attack on Gaza! by Jewish People of Conscience Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009 at 9:49 AM
Concerned Jewish residents of Los Angeles have shut down the Israeli consulate for the first time ever in a historic protest against the policies of Israel. An ad-hoc, multi-generational group including members of the recently founded International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, will send a message to the Israeli government and its US supporters: "Not In Our Name! We will not be silent! Jews demand an end to the Israeli siege on Gaza and an end to Israeli apartheid." The demonstration will kick off a wave of demonstrations across the United States uniting Palestinians, Jewish people, and other Americans outraged by the siege. JEWS SHUT DOWN ISRAELI CONSULATE!
10 JEWS CHAIN TOGETHER TO BLOCK DRIVEWAY AND ENTRANCE!
Who: Jewish people of conscience in Los Angeles, including a nurse, a school counselor, a retired school teacher, a retired union representative, and a community organizer.
What: Civil Disobedience to shut down the Israeli consulate, with people risking arrest by chaining themselves to the building, strong visuals condemning Israeli attack on Gaza
Where: Consulate General of Israel, 6380 Wilshire Blvd # 1700, Los Angeles, CA 90048
When: 8:30am, January 14, 2009
Concerned Jewish residents of Los Angeles have shut down the Israeli consulate for the first time ever in a historic protest against the policies of Israel. An ad-hoc, multi-generational group including members of the recently founded International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, will send a message to the Israeli government and its US supporters: "Not In Our Name! We will not be silent! Jews demand an end to the Israeli siege on Gaza and an end to Israeli apartheid." The demonstration will kick off a wave of demonstrations across the United States uniting Palestinians, Jewish people, and other Americans outraged by the siege.
"We are shocked and outraged at Israeli's latest act of violent aggression against the Palestinian people. Killing over 950 people, including 250 women and children, bombing schools and mosques and then calling it self-defense—that is the worst kind of hypocrisy. It also amounts to war crimes," said Hannah Howard, a local member of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. "We are shutting down the Israeli consulate today because as Jewish people we cannot allow business as usual while violence is being done in our name. This is a direct betrayal of our Jewish tradition of social justice."
Action participants will also speak out against the US government's unconditional support for Israel's siege and its ongoing war against the Palestinian people. "While US-funded F16's rain down bombs on the people of Gaza, our elected officials locally and nationally offer unqualified support." said Marsha Steinberg, a retired union representative. "Our government must stop sending billions of dollars in military and economic aid to the Israeli war machine while defending Israel in the international community," Steinberg said. In the coming week, concerned Americans from all backgrounds will call on the new Presidential administration to make a 180 degree change in policy.
"While the end of the siege on Gaza is our most immediate priority, this is only the latest chapter in Palestinians' 60 plus year experience of occupation and ethnic cleansing. Peace and justice in the region will only come when Palestinians have freedom and control their own destiny," said Lisa Adler, a community organizer in Los Angeles and another member of the International Jewish Solidarity Network. "Even before the siege began, Israel's inhumane months-long blockade of Gaza created a major humanitarian crisis. We must end the siege. And we are building a nonviolent international movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions that brings an end to Israel's policies of occupation and apartheid and advances the Palestinian struggle for justice," said Adler.
For more information on the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, visit www.ijsn.net
-- ## --
Report this post as: Share on: Twitter, Facebook, Google+
LATEST COMMENTS ABOUT THIS ARTICLE
Listed below are the 10 latest comments of 3 posted about this article.
These comments are anonymously submitted by the website visitors.
TITLE AUTHOR DATE photo - Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009 at 6:02 PM what a sorry spectacle yep just another jew too Friday, Jan. 16, 2009 at 4:16 PM NOTICE THAT ORIGINAL PIX WAS CHANGED, REMOVED AND thus makes the comment above confusing observant viewer of comments and pix Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009 at 1:20 PM |
Most of the protesters in Spain are peaceful, but there is an increase in radicalization, especially among young people, which is understandable due to the high level of youth unemployment, trader and portfolio manager Felix Moreno told RT.
On March 22, tens of thousands of Spaniards rallied in Madrid for a so-called ‘Dignity March’ against EU-imposed austerity measures. The protest was peaceful in general, though later on some protesters switched to violence, starting to throw stones and bottles at the large numbers of riot police and attacked cashpoints and hoardings. The main demands of the protesters are an end to the so-called Troika-style cuts in Spain, more jobs and affordable housing.
RT:We've seen protests in Spain and other crisis-hit countries going on for years, yet nothing seems to change. So what's the point of anyone complaining?
Felix Moreno: To perfectly honest, it’s necessary for people to speak out because the government has had it very easy so far. The previous government made such a mess of it. Most people had a lot of patience and hope that this command was going to change this direction. Unfortunately, they haven’t [anymore] and I think we are starting to see the beginnings of the sea change in public opinion against this government.
RT:We've also seen a change in tactics as well. Last night in Madrid it was the police who received most of the injuries. Maybe there are some better ways for the people to get their voices heard than attacking the security forces?
FM: [Almost] all of the protesters are peaceful, but there is an increase in radicalization, especially among the young people, and this is understandable. But hopefully the silent and peaceful majority will prevail. Even though the anger keeps some building up because as you said there is over 50 percent youth unemployment in Spain and those people are getting very angry.
RT:The protesters are blaming the so-called Troika of the IMF, the European Central Bank and the EU for many of the country's problems. But isn't it really their own government that's landed them in this mess? Who is to be blamed?
FM: Well, definitely the Troika, the IMF and the EU have had an influence on the government policy, but the ultimate decision has lied with government in Madrid because they did have choice of how to balance the budget. They could have radically cut spending in sectors which are not directly beneficial or directly affect the welfare of the people and they've made a choice to keep the public sector just as big but cut in the most basic necessities: they've cut education spending, they've cut health spending and above all, they've increased taxes. It’s not said very much, but there has been more than 50 tax increases within the past two years since the government came to power and that’s a direct opposition to what they promised in their electoral program
RT:Have these massive tax increases been advertised on the Spanish media?
FM: The Spanish media has talked about it quite a bit but they have made much more noise about the cuts. In fact, that’s been three times as much revenue impact through tax increases than through cuts.
RT:Of course, austerity takes its toll on ordinary people but what's the alternative to get out of the crisis?
FM: Of course, the government's own economic experts came out with a report two years ago with real alternatives to it and then they did exactly the opposite of what they've actually published in their own books. What they said was “Two thirds of the cuts should be through reduction in government spending and privatization of the public companies and one third in tax increases.” They've done the exact opposite. They have increased VAT, which is a tax that most impacts the poorest, and they've cut spending in the most sensitive sectors. They have not reduced headcount in public, in government workers, they have not reduced spending of government companies and obviously they bailed out the banks.
If they could have the money used to bail out the banks and used it to save the weakest in the population, the public unrest would have been much, much less, the situation would have been much easier. Obviously, they had to let banks fail to do that and they were ready to do that.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT. |
The man was traced by police with serious burn injuries in connection with the theft from an electrical sub station in Methil.
© STV
Police have traced a man believed to have attempted to steal a live 11,000 volt cable from a substation after a member of the public reported he was suffering from horrific burns.
Officers in Fife appealed for information over the theft at a sub station in Methil on Monday.Officers said the man would be thief caused an explosion and "may be suffering serious injuries".
On Friday they said a man had been traced and was now receiving treatment for serious burns in hospital after the incident.
Inspector Donald Jenks, of Police Scotland's Fife Division, who led the investigation, said: "We received information from a member of the public this afternoon and have now traced a man, who is suffering from a number of burns-related injuries.
"He is currently being taken to hospital and we will be interviewing him in connection with the incident when medical staff advise he is well enough to speak to us.
"I would like to thank the public for their co-operation and the information we were given."
Power was cut off at around 2am on Monday December 23 to a number of homes and businesses in Methil after the thief struck.
Police say he cut through an 11,000 volt live cable which subsequently shorted out and caused an explosion. |
For those anxiously awaiting the nation’s next religious freedom showdown, look no further than Atlanta, where a growing controversy is currently unfolding over the recent dismissal of Fire Rescue Chief Kelvin Cochran, who last year wrote and distributed a self-published book that espoused anti-gay views.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed says he fired Cochran last week for exhibiting poor judgment and insubordination during an initial 30-day suspension over the former chief’s book, “Who Told You You Were Naked.” In the book, Cochran condemns homosexual acts as “vile, vulgar and inappropriate.”
An internal investigation found that Cochran did not get the proper approval to write the book in the first place – something he disputes – and then talked publicly about his suspension against the mayor’s wishes. The probe also found that while Cochran did not treat LGBT employees unfairly during his tenure, “there was a consistent sentiment among the witnesses that firefighters throughout the organization [were] appalled by the sentiments expressed in the book.”
RELATED: Church sign case seems to sidestep religious freedom issue
Cochran, however, believes he was fired purely because of his religious beliefs. Now, as Georgia lawmakers consider for the second year in a row whether to pass a controversial “religious freedom” measure that critics say will open the door to broad discrimination, his case is becoming the epicenter of an intensifying stand-off between Christian conservatives and LGBT equality advocates.
“I am heartbroken that I will no longer be able to serve the city and the people I love as fire chief, for no reason other than my Christian faith,” Cochran said in a statement released by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the conservative legal group that successfully challenged the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate in last year’s Hobby Lobby suit. Greg Scott, vice president of communications at ADF, said in an email to msnbc that the group was currently assessing Cochran’s legal options “to vindicate his right to free speech.”
A powerful southern Democrat, Mayor Reed defended his decision to fire Cochran Tuesday, saying in a statement it had nothing to do with the former chief’s religious beliefs. Rather, he said, the decision was based in large part on the fact that Cochran did not get approval from the Board of Ethics or the mayor’s office prior to writing the book.
“I believe his actions, decisions, and lack of judgment undermined his ability to effectively manage a large, diverse workforce,” said Reed. “Every single City of Atlanta employee deserves the certainty that he or she is a valued member of the team and that fairness and respect guide our employment decisions. His actions and his statements during the investigation and his suspension eroded my confidence in his ability to serve as a member of my senior leadership team.”
The union, Atlanta Professional Firefighters Local 134, praised Reed’s decision and called on the administration to go further by adding an LGBT liaison for the fire department. Likewise, The New York Times editorial board said that the mayor was in the right.
“Nobody can tell Mr. Cochran what he can or cannot believe,” the paper said in an editorial published Tuesday. “If he wants to work as a public official, however, he may not foist his religious views on other city employees who have the right to a boss who does not speak of them as second-class citizens.”
RELATED: ‘Religious freedom’ measure moves forward in Michigan
But not everyone was happy with the outcome. Hundreds of Cochran’s supporters flooded the rotunda of the Georgia Capitol Tuesday, and then marched on to Reed’s office. There, they left tens of thousands of petitions calling for the former chief’s reinstatement. Leaders of several conservative groups have also rallied around Cochran in the days since his termination – including the Faith & Freedom Coalition, the Family Research Council, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Georgia Baptist Convention – all arguing that he was discriminated against on the basis of his religion.
“The LGBT community wants us to be afraid of expressing our Christian beliefs,” Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said in a statement. “They want us to cower in the face of their threats to the livelihoods of believers. But we shouldn’t back down!”
“It’s about when you bring those beliefs into the workplace.” Beth Littrell, of Lambda Legal
and religion. But no nationwide protections exist for LGBT employees. Georgia is actually one of 29 states where it is perfectly legal to discriminate in employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Atlanta, however, is the
with nondiscrimination protections for its LGBT employees.
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act – one of the crowning achievements of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was born in Atlanta – prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin
Equality advocates say that based off the findings of Mayor Reed’s investigation, which revealed that Cochran distributed his book to at least nine people in the workplace, the former chief clearly created a hostile work environment for LGBT employees in his 750-member department, and may have violated the city’s nondiscrimination policies in the process.
“I think if you look at the facts, and that the firefighters unions made a firm statement in support of the mayor, that is evidence that Chief Cochran did create an environment where people were concerned that they were going to be judged not on their ability to be firefighters, but on who they are and who they love,” Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, told msnbc. “It is not uncommon for someone who is such a high-ranking appointed official to go through a special process before they publish something, or to have to make sure their views are consistent with the views of the municipality.”
RELATED: ‘Religious Freedom’ strikes back against marriage equality gains
The growing outcry over Cochran’s firing is breathing new life into the effort to pass a controversial religious freedom measure in Georgia, similar to one that passed the Arizona legislature last year and sparked a nationwide backlash. Republican Gov. Jan Brewer ended up vetoing that bill. Proponents say such measures provide necessary protections for religious people who do not want to have to cater to the gay community as they win hard-fought victories, like marriage equality. But critics say the bills would essentially serve as a license to discriminate for any business owner or government official.
Republican state Sen. Josh McKoon, who could not be reached for comment on this article, said last fall he would reintroduce another “religious freedom” bill this January. Similar legislation is pending in Indiana, Michigan, South Carolina and Texas. After toppling same-sex marriage bans in 36 states, many LGBT advocates view the religious freedom movement as the next front in the fight for full equality.
“It shouldn’t be lost that there is an absolute freedom to believe what you believe in,” Beth Littrell, a senior lawyer in the southern regional office of Lambda Legal, told msnbc. “In this situation with the mayor and the fire chief, as far as I understand it, that freedom hasn’t been violated.”
The question here, she continued, is “whether you have a right to act on those beliefs in a way that violates the rights of others … It’s about when you bring those beliefs into the workplace.” |
Engineers would love to create flexible electronic devices, such as e-readers that could be folded to fit into a pocket. One approach they are trying involves designing circuits based on electronic fibers, known as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), instead of rigid silicon chips.
But reliability is essential. Most silicon chips are based on a type of circuit design that allows them to function flawlessly even when the device experiences power fluctuations. However, it is much more challenging to do so with CNT circuits.
Now a team at Stanford has developed a process to create flexible chips that can tolerate power fluctuations in much the same way as silicon circuitry.
"This is the first time anyone has designed a flexible CNT circuits that have both high immunity to electrical noise and low power consumption, " said Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford with a courtesy appointment in Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering.
The group reported its findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Huiliang (Evan) Wang, a graduate student in Bao's lab, and Peng Wei, a previous postdoc in Bao's lab, were the lead authors of the paper. Bao's team also included Yi Cui, an associate professor of materials science at Stanford, and Hye Ryoung Lee, a graduate student in his lab.
In principle, CNTs should be ideal for making flexible electronic circuitry. These ultra thin carbon filaments have the physical strength to take the wear and tear of bending, and the electrical conductivity to perform any electronic task.
But until this recent work from the Stanford team, flexible CNTs circuits didn't have the reliability and power-efficiency of rigid silicon chips.
Here's the reason. Over time, engineers have discovered that electricity can travel through semiconductors in two different ways. It can jump from positive hole to positive hole, or it can push through a bunch of negative electronic like a beaded necklace. The first type of semiconductor is called a P-type, the second is called and N-type.
Most importantly, engineers discovered that circuits based on a combination of P-type and N-type transistors perform reliably even when power fluctuations occur, and they also consume much less power. This type of circuit with both P-type and N-type transistors is called complementary circuit. Over the last 50 years engineers have become adept at creating this ideal blend of conductive pathways by changing the atomic structure of silicon through the addition of minute amounts of useful substances -- a process called "doping" that is conceptually akin to what our ancestors did thousands of years ago when they stirred tin into molten copper to create bronze.
The challenge facing the Stanford team was that CNTs are predominately P-type semiconductors and there was no easy way to dope these carbon filaments to add N-type characteristics.
The PNAS paper explains how the Stanford engineers overcame this challenge. They treated CNTs with a chemical dopant they developed known as DMBI, and they used an inkjet printer to deposit this substance in precise locations on the circuit.
This marked the first time any flexible CNT circuit has been doped to create a P-N blend that can operate reliably despite power fluctuations and with low power consumption.
The Stanford process also has some potential application to rigid CNTs. Although other engineers have previously doped rigid CNTs to create this immunity to electrical noise, the precise and finely tuned Stanford process out performs these prior efforts, suggesting that it could be useful for both flexible and rigid CNT circuitry.
Bao has focused her research on flexible CNTs, which compete with other experimental materials, such as specially formulated plastics, to become the foundation for bendable electronics, just as silicon has been the basis for rigid electronics.
As a relatively new material, CNTs are playing catch up to plastics, which are closer to mass market use for such things as bendable display screens. The Stanford doping process moves flexible CNTs closer toward commercialization because it shows how to create the P-N blend, and the resultant improvements in reliability and power consumption, already present in plastic circuits.
Although much work lies ahead to make CNTs commercial, Bao believes these carbon filaments are the future of flexible electronics, because they are strong enough to bend and stretch, while also being capable of delivering faster performance than plastic circuitry.
"CNTs offer the best long term electronic and physical attributes," Bao said. |
Data scientists have hundreds of probability distributions from which to choose. Where to start?
Data science, whatever it may be, remains a big deal. “A data scientist is better at statistics than any software engineer,” you may overhear a pundit say, at your local tech get-togethers and hackathons. The applied mathematicians have their revenge, because statistics hasn’t been this talked-about since the roaring 20s. They have their own legitimizing Venn diagram of which people don’t make fun. Suddenly it’s you, the engineer, left out of the chat about confidence intervals instead of tutting at the analysts who have never heard of the Apache Bikeshed project for distributed comment formatting. To fit in, to be the life and soul of that party again, you need a crash course in stats. Not enough to get it right, but enough to sound like you could, by making basic observations.
Probability distributions are fundamental to statistics, just like data structures are to computer science. They’re the place to start studying if you mean to talk like a data scientist. You can sometimes get away with simple analysis using R or scikit-learn without quite understanding distributions, just like you can manage a Java program without understanding hash functions. But it would soon end in tears, bugs, bogus results, or worse: sighs and eye-rolling from stats majors.
There are hundreds of probability distributions, some sounding like monsters from medieval legend like the Muth or Lomax. Only about 15 distributions turn up consistently in practice though. What are they, and what clever insights about each of them should you memorize?
Now, What’s a Probability Distribution?
Things happen all the time: dice are rolled, it rains, buses arrive. After the fact, the specific outcomes are certain: the dice came up 3 and 4, there was half an inch of rain today, the bus took 3 minutes to arrive. Before, we can only talk about how likely the outcomes are. Probability distributions describe what we think the probability of each outcome is, which is sometimes more interesting to know than simply which single outcome is most likely. They come in many shapes, but in only one size: probabilities in a distribution always add up to 1.
For example, flipping a fair coin has two outcomes: it lands heads or tails. (Assume it can’t land on edge or be stolen by a seagull in mid-air.) Before the flip, we believe there’s a 1 in 2 chance, or 0.5 probability, of heads. The same is true for tails. That’s a probability distribution over the two outcomes of the flip, and if you can follow that sentence, you’ve already mastered the Bernoulli distribution.
Despite exotic names, the common distributions relate to each other in intuitive and interesting ways that make them easy to recall, and remark on with an air of authority. Several follow naturally from the Bernoulli distribution, for example. It’s time to reveal a map of the relationships.
Each distribution is illustrated by an example of its probability density function (PDF). This post deals only with distributions of outcomes that are single numbers. So, the horizontal axis in each box is the set of possible numeric outcomes. The vertical axis describes the probability of outcomes. Some distributions are discrete, over outcomes that must be integers like 0 or 5. These appear as sparse lines, one for each outcome, where line height is the probability of that outcome. Some are continuous, for outcomes that can take on any real numeric value like -1.32 or 0.005. These appear as dense curves, where it’s areas under sections of the curve that give probabilities. The sums of the heights of lines, and areas under the curves, are always 1.
Print, cut along the dotted line, and take it with you in your wallet or purse. This is your field guide to spotting distributions and their relatives.
Bernoulli and Uniform
You met the Bernoulli distribution above, over two discrete outcomes—tails or heads. Think of it, however, as a distribution over 0 and 1, over 0 heads (i.e. tails) or 1 heads. Above, both outcomes were equally likely, and that’s what’s illustrated in the diagram. The Bernoulli PDF has two lines of equal height, representing the two equally-probable outcomes of 0 and 1 at either end.
The Bernoulli distribution could represent outcomes that aren’t equally likely, like the result of an unfair coin toss. Then, the probability of heads is not 0.5, but some other value p, and the probability of tails is 1-p. Like many distributions, it’s actually a family of distributions defined by parameters, like p here. When you think “Bernoulli,” just think “(possibly unfair) coin toss.”
It’s a short jump to imagine a distribution over many equally-likely outcomes: the uniform distribution, characterized by its flat PDF. Imagine rolling a fair die. The outcomes 1 to 6 are equally likely. It can be defined for any number of outcomes n or even as a continuous distribution.
Associate the uniform distribution with “rolling a fair die.”
Binomial and Hypergeometric
The binomial distribution may be thought of as the sum of outcomes of things that follow a Bernoulli distribution. Toss a fair coin 20 times; how many times does it come up heads? This count is an outcome that follows the binomial distribution. Its parameters are n, the number of trials, and p, the probability of a “success” (here: heads, or 1). Each flip is a Bernoulli-distributed outcome, or trial. Reach for the binomial distribution when counting the number of successes in things that act like a coin flip, where each flip is independent and has the same probability of success.
Or, imagine an urn with equal numbers of white and black balls. Close your eyes and draw a ball and note whether it is black, then put it back. Repeat. How many times did you draw a black ball? This count also follows a binomial distribution.
Imagining this odd situation has a point, because makes it simple to explain the hypergeometric distribution. This is the distribution of that same count if the balls were drawn without replacement instead. Undeniably it’s a cousin to the binomial distribution, but not the same, because the probability of success changes as balls are removed. If the number of balls is large relative to the number of draws, the distributions are similar because the chance of success changes less with each draw.
When people talk about picking balls from urns without replacement, it’s almost always safe to interject, “the hypergeometric distribution, yes,” because I have never met anyone who actually filled urns with balls and then picked them out, and replaced them or otherwise, in real life. (I don’t even know anyone who owns an urn.) More broadly, it should come to mind when picking out a significant subset of a population as a sample.
Poisson
What about the count of customers calling a support hotline each minute? That’s an outcome whose distribution sounds binomial, if you think of each second as a Bernoulli trial in which a customer doesn’t call (0) or does (1). However, as the power company knows, when the power goes out, 2 or even hundreds of people can call in the same second. Viewing it as 60,000 millisecond-sized trials still doesn’t get around the problem—many more trials, much smaller probability of 1 call, let alone 2 or more, but, still not technically a Bernoulli trial. However, taking this to its infinite, logical conclusion works. Let n go to infinity and let p go to 0 to match so that np stays the same. This is like heading towards infinitely many infinitesimally small time slices in which the probability of a call is infinitesimal. The limiting result is the Poisson distribution.
Like the binomial distribution, the Poisson distribution is the distribution of a count—the count of times something happened. It’s parameterized not by a probability p and number of trials n but by an average rate λ, which in this analogy is simply the constant value of np. The Poisson distribution is what you must think of when trying to count events over a time given the continuous rate of events occurring.
When things like packets arrive at routers, or customers arrive at a store, or things wait in some kind of queue, think “Poisson.”
Geometric and Negative Binomial
From simple Bernoulli trials arises another distribution. How many times does a flipped coin come up tails before it first comes up heads? This count of tails follows a geometric distribution. Like the Bernoulli distribution, it’s parameterized by p, the probability of that final success. It’s not parameterized by n, a number of trials or flips, because the number of failure trials is the outcome itself.
If the binomial distribution is “How many successes?” then the geometric distribution is “How many failures until a success?”
The negative binomial distribution is a simple generalization. It’s the number of failures until r successes have occurred, not just 1. It’s therefore parameterized also by r. Sometimes it’s described as the number of successes until r failures. As my life coach says, success and failure are what you define them to be, so these are equivalent, as long as you keep straight whether p is the probability of success or failure.
If you need an ice-breaker, you might point out that the binomial and hypergeometric distributions are an obvious pair, but the geometric and negative binomial distributions are also pretty similar, and then say, “I mean, who names these things, am I right?”
Exponential and Weibull
Back to customer support calls: how long until the next customer calls? The distribution of this waiting time sounds like it could be geometric, because every second that nobody calls is like a failure, until a second in which finally a customer calls. The number of failures is like the number of the seconds that nobody called, and that’s almost the waiting time until the next call, but almost isn’t close enough. The catch this time is that the sum will always be in whole seconds, but this fails to account for the wait within that second until the customer finally called.
As before, take the geometric distribution to the limit, towards infinitesimal time slices, and it works. You get the exponential distribution, which accurately describes the distribution of time until a call. It’s a continuous distribution, the first encountered here, because the outcome time need not be whole seconds. Like the Poisson distribution, it is parameterized by a rate λ.
Echoing the binomial-geometric relationship, Poisson’s “How many events per time?” relates to the exponential’s “How long until an event?” Given events whose count per time follows a Poisson distribution, then the time between events follows an exponential distribution with the same rate parameter λ. This correspondence between the two distributions is essential to name-check when discussing either of them.
The exponential distribution should come to mind when thinking of “time until event”, maybe “time until failure.” In fact, this is so important that more general distributions exist to describe time-to-failure, like the Weibull distribution. Whereas the exponential distribution is appropriate when the rate—of wear, or failure for instance—is constant, the Weibull distribution can model increasing (or decreasing) rates of failure over time. The exponential is merely a special case.
Think of “Weibull” when the chat turns to time-to-failure.
Normal, Log-Normal, Student’s t, and Chi-squared
The normal distribution, or Gaussian distribution, is maybe the most important of all. Its bell shape is instantly recognizable. Like e, it’s a curiously particular entity that turns up all over, from seemingly simple sources. Take a bunch of values following the same distribution—any distribution—and sum them. The distribution of their sum follows (approximately) the normal distribution. The more things that are summed, the more their sum’s distribution matches the normal distribution. (Caveats: must be a well-behaved distribution, must be independent, only tends to the normal distribution.) The fact that this is true regardless of the underlying distribution is amazing.
This is called the central limit theorem, and you must know that this is what it’s called and what it means, or you will be immediately heckled.
In this sense, it relates to all distributions. However it’s particularly related to distributions of sums of things. The sum of Bernoulli trials follows a binomial distribution, and as the number of trials increases, that binomial distribution becomes more like the normal distribution. Its cousin the hypergeometric distribution does too. The Poisson distribution—an extreme form of binomial—also approaches the normal distribution as the rate parameter increases.
An outcome that follows a log-normal distribution takes on values whose logarithm is normally distributed. Or: the exponentiation of a normally-distributed value is log-normally distributed. If sums of things are normally distributed, then remember that products of things are log-normally distributed.
Student’s t-distribution is the basis of the t-test that many non-statisticians learn in other sciences. It’s used in reasoning about the mean of a normal distribution, and also approaches the normal distribution as its parameter increases. The distinguishing feature of the t-distribution are its tails, which are fatter than the normal distribution’s.
If the fat-tail anecdote isn’t a hot enough take to wow your neighbor, go to its mildly-interesting back-story concerning beer. Over 100 years ago, Guinness was using statistics to make better stout. There, William Sealy Gosset developed some whole new stats theory just to grow better barley. Gosset convinced the boss that the other brewers couldn’t figure out how to use the ideas, and so got permission to publish, but only under the pen name “Student”. Gosset’s best-known result is this t-distribution, which is sort of named after him.
Finally, the chi-squared distribution is the distribution of the sum of squares of normally-distributed values. It’s the distribution underpinning the chi-squared test which is itself based on the sum of squares of differences, which are supposed to be normally distributed.
Gamma and Beta
At this point, if you’re talking about chi-squared anything, then the conversation has gotten serious. You are likely talking to actual statisticians, and you may want to excuse yourself at this point, because things like the gamma distribution may come up. It is a generalization of both the exponential and chi-squared distributions. More like the exponential distribution, it is used as a sophisticated model of waiting times. For example, the gamma distribution comes up when modeling the time until the next n events occur. It appears in machine learning as the “conjugate prior” to a couple distributions.
Do not get into that conversation about conjugate priors, but if you do, be sure that you’re about to talk about the beta distribution, because it’s the conjugate prior to most every other distribution mentioned here. As far as data scientists are concerned, that’s what it was built for. Mention this casually, and move toward the door.
The Beginning of Wisdom
Probability distributions are something you can’t know too much about. The truly interested should check out this incredibly detailed map of all univariate distributions. Hopefully, this anecdotal guide gives you the confidence to appear knowledgeable and with-it in today’s tech culture. Or at least, a way to detect, with high probability, when you should find a less nerdy cocktail party.
Sean Owen is Director of Data Science at Cloudera in London. Before Cloudera, he founded Myrrix Ltd. (now the Oryx project) to commercialize large-scale real-time recommender systems on Hadoop. He is an Apache Spark committer and a co-author of O’Reilly Media’s Advanced Analytics with Spark. |
Sometimes I Cry
By DJ
I told a million lies now it’s time to tell a single truth
Sometimes I cry
It’s hard dealing with my pride
Not knowing whether to fight or flee
Sometimes I cry
Hard to maintain this image of a tough guy
When deep down inside I am terrified
If I ever told you I wasn’t scared I lied
Struggling to make it back
To society and my family
I cry
I cry for my son who I barely see
Due to these mountains
And me and his mom’s beef
I cry for my siblings who never knew their older brother
Because he stayed in the streets
I cry for my grandma who is now deceased
I cry for my life, half of which they took for me
I cry for my anger and rage
The only emotions I can show in this place
I cry for how we treat each other inside these walls
I cry for the lack of unity we have most of all
When will it end I want to know
Till then all I can do is let these tears flow
About This Poem
This poem was published in partnership with Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, an organization based in Washington, DC. They are committed to elevating and amplifying the voices of those directly impacted by the prison system. Through creative writing, job readiness training, and violence prevention outreach, Free Minds assists members who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated youths and adults to realize their own potential. The poet’s last name is withheld on request in consideration of their privacy.
To add to this description, I think there are times we all cry. I know last week, I had a day when I just wanted to sit down and cry. There was no particular reason. Nothing bad had happened. I just felt like crying. It’s possible this was a reaction to one of my medications that can make me hyperemotional, but I think many of us have down days. If you have had days like this more often than not in the past two weeks, I urge you to seek out your doctor and let him/her know what is going on. Depression is a serious illness that can be treated.
Furthermore, sometimes we also cry for certain events in our life; we cry for our now deceased Grandmama or we cry for the pet we just lost. It may be that we miss a friend or that we feel overwhelmed. There are many reasons to cry. And do you know what the best solution is? Let yourself cry. It will make you feel so much better.
He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God. Aeschylus |
Fewer than half of the city's would-be drivers pass their road tests, but clearly, the city needs to crack down on the Douchebag portion of the exam. Here we see two grown men fighting, with their matching cars, over a parking spot recently vacated by a taxi.
The video starts in medias res, with onlookers counseling the men to come to their senses. "You guys, stop," one woman pleads. "Not worth it, guys." This advice will go unheeded.
At the 32 second mark, the cameraman learns a valuable lesson in home recording and flips the camera horizontally, heralding by far the most intelligent decision anyone associated with this video will make.
At the 43 second mark, the men appear to have grown bored with each other, each retreating to his respective corner car. You think it's over. But you are very shrewd, and you notice that the video still has a solid two minutes left. You're glad the cameraman righted the camera. You make popcorn and come back.
Douche 1 makes like he's going to drive away, but no—a lightbulb flickers on in his lizard douche brain. He will not drive away. He will sit there, in his car, blocking Douche 2's matching silver 4-door steed. At this points, innocents are involved. Annoyed honking is audible. The honking quickly transitions from occasional to one, 15 second long blare. Who is this hero? The camera pans back.
Enter Porsche Douche, of which no epic tale of Idiocy is complete without. Satisfied that he's made his point, Douche 1 eventually pulls into the parking spot, and the curtains are drawn.
"How was the fight?" one onlooker can be heard asking as things wind down. "So so," the cameraman responds. "A lot of misses." |
SYDNEY FC have finally lost Terry Antonis but are weighing up a move for Young Socceroos striker Corey Gameiro to boost Frank Farina's scoring stocks.
Antonis and Gameiro will both play in the U20 World Cup in Turkey later this month, with the former heading to Italy afterwards to begin a four-year deal with Parma after Sydney finally acceded to Parma's request to pay the $300,000 transfer fee in instalments.
It came after entreaties from the players union, and Sydney chief executive Tony Pignata said the club only gave way for the good of Antonis.
Since the Sky Blues first refused the request from Parma, they say the Italian side ignored phone calls and emails - with Sydney only agreeing to the instalment plan after getting FFA backing over potential sanctions if the remaining money isn't paid.
"In the end we said yes when we could have kept on pushing because it was starting to weigh on Terry's mind," Pignata said yesterday. "With the U20 World Cup coming up, that wasn't fair. Reluctantly we've agreed to the terms Parma requested, but we've made sure there are sanctions available to us if they don't pay the rest on time."
Gameiro meanwhile is a free agent after his contract with Fulham finished - including loan spells with PSV Eindhoven and Wellington Phoenix. Now he is hoping that a successful tournament, on the back of scoring all six of Australia's goals in qualifying, will raise demand among A-League clubs.
It's understood that Sydney held talks with Gameiro before the 20-year-old signed a short-term deal with Wellington Phoenix last season, and remain interested in the highly-rated forward for next season.
It's unlikely that Gameiro's future will be clarified before the U20 series, in which Australia face Colombia, El Salvador and World Cup hosts Turkey.
The striker said earlier this week that he was in talks with several A-League clubs, and would make a decision after the tournament.
Sydney's long-anticipated official signing of fullback Pedj Bojic is likely to happen in the middle of the month, once the 29-year-old - released by the Mariners early from his contract to facilitate the move - has returned from a holiday in the US.
Bojic sought a release from the A-League champions after tiring of the daily commute to the Central Coast from his home in Sydney.
Originally published as Antonis to ham it up in Parma |
‘Tesla Network’, the automaker’s upcoming ride-sharing platform, is one of the most anticipated new services that Tesla plans to offer. It’s expected to be released with Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ update on second generation Autopilot cars.
CEO Elon Musk recently elaborated on his vision for Tesla’s autonomous ride-sharing future, which is likely to have a significant impact on its business.
Musk actually ties his vision of shared autonomy with his new tunnel boring project because he sees the advent of car-sharing with autonomous driving ultimately increasing traffic – and tunnels can alleviate that. He said during this interview at TED:
“A lot of people think that once you make cars autonomous that they’ll be able to go faster and that will alleviate congestion and to some degree that will be true. But once you have shared autonomy where it’s much cheaper to go by car. And you can go point to point. The affordability of going in a car will be better than that of a bus. Like, it would cost less than a bus ticket. So the amount of driving that will occur will be much greater with shared autonomy and actually, traffic will get far worse.”
In other words, Musk thinks that once a service like ‘Tesla Network’ offers electric and autonomous mobility services without having to own a vehicle, it will be competitive with public transport while offering point-to-point transportation without having to be limited to transit routes.
Last year, we reported on studies showing that a ride in a self-driving Tesla Model 3 on ‘Tesla Network’ could end up costing only ~$0.60 per mile.
It could result in people who currently rely on the subway and buses to switch to autonomous car-sharing, which will ultimately result in more vehicles on the road. Hence why Musks think that networks of tunnels underneath cities will be needed to reduce traffic at the surface, which is already quite awful in a lot of metro areas pre-shared autonomy.
While Tesla previously said that it will have its own cars on the ‘Tesla Network’, in the same interview, Musk also explained how Tesla owners will be able to put their cars on the sharing platform:
“So there will be a shared autonomy fleet where you buy your car and you can choose to use that car exclusively. You can choose to have it used only by friends and family… or other drivers who are rated five star. You can choose to share it sometimes but not other times. That’s 100 percent what will occur. It’s just a question of when.”
The answer to that question is most likely the same as when Tesla will push its ‘Full Self-driving’ software update. Musk said that Tesla is still on track to demonstrate full autonomy by the end of the year and have a full level 5 autonomous driving system, where someone could sleep in the driver’s seat, within 2 years. |
1 / 5 The Winklevoss Twins
The infamous Winklevoss twins have been giving Mark Zuckerberg grief ever since Facebook's launch back in 2004. The pair and a business partner (more on him later) commissioned Mark Zuckerberg to program a social networking site they had founded called ConnectU, but they later alleged in a lawsuit that Zuckerberg ripped off their idea and launched Thefacebook (later, Facebook) instead. After settling with the company for $65 million in cash and stock, the twins claimed that Facebook misled them about the value of the company's stock. They appealed the settlement <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/16/winklevoss-twins-appeal-denied-circuit-court_n_862758.html" target="_hplink">all the way up to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court</a> -- just one appeal shy of the Supreme Court -- before <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/22/winklevoss-twins-facebook-lawsuit_n_882618.html" target="_hplink">throwing in the towel in June 2011</a>.
YouTube |
British fighter put in a flat performance against Chris Algieri and his unbecoming pursuit of Mayweather is doing him no favours
Amir Khan’s desperate, unbecoming pursuit of a fight with Floyd Mayweather hit another flat note on Friday night in Brooklyn, when the former two-times junior welterweight champion failed to make a statement in a showcase fight designed to make him look good.
Amir Khan fights off spirited challenge from Chris Algieri Read more
Twice Khan has essentially put his career on hold to wait by the phone for Mayweather’s call. Twice he has been left holding the bag by the sport’s pound-for-pound king, who towers so high over boxing that a chance to share the ring with him represents an achievement in itself, not least due to the obscene payday it represents.
But rather than further his case against the best available competition – like, say, his fellow British welterweight Kell Brook – Khan announced in April he was fighting Chris Algieri, a limited opponent tailor-made for his polished skills.
That backfired when Khan was taken into reasonably deep waters by Algieri in a 12-round welterweight fight at the Barclays Center. He escaped with an uncontroversial unanimous points win, but not before fending off an unexpectedly stiff challenge from the 8-1 underdog, whose relentless pressure, work rate and underrated athleticism had Khan fighting off his back heel throughout the fight.
“Styles make fights and Chris Algieri had a style which was very tough for me to beat,” Amir said. “He was very long, very slick at times. We didn’t expect him to come forward like he did. We thought he was going to be on the back foot so that way we could start putting pressure on him and breaking him down, but he showed a lot of heart in there and took some good shots and just kept coming back.”
By now Amir knows better than anyone that life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans. To his credit, he made all the right tactical adjustments against Algieri and imposed his pace on the fight in the championship rounds. But he looked far too hittable to instill much confidence should he strike the Mayweather jackpot. If Algieri’s right hands were tagging him all night, imagine what a far slicker and more experienced champion could manage.
“Khan ran,” Algieri’s trainer John David Jackson said. “He ran, held and grabbed. All he wanted was to get that lottery, which is Floyd Mayweather. He didn’t dominate this fight. He did come out the victor but a lot of people will question it.”
Amir no longer deserves a fight with Mayweather, not after how he has gone about it. But that does not mean he will not get it.
The door to opportunity seldom requires a picked lock, only the right combination. Right now the time is right, the variables having at last broken in Amir’s favour. Mayweather has one fight remaining on his six-bout, $250m contract with Showtime. After vanquishing Manny Pacquiao in May, the American’s supply of credible opponents has gone alarmingly dry.
Danny García seemed bound for the requisite name recognition but his stock has cooled and he remains untested at 147lb. Keith Thurman is a similarly hard sell, a little-known entity among casual fans. That leaves Amir as the clubhouse leader by default.
“Where does Floyd go from here?” Amir asked. “Floyd said, ‘Amir, prove yourself at 147lb, have some fights at 147lb, then we’ll see if we can get the fight done,’ and I’ve proven myself. Who else is out there for Floyd? Nobody. There’s nowhere to hide.
“We have answered all the questions. People want to see something different in a fight with Floyd. Manny Pacquiao didn’t show what we thought he was going to show, but I do know exactly what to do in that fight. He’s a very technical fighter, a very skilful fighter, but I’ve just known for a long, long time that a style like that definitely suits me.”
Virgil Hunter, the 61-year-old retired probation officer who inherited Amir from seven-times trainer of the year Freddie Roach, was bound to a more pragmatic tack. “His IQ will never match Floyd Mayweather’s IQ,” Hunter said. “The years of repetition, day in and day out, doing the same thing. His body and mind just processes real quick. That’s the gift that he has.”
When asked to rate Amir’s chances against the longtime welterweight kingpin, Hunter said Amir’s youth and hand speed could be the key variables against the 38-year-old Mayweather. “I think [Khan] has the attributes,” he said, “and if he can lock in and prep himself right for a fight of that magnitude and handle the pressure that comes along with it, I’m confident he’ll give a good account of himself.”
To be fair, Friday’s fight was a bit of a no-win situation for Amir. So widely was he expected to win that nearly no possible outcome would have been enough to impress. “I’ve been chasing it a long time, and when you chase a fight sometimes it’s really hard to focus on who you have in front of you,” he said. “And then you’ve got everyone saying that Chris Algieri was going to be a walk in the park.
“I’m very happy I didn’t take this fight lightly, because I could not have beaten him if I did, so then that dream for me would have been gone against Floyd.”
For now the dream persists and it might not be much longer before it becomes a reality. “Where does Floyd go from here?” Amir said. “The fight should happen now.” |
Editor: Joyce Dong
Hero, general, warrior — male images immediately come to mind. But Mu Guiying, a legendary Chinese heroine is an icon. Her name and image is the symbol of steadfastness.
This renowned lady, who is a distinguished figure in the Generals of the Yang Family legends, is from ancient China's Northern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). As a well-known symbol she not only stands out in the field of culture but also feminism — she is courageous, resolute, loyal and insightful.
Mu practiced martial arts from a very young age as her father ruled Muke Village in today's Shandong Province. One day she met Yang Zongbao, an imperial general who wanted to bring down the village. Yang lost to Mu in a duel and told her he would rather die than be captured.
His brave words won over Mu, who fell in love with him.
In order to save the love of her life, the intelligent Mu got into a fight with Yang Yanzhao, the father of Yang Zongbao, and managed to capture him. She apologized to him and got his approval for marriage. Unlike the conventional idea that men should propose to the women, Mu made a brave proposal and had a happy yet special marriage.
Rather than stay at home to look after children and do housework, which was taken for granted in ancient China, Mu came out and was involved in several battles that helped protect her family and the country from nomadic intrusion.
Mu made great contribution in the field of diplomacy. With her command of the imperial army, Mu eased the rivalry between Song and its neighboring Liao ethnics, calmed down the armed rebellion in the kingdom's southern area with her husband and acknowledged the allegiance to the Western Xia regime.
Among the many battles that were fought under her leadership, the most well-known is the Heavenly-Gate Formation battle when Mu was only 19 years old. At such a young age, this lady fully exerted her talents and wisdom. The battle was such a blow to the Liao's army that it never regained its former glory. Having gained complete victory and achieved great accomplishments, Mu is recognized as one of the greatest female generals in China's history.
Crowned as the first heroine in ancient China whose stories have been retold many times, Mu has been eulogized in various plays, traditional operas, films and TV series like "Lady General Mu Takes Command" and "Young's Female Warrior and Generals of the Yang Family."
People praised, admired and worshiped her not only because of her bravery but also for her lofty vibe and tolerance. Right after her wedding, she took charge of the family and fought her way to take command.
Being a good warrior and coordinating with her husband in the field, she is firm and vigorous, tender yet firm. The gifts of this beautiful, smart and talented woman show that she was an excellent coordinator with an open mind and was vibrant and young in spirit.
The life of Mu Guiying is epic. She remained a commanding general in the Song Army well into her 80s. For marriage, she took control of her love life and chose the beloved one to marry, which was a rarity in ancient China where most people were forced to accept arranged marriages.
Another legend has it that she even gave birth to her son on the battlefield when she was leading the army for the battle. Thanks to images like Mu which fully express the strength, power yet tenderness of women, they ensure that feminism continues to thrive.
(Source: Shanghai Daily) |
Caffeine Gives Endurance Athletes A Third And Fourth Wind
Enlarge this image toggle caption Murray Carpenter for NPR Murray Carpenter for NPR
The Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, is an extreme event — a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike ride, topped off by a marathon.
Throughout the event, racers drink plenty of fluids and eat energy bars or gels. Most also take a performance-enhancing substance that is legal and effective — caffeine.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Murray Carpenter for NPR Murray Carpenter for NPR
"While I'm racing, caffeine is actually a pretty important part of my day, particularly in the Ironman, where it's such a long race," says Sarah Piampiano, a professional triathlete.
She integrates calories and caffeine into her race-day diet using energy gels. Each contains 50 milligrams of caffeine, which Piampiano calls a "shot."
"Before the race, I typically take one gel that has one shot of caffeine in it, and then when I get onto the bike, each hour I take one shot of caffeine," explains Piampiano. In the last half of the marathon, she ups her dose to two shots every 20 minutes.
"Caffeine has been well-known to be a beneficial drug to use during sport. It's been studied for many years over a variety of different types of sports; it will improve your performance," says Matthew Ganio, director of the University of Arkansas Human Performance Laboratory.
But, he says, it is important to take the right dose.
"The general consensus is 3 to 6 milligrams per kilogram of body mass, and it can be quite a bit. The example being, an 80-kilo individual needing 6 milligrams per kilogram body mass — that's four strong cups of coffee," says Ganio.
But instead of guzzling coffee, many athletes rely on products, such as energy gels, that allow them to better quantify their caffeine. Brian Vaughan is CEO of GU Energy Labs, which makes gels that blend carbohydrates, amino acids, electrolytes and caffeine.
"The top-end athletes, the pros, want to be able to meter out caffeine during the course of an endurance event. It's always nice to have that second wind, late in the race, where you can energize the mind, stimulate the mind, with the central nervous system response of caffeine," says Vaughan.
Some researchers urge restraint. University of Connecticut doctoral candidate Evan Johnson says caffeine works best when used judiciously.
"You find a lot of people who constantly ingest caffeine throughout the day and therefore need alcohol or some sort of sleep aid to get to bed, and then in the morning are so groggy they need caffeine again," Johnson says. He calls it a "vicious cycle of supplementation."
That's what happened to players on England's soccer team. They took caffeine pills to amp up for a recent World Cup qualifying game and then needed sleeping pills to wind down.
Some athletes say they avoid caffeine because it makes them jittery, or it bothers their stomachs. Others, like triathlete Sam Gyde of Belgium, take a less systematic approach.
"I have a very busy life and a very busy work, and I train a lot, so I just drink lots of coffee so I am naturally very caffeinated. During training and racing, I use gels, which contain caffeine, and it's not with any purpose, but I'm more or less like a heavy caffeine user," says Gyde.
It seems to work for Gyde; he has won his age group twice at Kona. And you may not have to be an Ironman to benefit. A recent Australian study showed that caffeine enabled sedentary men to work out more vigorously.
The side effects of ingesting so much caffeine are still being elucidated, however. The Food and Drug Administration announced last week that the agency is investigating several deaths that could be linked to energy drinks. |
In the event we meet our goal, Kickstarter asks that we come up with some stretch goals of what we could accomplish with additional funds. Even better EVERYONE gets additional rewards if one or both of these levels are reached.
$25,000 - EVERYONE gets a Special Edition LBBC Founder Sticker
Where the Funds Will Go: A higher level of funding will allow us to add a Brite Tank to our system. A Brite Tank (or bright tank) is a vessel in which beer is placed after primary fermentation and filtering, allowing it to further mature, clarify and carbonate, as well as be stored for kegging, bottling, canning and packaging.
$30,000 - EVERYONE gets a Special Edition LBBC Founder Pint Glass
Where the Funds Will Go: Fermentors, Fermentors, Fermentors - Fermentation in brewing is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. In basic terms it is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol. It is also the part of the brewing process that takes the longest (measured in weeks) and the most physical space. Hence the more fermentors we have the more beer we can make!
***********************************************************************************************
We are The Lost Borough Brewing Company, a startup microbrewery located in Rochester, NY. Creativity is what drives us, and our mission is to create exceptional craft beers for a growing community of people who share that constant sense of curiosity.
Since founding the company we have hosted community tasting events, tested and perfected our recipes, signed a lease on our location, and laid the necessary groundwork to get the business operational. Our final step is to upgrade to a larger, more sustainable brewing system prior to opening this summer. To achieve that, we need your help!
How Kickstarter Works
To accomplish this, we’re seeking to raise $20,000 or more within a 30-day time period. We would be incredibly grateful for any amount contributed toward funding our project, and we’ve created a large amount of handcrafted rewards (explained below) to thank our backers based on their level of support. If you can help us fund our project in time, we receive the funding. If we don’t meet our goal, you as a supporter are not charged a penny. If our project is successfully funded, we will be able to upgrade our brewing system to meet increasing demand, so the success of this campaign would be the difference between a walk and an all-out sprint. We can’t do this without you!
Why Kickstarter?
This Kickstarter campaign is a catalyst for future development. By funding our project, you will be setting us well on our way towards building a unique facility for us to brew - and for you to enjoy - excellent beer.
The funds we receive from our Kickstarter will go towards purchasing a larger 3 barrel electric brewing system capable of producing 100 gallons in a single batch. Rather then purchasing a costly pre-built brewing system we will be custom building ours from the ground up. Your money will go towards purchasing our three brewing vessels, electric control box, plate chiller, pumps, fermentation conicals, rims tube, keg cleaner, tubes/fittings, kegs, etc. We choose to employ an electric brewing system rather than gas, differentiating us from other breweries. While slightly more expensive upfront, electric brewing systems are extremely efficient and allow greater control over temperature and flavor. Bottom line-more precision means better beer.
Here's a graph that breaks down our funding allocations:
The Lost Borough Brewing Company is the realization of a dream for two life long friends - Dave Finger and Dan Western - in search of the perfect pint of locally brewed craft beer. After years of experimentation with all styles of artisan beers, we have decided to leave our mark by opening a local brewery where we can share our passion with others while providing a truly different craft beer experience.
In case you hadn’t heard, in January 2013, New York’s Farm Brewery Law took effect. Based on 1972’s Farm Wineries Act, the law is intended to boost agricultural production of hops and barley across the state, and give incentives for farm breweries to open. The Lost Borough Brewing Company will be part of this new law pledging to use locally grown ingredients to brew the freshest local beer.
From the beginning, we knew we wanted to be centrally located to serve communities all around Rochester. After all, our name, The Lost Borough, derives from the City’s nickname during its humble beginnings in the early 1800’s. Our brewing facility is located in a newly refurbished, 1900's machine shop near the corner of Atlantic and Culver Avenues in what is now called AC Junction. It will house our new 3 barrel brewing system, as well as a spacious tasting room and lounge area. You won't have any trouble finding us since occupying our building is the famous Sticky Lips BBQ, the area's premier barbecue restaurant.
Our long-term goal is to create a competitive regional brewery that distinguishes itself by providing a truly different craft beer experience. Should we outgrow our facility, our intention is to expand production to a bigger space within Rochester, enabling us to brew on a much larger scale and begin canning our beers in order to reach a greater audience. However, our micro-brewery and tasting room will still remain an active part of our operation.
As we build our company, we also want to fuel the continued revitalization of Rochester. A successful business venture will not only provide an economic boost, but also pull additional small businesses back to the area. Rochester has always had a rich brewing history; our hope is that, with your help, we can open a new chapter in locally brewed craft beer.
• Stickers - Our custom Die-Cut LBBC Logo Sticker. Perfect for your kegerator, pick-up truck, or guitar case, among a variety of other sticker-able locations.
• Coasters - A set of custom LBBC coasters locally printed on beautiful, thick 42pt board stock in full color on two sides.
• Pint Glass - Our official LBBC Pint Glass with logo imprint.
• T-Shirt - A limited edition Lost Borough T-shirt designed by our founders and printed locally on sustainable organic cotton.
• Growler - A 64oz Amber Glass LBBC Growler to use at our tasting room, locally screen printed.
• Pocket Tasting Guide - Designed by our founders, this one of a kind, 32 page tasting guide includes education on how to taste and rate craft beer, in edition to a scientific journal to chart your tasting experience. Printed locally on recycled kraft stock.
• Founders Party Invitation - An invitation to our Founders Party exculsively to thank our more committed supporters for their generous patronage.
• Growler Carrier Set - This one of a kind growler carrier is custom designed and built by our founders using only locally sourced, reclaimed woods. Transport up to two growlers with ease during your next refill.
• Brewers Apprentice Package - You've learned how to taste craft beer, now it's time to see how it's made. This package is prefect for anyone interested in learning more about craft beer, its history and the brewing process. Spend a day with our Master Brewer and follow a batch from start to finish. Sharpen your craft and have fun in the process. Plus, you’ll get a bunch of awesome LBBC Gear in the process.
• Private Party Package - This is your chance to host a private party in our tasting room with a guest list of your choosing. You and twenty of your closest friends. This package includes a tasting glass, coaster, sticker and pocket tasting guide for each guest, as well as a Founders Party invite for you and a friend. Come party with us!
• Brewmaster Package - This is it. The ultimate package. Your chance to create a custom recipe, brew it, and then even name your very own craft brew. Working closely with our Brew Master, you will design and brew your own custom recipe. We'll work with you through the process from start to finish. The package culminates when you participate in the inaugural pouring of this limited craft beer in our tasting room. Our customers will drink a brew designed, brewed and even named by you! Also included is a boat load of Lost Borough Gear, including a one of a kind, embroidered Marmot Brewers Jacket that only the founders own. Become part of local brewing lore by embracing every home brewer's dream. |
When the Orioles traveled to Havana in 1999 to play a goodwill game against a team of Cuban All-Stars, it had been nearly 40 years since a major league team had set foot in the tiny island nation.
Little did anyone suspect at the time that it would be another 17 years before another big league team would do the same, but the Tampa Bay Rays will arrive in Cuba this week to play the Cuban national team against a much different geopolitical backdrop.
Relations between the United States and Cuba have eased to the point that President Barack Obama on Sunday will become the first sitting American president to walk on Cuban soil since Calvin Coolidge visited the country in 1928. Diplomatic relations have been restored, travel restrictions already have been loosened and there is growing sentiment that the stifling economic embargo imposed by the United States after Fidel Castro took power should be lifted.
The political landscape was much different when the Orioles first proposed their trip in the mid-1990s and were rebuffed by the U.S. State Department, but the Clinton administration eventually approved it as part of an initiative to expand contact with the Cuban people.
The game at Estadio Latinoamericano, followed five weeks later by another in Baltimore, was a moment in history that many thought at the time might signal a thaw in the tense relationship between the United States and Cuba.
Orioles owner Peter Angelos certainly hoped so, which is why he led a delegation to Havana in January of that year to make the two-game series — once a political impossibility — a politically sensitive reality.
"It was a truly satisfying experience," Angelos said Friday, "because these were people who were just like our people. They were people who loved baseball and there was nothing they wouldn't do for us while we were there."
That delegation included Angelos and his son Louis, club counsel H. Russell Smouse, representatives of both Major League Baseball and the players union, some Washington-based political consultants, a representative from Catholic Relief Services and one Baltimore Sun reporter who was not supposed to be part of the group.
Angelos included me in the traveling party — identified only as a "special advisor to the managing partner" — because he wanted to make sure there was someone there to chronicle what he expected to be a historic event.
The Cuban officials were neither fooled nor amused and Jose Villanueva Torre, Cuba's vice minister of sports, greeted me on the tarmac at Jose Marti International Airport by saying, "Welcome to Cuba, Peter Schmuck, special advisor to the managing partner of the Orioles from The Baltimore Sun."
Of course, there was never going to be any advising on my part. During the several days of negotiations, I traveled freely around Havana with Tom Garofalo of Catholic Relief Services (who speaks perfect Spanish) and only took part in the public events organized by the Cuban officials or the Orioles/MLB contingent. Angelos and then-MLB executive vice president Sandy Alderson briefed me after each day's meetings.
The act of scheduling two baseball games might seem simple enough, but the negotiations were very complicated. The two sides had to agree on a plan to distribute the proceeds of the event to charity, since that was a condition for state department approval. The Major League Baseball Players Association, represented by former player Tony Bernazard and active Orioles player B.J. Surhoff, had to sign off on the playing conditions, which was no small matter, and there were all sorts of logistical aspects to be worked out for each team to travel to the other's home country.
For example, just the act of MLB paying for outfield padding at the archaic Estadio Latinoamericano — which the union demanded for the safety of the Orioles players — required a state department exemption to overcome the trade embargo. It also required some touchy personal diplomacy on the part of Bernazard to convince the Cuban baseball officials that the stadium was not adequate without insulting them.
Meanwhile, predictable resistance was already building in the Cuban-American community, which would lead to demonstrations outside the Orioles' spring training home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., before the team departed in late March.
But in January, the deal still wasn't done and the situation was complicated on both sides by suspicion over the Orioles' motives. The Cubans wondered if the Orioles had some ulterior reason for the goodwill trip, and for that matter, so did some of Angelos' fellow owners.
"[The Cubans] were leery," Angelos said, "and some of the other owners wanted to know what I was up to."
There was speculation that Angelos was trying to make a deal to funnel Cuban players to Baltimore, or at least make inroads in the Cuban baseball community in case the political situation changed enough to make those players available to major league clubs.
"That was being promulgated by some," Angelos said, "but I had no intention of going there for that purpose. I only wanted to go there because I felt the Cuban people were our friends and someone was always stoking animosity between our two peoples."
The most striking aspect of the first trip for me was how friendly the Cubans were toward visitors from a country that their government had been vilifying for four decades. Everywhere we went, we were approached on the street by regular people who asked us if we were Americans and then enthusiastically peppered us with questions.
Mostly, they wanted to know if the rumors were true that the Orioles — they pronounced the name "O-ree-O-lez" — were really coming to Cuba.
In one underground night club, one of the jazz musicians sat down at our table and asked where we were from. When I said I was originally from Los Angeles, he got very excited.
"Do you know Tom Waits?" he asked.
That night we got a lesson on the impact of the embargo. The band had trouble performing regularly because it was so difficult to find strings for their instruments. Garofalo, who traveled regularly to Cuba at the time, had him make a list of what he needed and vowed to bring him a supply on his next visit. |
R.J. Umberger of the Columbus Blue Jackets turned from a hockey player to a hockey analyst on Saturday night following his teams' game against the Washington Capitals. He outraged a lot of people in D.C. with the following post-game quote, via the Columbus Dispatch.
↵ “I don’t think any team in the West would be overmatched by them. Because they play the wrong way. They want to be moving all the time. They float in their zone looking for breakaways and odd-man rushes. A good defensive team is going to beat them (in the playoffs). If you eliminate your turnovers and keep them off the power play, they’re going to get frustrated because they’re in their zone a lot.” ↵
↵↵
Eccentric Caps owner Ted Leonsis (and an investor in this here website) struck back on Sunday afternoon in a post on his blog, Ted's Take, going on about how his team hasn't proven anything until they win a Stanley Cup. But it was the final sentence of the post that rung loudest.
↵ And R.J. - enjoy the long offseason. ↵
↵ |
The head of an influential Palestinian organization on Saturday threatened to "blacklist and boycott" any Palestinian business that joins an Israeli-Palestinian shopping mall currently under construction in northeastern Jerusalem, the Times of Israel reported.
The mall would be the first joint Israeli-Palestinian shopping center, and is being developed by Israeli business mogul Rami Levy.
The center is already under construction, located beyond the Green Line north of Jerusalem in the Atarot industrial zone of the West Bank, just two minutes from the crossing between northeastern Jerusalem and Ramallah, the Times of Israel reported last week.
In response to the project, head of the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection Saleh Haniyeh said that his group, in collaboration with a number of other influential Palestinian institutions, would "reveal the names of any partners of 'the settler' businessman Rami Levy" and would "put them on the blacklist and boycott their commercial interests."
Haniyeh also said his group would pressure the Palestinian Chamber of Commerce to freeze the memberships of any Palestinian business partnering with Levy on the venture, the Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported, and reiterated the group's boycott of goods and services originating from Israeli settlements.
Levy declined to comment on the matter when contacted by the Times of Israel.
The mall, which is expected to be completed in about a year, has faced an uphill battle securing partners due to political pressures. A major Palestinian electronics wholesaler that had initially been on board with the project bailed after the deal was made citing political fears.
But Levy believes that if the shopping center can succeed, "it can lead to an understanding that we can do everything together," the businessman told the Times of Israel.
The inspiration for the project, Levy told the Times of Israel, follows the success of his existing shopping centers, which are well-known for having the cheapest market prices and friendly interaction between Jews and Arabs.
Only a handful of Palestinians interviewed by the Times of Israel at the Ramallah/Qalandiya checkpoint said they would not shop at the new mall for political reasons, with many saying they would have no problem taking advantage of cheaper prices.
But Haniyeh insisted: "We will not sell our positions and principles for a number of shekels."
(Staff with agencies) |
Former Walt Disney World employees who were laid off and made to train their foreign replacements have filed class-action lawsuits against Disney and the consulting firms that provided the foreign labor.
The layoffs at Walt Disney made national headlines but had personal implications for the American tech workers who were laid off from Disney and replaced with less expensive temporary workers on H-1B visas.
Monday, two of the employees Leo Perrero and Dena Moore — both laid off from Disney and made to train the immigrant workers hired to replace them — filed federal civil RICO suits in Tampa charging that Disney and the consulting firms colluded to replace them with lower paid foreign workers for corporate gain.
Perrero’s suit is against Disney and HCL Inc. while Dena Moore’s suit is against Disney and Cognizant Technology Solutions.
Sara Blackwell, the attorney for both Perrero and Moore, told Breitbart News that the consulting firms — HCL and Cognizant — have business models based on deceit for “corporate greed.” While the companies are required to attest that the foreign labor they are bringing into the country will not “adversely affect the working of conditions of workers similarly situated,” Blackwell explained they regularly misrepresent the facts.
“Cognizant and HCL their business model is to lie on these applications. It’s their business model to falsify these documentations so they can contract hundreds of thousands of jobs with all these companies,” she explained in an interview. “Then these companies hire them to do exactly what they’re not supposed to do,” replace “similarly situated” American workers.
As the suit explained in October 2014 between 200-300 Disney workers were laid off and made to train their foreign replacements in order to receive severance and their bonuses. Few workers were rehired and the suit alleges that some were blackballed from being rehired at Disney for at least a year. The suit argues that the workers laid off and replaced constitute a class.
“HCL’s contract with DISNEY was ultimately intended to adversely affect the working conditions of the similarly situated workers at DISNEY by terminating American workers and forcing them to train the H1B workers their jobs before the termination. Also, HCL’s contract with Disney was intended to discriminate against the American worker based on race, national origin and, many times, age,” Perrero’s lawsuit against HCL reads.
The suit seeks monetary damages but Blackwell said the end goal is to force Disney, the consulting firms and similar organization to change their business models.
“This is really just about trying to stop these companies from doing this. If we can get the federal judge to say, ‘You can’t do this anymore’ then their business model is broken down and we can create change,” Blackwell explained.
While the companies have denied wrongdoing the lawsuit comes as H-1B visas are already under a microscope due to a swell of abuse allegations in recent months.
As The New York Times has reported, the Labor Department has opened investigations into the layoffs at Disney and Southern California Edison, another company experienced mass layoffs in 2014. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle — Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) — have sounded the alarm and called for more investigations and legislation to tighten up the H-1B visa program.
“American workers are systematically losing their jobs by the hundreds because we and the American government are allowing it to happen due to the systematic abuse of immigration system,” Blackwell said.
UPDATE:
In a statement provided after publication Disney defended itself against the charges, slammed the lawsuit and criticized The New York Times, the outlet that first reported the lawsuit. |
Speculating on the rumors surrounding pro wrestling is a favored pastime of many fans, perhaps second only to actually watching the matches. In this daily column, we take a look at the latest rumors being churned out by the pro wrestling rumor mill.
Important reminder: Rumors are just that -- rumors. None of this has been confirmed as legitimate news or fact, it's just circulating around the pro wrestling rumor mill. Remember, take it all with a grain of salt.
Rumors for the Day:
AJ Styles isn't expected to lose the WWE world championship anytime soon, and officials within the company have apparently been really happy with his run.
Goldberg has been teasing doing something with WWE at Clash of Champions on Sept. 25 and the last word was the two sides were negotiating to bring him back for a match.
Emma was apparently backstage at Monday Night Raw this week and is close to a return.
Jack Swagger moved to SmackDown because there was no room for him on Raw. Don't be surprised if he's given a solid push, at least at first.
WWE is expected to ramp up promotion for Total Bellas soon.
If you have heard of any interesting rumors that you'd like to add, feel free to post them in the comments section below. Just remember they are rumors and not confirmed as fact, so please take them as such. Have fun with it. |
TYR Swim Set of the Week
Every Thursday I’ll post a new set that I’ve either recently done, plan to do, or just love. I’ll focus on main sets that are applicable to triathlon and can be done in any type of pool. Need something specific? Leave me a comment and I’ll see what I can do!
A few details
I swim in both 25 yard and 50 meter pools. If I’ve recently done the set I’m posting, I’ll try to specify what I did, but really, anything will work!
The sets I’m posting are meant to be started after a warm-up and maybe even a short pre-set. I’d also encourage a post-set cool down to make sure you’re ready for your next workout!
I’ll be posting the sets with intervals based on rest, which will work for swimmers of any ability.
Set look too long? Doubtful! You can do it!! You’re a better swimmer than you think! (And there’s only one way to get better…:)
Sometimes I use swim specific phrases like “Negative Split” and “Descend.” I realize these aren’t common in normal English and I’ll try to define any specific terms within the workout. But if I miss anything, feel free to comment or email me and I will happily provide a translation.
None of these workouts are truly my own creations. I’ve had the honor of learning from some of the best swim coaches in the world, so I’ll try to provide some context for each set and proper attributions to their brilliant creators!
Archives
July 11, 2013 – Fun with broken 800s! (3700 yards)
July 18, 2013 – Race week speed work (2400 yards)
July 25, 2013 – “Jump-Outs” to help with rough water confidence! (1800 meters)
August 1, 2013 – Recovery swim! (1700 yards)
August 8, 2013 – 800s in honor of Katie Ledecky! (3200 meters)
August 15, 2013 – Open water workout! (30 minutes)
August, 29, 2013 – Ironman recovery swim with lots of 25s! (2000 yards)
September 12, 2013 – Hannah’s bday swim! (2500 meters)
September 19, 2013 – Freestyle vs. IM? It’s all about options! (1600 yards)
September 26, 2013 – Coach Shanks celebrates Dynamo’s 50th Anniversary! (2500 yards)
October 3, 2013 – I did a workout with World Champ Melissa Hauschildt! (3000 yards)
October 10, 2013 – Open water swimming Aloha Style! (40 minutes)
October 16, 2013 – Ultraman swim course attempt (3200 yards)
October 22, 2013 – Coach Brent contributes! (2200 yards)
November 5, 2013 – The BEST way to recover from an Ironman! (1600 yards)
November 26, 2013 – The Andy Potts special! (1800 meters)
December 5, 2013 – Build aerobic fitness to prep for the New Year! (2000 meters)
December 12, 2013 – More aerobic swimming, with some backstroke added in! (2800 yards)
December 19, 2013 – No more Noodle Arms! (1200 yards)
December 27, 2013 – Swim specific dry land routine (20 minutes)
January 9, 2014 – The New Year’s Eve Set! (10,000 meters)
January 17, 2014 – Aerobic and anaerobic mix! (3000 yards)
January 30, 2014 – I swam with Sara McLarty! (3000 yards)
February 7, 2014 – Vertical Kicking fun! (1200 yards)
February 14, 2014 – Happy Valentine’s Day! The “Axis of Evil” kick set! (300 yards)
February 21, 2014 – 20x200s! Nearly as hard as climbing Mt. Lemmon! (4100 yards)
February 28, 2014 – Fly kick, What?!? (3000 yards)
March 7, 2014 – Good Old Fashioned Swimming (1800 yards)
March 14, 2014 – FAST 25s!! (500 yards)
March 21, 2014 – 75s and 125s celebrating the Dawgs & Adam’s #swimstreak! (1600 yards)
May 2, 2014 – A Coach Maria, Dynamo Master’s Original (3000 meters)
May 23, 2014 – Timed 30 minute swim! (???? meters)
May 30, 2014 – Double ladder as I head to Raleigh (1200 meters)
June 5, 2014 – Open water swim tips! (30 min open water/2000 meter pool options)
July 3, 2014 – SwimFan Edition, a set adapted from Bob Bowman! (3200 yards)
July 11, 2014 – Finding Inspiration for a tough set (2300 meters) |
Story highlights Peres believes Obama would use military force if necessary to prevent a nuclear Iran
Israeli president says he trusts Obama and "I respect his words"
Obama says it will be a year before Iran reaches final development stage of nuke
Threat of military action designed to pressure Iran to negotiate a diplomatic settlement
Israel's president conceded Tuesday his country may disagree with the White House at times over Iran's nuclear progress, but said he is "free of doubts" that U.S. President Barack Obama would use military force if necessary to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.
Iran is the top issue as Obama heads here for meetings with Israeli officials, including President Shimon Peres and, more importantly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The prime minister has at times voiced concerns Washington has a less urgent view than Israel's of Iran's progress toward developing a nuclear warhead. But he has welcomed the administration's more muscular language of late that "all options" are on the table and that its policy is to prevent -- not contain -- a nuclear Iran.
Israeli officials took it as no coincidence that as he prepared for this trip, Obama told an Israeli TV station he believed there was still a year or so before Iran reached the final development stage -- suggesting he believes there is more time for diplomacy than the Israeli prime minister would like.
JUST WATCHED Israelis watching the war next door Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Israelis watching the war next door 02:35
JUST WATCHED What to expect from Obama's Israel trip Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH What to expect from Obama's Israel trip 01:23
JUST WATCHED Obama on Iran: 'All options on the table' Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Obama on Iran: 'All options on the table' 00:48
JUST WATCHED Passover in Israel: No bread for Obama Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Passover in Israel: No bread for Obama 01:52
The Israeli presidency is a ceremonial position, but Peres is a father figure in politics here, and it was clear from his tone in the interview his overriding goal of the next few days is to project an image of close co-operation between the two allies.
"I do believe that the United States is following carefully the time and the progress," Peres said of the most recent Obama assessment of Iran.
"So a year is an estimation," Peres told CNN in an interview at his residence. "If something were to happen earlier, I am sure we will pay attention to the change.
"The main question you asked me, and the real answer I am giving you -- I trust what the president says. I am free of doubts. I think he is a man of values. He is a man that I respect his words. And he is a man that thinks before he speaks."
The clear threat of military action is designed to pressure Iran to negotiate a diplomatic settlement, but some Obama critics have voiced doubt Tehran takes seriously the threat of American military action.
Asked if he believed Tehran viewed the White House "all options" approach as serious, Peres said: "That I am not sure. I am not sure whether the relations between Iran and the truth are so intimate. I think they are capable of bluffing others and bluffing themselves."
He played down disagreements between U.S. and Israeli intelligence assessments of Iran's progress toward a bomb.
"There may be some differences in timing, but basically we support the policy of the president of the United States," Peres said. |
Authorities have arrested three people and confiscated $3.3-million worth of heroin.
Philadelphia police have arrested three suspected drug dealers and confiscated $3.3-million in heroin as a result of a joint investigation with the Drug Enforcement Administration.30-year-old Gheral Alavarez-Mercedes, 26-year-old Zamary L. Roldan, and 26-year-old Johel Pascal-Mateo have been charged with Possession with the Intent to Deliver and Conspiracy, the District Attorney's Office announced Thursday.If found guilty, each suspect could face approximately 60 years in prison."The more than 13 kilograms of heroin, which has a street value of $3.3 million dollars, is thankfully no longer on the streets of Philadelphia," District Attorney Seth Williams said in a statement.On January 24, officers who had been observing Alavarez-Mercedes in the area of 7100 Bingham Street followed him. They saw him place a small white box in his car. Police stopped him and officers found approximately three kilograms of heroin in the white box. Alavarez-Mercedes was taken into custody.As Alavarez-Mercedes was being stopped, investigators at the same property on Bingham Street saw a female, later identified as Roldan, exiting the home with an infant, diaper bag, hand bag, and a container.Roldan was stopped by police and voluntarily consented to having her car searched.Officers recovered four racks of glassine packets containing heroin, $5,000 and the container contained 18.4 pounds of heroin. Roldan was taken into custody. Authorities say arrangements were made for family members to take possession of the infant.Alavarez-Mercedes gave officers consent to search his residence on Bingham Street and they recovered .5 kilograms of heroin, packaging materials and scales. They also found in an upstairs bedroom ledger books, passports for Alavarez-Mercedes and Roldan, and 13 counterfeit $100 bills.Investigators learned that Alavarez-Mercedes had made arrangements to meet with Pascal-Mateo. According to the DA, Pascal-Mateo was to transport the three kilograms of heroin to New York City via the Geraldo Transport Service. Officers stopped Pascal-Mateo near the Geraldo Transport Service, arrested him and confiscated $485. |
Iran's willful exclusion of its citizens from the Internet much of the rest of the world knows -- its attempt to take the "worldwide" aspect out of the World Wide Web -- may well indicate weakness in the regime itself. ("If this is what passes for leadership," Schmidt put it, "these guys have a problem.") If so, though, it's a weakness belied by technological capabilities: the Iranian regime, at this point, does have the infrastructural power to filter the Internet. It can censor its citizens with increasingly surgical precision. It can create its own version of YouTube. It can bypass Google and Facebook and other American companies, shaping the experience of the Internet for all but the most technologically savvy of its citizens. "Islamic Google Earth" may be a joke; it may also be, however, a harbinger of what's to come.
There's another concern, too, Cohen pointed out. Internet balkanization could enable autocratic states to "band together" to create cyber-alliances that can collaboratively edit the web in order to enforce shared norms. The collectives might edit comments made about their regimes. They might cooperate to monitor user behavior. They might attempt to enforce their notion of "moral behavior" through censorship and other means.
And they might ultimately engage, Cohen continued, in a kind of "digital ethnic cleansing." Traditional legal and political checks on mass criminality have been developed within and for the physical world, he noted; in the digital, however, those checks are less developed. The web is simply too new. And you could imagine autocratic regimes or other communities taking advantage of that, creating a scenario in which one group finds a way to, for example, filter another group's content from the web. Or to shut down -- or severely slow down -- their Internet access. Or to infiltrate them with malware and/or orchestrate elaborate denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. One group, in other words, could essentially annihilate the digital existence of another.
And then the perpetrator could simply, Cohen said, "make the whole thing look like technical difficulties." Making punishment or retribution, per physical-world systems, extremely difficult.
What all this comes down to, Clemons suggested, is something that Schmidt and Cohen emphasize in their book: the new need for a "virtual foreign policy." While the physical world and the digital obviously coexist, Schmidt pointed out, we have much more finely established ways to regulate behavior in the physical world. When people in the virtual community begin to misbehave, committing crimes that wouldn't be legal in the physical space, we currently have very few mechanisms for correction. As that reality plays out on the geopolitical stage, he said, you could have "this bizarre situation" in which, say, the U.S. and China have a generally good relationship in the physical world: cash flow, open communications, travel between the two countries, etc. And yet behind the scenes -- in the digital world -- those countries could be, effectively, waging war on each other through their digital infrastructure.
Without a more strategic merging between the physical world and the digital, Schmidt suggested, that scenario could well become reality. For now, Cohen said, the big question looming before us is this: "At what point is a cyber attack so big that its effects spill over into the physical world?" We don't yet know. But there's a good chance we'll soon find out.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com. |
With summer just around the corner, local food banks are running low.
Joanne Santucci, executive director of Hamilton Food Share, an organization that distributes food to local banks and gets 80 per cent of its supplies from the food industry, said there is a lull in food donations across the city.
"Traditional food sources like food drives has seen a steady decline and food sources in the industry are shrinking," she said. "Donors are also donating their time rather than canned goods.
Since a good return over the Christmas period, the Good Shepherd has seen its stockpile dwindle after an Easter that yielded little in the way of supplies, according to its director Carmen Salciccioli.
"Heading into June, with kids at home over the summer break, buying food is hard to maintain for people on a low income," he said, adding that more than 3,000 patrons use the local food bank per month and usage has been increasing by at least three per cent annually.
The Good Shepherd is creating a list of foods most needed and will print it on paper bags in the hope the information will help bring more donations into the warehouse.
Items high on their list include peanut butter, baby food, formula and canned meat.
Neighbour to Neighbour is also low on canned foods such as tuna and salmon, nut butter and cereal, according to Sarah Collyer, director of community food programs.
Jeremy Young, manager of social services at St. Matthews House, said they are experiencing a high volume of customers which has led to spending more money on food.
"We are experiencing a slower time right now which could be due to donor fatigue," he said. "The demand is always there. It's ongoing." |
Five days later, the fire was doing just what they hoped. Klimek described it to me as “a low-intensity backing fire” — that is, one moving downhill rather than up; an uphill fire tends to spread faster. It was “cleaning up” underbrush and wood on the ground as it moved. On July 30, the fire’s extent was only three acres, and a person could still walk safely in its midst. (When officials describe a fire’s size in terms of acreage, it doesn’t necessarily mean every spot in that space is actively burning.) When I walked the area 10 months later with Scott L. Stephens, a professor of fire science at the University of California, Berkeley, and an expert on prescribed and managed fires, he said, “This looks exactly like what I would’ve aimed for if I were setting a prescribed fire in here.”
Hensel gave thought to initiating a “burnout operation” between the park road and the fire’s location. That would entail starting a second fire that would burn toward the existing one, thus reducing the risk that it would spread beyond a chosen limit, in this case the park road. This line of control was selected because there was a stand of lodgepole pines on the north side of the road. Unlike Ponderosa, Douglas firs and other conifers in the mountain West, lodgepoles are highly susceptible to fire, and this stand, nearly a hundred years old, had never burned; it was like a land mine waiting to be set off. But more thunderstorms were in the forecast, and the cold air they brought with them was likely to create a downdraft with the potential to spread the fire rapidly in any direction (and additional lightning strikes could also start more fires). It was this risk of its becoming unpredictable, Hensel later explained to me, that made a burnout unwise.
As Hensel weighed the options, Calvin Farris, the Park Service fire ecologist in charge of Lassen Volcanic, was working with an analyst who studies fire behavior for the Forest Service. They were using a computer model that Mark Finney helped develop, called FSPro (Fire Spread Probability), which predicts a wildfire’s likely movement, based on variables like topography, weather, the types of trees in a forest and how dry they are. In a typical year it works well, but for whatever reason, as August and its heat approached, that wasn’t the case. It was consistently underestimating the likelihood that particular areas would burn. This wasn’t unusual; at one point during the 1988 fires that burned nearly 800,000 acres in and around Yellowstone National Park, the statistician whose work underlies many fire-spread models used his own model to project where the fire would be in two weeks. It spread twice as far in the next 24 hours.
On Aug. 6, 2012, the weather in Lassen Volcanic National Park changed: the wind turned around and picked up significantly, blowing the fire across the road and into the lodgepole pines. Once the fire spread into the lodgepoles, it became very hard to control, because of the surrounding terrain and the weather at the time. The next day, a federal interagency fire-management team was brought in to coordinate suppression efforts. On Aug. 8, the fire expanded beyond the park’s borders, and it became a threat to the town of Old Station.
The new people in charge held a public meeting to inform area residents about the fire’s status and possible evacuation procedures. Both Hat Creek Valley and Old Station had evacuated their homes because of wildfires twice in the previous 10 years, most recently in 2009, when lightning ignited fires that burned 9,300 acres.
Darlene Koontz, who is the park superintendent at Lassen Volcanic, was in charge of some federal lands in New Mexico a few years after a prescribed fire there spread out of control and burned part of Los Alamos in 2000; 400 families lost their homes, and the fire’s total cost was estimated to be $1 billion. So she was familiar with balancing the risks in a drought-stricken forest and aware of the public outcry that could follow mistakes. Yet efforts to notify the community near the Lassen Fire were minimal, and reports in the local news media seemed to add a measure of anger to the public’s anxiety.
“It was a really hostile setting,” according to one firefighter who was at the meeting. Because the fire began as a managed wildfire, he says, it was regarded differently from past fires. “They had a particular place and person to, in their perception, set blame, and that was the park and the park superintendent. I thought she was going to get accosted.” |
A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine shows there is increasing evidence that high rates of illness in Persian Gulf War Veterans can be explained, in part, by exposure to certain chemicals, including pesticides and nerve agents. Veterans from the 1990-91 conflict have a higher rate of chronic, multi-symptom health problems than either non-deployed personnel or those deployed elsewhere. Symptoms routinely reported by these veterans include fatigue, muscle or joint pain, memory problems, trouble sleeping, rash and breathing problems.
"This evidence suggests that exposure to this certain class of chemical may be linked to elevated risk of health problems," said Beatrice Golomb, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, whose study will be published in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) the week of March 10.
"Health issues among Gulf War veterans have been a concern for nearly two decades. Now, enough studies have been conducted, and results shared, to be able to say with considerable confidence that there is a link between chemical exposure and chronic, multi-symptom health problems," said Golomb. "Furthermore, the same chemicals affecting Gulf War veterans may be involved in similar cases of unexplained, multi-symptom health problems in the general population."
The study synthesized evidence regarding a class of chemicals known as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEis) and organophosphates (OP), which includes nerve gas chemicals. Some military personnel were exposed to nerve gas (sarin) when demolishing Iraqi munitions. Also, the pesticides used aggressively in Gulf regions to control sand flies and other insects fall in the same category of chemicals. This includes the carbamate pyridostigmine bromide (PB) pills originally given to service members to protect against potential nerve-agent exposure. (Note: As a result of an earlier RAND corporation report by Golomb outlining the risks of using such pills, military policy has been changed.)
The study linked exposure to each of these chemicals with the chronic, multi-symptom health problems in 25 to 33 percent of returning Gulf War veterans.
"There is evidence that genetics have something to do with how a body handles exposure to these chemicals," said Golomb. "Some people are genetically less able to withstand these toxins and evidence shows that these individuals have higher chance of suffering the effects of exposure." Specifically, illness is linked to lower activity of enzymes that detoxify AChEis, due to genetic variants The enzymes known to be involved are paraoxonase (PON) for OPs, including sarin, and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) for PB.
Among those service members given PB pills as a preventive measure, those with the mutations that reduced their ability to detoxify the pills were at significantly higher risk of illness, according to Golomb.
Previous studies have shown genetic variants of these enzymes are also associated with increased rates of some neurological diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease. Golomb says this may explain the elevated levels of ALS seen in Gulf War veterans.
Some of the chemicals linked to these multi-symptom illnesses continue to be used in agriculture, and at homes and offices for pest control in the United States and around the globe. Studies not related to the Gulf War showed that agricultural workers exposed to organophosphate pesticides had 10 times the number of health symptoms as those not exposed.
"Again, genetic variants that hamper defense against these chemicals were linked to higher risk of health problems. These findings carry important implications for current members of the armed forces as well as the general public, suggesting that exposure to these pesticides in any setting may increase risk for impaired neuropsychological function and poor health" said Golomb. |
Harman begins to backtrack denials of wiretap story John Byrne
Published: Wednesday April 22, 2009
Print This Email This The California Democrat who was allegedly caught on an FBI wiretap promising to aid accused Israeli spies in 2005 has begun walking back her original denials.
Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) originally denied -- emphatically -- that she had in any way agreed in a plot to get herself appointed chairwoman of the House Intelligence Committee by getting an Israeli agent to work a major California donor to threaten to withhold campaign contributions from then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). The call between Harman and the Israeli national was caught on an FBI wiretap as part of a broader Israeli espionage case.
But in an interview on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," Harman began qualifying her answers under heavy questioning.
"We don't know if there was a phone call," Harman said, backtracking on her previous statements.
Pressed on the specifics of the call, Harman said she couldn't "recall with any specificity a conversation I may have had four years ago."
Harman also appeared on numerous news networks, including CNN and MSNBC, to press her case of denial -- before beginning to backtrack on her answers.
Get Raw exclusives as they break -- Email & mobile Email - Never spam: |
Cospa is a Japanese licensed merchandising company, just recently they updated their site with all the merchandise they will be premiering at this year’s Tokyo Game Show 2016. The line-up included other licenses like SNK, IDOLM@STER and of course our true blue SEGA. The company announced that the SEGA Merchandise was focusing on the SEGA Mega Drive (SEGA Genesis in America), Sonic the Hedgehog and oddly enough NiGHTS into Dreams..
So lets break down all the SEGA merchandise from Japan that will be shown off by Cospa at this year’s Tokyo Game Show and that you can pre-order RIGHT NOW (yes, we included import friendly shop links):
SEGA Merchandise:
The first piece of SEGA merchandise from Cospa we will be looking at is the ‘3shock Mega Drive’ shirt that features three English phrases to describe the style of the console, each one being shocking. The shirt will cost you 3,132 yen after taxes (about $30USD) and is up to pre-order on the companies website or AmiAmi if you are outside of Japan.
Above we have a hoodie design that features the same ‘3shock Mega Drive’ image, but on the front we have the circular iconic Mega Drive (SEGA Genesis) console design. Another small difference in the back image is that the ’16-bit’ is now in gold on this hoodie, which I think looks really nice. The hoodie will set you back 5,400 yen after taxes (about $52 USD). You can pre-order the ‘3shock Mega Drive’ hoodie on the companies website or AmiAmi if you are outside of Japan.
The next piece of Mega Drive merchandise by Cospa includes a Mega Drive controller coin case. Wallets are so out, these coin cases featuring the iconic Mega Drive controller are in! The Mega Drive coin case will set you back 1,296 yen after taxes (about $12.50 USD). You can pre-order the Mega Drive coin case on the companies website or AmiAmi if your are outside of Japan.
If you are looking for any Mega Drive Cospa items announced in the past, here is a AmiAmi (they ship outside of Japan) link to every single item (new and old).
Cospa also had a few new NiGHTS items, one being this shirt that came in both white and purple called ‘Knights’ featuring the classic design for our hero. The shirt will set you back 2,900 yen after taxes (about $28 USD). You can pre-order the ‘Knights’ shirt on the companies website or AmiAmi if your are outside of Japan (purple).
We have another NiGHTS into Dreams… item this one being a hoodie featuring our favorite purple jester. This hoodie has the iconic SEGA Saturn designed NiGHTS on the front and a silhouette of it flying in the back with the phrase ‘NiGHTS it’s a dream paradox’ on the back. This hoodie will set you back 5,400 yen after taxes (about $52 USD). You can pre-order the ‘Knights’ hoodie on the companies website or AmiAmi if your are outside of Japan.
So you are trying to get to sleep, but the sun light in the morning wakes you up and you just aren’t creeping your significant other enough. Don’t worry, Cospa and SEGA have got you covered with this NiGHTS eye mask. Block out sun rays and secure that you will be forever alone with one easy payment of 1,296 yen after taxes (about $12.50USD). You can pre-order the face mask on the companies website or AmiAmi if your are outside of Japan.
Cospa also has a couple of items featuring Sonic the Hedgehog, the first one being this ‘dry’ shirt that is water resistance. That means you can run around in the rain and not worry about the shirt weighing down your super speed. The shirt features a very Sonic Adventure era Sonic wearing headphones with Japanese/English lettering saying ‘Super Sonic’. The shirt comes in either white or blue. You can pre-order the Sonic the Hedgehog shirts on the companies website or AmiAmi if your are outside of Japan (Blue shirt).
We saved the best item for last! The Sonic MA-1 jacket that looks freaking cool. It only comes in navy blue color and features a modern Sonic design on the back and front with the phrase ‘ride on’. This beautiful stylish jacket will set you back 12,960 yen after taxes (about $125 USD). You can pre-order the Sonic the Hedgehog jacket on the companies website or AmiAmi if your are outside of Japan.
What are your thoughts on Cospa’s SEGA Merchandise? Picking anything up? Let us know in the comments below. |
0 Washington State's new gun background check law goes into effect
OLYMPIA, Wash. - As of Thursday, Washington State’s gun background check law is in effect.
Initiative 594 was approved by 59 percent of voters in November.
I-594 expands background checks to private sales and transfers, such as online gun sales, gun shows and many loans and gifts.
The goal is to ensure every buyer goes through the same background check, regardless of whether the purchase is with a licensed dealer or a private sale.
There are some exceptions, including transfers between family members and antiques produced before 1898.
Mitch Barker, executive director for the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, said he’s heard concerns about possible increased workload for the local law-enforcement agencies that run the checks.
“None of us will know until we get up and running,” he said.
The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System processed more than 560,000 firearm background checks in the state last year and has processed more than 388,000 between January and the end of October of this year, according to the agency’s online report.
How many more checks might actually occur is hard to predict, since the size of the private market is unknown.
“Responsible gun owners aren’t going to see a difference,” said King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, who campaigned for I-594. “What it might do is raise the risk for people who are willing to sell guns, no questions asked.”
But opponents say people will still find a way to get guns without background checks.
“The guy who is a convicted felon who knows he can’t have a gun is going to get it anyway,” said Don Teague, the owner of a Private Sector Arms in Olympia.
Opponents had taken the most issue with language that requires checks on transfers.
Barker, the executive director of the sheriffs and police chiefs association, does not believe that handing a gun to someone else violates the initiative, but he said that eventually the state attorney general will likely be asked for clarification.
As for how to enforce the law, Barker said that’s a bit trickier.
“If somebody committed a crime with a firearm, and if the source was tracked back to someone who didn’t do a background check of the person who they transferred the gun to, that to me would seem to be the most likely scenario where a law-enforcement official would take action,” he said.
Under I-594, a person who knowingly violates the law could be subject to a gross misdemeanor; a knowing violation twice or more is a Class C felony. |
The first sure-fire sign of any good, impending mid-season selling frenzy is upper-management coming out and insisting to the public, “Who, us? No, no way. We’re definitely not selling. Which, that’s fine. Makes sense. Job of upper-management is to make money, and letting all the fans know a month in advance that the team is throwing in the weol of the now for a towel of the future isn’t a great way to keep fannies in the seats, even while the team’s still intact. Despite those claims, though, word always gets out, and the second sure-fire sign of any good, impending mid-season selling frenzy is the resignation that, “Yeah, OK, you caught us; we’re probably sellers.” The third sign is the sale itself.
The New York Yankees have exhibited the first two symptoms of fire-sale fever. After dropping the first series out of the All-Star break to the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees are now 45-46, fourth place in the American League East, and owners of a 6.1% chance to make the postseason, according to our playoff odds. The last three days have represented the club’s lowest points of the season.
And, given the unique construction of the Yankees’ roster, the club seems poised for a rare sell-off, one that, if executed to the fullest extent, could have the second-half version of the team appearing unrecognizable to the first. It seems likely that very few players of the next good Yankees team currently exist on this one. The Yankees are going to make some moves. The question is: how many? Let’s take the lever and push it all the way up. Just for fun, let’s imagine what a complete Yankees teardown looks like.
Of course, we move the obvious pieces. At this point, Aroldis Chapman seems like a near-guarantee to be traded. Carlos Beltran should be on the go, too. We’ve all heard the Andrew Miller speculation, and he’s the Yankees’ most valuable chip, so let’s call him a goner, as well. The Brett Gardner rumors started in the offseason and have persisted, so we’ll be finding him a new home, and let’s go ahead and do the same with Brian McCann, who for the sake of this exercise will agree to lift his no-trade clause. Hell, while we’re here, let’s see if we can’t find anyone interested in CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira, too. That’s our list. Everything must go.
We’ll work our way down that last paragraph, starting with Chapman. He’s long been the most likely piece to be moved, and at this point, it seems inevitable. We begin with the asking price. Chapman was just recently acquired in a trade over the offseason from Cincinnati, which cost the Yankees a quartet of mostly insignificant prospects, but of course will now command a higher cost. The Yankees bought low on Chapman while a suspension of an undetermined length loomed, and that was before we saw how pricey relievers got over the offseason. So, the most recent Chapman trade isn’t a good example of his current value.
To get a better idea, maybe we go back a couple years to when his teammate, Andrew Miller, was dealt to the Red Sox at the deadline. That move cost Baltimore Eduardo Rodriguez, who that year was ranked as the No. 65 prospect in the game by Baseball America. Miller, like Chapman, was an impending free agent — and was putting up comparable numbers to Chapman’s typical year. The price tag for elite relievers has gone up, though Chapman’s off-field concerns likely depress his cost somewhat. A team isn’t getting Chapman without giving up a top-100-type prospect, but it might be able to hold onto its top guy.
Chapman’s suitors? Plenty. The Dodgers just went after him seven months ago, and they could still be interested now. The Cubs are looking for relief help, as are the Nationals. Texas is a contender with the American League’s worst bullpen. The Indians have been singled out as a sleeper candidate to land a Yankees reliever.
The Indians wouldn’t want to part with top prospects Clint Frazier or Bradley Zimmer for half a year of Chapman, but they’ve got more than enough guys in the Rodriguez range, like Brady Aiken (No. 59 in BA’s mid-season top-100 update), Bobby Bradley (No. 64), Justus Sheffield (69), Francisco Mejia (70), and Michael Clevinger (71), to work something out while holding onto their top chips. Maybe the Cubs build a package around Eloy Jimenez (46), the Dodgers with Grant Holmes (60), the Nationals with Erick Fedde (61), the Rangers with Luis Ortiz (74) or Dillon Tate.
Want Miller? Those same teams are likely all interested, but the prospect tier goes up a notch. Look at what Craig Kimbrel commanded over the offseason with his multiple years of control. Miller’s got even more value than Kimbrel, and the Yankees would rightfully want their own Manuel Margot and Javier Guerra. The Indians aren’t getting away without Frazier (21) or Zimmer (26). The Yankees would want a Gleyber Torres (27) or Ian Happ (37) from Chicago, a Lewis Brinson (30) from Texas, a Jose De Leon (25) or Alex Verdugo (44) from Los Angeles, a Reynaldo Lopez (48) from Washington. And then some. It’s a fool’s errand to come up with specific prospect names in fake trade proposals, but these are the tiers of guys required to land a Chapman and a Miller. Pick a name from the Miller paragraph and a name or two from the Chapman paragraph, imagine a couple low-minors prospects or near-major-league-ready fringe guys tossed in, and that’s your most likely Chapman/Miller return for New York.
Beltran seems likely to go, and a recent rumor linked the Royals to him, with Luke Hochevar’s name invoked. With the Yankees out of contention and Hochevar an impending free agent, that specific framework seems unlikely, but that’s the type of guy the Yankees are getting for Beltran. He’s rebuilt his value with a resurgent offensive performance, but it’s still three months of a 39-year-old designated hitter. That gets an MLB-ready middle reliever or a 19-year-old.
McCann and Gardner have their value, though perhaps not much in the way of surplus value; McCann is owed $34 million in 2017-18, Gardner owed $26 million over those same years with a buy-out factored in. The Yankees wouldn’t have to part with talent of their own to get teams to take these two, but they likely wouldn’t fetch much in return, other than some fringy prospects and, more importantly, the ability to more quickly rebuild themselves through free agency and the offseason trade market with some more financial freedom.
Teixeira’s just fallen too far to be anything more than an August waiver salary dump. Sabathia’s most recent starts may have done the same to his value.
But we’ve done a lot here! We’ve netted the Yankees several top-100 prospects, including a top-50 guy or two, for Chapman and Miller. We’ve got a bullpen arm or a utility bat for Beltran. We’ve cleared plenty of salary in the coming years by moving McCann and Gardner, while paving the way for top prospects Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge in the process. And we’ve filled out the low minors with some lottery ticket 19-year-olds along the way. Masahiro Tanaka and Dellin Betances are still there. Ditto Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi. Didi Gregorius and Jacoby Ellsbury are still up the middle, and Greg Bird and Luis Severino will be ready to make an impact in 2017. Plus, there’s the money. All that Yankee money.
For a complete teardown, the Yankees still have quite a bit left. And quite a bit yet to gain. It’s an unfamiliar feeling for New York, being in the position of a seller, but one that’s made itself inevitable. The fire-sale option is here for the Yankees, if they want it. Now, we just see how far they go with it. |
Belgian police are investigating whether the killing of three people, including an Israeli couple, at the Jewish museum in Brussels on Saturday was a targeted assassination or a random antisemitic attack.
On Tuesday, federal authorities quickly denied media reports that a suspect had been arrested, and the Israelis – Emmanuel and Mira Riva, who were in their 50s – were buried in Tel Aviv. The Haaretz newspaper speculated that they may have been murdered because of connections to Israel's secret services.
The Rivas' teenage daughters and 200 other mourners at the ceremony listened as the Belgian ambassador to Israel, John Cornet d'Elzius, promised that every effort would be made to track down their killer. He said the Belgian government would "oppose antisemitism in our society" – apparently a response to critical comments made by the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu.
Belgian police were reported to be investigating all possible scenarios, including a "targeted assassination" as well as an act of antisemitism. The third fatality was a Frenchwoman, and a young Belgian man remains critically ill.
Experts in Israel and elsewhere have said the manner of the killings suggested planning and execution by a trained specialist. On Sunday, Belgian police released a 30-second video clip from the museum's security cameras showing a man wearing a dark cap, sunglasses and a blue jacket enter the building, take a Kalashnikov rifle out of a bag, and shoot into a room before calmly walking away.
Claude Moniquet, a Belgian counter-terrorism expert, told RTL that the perpetrator appeared to be a "cold killer, someone who had already seen death and already killed".
Israeli media reports said the Rivas were accountants formerly in government service. Emmanuel Riva worked for an official agency called Nativ, which dealt with the emigration of Jews from the former Soviet Union. Mira Riva was employed by the prime minister's office – often a euphemism for the Mossad and Shin Bet secret services. Both had been posted to Israel's embassy in Berlin.
Amir Oren, a military commentator for Haaretz, suggested the attack may have been an act of retaliation by agents of Iran or the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah.
But Moniquet questioned this scenario. "There are thousands of former members of the Israeli intelligence services, so if two of them are the object of a targeted operation, they must have had a particularly important role or done something that struck a particularly raw nerve in the Middle East," he said. "If that is the case, why kill them in the museum and not in their hotel, in a park … in a restaurant or on the street?" |
Confused Americans in Pakistan
Pakistan’s ongoing deterioration has produced a sub-genre of journalism that is obsessed with how confusing it seems. Nahal Toosi has written the latest example for Politico. While the main subject is the Abbotobad raid, Toosi also dissects the apparent contradictions of Pakistani politics.
I often read and overhear the phrase “immense contradictions of Pakistani society” when Americans discuss Pakistan. This can be in reference to any number of social divides: secularism and Islamism, modernity and feudalism-tribalism, elite prosperity and widespread poverty, and so on.
Unfortunately, the question of what produced those divides rarely gets asked, let alone answered. This is why the country seems unfathomable. Americans are especially susceptible to this, because they lack the tools for asking structural questions. Pakistan is deeply affected by developmental conflicts, so if we don’t talk about them, the country is impossible to understand. The result is that even highly intelligent people like Toosi end up missing the mark.
Pakistan has always been a violent country, owing to the bloodbath of Partition, and sordid imperial rulers before that. However, the situation only began to really fall apart once wealthy elites like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto opted for violently suppressing dissent, especially in the future state of Bangladesh, rather than concede to demands for greater democratization.
This set the stage for further degrees of state violence under General Zia ul-Haq, who overthrew Bhutto in 1977 and explicitly sought to undermine left-wing gains such as the nationalization of many industries. Pakistanis often talk about a “long shadow of Zia ul-Haq” because his technocratic governance affected every area of society.
Inequality skyrocketed as the economy grew, and Zia empowered a newly-wealthy middle class that was deeply inspired by Saudi Wahhabism and eager to consolidate its position in the national order. These are the Pakistanis who voted overwhelmingly for the socially and economically conservative Nawaz Sharif in last May’s election. They are currently jostling for control with more classical elites like Bhutto’s supporters, whose are secular, but more as a result of their personal wealth and resulting proximity to Western institutions in the country.
They find occasional support in marginalized groups in Pakistan’s least developed areas, especially its minority-dominated provinces that straddle the Afghan border. These are populations that have reacted to economic scarcity by falling back on what they know, namely, violent forms of tribalism, and feudal practices that are articulated with a modern twist, like acid throwing.
Of course, these trends are present all over the Muslim world. I think that most people would consider them to be relatively tame in Pakistan if not for an upsurge in militarism that it has witnessed over the past few decades, especially since the late 2000s. We have to remember, though, that there is an economic basis for the security crisis as well. Even before the War on Terror, Pakistan never really developed provinces like Balochistan, Khyber-Pakthunkhwa, and the Tribal Areas. When it did, it was not in an equitable manner. This is why they are lawless enough to house militants in the first place.
It is also important to note the long-term effects of the Soviet-Afghan war, when drugs and weapons flooded into the country. This caused local rivalries to become far more explosive, especially as ethnic groups closed ranks in order to access limited resources. It is naive to think that this would have never happened if the economic situation wasn’t so volatile, but Zia’s moves against social democracy (in addition to his well-known empowerment of Salafi jihadism) certainly did their part.
Pakistan’s future is uncertain, but it is even more so when we are unable to discuss the actual problem. The country is falling apart because of a failed system of economic governance. Repairing it won’t solve all of Pakistan’s problems overnight, but it is the most important step to realizing a desperate need for social change. Americans who work with the country are crucial allies to making that happen. However, they can only begin to assist if they admit how many of Pakistan’s issues are rooted in a flawed approach to its economy.
Photograph courtesy of Christophe Laurent. Published under a Creative Commons License. |
The California Golden Bears and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors will open the 2016 season in Australia, both schools announced on Saturday.
California and Hawaii will meet on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016 at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia in a matchup dubbed the “Sydney College Football Cup.” It will be the first ever college football game played in Sydney.
“We are thrilled to open our 2016 football season in Sydney,” Cal Director of Athletics Mike Williams said. “This will be a tremendous cultural and educational experience for our student-athletes, our football program, our university, and our fan base around the world. We are a global university with global alumni and fans, and we are excited to be bringing college football to the great country of Australia.”
Cal and Hawaii received a waiver to play the game on Aug. 27, which is one week prior to the first Saturday of the 2016 college football season.
The Golden Bears were previously scheduled to open the 2016 season at home against South Dakota State, but has canceled that game in order to play Hawaii in Australia.
After facing Hawaii, the Golden Bears return home to play at San Diego State on Sept. 10 and host Texas on Sept. 17.
“The University of Hawai’i is thrilled for this wonderful opportunity to open the 2016 college football season in Sydney against the University of California, Berkeley,” said UH Athletics Director David Matlin. “Our football program has tremendous pride in not only representing the state of Hawai’i, but all of the Pacific region. From a cultural perspective, this game will afford our student-athletes an experience they will always remember and give most of them the chance to travel outside the United States for the first time in their lives. Traditionally, the University of Hawai’i has been fortunate to welcome many student-athletes from Australia and we hope this game opens doors for many more.”
The game against Cal is the fifth non-conference contest for Hawaii in 2016. The Warriors also play at Michigan on Sept. 3, host UT Martin on Sept. 10, visit Arizona on Sept. 17, and host UMass on Nov. 26.
Football Schedules |
A Michigan man who was aboard
says he witnessed
trying to board the plane in Amsterdam without a passport.
of Newport, Mich.,
, talked exclusively with MLive.com and confirmed he was on the flight by sending a picture of his boarding pass. He and his wife, Lori, were returning from a safari in Uganda when they boarded the NWA flight on Friday.
Update: Dutch counter-terrorism agency: Flight 253 suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had valid Nigerian passport, U.S. visa
Update: FBI question Haskell family about 'passport accomplice'
Update: Second person was detained by U.S. Customs following Flight 253
Videos: Haskells talk Flight 253, passport 'accomplice' and FBI questioning
Haskell said he and his wife were sitting on the ground near their boarding gate in Amsterdam, which is when they saw
approach the gate with an unidentified man.
Kurt and Lori Haskell are attorneys with
in Taylor. Their expertise includes bankruptcy, family law and estate planning.
While Mutallab was poorly dressed, his friend was dressed in an expensive suit, Haskell said. He says the suited man asked ticket agents whether Mutallab could board without a passport. “The guy said, 'He's from Sudan and we do this all the time.'”
Mutallab is Nigerian. Haskell believes the man may have been trying to garner sympathy for Mutallab's lack of documents by portraying him as a Sudanese refugee.
The ticket agent referred Mutallab and his companion to her manager down the hall, and Haskell didn't see Mutallab again until after he allegedly tried to detonate an explosive on the plane.
Haskell said the flight was mostly unremarkable. That was until he heard a flight attendant say she smelled smoke, just after the pilot announced the plane would land in Detroit in 10 minutes. Haskell got out of his seat to view the brewing commotion.
“I stood up and walked a couple feet ahead to get a closer look, and that's when I
” said Haskell, who sat about seven rows behind Mutallab. “It started to spread pretty quickly. It went up the wall, all the way to ceiling.”
Haskell, who described Mutallab as a diminutive man who looks like a teenager, said about 30 seconds passed between the first mention of smoke and when Mutallab was subdued by fellow passengers.
“He didn't fight back at all. This wasn't a big skirmish,” Haskell said. “
and hauled him away.”
The ordeal has Haskell and his wife a little shaken. Flight attendants were screaming during the fire and the pilot sounded notably nervous when bringing the plane in for a landing, he said.
“Immediately, the pilot came on and said two words: emergency landing,” Haskell said. “And that was it. The plane sped up instead of slowing down. You could tell he floored it.”
As Mutallab was being led out of the plane in handcuffs, Haskell said he realized that was the same man he saw trying to board the plane in Amsterdam.
Passengers had to wait about 20 minutes before they were allowed to exit the plane. Haskell said he and other passengers waited about six hours to be interviewed by the FBI.
About an hour after landing, Haskell said he saw another man being taken into custody. But a spokeswoman from the FBI in Detroit said Mutallab was the only person taken into custody.
Update: Dutch police investigating report of 'accomplice'
Videos: Haskells talk Flight 253, passport 'accomplice' and FBI questioning |
Pin it for later
Asian Peanut Spaghetti Squash Stir-Fry, an easy homemade low-carb healthy spaghetti squash recipe full of flavor! Learn how to make spaghetti squash in the microwave and turn it into an easy stir-fry like a spaghetti squash pad thai with lots of vegetables, lean ground chicken, and a homemade stir fry sauce with peanut butter.
(For your shopping convenience, this post contains affiliate links.)
I hope you enjoy this Asian peanut Spaghetti Squash Stir-Fry recipe as much as I did! This easy and healthy Asian Peanut Spaghetti Squash Stir-Fry recipe is to make up for all the cookie and dessert recipes I’ve posted. It’s all about balance right? I also have a great vegetarian or side dish creamy spaghetti squash recipe, Creamy Mushroom Spaghetti Squash.
I don’t know why I don’t come up with more healthy spaghetti squash recipes! Spaghetti squash is easy to make and delicious! To be honest though, it took me a little while to like it. I am Italian after all, so substituting some for pasta, took me some time to accept.
I will admit though spaghetti squash is great change from pasta. If you’re wondering what spaghetti squash tastes like, I find that it has a very mild flavor that goes well with so many flavor combinations.
This Asian Peanut Spaghetti Squash Stir-Fry recipe is quick enough for a weeknight meal and bursting with flavor! It’s easy to change with your family’s favorite vegetables and/or protein! It’s similar to a spaghetti squash pad thai recipe and loaded with lots of vegetables that you can change up based on your preferences and an easy homemade stir-fry sauce with peanut butter.
How to Cut Spaghetti Squash:
The toughest part about cooking spaghetti squash is cutting it in half to cook. You can slit holes in it and bake in the oven to allow the steam to escape, but I just get a sharp knife and cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.
Be very careful when cutting the spaghetti squash. Similar to a pumpkin, it can be tough to cut in half so make sure you have a sharp knife and you watch your fingers.
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash:
If you’re wondering how to cook a spaghetti squash, there are many ways! Some people microwave spaghetti squash and some roast or bake in the oven. You can even cook spaghetti squash in your crock pot or slow cooker. For this recipe, I decided to microwave the spaghetti squash. But you can see my How to Cook Spaghetti Squash for other options.
How to Microwave Spaghetti Squash:
Cut the spaghetti squash in half, remove the seeds, then place the spaghetti squash in a large microwave safe pan with the cut side down. I love Pyrex glass baking dishes for this. Add a little water to the pan, cover somewhat loosely with plastic wrap, and microwave on high for about 10-15 minutes or until soft.
Depending on the size of your spaghetti squash you may need to cook it a little longer. I’d suggest checking on it every now and then.
How to Prepare Spaghetti Squash:
After you cook the spaghetti squash, either in the microwave, or another method, be sure to let it cool slightly. Then using a fork, remove the inside of the spaghetti squash in long threads. It should come right out. If it’s not, then it’s probably not cooked enough.
How to Make Spaghetti Squash Stir-Fry:
While you’re cooking the spaghetti squash in the oven, start cooking the ground chicken and garlic in a large skillet .
You could substitute any kind of ground/chopped meat or omit the meat all together for a vegetarian meal. Ground pork or even shrimp would be great too!
You can use any kind of vegetables you’d like to this Asian Peanut Spaghetti Squash Stir-Fry. I added mushrooms, green pepper, and red onion but like I said you can use any veggies you want in this recipe.
Add the veggies to the pan and cook until they start to cook through but still a little firm.
When everything is cooked through make the homemade stir-fry sauce by adding the soy sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, ginger, and pepper flakes to the pan. A little bit of lime juice really adds a nice freshness to this recipe!
Stir in the cooked spaghetti squash then before serving add some fresh cilantro and chopped peanuts.
And there you go, an easy and healthy spaghetti squash stir-fry recipe that is perfect for a family dinner!
I hope you enjoy this easy spaghetti squash recipe!
Check out this quick video to see how easy this Asian Peanut Spaghetti Squash Stir-Fry is to make…
Let me know if you make it and what you think of this homemade stir-fry. |
If there’s been a constant to this Heat preseason, it’s been Josh Richardson showing everyone he’s healthy and that his game continues to improve.
Richardson started for the third consecutive preseason game at point guard for Goran Dragic in the Heat’s 117-115 victory Wednesday night over the Wizards.
Richardson finished with 13 points, an assist and two rebounds in 24 minutes as Heat coach Erik Spoelstra gave some of his reserves more playing time.
Richardson said earlier this week maintaining his health is the biggest key to his success.
Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald
“Everything starts with getting healthy,” Richardson said after Monday’s win over the Hornets in which he also led the Heat in scoring with 18 points. “I’m confident. Everything comes from there.”
Among Richardson’s highlights was an alley-oop dunk off a well-timed feed from Tyler Johnson 59 seconds into the second quarter.
Richardson played 80 percent of his minutes last season at small forward.
Regardless of whether Richardson earns a starting spot there this year, he’s proving he can stay on the court and his value at the 1-through-3 positions.
SHARE COPY LINK Spoelstra talked about contributions from entire team during 117-115 preseason win over the Wizards on Wednesday.
Richardson, 24, signed a four-year, $42 million contract extension with the Heat last summer.
Richardson missed all of training camp last season and did not play in the preseason or in the Heat’s first four regular season games due to a right MCL sprain. He missed 27 games overall as he later suffered a right ankle sprain and a left foot sprain.
Richardson came on strong during the home stretch of the Heat’s 30-11 second half, starting the final 14 games. He averaged a career-best 10.2 points with 3.2 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 30.5 minutes.
“It would have been really interesting coming off his rookie year if he was healthy last year,” Spoelstra said earlier this week. “Our expectations were pretty high last year. If he would have been able to put together several months of playing-game experience where he would have been at the end of the year, and where he ended up being anyway, it’s pretty darn good.”
Richardson said his leg feels noticeably better so far this season.
“Every time I push off and jump off my right leg,” Richardson said. “Last year I felt every time I jumped it was flat.”
HIGHLIGHTS
▪ Jordan Mickey played 19-plus minutes and nailed the game-winning three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left to secure the Heat’s victory. Mickey, who was acquired as a free agent and played with the Celtics last season, finished with 12 points.
Even though it was a preseason game, the entire Heat bench poured out onto the court after the final buzzer to celebrate Mickey’s game-winner as several teammates hugged him.
Mickey said it was his first game-winning shot since his high school days in Dallas.
SHARE COPY LINK Mickey talks about getting an opportunity in Wednesday's preseason game against the Wizards and making the best of it with his clutch fourth quarter performance.
“You always come out here to play to win,” Mickey said. “You never know when you might get an opportunity in a game. It feels great to have that camaraderie and have the guys celebrate for me.”
▪ Rookie Bam Adebayo led the Heat in scoring, finishing with 15 points in 23 minutes. Adebayo scored seven of his points in a span of 1:19 in the second quarter and had two dunks off alley-oop passes. Adebayo had played only 26 minutes combined over the first four preseason games.
“He was a thousand times better in the second quarter,” Spoelstra said. “I was going to try and trick him somehow just to keep him off balance, but he was so ready and you see the athleticism, the toughness, the multiple efforts that he brings.”
INJURY UPDATE
Okaro White started at power forward, but exited with 3:43 left and did not return after suffering a left shoulder strain. White played 13 minutes, did not score and picked up three fouls. He had only played 28 minutes and appeared in three games in the preseason prior to Wednesday’s game.
“It’s a strained shoulder,” Spoelstra said. “He said he feels better, but we’ll see how he feels after tonight.”
SHARE COPY LINK Winslow talked about his progress returning from injury last season and getting back in late-game situations.
THIS AND THAT
▪ Dragic, who sat out his third consecutive game as part of his maintenance program, recently shaved the beard he had grown earlier this summer as a tribute to his late grandfather, Mijodrag, who passed away in late August.
Dragic said he’d keep the beard for a period of 40 days, which is a traditional homage in his culture when losing a family member or close friend.
“[The beard] was starting to make me look old,” Dragic said. “It was getting itchy, too.”
SHARE COPY LINK Rookie Bam Adebayo had his best performance of the preseason versus the Wizards on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017. Video by Manny Navarro
▪ Dion Waiters and Hassan Whiteside did not play as the Heat started a lineup of Richardson, White, Wayne Ellington, Kelly Olynyk and Rodney McGruder. Waiters has played the third-most minutes on the team (93) this preseason and Whiteside is averaging 21.5 minutes per game.
▪ Ellington, who had gone 5 of 24 from three-point range in the preseason, went 3 for 6 from that distance Wednesday. |
The NDP are raising questions about whether a 22-year-old woman, who was found dead in Saskatoon on New Year’s Day, tried to seek refuge at a shelter or hospital before her death.
The woman’s body was found in the 1500 block of 20 Street W. shortly after 10:30 a.m. CT.
READ MORE: Woman, 22, found dead in Saskatoon on New Year’s Day
On Thursday, NDP MLA Nicole Rancourt claimed the woman’s death was an example of another person impacted by funding cuts at Saskatoon’s Lighthouse.
In September, the Saskatchewan government cut funding to the Lighthouse’s stabilization unit, which has been open since 2013. The unit provides a safe place for homeless people struggling with addictions. It’s meant to reduce the number of people detained in police cells and hospitals.
The 38-bed unit used to be open 24 hours a day but has now had its hours cut to 16.
READ MORE: Saskatchewan government cuts funding to Lighthouse stabilization unit
However, the Saskatchewan Party said the social service ministry’s cold weather strategy was active on Dec. 31 and the ministry has confirmed there were shelter beds available in Saskatoon that night.
A government spokesperson also said if there had been no beds, anyone in need who had asked for emergency shelter would have been accommodated, even if it required a short-term hotel stay. They said the cold weather strategy means anyone in need has access to a safe and warm place to sleep.
In a statement, the Saskatoon Health Region also said there was no record of anyone forced to leave St. Paul’s Hospital – which is located on 20 Street W. – that night.
The health region said it is providing police with surveillance footage from that evening.
Saskatoon police have deemed the woman’s death to be accidental based on autopsy results, evidence from the scene and interviews.
The investigation has been turned over to the office of the chief coroner. Toxicology results are pending.
The woman’s name has not been released. |
PYONGYANG, North Korea — By 8:30 a.m. Sunday, the 50,000 seats in Kim Il-sung Stadium were nearly filled with men in Mao suits and coats and ties, women in dresses and heels, and soldiers in olive-drab hats with crowns as wide as a discus.
Students carried paper megaphones and silver wooden clappers that flashed like flag semaphores and magnified the rhythmic applause, a sound of both welcoming and required exuberance.
In the hazy chill, I stood on the track with about 650 runners from about 30 countries who had come to challenge their preconceptions as well as their endurance.
We awaited the start of the Pyongyang Marathon, a brief opening into one of the world’s most closed and enigmatic countries and surely the only distance race with a promotional video featuring an all-accordion boy band doing a cover of Norwegian synth-pop music. |
In lieu of the usual Q&A, I decided to do a post is inspired by a previous Q&A. Specifically, the question I answered two weeks ago about movies with Chinese men and Western women — since many movies owe their existence to books, that ultimate writer’s labor of love (including at least two of the movies on that list). And, even if it is cliche to write this, well, the book usually IS better than the movie. 😉
So, here’s a list of all the books I can think of with Chinese men and Western women in love:
As the Earth Turns Silver by Alison Wong
As Katherine struggles to care for two children in New Zealand in the wake of her husband’s death, she discovers love with the Chinese shopkeeper — but must keep it secret because of the racism and prejudice of this era, just on the brink of World War I.
Blonde Lotus by Cecilie Gamst Berg
The semi-autobiographical — and humorous — story of Kat, a Norwegian who accidentally ends up in China, and eventually ends up teaching Chinese, Chinese culture and, most of all, Chinese men (about, that is, the finer “pleasures” of life).
Cloud Mountain by Aimee Liu
This novel set in the turn of the 20th century revolves around Hope, an English tutor who, despite being engaged to an American professor, falls in love with Liang Po-yu, her Chinese student. What tests them is their eventual marriage — in a time when interracial couples faced enormous prejudice — and relocation to China, where Liang puts his life and family in danger in his efforts to build a democratic society.
East Wind, West Wind by Pearl Buck
Kwei-lan, a traditional young Chinese woman on the eve of her marriage, tells the story of her brother and his American wife, Mary, who struggle against the cultural conventions of China. A feminist perspective on women in China.
Foreign Babes in Beijing: Behind the Scenes of a New China by Rachel DeWoskin
A woman who dared to love Chinese men on screen (and off), as well as Chinese culture. DeWoskin writes about it all with passion and humor.
The Girl from Junchow (aka The Concubine’s Secret) by Kate Furnivall
The sequel to the Russian Concubine (see below). When Lydia Ivanova discovers her father is not dead, but imprisoned in a labor camp, she escapes China with her stepbrother, Alexei, for Russia. There, Alexei deserts her, she rediscovers Chang An Lo, her former lover, and ultimately confronts the shocking truth about the only family she has.
A House Divided by Pearl Buck
The third book in Pearl Buck’s The House of Earth trilogy pulls Yuan, the grandson of Wang Lung (the central character in The Good Earth ), far from Shanghai to study in the US, where he flirts with loving an American Christian girl, Mary.
The Last Chinese Chef: A Novel by Nicole Mones
A sumptuous story of Maggie, a recently widowed American food writer who discovers love in Sam, a half-Chinese half-American chef in Beijing, while confronting the destructive past her husband left behind from love affairs in China.
Lost in Translation by Nicole Mones
The story of Alice Mannegan, an American translator in China with a thirst for Chinese men, who discovers love — both lost and found — while on an expedition for Peking Man in the Mongolian desert.
The Love Wife by Gish Jen
What happens when a busybody Chinese mother hands down a Chinese nanny to her son and his very blonde, very American wife — with two adopted Chinese children and one blonde biological child? Find out in this dark comic story about cultural identity and domestic warfare.
The Lover by Marguerite Duras
A teenage girl living in French Indochina in the 1930s falls into a forbidden affair — the first of her life — with an older Chinese man, forcing her to grow up faster than she ever expected. (Also a movie .)
Mae Franking’s My Chinese Marriage: An Annotated Edition by Mae Franking
A rare window into the world of a Western woman who married a Chinese man in the early 20th century, despite the estrangement of both families. Half a love story, half a collection of letters that capture the times in which they lived.
Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
Li Cunxin is a poor rural Chinese who skyrockets to fame as a ballet dancer. But when China sends him to Texas as part of an exchange, he falls in love with an American woman and America, and wants to defect. (Also a movie. )
The Natural Laws of Good Luck: A Memoir of an Unlikely Marriage by Ellen Graf
In her mid-forties and divorced, the last thing Ellen ever expected was to travel to China and marry a Chinese man she knew for less than a week. But the unspoken connection between then brings this unlikely pair together, and sustains them through the trials and tribulations of their new cross-cultural relationship.
The North China Lover: A Novel by Marguerite Duras
An extension of Duras’ first novel, the Lover, with more of a focus on the intense affair between the young girl and her Chinese lover.
Repeat After Me: A Novel by Rachel DeWoskin
A tale of cross-cultural love between an American girl and a Chinese dissident (and, later China) — and how, when things fall apart, you can find the strength to move forward from unlikely people and places.
The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall
Lydia Ivanova and her mother live as impoverished exiles in the International settlement of Junchow in 1928. But when Lydia, who pawns stolen goods, becomes the target of a criminal gang, she finds a savior — and someone to love — in Chang An Lo, a kung fu master.
Son of the Revolution by Liang Heng and Judith Shapiro
Most of the story revolves around Liang Heng’s personal suffering during the Cultural Revolution. However, the last few chapters of this book document how Liang Heng and Judith Shapiro incredibly fall in love, and marry, in a China just barely open to the world.
What do you think of the books on this list? And did I miss any good reads with Chinese men and Western women in love?
UPDATE: Added the Love Wife by Gish Jen; Cloud Mountain by Aimee Liu
——
Do you have a question about life, dating, marriage and family in China (or in Chinese culture)? Every Friday, I answer questions on my blog. Send me your question today.
Did you enjoy this article? Sign up now and receive an email whenever I publish new blog posts. We respect your privacy. You can unsubscribe at any time. I agree to have my personal information transfered to MailChimp ( I agree to have my personal information transfered to MailChimp ( more information |
Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
–Mark 9.24
Have you ever dealt with doubt, real doubt? I have and occasionally I still do; occasionally there are nights where I look up at the ceiling and question “is what I say even true, is God really there, does he actually love me?” and I can only despair and pray Mark 9.24 over and over again. I think that Christianity as a whole in this past century has had a very troubling time with doubt. Orthodox Protestants have trampled doubt under layers and layers of doctrine as they try and fight against what they perceive to be a subversion of the gospel. More liberal protestants have taken an open approach, embracing doubt, but often with disastrous consequences for a commitment to a historical Christianity (for example, congregations that view themselves as post-theistic in the United Church of Canada). But there must be a middle way; there must be a way that at once captures the fullness of the history that we have inherited as Christians, maintaining the integrity of the gospel, but yet still also allows believers to openly express and explore their own doubts in a struggle with faith. The church must recognize that there are indeed doubters, and it must engage those doubts, knowing that by wrestling with what we know to be true we may be more fully convicted of the realty and truth of the gospel.
I do not think that doubt can not exist. That is because we found Christianity on faith, on the premise that we put our firm trust in something that we might not be able to immediately prove with our own hands or eyes. As a person of science, this confounds me. “How can I believe in a God that cannot be tested?” or even “If everything else is true, how can I be saved if I have so little to show for it.” And because of questions like these, my sense of faith is firmly rooted in an interplay with doubt, with struggling against the objections of my mind and with obtaining piece by piece a conviction on what I hold on to as true. Yet, as a Christian that believes in orthodox christian beliefs, I find so often that doubt is a taboo subject, not often broached in friendships and treated as a lack of faith in those that express it. It seems (and this is purely anecdotal with no statistical evidence) to be an admission of shame in an inability to trust in a preached message or in the Bible or in the gospel itself; doubt has become an admission of weakness. And it is, I won’t say that it isn’t because it is, what is wrong though is the response. Rather than shame, we should recognize that this strikes at the very core of the gospel, at the very core of what it means to be human. As we are human, we are weak and to say otherwise is to ignore the vast work that Christ has done on the cross. Christianity is not a religion for the weak, it is the resuscitation of the dead. And if the recently revived find themselves with a broken leg, why is it that the remaining of the living seek to add injury upon injury but adding communal shame to the doubt of an individual? Doubt exists, it must, and the church must seek to engage it, treating it with the truth of the gospel so that the whole Church might be made better.
The church has full means to engage doubts. Why do I say this with confidence? I say this because Christianity has lasted through 2000 years of questioning. Indeed, some of the greatest people in Christianity are those that have faced doubt and used that doubt to shape themselves and those around them. Anslem’s motto was “fides quaerens intellectum” or faith seeking understanding. I think this is an apt description of theology because in theology we have our faith, a faith riddled with holes and doubts, and it seeks to understand what it knows deeply to be true and right. And so theology becomes the very tool by which we build faith and answer doubt. It gives us a framework by which we can know God in light of scripture and it allows us to ask questions and wrestle with answers. The gospel is simple, yes, but it is deep enough to be probed for our entire lives, for the entire lives of the countless of theologians who have already wrestled with it. The Church then should strive to engage doubt in three ways, (1) encourage a consistent life of scripture reading and prayer, (2) provide access and direction to those who have come before us, and (3) provide an environment where friendships aren’t contingent on having the same beliefs, but rather on a view of a person’s humanity and inherent worth and also a mutual desire for truth over all things. This three pronged approach roots our answers to doubts first in the revelation of God to humanity, second in how the church has historically answered questions (ranging from “why does God exist” to “what does it mean to be human and what does this mean for sexual ethics”), and third in community because as Christians we are called to build and exhort each other in the race of faith. Without this three pronged approach, doubts can become insurmountable obstacles and the end of the faith of a Christian.
We wrestle with truth, not because it is easy, but because it is hard. I said before that the hardest part about doubt is that we might know what is true and right, and even agree with it, but not believe in what we know to be true. The most important part about doubt then, is the building of faith. It is one thing to be able do rattle off and describe what the purpose of salvation is, how we are saved, and what the nature of God is, but it is another thing entirely to know in one’s heart and fully believe in these things. The difference between someone who is conceited by knowledge and someone who lives out what they know to be true is prayer. It is recognizing in humility that God builds faith by the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians. It is a humility characterized by is the prayer that I started out this post with, “I believe, help thou mine unbelief.” Faith is a gift, and if we as a church are not rooted in prayer while striving after truth, we have lost a grasp of the simplicity of the gospel. Let us, as a community, be committed to relationships, not based in a single dogmatic truth, but in the striving after a lived out truth that we ask God daily to show us through his word. Let us not shun each other for being different, but sharpen each other for the furthering of the Kingdom of God. And in striving to conquer doubt let us remember Anselm’s words, “Nor do I seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe that I may understand. For this, too, I believe, that, unless I first believe, I shall not understand” and remember that theology is a faith that seeks understanding from him who is the source of all knowledge and wisdom.
Help me, and let me help you and together, in Christ let us work towards the coming Kingdom of God.
Note: This is in part an extension of a previous post: “To an Honest Treatment of Reality“ |
0 Investigator: Undocumented immigrant caught working at GBI headquarters
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - A local private investigator says she was scared and shocked after she tracked an undocumented immigrant suspected of filing a false worker's comp claim to his new job at GBI headquarters.
The man in question, Joel Montoya, did not work directly for the GBI, but for a subcontractor.
Joel Montoya, who authorities say did not have the proper papers to be in the U.S., is accused of filing a false worker's comp claim. WSB-TV
Channel 2's Tony Thomas worked on this story for days and learned an investigator was hired to follow Montoya to document evidence to fight his worker's comp claim. Investigator Robin Martinelli said her team saw Montoya enjoying a day at Lake Lanier, playing a game of tug-of-war and holding a child.
"He was claiming he couldn't work, he couldn't do much," Martinelli said.
Martinelli said what shocked her the most was that the man who authorities confirm didn't have proper papers to be in the U.S., and was supposedly too injured to work, was working at the GBI.
TRENDING STORIES:
"I'm like, 'Why would he be there?' So we rushed over there," she said.
Martinelli confronted GBI agents. The GBI told Thomas that Montoya was helping build the state's new morgue facility. Authorities said he was "picked up off the street" by a subcontractor without the state's knowledge. He worked on the site for a day and a half.
Montoya and the supervisor who hired him were both fired. The GBI said contractors now must check in daily and wear badges on site.
"It's just scary to know we aren't vesting and looking deep into who's on the property and what they are doing and why," Martinelli said.
A GBI spokeswoman said this was all something the GBI had no knowledge of and did not authorize. She said it was simply bad judgment on the part of a subcontractor and she believes appropriate changes were made.
© 2019 Cox Media Group. |
A young pale-skinned girl speaks in a weak voice in a dimly lit room. The walls are covered in plastic and bubble wrap hangs from the ceiling in sheets — behind which the faint outline of a human body is visible standing motionless. A man in an elaborate tin foil hat sits bound and gagged on a couch. An cat-girl climbs onto the couch and nuzzles into the girl’s leg. Wait, what? This isn’t Saw 15?
In the strangest of Mandarin learning resource videos we’ve seen yet (beating out even random white dudes teaching you in their garage), this Beijing girl named Xiao Li decides that Gothic Lolita coquetteness is the most direct path to those lonely Mandarin learners in the West.
Video after the jump…
Her interests include “Teaching Mandarin, Panda Bears, Duct Tape, Fashion, Dolls, Dresses, Knives”, making her the Lady Gaga meets Misa Amane of Mandarin teachers, we guess?
Her strangeness has not gone unnoticed apparently, as even YouTube singer Jason Chen has had something to say about her unorthodox style according to a blog post on her website.
Jason Chen said in the comments on one of my movies that I am why Asians are not taken seriously in mainstream media.
…
I feel so powerful!!!
To see more of Xiao Li check out her website, Facebook or YouTube pages. |
Police recovered an alligator, nine boa constrictors, live ammunition and marijuana at a Brooklyn home Tuesday morning, officials said. View Full Caption Twitter@NYPDSpecialops
BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A man was arrested after police found an alligator, nine boa constrictors and live ammunition in a Brooklyn home Tuesday morning, officials said.
Johnnie Morgan, 44, faces reckless endangerment charges after a search warrant uncovered the animals inside 1845 Atlantic Ave. around 6 a.m.
Police also recovered a small bag of marijuana along with the reptiles and ammunition, according to an NYPD spokesperson.
Information on the animals’ conditions and whereabouts was not immediately available.
Police said Morgan had at least 18 prior arrests dating back to 1992.
Most recently, he received a summons in May in connection to keeping wild animals, according to court records.
Animals including alligators, crocodiles and a variety of snakes are prohibited as pets in New York City. |
National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden is answering the Internet’s burning questions. Surprisingly, he was even gracious enough to answer my question: “What’s the worst and most realistic harm from bulk collection of data? Why do you think it outweighs national security?”
Snowden, who was granted protection in Russia from American prosecution, has been somewhat press-averse, only holding a few select media interviews. This time, he went directly to netizens to respond to President Obama’s big national security speech last week.
I posted the full response Snowden gave me below. In essence, he argues that the government’s bulk storage of our digital lives causes self-censorship and opens up the potential for severe abuse.
“Study after study has show that human behavior changes when we know we’re being watched. Under observation, we act less free, which means we effectively *are* less free,” he wrote.
He also notes that mass-spying, “enables a capability called “retroactive investigation,” where once you come to the government’s attention, they’ve got a very complete record of your daily activity going back, under current law, often as far as five years.”
I generally think Snowden is right, but the problem with his answer is that it doesn’t help us weigh these harms against the possibility of stopping a terrorist. There will most definitely be government abuse and Americans have already started censoring themselves. On the other hand, in the next 30 years, it’s possible this system could prevent one or two terrorists attacks, potentially saving dozens of lives and billions in economic losses.
As far as I’ve been able to find, the available “studies” that Snowden alludes to are only moderately helpful. For instance, one experimental study found that pervasively monitored participants were less likely to engage conversations that were neutral or critical of their peers. Personally, I do find myself watching my words over email since Snowden leaked the documents, despite the fact that the NSA doesn’t care much about me.
The idea of pervasive surveillance has been popular at least since hipster god-father and post-modern idol, philosopher Michel Foucault conceptualized the problems of an all-seeing authority that could randomly spy on individuals, ominously known as the Panopticon.
In practice, America’s former colonial master, the British, have had a public version of the Panopticon since the 1970’s, with their Closed-Circuit TV system (CCTV). CCTV does stop some crime, though it still happens. Many citizens simply forget that they’re being watched; It appears that humans cannot act on being paranoid 24/7.
In other cases, websites that offer more privacy, such as the Duck Duck Go search engine, have seen a spike in traffic. So, Snowden is correct, some people do change their behavior.
But, what is the actual impact of this behavior change? We still get to vote (and so do the British). There is certainly no end to criticisms of President Obama or anyone else in our government. Even if we watch our words, I haven’t noticed a difference in our democracy, for better or worse.
As to the government abuse of records, retroactively: yes, that’s a serious concern, which President Obama acknowledged in his last speech. Historically, our government likes to maintain hit lists and rogue agents like to abuse their powers for personal gain. It’s probably true that no system will ever be secure from the irrationality of a scorned lover.
Here the impacts are much more tangible. In the past, whistleblowers have had a major impact on the course of US history. Daniel Ellsberg’s release of the Pentagon Papers hastened the military withdrawal from Vietnam and saved many (many) lives. If we’re comparing body counts, it is as likely that the government could shut up a whistleblower who would otherwise stop a corrupt government initiative, as it is the number of those who could be the victims of terrorism.
Right now, The NSA debate has been maddeningly theoretical. So, here’s where I think everyone can agree with Snowden and why he is, in fact, a national hero. Americans cannot make a democratically informed decision without more information on the effectiveness of mass spying. As Snowden concludes, “it should be the result of public decision rather than closed conference.”
The more people examine classified evidence, the less they are convinced the NSA’s programs have been worthwhile. Large organizations, especially hierarchical ones like the federal government, as disturbingly susceptible to “group think“, where dissenters are actively shunned and groups converge on an idea that often ends up being stupid (i.e. the Bay of Pigs disaster).
The intelligence community needs a lot more critics, especially ones who are specifically tasked with protecting civil liberties. As I predicted, under any reasonable scenario of broader oversight, bulk collection of data, as we know it, will change. Since authorities will have to convince a lot more skeptics, the burden of proof will fall more on the NSA, and ultimately limit their reach.
If that happens, we can thank one person and one alone: Edward Snowden.
Read Snowden’s response in full, below and the rest of his live Q&A here. |
Boxing vs. MMA is all the rage at the moment. That, of course, due to the bombshell announcement of Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather in a 12-round boxing match at the T-Mobile Arena on August 26.
Since the official announcement last Wednesday, several UFC fighters campaigned for boxing-MMA crossover fights on the undercard.
Amongst them, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, who called out British boxing heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua for a 'tussle' followed by some 'tea and crumpets' afterwards.
Hey @anthonyfjoshua let's have a proper tussle and still have time for tea and crumpets before the main event! #MayweatherMcGregor — Stipe Miocic (@stipemiocicufc) June 14, 2017
Joshua, who beat Wladimir Klitschko via TKO earlier this year, responded to Miocic and an article from the International Business Times with the perfect comeback.
Anthony Joshua just no-sold Stipe Miocic's proposal for a boxing match. pic.twitter.com/EsKOF4uc5V — Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) June 15, 2017
Miocic, who battered Junior dos Santos at UFC 211 last month to retain the heavyweight title, made his own savvy comeback to Joshua on Monday.
. @anthonyfjoshua "This guy" is the universally recognized as the baddest man on the planet. You aren't even the baddest man in the UK. — Stipe Miocic (@stipemiocicufc) June 19, 2017
Whilst both fighters would probably be interested in throwing down in the boxing ring, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that Mayweather vs. McGregor will feature no crossover fights on the undercard.
“This will be 100% pure boxers in the show,” Ellerbe said.
Mayweather vs. McGregor, which will net McGregor the biggest payday of his career, takes place on August 26 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. |
All four individuals really have almost nothing in common, except for one itsy bitsy detail. It’s RationalWiki’s Saloon Bar, a place where RationalWiki editors can meet up, chit-chat, and exchange trolling adventures, impersonations, and other “dramaz“.
The barkeep, senior Wikipedia editor David Gerard, is allowing, protecting, and encouraging editors with apparently sociopathic predatorial behaviors to target these four individuals via impersonations, gas-lighting, and clear harassment that serves the function of fundraising by RationalWiki’s Trent Toulouse.
Pretty creepy stuff, it’s not a joke with a punchline.
RationalWiki’s community “mission” can be personal, territorial, and often psychologically disturbing.
I can say this because this is what happened to me, originally in 2013. Within days of being targeted on Wikipedia by a small group of “skeptic editors” including Tim Farley and at least one of the notorious “Smith Brothers”, I found a RationalWiki “revenge” article created on me, entirely designed to paint me in a false light, a campaign to embarrass someone who was confrontational regarding their behaviors back on Wikipedia.
This treatment that I encountered was so bizarre and unexpected, at first I suspected I may be more of an extreme case, yet recently three other individuals have been targeted in the exact same fashion I have been.
Meet the Muslim.
The Muslim is Abd ul-Rahman Lomax, aka Dennis Lomax, a proponent of cold fusion and experienced Wikipedia editor who converted to Islam. Years back, Abd found himself banned from Wikipedia by the skeptic community, but still remains active on MediaWiki’s such as Wikiversity.
Recently, Abd noticed that Ben Steigman, a frequent target on the Smiths, was being impersonated by them on Wikiversity – and used his knowledge of MediaWiki software to expose how large and vast the Smiths “sock puppet” farm extends.
Abd had a check user tool run on the suspected account, and discovered over two hundred WikiMedia sockpuppets operated by the Smiths, and exposed this on Wikiversity.
Readers of Wikipedia, We Have a Problem should be able to guess what comes next.
The Smiths responded like they always do, with an attack article on Abd written on RationalWiki.
Abd has continued his research into these editors, whom he refers to as the “Anglopyramidologist wiki sock farm on his blog.
Meet the Atheist.
A few weeks before, Oliver and Darryl were focusing on another RationalWiki target, Emil Kirkegaard who publishes an open source scientific journal related to racial differences and, predictably, popular within the “alt-right” community – another obvious RationalWiki target.
As Emil’s work is neither the focus of this study nor my own personal interest, I will let his work speak for itself. I would never know about Emil at all, if not for visiting the RationalWiki saloon bar and noticing something suspicious, Emil joined RationalWiki to threaten a lawsuit over the publication of an article RationalWiki wrote on him, stating that RationalWiki had “24 hours to remove the post or face a lawsuit.”
Here is the twist; that was not even Emil who threatened to sue RationalWiki, it was again, one of the Smith brothers impersonating Emil on RationalWiki after they just wrote this article, hoping to stir up more tension and animosity within RationalWiki so other editors would “join the fun” in the creation of RationalWiki’s latest hit piece.
Now that they impersonated Emil making a legal threat to RationalWiki, they could ban Emil and now prevent him from coming to RationalWiki to defend himself or question the article, a strategy that in this case backfired with the publication of Wikipedia, We Have a Problem, where I have also been impersonated on RationalWiki for the same purposes.
Noticing that Emil Kirkegaard was being targeted in the same fashion I was, I noted the Smiths were impersonating another one of their targets Ben Steigman on Reddit, posting about Emil, as well as impersonating Ben back on RationalWiki, writing the original RationalWiki article about Emil.
Alerted to this, naturally, the real Emil created an official account, went to RationalWiki to confront the impersonation, and attempt a “reasonable” discussion with the community to resolve this obvious online targeting – all to no avail.
Emil soon discovered, like yours truly, that reasonable discussion is meaningless, and when confronted about the Smiths obvious disturbed tactics of impersonation and targeting, he found himself, like me and many others – banned for “doxxing” on RationalWiki.
Meet “The Fruitarian”
Back in 2014, an old online friend of mine Laird Shaw contacted me on Skype, and offered to help negotiate the deletion of my RationalWiki article within the community. Laird is a sweetheart and naturally, I accepted his request. He made a valiant effort but to no effect.
This year, however – Laird came to me asking for my help.
Laird Shaw is an admin of an online community interested in “psi” research, and recently one of RationalWiki’s core editor Leuders joined Laird’s forum, questioning him about his activities specifically asking him about me.
Here is the twist; It wasn’t really RationalWiki editor Leuders who contacted him but one of the “Smith Brothers” impersonating Leuders, something they did with me exactly a few years earlier on Wikia.
Why the Smiths impersonate Leuders is unknown, but consistent with how unbelievably crazy and bizarre this community operates, manipulating individuals on the internet into a “personal army”.
After Laird banned the Smiths for impersonating other users on this forum, the Smiths responded with a RationalWiki attack article on him, part of a continual pattern of Smith activity, including the creation of a WordPress site on Laird, as well as numerous ( see here, here, here, here, and here) Reddit posts.
Meet the futurist.
More recently, me, the “futurist” of this not very funny joke – found my own RationalWiki article rewritten again, again claiming I am a conspiracy theorist for publishing these abuses while also misrepresenting me professionally and attempting to link me to intelligent design and creationism via “teach the controversy”, all efforts to present me as a discredited quack and all of this completely misrepresents who I am.
Classic to RationalWiki misinformation, again my article intentionally deceives the reader, stating;
Shortly after his ban, Viharo created the website Wikipedia We Have A Problem that claims a group of skeptics on Wikipedia doxed and “harassed” him, for which there exists no evidence.
…”for which there exists no evidence”…
Really?
Senior Wikipedia and RationalWiki editors are very aware of Wikipedia, We Have a Problem – even other “skeptics” have confronted RationalWiki regarding how I was treated on Wikipedia. It is very clear that the RationalWiki editor who wrote that line in the article is intentionally lying, publishing misleading and false information on their platform.
David Gerard and the Smiths perhaps have sociopathic tendencies, just like any predator who is confronted by their targets.
When confronted, RationalWiki attacks the targets as crazy internet lunatics who are talking about “conspiracy theories”.
Gaslighting, RationalWiki style.
The Smith sockpuppet army recently attempted to “spin” these claims by writing another RationalWiki article called “The Smith Brothers Conspiracy Theory”, now deleted but preserved for eternity here.
Gaslighting is probably one of the more disturbing type of psychological behaviors that targets of harassment have to deal with and face, as we see all too painfully with the explosion of the #metoo online movement and the fallout of the Harvey Weinstein Hollywood scandal, where women’s claims of sexual harassment have been “gaslit” for years.
#themtoo
Not surprising, RationalWiki is facing claims of their own by female editors claiming to be harassed on the platform. As usual, the complaints of harassment are met with simply further harassment.
Does RationalWiki harass and target individuals for fundraising?
I always wondered why in the hell would any smart intelligent person allow this type of harassment to occur on their own platform. Using Occam’s Razor, the simplest explanation may just be money.
RationalWiki just closed a round of fundraising on their site.
Trent Toulouse raises the specter of “lawsuits” filed as a method of raising money for the organization.
This year, we had a record breaking 33 lawsuit threats, 6 death threats, and 2 cease and desist letters. This is cause for celebration! …These lawsuits are coming from people who do real world harm… Because of YOUR content, YOUR effort and YOUR support we are often the ONLY source of critical information for thousands of people, ideas and products.
Apparently, RationalWiki is the scam and with the individuals in question – the ones doing the actual real-world harm.
The sheer amount of clear evidence, denied by RationalWiki only in their echo chamber – makes David Gerard, The RationalWiki Foundation, Trent Toulouse and the Smith Brothers ripe for quite a significant lawsuit, which any of their targets can initiate at any time.
Ensuring that this will eventually happen, David Gerard and Trent Toulouse continue to embolden The Smiths and their team of juvenile high school kids who continue to target and harass with confidence they are supported and protected to do so.
Please follow and like us:
Like this: Like Loading... |
Адрес Площадь
(кв. м) Кадастровая
стоимость (руб.) Налог за
2015 год
(руб.) Налог за
2016 год
(руб.) Налог за
2017 год
(руб.) Налог за
2018 год
(руб.) Полный налог
за 2019 год
(руб.) Москва Москва, район Бутово 36,50 5 026 689,48 1 014,47 1 328,94 1 643,40 1 957,87 2 272,34 Москва, район
Измайлово, ул. Ткацкая 71,30 9 147 434,93 1 876,31 3 052,61 4 228,92 5 405,23 6 581,53 Москва, район
Тверской, 1-я Тверская
-Ямская 34,80 13 724 255,22 2 311,03 3 922,05 5 533,08 7 144,10 8 755,13 Москва, центр, наб.
Тараса Шевченко 72,20 28 473 885,83 8 794,55 16 889,11 24 983,66 33 078,21 41 172,77 Московская область Московская область, г.
Луховицы 35,10 2 285 655,14 433,46 570,92 708,37 845,83 983,29 Московская область, г.
Химки 35,00 3 425 749,60 444,04 700,07 956,11 1 212,14 1 468,18 Московская область, г. Балашиха 69,60 5 292 946,37 1 224,80 1 861,59 2 498,39 3 135,19 3 771,98 Московская область, г.
Красногорск 73,70 6 669 844,10 1 305,57 2 194,14 3 082,71 3 971,28 4 859,85 |
More than 300,000 people graduate in the UK every year The government is urging graduates to consider a spell working abroad, whether in internships or volunteering, to avoid the worst of the recession. The advice is backed by the National Union of Students and is being handed out on leaflets at universities over the next couple of weeks. Recent figures suggest there will be a 5% drop in jobs for new graduates this summer, compared to last year. But Universities Minister David Lammy said internships can lead to a UK job. HAVE YOUR SAY If you send 50% of the population on degree course then you devalue its worth Dave Potts, Haslemere Mr Lammy told the BBC: "If you get an internship, you are with a company acquiring skills that are attractive on a CV - and indeed, the company that you do it with might take you on. "Then beyond that, it's right to say that we live in a global market place, opportunities abroad can add to your skills and sometimes your language skills. "And volunteering is always something that's attractive to employers."
Bookmark with: Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version |
On April 8, a federal judge in Dallas heard arguments in Crane v Napolitano, the lawsuit brought by 10 ICE officers challenging the Obama administration's Deferred Action program (DACA) and "prosecutorial discretion" policies. The hearing, at which two ICE agents and I testified, produced new information on some little-publicized side effects of the amnesty policy, including how criminal aliens have been shielded from removal. My testimony focused on internal DHS statistics showing a significant decline in the number of deportations, interior enforcement, and even criminal alien removals following the implementation of these policies. I also described how the administration has cooked its removal statistics in a way that gives lawmakers and the public the false impression that enforcement has improved.
The hearing took place on the 11th floor of a federal office building in Dallas (just a stone's throw from the glittering office building that visa overstayer and terrorist-wannabe Hosam Smadi tried to blow up in 2009). In attendance were: Judge Reed O'Connor; Kris Kobach and Michael Jung, counsel for the ICE officers; their three witnesses; four Department of Justice lawyers representing the defendant, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano; two local ICE lawyers assisting them; two unidentified members of the DOJ defense team; and a handful of local reporters and courtroom staff.
The first witness called was Chris Crane, president of the ICE Officers' union. He articulated the union's view that the DACA program and the administration's "prosecutorial discretion" policies are illegal and put officers in the untenable position of releasing illegal aliens from custody who have been identified as a result of criminal behavior, simply because they claim to qualify for DACA. He said that asking for deferred action is the latest fad in jailhouses with large numbers of illegal alien inmates because word has gotten around that ICE agents are required to take these claims at face value, without verification, and will release them instead of putting them on the path to removal. Crane testified that agents hear and observe inmates advising each other on what to say. He also stated that in many cases of claimed DACA eligibility, ICE officers do not create a record of the encounter and instead delete the file so that these cases do not remain in the system for future reference.
Crane described how just last week, an alien who, within 48 hours of getting approved for deferred action by USCIS (following a prior arrest), was again arrested by local police for cocaine distribution.
The second witness was ICE officer Sam Martin, who is assigned to the Criminal Alien Program in El Paso, Texas. Martin's job is to review records that are transmitted electronically to ICE from the El Paso County jail, and determine if any of the alien inmates are removable. He testified that since the implementation of DACA, he and other ICE agents are releasing a significant number of illegal alien criminals — about 25 percent of his caseload — back to the streets.
Martin said that, typically, as soon as officers inform illegal alien inmates that they will be placed in removal proceedings and read them their rights, inmates will promptly chirp up that they are eligible for what they all call "Obama's Dream Act". He confirmed that the officers are obligated to accept the claim and release the alien.
The defense team claimed that the DACA policy gives field officers leeway to screen out dangerous aliens, but apparently at least one ICE supervisor hasn't gotten the memo. Martin testified that on July 17, 2012, he went to the El Paso jail with a partner to interview an alien who had been arrested for aggravated assault on a family member and obstructing a call to 911. The alien admitted he was here illegally, and when the officers escorted him to the car for transfer to ICE detention, he attempted to escape and then, as they pursued him, he assaulted the officers, committing a series of felonies. When they arrived at the ICE processing center and started to prepare the removal paperwork, their supervisor intervened and ordered them to release the alien because he qualified for DACA. Martin is still recovering from his injuries. No further charges were filed on the alien, and I guess we'll never know if he applied for or received deferred action.
For my testimony, I was asked to analyze a set of mostly unpublished statistics and documents on DHS enforcement activity over the last five years. This material shows that, contrary to the administration's claims that they have achieved record levels of enforcement, the number of removals is now 40 percent lower than when the Morton memo was issued in June 2011.
Removals of convicted criminals are also running 40 percent lower now than in June 2011. Removals generated by ICE's Enforcement and Removals division, which carries out most of what little interior immigration enforcement is done, are 50 percent lower now than in June 2011. This decline has occurred despite the expansion of ICE's Secure Communities program, in which ICE is notified of alien arrests in every city and county in the nation.
It's reasonable to ask: If ICE is removing so few people now than before, then how can DHS claim that they set a record for deportations last year? The answer: Because over the last several years, DHS has begun counting large numbers of Border Patrol cases in its annual removal statistics. There have always been some Border Patrol cases tallied as part of the total. But in recent years the number of Border Patrol cases has grown from about 33 percent of the total in 2008 to 56 percent so far this fiscal year. In other words, ICE's top priority now — at least as expressed in its own statistics — seems to be processing Border patrol cases, not pursuing criminal aliens in the interior, as it claims.
Even more concerning, the documents DHS provided indicate that the numbers are more than likely artificially inflated due to double-counting. Under DHS's transactional record-keeping system, each time an alien is processed by an agency, even if within a 24-hour time period, a new case file is created, and the removal counted for each part of DHS that handled the alien. Aliens who are processed under the Alien Transfer Exit Program (ATEP), which accounted for about 85,000 of the removals reported last year, were handled by Border Patrol and ICE, and potentially at least two ICE field offices could claim credit for the removal. This would mean that multiple removals were recorded for the same person.
The federal government called no witnesses to its defense.
For more data on deteriorating enforcement, see our Enforcement Fact Sheet. |
Maple Leafs sign Granberg, Erixon and agree on terms with Hyman by Staff Writer / Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Tuesday that the hockey club has signed defencemen Petter Granberg and Tim Erixon to one-year contracts. The Maple Leafs also announced today that the club has come to terms with forward Zach Hyman on a two-year entry level contract.
Granberg, 22, was held pointless in seven regular season games with the Maple Leafs this past season. The Gallivare, Sweden native also registered 15 points (one goal, 14 assists) in 53 regular season games with the Toronto Marlies during 2014-15. Granberg, a fourth round selection (116th overall) by the Maple Leafs in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has skated in eight career NHL games, all with Toronto.
Erixon, 24, registered one goal in 15 regular season games with the Maple Leafs in 2014-15. The Port Chester, New York native also appeared in 19 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets and eight games with the Chicago Blackhawks last season. The Maple Leafs claimed Erixon off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks on March 1, 2015. Erixon was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in the first round (23rd overall) during the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
Hyman, 23, led the Big Ten in scoring with 54 points (22 goals, 32 assists) in 37 games while playing for the University of Michigan last season. He was also named a top ten finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. In 152 career games with Michigan, Hyman recorded 89 points (35 goals, 54 assists) and 42 penalty minutes. In 2011, he was named the Canadian Junior Hockey League Player of the Year after collecting 102 points in 43 games with the Hamilton Red Wings (OJHL). The Toronto, Ontario native was originally selected in the fifth round (123rd overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
View Less |
Hinge Dating app Hinge wants you to pay $99-a-month for a personal assistant that will message your dates for you.
Hinge is currently beta-testing something called "Audrey," which Hinge describes as "a revolutionary service" that lets you "say goodbye to matching, messaging, and scheduling."
Here's roughly how Audrey works, according to an email from Hinge:
"Select the people you're interested in." "Audrey will reach out, introduce you, and schedule a date if the feeling is mutual." "Audrey provides data and feedback along the way to help you find that perfect match."
So basically for $99-a-month, a (potentially robotic?) assistant will chat up your matches for you, and then get you all set up for a date. This all assumes that either your date doesn't think it's weird they are flirting with a "personal assistant," or they can't tell.
Audrey is the next step in a series of recent changes for Hinge.
In October, Hinge, which once functioned as a Tinder for friends-of-friends, launched a totally new app focused on relationships (versus hookups). The new app, which the team had been secretly devoting the bulk of its energy to for almost a year, features less swiping, more of a social-media vibe, and a $7-a-month fee for the full feature set.
At first, Hinge had said all members would eventually have to pay $7, but now it seems to be going more the "freemium" route favored by competitors like Tinder. (Hinge has said it is still "moving towards full subscription.")
But Audrey would be something very different, especially considering how high its price point is.
Hinge did not immediately respond to a request for comment. |
Documents for contingencies (other than a plan D situation) which justify application of emergency measures on a national scale, often shortened to Other than a Plan D Situation, is the name of a file maintained by the United States government containing legal guidance and draft legislation for the President of the United States, or his designated successor, to advance to the United States Congress in the aftermath of a devastating national catastrophe. The file is curated and updated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.[1]
"Other than a Plan D situation" is predicated on the assumption that, in a severe crisis that paralyzes or impedes normal governmental operations, the president may not have the time or immediate access to legal counsel to properly advise the Congress on emergency legislation required for national survival. "Other than a Plan D situation" is an elaborate set of already-drafted model legislation which the president can immediately present to the Congress for enactment following the onset of the crisis.[2]
Actual "Plan D" documents, by contrast, are those contained in Federal Emergency Plan D-Minus, and its successor plans, and are executive orders which can be promulgated by the president without consulting Congress, using existing constitutional and statutory authority.[3]
Past "Other than a Plan D situation" documents have included a "fill in the blank" declaration of war, legislation permitting the United States Secretary of the Treasury to modify the size or design of U.S. coinage, and a bill which would waive interest penalties for the late-filing of U.S. income tax by persons residing in cities destroyed by nuclear attack.[2] |
This drone concept is smaller than the actual server drones, but Infinium Robotics intends to get them to this size. Photo from Infinium Robotics.
SINGAPORE, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Singapore has a shortage of waiters for its restaurants, so one company is proposing using drones to fill in for servers.
Infinium Robotics says its drones can operate without a controller, using a computer program, and sensors around the restaurant can help the drones navigate, the BBC reported. The drones can allegedly carry over 4 lbs. of food and drink, which is "two pints of beer, a pizza, and two glasses of wine."
Timbre, a live music bar and restaurant chain in Singapore, is already getting started with their drone waiter program, and Managing Director Edward Chia believes it will help get food out faster and give human waiters more time to focus on customer service. The same restaurant company was the first in its area to start using iPad menus.
The only problem with the drones so far is that waiters still have to unload them once the food arrives to its table, and the drones can't do things like clearing a table or washing a dish. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.