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The letter makes reference to academic studies at several universities, from Harvard to Cornell, linking increases in immigration to competition for low-skill jobs, as well as declining wages and rising unemployment. "Many blacks compete with immigrants, particularly illegal immigrants, for low skilled jobs due to skill level and geography, and there are simply not enough of these jobs to go around," reads the letter. "Consider the fact that nearly 51% of African Americans do not have a higher education." The letter argues: "Yet, the fact remains that the proposed immigration bill will nearly double legal immigration levels and provide instant work authorization to over 11 million illegal immigrants. We are firmly convinced that such an expansion of the labor force during one of the most protracted periods of high unemployment in decades will result in suppressed wages for all Americans, but the effects on African Americans will be the most devastating." That's below the national rate of 7.5 percent. But the U.S Department of Labor reported that the black unemployment rate sat at 13.2 percent, or nearly double 6.7 white unemployment rate, in April. U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, has been outspoken in his opposition to the Gang of Eight reforms. “I greatly appreciate receiving this letter and share these concerns," Sessions said Monday afternoon. "The Senate immigration bill will be bad for African-American workers, and all American workers." "This bill serves the special interests at the expense of poor and middle class Americans – both immigrant and native born," said Sessions in an emailed release. "In this time of low wages and high unemployment there is no justification for such large increases in the supply of foreign labor." Sessions has argued that the reforms would burden public welfare roles and that provisions for bringing in family members and clearing immigration backlogs and expanding guest worker programs could lead to citizenship or lawful status for up to 30 million immigrants over the next 10 years. Sessions has written his own open letter to President Obama, contending the administration has failed to listen to immigration enforcement officers. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, last month had voiced the same argument that the current immigration proposal "undermines millions of African American workers." According to the group's press release , members of the Black American Leadership Alliance include : The current proposal, supported by the bipartisan Gang of Eight in the U.S. Senate, includes provisional legal status and potential pathways to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the United States without authorization.Frank Morris, Former Executive Director, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and Board Member, Progressives for Immigration Reform; Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson, President and Founder of BOND (The Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny); Bishop Felton Smith, Prelate of the Tennessee Eastern First Jurisdiction and Senior Pastor of New Covenant Fellowship Church of God in Christ in Nashville, TN; Charles Butler, Veteran Chicago area Talk Show Host of The Take with Charles Butler; Leah V. Durant, Former US DOJ Immigration Attorney and Executive Director, Progressives for Immigration Reform; T. W. Fair, President and CEO, Urban League of Greater Miami; Vernon Robinson, Former Council Member, Winston-Salem, NC and former candidate for US Congressional Office; Kevin Jackson, Radio Host and Executive Director, The Black Sphere; Leo Alexander, Broadcaster, Writer and Political Commentator, Washington, DC; Kevin Martin Author, Writer and Political Commentator.
IQ was initially developed as a bureaucratic tool to help institutions at scale to screen and sort out potential employees at scale. One of the reasons why it became popular was because the scores remained relatively constant independent on what age that you provide the tests. In the United States, they were especially important in the great projects of World War I and World War II, but the advance also spilled over to corporations. Now, managers wouldn’t discriminate based on cultural factors, their personal familiarity with the candidates, and social class. They would use science to select only the ‘best’ candidate for the job, as judged by their objectively determinable intelligence quotient. In the new scientific order, everyone would have equality of opportunity — which even today is something that the slow-progressive movement (AKA conservatives) get warm fuzzies about whenever they hear the term. Until recently, Silicon Valley was the last corporate outpost of the use of IQ-like tests (fittingly, because the test was developed at Stanford). The SAT is fading in importance as a selection mechanism for universities. Today, because of the widespread opposition to the idea of innate and heritable intelligence, it seems like a rebellion to say that IQ and similar concepts like ‘g’ are important. It’s a profound mistake, however, to act like it’s the only thing that matters, to say that grouping people into a country or institution based on their innate intelligence alone is the way to make the Tower of Babel political construct work properly. In a similar way that the reductionist view of race is stupid, the reductionist view of intelligence and its importance is also misguided. If we follow this reductionist view, we would have to ignore the fact that there are far many more smart liberals who deny that intelligence is innate than there are smart people of any political persuasion who say that it isn’t. One reason why not to treat intelligence as the be-all-and-end-all is that intelligence of a person says nothing about their character, values, religion, or aesthetic sensibility. When you stuff the smartest people from all around the world into a classroom, you get a graduate student lecturing in an unintelligible accent to an alienated student body which has no sense of working towards a single common purpose. The same people who will complain about not being able to understand their foreign TA are the same people who will attend a diversity rally the weekend after are the same people who will make maudlin Facebook posts about how much they hate all those ‘racists’ preventing the final realization of Babel, in which we’re all one people, carefully graded by how well we perform on test problems. It’s the institutions that need to proclaim the value of multiculturalism the loudest that tend to suffer the most from this sort of blind faith in meritocratic values. It also makes these institutions vulnerable to simple hacks around testing systems — such as cheating and the use of dummy testers. Further, a society that selects its leaders based on how good they are at filling in bubbles will eventually become a society fascinated by bureaucratic bubble and spreadsheet filling incapable of dealing with the other important aspects of reality and rich details of the human experience. If it can’t be bubbled in on a sheet, the bubble-people want to make it stop existing. In the end, the same system created by people selected for excellence in bubble-filling wound up being dominated by people who felt intolerably guilty about the results of that system — so guilty that they no longer wanted to keep it alive. One reason that they felt guilty about it was because the results of that system showed that ‘equality of opportunity’ was nonsense. There is no equality of opportunity, and there can be no equality of opportunity. Most people are born with limited opportunities owing to their station in life. In order to keep the lie of equality of opportunity alive, the people had to make anything that revealed innate inequality illegal — as part of the general program of censorship against dangerous ideas. So now, it’s in transition to a system in which the capable compete with one another in public flagellation sessions, and the incapable receive honors and prizes based on how loud and pathetic their sob stories are. Part of the worldview implicit in the IQ test is that virtue is irrelevant compared to an abstract quantification of a person’s ability to solve puzzles — as if even business can be reduced to a series of difficult puzzles to be solved by someone of sufficient cleverness. What someone does with their capacity is much more important than what that capacity is. Attempting to replace civilization as it existed with a rationalized, scientific society wound up creating something so enervating that few were motivated to preserve it. So now, we sense the chasm opening up beneath us. Share this: Twitter Reddit Email Facebook Like this: Like Loading...
International Monetary Fund director Christine Lagarde said that climate change may be an economic wild card. WASHINGTON — The US economy is poised to accelerate after a dismal start to the year, but the job market won’t return to full employment until 2017. That was the forecast the International Monetary Fund offered Monday. The IMF noted that steady job gains and other recent data suggest the economy is rebounding. Employers have added 200,000-plus jobs for four straight months, and the US unemployment rate has fallen to 6.3 percent. Auto sales and factory activity are increasing. Advertisement Yet growth in 2014 probably won’t top last year’s lackluster performance, the IMF said. The Washington-based organization foresees the economy growing a modest 2 percent in 2014, below its previous estimate of 2.7 percent. That would be nearly identical to the 1.9 percent growth in 2013. Get Talking Points in your inbox: An afternoon recap of the day’s most important business news, delivered weekdays. Sign Up Thank you for signing up! Sign up for more newsletters here The IMF blames the lingering aftermath of the brutal winter and a sluggish recovery in home sales. Years of disappointing growth mean the economy might not reach full employment — many economists say that is when the unemployment rate is 5 to 5.5 percent — for three more years. And Christine Lagarde, the IMF’s managing director, suggested that the winter showed a wild card might be holding back the economy, one that could make predictions more difficult: climate change. ‘‘Extreme weather occurrences have repeated much more frequently in the past 20 years than the previous century,’’ she stressed. ‘‘That’s a reason to wonder about climate change and how to deal with it.’’ The unemployment rate has fallen to 6.3 percent from 7.5 percent in 12 months, but the IMF cautions that wages remain stagnant and the rate of long-term unemployment high. Advertisement The IMF’s projections match many recent private forecasts. The IMF also highlighted the challenge for the Federal Reserve to properly time the unwinding of its policies to spur borrowing, investment, and spending. Investors appear to be acting with a sense of certainty about Fed policies, even though central banks must respond to uncertainties about the economy, Lagarde said. Lagarde also suggested that Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen should increase the number of news conferences she holds to six a year. Yellen is scheduled to hold one of her quarterly news conferences on Wednesday. The Fed has kept short-term interest rates near zero to bolster the economy. It has also bought US Treasury and mortgage bonds to keep longer-term rates low, a program the Fed has been unwinding since the start of the year. Advertisement But raising rates too fast could ‘‘constrict the recovery momentum that we have observed,’’ Lagarde said. That would have spillover effects around the world, she said.
After the most talked about film of Malayalam film industry in the last year "Maheshinte Prathikaram" ("Mahesh's Revenge"), director Dileesh Pothan and actor Fahadh Faasil come together for "Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum" (Roughly translated as "The Exhibit and the Witness"). Even though it's only the second film from Pothan, due to the immense fan following from his previous film, which even generated a trend of finding minute details from that film and labelling it as Pothettan brilliance, there was much hype to live up to. By making the subject into a dark humour rather than the previous film, which was more of a feel-good film, Pothan was able to satisfy and surprise his fans.The film begins in a rural village near Alappuzha where chance encounters lead into a love affair between Prasad and Sreeja. Their inter-caste marriage prompts them to shift to Kasargod. On the bus journey, Sreeja's gold chain is snatched by a man behind her while she is asleep. As the chain is being snatched, she comes out of her sleep only to find the man swallowing it. With the help of passengers and employees of the bus, the thief is brought to the nearby Sheni police station, the man denying the theft all the while. The only witness to the theft is Sreeja who was half asleep. So the police decide to take the man into custody and wait for a day to find if the chain can be found in his shit.Just like in his previous film, Pothan manages to make the locations into characters that are essential to the story. The transition from the water abundant lush greenery of Alappuzha to the dry lands of Kasargod itself creates a drama that is almost unnoticed till the maker gives hints about it much later. Like the butterfly effect portrayed in "Maheshinte Prathikaram", Pothan visualizes much of his ideas without making it too obvious and asking more from his viewers, without losing the fun of it or making it too intellectual.The realistic approach of filmmaking in Malayalam films has been mostly gone through the section designated as art or parallel cinema until the last few years, where such films have become more commercially viable. Pothan's films are in the latter category, which combines the realism without losing the market appeal. The combination of Dileesh Pothan and creative director Syam Pushkaran also hides subtle political stands in plain sight. They try to point out a lot of social issues without being overly preachy. The film says a lot about hunger, caste system, identity and bureaucracy, giving enough space for each of these issues.The writers Sajeev Pazhoor and Syam Pushkaran have done a fantastic job in creating morally conflicting situations and characters that the viewers are not sure to root for or stand against in a basic story which can be superficially viewed as morally black and white. The makers also have made the world of the film filled with believable and recognizable characters, which helps in the progression of the story. The casting of real-life police officers has helped in increasing the authenticity of the film. Among them, Sibi Thomas, who portrayed the sub-inspector and Sivadas Kannur, who portrayed the officer who's in mufti, had standout performances which made the film much more compelling.Debutante actress Nimisha Sajayan's honest portrayal of Sreeja shows a budding talent waiting for a place in the industry. Suraj Venjaramoodu perfectly shows his acting prowess as Prasad, on a serious role distancing him from his usual loud comedic roles. Alencier Ley Lopez as the assistant sub-inspector makes his mark as one of the best supporting actors in the industry, being a vulnerable yet manipulative officer. Still, the most impressive performance is from Fahadh Faasil who portrays the thief with no identity, who even steals the name Prasad for himself. The naughty thief with his innocent smile makes it hard to hate him even though most of the words coming out of his mouth are lies.The songs in the film contribute to the story and to the understanding of the landscape. The songs "Kannile Poika" and "Aayilyam", composed by Bijibal and written by Rafeeq Ahammed are about the contrasting nature of the situations and the place they are residing in.Exquisite editing by Kiran Das has made it into a film where not a single frame exists that is not important, moreover, every one of them let the narrative unfold itself. Similarly, Rajeev Ravi's cinematography never intrudes the space and always stays alongside the landscape, observing the characters as conflicted as the viewers, as he uses lighting and shadows to emphasize the recurring motifs.With "Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum", Dileesh Pothan continues to break the usual norms of Malayalam films. He names his films in a way that makes people expect something and gives something else which is simpler yet wonderfully different. This is definitely one of the best films of the year from India.
August 15, 2016 New Government Of Yemen Ready To Accept Saudi Surrender (Update: @Khabaragency translated and published this post in Arabic: موقع أمريكي: السلطة اليمنية الجديدة مستعدة لقبول "استسلام" آل سعود قبل 12 ساعة و 37 دقيقة ) Day by day the life in Yemen becomes more difficult for the people on the ground. The Saudis have restarted bombing and seemingly hit everything in sight - schools, hospitals and food supply routes. Food is running out. But Yemen now has a new legitimate government. And the Saudis will have to either follow the conditions it will set, or all-out lose their war. UN supervised negotiations between the former Yemeni president Hadi, supported by the armed forces of various Gulf countries, and a the Houthi alliance with the former president Saleh have failed. The Saudis demanded total surrender. A retreat of the Houthi from the capital Sanaa, a complete re-installment of Hadi as president and a handing over of all heavy weapons. The Houthi/Saleh side would never have agreed to such conditions. It would leave them without assets at the mercy of a vengeful enemy. The fighting on the ground continued throughout the four month negotiations though at a lower intensity. When the failure of the negotiations was obviously imminent, Houthi and Yemeni army forces re-invaded Saudi Arabia. For 200 km of the Saudi-Yemeni border from the Red Sea to inland eastwards Yemeni forces initially invaded at 6 locations 5-20km deep. Video showed them in sight of the Saudi city Narjan, with half a million inhabitants, shelling the electricity station and military barracks. Laughably a joint statement from the governments of the UK, USA, Saudi Arabia and UAE demanded that: the conflict in Yemen should not threaten Yemen’s neighbours. A joke. A Saudi invasion of Yemen is fine with them, to respond in kind is not? The Saudis renewed their air attacks on the capitol Sanaa and other Yemeni cities. Military targets in Sanaa had already been bombed at least twice. The current attacks make no sense and are a pure terror campaign. Two days ago a Saudi double airstrike hit a school near the northern Yemeni city of Saada: Doctors Without Borders wrote that the “final number of injured from Haydan school is 28 & 10 deaths. All between 8-15 years old ..." The Saudis denied that a school had been hit. They claimed that the 8 years old, undernourished children were in a military training camp. They have learned from their new Zionists friends. The chutzpah in their response to the school bombing reports was strong: "We would have hoped MSF would take measures to stop the recruitment of children to fight in wars instead of crying over them in the media." An important bridge on the main supply route to Sanaa, over which 90% of its food comes in, was destroyed by a Saudi attack. Today a Saudi airstrike hit a well known hospital in Hajjah. At least 31 civilians, including hospital personal, were killed and many more wounded. The Saudi king used the occasions to hand out a month's extra salary as war bonus to all "active participants" on the Saudi side. The Saudis blackmailed the United Nations, with silent U.S. approval, to not accuse Saudi Arabia of any of its atrocities and crimes with regards to its war. They threatened to stop all payments to all UN programs. The relevant UN reports are "cleaned" before being published. No longer will you see any UN comments on "Saudi airstrikes". Atrocities are now void of any origin. Before the war Yemen was already dirt poor. It is now much poorer. Most infrastructure is destroyed. Nearly all factories have been flattened. The country is under a total blockade. The economy is in tatters. People die of hunger. Some 80% of the population is in dire need of humanitarian aid. But the Yemenis will not give up. They did not start the war. But they will end it on their terms. They continue to response to Saudi attacks on Yemen with attacks in Saudi Arabia. Mysteriously new self made rockets appear from nowhere and hit Saudi troops and installations. All Saudi ground attacks in Yemen have ended in failure. Their proxy troops, hired from various African countries and South America, get beaten as soon as the enter the central Yemeni highlands. Their paid Yemeni allies are unreliable and tend to switch sides without notice. Only al-Qaeda in Yemen is a trusted Saudi ally. The U.S. and UK continue to support Saudi Arabia in their slaughter of Yemenis. The U.S. provides targeting intelligence and air refueling. Since April 2015 the U.S. air force refueled Saudi and allied planes bombing Yemen over 5,500 times. The U.S. delivers huge amount of bombs and weapons. Since Obama came into office the U.S sold Saudi Arabia weapons and ammunition for a cool $111 billion. Seven percent of the sales price is a commission that flows directly into Pentagon coffers. Generals involved in these deals end up in very posh industry jobs. For the U.S. weapon industry, the Pentagon and U.S. generals involved, the Saudi killing of Yemenis is extremely profitable. But the Saudis are losing the war. Not only is it very expensive to hire all the mercenaries and U.S. specialists to maintain (and man) Saudi weapons but the material loss of expensive weapons is quite big. Over 50 main battle tanks have been lost to Yemeni attacks. Many more infantry carriers and other vehicles have gone up in flames (vid). Long videos show the Houthi winning nearly every engagement. They are way better soldiers than the Saudis. On the political side the Yemenis outmaneuvered the Saudis and the long ago ousted Hadi proxy government. Late July the Houthis and the former President Saleh and his supporters, once the Houthi's enemies, formalized their alliance with the formation of a common "supreme political council". But to have real legitimacy the alliance needed some formal acknowledgement by the Yemeni people. It has now managed to gain that. Despite Saudi bomb attacks on Sanaa the parliament was called into session. Out of 301 members 26 have died. The total remaining is 275, a legal quorum is half of that (138). On Saturday 142 parliament member attend the session and unanimously voted to form a new government. The Chinese news agency Xinhua was the only one with decent reporting on the ground: "The Council of Representatives unanimously recognizes, ratifies and blesses the formation of the Higher Political Council to rule the country from it's geographically far north to Aden in the south, and from east to the west of Yemen's official borders," Parliament Speaker al-Raiee and the attending MPs voted with "Yes" as showed by the state TV. The president, vice-president, and members of the Higher Political Council performed their constitutional oath in the parliament. Today the Houthi dominated Supreme Revolutionary Committee under Mohamed Ali Al-Houthi stepped down as de-facto ruler of Yemen. It had ruled Yemen since February 6 2015. Power was handed over to the newly formed Higher Political Council which is an alliance of Houthi politicians with the GPC party of former president Saleh. The former president Hadi, in Saudi exile, is also a member of the GPC. But his time is now certainly over. He is unlikely to be ever seen again in Sanaa. Yemen now has a new government. Its formal, public formation with the vote of the parliament gives it enough legitimacy to be accepted by most Yemenis. It will be very difficult to cast it aside. The UK Foreign Secretary tries nonetheless: "I am seriously concerned about actions being taken by elements of the Houthis, the General People’s Congress, and allies in defiance of the Yemeni Constitution and the UN process, and encourage all parties not to take any action that undermines the possibility of peace." According the Yemeni constitution Hadi's election, without any competitor and no "No" vote on the ballot, was unconstitutional. He was "elected" in 2012, for a two year period. His unconstitutional mandate as president has long ended.The side the UK represents and that now insists on constitutional legitimacy has none at all. Despite all their weapons, arrogance and money the Saudi herders of camels have again lost against the people of Yemen. As the Hadith says: Belief is from Yemen, wisdom is from Yemen! Pride and arrogance are found among the camel-owners; tranquility and dignity among the sheep-owners. "Halfmen" the Syrian President Bashar Assad once called the jokers of the Saudi ruling family. He was too generous. Should the al-Sauds not soon agree to retreat from Yemen, to end their war and to appropriate financial compensation, the Yemenis will start to take Saudi cities. They are strong enough to do so, better dancers (vid) and they have the strong belief and the military means needed to achieve that. That would be a huge loss of face and the end of the political career of the Saudi Defense Minister and Deputy Clown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Posted by b on August 15, 2016 at 01:54 PM \| Permalink Comments
Yakuza boss in Fukuoka re-arrested in tax probe FUKUOKA (TR) – Fukuoka Prefectural Police on Tuesday arrested an organized crime boss, already in custody for a number of violent crimes, on charges tax evasion, reports the Sankei Shimbun (June 16). Police accused Satoru Nomura, the head of the Kudo-kai, which is based in Kitakyushu City, and three other gang members of concealing 220 million yen in taxable income over a four-year period ending in 2013. The boss is liable for a tax bill of 90 million yen. The income was obtained through a process known as jonokin, which involves funneling money collected through the operations of lower members upward within the gang. This is Nomura’s fourth arrest. Last October, police arrested Nomura, for involvement in the murder of a fishery cooperative president in Kitakyushu in 1998 and the stabbing of a nurse in Fukuoka’s Hakata Ward two years ago. He was also arrested in the stabbing of a dentist in May of last year.
next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 Upon first glance, it looks like any other poorly Photoshopped pic posted on Facebook, but this is no ordinary snapshot. Uploaded nearly twenty years ago, it’s actually the first photograph ever uploaded to the World Wide Web, according to Motherboard, which tracked down the photo’s wild and crazy past. “When history happens, you don’t know that you’re in it,” Silvano de Gennaro, who snapped the shot, told Motherboard. [pullquote] The pretty ladies in the image are members of a parody band comprised of CERN laboratory employees -- yes, the same lab in Geneva responsible for the recent discovery of the Higgs Boson. Adoringly known as Les Horribles Cernettes (The Horrible CERN Girls), the group shares its initials with a certain particle accelerator. It just so happens that Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web was working at CERN at the time. When Berners-Lee and his team were looking to test a new version of their “Web” system -- one that supported photos -- he went to de Gennaro, who passed along the now historic photo. “In order to convince management that we should connect CERN to the Internet and not just to proprietary networks, we had to fight to convince them how useful it would be,” Jean-François Groff, one of the programmers working on the project, told Motherboard. “That’s why we only put serious stuff on it. So it was kind of a revolution to say, ‘Now let’s do something fun with it.’” Read the full article at Motherboard.vice.com.
In honor of Women’s History Month, we wanted to highlight wild women who have made a difference for conservation and elevated our understanding of the natural world. No, these are not women who party while they work; these wild women are actually wildlife. They may not be as inspring as, say, Rachel Carson (who is included below), but they have definitely had an impact. These females have made their mark on the history of wildlife conservation and continue to inspire action, research, education, science. Cheers to all the wild women who have made historic contributions. What wild woman has inspired you? The Wildlife Cincinnati Zoo, circa 1914 Martha - The Last Passenger Pigeon (~1885 – 1914) Martha was the last known living passenger pigeon. She was named "Martha" in honor of the first First Lady Martha Washington. Passenger pigeons have been extinct since her death, and her story continues to serve as a somber reminder of what can happen to a species. Her death increased awareness around wildlife conservation as a whole, and confronted the finality of extinction that inspired the passing of laws like the Endangered Species Act. Daniel W. Clark, USFWS Wisdom - Oldest Wild Banded Bird (1951?- Present) Wisdom is a female Laysan Albatross and also holds the title for the oldest known wild bird. She was banded back in 1956 around the age of 5 years old. Impressively, Wisdom continues to lay eggs and recently hatched what may be her 36th chick. Her amazing story highlights the importance of long term monitoring and research studies. We can always learn something new and in the case of Wisdom, are witnessing her make history. Photo by Cory Doctrow, Creative Commons Harriet - One of Darwin’s Tortoises (1830 - 2006) Harriet, the Giant Galápagos Land Tortoise was collected by Sir Charles Darwin before later being transported to Australia where she spent a majority of her life. At the time of her death in 2006, she was considered one of the earth's oldest living creatures. Harriet continues to be a point of fascination for many. Women at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service While the female wildlife trail-blazers above have certainly made history, here at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we're also proud of the women who broke barriers for many of our staff. They pushed through the status-quo of the time and challenged us as an agency to be the best we could be. Here are just a few history-making women that we'd like to mention. Rachel Carson: Author and Movement Leader Photo by Shirley Briggs Rachel Carson (1907-1964): Through her words and her book, Silent Spring, Rachel Carson shaped the modern environmental movement. She spent 16 years working for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Her work as an educator, scientist and writer revolutionized America’s interest in environmental issues. Mollie Beattie: First Female Director Mollie Beattie (1947-1996): She was the first woman to become Director (1993-1996) of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Her passion for wildlife conservation remains an inspiration. Elizabeth "Betty" Losey: First Female Field Biologist Elizabeth "Betty" Losey (1912-2005) She was hired in 1947 by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the first female research biologist. Before her, it was not seen as suitable for a female to work and stay overnight in the field. Lucille F. Stickel: Inspiring Research Pioneer Lucille F. Stickel (1915 -2007) She was director of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and pioneered research techniques that lead to a much deeper understanding of the impacts of pesticides in animals and the food web.
Removing Chloramines From Water By A.J. deLange (Brewing Techniques) As chloramination replaces chlorination of drinking water in a growing member of water districts, brewers who feel it’s a problem can no longer rely on standing boiling, or aeration to remove it. Campden tablets offer one easy solution for home brewers; carbon filtration is the best option for craft brewers. Brewers who use municipal water for their beers know that it is treated with chlorine for disinfection and that residual chlorine may react with phenols in malt to produce chlorophenols, which lend a plasticlike taste to beer at parts-per-billion levels. Most brewers also remember from their days of keeping pet goldfish that allowing water to stand, aerating it, or boiling it will allow chlorine to escape, thus rendering the water fit for Goldy and for brewing. In recent years, more water authorities have started to treat water with ammonia in addition to chlorine. This treatment results in the formation of chemicals called chloramines, which are similar to chlorine in that they kill bacteria and aquarium fish and ruin beer. Standing, aeration, and boiling will remove chloramines from water, but not very effectively. Water in my area (Fairfax County, Virginia) contains the equivalent of 3 mg/L of chlorine in chloramines, a fairly high level. Ten gallons of this water allowed to stand in a 25-gallon stock pot required weeks to lose chloramine down to the <0.1 mg/L level. Almost two hours of boiling is required to get the chloramine in Fairfax County water down to the hundredths of milligrams per liter. This article explains how to measure chlorine and chloramines in your brew water and how to reduce or eliminate these beer-spoiling chemicals if they are causing you problems. Get your very own water test kit to test the quality of your water at home! What Are Chloramines? Chlorine was first used experimentally for disinfection of a municipal water supply in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1896. The first permanent installation of chlorination equipment in a water treatment plant in this country was made in 1908. Chlorination is simple, effective, relatively safe, and inexpensive. Its efficacy comes from the strong oxidizing potential of the hypochlorous acid molecule formed when either chlorine gas or salts, such as sodium hypochlorite, are dissolved in water at modestly low pH. Chlorine oxidizes not only bacteria and viruses but other substances found in water as well. Plants contain phenols, and plant matter finds its way into surface waters so that such waters, when chlorinated, may have the flavors and aromas of chlorophenols, which are regarded no more highly in the water industry than among brewers. If, after the chlorine has done its job of killing microorganisms at the water plant, it can be converted to a less active form, it can still maintain some of its bacteriostatic power but will not be active enough to form chlorophenols during its travel through the distribution mains to the customer. Injecting ammonia into water accomplishes this by converting the chlorine into chloramines, a process known as chloramination. Chloramination was first done for purposes of flavor improvement in 1926 at Greenville, Tennessee, where the water had objectionable qualities from the presence of phenols. In recent years, many water authorities have begun to chloraminate to limit chlorine’s reaction with other organics from decaying vegetation that are often found in surface water. These decay products (mostly humic and fulvic acids) combine with chlorine to produce a family of chemicals called trihalomethanes (THMs), which are thought to be carcinogenic. Today’s federal and state drinking water regulations regulate allowable THM levels quite strictly, so chloramination is becoming increasingly popular. It is estimated that 25% of the larger and perhaps 5% of smaller water treatment plants in the United States use chloramination today as compared with about 2.6% of plants surveyed in 1963. Do You Really Need to Remove It? The reaction between ammonia and chlorine produces monochloramine, dichloramine, and trichloramine. Dichloramine and trichloramine are relatively volatile and escape from the water soon after treatment; by the time the water gets to your house or brewery, only monochloramine and some free chlorine remain. The level remaining depends on how much chlorine and ammonia the treatment plant added, the distance from the treatment plant to your house, the temperature, and the chemical makeup of your water. These factors (except the distance to your house) may vary seasonally. If your water district is changing over to chloramination, or if you’re moving to a chloraminated-water area, you may be wondering how you can get chloramines out of your brew water. First, however, you should ascertain whether chloramines really are a problem. Does your beer have off-flavors? If you can’t taste anything and are not a trained taster, have it tasted by someone who is. If you aren’t getting the medicinal or plastic-like taste of chlorophenols in your beer, don’t worry about removing chloramines. Click here to check out our selection of water filters and filtration systems! Removing Chloramines If you do decide that you need to dechloraminate your water, you have a couple of options. Campden tablets: I have found that, for home brewers, the easiest way to dispose of chloramines is to treat the water with Campden tablets, which are typically used as a preservative by winemakers. The Campden tablets I use contain approximately 695 mg of potassium metabisulfite, sometimes referred to as “metabite.” This chemical reduces chloramine to ammonium and chloride ions, both of which are beneficial to beer in the quantities generated by this treatment. (The ammonium ion nourishes the yeast, and the chloride ion enhances the drinker’s sensation of roundness and fullness in the beer.) How much? The required dose is simple to calculate: Take twice the chloramine level in the water, add the chlorine level, and divide by 6. This is the number of tablets required to treat 20 gallons. Scale this value according to how many gallons need to be treated. For example, if I were to brew with the local water, which has 3 mg/L chloramine, I would need one tablet per 20 gallons. It is rare that chloramine levels will be above 3 mg/L, but they occasionally are. It is best to test (see the box “Testing the Waters,” below); what the water authority tells you may be a target or average value, not the actual level. My experiments have shown that perhaps 20–30% more potassium metabisulfite than calculated should be used to be on the safe side. This represents a modest increase in the amount of by-products. Also be aware that not all Campden tablets weigh 695 mg, nor are they all, apparently, potassium metabisulfite; some are sodium metabisulfite. Weigh the Campden tablets. (If a lab balance is not available, weigh lots of them on a kitchen scale or reloading scale and divide by the number of tablets.) If you are uncertain as to whether they are the potassium or sodium salt, have the supplier check with the wholesaler, or just assume they are potassium. If you guess wrong, you will be adding 17% more bisulfite than you need — not a significant amount. Testing the Waters Chlorine is such a simple thing to test for that there is no reason why any brewer concerned about the levels of chlorine in his or her water and the effectiveness of a remediation method should not be checking levels of both free and bound chlorine (chloramine). Test kits of many levels of sophistication (and cost) are available from several sources. The simplest and quickest place to get a test kit is the local pet store. These kits, sold for use by amateur aquarists, contain poisonous orthotolidine, used to measure free chlorine, and the even more poisonous Nessler’s reagent, used to estimate the ammonia released by chloramine. If you obtain such a kit, treat the chemicals in it with respect. (One such kit, the Doc Wellfish #54 from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, is no longer available, but others that use orthotolodine may still exist.) Analysis laboratories have abandoned orthotolidine in favor of DPD (N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine), in part because of orthotolidine’s toxicity but also because of accuracy. Most kits obtained from a lab supply source will be based on DPD. DPD is colorless in its reduced state, but when oxidized it turns magenta, forming what is known as Würster dye. When DPD is added to a sample containing free chlorine (or another oxidizing agent), the depth of magenta color formed depends on the amount of the oxidizer present. When combined chlorine is to be measured, potassium iodide is added to the sample with the DPD. The chlorine in chloramine oxidizes the iodide ion to free iodine, and the iodine then oxidizes the DPD, causing the conversion to Würster dye. Thus, to get a complete picture of the status of a water sample with respect to chlorine using DPD, you would run two tests. The first, using iodide and DPD, gives an indication of the total chlorine (free plus bound in chloramine). The second uses DPD alone and measures the free chlorine only. The estimated chloramine level is taken as the total chlorine test result minus the free chlorine test result. The depth of the color developed when DPD is oxidized can be judged in several ways, depending on the sophistication of the test and accuracy required. Brewers need not strive for great accuracy unless they want to take several measurements for the purpose of estimating half-life. More typically, brewers are looking for a 0 reading — an indication that they have successfully rendered their water chlorine/chloramine-free. If more accurate results are desired than can be obtained with test kits, the depth of color can be measured by a spectrophotometer or colorimeter configured to measure light absorbance at 530 nm. The chlorine concentration (free or total) is read from a calibration curve that is determined by the analyst (using chlorine solutions of standard strength), supplied by the manufacturer, or programmed into the instrument. The most sensitive and accurate measurements are made using amperometric titration, in which current flowing between a pair of biased inert electrodes is monitored while a reducing agent is gradually added to a test sample. This equipment is expensive and requires a skilled operator. Brewers would be unlikely to encounter this method of measurement. Full details of these and other methods of chlorine measurement can be found in reference 4. Most of the available kit chemistries are based on the procedures set forth in this reference. I used test kits from Hach Company. Cube-type kits good for 50 analyses cost about $ 13; disc-type kits good for 50 analyses cost $ 35. Other manufacturers of chlorine test kits include Hanna Instruments, CHEMetrics, and LaMotte Company. In simple inexpensive kits, water and DPD (plus iodide if a total test is being done) are placed along with suitable pH buffers in a small test tube and allowed to react. The color of the test tube is then compared to colored patches printed in the instructions or on the side of the carton in which the kit was shipped. In other inexpensive implementations, the test tube includes a fixture that contains built-in color comparison patches. In either case the value is read from the patch that most closely matches the color of the liquid in the tube. More expensive kits will contain a transparent wheel around whose edge a colored strip of variable density Würster dye has been printed. A small portion of this wheel is viewed through an aperture adjacent to the tube containing the test water plus DPD. The user rotates the wheel until the best color match is obtained and reads the chlorine amount from a scale on the periphery of the wheel. In some cases, the light passing through the wheel first enters a second tube containing test water to which no chemical has been added. This removes the effects of any color in the water itself. Your beer will easily tolerate two or three times the required dose (vintners use one or two tablets per gallon), so if your answer contains a fraction of a tablet, you can just round up to the nearest whole tablet. It probably makes sense to round up to the nearest half tablet or whole tablet to be sure you get all the chlorine and chloramine if actual levels are higher than the reported (or measured) ones or if the particular tablets you use weigh less than 695 mg. If you did want to add fractional tablets, you could dissolve, or rather suspend, a tablet in 100 mL of water and, just after agitating, measure out the number of milliliters that corresponds to the percentage fraction required. For example, if a third of a tablet is required, measure out 33 mL. The reaction takes place fairly quickly and is essentially complete in a couple of minutes. What’s being added to your beer? The amount of metabite required to neutralize the levels of chlorine and chloramine typically found in municipal tap water results in by-products at concentrations that are insignificant when brewing all styles of beer except those that require very soft water (for example, Bohemian Pilsener). You can easily figure out how much of these by-products is produced. If exactly the correct dose of metabite is used, each milligram per liter of chlorine or chloramine will be converted to 1 mg/L chloride ion. The chlorine conversion produces some hydrogen ions so that alkalinity is reduced slightly: 2.1 ppm of hydrogen ion for each milligram per liter of chlorine and 1.4 ppm for each milligram per liter of chloramine. Each milligram per liter chlorine converted will also result in 1.3 mg/L sulfate and 0.55 mg/L potassium. Each milligram per liter chloramine will produce 2.7 mg/L sulfate, 0.5 mg/L ammonium ion, and 1.1 mg/L potassium. If sodium metabisulfite is used, sodium in the amount of 1.34 mg/L will be added to the water for each milligram per liter chlorine neutralized and 2.67 mg/L for each milligram per liter chloramine. For the Fairfax County example with its 3 mg/L chloramine, treatment with potassium metabite should result in 3.3 mg/L more potassium, 3 mg/L more chloride, 1.5 mg/L more ammonium, and 8.1 mg/L more sulfate. Carbon Filtration Systems for Professional Brewers by Michael Davis Many large and small commercial breweries are installing granular activated carbon (GAC) filter systems to remove chloramines and chlorine. GAC is the industry standard for reducing levels not only of chloramines and chlorine, but also pesticides, industrial chemicals, trihalomethanes, and other halogenated organic compounds, as well as bad tastes and odors. Designing a GAC system for chloramine removal is not rocket science, but when you compare suggestions made in published articles or advice given by different suppliers or manufacturers, you are likely to get some conflicting and confusing information. This is because the chemistry involved is subject to site-specific variables, such as pH and water temperature. Thus, a system that works in one brewery might fall short in another. Although it is difficult to generalize about system requirements, the following guidelines should help you to shop for a water treatment system for your brewery. Cartridges or Backwashing Tank Systems? First, you need to determine whether you are going to use a cartridge-based system or a backwashing tank–type system. If you are using water at a slow flow rate (that is, less than 2 gallons per minute), a cartridge system will work if sized correctly. Unfortunately, because there is no regulatory standard or protocol yet in place for the removal of chloramines, small cartridge system manufacturers are not yet testing or making claims for chloramine reduction. You can, however, use the industry standard required contact time for chloramine reduction as a guideline; that is, you need at least two to three times the contact time required for chlorine reduction. So, if you are going to use a cartridge-based system, size it to at least two to three times what is being claimed for chlorine reduction, then test to make sure that you are getting a sufficient reduction in chloramines. (See the box “Testing the Waters” on page 60.) Although they are the least expensive option, cartridge systems may be limited in their capabilities because of their low flow capacity. The other option is a backwashing tank system. This is a tank filled with bulk GAC granules through which water trickles. Opening a valve back-flushes the granules to clean them. With either method, you must determine how much carbon you need to provide empty bed contact time (EBCT) sufficient to remove all chlorine and chloramine. Multiply the volume of granular activated carbon (GAC) in cubic feet times 7.48 to determine the volume in gallons. Then divide that by your maximum water flow rate. As long as you are using a high-quality carbon with a maximum mesh size of 12 X 40 and a minimum iodine (a quality specification) of 900, you need to size the carbon bed or cartridge for a minimum EBCT of 10 minutes. Ten minutes may be more than you need (it is the standard for chloramine removal for hemodialysis treatment), but other variables that can affect removal capability (actual level of chloramine in the water, pH, temperature, and so forth) may make it prudent to oversize your system. Your Mileage May Vary You will need to replace the cartridge or bulk GAC periodically. Again, cartridge manufacturers are not yet publishing replacement timing specifications for chloramine reduction. They are recommending replacement based on the cartridges’ performance in chlorine removal and the possibility of bacteria fouling. Assume that your cartridges will be able to remove chloramines for only one-half to one-third of the life they would have removing chlorine alone. To be sure, regularly test for chloramines and make sure that you change any regular cartridge at least every 6 months and any backwashing GAC system at least every 12 months. When the cartridge or bulk GAC is changed, make sure you thoroughly clean the housing or tank before replacing the media. How Much Will This Cost? The answer is a firm, “It depends.” The greater the flow rate required, the more expensive the system. But just because you produce more barrels of beer than your cross-town rival doesn’t necessarily mean that you need a bigger carbon filtration system than your rival’s. You can minimize the necessary flow rate by buying a big storage tank and filling it up through the filter between brews; even a cartridge filter used in this way will provide enough water for a brewpub. If chlorine-free water is left in the tank, however, the tank will begin to develop a bacterial film, which can cause off-flavors. Some breweries use ultraviolet light to control biofilm in the pipes. If you have any concerns about designing or obtaining water treatment equipment, refer to a water treatment specialist who has had experience in chloramine reduction. Any excess metabite winds up as potassium or sodium plus sulfur dioxide in the beer. The L.D. Carlson tablets are potassium metabisulfite, which is about 35% potassium and about 55% sulfur dioxide (the rest is oxygen). Because these tablets weigh 695 mg, this means an extra tablet (that is, one that has no chlorine or chloramine to react with) would leave 243 mg (3.2 mg/L in 20 gallons) of extra potassium and 382 mg (5 mg/L in 20 gallons) of sulfur dioxide. The sulfur dioxide will either reduce something in the mash to a reductone (a reduced-state organic substance thought to prevent staling reactions in beer) and become sulfate in the process, or be driven off as a gas during the boil. If it all converted to sulfate, 1 tablet in 20 gallons would increase sulfate by about 9 mg/L. As metabite, in either form, is a basic salt, excess metabite will increase the alkalinity of the water slightly. Activated carbon: For commercial brewing operations, granulated activated carbon (GAC) is the best way to remove chlorine and chloramines. Home brewers also can use this method. There are three major types of GAC systems — those that use GAC only, those that use GAC with a material called KDF, and those that use GAC with ion-exchange resins. GAC only. GAC-only units will remove chlorine, chloramine, and organics, which are often responsible for colors, tastes, and odors in water. GAC and KDF. KDF is a copper-zinc alloy developed by KDF Fluid Treatment Inc. (Three Rivers, Michigan). The alloy can reduce heavy metal ions such as copper, lead, mercury, and chromium to metal atoms, which electroplate onto the medium and are thus removed from the water. Beneficial brewing ions, such as calcium and magnesium, are not affected. The zinc in KDF will also reduce dissolved chlorine gas to chloride ions, relieving the GAC of some of the chlorine reduction burden. I have seen no data concerning KDF’s ability to reduce chloramines, but, of course, the GAC will take care of that. Ion-exchange resins. Ion-exchange resins exchange ions of metals such as lead and calcium for hydrogen ions and also exchange cations, such as sulfate and chloride, for hydroxyl ions. Water treated with them is virtually ion-free, and the brewer using an ion-exchange filter will have to use supplemental salts to restore a normal ion profile when brewing most styles of beer. Of these filters, I have experimented only with the Brita pitcher. I found that 16% of monochloramine remained after a pass through the filter. The Brita literature indicates that only 7.5% of free chlorine will remain. I have not verified their number but have no reason to disbelieve it. If 84% reduction of chloramines isn’t enough for you, run the water through the pitcher again. This leaves 16% of 16% (2.5%), which should be a sufficient reduction in most situations. Reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis (RO) units of the type installed in homes usually have one or two activated carbon filters in the path to protect the RO membrane from chlorine and chloramine, which would poison it. RO-processed water is, therefore, chloramine-free, but as with ion-exchange–processed water, brewers must add calcium, carbonate, and sulfate to RO-processed water, according to the requirements of the style being brewed, to get the best flavor in their finished beer. Other methods: Much speculation has been made about whether boiling will remove chloramines, prompting me to perform my own experiments. I concluded that boiling will work, but it is not very practical for brewers. I also tried a few other things that I found to be even less practical. I will outline the results briefly. Boiling. I found that an hour of boiling (plus the hour required to bring the water to the boil) removes chloramines from 10 gallons of the local water. A boil of this duration results in a loss of typically 10–20% of the volume of the water. With the time and energy considerations, this isn’t a very practical method of chloramine reduction, unless the boil is being done anyway for carbonate reduction. Standing. This, too, will work, but only after a very long time. Chloramines can have a very long half-life in standing water. County water in my area exhibits a chloramine half-life of about 155 hours when standing undisturbed in a 15-gallon stock pot. This means that this water, with its nominal 3 mg/L chloramine out of the tap, would be down to 1.5 mg/L after 155 hours, 0.75 mg/L after another 155 hours, and so on. Reducing 3 mg/L chloramine content to 0.025 mg/L takes seven half-lives, or 45 days! The length of time required will vary, of course, depending on the chloramine concentration of the water. The time can be appreciably shortened by aeration or stirring, but standing is still not going to be a practical method of chloramine removal. Adding bleach. Yes, funny though it sounds, it is possible, theoretically at least, to hasten the departure of chloramine from water by adding household bleach to it. This encourages the monochloramine to convert to dichloramine, which is appreciably more volatile. The excess chlorine from the bleach exits as chlorine gas, which is more volatile than monochloramine. In an experiment with synthetically chloraminated water, this technique was quite successful. In an experiment with Fairfax County water, it was less so. Although the chloramine level dropped rapidly just after the addition of the bleach, its rate of loss eventually slowed to a half-life of 270 hours. I suspect a larger dose of bleach might have been more effective, and I am still experimenting with this technique. Note that bleach also leaves residual substances in the water. Acidification. It is also possible to remove chloramines by lowering the pH of the water. At low pH monochloramine converts to dichloramine, which, as we saw above, clears quickly (that is, overnight) from even standing water. Reducing the pH of the water to near pH 4 with hydrochloric acid will allow the dichloramine to escape; you could then restore the pH to a higher value suitable for dough-in with some kind of base. Anyone interested in the details can get in touch with me. Experiments Continue I first began to suspect that boiling and aeration might remove chloramine from water in the spring of 1998, and a few simple experiments confirmed my hunch. This finding was posted to the internet’s Home Brew Digest in an article entitled “Chloramine Heresies”. Since then, I have performed more elaborate experiments, though the investigation is far from complete. Space constraints prevent me from presenting many of my discoveries in this article, and I invite readers interested in water chemistry to correspond with me for more details. To brewers, the most important conclusions from the test data are that chloramine is more difficult to remove than free chlorine, and its behavior is somewhat unpredictable. This unpredictability is due to the complexities of chlorine and ammonia chemistry, which varies depending on pH, temperature, relative chlorine and ammonia concentration, the passage of time, and the presence of minerals normally found in drinking water. Readers contemplating use of one of the methods I tried must verify its effectiveness on their own water. All contents copyright 2019 by MoreFlavor Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Frank Seravalli TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Follow\|Archive PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — As enticing as a $17 million check would be for each of the NHL’s 30 owners in exchange for inviting a new city to join their exclusive fraternity, the deliberation to expand Quebec City and/or Las Vegas is more nuanced than that. The question on the mind of most inside Monday’s Board of Governors meeting was: How would expansion affect my team? Long before commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL’s executive committee can even pose a vote to the full Board of Governors on expansion, a bevy of details must be sorted out, starting with the format of an expansion draft. No such deliberations took place at the scenic Inn at Spanish Bay on Monday. The league's presentation on expansion took up 15 to 20 minutes of the two-hour full board meeting, according to Bettman, and did not include “substantive discussions of those issues.” “There are a myriad (of issues), and within that are a lot of sub-issues that have to be addressed,” Bettman said. “For example: When? What will be the terms of the expansion draft? What would be the terms of an expansion draft if it’s one team or if it’s two teams? What will be the role or the position in the entry draft?” As one governor pointed out on Monday: the last time the NHL expanded in 2000, there was no salary cap. If the NHL does decide to expand this time around, there is concern teams would use the expansion draft as another buyout period of sorts, using it as a chance to cut ties from prohibitive contracts by leaving those high-priced players unprotected. There is also the issue of whether players with no-movement or no-trade clauses should be open to claims in the expansion draft. Any expansion team drafting would also have to keep an eye on their own salary cap restrictions. Governors understand $500 million should buy any expansion team every opportunity to ice a competitive team from Day 1. That is also in the best interest of everyone, as the expansion Thrashers proved it is impossible to be a viable franchise without on-ice success. The list of quirks and snags is long. How many players must be exposed? Will teams be permitted to make trades with a guarantee an expansion team won’t select a certain unprotected player? Should expansion teams be included in the draft lottery for the No. 1 overall pick? These are the issues governors and GMs want ironed out long before any vote to expand. To a billionaire, $17 million might not be worth the collateral damage to his franchise. “That’s after you get past the point: Do we want to expand? Are these the right markets? Are these the right applicants? Are we comfortable with the arena?” Bettman asked rhetorically. “The list goes on and on. It’s an important, significant business decision, and it’s being treated in a businesslike way.” OTHER BOARD NOTES: - Bettman was most emphatic when asked about whether the NHL is stalling to see if a legitimate applicant from Seattle could emerge. Reports indicate a vote in Seattle City Council in January on a new arena site. Bettman did not rule out re-opening the process in the future, but said this current deliberation is focused on Las Vegas and Quebec City. “We're going to go through this process, complete this process one way or the other, and that's where we'll be,” Bettman said. “If we decide at another point in time to re-open expansion, and I'm not saying we would, that's a subsequent decision. This process is this process for these two applicants. Period.” - Though Bettman announced next year’s salary cap could be between this year’s $71.4 million mark and $74.5 million, he could not stress enough how it is a “very, very, very rough projection.” One year ago, the projection offered at this meeting was $73 million. It ended up at $71.4 million. Given the volatility in the Canadian dollar, you can rest assured most GMs will play it very conservatively between now and when the official 2016-17 number is released in June. - That salary cap projection includes a five per cent escalator, a number which needs to be agreed upon with the NHL Players’ Association. Next season could well be the year players decide they’re fed up with the amount of escrow being withheld from their paychecks, which could keep the cap relatively flat. - Bettman said there were no issues communicated on the new 3-on-3 overtime format and coach’s challenge. “Everybody’s pleased,” Bettman said. “All good.” - On the docket for Tuesday: Discussion of the league’s concussion protocol, as well as the rule for compensation of executives and coaches under contract being hired by new teams. Frank Seravalli can be reached at frank.seravalli@bellmedia.ca.
BUSTED! A woman flying from Colombia to Barcelona was caught this week at a Spanish airport with bags of cocaine implanted in her breasts. Spanish authorities released the picture of two bags containing nearly three pounds of cocaine that were later removed from the suspect's chest. According to CNN, the woman was traveling from Bogota -- a destination known for drug trafficking -- when a female officer noticed during a pat down that she had bandages and gauze under one of her breasts. The suspect reportedly gave vague answers as to why she was in town. Police took her in and transported her to a hospital. "There, a medical team extracted a bag-shaped prosthesis from each breast containing a white pasty substance," the Spanish interior ministry told CNN. Pure cocaine is valued at about $35,000 a pound, Fox 11 reports. The unidentified woman was taken to jail on drug trafficking charges.
Comcast is in hot water once again after another customer came forward with evidence that a Comcast phone rep changed her name to something quite offensive. One Mary Bauer of Illinois found her name had been oh-so-subtly tweaked to “Super Bitch” Bauer, and she wasn’t too happy about it. This comes on the heels of an incident a week earlier where a bill arrived at a customer’s home carrying the first name of “Asshole.” These are, as Comcast has noted, examples of unacceptable behavior on the part of its employees, and the company is investigating the incidents and has already parted ways with at least one of the offending representatives. That’s all to be expected from a company trying to keep from further tarnishing its own public image, and there are plenty of articles out there damning the phone reps and blaming Comcast for hiring them in the first place. I’m going to say something that none of those articles are saying: I deeply sympathize with those employees. Before I began my career in journalism, I worked for several years as a phone representative. Not only that, I worked for a cable company, just like the reps who pulled these little renaming tricks. For over two years, I answered hundreds of calls a week and dealt with a countless number of customers, and I can say with confidence that unless you have done the same, you absolutely cannot pass judgment on these name-changing call-takers. If you worked in a food service job, a retail setting, or any other industry where customers walk through the front door and get to look you in the eye, you probably think you’ve seen the worst that humanity has to offer. Yes, people can be rude in any setting, but nothing compares to how absolutely putrid otherwise good-natured men and women can be to you when they don’t have to actually see your face. I’m talking about the most nasty, abhorrent, cruel things you can think to say, with zero regard for how it might actually affect the person on the other end of the line. There are plenty of normal, level-headed callers too, but these are always overshadowed by the ones who simply want to ruin your day. Their Internet speed was a little slower than normal, so I was a “dumb piece of crap.” Their cable signal went out when they were watching an NFL game, so I was an “incompetent jerk.” (And those are PC versions of the name-calling.) A bill arrived that wasn’t exactly the same as it was the month prior, so the customer was going to “come down to that little office and blow [me] away.” There’s actually a dedicated system in place for calls like that last one; it happened so frequently that we had to report and track threats of physical violence against people who answer the phone at a cable company. I’m based in the United States, which means I was one of reps who customers actually wanted to talk to. Any time a caller would land in one of the overseas call centers and demand to be transferred to the U.S.—as if we didn’t have the exact same computer systems as the individual who originally answered the call—I would routinely be subjected to a several-minute rant about how stupid my company and I were, and you can bet there would be plenty of racial slurs tossed in there for good measure. Nothing compares to how absolutely putrid otherwise good-natured men and women can be to you when they don’t have to actually see your face. None of this is out of the ordinary, and if you feel like convincing yourself that I just had bad luck, and that these reps don’t really have it all that bad, I’ll offer you one last little factoid: During my initial training, which took place with a class of about two dozen others, we were told on the first day that most of us wouldn’t be working there in a month’s time. Not because we weren’t capable of doing the job, but because most of us, inevitably, would quit shortly after training was over. It wasn’t a joke, but we all just kind of snickered and went about our business. After the two weeks of classroom guidance was over, we began taking live calls for the first time. On the first day, four people quit. By the end of the first week, our class had been cut down to 10. After three months, I was the only one of my 25-person training class who had survived. I would eventually spend over two years doing it before moving on. It takes a certain kind of personality to put yourself in the position to be verbally abused every single day and not simply walk out, and anyone who has worked incoming calls for an industry that spawns as much vitriol as cable knows that to be true. If you pick up that phone for a living, you’re going to see the worst humanity has to offer; there’s just no two ways about it. That’s to say nothing of the intensely competitive nature of the job itself, where your job is to get customers to buy more, even if the reason that they called in was to have their cable removed entirely. The customers who received their bills with names altered may think themselves good, wholesome people—the woman who caught the “Super Bitch” moniker has admitted that after many service calls she was “a little hot” on the phone—and I’m sure they are, but let’s not overlook the fact that the calls that spawned these changes aren’t exactly a matter of public record. If one or more of them was spouting even a fraction of the nastiness I recall from my time on the phones, and the representative had finally reached their breaking point, perhaps they could be cut a bit of slack for taking out their frustration on something as inconsequential as the name section of a bill, and if not from their employer, then at least from the rest of us. Photo via Solarbotics/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
A low-cost, high-speed method for printing graphene inks using a conventional roll-to-roll printing process, like that used to print newspapers and crisp packets, could open up a wide range of practical applications, including inexpensive printed electronics, intelligent packaging and disposable sensors. Developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge in collaboration with Cambridge-based technology company Novalia, the method allows graphene and other electrically conducting materials to be added to conventional water-based inks and printed using typical commercial equipment, the first time that graphene has been used for printing on a large-scale commercial printing press at high speed. Graphene is a two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms, just one atom thick. Its flexibility, optical transparency and electrical conductivity make it suitable for a wide range of applications, including printed electronics. Although numerous laboratory prototypes have been demonstrated around the world, widespread commercial use of graphene is yet to be realised. “We are pleased to be the first to bring graphene inks close to real-world manufacturing. There are lots of companies that have produced graphene inks, but none of them has done it on a scale close to this,” said Dr Tawfique Hasan of the Cambridge Graphene Centre (CGC), who developed the method. “Being able to produce conductive inks that could effortlessly be used for printing at a commercial scale at a very high speed will open up all kinds of different applications for graphene and other similar materials.” “This method will allow us to put electronic systems into entirely unexpected shapes,” said Chris Jones of Novalia. “It’s an incredibly flexible enabling technology.” Hasan’s method, developed at the University’s Nanoscience Centre, works by suspending tiny particles of graphene in a ‘carrier’ solvent mixture, which is added to conductive water-based ink formulations. The ratio of the ingredients can be adjusted to control the liquid’s properties, allowing the carrier solvent to be easily mixed into a conventional conductive water-based ink to significantly reduce the resistance. The same method works for materials other than graphene, including metallic, semiconducting and insulating nanoparticles. Currently, printed conductive patterns use a combination of poorly conducting carbon with other materials, most commonly silver, which is expensive. Silver-based inks cost £1000 or more per kilogram, whereas this new graphene ink formulation would be 25 times cheaper. Additionally, silver is not recyclable, while graphene and other carbon materials can easily be recycled. The new method uses cheap, non-toxic and environmentally friendly solvents that can be dried quickly at room temperature, reducing energy costs for ink curing. Once dry, the ‘electric ink’ is also waterproof and adheres to its substrate extremely well. The graphene-based inks have been printed at a rate of more than 100 metres per minute, which is in line with commercial production rates for graphics printing, and far faster than earlier prototypes. Two years ago, Hasan and his colleagues produced a prototype of a transparent and flexible piano using graphene-based inks, which took between six and eight hours to make. Through the use of this new ink, more versatile devices on paper or plastic can be made at a rate of 300 per minute, at a very low cost. Novalia has also produced a printed DJ deck and an interactive poster, which functions as a drum kit using the same method. Hasan and PhD students Guohua Hu, Richard Howe and Zongyin Yang of the Hybrid Nanomaterials Engineering group at CGC, in collaboration with Novalia, tested the method on a typical commercial printing press, which required no modifications in order to print with the graphene ink. In addition to the new applications the method will open up for graphene, it could also initiate entirely new business opportunities for commercial graphics printers, who could diversify into the electronics sector. “The UK, and the Cambridge area in particular, has always been strong in the printing sector, but mostly for graphics printing and packaging,” said Hasan, a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow and a University Lecturer in the Engineering Department. “We hope to use this strong local expertise to expand our functional ink platform. In addition to cheaper printable electronics, this technology opens up potential application areas such as smart packaging and disposable sensors, which to date have largely been inaccessible due to cost.” In the short to medium term, the researchers hope to use their method to make printed, disposable biosensors, energy harvesters and RFID tags. The research was supported by grants from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's Impact Acceleration Account and a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship. The technology is being commercialised by Cambridge Enterprise, the University’s commercialisation arm.
In 1000 days from now, the Millennium Development Goals will run out. When world leaders set these eight big challenges back in 2000, there was a huge amount of work to do. Halving extreme poverty, giving every child an education, and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS were just a few of the targets. But these aren’t just numbers, they are milions of people’s lives, potentially changed forever. Thirteen years on and just 1000 days from the finish line, a lot has changed. Amazingly, we halved extreme poverty by 2010 – a whole five years early. 65 countries are on track to make sure girls have equal access to education. Eight million people now receive lifesaving AIDS treatments compared with just 300,000 in 2002. There is a lot of good news, but also some bad. 26 countries are projected to hit either zero or just one of the targets, including Nigeria, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Over 100 countries are not on track to reduce maternal mortality by three quarters. So should we accept defeat? Or is there still time to turn things around? Rewind 1000 days from today, and it’s hard to believe we lived in a world where: A lot can change in 1000 days. Let’s get on with it. Find out how the Millennium Development Goals are progressing, and how we really could change the world in 1000 days in our new briefing. And join us today on Twitter for a live chat with ONE’s Policy Director Ben Leo at 11am EDT / 3pm GMT.
Get the biggest daily news stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Bitcoin has been up and down in the last year but is a currency starting to come into the mainstream. A surge towards the end of 2017 was followed by a crash soon after - but many predict that it has long-term potential. As a technology though, cryptocurrencies are booming - thanks to their decentralised nature and encrypted security. If you're still not sure about exactly what it is, we've taken a look at the 21st century currency below and explained everything about it. What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin was the first of what have become known as "cryptocurencies". These are forms of digital money that use encryption to secure transactions and control the creation of new units. The plan was to make a form of currency not controlled by governments or businesses, that you could trade globally with no cost and without having to reveal your identity. The popularity of Bitcoin has spawned many copycats - sometimes called "altcoins". To make things more confusing, there are also "second generation" virtual currencies like Ethereum and Bitcoin Cash. So they’re not like the coins in my purse or wallet? No. They are essentially a line of numbered “code” - instructions used in computer programming. However, once purchased they can be exchanged for some goods and services, like normal money. Where did Bitcoin come from? (Image: Getty) Created by a mysterious developer who uses the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoins exploded on to the financial scene in 2013, following enormous increases in their value. In the original Bitcoin white paper, Nakamoto describes his creation as a "peer-to-peer version of electronic cash", allowing "online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution". How does Bitcoin work? Nakamoto wrote that such a currency uses "cryptographic proof instead of trust, allowing any two willing parties to transact directly with each other without the need for a trusted third party". This sort of stateless, bank-free currency uses a distributed, cryptographically secure "blockchain" to record payment transactions. (Image: Reuters) Recording of payments onto the blockchain is powered by users, who offer their computer power. They are rewarded with newly created Bitcoins, and this activity is referred to as mining. What determines their value? Like many things, it comes down to supply and demand. New Bitcoins are released at a rate of about 25 new coins every 10 minutes. But the flow will dry up as they have been designed to ensure that no more than 21 million will ever exist. Today, around 16 million are in use. How to get Bitcoin Bitcoins can be obtained in a number of different ways. It's possible to accept them as payment for goods or services. You can also buy them directly from individuals or special websites called 'exchanges', such as Coinbase, that will swap Bitcoins for regular currency. Free Bitcoin and Bitcoin Faucets While 'free bitcoin' may seem like something that lands in your spam folder, there is a legitimate way to get it with a Bitcoin Faucet. A Bitcoin faucet is a type of award system either on a website or an app. The company running the faucet will send small amounts when you complete tasks such as watching videos or playing games. Some of the most popular include: The Cointiply mining game is one of the most popular games in the faucet community and lets you earn in the background, in addition to taking surveys. Bitcoin wallets Bitcoin wallets are simply specially-designed programs that store your Bitcoin, the same way a regular wallet would store your cash. (Image: Getty) They can be used either on a desktop computer or a smartphone and can be stored securely on the web so they can be accessed from anywhere. How to mine Mining is a tricky process that involves solving a complex maths problem that takes both time and computing power. The more powerful your computer (and thus, the quicker you can crunch the numbers) means a more difficult problem. Custom-built Bitcoin mining hardware and software is now available, allowing miners to find Bitcoins even faster. (Image: Reuters/Getty Images) Each miner also solves a dual function as they process and secure transactions on the block chain. But the more miners that join, the harder it becomes to find Bitcoins. What is a Bitcoin miner? A Bitcoin miner can be anyone that simply does it for fun right up to someone with the latest equipment who is attempting to mine for profit. Bitcoin miners also join into pools that split the workload and gives each of them a share of the profits. (Image: Getty) The future of cryptocurrencies Second-generation cryptocurrencies include altcoins with more advanced functions, that harness the computing power of the blockchain. An example is Ethereum - the blockchain can execute "smart contracts". These are pieces of computer code that can interact with other coded contracts and perform work - for instance moving money around and making decisions. The DAO platform that was hacked is written into the Ethereum blockchain and can autonomously operate without humans to control the organisation. To decide what investments the DAO makes, its members vote on which proposed contacts will be included in the blockchain. This could be the start of an autonomous financial future dictated by machines rather than humans. Why have there been so many warnings about Bitcoin? Partly because of fears that investors will lose a packet. Firstly, Bitcoin has no central bank that stands behind it and isn’t regulated by any state. Secondly, experts reckon the bubble could burst. Earlier this year Ethereum – the second biggest cryptocurrency after Bitcoin – saw its value collapse from $317 a coin to $0.1 a coin in a day. It bounced back, and is now trading at $473 a coin, but the lesson is there. Some have labelled Bitcoins what traders call a “fool’s asset”. Unlike investing in a house that can be rented out or a company that makes profits, the only way to make money from them is to find a “greater fool” than you who’ll pay an even higher price than you will. Legendary investor Warren Buffett says of Bitcoin: “Stay away from it. It’s a mirage, basically.” Finance expert Martin Lewis said: “Bitcoin is a highly speculative investment. Putting money in it is a form of gambling.” Why else are people worried? (Image: Getty) Because it is being exploited by criminals and hackers. The fact that transactions are untraceable makes it a dream come true for drug dealers and money laundering, and it is the currency of choice for cyber criminals. It is telling that online crooks who launched the massive WannaCry ransomware attack earlier this year, which crippled part of the NHS and as well as businesses in 150 countries, demanded Bitcoin payments for organisations to regain access o their systems. The ill gotten gains can be transferred across borders and withdraw in any currency or spent them on the dark web - a collection of hard to find websites where it is impossible to track the user. The Treasury this month announced a crackdown on Bitcoin to tackle money laundering and tax dodging. Under the plans, online platforms where Bitcoins are traded will be required to vet customers and report suspicious activity.
Here's a little project I've had going for a while. I had the lineart done before Sai crapped out on me. Now that I fixed the problem I've been able to work on it again. I'm pretty pleased with this, although the glow trails looked a lot better as sketches.I started re-watchign Digimon Adventure 02, but in Japanese this time. Ken has always been my favorite character, and since both he and Fluttershy represent Kindness, I thought why not draw them together. In a not crack-pairing way of course. I do friend-ship these two, though. I think they'd get along well. Also, the Digimon symbol of Kindness looks suspiciously like Fluttershy's head.I love these two so much.MLP (c) Hasbro, Studio B and all the fantastic people who work on the showDigimon (c) ... I have no idea. :/ It's a complex franchise.
At a news conference Aug. 28, President Trump defended his decision to pardon Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Arizona's Maricopa County. (Reuters) President Trump’s comments at a Monday afternoon news conference reveal a morally obtuse character who is blind to the impact of his own words. Whatever scripting provided by his generals, they cannot conceal Trump’s near pathological lack of concern for others. Asked about his controversial pardon of ex-sheriff Joe Arpaio, Trump acknowledged using the hurricane — that is the impending disaster — to get ratings. “Actually, in the middle of a hurricane, even though it was a Friday evening, I assumed the ratings would be far higher than they were normally.” Trump is so lacking in empathy and simple human decency that he sees nothing wrong with taking political advantage of others’ misery. Rather than defend his actions on the merits, he played the whataboutism game, challenging President Barack Obama’s and President Bill Clinton’s pardons. Like a child, Trump seems to think that their wrongs justify his own. Without reviewing any of the facts, Trump claims Arpaio was treated “unfairly” and commended his service. For those who know the details of Arpaio’s tenure, this is offensive in the extreme. As Andrew Cohen of the Brennan Center writes: The truth is that “America’s toughest sheriff,” as Arpaio liked to call himself, was an incompetent buffoon, a sour mash of cruelty and inattention that cost his county hundreds of millions of dollars in fines, fees and legal settlements. The only thing he accomplished in his decades in power was to become, first, a national symbol of brutality toward jail inmates and, later, a poster child for anti-immigrant racism. But pardon decrees cannot say any of that. They cannot say: “Because no one can stop us we are today rescuing a sheriff who violated his oath of office and broke the law and never apologized for doing so.” Trump’s pardon makes sense only as a raw act of self-perpetuating power designed to give succor to those caught in the middle of the investigation into the Trump team’s ties to Russia, and to encourage other lawless law officers to ignore those court orders with which they disagree. To make matters worse, Trump claims his move is popular in Arizona. You will recall that Arpaio was roundly defeated in his last election — 56 percent to 43 percent in a state Trump carried. If the people of Arizona “loved” Arpaio, why then did they vote him out of office? At least one poll taken before the pardon was issued shows the pardon is overwhelmingly unpopular: “Half of Arizonans surveyed over the weekend believe that President Donald Trump should not announce a pardon for former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio at a Tuesday rally, compared with 21 percent who said it would be a good move, according to [the OH Predictive Insights] poll.” Nevertheless, Trump is always convinced (“people say”) that the public supports him. Post editorial writer Quinta Jurecic says President Trump's reprehensible, and legal, pardon of former sheriff Joe Arpaio reveals weaknesses in the American system of government. (Gillian Brockell,Kate Woodsome/The Washington Post) His affection and defense of a rogue law enforcement officer is chilling. As Max Boot recounted: He housed inmates in such inhumane conditions — an outdoor tent city that was an inferno in the summer and a freezer in the winter — that he himself described it as a concentration camp. He overlooked routine brutality by his deputies, which led to legal settlements costing taxpayers at least $140 million. He arrested the owners of a newspaper, the Phoenix New Times, which ran critical coverage of him, leading to a $3.75-million settlement. He was so busy pursuing immigrants that he neglected to investigate cases of rape and child abuse. It’s telling that Trump thinks his action in pardoning such a monstrous figure is justified if it is popular (which it is not). His inability to address the merits of his actions and to grapple with the enormity of Arpaio’s abuse and contempt for the court system shouldn’t be surprising. Trump shares a love of bully-boy tactics and Arpaio’s ugly views of immigrants. Trump must resort to hiding behind the skirts of other presidents or popular opinion. In this case those are of little help. His pardon — based on his obvious affection for a cruel racist who defied the courts and shows no regret — is in a class by itself.
On April 26th 2009 I was working for the Boyne City Ambulance in Boyne City, MI. I stayed at the Ambulance station that night. At 4:20 AM I got a very shocking dispatch, it was my own home. Someone had broken into our house and slit my 9 year old autistic daughters throat. When I arrived on the scene, with the Ambulance, I was relieved to discover that she was going to make it because the 5 inch wound, caused by a knife, had missed her jugular vein by a couple of millimeters. Another EMT was called in to take my place as my daughter was rushed to the hospital. One of the Police Officers at the scene showed me my daughter's room. There was a beer can beside her bed (we did not have any beer in the house) and a knife from our kitchen was lying on her nightstand. As this Officer continued to talk to me in the hallway, I noticed the odor of intoxicating beverages coming from his breath. After I said something to him about smelling something, he changed the subject. My spouse and I were questioned separately. It is completely understandable to look at the family in this type of case, if anything, to ensure everyone was safe. My wife was really drug through the coals. A State Police Investigator made several false claims against her. I was being questioned by the Boyne City Police Officer, who had smelled with the odor of intoxicants, and his brother, another State Trooper. My interrogation seemed to be focused more on whether I was going to say anything about the intoxication or not. I tried to tell them that my only concern was finding out who tried to kill my daughter. The State Police Trooper told me that my wife and I needed to take the Polygraph, to help rule us out as suspects. Right away, I refused to let anyone in our family take the Polygraph. Just as I had been taught by a Professor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, I told the Trooper that the Polygraph is not very accurate. I could not remember the exact percentage of it's true accuracy at the time (63 to 68%), but I again I refused to take the polygraph. Mind you, the Michigan State Police were the ones who framed Lisa Hanson (read Hansen's story here: After my Police interview, I left the station and went to my car to get my drivers license and returned to the Police station so the Police could make a copy. I saw Boyne City Chief of Police, Officer Gettle, behind the glass and approximately 20 feet away with his back to me, yelling to the other Officers around him that he bet that I had committed the crime against my daughter. The Police continued to hammer us about the polygraph. I told finally them, "No Poly, No waiver (of rights) and no (sworn) statement." I also told them I felt we were being framed because of there drinking on the job. The Boyne City Police were ordered to refrain from any type of press release by the Prosecutor. The Assistant Police Chief decided to tell the local press that they were sure someone in my family committed this crime and the fact that someone refused the polygraph. The local paper posted the fact someone had refused the polygraph and investigators are not 100 percent sure the assailant was an intruder. - This unauthorized press release gave the community a false sense of truth, which may have prevented people from coming forward with any possible leads. - Several people came forward to us with allegations that the Boyne City Police were telling people in public places that someone in our family had most likely committed the crime against my daughter. We received a lot of discrimination and it affected my college and work. Hopefully, we can get some testimony from some of these witnesses. - Before this crime had happened, no one in our family had ever even been accused of a crime. We are God fearing, law abiding citizens. My life has been devoted to service to my community and to my country. My wife and I participated fully with the Boyne City Police and the Michigan State Police. The Police had no logical reason to assume someone in our family had committed this crime. - Our other daughter, a 2 year-old, also had light knife like scratches on her neck & chin area that were not there when she went to bed. When we brought this up to the Police and they just laughed about it and refused to collect any photographic evidence. Faith was sleeping in our bed, with my wife in the master bedroom at the time. During the sentencing trial, we heard a Detective tell the Assistant Prosecutor that shoe impressions from the suspect were found in the master bedroom. The perpetrator got away with this potential crime. - After the Boyne City Police and the State Police crime lab had completed their initial investigation of our house, the Boyne City Police wanted to just give the key to our house back to us and have us call them if anything is missing or out of place. I refused to take the key back unless they went through the house with us. After their initial refusal to go through the house with us, we decided to keep the crime scene preserved, with the Police still in control of the house key, until the initial Police report was released. - After three weeks, the crime lab results still had not come back and the initial Police report had not been released . . . It was now May 18th . . . the attempted murder happened on April 26th. At this point, we again requested to go through the house with the Police and finally on Monday, May 18th, three weeks later, we went through the house with the Police. - During our initial Police interview, my wife and I had both stated that all of our kitchen knifes were kept in a particular drawer or in the dishwasher. We never leave kitchen knifes anywhere else in the house. During the walk-through and in the presence of Police, we observed knives lying on the counter above the dishwasher. I pointed them out to the Police Officers present at the time. The Police confirmed with us that the knives were in the same place upon their initial investigation. - With two Police Officers standing behind me, I then noticed a knife lying in the sink. The knife I discovered lying in the sink appeared to have dried blood on it. We never cut anything with blood on it the day of or the day before the crime. I was taking Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology in college at the time, where I had to look at dried blood smears on a regular biases. Based on my medical, military and law enforcement training and experience, I feel that it was blood on that knife. I pointed this knife out to the Officers. Why were these knives not collected as evidence in the first place? There were no signs on the knifes that they were tested for blood or fingerprints at the scene. They had sat there untouched for 3 weeks after we gave the Police full permission to search the property and they had conducted two search warrants. - The Police focused their investigation on our families bedrooms. They took my sons computer and bedding, but they did not focus in the kitchen at all, where the knife found inside my daughters room came from. It was obvious that an attempt to frame someone in our family was made, instead of investigating the scene with an open mind. COVERING YOUR EYES TO THE OBVIOUS EVIDENCE (refusing to investigating the kitchen and knifes, the same place were the knife found upstairs came from) IS THE SAME AS COVERING UP THE EVIDENCE. The Boyne City Police was only interested in finding evidence to frame one of our family members, my Autistic son. - Later, I was told that the lab found the knife was clean and no blood was found on it. The perpetrator claimed to have thrown the knife he used in the woods, yet we have no knowledge of the woods being searched for the knife, even though the precipitation was very low from the time of the crime until the time of the confession. The alleged knife was never searched for because the Police may have known exactly where the real knife was, cleaned and at the crime lab. Someone may have tampered with evidence. It may have been the Boyne City Police, who were trying to avoid a potential civil suit or the State Police crime lab was covering up their mistake of not finding the knife and they tampered with the evidence. - On May 26th, 2009 exactly one month after the incident, I contacted the local press and I asked them to meet me at city hall where I made a speech before a city counsel meeting. I went there to correct the Boyne City Police misleading of the press in a tactful way. I asked for leads in the case and I blamed the lack of public knowledge of the incident on the Police not wanting to scare the public. Boyne City citizens are confirmed online that observed Boyne City Police Officers drinking on duty. Im sure a computer expert could discover who posted those comments. - One week later, an informant came forward who had heard a 14 year-old-boy, Michael Meza, brag about committing the crime after I was on the local news. As I understand it, the Boyne City Police did not initially follow up on the lead, but the Charlevoix County Sheriffs department, Undersheriff Chuck Vondra, did most all of the work in the case. The Boyne City Police were just along for the ride. Chuck Vondra has told me that the Boyne City Police were not happy with his involvement with the case. Chuck Vondra is now the Boyne City Mayor and he is still the county Undersheriff. - Michael Meza had been recently charged with other felonies prior to his attack in our home. These felonies happened in Van Buren County and Grand Traverse county. The felonies include; home invasion 2nd degree, felonious assault, unlawful driving away of an automobile. During the transfer from Van Buren County to Grand Traverse county, Meza was released to his mother, (another felon) and was not released on any type of bond. - Michael Meza was being housed in a juvenile facility in Roscommon County. On August, 30th , was the first time that I worked a night shift again on the Ambulance, away from home, Meza and another juvenile attacked a guard by choking and punching him, locked him in a cell, they changed into civilian clothes, stole the guards vehicle and escaped the facility for over 3 hours before being caught after a hot pursuit on the highway. Meza and the other escapee had initially drove south, but turned around and headed north, towards us. - We were not notified of the escape until two days later (September, 2nd) by the Charlevoix county prosecutors office. The only reason we were notified is because the press got a hold of the story. When the prosecutors office called us, they said that Meza did not escape, but it was an attempted escape because they did not get past the parking lot. According to the Charlevoix County prosecutors office, the Roscommon county Sheriff Dept. failed to make proper notifications to them and to tell them the truth about what happened. A Petoskey News Review reporter also confirmed that the Roscommon county sheriffs department told him that the escapees did not get past the parking lot. This is a clear violation of our crime victims rights, as we should have been notified of the escape forthwith. - Meza has pled guilty and January, 2010 he was sentenced to 15-30 years in prison. I have made a complaint to the Attorney General, to no avail. The Attorneys in my area are afraid of "qualified Immunity" the Police Officers might have and they want several thousand dollars up front. Money we don't have. I am about ready to just file a lawsuit by myself. It would be better to lose than to do nothing. I am a former Michigan State Police Trooper, a former Federal Police Officer, a 2006-2007 trainer of Iraqi Police on the battlefield and a 17 year veteran of the US Army and Army National Guard as a Military Police Soldier.On April 26th 2009 I was working for the Boyne City Ambulance in Boyne City, MI. I stayed at the Ambulance station that night. At 4:20 AM I got a very shocking dispatch, it was my own home. Someone had broken into our house and slit my 9 year old autistic daughters throat. When I arrived on the scene, with the Ambulance, I was relieved to discover that she was going to make it because the 5 inch wound, caused by a knife, had missed her jugular vein by a couple of millimeters. Another EMT was called in to take my place as my daughter was rushed to the hospital. One of the Police Officers at the scene showed me my daughter's room. There was a beer can beside her bed (we did not have any beer in the house) and a knife from our kitchen was lying on her nightstand. As this Officer continued to talk to me in the hallway, I noticed the odor of intoxicating beverages coming from his breath. After I said something to him about smelling something, he changed the subject.My spouse and I were questioned separately. It is completely understandable to look at the family in this type of case, if anything, to ensure everyone was safe. My wife was really drug through the coals. A State Police Investigator made several false claims against her. I was being questioned by the Boyne City Police Officer, who had smelled with the odor of intoxicants, and his brother, another State Trooper. My interrogation seemed to be focused more on whether I was going to say anything about the intoxication or not. I tried to tell them that my only concern was finding out who tried to kill my daughter.The State Police Trooper told me that my wife and I needed to take the Polygraph, to help rule us out as suspects. Right away, I refused to let anyone in our family take the Polygraph. Just as I had been taught by a Professor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, I told the Trooper that the Polygraph is not very accurate. I could not remember the exact percentage of it's true accuracy at the time (63 to 68%), but I again I refused to take the polygraph. Mind you, the Michigan State Police were the ones who framed Lisa Hanson (read Hansen's story here: https://antipolygraph.org/blog/?p=61 After my Police interview, I left the station and went to my car to get my drivers license and returned to the Police station so the Police could make a copy. I saw Boyne City Chief of Police, Officer Gettle, behind the glass and approximately 20 feet away with his back to me, yelling to the other Officers around him that he bet that I had committed the crime against my daughter.The Police continued to hammer us about the polygraph. I told finally them, "No Poly, No waiver (of rights) and no (sworn) statement." I also told them I felt we were being framed because of there drinking on the job.The Boyne City Police were ordered to refrain from any type of press release by the Prosecutor. The Assistant Police Chief decided to tell the local press that they were sure someone in my family committed this crime and the fact that someone refused the polygraph. The local paper posted the fact someone had refused the polygraph and investigators are not 100 percent sure the assailant was an intruder.- This unauthorized press release gave the community a false sense of truth, which may have prevented people from coming forward with any possible leads.- Several people came forward to us with allegations that the Boyne City Police were telling people in public places that someone in our family had most likely committed the crime against my daughter. We received a lot of discrimination and it affected my college and work. Hopefully, we can get some testimony from some of these witnesses.- Before this crime had happened, no one in our family had ever even been accused of a crime. We are God fearing, law abiding citizens. My life has been devoted to service to my community and to my country. My wife and I participated fully with the Boyne City Police and the Michigan State Police. The Police had no logical reason to assume someone in our family had committed this crime.- Our other daughter, a 2 year-old, also had light knife like scratches on her neck & chin area that were not there when she went to bed. When we brought this up to the Police and they just laughed about it and refused to collect any photographic evidence. Faith was sleeping in our bed, with my wife in the master bedroom at the time. During the sentencing trial, we heard a Detective tell the Assistant Prosecutor that shoe impressions from the suspect were found in the master bedroom. The perpetrator got away with this potential crime.- After the Boyne City Police and the State Police crime lab had completed their initial investigation of our house, the Boyne City Police wanted to just give the key to our house back to us and have us call them if anything is missing or out of place. I refused to take the key back unless they went through the house with us. After their initial refusal to go through the house with us, we decided to keep the crime scene preserved, with the Police still in control of the house key, until the initial Police report was released.- After three weeks, the crime lab results still had not come back and the initial Police report had not been released . . . It was now May 18th . . . the attempted murder happened on April 26th. At this point, we again requested to go through the house with the Police and finally on Monday, May 18th, three weeks later, we went through the house with the Police.- During our initial Police interview, my wife and I had both stated that all of our kitchen knifes were kept in a particular drawer or in the dishwasher. We never leave kitchen knifes anywhere else in the house. During the walk-through and in the presence of Police, we observed knives lying on the counter above the dishwasher. I pointed them out to the Police Officers present at the time. The Police confirmed with us that the knives were in the same place upon their initial investigation.- With two Police Officers standing behind me, I then noticed a knife lying in the sink. The knife I discovered lying in the sink appeared to have dried blood on it. We never cut anything with blood on it the day of or the day before the crime. I was taking Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology in college at the time, where I had to look at dried blood smears on a regular biases. Based on my medical, military and law enforcement training and experience, I feel that it was blood on that knife. I pointed this knife out to the Officers. Why were these knives not collected as evidence in the first place? There were no signs on the knifes that they were tested for blood or fingerprints at the scene. They had sat there untouched for 3 weeks after we gave the Police full permission to search the property and they had conducted two search warrants.- The Police focused their investigation on our families bedrooms. They took my sons computer and bedding, but they did not focus in the kitchen at all, where the knife found inside my daughters room came from. It was obvious that an attempt to frame someone in our family was made, instead of investigating the scene with an open mind.COVERING YOUR EYES TO THE OBVIOUS EVIDENCE (refusing to investigating the kitchen and knifes, the same place were the knife found upstairs came from) IS THE SAME AS COVERING UP THE EVIDENCE. The Boyne City Police was only interested in finding evidence to frame one of our family members, my Autistic son.- Later, I was told that the lab found the knife was clean and no blood was found on it. The perpetrator claimed to have thrown the knife he used in the woods, yet we have no knowledge of the woods being searched for the knife, even though the precipitation was very low from the time of the crime until the time of the confession. The alleged knife was never searched for because the Police may have known exactly where the real knife was, cleaned and at the crime lab. Someone may have tampered with evidence. It may have been the Boyne City Police, who were trying to avoid a potential civil suit or the State Police crime lab was covering up their mistake of not finding the knife and they tampered with the evidence.- On May 26th, 2009 exactly one month after the incident, I contacted the local press and I asked them to meet me at city hall where I made a speech before a city counsel meeting. I went there to correct the Boyne City Police misleading of the press in a tactful way. I asked for leads in the case and I blamed the lack of public knowledge of the incident on the Police not wanting to scare the public.Boyne City citizens are confirmed online that observed Boyne City Police Officers drinking on duty. Im sure a computer expert could discover who posted those comments.- One week later, an informant came forward who had heard a 14 year-old-boy, Michael Meza, brag about committing the crime after I was on the local news. As I understand it, the Boyne City Police did not initially follow up on the lead, but the Charlevoix County Sheriffs department, Undersheriff Chuck Vondra, did most all of the work in the case. The Boyne City Police were just along for the ride. Chuck Vondra has told me that the Boyne City Police were not happy with his involvement with the case. Chuck Vondra is now the Boyne City Mayor and he is still the county Undersheriff.- Michael Meza had been recently charged with other felonies prior to his attack in our home. These felonies happened in Van Buren County and Grand Traverse county. The felonies include; home invasion 2nd degree, felonious assault, unlawful driving away of an automobile. During the transfer from Van Buren County to Grand Traverse county, Meza was released to his mother, (another felon) and was not released on any type of bond.- Michael Meza was being housed in a juvenile facility in Roscommon County. On August, 30th , was the first time that I worked a night shift again on the Ambulance, away from home, Meza and another juvenile attacked a guard by choking and punching him, locked him in a cell, they changed into civilian clothes, stole the guards vehicle and escaped the facility for over 3 hours before being caught after a hot pursuit on the highway. Meza and the other escapee had initially drove south, but turned around and headed north, towards us.- We were not notified of the escape until two days later (September, 2nd) by the Charlevoix county prosecutors office. The only reason we were notified is because the press got a hold of the story. When the prosecutors office called us, they said that Meza did not escape, but it was an attempted escape because they did not get past the parking lot. According to the Charlevoix County prosecutors office, the Roscommon county Sheriff Dept. failed to make proper notifications to them and to tell them the truth about what happened. A Petoskey News Review reporter also confirmed that the Roscommon county sheriffs department told him that the escapees did not get past the parking lot. This is a clear violation of our crime victims rights, as we should have been notified of the escape forthwith.- Meza has pled guilty and January, 2010 he was sentenced to 15-30 years in prison.I have made a complaint to the Attorney General, to no avail. The Attorneys in my area are afraid of "qualified Immunity" the Police Officers might have and they want several thousand dollars up front. Money we don't have. I am about ready to just file a lawsuit by myself. It would be better to lose than to do nothing.
Thanks to Matthew Rigby for the track One of These Days – Thanks to FranÃ§ois Vinette for the track Echoes – Based on the album version and cut during the “funky” part Thanks to Matthew Rigby for the track Time – Thanks to Michael King for the track The Great Gig in the Sky (midi) – Thanks to Chris Johnson for the rack Money – This clip let’s you do both the rhythm and the three solos Us & Them (midi) Thanks to Mattia Calzolari for the track Any Colour You Like (midi) Thanks to Leandro Fernandez for the track Eclipse (midi) Thanks to Joe “Buckkillr8” Eggers for the track Shine on You Crazy Diamond 1-5 – Thanks to Andrea Torelli for the track Shine On blues – A blues based on the Shine On chords Have a Cigar – Thanks to Markus Auinger for the track Wish You Were Here (Pulse version) – Thanks to Markus Auinger for the track Sheep (midi) – Thanks to Joe “Buckkillr8” Eggers for the track Dogs â€œfast soloâ€ – The first solo of the track as heard on Animals. Note that this track is recorded in standard tuning. Recorded by BjÃ¸rn Riis. Dogs â€œdry solo” – The third or middle solo of the track as heard on Animals. Note that this track is recorded in standard tuning. Recorded by BjÃ¸rn Riis. So Far Away (solo excerpt) – Recorded by BjÃ¸rn Riis. Raise My Rent – Thanks to Neil Gard for the track Mihalis – Thanks to Isaac Esqueff for the track Another Brick in the Wall part 1 – Recorded by BjÃ¸rn Riis. Another Brick in the Wall part 2 – Thanks to Are Svendsen for the track Young Lust – Thanks to Matthew Rigby for the track Run Like Hell – Thanks to Chris Johnson for the track Comfortably Numb – Thanks to Jani Ovasaka for the track Your Possible Pasts (solo excerpt) Thanks to Filippo Bartoli for the track Fletcher Memorial Home Thanks to Matthew Rigby for the track Final Cut (solo excerpt) – The solo from Final Cut. Recorded by BjÃ¸rn Riis. Signs of Life – Thanks to Jean Cabi for the track Sorrow – Thanks to Matthew Rigby for the track On the Turning Away – Thanks to John Roscoe for the track Terminal Frost – Thanks to John Roscoe for the track Learning to Fly (Pulse version) – Thanks to Markus Auinger for the track Dogs of War – Thanks to Fluch for the track Yet Another Movie – Thanks to BeatKraftZ Music Productions for the track Wearing the Inside Out – Thanks to Marc-Andre Paquette for the track Poles Apart – Thanks to Gavin Beaumont for the track Cluster One – Thanks to Alex Wheeler for the track Coming Back to Life – Thanks to Daniel Scates for the track What Do You Want From Me – Thanks to Christophe Folly for the track Take it Back – Thanks to Rafal Zychal for the track Marooned (midi) – Thanks to Stanislav Dyachenko for the track Keep Talking (midi) – Thanks to Joe “Buckkillr8” Eggers for the track Lost For Words – Thanks to Gary Halloran for the track High Hopes – Thanks to Chico Valdivia for the track Castellorizon – No sound effects and added an acoustic guitar to keep time. Recorded by BjÃ¸rn Riis. On an Island (first solo) – The first solo or middle section on On an Island. Recorded by BjÃ¸rn Riis. On an Island (final solo – extended) – An extended version of the track heard on On an Island. Recorded by BjÃ¸rn Riis. The Blue (excerpt) – Thanks to Jordan Nevell for the track Take a Breath – Thanks to FrÃ©dÃ©ric Peynet for the track Slow Blues – Thanks to Rafal Zychal for the track
Fun Facts You might know a lot about ice cream, but here are some things you might not know about Baskin-Robbins. There are more than 7,800 Baskin-Robbins locations around the world, with more than 2,500 nationwide. Baskin-Robbins international locations feature flavors of ice cream popular to the tastes of each country, such as Red Bean and Green Tea. Baskin-Robbins "31®" was created to represent a different ice cream flavor for each day of the month. The "31 Flavors" concept was introduced into marketing efforts in 1953. Today Baskin-Robbins colors are pink and blue, but the original colors were brown (representing chocolate) and pink (representing cherry), and our famous polka dots represented circus balloons. The company founders, Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins, were brothers-in-law. Burt married Irv's sister Shirley in 1942. Both Burt and Irv served during World War II. Burt was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy serving in the South Pacific. Irv was a Staff Sergeant in the Army, stationed in California. Burt owned a 1931 Rolls Royce® Phantom II, the world's first 100 mph passenger car. Burt Baskin once met a man who told him, "Whoever thinks of all these flavors must be plumb nuts!" "Congratulations," said Mr. Baskin. "You just invented a new flavor: Plum Nuts." At the height of Beatlemania, just before the Beatle's first U.S. tour, a reporter from The Washington Post called Irv Robbins and asked what new flavor would honor the Beatles. The truth was, Baskin-Robbins had not invented a Beatles flavor. Caught unprepared, Mr. Robbins replied, "Uh, Beatle Nut, of course." It was created, manufactured and delivered in just five days. Following a trip to New Orleans, Irv and Irma Robbins were enjoying some souvenir pralines at home when inspiration hit. They rushed to the kitchen, mixed the pralines with Vanilla ice cream and a caramel ribbon—and Pralines 'n Cream was born. It was such a hit that stores all over the country began running out. Advice columnist Dear Abby pleaded in print for its return. Headquarters received petitions with hundreds of signatures. And in Santa Barbara, students picketed local stores until Baskin-Robbins delivered a special production run of the flavor. It has been a permanent flavor ever since. Irv originally wanted to open his first Snowbird store in the San Francisco Bay Area. On a trip to Los Angeles to talk with suppliers, he noticed a "For Rent" sign in a store window down the street from the Forest Lawn Cemetery. That store became the first Snowbird store, and then the first Baskin-Robbins® store. Ernie Robbins, Irv's father, convinced Burt and Irv to first open separate stores rather than go into partnership together, so they could each experience what it was like to make their own decisions. That decision lead to Irv opening Snowbird and Burt opening Burton's. The top 5 selling Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavors are Vanilla, Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Chip, Pralines 'n Cream and Chocolate Chip. Jamoca® Almond Fudge ice cream was first developed to be made from coffee brewed on the premises of each of the fifteen manufacturing facilities. All Baskin-Robbins chocolate ice creams originally were comprised of an exclusive blend of three cocoas. The creation of Very Berry Strawberry ice cream was initially created with a special strawberry created and grown exclusively for Baskin-Robbins. Since 1945, we've created more than 1,300 unique and delicious ice cream flavors. Throughout the years, we've honored important American events and cultural trends by introducing premium ice cream flavors, such as Lunar Cheesecake ™ , Sesame Sweet, Beatle Nut and Green Monster Mint. , Sesame Sweet, Beatle Nut and Green Monster Mint. In 1976, during America's 200th Birthday Celebration (and Baskin-Robbins' 31st birthday), President Ford enjoyed a quart of Valley Forge Fudge created just for the occasion. "Here Comes the Fudge" ice cream was named after a popular segment on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In TV show. Baseball Nut ® commemorated the Dodgers move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. commemorated the Dodgers move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. "Astronut" and "Lunar Cheesecake" were named in honor of the NASA space missions that took place in the 1960s, but were only introduced after the astronauts came home safely. One of Baskin-Robbins' most popular flavors was actually created by comedian Steve Allen. "Steverino" Ice Cream was invented as a gag for the Steve Allen Show, but proved to be very popular in stores. It was loaded with fresh fruits, nuts and Fern Candy. In the first month it was offered, Steverino Ice Cream sold over 1 million scoops, a new volume record for the industry. Baskin-Robbins franchisee, Mitch Cohen of New York, currently holds the Guinness World Record for scooping 19 ice cream cones in one minute. On May 18, 2000, Baskin-Robbins achieved the Guinness World Record for the "World's Largest Ice Cream Scoop Pyramid" by using 3,100 scoops of ice cream. The Guinness World Record for the largest cup of ice cream is currently held by Baskin-Robbins. Created on September 13, 2005 in celebration of the company's 60th birthday, the enormous scoop of vanilla ice cream weighed in at 8,865 pounds! Howard Hughes once became quite fond of Baskin-Robbins Banana Nut ice cream, so his aides tried to purchase a bulk shipment for him. Sadly, they discovered the flavor had been discontinued. They put in a request for the smallest amount the company could provide for a special order, 350 gallons (1,300 Liters). It was shipped from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, where Hughes lived at the time on the top floor of the Desert Inn. That's the hotel he bought after they tried to evict him. A few days after the order arrived, Hughes announced he was tired of Banana Nut and only wanted French Vanilla ice cream. The Desert Inn ended up distributing free Banana Nut ice cream to casino customers for a full year until the 350 gallons were gone. (Source: wikipedia) (Source: wikipedia) The favorite Baskin-Robbins flavor of Bing Crosby and Justin Timberlake was, and is, Daiquiri Ice. Famous former Baskin-Robbins scoopers include President Barack Obama, TV hosts Leeza Gibbons and Rosie O'Donnell, Chef Bobby Flay, actresses Julia Roberts, Taryn Manning and Chandra Wilson, actors Eric Dane and Randy Quaid and New York Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes. Sean “Diddy” Combs got his first break by starring in a Baskin-Robbins commercial at the age of two. The trademarks mentioned herein are held by their respective owners and no association or sponsorship with Baskin-Robbins is intended.
There is a classified America we were never meant to see. From Academy Award®-winning writer/director Oliver Stone, this ten-part documentary series looks back at human events that at the time went under reported, but that crucially shaped America's unique and complex history over the 20th century. From the atomic bombing of... There is a classified America we were never meant to see. From Academy Award®-winning writer/director Oliver Stone, this ten-part documentary series looks back at human events that at the time went under reported, but that crucially shaped America's unique and complex history over the 20th century. From the atomic bombing of Japan to the Cold War and the fall of Communism, this in-depth, surprising, and totally riveting series demands to be watched again and again. Chapter 1: World War II Chapter 2: Roosevelt, Truman & Wallace Chapter 3: The Bomb Chapter 4: The Cold War: 1945–1950 Chapter 5: The '50s: Eisenhower, The Bomb & The Third World. Chapter 6: JFK: To The Brink Chapter 7: Johnson, Nixon & Vietnam: Reversal Of Fortune Chapter 8: Reagan, Gorbachev & Third World: Rise Of The Right Chapter 9: Bush & Clinton: Squandered Peace – New World Order Chapter 10: Bush & Obama: Age of Terror Part 11: Prologue A Part 12: Prologue B The series is also available via Showtime on-demand.
As war hawks today push President Obama into more and more confrontations, there is an echo from a half century ago when Vietnam War hawks manipulated President Johnson into a bombing campaign in retaliation for the phony Gulf of Tonkin incident, as Gareth Porter recalls. By Gareth Porter For most of the last five decades, it has been assumed that the Tonkin Gulf incident was a deception by Lyndon Johnson to justify war in Vietnam. But the U.S. bombing of North Vietnam on Aug. 4, 1964, in retaliation for an alleged naval attack that never happened — and the Tonkin Gulf Resolution that followed was not a move by LBJ to get the American people to support a U.S. war in Vietnam. The real deception on that day was that Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara’s misled LBJ by withholding from him the information that the U.S. commander in the Gulf — who had initially reported an attack by North Vietnamese patrol boats on U.S. warships — had later expressed serious doubts about the initial report and was calling for a full investigation by daylight. That withholding of information from LBJ represented a brazen move to usurp the President’s constitutional power of decision on the use of military force. McNamara’s deception is documented in the declassified files on the Tonkin Gulf episode in the Lyndon Johnson library, which this writer used to piece together the untold story of the Tonkin Gulf episode in a 2005 book on the U.S. entry into war in Vietnam. It is a key element of a wider story of how the national security state, including both military and civilian officials, tried repeatedly to pressure LBJ to commit the United States to a wider war in Vietnam. Johnson had refused to retaliate two days earlier for a North Vietnamese attack on U.S. naval vessels carrying out electronic surveillance operations. But he accepted McNamara’s recommendation for retaliatory strikes on Aug. 4 based on reports of a second attack. But after that decision, the U.S. task force commander in the Gulf, Capt. John Herrick, began to send messages expressing doubt about the initial reports and suggested a “complete evaluation” before any action was taken in response. McNamara had read Herrick’s message by mid-afternoon, and when he called the Pacific Commander, Admiral U.S. Grant Sharp Jr., he learned that Herrick had expressed further doubt about the incident based on conversations with the crew of the Maddox. Sharp specifically recommended that McNamara “hold this execute” of the U.S. airstrikes planned for the evening while he sought to confirm that the attack had taken place. But McNamara told Sharp he preferred to “continue the execute order in effect” while he waited for “a definite fix” from Sharp about what had actually happened. McNamara then proceeded to issue the strike execute order without consulting with LBJ about what he had learned from Sharp, thus depriving him of the choice of cancelling the retaliatory strike before an investigation could reveal the truth. At the White House meeting that night, McNamara again asserted flatly that U.S. ships had been attacked in the Gulf. When questioned about the evidence, McNamara said, “Only highly classified information nails down the incident.” But the NSA intercept of a North Vietnamese message that McNamara cited as confirmation could not possibly have been related to the Aug. 4 incident, as intelligence analysts quickly determined based from the time-date group of the message. LBJ began to suspect that McNamara had kept vital information from him, and immediately ordered national security adviser McGeorge Bundy to find out whether the alleged attack had actually taken place and required McNamara’s office to submit a complete chronology of McNamara’s contacts with the military on Aug. 4 for the White House indicating what had transpired in each of them. But that chronology shows that McNamara continued to hide the substance of the conversation with Admiral Sharp from LBJ. It omitted Sharp’s revelation that Capt. Herrick considered the “whole situation” to be “in doubt” and was calling for a “daylight recce [reconnaissance]” before any decision to retaliate, as well as Sharp’s agreement with Herrick’s recommendation. It also falsely portrayed McNamara as having agreed with Sharp that the execute order should be delayed until confirming evidence was found. Contrary to the assumption that LBJ used the Tonkin Gulf incident to move U.S. policy firmly onto a track for military intervention, it actually widened the differences between Johnson and his national security advisers over Vietnam policy. Within days after the episode Johnson had learned enough to be convinced that the alleged attack had not occurred and he responded by halting both the CIA-managed commando raids on the North Vietnamese coast U.S. and the U.S. naval patrols near the coast. In fact, McNamara’s deception on Aug. 4 was just one of 12 distinct episodes in which top U.S. national security officials attempted to press a reluctant LBJ to begin a bombing campaign against North Vietnam. In September 1964, McNamara and other top officials tried to get LBJ to approve a deliberately provocative policy of naval patrols running much closer to the North Vietnamese coast and at the same time as the commando raids. They hoped for another incident that would justify a bombing program. But Johnson insisted that the naval patrols stay at least 20 miles away from the coast and stopped the commando operations. Six weeks after the Tonkin Gulf bombing, on Sept. 18, 1964, McNamara and Secretary of State Dean Rusk claimed yet another North Vietnamese attack on a U.S. destroyer in Gulf and tried to get LBJ to approve another retaliatory strike. But a skeptical LBJ told McNamara, “You just came in a few weeks ago and said they’re launching an attack on us they’re firing at us, and we got through with the firing and concluded maybe they hadn’t fired at all.” After LBJ was elected in November 1964, he continued to resist a unanimous formal policy recommendation of his advisers that he should begin the systematic bombing of North Vietnam. He stubbornly argued for three more months that there was no point in bombing the North as long as the South was divided and unstable. Johnson also refused to oppose the demoralized South Vietnamese government negotiating a neutralist agreement with the Communists, much to his advisers’ chagrin. McGeorge Bundy later recalled in an oral history interview that he concluded that Johnson was “coming to a decision to lose” in South Vietnam. LBJ only capitulated to the pressure from his advisers after McNamara and Bundy wrote a joint letter to him in late January 1965 making it clear that responsibility for U.S. “humiliation” in South Vietnam would rest squarely on his shoulders if he continued his policy of “passivity.” Fearing, with good reason, that his own top national security advisers would turn on him and blame him for the loss of South Vietnam, LBJ eventually began the bombing of North Vietnam. He was then sucked into the maelstrom of the Vietnam War, which he defended publicly and privately, leading to the logical but mistaken conclusion that he had been the main force behind the push for war all along. The deeper lesson of the Tonkin Gulf episode is how a group of senior national security officials can seek determinedly through hardball and even illicit tactics to advance a war agenda, even knowing that the President of the United States is resisting it. Gareth Porter, an investigative historian and journalist specialising in U.S. national security policy, received the UK-based Gellhorn Prize for journalism for 2011 for articles on the U.S. war in Afghanistan. His new book Manufactured Crisis: the Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare, was published Feb. 14.
CLOSE Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana allows Indianapolis residents to share anonymous tips with law enforcement. Here are a few things Crime Stoppers wants you to know before you call. Wochit Buy Photo Police tape a crime scene. (Photo: Michael Anthony Adams/IndyStar 2016 file photo)Buy Photo KOKOMO, Ind. – Nine Kokomo police officers have been released from the hospital after being exposed to chemicals while serving a warrant at a home Tuesday night, reports Fox59. According to Kokomo police, the officers were executing the warrant in the 1800 block of North Wabash Street in connection with a drug case. The officers were exposed to an “unknown chemical agent" as soon as they entered the home. The officers were having trouble breathing and said their eyes were burning. Eight officers were taken by ambulance to St. Vincent Hospital Kokomo. An additional officer was treated at the hospital for exposure. All are expected to make a full recovery, officials said. Neighbors described a chaotic scene and said some officers had difficulty walking under their own power. “We actually saw one officer, who I assume was undercover because he was in plain clothes, we actually saw him carried out on the shoulder of another man with an oxygen mask on. He was carried out to an ambulance and put in the back of the ambulance and was gone,” said neighbor Sara Holloway. “That’s when it kind of hit us... something very bad, chemically, unfortunately, something that is hazardous to the children and the neighborhood is here " Two adult suspects inside the home were also exposed to the unknown chemical agent and were taken to Community Howard Hospital. Six adults and a juvenile were arrested as a result of the incident. Several emergency agencies were called to the area, including Howard County Emergency Management, the Kokomo Fire Department and the KFD hazmat team. The Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab Team will help process the scene. This story originally published at www.fox59.com. Read or Share this story: http://indy.st/2yrwXed
Chandra Lye, ctvedmonton.ca One man was injured after a stabbing at the Mill Woods Town Centre Saturday morning. The incident happened at the mall food court just after 11 a.m. Police said an 18-year-old was taken to the U of A hospital with serious injuries. Officers and a canine team have been searching the area but police would not release any details. Residents said they were surprised and concerned about the incident. "I walked in and there was police tape everywhere and you could see the blood stains right there," Troy Falk told CTV News. He said he had heard there had been a fight next to the children's play area but didn't realize how serious it was. "Oh, of course. And in a food court, how many kids seen it? You know." Shopper Julie Hink said she often brings her grandchildren to the Centre but was now concerned. "I want to be able to find a safe place in winter where we can be and I'm horrified to think that that could happen so close," she said adding that it destroyed her trust of the area. Other shoppers agreed. "I'm disgusted," Karen Tober said. "My first thought was this is Mill Woods then that conjures up a whole bunch of impressions for people because Mill Woods has been called murder woods," she added. Some have even said there needed to be better security at shopping centres. "There should be adequate police presence there to avoid this kind of incident," Sandeep Luthera said. With files from Amanda Anderson
Cost is a central issue in the ongoing debate about the best approach to building Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN). In 2013, the Coalition argued that Labor’s original all-fibre to the premises (FTTP) network could cost as much as A$94 billion. In the 2016 NBN Corporate plan the figure was revised down to A$74 billion to A$84 billion, while NBN Co’s multi technology mix (MTM), incorporating fibre to the node (FTTN) and upgraded hybrid fibre coax (HFC) was less costly, with a price tag of A$46 billion to A$56 billion. Since the Coalition announced these numbers, Labor has said that, if elected, it will not go back to an all-FTTP network, but instead pursue a half-way option, in which the HFC component of the MTM is retained but FTTN, the slowest and most limited technology, is phased out. It’s worth looking more closely at cost difference between FTTP and FTTN to see if the claimed A$84 billion to A$56 billion maximum cost comparison stacks up, and see where Labor’s new half-way solution sits. Capital costs The NBN 2016 Corporate Plan states that the average capital cost (capex) to connect a home or business to the NBN using FTTP is A$3,700. But the real cost for a FTTP connection is probably less than this. The A$3,700 figure quoted by nbn co is based on old construction techniques that have been superseded in other parts of the world. The costs of rolling-out FTTP in New Zealand, for example, have been dropping steadily in recent years and will soon be A$2,900 per premises. For some reason, NBN Co has yet to acknowledge the lessons learned in New Zealand. Let’s give NBN Co the benefit of the doubt and assume that the A$3,700 cost per premises for FTTP is correct. In comparison, the 2016 Corporate Plan states that the average capital cost for a FTTN connection is A$1,600, or A$2,100 less than FTTP. For an upgraded hybrid-fibre-coax (HFC) connection the capital cost is A$1,100, or A$2,600 less. However, in light of recent revelations in a leaked document from NBN Co published by Fairfax indicating that it may be necessary to overbuild Optus’ HFC network, the savings offered by HFC will not be as good. Using these numbers, it is easy to compare the capital costs of different networks. At the end of construction, the MTM network will provide FTTN to 4.5 million premises and HFC to 4 million premises. Labor’s new approach is to replace as many as possible of these 4.5 million FTTN connections by FTTP. The maximum additional capital cost to do this would be 4.5 million times A$2,100, or A$9.5 billion. This figure corresponds to A$790 per premises averaged across all 12 million premises in Australia. An all-FTTP network could be achieved by also replacing the HFC connections with FTTP. The total additional capital cost of this hypothetical all-FTTP network would be A$19.9 billion, or A$1,658 per premises averaged across all premises. Peak funding Of course, it is necessary to also consider operational expenditure (opex) – the cost of running the network – and revenues from the network. These factors all contribute to the peak funding figures in the 2016 Corporate Plan. Peak funding is the maximum cash outlay required before cash flow becomes positive. Peak funding is a useful measure of cost because it is a direct measure of the cash outlay required. But it is not necessarily a good measure of the cost of the network infrastructure or a good measure of the net financial cost/benefit to the Australian taxpayer. Operational expenditure is a major issue for the MTM network because of factors including the need for new software management systems, the additional costs of maintaining the degrading copper wires in the FTTN network, and the cost of the electricity required to power the FTTN nodes located in suburban streets. Importantly, an FTTP network would incur none of these costs. In fact, the leaked nbn co document mentioned earlier shows that the operational costs of FTTN network are 67% more than for FTTP, and the operational costs of HFC are 25% more. Over the lifetime of the network, this difference could amount to billions of dollars, greatly reducing the overall difference in costs between FTTN and FTTP. Another factor that reduces the cost difference between the Coalition’s network and Labor’s new alternative is that a Labor’s FTTP/HFC network would be capable of generating higher revenues through the delivery of premium services that would not be achievable with a slower-speed FTTN network. This is well documented by high-profile companies such as Ovum, which predicts FTTP services will drive the highest global growth rates for broadband revenues over the next five years, based on premium speeds of 100 Mbps and higher. Timeframes In light of all these factors, why is NBN Co’s cost estimate for a hypothetical FTTP network so large? The NBN Corporate plan provides no detailed information on its financial modelling, but it states that an all-FTTP network would take until 2026 to 2028 to complete. If the timeframe was indeed as long as this, the revenue stream would be delayed. This could indeed lead to unrealistically large numbers for the peak funding cost of FTTP. So where does the 2026 to 2028 timeframe come from? My guess is that NBN Co has simply extrapolated from the present rollout rate for FTTP, which has not increased much since 2013. One piece of supporting information comes from a Senate Estimates meeting, where NBN Co confirmed that its A$74-84 billion number was not for a “continued” FTTP network but for a “restart” from the current plan. NBN Co waited until September this year to hire additional staff, increasing the number of employees from 3,400 to 4,500 to speed up the rollout of FTTN. If it had hired these additional staff in 2013 and focused on the FTTP rollout, the network could well have been completed by around 2020 or 2021.
This is shaping up to be the most challenging and relevant NBA awards ballot in a generation. To add to the drama, new rules in the CBA make this year's awards votes matter more than ever. Let's break it down FAQ-style. Is this going to be the closest MVP race in history? Probably not. This year could see five players (James Harden, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and perhaps Giannis Antetokounmpo) get at least one first-place vote, which hasn't happened since 2012, when James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant and Tony Parker each received first-place votes. But there really hasn't been a "close" MVP vote since Steve Nash edged Shaquille O'Neal by seven first-place votes in 2005. That one is still a cause for debate. Because it's been so long since the MVP race was projected to be this close, there's extra attention this year. Last year, of course, was the most lopsided in history, with Stephen Curry winning unanimously. So who is the favorite to win MVP? The Washington Post recently did a poll among more than 100 likely MVP voters, and Harden won by a reasonable margin. Westbrook was second. However, Westbrook's continued incredible play over the past couple of weeks has probably tightened the race, while Harden has struggled a bit recently with a wrist injury. You mean Russell Westbrook could average a triple-double and not win the MVP? It seems very possible. Did you know that when Oscar Robertson averaged a triple-double in 1961-62, he finished third in the MVP voting? Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged 50.4 points, 25.7 rebounds and 48.5 minutes a game (there's a record that won't be broken), finished second. Bill Russell won the award, and it wasn't close. He received 51 of the possible 85 votes. Sometimes the competition is simply that tough. Could there be a tie? It's possible but unlikely. The system in place makes it difficult to have an exact tie. However, it is possible for a player to get the most first-place votes and not win when there are a lot of candidates. That happened in 1990, when Charles Barkley got 11 more first-place votes than winner Magic Johnson in a field in which seven players got at least one first-place vote (Johnson, Barkley, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon). Russell Westbrook is averaging a triple-double but might not beat James Harden for MVP. AP Photo/Michael Wyke Is there anything at stake for Westbrook and Harden? Other than pride, history, a cool trophy and a chance to make a really important speech? Winning the MVP would qualify both to sign huge new extensions this summer, Westbrook adding $200 million to his deal and Harden $170 million to his. But there are other ways to qualify for this so-called "designated player extension" and they probably will get it either way. So the MVP is tough for a change. Is that the only reason there's been so much talk about the awards ballot? No. Rookie of the Year is going to be a challenge because the clear best rook, Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, played only 31 games. There's no precedent for someone playing less than half a season and winning an annual award. There are some other candidates, teammate Dario Saric and Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon, but neither are having the type of season that Embiid was having before his injury. Coach of the Year might be a split vote, especially if Erik Spoelstra can guide the injury-plagued Miami Heat into the playoffs to rival the job Mike D'Antoni has done in Houston. There's a case to be made for several players for Most Improved Player, too, from Antetokounmpo to Devin Booker to Otto Porter. But the All-NBA team -- that's where the stakes are really high. Why the All-NBA team? There's a new rule in the collective bargaining agreement that was just passed. If a player is voted to the All-NBA team and has eight or nine years of experience, then he qualifies for a special exception to sign a massive contract with his team for about $75 million more than any other team can pay him. A player also qualifies if he wins MVP or Defensive Player of the Year. But in that case, the player would probably already be on the All-NBA team. That doesn't seem as if it would affect that many players, right? That's true. It doesn't apply to many players. But the ones it does apply to could have a big impact on the league. This year, for example, if either Paul George or Gordon Hayward makes one of the three All-NBA teams, that would give his team an overwhelming advantage in re-signing him long-term. It would make George eligible to sign a $200 million extension with the Pacers this summer. That's $75 million more than if he were to become a free agent in 2018 and sign somewhere else, such as with the Lakers. If he doesn't make the All-NBA team, and the Pacers lose this advantage, it is unlikely that he will sign an extension this summer, and that will apply pressure on the Pacers to trade him. This is a big vote -- one that George believes should go his way. Hayward is a free agent this summer and has only seven years of experience, so he couldn't get the payoff now. But he could exercise his contract option for next season and then he could sign an extension beginning with the 2018-19 season that could become the largest contract in NBA history if the Jazz were willing to offer it, something in the range of six years and $230 million. When Durant went down because of an injury and missed a large chunk of the season, it made voting for All-NBA forwards much more interesting. Also, it's unclear if Anthony Davis will be viewed as a forward or a center. These have possibly opened the door for Hayward and George. Possibly. The long-term outlooks for Indiana and Utah could depend on award votes for Paul George and Gordon Hayward, respectively. Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Why does the media have this power? It's the best solution the league has come up with. All-Star voting has shown that fans can't really be trusted, partially because the voting systems can be manipulated. All-Star voting this year involved players, and turnout was low, and there were plenty of joke votes, which showed that many didn't seem to take it seriously. Players used to vote for official awards, but it became a popularity contest at times. One of the most controversial MVP votes came in 1975, when Bob McAdoo won. McAdoo had a great season, winning the scoring title, but Rick Barry had one of the finest seasons of his career for the eventual champion Warriors yet finished fourth in MVP voting. Barry wasn't popular among many of his peers, and it's believed that played a factor. That variable affecting so much money is potentially problematic. The media already had quite a bit of power with these votes with the previous CBA. The All-NBA team was a component that determined whether certain players hit escalator clauses in their contracts. Last year, for example, Anthony Davis stood to receive a $24 million contract bonus if he made the All-NBA team. But he got hurt late in the season and finished three positions out of the last spot. Which media get to vote? For years there were about 125 voters per award, each voting pool slightly different, mostly from local media members in each city. This year the pool has been adjusted to the same 100 voters for each award with the majority being national writers and broadcasters. When will the awards be announced? For years the awards were announced throughout the playoffs and arranged so players can accept them on their home floor. But this year for the first time all the awards will be given during a special awards show on TNT. It will be the week after the draft -- Monday, June 26, in New York.
Last year, our Critical Role cast shared the songs that inspire their characters. A year has passed, and a lot has happened to our heroes. Vox’Machina wants to share brand new playlists that reflect on where they are today. First up is Vax’ildan with a few words from Liam himself. You can check out Vax’s playlist from last year here. Enjoy. Liam O’Brien – Vax’ildan’s Playlist 2016 ALL MINE — Portishead The Raven Queen flipped everything on its head. GOING DOWN — Ani Difranco Dragons destroying everything. Sister’s life dependent on an unintended bargain. Faith totally inverted. Love pushed further away. And hard times away from the table. MISS MACBETH — Elvis Costello There have been so many different opinions about the Raven Queen, both in Vox Machina, and the audience, I was reminded of this Costello song I’ve always loved. He was writing about an old woman in a town everyone thinks is a witch. The rumors and the reality all knotted together, impossible to be separated. BREATHE ME — Sia Showing up at her door. Looking for comfort, or reassurance. Bad to worse. BIRD SET FREE — Sia Born again, from the belly of the beast. TEAR IN MY HEART — Twenty One Pilots High five. IT’S ONLY LIFE — The Shins Vex. Don’t Tread on Me — Kai Straw After a month of scraping the bottom, Vax gets up. Second Chances — Gregory Alan Isakov Families can be complicated. THE OTHERSIDE — The Roots A new battle anthem for Vox Machina. Battered and bloody, and worn down from the road. But not done. SONS & DAUGHTERS — The Decemberists At night, when Vax lays his head down to rest, he has started to foster the barest hint of hope for tomorrow. He almost believes it. Featured image credit: Nick Robles
The Spotnicks are an instrumental rock group from Sweden. Formed in 1961, they were well-known for their “space suit” costumes and their Ventures-esque electric guitar sound. The Spotnicks have released 42 albums and sold over 18 million records. They still tour. They would basically take a traditional folk song—think “My Bonie” or even “Havah Nagila”!—and then rock out on the electric guitar with space suits on. I guess if your gimmick works, then stick with it! I mean, hey, look at Kraftwerk… Below, The Spotnicks do their hit “Rocket Man,” based on a traditional Russian folk song, in 1962: A killer romp through “Orange Blossom Special”: “Johnny Guitar”: “The Spotnicks Theme”: “Amapola”: “The Spanish Gypsy Dance”: “My Bonnie”: And last but certainly not least, hear the Spotnicks cover Frank Zappa’s “Lump Gravy” in 1969!
INDICATION EVZIO is an opioid antagonist indicated for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose, as manifested by respiratory and/or central nervous system depression in adults and pediatric patients. EVZIO is intended for immediate administration as emergency therapy in settings where opioids may be present. EVZIO is not a substitute for emergency medical care. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION EVZIO is contraindicated in patients known to be hypersensitive to naloxone hydrochloride or to any of the ingredients in EVZIO. Seek emergency medical assistance immediately after use. Additional supportive and/or resuscitative measures may be helpful while awaiting emergency medical assistance. The following warnings and precautions should be taken when administering EVZIO: Risk of Recurrent Respiratory and CNS Depression: Due to the duration of action of naloxone relative to the opioid, keep the patient under continued surveillance and administer repeated doses of naloxone using a new EVZIO, as necessary, while awaiting emergency medical assistance. Due to the duration of action of naloxone relative to the opioid, keep the patient under continued surveillance and administer repeated doses of naloxone using a new EVZIO, as necessary, while awaiting emergency medical assistance. Risk of Limited Efficacy With Partial Agonists or Mixed Agonists/ Antagonists: Reversal of respiratory depression caused by partial agonists or mixed agonists/ antagonists, such as buprenorphine and pentazocine, may be incomplete. Larger or repeat doses may be required. Reversal of respiratory depression caused by partial agonists or mixed agonists/ antagonists, such as buprenorphine and pentazocine, may be incomplete. Larger or repeat doses may be required. Precipitation of Severe Opioid Withdrawal: Use in patients who are opioid dependent may precipitate opioid withdrawal. In neonates, opioid withdrawal may be life-threatening if not recognized and properly treated. Monitor for the development of opioid withdrawal. Use in patients who are opioid dependent may precipitate opioid withdrawal. In neonates, opioid withdrawal may be life-threatening if not recognized and properly treated. Monitor for the development of opioid withdrawal. Risk of Cardiovascular (CV) Effects: Abrupt postoperative reversal of opioid depression may result in adverse CV effects. These events have primarily occurred in patients who had pre-existing CV disorders or received other drugs that may have similar CV effects. Monitor these patients closely in an appropriate healthcare setting after use of naloxone hydrochloride. The following adverse reactions were most commonly observed in EVZIO clinical studies: dizziness and injection site erythema. Abrupt reversal of opioid effects in persons who were physically dependent on opioids has precipitated signs and symptoms of opioid withdrawal including: body aches, fever, sweating, runny nose, sneezing, piloerection, yawning, weakness, shivering or trembling, nervousness, restlessness or irritability, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, abdominal cramps, increased blood pressure, and tachycardia. In the neonate, opioid withdrawal signs and symptoms also included: convulsions, excessive crying, and hyperactive reflexes. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Please click for full Prescribing Information and Patient Information.
Now playing: Watch this: 'Homecoming' director feels Spider-Man's great responsibility The writers of "Spider-Man: Homecoming" only had three days to develop their take on Peter Parker. "We had such a ticking clock in getting this thing made and also in pitching it," John Francis Daley told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Friday. Daley and co-writer Jonathan Goldstein said that humor and relatability in their pitch likely factored in toward the duo earning the job. "Just because you get superpowers, doesn't mean you become an adult or sophisticated or can get the girl," Goldstein said in the interview. Regarding the development of the other students in Spider-Man's world, like Liz (Laura Harrier) or Flash (Tony Revolori), the duo directly cite filmmaker John Hughes as "the touchstone for the high school movie" with films like "The Breakfast Club." However, they cite a very different movie influence for developing Peter Parker's best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon). "There was sort of an archetype of 'Superbad' that I think we used a little bit," Daley said. "You have these two kids that don't have a lot of confidence, but they are such best friends and you can feel that love coming between them. It's just a nice model to play with." The full interview also includes tidbits on why they chose to not keep Peter Parker's identity a secret from Ned, making Michael Keaton's Vulture role "a regular Joe who feels cheated by the system" and how much they planted into the script for a "Homecoming" sequel.
The movie will begin principal photography in British Columbia. Nicolas Cage is joining The Humanity Bureau. Minds Eye Entertainment, VMI Worldwide and Bridgegate Pictures are partnering for the movie, which is being directed by Rob King from a script written by Dave Schultz. Principal photography is set to begin this week in British Columbia, and is being shot for a multiscreen, panoramic format. Set in the year 2030, the movie takes place after global warming has destroyed the American Midwest and follows a government agency (The Humanity Bureau) that exiles people deemed unproductive and banishes them to a colony known as New Eden. Cage plays a caseworker who is trying to appeal the banishment of a single mother (Sarah Lind) and her son (Jakob Davies). Cage was recently seen in Oliver Stone's Snowden and opposite Willem Dafoe in Paul Schrader's Dog Eat Dog. He is repped by CAA, Link and Bloom Hergott.
Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World. The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced on Wednesday that it arrested three Palestinians from east Jerusalem recruited online by an al-Qaida operative in Gaza, who were in the midst of preparations to carry out a string of large-scale bombing and shooting attacks on multiple targets in Israel. The intended targets included the Jerusalem Convention Center, a bus traveling between the capital and Ma'aleh Adumim, the US embassy in Tel Aviv, and emergency responders who would have arrived at the scene of attacksThe Shin Bet said an al-Qaida operative in Gaza, named as Ariv Al-Sham, recruited the men separately from one another, and had planned to activate three independent terrorist cells via his recruits. Senior Shin Bet sources said they believed Al-Sham received his orders directly from the head of al-Qaida's central structure, Ayman Al-Zawahri.Using Sykpe and Facebook, Al-Sham was able to recruit Iyad Khalil Abu-Sara, 23, of Ras Hamis in east Jerusalem, who has an Israeli ID card. During questioning, Abu-Sara, who was arrested on December 25, admitted to volunteering to carry out a "sacrifice attack" on an Israeli bus travelling between Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim. In the planned attack, terrorists would have fired shots at the bus's wheels, causing it to overturn, before gunning down passengers at close range, and firing on emergency responders.According to the Shin Bet's investigation, Abu-Sara also volunteered to help orchestrate a double suicide bombing, involving the dispatching of two suicide bomber to the Jerusalem Convention Center and the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, simultaneously. Subsequently, Abu-Sara planned to detonate a suicide truck bomb in the vicinity of emergency responders arriving at the Convention Center.To that end, Al-Sham and Abu-Sara plotted to bring a group of foreign terrorists to Israel using fake Russian passports, who would have entered the country by posing as tourists. Abu-Sara was meant to receive the terrorists, and prepare their suicide bomb vests and a truck bomb. Abu-Sara was also supposed to travel to Syria for training in combat and explosives manufacturing, and had purchased a flight ticket to Turkey, a gateway to Syria.Abu-Sara received computer files containing virtual training courses on bomb manufacturing from Al-Sham in Gaza, the Shin Bet added.Security forces monitored communications between Abu-Sara and Al-Sham, observing how the latter asked his recruit which targets he had access to. After Abu-Sara suggested various targets, Al-Sham would direct the conversation towards operational aspects of attacks.A second suspect, Rubin Abu-Nagma, confessed to plotting to kidnap a soldier from the Jerusalem Central bus station, as well as a bombing against a residential building housing Israeli Jews in the Abu Tor neighborhood of east Jerusalem. During questioning, he described how he learned to manufacture bombs online.Ala Anam, a third suspect, also confessed to being in internet communication with Al-Sham, and plotting to set up a Salafi-Jihadi cell in Samaria for the purpose of carrying out terror attacks.Security sources noted with concern the swift process of recruitment and preparations that occurred online in the space of a few months. They added that Abu-Sara's father was opposed to his son's activities and warned him repeatedly after seeing his son surfing radical Islamist websites."Abu-Sara and Al-Sham coordinated a trip to Syria, and money transfers. This all happened very quickly," said a source. "All three terror channels formed at a fast rate," he added.The investigation underlines the fact that the Internet remains the main means of expansion for global jihadi elements, the source said. Terrorist operatives use the internet to create operational cells, local commanders, and transfer bomb-making know-how.The relationship between recruits and their handlers online is similar to relations between a cow and a calf, the source said. "The calf wants to suckle, and the cow wants to give it milk," he added.It is also evidence of the fact that the Gaza Strip is a terrorism base for al-Qaida-affiliated elements, in addition to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the source said.Hundreds of Salafi-jihadis in Gaza have access to rockets and arms, and travel to Sinai to attack both Egypt and Israel, the source explained.Hamas has reached an understanding with these elements, according to which, they must not directly harm Hamas by provoking an Israeli response against the Islamist rulers of the Strip, but are otherwise free to act as they please. There have been no recent arrests by Hamas of Salafi jihadis in Gaza. Rather, Hamas engages with these groups by deploying its own forces to rocket launching grounds to prevent attacks on Israel, and through dialogue with the al-Qaida-affiliated elements.Outside of Gaza, Hamas supports global jihadi activities in Syria and in the Sinai Peninsula, the source continued. Hamas would prefer to avoid a confrontation with smaller terror groups in Gaza, while also avoiding a head-on clash with Egypt and Israel.The episode also underlines the risk posed by al-Qaida's attempt to recruits east Jerusalem Palestinians, Israeli Arabs, and Palestinians in the West Bank, the source said.In November, three Salafi-jihadi terrorists who were in the middle of planning a terror attack were killed in a counterterrorism mission in the Palestinian village of Yatta, near Hebron.The suspects were in a car that had explosives and firearms in it, when they were met by the Israel Police's Counterterrorism Unit, sent to intercept the vehicle.Israeli forces opened fire at the car’s wheels, and the suspects fired back. Following an exchange of fire, the two suspects were killed, the source said.A little over an hour after the firefight, security forces engaged a third armed suspect, killing him as well. 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Have you ever wondered what menial activities would be hidden in your “Jerryboree”? Travis and I discuss that very thing this week! SHOW NOTES Slightly Pertinent Rick and Morty News! (and that’s the waaaayyy the news goes) Funkopop McFarlane toys MAIN THANG! Character Study: Jerry Smith Father How does Jerry do as the “man of the house?” What are his motivations with the family? I think he means well… mostly? Clearly Morty gets some of his unfortunate traits from Jerry Husband his relationship with Beth … with sleepy Gary Several episodes have explored his marriage with Beth and while they often highlight their failings, they are also often reminded of why they are together Man about town he is a simple fool means well, even if he is inept at times The go-to punching bag for the show Listener SUGGORSTIONS AND SHORT OUTS What’s in your Jerryboree? Thespicemustairflow – pedant discussions about things, food and video games… and someone dressed up in a costume of my cat dominicmeoward – barq’s root beer, interdimensional cable on the TV, and tons of cats a-void-dance – an all you can smoke pot bar, an all you can eat chinese buffet, and an earth internet feed Social Let us know what you think about anything that went on in this episode of Interdimensional RSS! We’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions to make the show better! hit us up on Twitter @RickandMortyPod or here in the comments below!
Occupy Unfurls Flag Of Defiance by Thomas MacMillan \| Mar 12, 2012 2:23 pm (35) Comments \| Commenting has been closed \| E-mail the Author Posted to: Occupy Wall Street They formed a compound in the center of their camp. They raised a defiant black flag overhead. Then New Haven’s “occupiers” stood on the steps of City Hall and ripped up a notice ordering them to leave the Green by noon Wednesday. It was the latest salvo in a increasingly tense showdown between the city and Occupy New Haven, the protest movement that’s been camped on the Green since Oct. 15, 2011. New Haven police visited the camp Monday morning to deliver word of the city’s deadline: March 14. They knocked on tents and duct-taped a city notice to tarp-covered dwellings. In response, Occupy New Haven held a 12:30 p.m. press conference on the steps of the City Hall, where members defiantly rejected the notice. New Haven’s occupation is one of the the last standing of those that sprang up nationwide last fall, when the Occupy Wall Street movement began protesting against corporate greed, income inequality, and money in politics. Occupiers claim it’s the last one in New England. New Haven’s Occupy camp has remained while others have failed thanks in large part to the protesters cooperation with the city. That cooperation has broken down as the weather has warmed. Two meetings between the city and Occupy New Haven resulted in a city “proposal” that the camp pack up and leave by mid-March. That notion was officially rejected Saturday, and officially re-affirmed—with a new March 14 deadline—by the city on Monday morning. The city wants Occupy to leave now only because Yale graduation is imminent, charged occupier Ben Aubin (pictured), who emceed the Monday press conference. “We’re coming in on Yale territory,” Aubin declared. “We’re out-occupying them.” He said the city has refused to answer any of the demands that Occupy issued Saturday along with its official refusal to vacate. The city has proven that it is not willing to cooperate with the occupation, he said. In response to the city’s suggestion that the occupation might be able to return—with permits—to the Green for periods of up to a week, occupier Josh Heltke (pictured) wiped his butt with the city’s latest notice. Occupiers waggled their fingers in approval of his comments. He also posted a sign on City Hall reading, “You have no right to remove people out of land that you never owned.” He later began writing on the wall of City Hall with purple chalk, until Officer Matt Wynne stopped him. “They have no intention of working with us,” Aubin said of the city. “They have no intention of doing anything but removing us. That’s not a conversation.” The city’s notice includes a phone number occupiers can call for homeless services. Occupier Sara Ferah, who said he’s homeless, said he does not want to re-enter the city’s shelters. Occupy New Haven is the third camp of homeless people that the city’s shut down in three years, he said. “People want to make us invisible,” he said. The shelters “treat us like little kids. ... I want to be treated with dignity and that’s what I’ve found in this movement. It’s immoral and unjust to kick us out of here.” Aubin said Occupy New Haven has succeeded in “creating a set of people who aren’t going to stop.” “We’re not giving up without a fight,” he said. He later clarified that he does not mean that occupiers will engage in physical violence against people. “I Pay Taxes” “Why are you entitled to public space?” asked a passerby, Frank Mongillo, a doctor with offices downtown. “I pay taxes,” said occupier Ray Neal (pictured). “I’m a homeowner. I’m a family man. That’s my Green.” The occupation is a symbolic “beachhead” of a struggle against problems caused by corporate greed and income inequality. “You’re making it impossible for anyone else to enjoy the Green,” said Mongillo. Not true, occupiers said. People play soccer and make out on the Green all the time, one said. The press conference ended with occupiers marching back to their camp, chanting “Hell no, we won’t go.” All Tactics On The Table Back at camp, Aubin and others helped move a new black flag to a more prominent position in the center of camp. The flag is a symbol to the world that “we’re willing to move forward with tactics we haven’t previously used.” All tactics are on the table, he said. Physical violence against people is not an option, but destruction of property may be, Aubin said. Otherwise, “that wouldn’t be a full diversity of tactics,” Aubin said. A black flag is often used by anarchists as a symbol of defiance, the opposite of a white flag of surrender. “It’s not a threat,” Aubin said. “It’s an invitation to have a conversation” about tactics. Occupy New Haven is “putting word out to other radical communities,” he said. The flag flies over a re-designed compound at the center of the camp. A tarp wall now creates only one entrance to the area around the central food tent. Smaller tents have been clustered inside the new cul-de-sac in preparation for an expected police raid. “This is the last stand,” Aubin said. Quiet Negotiations Others, meanwhile, are quietly discussing alternatives with the city. An occupier who gave his name only as JP said he’s been talking with Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts about the possibility to setting up camp somewhere else in the city. Smuts visited the camp Monday morning and spoke with him. After Monday’s press conference, JP met with Smuts along with Ferah and another occupier, Roger Card. JP said Smuts might work out a place for people to meet periodically after Occupy is disbanded, possibly in the New Haven public library. JP said he hopes the occupation continues elsewhere, maybe on a rotating basis at different locations in the city. “It’s a great way of spreading everything,” he said. Smuts could not be reached for comment. Irving Pinsky, the so-called “lawyer for Occupy,” announced at the press conference that he’s trying to put together a team of lawyers to bring a class-action suit to stop or rectify the city’s removal of the occupation. City corporation counsel Victor Bolden has said that the city’s proposal is “both appropriate and lawful.” City spokeswoman Elizabeth Benton had no other response to the occupy press conference. City officials have been consulting regularly on tactics and response with the self-perpetuating not-for-profit group that actually owns the Green, the Proprietors of the Green (formally known as The Committee of the Proprietors of Common and Undivided Lands at New Haven). The group’s point person has been its chairman, Yale law professor and formerly Clinton Administration Solicitor General Drew Days. (Click here to read about Days’ recent meeting with the occupiers.) To the Proprietors, “it’s really a question not so much of their political views or their analysis of the economy, but the reasonable time, place and manner of regulations” for camping on the Green, Days said in a conversation Monday. “It’s a question of to what extent, even conceding the merits of a particular point of view, whether that justifies depriving other people of a free and happy use of public spaces.” Notice To Leave The end is nigh, the city warned in a Monday message to Occupy New Haven: Be off the Green by Wednesday at noon. That message was delivered in the form of a public notice handed out Monday morning at Occupy New Haven by city police. “This notice is to inform any and everyone who has been participating in the Occupy New Haven demonstration that WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012 is the last day tents, other structures and any other such materials will be permitted to be on the New Haven Green lawfully,” the notice reads. “On or before that date, you must take down any and all tents and structures and vacate the New Haven Green.” Click here to read the notice. On Saturday, Occupy New Haven officially refused to comply with the proposal. The protest instead issued a list of demands. Monday’s deadline notice from the city includes a phone number for those occupiers wishing homelessness services. It also includes the following appreciation: “Both the City of New Haven and the Proprietors of the Green appreciate the dedication you have brought to the cause of economic justice, and we wish you well as you move forward elsewhere.” The Proprietors of the Green is the private body that legally owns the public park at the center of the city. “I guess we expected it,” occupier Neal said of the city’s deadline announcement. “We’re having an emergency G.A. [General Assembly meeting] tonight to talk about it.” “Not A Camping Trip” Saturday’s refusal letter from Occupy went up on the Occupy New Haven website in the afternoon. “We, the activists of Occupy New Haven, refuse to vacate the Upper Green or dismantle the camp,” states the letter, which is signed Occupy New Haven. “Our presence is not a camping trip. Being in solidarity with the global Occupy movement, our presence is a visual testament to the growing class inequality present in our city, nation and world.” The letter (read it below) includes a list of “grievances and demands,” including extending library hours and reducing the mayor’s and police chief’s salaries. City spokesperson Benton had the following response Saturday: “We will review Occupy’s letter regarding broader city concerns. At this point, the city’s intention regarding the Occupy encampment is to assure that the Green remains a place for all to enjoy.” The official Occupy New Haven statement reads: Dear City of New Haven Administration, Occupy New Haven has received a letter from the City of New Haven stating that the City would like the encampment on the Upper Green dissembled and removed by “mid-March”. After this time, we would be allowed to return every so often, pending the granting of permits by City Hall. Seeing that significant changes have not occurred in our government and the broader society at large, we at Occupy New Haven would like to take the opportunity to deliver an official reply to the city’s request: Globally, across the nation, and here in Connecticut, the 1% and those acting in the interests of the 1% have carried out a one-sided assault on working-class people, which has been exacerbated by the economic crisis created by the same 1%. Lawmakers, politicians and corporate interests have eroded the living standards of ordinary people, as Wall Street criminals have lined their pockets with taxpayer-funded bonuses. At the same time, our rights have been taken away by the PATRIOT Act, NDAA and other violations of civil liberties. We, the activists of Occupy New Haven, refuse to vacate the Upper Green or dismantle the camp. Our presence is not a camping trip. Being in solidarity with the global Occupy movement, our presence is a visual testament to the growing class inequality present in our city, nation and world. The following list of grievances and demands outlines the corruption and moneyed interests that plague our city. As Occupy New Haven is a broad collective of people from many struggles and walks of life, this list does not represent every interest, but some of the most critical for our city at this time. Fund all public schools equitably and sufficiently. Stop all public school giveaways to for-profit corporations and charters. Extend library hours. Provide funding for community-led youth and social programs, so that youth have access to safe spaces that offer engaging and enriching programs. For example: reopening the Dixwell Ave. Q House Provide safe and adequate low-income housing. Replace all low-income housing that has been removed to make way for luxury living units. Utilize and repair currently empty houses to prove stable living situations for the city’s homeless population. An immediate end to foreclosures and gentrification processes that marginalize the community to create profitable opportunities for corporations at the expense of working-class people. Establish a real All-Civilian Review Board for the NHPD, independent of the police department, that would be transparent and accountable to the public and able to discipline officers who commit crimes against the people. Invest in meaningful, well-paying union jobs in our communities and stop privatizing public-sector jobs. Seeing as the mayor makes $127,070 per year, and the police chief make $150,000 per year while the average family income in New Haven is $35,950, limit the salary of elected and appointed city officials to match the average income of a family in the city. End tax exemptions for Yale, which is the among the top 5 richest universities in the world. As we have not seen the change we demand in the city, the nation, and the world, we will not be leaving the Green at this time. Sincerely, Occupy New Haven Share this story with others. Post a Comment Commenting has closed for this entry Comments posted by: streever Some of these demands are spot-on, and I am personally disappointed in our civic leaders. People I see at cocktail parties and events, who do have the power and the platform to advocate for some of these demands, say absolutely nothing about them, but instead issue snide remarks about Occupy & Occupiers. The demands that I believe are particularly reasonable and doable include: 1. “Establish a real All-Civilian Review Board for the NHPD, independent of the police department, that would be transparent and accountable to the public and able to discipline officers who commit crimes against the people.” This is a serious need in our city, and it is beyond disappointing that very few of our civic leaders stand behind this. The poor, the voiceless, and those without significant political connections have experienced any number of problems at the hands of a small number of individuals. Those individuals—a very small percentage of our police force—are allowed enormous lee-way and latitude, even after severely beating innocent citizens. Our own Mayor speaks out against the excesses in East Haven, but refuses to implement a citizen review board with any teeth. Rob Smuts—who is the direct supervisor of the NHPD—has not acted on this despite direct communications from people in his peer group and first-hand evidence of the realities of abuse. 2. “Seeing as the mayor makes $127,070 per year, and the police chief make $150,000 per year while the average family income in New Haven is $35,950, limit the salary of elected and appointed city officials to match the average income of a family in the city.” Why shouldn’t top officials salaries be pegged to annual income? I’d even be willing to compromise on this and see it be “no more than double” the average annual income. Why should we be paying our BoE president, Mayor, and Chief of Police so much more than their constituents? 3. “Provide funding for community-led youth and social programs, so that youth have access to safe spaces that offer engaging and enriching programs. For example: reopening the Dixwell Ave. Q House” The city currently plays games with non-profit funding, promising large sums while knowing that our budget doesn’t balance, and then rescinding them. After public outcry, they restore a portion of the original promised funding. Why not just deal honestly from the get-go, and either tell non-profits they need to seek funding elsewhere, or come up with a smaller number? Some of the non-profits are providing essential services that are the cities responsibility—they do it cheaper than the city could, so they get funding. This is good, but the city should honor this and institutionalize the funding, treating the non-profits as contractors. posted by: streever 3. “Fund all public schools equitably and sufficiently. Stop all public school giveaways to for-profit corporations and charters.” The city is currently pursuing “school reform” that has achieved national attention, but is really shaping up as teacher disincentive. School reform is a complex subject matter, and the city is completely dismissing the very valid concerns of scholars, researchers, and sociologists who point out that standardized test scores do not accurately reflect teacher performance. Even proponents of these measures acknowledge that there is a margin of error of THIRTY PERCENT or more. THIRTY plus percent. This isn’t a valid statistic if the deviation is so high. Why isn’t the city leading the state in pushing back on Malloy’s corporate school plan? We are willing to stand up to ICE because it plays well for the local media (and I applaud this stance), but I am disappointed that we can’t stand up for public schools. When you penalize teachers for low-performing students, you are throwing away the vast research pegging student performance to home life, neighborhood issues, and socio-economic status. Great teachers often choose to work with the students who face the greatest challenges. There needs to be other methods of evaluating teachers that don’t come down to CAPT tests. 4. “An immediate end to foreclosures and gentrification processes that marginalize the community to create profitable opportunities for corporations at the expense of working-class people.” While grandstanding against banks, the city has been party to foreclosures on low-income residents. What is good for the goose is apparently not good for the gander. We ignore the working class (and unemployed) when they make quality of life complaints about their neighborhoods, but bend over backwards for large corporations like 360 State when they file ONE complaint about noise at Ideat Village. We bend over backwards for Yale New Haven hospital, completely compromising the vision that our citizens articulated for the Route 34 re-do—a project which has been labeled the “largest misuse of federal funds” by the former governor of Milwaukee and drawn criticism from actual urban planners and transportation planners in the tri-state region. New Haven can do better, and Occupy is demanding we do better. Can we try to fulfill some of their requests before we evict them? posted by: jt75 on March 10, 2012 6:06pm A agree with a lot of the points from Streever, and some of Occupy’s, but I have a problem with some. 1. Occupy suggesting that the mayor and police chief salaries be limited to $35,950 is totally absurd. How are we supposed to bring in qualified leaders when you want to chop their salaries but more than $100k? Look at last year’s mayoral election. There was hardly a qualified challenger to take over Mayor DeStefano’s “high-paying” position. I can’t imagine what the field would look like if the salary was under $40k. 2. The City is involved in a tiny fraction of all foreclosure cases in New Haven. The vast majority of cases are foreclosures by the big banks, and many of the vacant homes are owned by these large corporations, not the City of New Haven. Do you think the City wants these houses vacant and/or off the tax rolls? Not a chance. 3. Regionally speaking, New Haven offers a ton of affordable housing compared to its neighbors. We’ve been down this path before, so I’ll leave it at that. 4. As far as Yale, it’s not as simple as “ending tax exemptions.” I’m not saying that Yale shouldn’t pay more, but it’s not like you can just decide one day to make them pay up. I guess Occupiers haven’t been following the stormwater debate that’s been going on for some time now I appreciate the deep-thinking nature of Occupy, but these are not things that everyone in the 99% want to see or want to advocate for. posted by: Dean Moriarty on March 10, 2012 10:51pm It’s my opinion that ONH has lost any remaining credibility by submitting this list of “demands” with a straight face. Let’s see, limiting a chief executive’s salary to 35K is absurd. Think we’re in bad shape now? Wait ‘till you see what that salary would recruit. What’s frightening is that you actually think this is tenable enough to include on your list. It’s embarrassing to the stand you’re trying to make. Likewise, your foreclosure point. In the real world, somebody pays back the funds they borrow. And if they don’t, the bank cannot just say “oh well, we’ll forgive it”. The problem is a number of people bought in over their heads in the hope of making future gains. Now, if they were led into that by unscrupulous banks or brokers, that’s very sad (and criminal)but it really isn’t an excuse. Low paying job, bad credit, but you qualify for a 200K mortgage! If something looks too good to be true, it isn’t. And it wasn’t. Now, people who have fulfilled their obligations for 20 and 30 years are being asked to help subsidize those that didn’t do their due diligence. As always. As far as the Yale/tax/PILOT issue, jt75 is absolutely right. It’s not a simple matter. Not just a question of “they need to pay more!”. I agree, they do. But the issue has been ongoing for quite a long time. There’s a lot of facets to it, and it’s not something that can be solved by just demanding it. I completely agree with Streever on the school issue. Very well said. I also believe ONH would have done better by addressing the massive school construction, and more pointedly the fact that New Haven’s BOE is appointed. If this were an elected board I think you would see changes very quickly. ONH purports to know so much about what needs to be done in New Haven. Why hasn’t the issue of the BOE being appointed been questioned? And, one more thing you left off your demand list: flying cars. We’ve been promised that since the 50’s. posted by: Walt on March 11, 2012 11:45am Agreeing with some and disagreeing with other comments, I get the feeling that each of the occupiers on the Green was given the opportunity to toss in one useless recommendation without anyone else questioning his or her suggestions as to validity or importance. Thus the ridiculous idea of reducing payments of officials to the $35,000 level and the petty demand for more Library hours. The Main Library. a couple of hundred feet from the occupiers, is apparently open about 60 hours a week and the branches although open less, offer both evening and daytime coverage. Giving these pleas equal prominence with those re school and Police, to cater to someone who can’t seem to visit the Library in its sixty hours per week is,to me, very counter-productive The proposal to limit employment to Unionized employees is another proposal not helpful to the whole City, but just to the Union folk I only know one of the protesters I believe, a homeless ex-con, involved with several other drug users to my knowledge whose advice I certainly would not seek, Obviously other Occupiers are much more knowledgeable As a former member of Ben DiLieto’s unofficial citizen’s advisory committee when he was Chief I can see potential benefit if such a group were not really controlled by the cops, but not if control just shifts to the politically appointed folk, especially with New Haven’s current and likely future political leaders The same applies to the idea of elected rather than appointed membmembers the BOE. Who do you think will decide which candidates will run for those offices other than the Mayor or the Democratic Town Committee? Get real! Hell ! Evict them!! If there are not better sources for legitimate advice, we are in a hopeless situation. p posted by: Westville Mom on March 11, 2012 12:41pm Would the NHI be interested in providing some short biographies of the Occupiers? I am very interested in knowing some things about their backgrounds—where they grew up, what schools they attended, what degrees they hold and from where, as well as some info on who pays for their website and how are they supporting themselves at the moment? Professions? Jobs? Also, what other groups are they affiliated with or have memberships in? Are they married? Do they have children? If this is available on Facebook, some of us have made intentional decisions not to join, so more public info would be welcome. I don’t think it’s too much to ask of the Occupiers to provide this information, given that they are self-appointed “change” agents, as opposed to democratically elected (and presumably vetted) officials. Inquiring minds want to know. [Btw, $127,000 is NOT a lot of money for a mayor in a city with New Haven’s cost of living. Reducing it would guarantee future one-percenter mayors like Bloomberg ... is this what you really want? ... although I must admit a successful businessperson would be just fine with me.] posted by: DownTownNewHaven on March 11, 2012 5:06pm “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root,” Occupy’s demands while well meant only address the symptoms not the real problem. As it stands thinking that this list of demands will even be considered before Occupy is evicted is a pipe dream. If they actually want to leverage their imminent eviction for the public good they should focus on passing Doug Hausladen’s resolution of corporate personhood. posted by: anonymous on March 11, 2012 8:25pm I would start small, for example, don’t widen Route 34 into a Carcinogenic death trap for local residents, using federal funds so that the top 1% (wealthy doctors in Guilford/Madison) can drive in and out of town more quickly. A reasonable demand to make of City gov and one they have complete control over. posted by: Wildwest on March 12, 2012 7:58am Its too bad that their list of demands will be ignored, if the mayor was to comply with even half of the demands I might consider liking the guy. Like Streever said, the leaders will ignore/joke about these protesters instead. posted by: Wakeupsleepyheads on March 12, 2012 8:33am “embarrassment to our city”? Really that’s the best you can come up with when our government is buried in greed and corruptness, and that’s not an embarrassment? What is an embarrassment is that people are hypnotized and have forgotten that it is We the People, not the Corporations and that funny little doctrine called the Declaration of Independence that calls upon all of us to alter or abolish and form New Government when it no longer serves the needs of the people. To people who question why I occupy I ask this: Do you steal from the country by passing legislation through Lobbyists to benefit corporations (ALEC)? Do you outsource jobs because of tax benefits? Do you control and poison the food like Monsanto? Do you threaten the country with a crash, ask for a bail and take bonuses and expect the taxpayers to continue this addiction? Do you send family members off to wars under the guise of Democracy to acquire resources and then pass laws like NDAA & EEA overnite during NYE. Drones are approved to survey you, as well as constant surveillance everywhere you go now. If you don’t then maybe you should re-examine why you aren’t out there with us & doing what it means to be a true American practicing our doctrines, and not just waving flags & wearing pins (made in china) on command when the bobbing head show tells you to. There will not be a television special about it, msm is owned and will not provide anything but the movie script. Wake up! posted by: robn on March 12, 2012 8:57am ONH lost me on a couple of points. 1) NHPS spends upward of twice as much money per student than other towns in CT. Funding isn’t the problem….how those funds are spent is the problem. 2) What low income housing has been torn down to build luxury units? The closest thing I can see fitting the description of luxury is the Eli (which is a renovation of the old SNET office building) and 30 State (which was built on a vacant lot. Counterfactual rhetoric blows your credibility. Also, ONH seems to think that city government should become a jobs program. Well guess what; government can be a positive force in people’s lives, but the city shouldn’t be funding jobs that taxpayers can’t afford. We’re buried in debt service because of years of devil’s bargains between unions and politicians. So does occupy really support the 99% or just the 10% comprised of union membership? posted by: streever Robn I think Occupy is a lot like Woodstock—a lot of voices, some very reasonable propositions, some unreasonable propositions. I see it like a Democratic tea party—and for all the faults I find with the Tea Party, I can’t deny that they have shifted dialogue. Sometimes, I think you need extremists to shift a complacent society—I don’t support every demand Occupy is making, but I do think that New Haven should try to meet them somewhere in the middle. posted by: THREEFIFTHS on March 12, 2012 11:12am posted by: streever on March 10, 2012 5:01pm Some of these demands are spot-on, and I am personally disappointed in our civic leaders. Are not those civic leaders part of the two Party System. posted by: OccupyTheClassroom @westville mom I grew up in this area. Went to public schools I hold a BS from SCSU and a masters from Sacred Heart. Fb pays for fb page. Don’t know about other page. Support: community. Profession: 13 years as a New Haven teacher. Still employed and rated “exemplary”. I have one of the highest passing rates on CAPT in the district. No other groups. Married. House in area. No kids. I occupy because of the banks. BoA has screwed over me and others. Do you agree with all that your elected officials have done for you and your community? posted by: streever 3/5ths Are not these civic leaders part of the human race? posted by: scsualum on March 12, 2012 2:38pm I will gladly rent a bulldozer at no charge for the city to destroy the remained of the camp…I’m sounding the horn 3 times… please vacate…. posted by: the1king on March 12, 2012 4:53pm We have a democrat president, democrat govern. democrat senators and Representatves democrat mayor and most the alder people are you guessed it democrat. But yet they blame the Republicians. As I said many times this group is a joke and has done nothing for the time that they have been there. They wasted tax payer money and now talk about legal action against the city. I pay taxes and want my tax money for better things then supporting this group. How about this you sue the city then us tax payers will sue ocuppy new haven since some of you have houses we will take them. The squatters need to go. Can’t wait I’m going to take lunch and sit on the green. posted by: RCguy on March 12, 2012 8:34pm The comments of that call the limitation of “high ranking” public officials’ salaries “absurd” illuminate the crux of the disconnect in American society. As a concept, it is brilliant. It will do a lot to elevate the mentality and prosperity of the entire city. It will attract the RIGHT people to work for the city. There will be no problem finding someone to work for the people. If the mayor made the same as the average family in the city, he would probably work hard on behalf of the incomes of the struggling families, thus improving his/her income. What I also like about this concept is that it acknowledges a few things: 1) Compared to the so-called 1%, 35k or 127k is the same level of poverty. (Someone tied up with One Trillion dollars will tell you that) and 2)it hints at the fact that THE WAY WE ARE GOING NOW, the dollar will be worthless anyway. Tea Partiers and Occupiers can agree on that. So what does it really matter the $$$ salary of a small city Mayor when we’re all going to be living outside like the Occupiers in a few years anyway? It’s public knowledge now that money is pictures on paper. I think the so-called “demands” in this Occupation letter are custom fit to New Haven. Some are more palatable to the Parade Enthusiasts out there, but all lead to good dialogue. Occupy’s presence is a demonstration. I am grateful that this segment of society exists. The public can still enjoy the green… and if the public needs a place to go and make-out, they should consider the Old Campus. That’s also sorta public, right? posted by: Jeff Klaus on March 12, 2012 8:49pm This list is fascinating. They put charter schools at the top. Is there even one occupier, of the group actually living on the green and not the faux-occupiers, who has been to a charter school? Or even knows what a charter school is? Methinks this list was drafted by armchair revolutionaries from the comfort of an East Rock abode. The folks in the tents were exploited big time. posted by: Westville Mom on March 12, 2012 9:55pm @OccupytheClassroom: Forgive me for my insatiable curiosity (which I acquired in public schools), but how on earth do you “occupy” while working as a full-time teacher? Who paid for the very professional website linked in this article? (I really want to know this and would think you would want to know too.) What do you mean by “community” support? (I was referring to funding.) What does house “in area” mean? Do you live within the confines of New Haven or not? If not, who do you think has granted you the power to demand major changes in the city structure? I spend a lot of my time in Orange and Milford, but I don’t feel I have any right to demand anything of those towns. And no, I don’t agree with most of what my elected officials do and that’s why I consistently vote against most incumbents. That’s also why I changed my party affiliation to Republican after 20 years of being a Democrat. If thousands of New Haveners did this, real opposition candidates would eventually emerge and democratic “change” could actually occur. There’s very little “democracy” in a one-party town, a one-party state, or a one-party country ... ask any North Korean. Thank you for your answers. Regarding Bank of America, you may be one of the fortunate ones eligible for principal reduction of up to $100,000, if you are underwater. I would look into it. (Of course, back in the day, if you were underwater—and people WERE from time to time—it was just a sign that you made a bad investment and you had to take the knocks. What’s happening is that the reckless buyers/investors have ruined it for everyone, which is why banks are so impossible to deal with now.) No one ever mentions any more the huge numbers of “flippers” and “investment” buyers (especially in sunbelt states)—average folks—who contributed to creating this mess with the help of 0% downpayment, thanks to the ever-expanding pressure from the Community Reinvestment Act over the course of many years. Collective amnesia has taken hold, with substantial help from the propagandist media. Recognizing that, you might have to occupy your neighbor’s doorstep instead of the Green. I’m not as offended as many others that you are “occupying” the hallowed Green (if you really are, since you work)—I rarely visit the old city center any more and couldn’t care less—but I do oppose coercion in any form. You have no more right to demand things than I do. If I formed a mob like the one you have joined, you might not like the demands I would make. What then, eh? Does the bigger mob win? posted by: ChrisNHV on March 12, 2012 10:49pm @Westville Mom I’m 27 and grew up in the Stamford area. I do not have a college degree - I could not afford it myself and did not want to burden my working parents with that cost. I am a professional web developer and work - sometimes 60 hours a week - to support myself. I’m an organizer with the ANSWER Coalition and a member of People Against Police Brutality here in New Haven. I have no children and am not married. Regarding $127,000 not being a lot of money with New Haven’s cost of living, I would then point to the fact that the average household income for a family is under $40,000. And look at the income disparity within the city! According to the report, “A Renaissance for All of Us,” “In East Rock, fewer than 6% of households earn less than $10,000. In Newhallville, more than 20% earn less than $10,000. In East Rock, 27% of households earn more than $100,000 per year, while in Newhallville, only 6% of households earn more than $100,000. All of this is closely linked with the inescapable racial geography of New Haven and America: East Rock is more than 80% white, and Newhallville is more than 80% African-American.” I don’t want any 1%-er running the city - Bloomberg or Destefano or any of them. I am involved with the Occupy movement because I am tired of the 1% and their representatives attacking us workers at every chance they get, squeezing everything they can from us and always demanding more. We deserve better. We deserve a society where the 99% don’t have to struggle day by day, but where the wealth from our work actually goes to benefit us instead of politicians and corporations. posted by: Dean Moriarty on March 13, 2012 12:19am @Westville Mom: What a succinct and coherent summation of all this. You’ve put into words what many feel, but may not have been able to state as clearly. I do believe it’s the one of the sanest and to the point comments I’ve read since the start of this. I especially agree with your view of the foreclosure issue. We bought our house (in New Haven) 23 years ago. I clearly remember months of going through every financial calculation I could imagine to be sure we weren’t getting in over our heads. The real estate agent, and bank rep, were exasperated with me because of the questions I flooded them with. But I had to be absolutely sure that we could afford this. Actually took about the first ten years ‘till I was confident we made the right move. The people who didn’t do their due diligence and the banks that led them on are the fault for the current situation. The banks, yes, certainly, but also the people, who saw no red flags at all when they were able to buy a 300K house when they MAYBE would have qualified for a 90K house. The blame is equally shared. Also your comment about the “right to demand” is equally accurate. Thank you! @RC Guy: If it’s public knowledge that money is just “pictures on paper” can I have some of yours? Isn’t that how this “movement” works? I have no idea how close you follow financial markets, but right now they’re doing pretty darn well. And I’m certainly NOT one of the 1%. And finally, at Josh H (whom I believe I’ve spoken to) in the main article: really classy with the butt wipe. Yeah, that really helps solidify your position. posted by: publius681 on March 13, 2012 4:40am And of course these people have the smarts and qualities to lead???? posted by: publius681 on March 13, 2012 4:49am I understand that the Peace Corps is looking for volunteers. posted by: THREEFIFTHS on March 13, 2012 7:40am They forgot to put the crooked Bankers on the list. posted by: robn on March 13, 2012 8:06am CHRISNHV, Thanks for pointing us toward that very interesting report. I’ll provide a link so others can read it too. http://www.ctneweconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/A-Renaissance-for-all-of-us.pdf Yes there is great disparity between wealth in Newhallville and East Rock but my problem with your interpretation is that you’re lumping East Rockers in with Bloomberg and one percenters and that’s just not true. Here’s another interpretation of your study (chart page 9). 73% of East Rock households earn less than $100K per year. This puts the vast majority of that neighborhood squarely in the middle class. This is an area with the highest taxation in the city (maybe the nation). Taxes for average homes in East Rock will range from 7K to 15K per year under the new reval, so that means a lot of families will be paying 10-20% of their income in property taxes. Highest in the nation-> http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/27277.html I haven’t run the numbers but it’s probably just as bad in Newhallville measured as a percentage of income so both neighborhoods are under stress. My point is that you’re supporting the poor by attacking the middle class when the truth is, neither can afford to pay the excessive costs being run up by the city. posted by: streever Jeff-i understand your concerns about the demand that the city not turn over any public schools to charters. I personally respect you-your schools-and the work being done in New Haven. With that said, I’m uncomfortable turning public schools over to any group that can deny students who-for instance-speak spanish as a first language. Charter schools work and are effective and have a place. I don’t think that place should be “replacement” for public schools. Most education reform seems to acknowledge that the charter schools would not perform as well as they do if they were the de facto public schools. As I said-I respect and admire your work and genuinely believe you are doing incredible things. I just don’t think that charter schools should be the ONLY solution, as Malloy seems to imply, which is what I think occupy is targeting in their demand. I think the occupiers are using the classic negotiation strategy of asking for more than you can get and winning in the compromise. Charters are a great option for some students, but we need a strong public school system, not one that is threatened with being sold. posted by: ChrisNHV on March 13, 2012 9:23am @Robn, I didn’t intend to equate people who live in East Rock with the 1%, and looking back over my comment I think you’re interpreting that way out of context. Let’s be clear on who the 1% are - they’re not people who make over $100,000 a year, or even $250,000 a year. They’re the people who own the corporations and banks that got us into this crisis. My neighbors are certainly not the 1%. posted by: Mister Jones on March 13, 2012 10:40am I am generally supportive of the Occupy movement, but it’s time for the New Haven encampment to move on. Looks to me like the City and the Proprietors of the Green have thoughtful, respectful proposal that accommodates the Occupiers desire to protest and the public’s interest in the space. If the Green is to remain a public space it cannot also be a permanent residence to members of the group. “In response to the city’s suggestion that the occupation might be able to return—with permits—to the Green for periods of up to a week, occupier Josh Heltke (pictured) wiped his butt with the city’s latest notice. Occupiers waggled their fingers in approval of his comments.” Really? Wiping your but is part of civil discourse? Followed by the silly hand signals Occupiers must use to communicate. Reasonable minds can differ about the wisdom of some of the demands listed by the group, but the idea that they won’t leave until their demands are met—that’s pretty half-baked. Protests have an important function, but if they want to see these changes they need to engage in the governmental process. Finally, do the Occupiers have anything to say about the damage they have inflicted on the natural resource—the grass on the Green? The lawns get stressed from various transient activities like concerts but it grows back. I expect to see lots of dead areas, ruts and mud once the tents are removed. Will the occupiers re-seed and re-sod, or will that too be on the city’s dime? posted by: robn on March 13, 2012 11:12am CHRISNHV, Yet 50% of your ONH demands involve the city spending more money; money which “workers” have to pony up in property taxes. Another 20% are state or federal matters; completely out of the hands of local officials. You guys want to have a profound effect? Try one of these three things: 1) Camp out in City Hall until the mayor and the BOA cuts the budget and alleviates the local tax burden. 2) Camp out in the state house until Pilot is structured to cover all tax exempt property is fully funded. 3) Camp out in front of the houses of our Congressional delegates until they get red states to stop siphoning off income tax dollars from our state. (These are our problems. Notice that the first thing is exactly the opposite of what ONH proposes in its manifesto, and the other two things aren’t controlled by city government.) posted by: Curious on March 13, 2012 3:55pm I am with robn 100%. Occupiers, go do something useful and meaningful. Camping on the green IS a camping trip, it does nothing. Go hand out credit union flyers on the steps of the bank chains around town, tell people how they can switch. Go protest at City Hall, or the Capitol. Make some noise, get arrested. Instead of sending four people to Groton to protest at Pfizer, take your whole encampment to 1 Howe Street right here in New Haven, where Pfizer has a major research center. It has a big Pfizer sign on it. That is civil disobedience. posted by: Jonathan Hopkins “Fund all public schools equitably and sufficiently. Stop all public school giveaways to for-profit corporations and charters.” Agree about the charters, but define “sufficiently”. “Provide funding for community-led youth and social programs, so that youth have access to safe spaces that offer engaging and enriching programs. For example: reopening the Dixwell Ave. Q House” There’s been a lot of talk about the Dixwell Community House and I’m not so sure its the silver bullet that many people seem to think it is - when the Q House was open in the late 80s and early 90s, New Haven was far more dangerous than it is now and may have been in worse financial trouble (the mill rate was upwards of 60). Besides the city already has schools, parks and playgrounds that could be used more effectively for recreation, tudoring, nighttime and winter activities, neighborhood meetings, etc without funding more buildings located on an ideal commercial street like Dixwell. “Provide safe and adequate low-income housing. Replace all low-income housing that has been removed to make way for luxury living units. Utilize and repair currently empty houses to prove stable living situations for the city’s homeless population.” Not the city’s job. In the late 80s and early 90s New Haven had one of the highest - sometimes the highest - concentrations of subsidized housing units per capita in the nation, which contributed to us also having one of the highest crime rates. The city and the housing authority have since been deconcentrating poverty in housing projects and neighborhoods by using federal programs liek section 8 and HOPE VI in addition to some state programs. New Haven cannot continue to house the region’s poor - its an unworkable burden. However, I don’t want poor people to be displaced, I want the state to step up and mandate that suburbs take meaningful steps towards providing real affordable housing of good quality by promoting transit-oriented development, multimodal street design, and employment located in relation to employee housing (and vis versa). “An immediate end to foreclosures and gentrification processes that marginalize the community to create profitable opportunities for corporations at the expense of working-class people.” I’m not a fan of practices like the unnecessary demolition of buildings (http://g.co/maps/hvsuu, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjNdq4gDN2M), auto-oriented design, and single-use districts that tend to disporportionately impact poor people. I’d prefer the city encourage practices like infill, renovation and adaptive use initiatives that accommodate new uses and people into existing fabric and character and when done correctly creates a blend of incomes and household types without requiring displacement and demolition. posted by: Jonathan Hopkins “Invest in meaningful, well-paying union jobs in our communities and stop privatizing public-sector jobs.” Great, but first we have to broaden the tax base and consolidate resources and services by regionalizing. “Seeing as the mayor makes $127,070 per year, and the police chief make $150,000 per year while the average family income in New Haven is $35,950, limit the salary of elected and appointed city officials to match the average income of a family in the city.” Sounds like a great way to attract a bunch of unqaulified city officials to very powerful and important positions. The city has to remain competitive when listing important job openings. I would love to see highly-paid city employees take large salary cuts, but it has to be voluntary, or agreed upon by a majority of employees. “End tax exemptions for Yale, which is the among the top 5 richest universities in the world.” I know Yale is rich, but you can’t single it out. Either this tax would apply to all private colleges or none. I think classrooms, libraries, administrative office, laboratories and research facilities should remain tax-exempt while dining halls, residence halls, professor offices and recreation facilities should be taxes a special reduced rate. It’d be considered ridiculous if Yale had a clothing store open in the center of one it’s gated courtyards that sold merchandise only to students, yet it’s completely acceptable to do the same thing with dining halls? If colleges want to institutionalize things like student health service offices, dining, housing and other services that would normally be provided through city tax-paying commercial establishments then they should pay a tax for it. If they don’t then should other non-profits like churches be able to buy up city houses and apartment buildings in order to house their parishioners then claim those houses should also be tax-exempt because they are part of the “church community experience”? No, then why do private schools get to do it? Colleges and universities (public and private) should plan their growth in coordination with whatever municipality they are located in. Yale, SCSU, Gateway, etc should have urban plans that are designed to mesh the studentbody and staff populations into the city and when there is a good reason to institutionalize something, then they should pay a tax on it because that dining hall, or that fitness center, or that residential dorm that is institutionalized kills the market for things like private gyms, restaurants, and apartments that would pay city property taxes. Imagine how many more businesses there would be in the city if those 12-15,000 college student underclassmen didn’t eat 17 out of 21 meals a week in a tax-exempt dining hall, or use a tax-exempt school gym. It seems that the construction jobs and occassional student shopping and dining out are crumbs compared to what the city trully misses out on in revenue. posted by: Mister Jones on March 15, 2012 12:18pm Jonathan Hopkins, you probably know better than I, but as I understand it, Yale’s dormitories and dining halls are a 20th Century innovation. Before the big build-out, Yale students lived and ate in privately-owned facilities.
New Cincinnati coach Tommy Tuberville is slated to make $2.2 million annually, making him one of the highest paid coaches in the Big East. According to the term sheet negotiated between Tuberville and Cincinnati -- and obtained by the Cincinnati Enquirer -- the coach also will get an increase in his pool money to pay assistants, up to $2.1 million. Former coach Butch Jones was set to make $1.575 million in 2013, and had $1.85 million to pay assistants. Tuberville made roughly the same $2.2 million salary this past season at Texas Tech. "I think it’s market rate,” athletic director Whit Babcock told the Enquirer. "I think it’s good for UC to have a coach of his stature. You could make the argument that there are coaches without his pedigree making more than that." You can read more on the term sheet, including buyouts and bonuses, here. Tuberville has not yet signed the deal. According to the latest figures compiled by USA Today, along with new contracts for incoming coaches, Louisville coach Charlie Strong is the only coach scheduled to make more than Tuberville among those at public schools. Big East coaches Strong, $2.3 million* Tuberville, $2.2 million Paul Pasqualoni, UConn, $1.6 million Doug Marrone, Syracuse, $1.3 million** Willie Taggart, USF, $1.15 million Kyle Flood, Rutgers, $760,000 Paul Chryst, Pitt, N/A Matt Rhule, Temple, N/A * Louisville is working on a raise and contract extension. ** Marrone also received a new deal, terms are unavailable.
Original cast member and Tony nominee Rory O’Malley has announced that he will be departing the smash hit musical The Book of Mormon on January 27. A replacement for O’Malley, who has played the closeted Elder McKinley since the show opened on Broadway in 2011, has not yet been announced. The actor posted the news to his Twitter account, alongside a bevvy of goodbyes to/from other Broadway actors who tweeted their support for the longtime Mormon missionary. O’Malley is the third principal original cast member to leave the show, following Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad in the summer of 2012. “As a kid I dreamt of nothing more than originating a role on Bwy, but getting to do that w/ Elder McKinley has fulfilled that dream tenfold,” he tweeted, adding, “NEVER TURN IT OFF!” (referencing his character's showstopping act one number). The Book of Mormon nabbed 14 Tony Award nominations in 2011; among those was O'Malley's first Tony nod for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. In 2012, Broadway.com launched a backstage video blog with O'Malley called The Book of Rory—watch the very first episode below!
You might think that scientists and Evangelicals have nothing in common. But you'd be wrong. Large numbers of both agree on one thing: the end is near. A few years back, Sir Martin Rees, Britain's Royal Astronomer, published a book titled Our Final Century, in which he put the odds of human survival through this century at no better than 50-50. Now, biologist Frank Fenner, who played a key role in ending the scourge of smallpox, says the end is certain. Surveying the carnage humanity has inflicted on the ecosphere, the 95-year-old Australian scientist says nothing can change our fate now. "It's an irreversible situation," he's quoted as telling the press. "I think it's too late." Many of the best-informed scientists agree that we have left it too late to prevent anthropogenic climate change from bringing on a global catastrophe. Whether this results in actual extinction or merely the ruin of civilization is a matter they are still debating. Fundies entertain no such doubts. Preacher Tim LaHaye and his potboiler copilot Jerry Jenkins have made a vast fortune describing the gory biblical end they gleefully anticipate. Their Left Behind novels have been bestsellers, but don't get the idea they think this is mere fiction. In a recent Fox News interview with Governor (and former Republican presidential candidate) Mike Huckabee, LaHaye says the End Times are due to start, and that President Obama's "socialism" is speeding the day: It would be nice to think that LaHaye is a lonely loon, spouting nonsense for fun and profit, but a Pew Center report finds that nearly 60 percent of white Evangelicals believe Jesus will be back in town any day now -- and most definitely within the first half of this century. There are two major differences between these doomsday criers. First, scientists base their conclusions on a systematic review of evidence in the real world. Evangelicals rely on that hall of magic mirrors called biblical prophecy. Funny thing about the Bible: you can read whatever you want into it. Take LaHaye, for example: He thinks that a) the Bible prophesies that four global empires will arise, and that b) four global empires have arisen. Bingo! It's Armageddon time! Never mind that the Bible authors thought the world was flat and had no idea that empires existed in China or Meso-America. LaHaye's got it all taped out. Never mind that there has never been a truly global empire. (The Brits came closest, but even they controlled only a fraction of humanity.) It's all in the interpretation! Second, scientists generally deplore the extinction of megafauna (including us). Some even gnash their teeth, and for all I know, rent their garments. Physicist Bob Park is a good example. In his weekly newsletter he cries out like a prophet in the wilderness about our failure to recognize the dangers of overpopulation. Evangelical doomsayers, on the other hand, say "bring it on." They are elated by the thought that they will be snatched up to heaven while all those godless liberals and assorted heathens suffer torment below. They even welcome climate change as part of "God's plan." Check out the scorching sun and 100-pound hailstones in this slick video: It would be bad enough if Evangelicals merely fantasized about the End Times. But they and their counterparts in the world's other major religions fan the flames. The QuiverFullers push for big families at a time when our resources are redlining, jihadists commit atrocities in hopes of sparking a global religious war, Jewish settlers claim God's backing for their abuse of Palestinians, Hindu radicals bomb mosques and churches, and on and on it goes. Is it any wonder that some scientists believe the end is near and that religion is to blame? Perhaps not. But they are, I trust, wrong. The end is not certain, and religion per se is not to blame. I have lived long enough to know that problems are far easier to define than solutions. I grew up under the shadow of the Bomb. Dr. Strangelove seemed like a realistic scenario then. No one could have reasonably predicted the peaceful, internal dismantling of the Soviet Union. By the same token, I suggest, we must not assume that religion, which was, I believe, an adaptive institution in our past, will not evolve into a benign institution in our future. It can and must, and people of good will and sense need to help it along -- from inside and out. There are some encouraging examples out there.
An ATM skimmer gang stole more than $400,000 using skimming devices built with the help of high-tech 3D printers, federal prosecutors say. Before I get to the gang, let me explain briefly how ATM skimmers work, and why 3D printing is a noteworthy development in this type of fraud. Many of the ATM skimmers profiled in my skimmer series are carefully hand-made and crafted to blend in with the targeted cash machine in both form and paint color. Some skimmer makers even ask customers for a photo of the targeted cash machine before beginning their work. The skimmer components typically include a card skimmer that fits over the card acceptance slot and steals the data stored on the card’s magnetic stripe, and a pinhole camera built into a false panel that thieves can fit above or beside the PIN pad. If these components don’t match just-so, they’re more likely to be discovered and removed by customers or bank personnel, leaving the thieves without their stolen card data. Enter the 3D printer. This fascinating technology, explained succinctly in the video below from 3D printing company i.materialise, takes two dimensional computer images and builds them into three dimensional models by laying down successive layers of powder that are heated, shaped and hardened. 3D printing in action from i.materialise on Vimeo. Apparently, word is spreading in the cybercrime underworld that 3D printers produce flawless skimmer devices with exacting precision. Last year, i-materialise blogged about receiving a client’s order for building a card skimmer. The company said it denied the request when it became clear the ordered product was a fraud device. In June, a federal court indicted four men from South Texas (PDF) whom authorities say had reinvested the profits from skimming scams to purchase a 3D printer. According to statements by the U.S. Secret Service, the gang’s leader, Jason Lall of Houston, was sent to prison for ATM fraud in 2009. Lall was instrumental in obtaining skimming devices, and the gang soon found themselves needing to procure their own skimmers. The trouble is, skimmer kits aren’t cheap: They range from $2,000 to more than $10,000 per kit. Secret Service agents said in court records that on May 4, 2011, their undercover informer engaged in a secretly taped discussion with the ring’s members about a strategy for obtaining new skimmers. John Paz of Houston, one of the defendants, was allegedly the techie who built the skimming devices using a 3-D printer that the suspects purchased together. The Secret Service allege they have Paz on tape explaining the purchase of the expensive printer. “When [Lall was] put in jail, we asked, ‘What are we going to do?’ and we had to figure it out and that’s when we came up with this unit,” Paz allegedly told the undercover officer. The government alleges Paz also was the guy who encoded the stolen card data onto counterfeit cards. The feds say Albert Richard of Missouri City, Texas prepared ATMs at numerous banks where the skimming devices were installed, by covering the ATM cameras or spray-painting over them, and by acting as a lookout. A fourth defendant, John Griffin, is alleged to have used the counterfeit cards to withdraw funds at different ATMs around Texas. Prosecutors allege the group stole more than $400,000 between Aug. 2009 and June 2011. Prior to their arrest this summer, the gang started making decent money but they split the profits amongst them. Federal prosecutors say the men stole $57,808.14 in month of April 2011 alone (yes, that’s an odd amount to have come out of ATMs, but I digress). The court documents don’t say how much the men spent on the 3D printer, nor do they include pictures of the fraud devices. The Secret Service declined to offer more details, citing an ongoing investigation. But i.materialize’s Franky De Schouwer said a high quality 3D printer can be had for between $10,000 and $20,000. “Just looking at the idea of 3D printing a potential skimming device, a criminal could invest in buying a desktop 3D printer,” De Schouwer wrote in an email to KrebsOnSecurity. “Not a kit printer in the line of a Makerbot or a RepMan but a desktop printer of a high end manufacturer of 3D printers like Objet, 3D Systems or Stratasys (HP). You could get one of those between $10,000 – $20,000 and they will print a high quality skimming device that, including some post finishing, will look like the real thing.” De Schouwer said his company thankfully hasn’t had any more requests to print ATM skimming devices. But that doesn’t mean the demand has gone away. “We do notice that some people end up on our blog with the keywords ‘I want to buy an ATM skimming device,” he said. A copy of the original complaint in this case is available here (PDF). Tags: 3D printer, Albert Richard, ATM Skimmers, Franky De Schouwer, i.materialise, Jason Lall, John Griffin, Jon Paz, U.S. Secret Service, скиммер
CANNABIS CULTURE – Marc Emery supporters Canada-wide will be joining together at their local Member of Parliament’s offices on Saturday, November 7th, at 2:00pm to demand freedom for the imprisoned activist. Canadians cannot allow our Minister of Justice to sign a Canadian citizen, Marc Scott Emery over to serve 5 years in the USA! Show you really care this Saturday: grab a group of friends and rally at your local MP’s office with a sign saying Free Marc Emery! Click here to find your Member of Parliament’s office. Click here to find Free Marc Emery signs and posters. Marc Emery is a marijuana activist imprisoned at North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam, B.C. awaiting extradition to the United States for selling marijuana seeds and using the profits to fund pot activist groups. Click here to read more about Political Prisoner Marc Emery. Click here to go to the “Free Marc Emery Rally @ ALL MP Offices Across Canada” Facebook Page.
Submitted by Azizonomics Precrime In America The U.S. Department of Homeland security is working on a project called FAST, the Future Attribute Screening Technology. FAST will remotely monitor physiological and behavioural signals like elevated heart rate, eye movement, body temperature, facial patterns, and body language, and analyse these signals algorithmically for statistical aberrance in an attempt to identify people with criminal or terroristic intentions. It’s useful to briefly talk about a few of the practical problems that such a system would face. Firstly, the level of accuracy in remote monitoring. Is it possible to engineer a system that can remotely tell you the heart-rate of a hundred passengers passing through a TSA checkpoint? Yes. Is it possible to do so accurately? That is much, much harder. The obvious conclusion is that such a system, were it to be deployed in the wilds of airports (and presumably, other locations where our ever-benevolent technocratic overlords determine “terrorists” or “criminals” may be operating) would — given a large enough number of scans — produce a lot of false positives stemming from erroneous data. But let’s assume that such a system can be calibrated to produce a relatively accurate data set. Now we are faced with the problem of defining “suspicious” behaviour. Surely a passenger with the flu or a cold — who might have an elevated body temperature and a faster heart rate — would set alarm bells ringing. So too would someone suffering from pre-flight anxiety, people taking certain medications, the elderly and so on. Given that TSA screening protocols have prevented precisely zero terrorist attacks on American soil since 9/11 (even in spite of the fact that 630 million passengers fly each year ) this merely suggests that vulnerable people will end up getting hassled by the TSA to an even greater extent than they already would be today. This is no laughing matter — a nervous but otherwise perfectly innocent passenger might end up getting tasered and die — something which of course has happened multiple times already. Or — under the NDAA (2011) — false-positives might end up being indefinitely detained on totally erroneous grounds. Of course, the next problem is distinguishing the guilty from the innocent. Simply, this system would seem to produce nothing other than circumstantial evidence. Given that no crime would have yet been committed, how would it be possible to prove nefarious intent? Perhaps one day a terrorist or drug smuggler (got to keep fighting the war on drugs…) will be foolish enough to try to carry a gun or a knife through a TSA checkpoint and onto an aeroplane, but given that a metal detector could have detected that anyway, what is the point of this new technology? Surely it is to pinpoint potential terrorists who would otherwise not be picked out by the body scanners? In that case, would the end result just be that people — with no real evidence against other than a fast heart rate and some perspiration — end up being thrown off their flight? Would people who are subject to a false positive and as a result miss a flight try to sue the TSA for wasting their time and money? Next, just as a committed and composed liar can fool a polygraph, surely terrorists and drug smugglers out in the wild would adapt their behaviour to avoid detection. There are of course prescription drugs that can be taken to reduce the physiological symptoms of anxiety, and thus fool the detector. Then there are the problems in testing. Subjects in the laboratory trials (taxpayer-funded, of course) have been told to go through the system with the intent to cause a disruptive act. The system has been fine-tuned to detect subjects in a controlled laboratory environment. Simply, there is no data on the effectiveness of this system against terrorists in the wild. The wild is a totally different environment, and the mindset and physiological cues of a real terrorist may well be entirely different to those of a laboratory subject who is pretending (we just don’t know until we try it on a large enough sample of real terrorists). The notion that it can catch terrorist seems wholly pseudo-scientific, and based on the false premise that terrorism has an identifiable set of physiological cues. The entire operation is based on the (possibly flawed) premise that a terrorist will be nervous, and that therefore we should cast an extremely wide dragnet to further interrogate and intimidate nervous people. That is guesswork, not science. As Alexander Furnas writing in the Atlantic states: We should ask, in a world where we are already pass through full-body scanners, take off our shoes, belts, coats and only carry 3.5 oz containers of liquid, is more stringent screening really what we need and will it make us any safer? Or will it merely brand hundreds of innocent people as potential terrorists and provide the justification of pseudo-scientific algorithmic behavioral screening to greater invasions of their privacy? It is ridiculous — and totally contrary to the Fourth Amendment — that the courts have franked the notion that air travellers can be subject to invasive pat-downs and body scans without probably cause. But they did. In U.S. vs Davis, 482 F.2d 893, 908 the judge ruled that ”airport screenings are considered to be administrative searches because they are conducted as part of a general regulatory scheme, where the essential administrative purpose is to prevent the carrying of weapons or explosives aboard aircraft” and that “an administrative search is allowed if no more intrusive or intensive than necessary, in light of current technology, to detect weapons or explosives, confined in good faith to that purpose, and passengers may avoid the search by electing not to fly.” But to effectively conduct a medical scan on passengers? Surely this goes well beyond being “no more intrusive or intensive than necessary“? How many successful terrorist attacks occurred after 9/11, even before the more invasive pat-downs and body scans were brought in? None. So why would deepening the security regime be necessary? And now that the TSA has expanded its regime beyond airports and out onto the roads of America we must ask ourselves what the endgame of all of this is? Could it be to deploy these technologies on a widespread basis throughout American cities, malls, sports stadiums and using it to scout out potential troublemakers? Would that be deemed an “administrative search” too (and thus not subject to the Fourth Amendment)? This logic — of giving incontrovertible and unchallengeable power to our benevolent administrative overlords and then hoping for the best — takes us to a dark and nasty place. It requires us to assume they have our bests interests at heart, and it requires us to assume that they will not abuse their power. The power to monitor these kinds of cues is a power that could easily be abused. A corrupt TSA agent might call a person they find attractive — even a child — out of the queue for a secondary search so that he or she can molest them with an enhanced pat-down. These new tools just enhance that power, providing a cloak of pseudo-scientific justification to the reality of citizens bowing down at the feet of their government and kissing the ring of power. Unquestioning obedience to power is a recipe for social catastrophe. As Jefferson put it: When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. Would I be picked out of the queue at the airport? Sure. I already am for my Arabic name. But I am nervous. And the things that make me nervous? Encroaching Orwellianism. The potential for the abuse of power. The potential for tyranny. The demand of unquestioning obedience. The money spent and debt accrued to develop these technologies. The fact that our governments are obsessed with terrorism to the extent that they will put tighter and tighter controls in place at airports, even though more people are crushed to death by furniture or televisions every year than are killed in terrorist attacks, while ignoring real threats to our society like excessive systemic risk in the global financial system. That all scares the shit out of me.
RARB Picks of 2015 Welcome to RARB Picks of the Year, 2015 Edition! Reviewers who published at least seven reviews in 2015 were asked to select one Pick of the Year and one Honorable Mention from albums that they personally reviewed for RARB. Reviewers with fewer published reviews could choose only a Pick of the Year. (Albums chosen in both categories are listed as Picks only; the full listing may be found under individual reviewers.) Reviewers could submit descriptions of their picks, but were not required to. Reviewers were also asked to select Tracks of the Year on a similar principle, again restricted to the tracks that they personally reviewed for RARB. Reviewers could also abstain from making selections in any or all categories. Finally, our editorial staff jointly chose one Single of the Year and one Honorable Mention from among all the singles reviewed in 2015. Albums of the Year Honorable Mentions Tracks of the Year Singles of the Year Peter Hollens – Black Is the Colour (Of My True Love's Hair) A honey-sweet voice and a rumbly bass have never paired as perfectly as Peter and Avi do on 2015's Single of the Year, Black Is the Colour (Of My True Love's Hair) . With its strong swirling atmosphere that's both intense and mysterious, this well-known folk song gets a new lease on life with a restrained tempo that creates tension for a greater payoff. Refreshing and memorable, Black Is the Colour (Of My True Love's Hair) is a new classic for modern a cappella. Honorable Mention Twisted Measure (Elon University) – Chandelier If you're ready for a good ol' fashioned emotional reaction, queue up Chandelier by Elon University's Twisted Measure. In a crowded field of top-notch singles, Chandelier captured our attention and hearts with its goosebump-inducing lead from Abby Franklin, who sings over well-controlled backs that know when to pop out and when to fade away. The arrangement sets the tone for impressive vocal drama that you don't want to miss. Album of the Year Maybebop – Das darf man nicht Choosing an album of the year has never been harder. Maybebop pulls ahead of an incredibly talented pack (including brilliant work by Naturally 7 and ONAIR) through a combination of originality, virtuosity, and elegant signature production. This German quartet is at the top of its game, and with one of the richest discographries in contemporary a cappella, that's quite an achievement. Maybebop – Album Honorable Mention Naturally 7 – Hidden In Plain Sight: Vox Maximus Vol.1 Naturally 7's vision of a cappella is wholly unique, soundly rejecting traditional rockist values and unabashedly embracing hip-hop and sampling. Either one of the most (or least) original a cappella albums to ever be released, Nat7 demands that we examine what a cappella truly is, all while dazzling us with melismatic wonder, technical wizardry, and delightfully dense harmony. Track of the Year Wolf and I , ONAIR – Moon Aching, haunting, overflowing with raw emotion and heartbreaking chords, ONAIR's version of Wolf and I will leave an indelible mark on all who hear it. , ONAIR – Track Honorable Mention My Future Self — Postyr , Vocal Group SONO – SONOrdic From its iconic opening chords, tinged with both human pathos and electronic perfection, Postyr's My Future Self is transcendent. The song ostensibly focuses on the future, but its true genius lies in capturing the singular beauty of a uniquely present moment with absolute clarity. No a cappella collection is complete without this song. Album of the Year ScatterTones (University of California, Los Angeles) – Being Young Being Young wasn't the most original album of 2015, but no other group came close to the vocal power presented here. The ScatterTones are superstars! ScatterTones (University of California, Los Angeles) – Album Honorable Mention The A Cappella Group (Cypress Lake High School) – Bright Bright had my highest "Repeat Listenability" marks of the year. You can let this one roll right on through again and again without loving it any less. Track of the Year Wavin' Flag , ScatterTones (University of California, Los Angeles) – Being Young Wavin' Flag inspired millions during the 2010 World Cup, and I bet this version could empower just as many. Crank it up and let your hair fly! , ScatterTones (University of California, Los Angeles) – Track Honorable Mention High , The A Cappella Group (Cypress Lake High School) – Bright High is an honest-to-goodness feel-good song with an infectious delivery and arrangement. I frequently start my day with this tune, and I think you should, too. Album of the Year ONAIR – Moon To quote my review, "I love this album. Love, love, love ... it is perhaps the most 'repeatly listenable' album that I've ever been asked to review." It's fantastic. At only six tracks, it certainly leaves you craving more ONAIR. Track of the Year Teardrop , ONAIR – Moon Teardrop is an experience not to be missed, the most interesting song on the best album of the year. It bears little resemblance to the instrumental snippet used for the TV show House . Instead, the piece has an almost Middle Eastern feel with chanting and whispering, and cool vocal percussion with sounds reminiscent of African music. Album of the Year Postyr – Paper Tiger Postyr's electronic approach to a cappella is certainly unique, and these Danish singers find ways to enhance their vocal tones through computer-generated beats. But Postyr doesn't rely on technology, either: many of the songs on Paper Tiger feature just voices, and those are stunning as well. The album flows from the sultry to the danceable and back again, all with beautiful dynamics and emotive deliveries. Postyr – Album Honorable Mention The Faux Paz (University of Maryland) – Chaos The coed Faux Paz captures Chaos with infectious energy: killer solos, intricate arrangements, and all-in performances make this the best collegiate release of the year for me. These singers have unearthed some unexpected covers — and some unexpected twists to overdone songs — to make this an engaging, exciting collection of covers. Track of the Year Man's World / Fallin' , Everyday People (Stanford University) – The Sweetest It takes a lot for a medley to win me over, but Stanford's Everyday People had me at attention with this one: a powerhouse soloist, a stunning transition, backs that are on-point and engaged, and a beautiful arrangement. Either of these songs would have been solid on its own, but the Everyday People made both halves better by combining them into one track. The waterfall "fall" in the transition is the perfect climax of the song, and soloist Tessa Pompa keeps the intensity up throughout it all. , Everyday People (Stanford University) – Track Honorable Mention Burn , The Lost Keys – Unlocked New York City's The Lost Keys know how to deliver a memorable cover with their sultry cover of Ellie Goulding's Burn : it creeps in with a haunting introduction then builds into something truly magical, with hints of other pop songs subtly woven into the background. It's a bold statement for a debut recording, and The Lost Keys have the chops to pull it off. Album of the Year Maybebop – Für Euch With Für Euch , Maybebop builds on its already impressive legacy of ingenious arranging, charismatic singing, and a delightful sense of humor. On the surface, this is a German Christmas album featuring a mix of traditional melodies and original compositions. At its heart, this is one of the most eclectic, entertaining collections of 2015, regardless of what language you speak or season you prefer. Maybebop – Album Honorable Mention Rock4 – Don't break the rhythm A generally mellow collection, Don't break the rhythm stands out for its complex compositions and mesmerizing grooves. The guys of Rock4 have a phenomenal grasp of the intricacies of arranging, singing, and production that enables them to transport you everywhere from medieval chapels to neon night clubs in the span of a single song. This is an a cappella journey through time and space that, once you hear, you won't soon forget. Track of the Year Insomnia , Rock4 – Don't break the rhythm This is not your grandparents' a cappella. It opens with a poetry reading of sorts that is at once hilarious, depressing, and nonchalant. Then it evolves into a psychadelic trance beat that you just wish would loop forever. Need I say more? Insomnia is so absurd and yet so cool, and will completely revolutionize the way you think about a cappella arranging and recording. , Rock4 – Track Honorable Mention Porcelain , Tar Heel Voices (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) – 1988 Every few months, if you're lucky, you come across a song that sends chills down your spine. It takes just the right mix of familiarity and novelty; simplicity and complexity; and delicate quiets interspersed with climactic builds. Porcelain is one of those songs, and the Tar Heel Voices made great choices with their arrangement and leads to make it all come together in one beautiful recording. Album of the Year Maybebop – Das darf man nicht Ugh. So angry at Maybebop for yet again providing the world with an absolutely impeccable album full of killer hooks, sterling production, and terrific singing. It's easily the most versatile and impresive album I heard all year. Maybebop is disgusting(ly great). Maybebop – Album Honorable Mention Vocal Point (University of Delaware) – Phoenix Phoenix marks a breakthrough from Vocal Point, as the group found a way to keep arrangements smart, fluid, and effective for the duration of each song. With a little polish and style from The Vocal Company, Phoenix is one of the best-sounding albums I heard all year, and Vocal Point has successfully raised the bar for itself and other groups in the collegiate a cappella community. Track of the Year Es war gut so , Maybebop – Das darf man nicht , Maybebop – Track Honorable Mention Ich seh dich (Pop-Mix) , Maybebop – Das darf man nicht Album of the Year Bare Naked Statues (Saint Louis University) – Exposed Exposed was one of my favorite listens of 2015. It has such a unique balance of light versus dark arrangements, and a few surprises along the way. The album and energy just feels youthful and the production makes the whole experience even better. Inventive tracks such as When You Were Young made this project a standout for me during this past year. Bare Naked Statues (Saint Louis University) – Album Honorable Mention SoundStage – One Savior One Voice One Savior One Voice is not your typical collection of tracks copied out of church hymnals; rather, it's a compelling work of art. SoundStage has produced one of the most spiritually uplifting assortment of tunes that truly captivate and tell an unforgettable story through song. This will easily be your go-to album when you need inspiration or are seeking to be moved by the human voice. Track of the Year Phoenix Burn , Chi Rho (Wake Forest University) – The One You Call Phoenix Burn has such a strong progression throughout the song. From the lyrics to the intensity, this song is just great to listen to, with a killer lead, a powerful message, and interesting backing parts ... how can you not love it? , Chi Rho (Wake Forest University) – Track Honorable Mention I Need Thee Every Hour , SoundStage – One Savior One Voice When a really good song hits you, it sticks for a long time. I Need Thee Every Hour does just that. No, it's not some mega pop tune or rock track, but it comes from a place of traditional music with soul-piercing, pure vocals. Featuring great production without being over the top, this song simply allows the voices to move any listener. Album of the Year The Lost Keys – Unlocked Five-star, five-song, five-course meal! The Lost Keys – Album Honorable Mention zwo3wir – Smaragdrot Finely-tuned, precision a cappella machines from Austria! Track of the Year Creep , The Lost Keys – Unlocked Choosing just one song from this album is one of the hardest things I've had to do! , The Lost Keys – Track Honorable Mention Fresh , The Techtonics (Imperial College London) – Clockwork A blast to listen to! I want to hear more like this from these guys! Album of the Year Briarcrest OneVoice – Starry Eyed The album from 2015 that moved me the most was, without question, Starry Eyed by OneVoice. These high schoolers from Memphis are certainly worth looking out for in 2016 and beyond. This EP showcases both their musicality and ingenuity, with the tracks creating a full story while updating their source material. It's very easy to lose yourself in the beauty of the work done here and forget that the singers are still in high school: just another tip in director J.D. Frizzell's cap. Starry Eyed is certainly a must-hear for anyone reading this and anyone they know. Briarcrest OneVoice – Album Honorable Mention Postyr – Paper Tiger A welcome surprise at the end of my reviewing year, Paper Tiger by Postyr is creativity and innovation at their finest. I was moved by the subtlety and originality of everything here, and simply overtaken by the ethereal nature of the soundscape presented. This album is certainly a standout and worth your attention. Track of the Year Stay , Divisi (Central Connecticut State University) – Park & Ride Perhaps flying in under the radar for most, Divisi's cover of Stay by Sara Bareilles caught my ear and has held it since. This rendition is not only true to its source material but updates the background parts in ways suitable for vocals and interesting to listeners that are both familiar and unfamiliar with the original. Besides the chilling chords and a clever modulation, the male soloist is powerful in a way that is not too showy for the emotional tenor of the song. All elements come together to form a truly memorable track. , Divisi (Central Connecticut State University) – Track Honorable Mention Life Support , Briarcrest OneVoice – Starry Eyed As I did in my review, I can do no less than gush over the brilliance of OneVoice's Life Support . At first I was unfamiliar with the Sam Smith original, and once I did my research, I could further appreciate this cover, which not only created haunting high dissonances and a compelling duet, but essentially turned the form and feel on their heads. Both compelling conceptual work and a solid execution make this a must-hear track. Album of the Year The A Cappella Group (Cypress Lake High School) – Bright It's not much of a surprise that TAG tops my list for the second year running. The amount of heart and passion in each of the tracks, combined with excellent arrangements and production work, make Bright a clear stand-out. The A Cappella Group (Cypress Lake High School) – Album Honorable Mention Shir Appeal (Tufts University) – Linguistics When considering albums as a whole, I keep coming back to Linguistics . I think Shir Appeal did an excellent job putting together a rounded and cohesive album filled with positive, approchable tracks that really lift up the listener. I strongly encourage everyone to check it out. Track of the Year Bang Bang , Note-Oriety (James Madison University) – Note-Oriety Although it set my expectations for the rest of the album a little unreasonably high, I keep coming back to Bang Bang again and again. It's fun, energetic, and interesting, which is always a huge breath of fresh air, especially on popular tracks. This is the type of track you keep on hand for friends who need to be "introduced" to all that a cappella can be. , Note-Oriety (James Madison University) – Track Honorable Mention Burn It Down , The A Cappella Group (Cypress Lake High School) – Bright I didn't spend a ton of time on Gabrielle Macafee's original song in my review of Bright , but that certainly doesn't mean it went unnoticed. I think there's a growing desire for more a cappella originals, and having someone so young stepping up to the plate (and knocking it out of the park!) will hopefully only encourage the rest of the community to rise to the challenge as well! Album of the Year The Lost Keys – Unlocked A complete album from start to finish — awesome soloists, well-paid attention to dynamics and the emotion of each track, and fantastic arrangements. It's hard not to groove along to each of these five tracks. The Lost Keys – Album Honorable Mention Exit 245 (James Madison University) – The Way Out A lot of fun from top to bottom — passionate solos, and some really innovative and exciting arrangements. These guys really delivered in putting together a great album for all a cappella listeners. Track of the Year Amnesia , Exit 245 (James Madison University) – The Way Out The first minute of this track ... oh my goodness ... , Exit 245 (James Madison University) – Track Honorable Mention Auf Uns , zwo3wir – Smaragdrot Even if you don't speak German, this is a fun, upbeat track with an amazing duet, a stellar arrangment, and innovative and cool background vocals. Definitely one track that I will be listening to for a long time. Album of the Year Vocal Point (University of Delaware) – Phoenix Vocal Point delivered a tremendously polished album that featured familiar songs with new twists, outstanding arranging, and tremendous soloists. Phoenix is by far one of my favorite albums of the year. Vocal Point (University of Delaware) – Album Honorable Mention Maybebop – Für Euch Power rock inspired German a cappella Christmas songs. What's not to love?
Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, speaks during an interview in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, July 10, 2014. Portman, who may run for president in 2016, said Hillary Clinton's potential Democratic campaign for the White House won't intimidate others from seeking the office. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images WASHINGTON -- Though the law will be a year older, Republicans will push a vote to repeal Obamacare if they take back the Senate in November, a top GOP senator told reporters Thursday morning. “I suspect we will vote to repeal early to put on record the fact that we Republicans think it was a bad policy and we think it is hurting our constituents,” said Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), appearing at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. “We think health care costs should be going down, not up. We think people should be able to keep the insurance that they had. They are worried about the fact that the next shoe to drop is going to be employer coverage.” As Portman’s remarks indicated, a repeal vote by a Republican-controlled Senate would be a largely perfunctory exercise, designed to register GOP opposition with the health care law once again. The president would never sign such a measure, even if he were severely chastened by the 2014 election results. Even top conservative donors concede as much. What's more, the dynamics would be complicated by the fact that the next Congress convenes during the Affordable Care Act's second open-enrollment period, meaning a repeal vote would be taking place at the same time that people were signing up for coverage under the law. Portman said that Senate Republicans should present an alternative health care proposal to couple with the repeal effort. "I think we should,” he said. "I think it is something that ought to go along with repeal to say, 'Yes, we think this is the wrong way to go. But we also think the health care system must be improved.'" The idea that the GOP will come up with an alternative to Obamacare is enough to make many health care reform advocates roll their eyes. House Republicans have been promising an alternative health care bill for years to go along with their numerous repeal votes. No such bill has materialized. Absent an agreement to uproot the existing health care law, Portman argued that a GOP-controlled Senate and House could end up reaching agreement with the president on more piecemeal reforms. Those include repealing the law’s medical device tax, a proposal that has wide bipartisan support, and pursuing tort reform, which is less likely to happen.
News in Science Antarctic lake released massive under ice flood Southern flood Five years ago one of Antarctica's subglacial lakes burst its banks creating one of the largest flooding events ever recorded on the continent, according to a new survey. The researchers, from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, estimate up to 6.4 trillion litres of water was released into the ocean -- enough water to meet the needs of Australia for almost half a year. Their study appears in the latest edition of the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Beneath the ice sheet of Antarctica there is a network of 379 subglacial lakes filled with water from melting glaciers -- the most famous of them is Lake Vostok. Scientists discovered these lakes when they noticed that parts of the ice sheet moved vertically, as though bobbing on water. Using modelling and satellite radar data, scientists deduced that the movement was caused by subglacial lakes. These are fed by the melting of glaciers, and sometimes the lakes overflow and drain into the surrounding ocean. Between November 2006 and March 2008, scientists noticed that the ice sheet on top of Cook Lake -- which sits beneath 2700 metres of slow-moving ice -- was subsiding. During that time, the ice sank by 21 metres to form a deep crater, which suggested that the lake was losing water. Data collected by two Earth observing satellites was analysed to determine the geometry of the crater and calculate the volume of the space caused by the subsidence. They assumed the volume would be equal to the amount of water lost by the lake. Their calculations showed that the lake had lost between 4.9 and 6.4 teralitres of water. That would have caused a massive under ice flood, causing a rapid flow of water to the ocean. If the higher estimate of the flood size were true, the flow rate of the resulting 'river' would have been 160 cubic metres per second. "To provide context, this is equivalent to about 10 percent of the annual subglacial melting beneath the Antarctica Ice Shelf," the researchers write. They say further surveys are needed to calculate the frequency of large drainage events, and improve our understanding of glacial melting and water movement under the Antarctic.
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Iraq's prime minister and a large Iraqi delegation to the White House on Monday, for talks aimed at further coordinating efforts to defeat Islamic State extremists in northern Iraq. As the meeting opened, Trump praised Iraqi government efforts to face down the extremist group, and then told Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that he hoped to discuss the “vacuum” created when IS fighters seized control of large swaths of northern and western Iraq in 2014. “We will figure something out. Our main thrust is we have to get rid of ISIS,” Trump said, using an acronym for Islamic State. Trump also lamented the 2011 withdrawal of U.S. forces from Mosul and the rest of Iraq — a decision made in 2008 and later implemented by President Barack Obama after Iraqi and U.S. negotiators could not agree on details for extending an immunity agreement covering U.S. forces and U.S. contractors. “Certainly we shouldn't have left, we should never, ever have left,” Trump said, in comments that followed his suggesting that “perhaps we shouldn't have gone in” in the first place. Trump also raised the issue of Iran and its nuclear ambitions, questioning why his predecessor, Barack Obama, signed a nuclear agreement with Tehran that lifted a longstanding Western trade embargo against the Islamic Republic. For his part, Abadi told Trump that his government commands “the strongest counterterrorism forces. But we are looking forward to more cooperation between us and the U.S.,” he said. Abadi addresses peace institute Later Monday, Abadi addressed an audience at the independent U.S. Institute of Peace, where he praised the Trump administration for supporting Iraqi initiatives aimed at crushing Islamic State and rebuilding Iraqi cities. “We have been given assurances that the support will not only continue but will accelerate. I think we are happy with the [White House] meeting ... and we're looking forward to meeting with Congress and others,” he said. He also said a growing number of U.S. companies have shown interest in boosting cooperation in trade, commerce, energy and education. “And we're meeting [with] them today,” he said. Coalition set to meet Wednesday The Iraqi leader's first meeting with Trump comes as the U.S. administration prepares for a 68-nation meeting later this week of the Global Coalition working to defeat Islamic State. The gathering at the State Department is the first meeting of the full coalition since December 2014. A U.S. statement said the agenda will target multiple objectives, including counterterrorist financing and the stabilization of areas already liberated from IS control. The conference also comes as an Iraqi military coalition presses its offensive against Islamic State in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. During a 2016 visit to Washington, Abadi sought additional financial and military support for the daunting task of rebuilding Iraqi cities ravaged by 14 years of war. He also sought aid to counter a massive humanitarian crisis spawned by the fighting, which has displaced more than 4 million people. Abadi seeking reconstruction aid Abadi was expected to renew those calls during his visit, which coincides with an ongoing civilian exodus from Mosul, as government forces advance on fortified IS positions in Mosul's Old City. But the extent of Washington's commitment to providing such aid remains unclear, shrouded by proposals to cut as much as 30 percent in funding from the budgets of the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Both entities focus significantly on international peacekeeping initiatives and development programs.
The Donald Trump Department of Justice has now closed the books on the Obama administration’s effort to force the Washington Redskins to dump its Native American-based name. In a letter sent to a federal appeals court, the DOJ noted that a recent Supreme Court case made the DOJ’s effort to force the Redskins to jettison its name pointless. “Consistent with Tam, the Court should reverse the judgment of the district court and remand the case with instructions to enter judgment in favor of Pro-Football,” Mark Freeman, an attorney for the Justice Department’s civil division, wrote to the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, according to the Associated Press. The Supreme Court’s decision, Matal v Tam, ruled that a rock band named “The Slants,” whose members are of Asian descent, had a Constitutional right to trademark their name no matter if some people felt it was “offensive” or not. The court case had a direct impact on the Redskins as the NFL team had been fighting with the Obama DOJ for nearly eight years, after the federal agency pressured the team to drop its nearly 60-year-old name. The United States Patent and Trademark Office, the federal trademarking authority, had also refused to allow the team to continue trademarking its name based on the pressure brought on by Obama’s DOJ. But, upon the release of the SCOTUS decision last week, the Washington Redskins released a statement saying that the team had been vindicated. “The Supreme Court vindicated the Team’s position that the First Amendment blocks the government from denying or canceling a trademark registration based on the government’s opinion,” Redskins attorney Lisa Blatt said on June 19. Redskins owner Dan Snyder added that he was “thrilled” with the court’s decision in Matal v Tam. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
Donald Trump tells Brigitte Macron she's 'in great shape' during visit to Paris Updated US President Donald Trump praised French first lady Brigitte Macron for being in "such great shape" during his first official visit to Paris, a video on the French Government's Facebook page shows. Mr Trump, 71, who has come under fire for his comments about women's appearances, and his wife, Melania, 47, met with 39-year-old French President Emmanuel Macron and Mrs Macron, 64, at Hotel des Invalides, where Napoleon Bonaparte and other French war heroes are buried. As they were saying their good-byes after a tour, Mr Trump turned to Mrs Macron and gestured toward her body. "You know, you're in such great shape," he said. Mr Trump then looks at Mr Macron and repeats his comments — "she's in such good physical shape" — before turning back to Mrs Macron and saying, "beautiful". Social media immediately reacted to the video with many users denouncing Mr Trump's comments as inappropriate. The White House declined to comment on the exchange. The couples dined together at a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower on Thursday night. Mrs Macron was once her husband's high school teacher, and their relationship has drawn international attention because of their significant age difference. The Macrons' age difference is identical to that of Donald and Melania Trump. The US President has been denounced for other comments deemed sexist, including criticising the looks of former presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina, comedian Rosie O'Donnell, media figure Ariana Huffington and models Kim Kardashian and Heidi Klum. His presidential campaign was rocked last October after the release of a 2005 Access Hollywood tape, in which he talked about grabbing women "by the pussy". Sorry, this video has expired Video: Donald Trump recorded having lewd conversation about women in 2005 (ABC News) Mr Trump recently attacked MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski on Twitter, calling her "low I.Q. Crazy Mika" and saying she was "bleeding badly from a facelift" at a gathering at his Florida resort around New Year's. The US President arrived in the French capital on Thursday for a whirlwind, 36-hour visit to meet with Mr Macron and tackle potential solutions to the crisis in Syria and discuss broader counterterrorism strategies before being feted at Bastille Day celebrations. ABC/wires Topics: donald-trump, world-politics, government-and-politics, france, united-states First posted
History Edit Reconstruction Edit Immense sums were spent on both the original and reconstructed Amber Room. In 1979, the Soviet government decided to construct a replica of the Amber Room at Tsarskoye Selo, a process that was to last 24 years and require 40 Russian and German experts in amber craftsmanship. Using original drawings and old black-and-white photographs, every attempt was made to duplicate the original Amber Room. This included the 350 shades of amber in the original panels and fixtures that adorned the room. Another major problem was the lack of skilled workers, since amber carving was considered a nearly lost art form. The financial difficulties that plagued the reconstruction project from the start were solved with the donation of $3.5 million from the German company E.ON. By 2003, the work of the Russian craftsmen was mostly completed. The new room was dedicated by Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder at the 300th anniversary of the city of Saint Petersburg. In Kleinmachnow, near Berlin, there is a miniature Amber Room, fabricated after the original. The Berlin miniature collector Ulla Klingbeil had this copy made of original East Prussian amber. Architecture Edit The Amber Room is a priceless piece of art, with extraordinary architectural features such as gilding, carvings, 450 kg (990 lb) amber panels, gold leaf, gemstones, and mirrors, all highlighted with candle light. Additional architectural and design features include statues of angels and children. Because of its unique features and singular beauty, the original Amber Room was sometimes dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World". Modern estimates of the room's value range from $142 million (2007)[16] to over $500 million (2016).[17] Disappearance and mysteries Edit After the war, the Amber Room was never seen in public again, though reports have occasionally surfaced stating that pieces of the Amber Room survived the war. Several eyewitnesses claimed to have spotted the famous room being loaded on board the Wilhelm Gustloff, which left Gdynia on 30 January 1945, and was then promptly torpedoed and sunk by a Soviet submarine. In 1997, an Italian stone mosaic that was part of a set of four stones which had decorated the Amber Room was found in Germany, in the possession of the family of a soldier who claimed to have helped pack up the amber chamber. The mosaic came into the hands of the Russian authorities and was used in the reconstruction effort. Königsberg Castle, 1925 Ruins of the castle, 1950s In 1998, two separate teams, one German and one Lithuanian, announced they had located the Amber Room. The German team pointed to a silver mine while the Lithuanian team believed the amber treasure was buried in a lagoon; neither of the two suggestions turned out to hold the Amber Room. In 2004, a lengthy investigation by British investigative journalists Catherine Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy concluded that the Amber Room was most likely destroyed when Königsberg Castle was damaged, first during the bombing of Königsberg by the Royal Air Force in 1944 and then by Soviet burning of the castle before later by the Soviet shelling of the remaining walls. Documents from the Russian National Archives revealed this as the assessment of a Soviet report, written by Alexander Brusov, head of the Soviet team charged with locating the Amber Room following the war. The report stated: “ Summarizing all the facts, we can say that the Amber Room was destroyed between 9 and 11 April 1945. ” These dates correspond with the end of the Battle of Konigsberg, which finished on 9 April with the surrender of the German garrison. A few years later, Brusov publicly voiced a contrary opinion; this is believed to have been done due to pressure from Soviet authorities, who did not want to be seen as responsible for the loss of the Amber Room. Among other information retrieved from the archives was the revelation that the remaining Italian stone mosaics were found in the burned debris of the castle. Scott-Clark and Levy concluded in their report that the reason the Soviets conducted extensive searches for the Amber Room, even though their own experts had concluded that it was destroyed, was because they wanted to know if any of their own soldiers had been responsible for the destruction. Scott-Clark and Levy also assessed that others in the Soviet government found the theft of the Amber Room a useful Cold War propaganda tool. Russian government officials have since denied these conclusions. Adelaida Yolkina, senior researcher at the Pavlovsk Palace, reportedly stated: "It is impossible to see the Red Army being so careless that they let the Amber Room be destroyed". After the report was made public, Leonid Arinshtein, who was a lieutenant in the Red Army in charge of a rifle platoon during the Battle of Konigsberg, said: "I probably was one of the last people who saw the Amber Room". At the same time, he explained that the whole city was burning due to artillery bombardments, but also denied allegations that the Red Army burned the city on purpose by saying: "What soldiers would burn the city where they will have to stay?" A variation of this theory by some present-day residents of Kaliningrad (formerly Königsberg), is that at least parts of the room were found in the Königsberg Castle cellars after World War II by the Red Army. The Amber Room was allegedly still in good condition; this was not admitted at the time so the blame could fall upon the Nazis[citation needed]. To preserve this story, access to the ruins of the castle, which was allowed after World War II, was suddenly restricted to all, including historical and archaeological surveys, but the room is said to be in a storehouse near Konigsburg castle. Then in 1968, despite academic protests worldwide, Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev ordered the destruction of Königsberg Castle, thus making any onsite research of the last known resting place of the Amber Room all but impossible. In more recent years, the search for the Amber Room has continued in different locations including near Wuppertal, Germany.[30] In popular culture Edit See also Edit References Edit
Four days after announcing the national debt figure to the world, the Economy Ministry issued a correction. "It is an erratum," an economy ministry spokeswoman said. It turns out that Spain's public debt in 2014 is expected to be the equivalent of 98.9 percent of total economic output, not the 99.8 percent figure that was originally published. The error was not due to a problem in mathematical computations, the spokeswoman said. Rather, the person who typed the number just mixed up the last two digits. The difference may seem minimal, but when dealing with an economy the size of Spain's, which is the fourth biggest in the euro zone, it is equivalent to about €10 billion. Even after trimming the excess €10 billion from the forecast, economists say Spain's debt is rising at a worrying speed as it struggles to emerge from a double-dip recession triggered when a property bubble imploded in 2008. Spain's public debt soared from 68.5 percent of total economic output in 2011 to 85.9 percent at the end of 2012 and 92.2 percent mid-way through this year. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, whose right-leaning government has imposed an austerity regime to fix the state's accounts, expects the public debt this year to rise to the equivalent of 94.2 percent of total economic output.
Turn your head from side to side for a 3D effect. The red letters above may seem to hover above the blue background, especially when you move your head around. I’ve noticed the effect is much more pronounced when I’m wearing glasses. For some people the effect is reversed, with blue standing out and red receding. This phenomenon is known as chromostereopsis, and was noted by Goethe in his 1810 book Theory of Colors. It can produce striking effects. Here’s what I think is so amazing about chromostereopsis: if you focus on an area of blue that is very close to the edge of a red area, and then slowly turn your head, you can actually see the blue pattern disappearing behind the red. It even turns kind of purple. Chromostereopsis appears to have been in use as an artistic technique as early as the 16th century, when the stained glass piece above was created. The effect seems particularly vivid on computer and smartphone screens, which may be why it is enjoying more popularity recently, including its use in this 2015 movie poster.
During the month of June, Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed more than a dozen Palestinians and injured more than 70. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “Between 20 and 23 June, the Israeli air force launched a series of air strikes, targeting metal workshops, civilian structures, motorcycles carrying armed Palestinians, military bases and open fields.” One victim, 12-year-old Mamoun al-Dam, was killed in an Israeli missile strike while picnicking with his family. During this time, one Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian gunman. Also during June, Palestinian prisoner Akram Rikhawi continued his open-ended hunger strike, now going on 86 days, in protest of Israel’s refusal to release him on humanitarian grounds. Samer al-Barq and Hassan Safadi also renewed their hunger strikes after Israeli violated the agreement ending the mass hunger strike in the prisons by extending the orders to detain the men without charge or trial — a practice known as administrative detention. Palestinians also marked for the 45th year the Naksa, or setback — the military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip which began after Israel captured the territories during the 1967 War. This month Israel also began rounding up African refugees and deporting them en masse; “Israel belongs to the white man,” declared Eli Yishai, Israel’s interior minister. Thaer Halahleh (right) in the West Bank village of Kharas near Hebron following his release from Israeli prison after a 78-day hunger strike. At Halahleh’s left is Khader Adnan, who inspired a wave of hunger strikes among Palestinian political prisoners. Mamoun Wazwaz APA images A Palestinian woman mourns Naim al-Najjar during his funeral in the West Bank village of Idhna, near Hebron, 17 June. Al-Najjar and another man were shot dead by an Israeli truck driver in the occupied West Bank. Issam Rimawi APA images Palestinian boys inspect the damage at a dairy factory in Gaza City after it was hit during Israeli air strikes the previous day, 4 June. Yasser Fathi APA images Relatives of Ahmed Nassir mourn during his funeral in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, 2 June. Nassir killed an Israeli soldier before being shot dead himself in a rare cross-border attack. Eyad Al Baba APA images A Palestinian boy wounded during Israeli air strikes on Gaza City, 20 June. Ali Jadallah APA images A relative of Thaer al-Baik collapses during the man’s funeral in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, 21 June. Al-Baik, 30, and another member of Hamas’ armed wing suffocated in a tunnel at a Hamas training camp after it was hit in an Israeli air strike, according to reports. Ashraf Amra APA images Palestinian mourners pray over the body of Hadeel al-Haddad during her funeral in Gaza City, 20 June. The girl was killed the previous day when a rocket fired by Palestinian fighters fell short of its target in Israel. Ali Jadallah APA images Palestinians in the refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in north Lebanon take part in a funeral procession for 15-year-old Palestinian Ahmad Qassim, who was killed at a Lebanese army checkpoint in the camp. Liu Shun Xinhua/Zumapress Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus demonstrate in solidarity with Palestinian hunger striker Mahmoud Sarsak. Sarsak, a footballer with the Palestinian national team, refused food for nearly three months before Israel agreed to release him when his current detention orders expire. Ahmad Al-Bazz ActiveStills A protest and press conference is held outisde the Nablus home of Hassan Safadi who renewed his hunger strike after Israel extended orders to hold him without charge or trial, 28 June. Ahmad Al-Bazz ActiveStills Residents of al-Mufaqarah village in the West Bank’s South Hebron Hills pause to pray after being forbidden to continue building the local mosque. The original mosque was demolished last November. Kelly Lynn Palestinian policemen confront demonstrators during a protest against a meeting between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Deputy Israeli Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, 30 June. Fadi Arouri Xinhua Palestinian protesters hold flags and banners during a demonstration against the Israeli occupation and to mark Naksa Day, the 44th anniversary of the 1967 Six Day War, at the entrance of the old city near the settlement of Beit Romano in the occupied West Bank town of Hebron, 5 June. Mamoun Wazwaz APA images Graffiti in Hebrew reading “Death to Arabs,” “revenge” and “Hello from Gilad’s farm” (an illegal settler outpost) spray-painted on a wall in the “coexistence” community of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam (Oasis of Peace), west of Jerusalem, on 8 June. Vandals rampaged overnight, slashing car tires and spraying graffiti. Oren Ziv ActiveStills A Sudanese activist hangs a poster of an African refugee with the slogan “Refugee, not an infiltrator” as part of a campaign against the deportation of refugees, Tel Aviv, 13 June. Oren Ziv ActiveStills An Israeli activist says goodbye to a South Sudanese youth as he sits in a bus taking him from Tel Aviv to Ben Gurion airport to be deported to South Sudan with another 120 persons on a flight leaving the same night, 17 June. Oren Ziv ActiveStills A Palestinian protester during a weekly demonstration against the wall and settlements in the occupied West Bank village of Nilin, 15 June. Ahmed Mesleh APA images A Palestinian family observes Israeli soldiers during clashes with Palestinian protesters in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh near Ramallah, 22 June. Used tear gas canisters used against previous demonstrations against the occupation and settlements are strung together for display outside the home. Issam Rimawi APA images Palestinians in Gaza City celebrate the victory of Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi in Egypt’s first free presidential elections, 24 June. Wissam Nassar APA images Activists march in Tel Aviv during a protest marking 45 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, 9 June. Keren Manor ActiveStills Palestinians harvest wheat in al-Sawiya village near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, 14 June. Ahmad Al-Bazz ActiveStills A Palestinian employee works at the al-Arz ice cream factory in the occupied West Bank City of Nablus, 19 June. Nedal Eshtayah APA images A Palestinian baker prepares bread at his bakery in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 13 June. Eyad Al Baba APA images Palestinian boys read verses from the Quran during a class on how to read Islam’s holy book at a mosque in Rafah, southern occupied Gaza Strip, 14 June. Eyad Al Baba APA images Palestinian girls sit for their final high school exams, known as tawjihi, in Gaza City, 9 June. Yasser Fathi APA images Palestinians enjoy the steam bath at the 400-year-old traditional Turkish bath Hamam al-Shifa in the occupied West Bank City of Nablus, 27 June. Nedal Eshtayah APA images Palestinians in Gaza City enjoy the beach, 27 June. Majdi Fathi APA images Young couples wearing traditional dress take part in a wedding during the opening of Heritage Week in Birzeit village near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, 27 June. Issam Rimawi APA images Palestinians celebrate during a mass wedding party for 19 grooms in the village of Silwad near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, 28 June. Issam Rimawi APA images The Electronic Intifada welcomes photographic contributions from readers. If you have high-quality images for consideration for the next edition of the Month in Photos, email info A T electronicintifada D O T net.
Sam Smith and Ellie Goulding remain among favourites to record 'Spectre' theme Betting on the identity of the artist who has recorded the theme tune for new James Bond film Spectre has been suspended after bookmakers received a bet of £15,000 on Radiohead. The band are now instilled as favourites with bookmakers William Hill, who cite an anonymous customer in Middlesex as being behind the five figure gamble. Radiohead overtake Ellie Goulding as the favourite. Earlier today Goulding posted a picture of herself leaving Abbey Road studios, where the theme is traditionally recorded, but a spokesperson has since confirmed that she was working on her new studio album at the London studio. A spokesperson for Radiohead did not immediately reply to NME’s request for comment on this story. Getty “The first gamble of the day was Ellie Goulding and punters were backing her as if she already had the gig but just as we were thinking of pulling the plug we had a load of bets for Radiohead including one customer who asked to place a £15,000 bet on the band at 10/1,” said William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams. “There seem to be all kinds of rumours and the plot has had more twists and turns than a classic Bond tale, but surely nobody risks £15,000 on a hunch.” Sharethrough (Mobile) James Bond director Sam Mendes recently revealed that the theme for new film Spectre has been written and recorded with the artist’s identity to be revealed soon. Speaking in an interview with BBC News, Mendes confirmed that the song is ready to go ahead of the film’s October release date. “I can say that the song’s been recorded and it’s fantastic and I’m very excited about it,” he said. “You won’t have to wait long.” William Hill’s odds prior to suspending bets were as follows: Radiohead (6/4) Sam Smith (2/1) Ellie Goulding (4/1) Adele (5/1) Lana Del Rey (14/1) Lorde (14/1) Coldplay (33/1) Adele sang the theme for the last Bond movie Skyfall. The new Bond film will star Daniel Craig in his fourth outing as 007. The other confirmed cast are Ralph Fiennes as M, Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Miss Moneypenny and Rory Kinnear as MI6 chief of staff Bill Tanner. The 24th Bond film will be released in British and Irish cinemas on the evening of Monday, October 26 at the same time as its world premiere takes place in central London. It will then open in cinemas internationally on various later dates, with its US release scheduled for November 6.
The Oakland Raiders will be traveling to East Rutherford, New Jersey to take on the New York Giants on Sunday in Week 10, but they will be without a number of key players for the match up. According to head coach Dennis Allen on Friday afternoon, starting running back Darren McFadden, first-round pick D.J. Hayden, safety Tyvon Branch, offensive tackle Tony Pashos, offensive tackle Matt McCants and wide receiver Juron Criner will all be staying in Oakland and have been ruled out for Sunday. McFadden will be out of action thanks to aggravating the nagging hamstring injury that kept him out of action earlier in the season. Without McFadden carrying the load against the Giants, the team will turn to back up Rashad Jennings to take over as the lead back. As far as the offensive line depth goes with starting right tackle Tony Pashos out and the back up McCants out, the team will promote Jack Cornell from the practice squad to serve as depth. Steve Corkran of the Bay Area News Group passed along the news. Menelik Watson will be starting in place of Pashos at right tackle.
The situation is reversed in California. There is so much pot being grown in California that the wholesale price has been falling sharply in recent years and any pot sold on the legal market in January will have the added costs of taxes, fees and mandatory testing for pesticides and other chemicals. Tawnie Logan, chairwoman of the board of the California Growers Association, an advocacy group for small-scale marijuana producers, says the black market price for an eighth of an ounce of marijuana is around $20, compared with $50 in dispensaries. She predicts a bump in legal sales in January when recreational pot goes on sale because of the novelty of being able to buy pot in a store. But that novelty may wear off, she said. “All of a sudden they are calling their buddy again,” Ms. Logan said, referring to black-market vendors who have thrived in California in recent decades. When regulators are asked how they plan to handle the black market their answer is law enforcement. This may prove difficult in areas of Northern California where pot is central to the local economy.
From the Michigan Department of Natural Resources: A federal court judge has ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to immediately return wolves in the Great Lakes region to the federal endangered species list, making it illegal for Michigan citizens to kill wolves attacking livestock or dogs. Under endangered species status, wolves may be killed only in the immediate defense of human life. Two state laws allowing livestock or dog owners to kill wolves in the act of depredation are suspended by the ruling. Additionally, lethal control permits previously issued by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to livestock farmers to address ongoing conflicts with wolves are no longer valid; permit holders have been contacted regarding this change. The return to federal endangered species status also means DNR wildlife and law enforcement officials no longer have the authority to use lethal control methods to manage wolf conflict. However, non-lethal methods – such as flagging, fencing, flashing lights and guard animals – may still be used and are encouraged. Compensation for livestock lost to wolves continues to be available through the DNR and Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Citizens in need of assistance with problem wolves should contact their local DNR wildlife biologist or DNR wolf program coordinator Kevin Swanson at 906-228-6561. Friday’s federal court order came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Humane Society of the United States challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to remove wolves in the Great Lakes Distinct Population Segment from the federal endangered species list in January 2012. The ruling affects wolves in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. “The federal court decision is surprising and disappointing,” said Russ Mason, DNR Wildlife Division Chief. “Wolves in Michigan have exceeded recovery goals for 15 years and have no business being on the endangered species list, which is designed to help fragile populations recover – not to halt the use of effective wildlife management techniques.” The DNR will work closely with the Michigan Attorney General’s office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine the full impact of this ruling on the state’s wolf management program and identify next steps. “In the meantime, the Wildlife Division will continue updating the state’s wolf management plan, which includes the use of hunting and other forms of lethal control to minimize conflict with wolves,” Mason said. “Although the federal court’s ruling prevents the use of these management tools for the time-being, the Department will be prepared for any future changes that would return wolves to state management authority.” For more information about Michigan’s wolf population and management plan, visit www.michigan.gov/wolves. ________________________________________
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has poked fun at a leaked US memo's description of him as "exceptionally dangerous," saying he sees only a smiling face in the mirror. Speaking to reporters, Davutoglu also on Tuesday denied suggestions in other cables leaked by the internet whistle-blower WikiLeaks that his Islamist-rooted government is anti-Israeli with fantasies of reviving the Ottoman empire. "Yes, I'm extremely dangerous for those who want to have instability in our region. I'm extremely dangerous for those who want to create new tensions," Davutoglu told a press roundtable in a Washington hotel. "If somebody says to me 'extremely dangerous,' I look to mirror, I don't see any dangerous face. (I see) a smiling face," he said. A high-ranking government adviser, quoted by US diplomats in a cable published by the German magazine Der Spiegel, describes Davutoglu as "exceptionally dangerous" and warns that he would use his Islamist influence on Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
The Patient is a short tale, a quick read that you can start and finish over two cups of coffee - but it's a great little story, and an imaginative and excellent look at a sub-genre of Horror that so many people have tried to do justice, whether it's in novels, short stories, or movies. This story begins and ends in the patient's head - we hear his thoughts, feel his sensations, experience his confusion. We're in his body, witnessing as two nurses administer to him, and we're there -in the thick (blood) of it- when the climax arrives. As the reader, we are where no cameras have ever been - behind the eyes of the man as he becomes the monster. It's a great read - paced perfectly, pulling the reader along until the point of no return, and proves that Angela is a great storyteller with an eye for tension and horror. Read it!
Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A Hollywood director used Manhattan to hunt for actresses to sexually harass a la Harvey Weinstein — trolling Central Park and even local copier centers where the women were working on their resumes to reel them in, a new report says. More than 38 women told the Los Angeles Times that corpulent director and screenwriter James Toback, who was nominated for an Oscar for writing the flick “Bugsy,” would seek out young women, mainly in their early 20s, and feed them lines such as, “My name’s James Toback. I’m a movie director. Have you ever seen ‘Black and White’ or ‘Two Girls and a Guy’?” Toback, now 72, would then take them to places such as a hotel or movie trailer to “audition” them, the women told the Times. Then, he allegedly pounced. “The way he presented it, it was like, ‘This is how things are done,’ ” actress Adrienne LaValley told the paper, recalling a creepy 2008 hotel room encounter that allegedly had Toback trying to rub his crotch against her leg. When she objected, he got to his feet and ejaculated in his pants, she said. “I felt like a prostitute, an utter disappointment to myself, my parents, my friends,” LaValley said. “And I deserved not to tell anyone.” Musician Louise Post, who met Toback in 1987 while she was a student at Barnard College, said she went to Toback’s place and has regretted it ever since. “Going to his apartment has been the source of shame for the past 30 years, that I allowed myself to be so gullible,” said Post, who plays guitar and sings for indie rock band Veruca Salt. “He told me he’d love nothing more than to masturbate while looking into my eyes.” Accusations against the New York-born Toback come in the wake of shocking allegations against Weinstein — one of Tinseltown’s ultimate power brokers — for allegedly molesting and in some cases raping aspiring actresses. Onetime aspiring actress Starr Rinaldi recalled a disgusting alleged encounter with Toback in Central Park 15 years ago when he insinuated that young women need to put out to make it in Hollywood. “In a weird sense, I thought, ‘This is a test of whether I’m a real artist and serious about acting,’ ” Rinaldi told the newspaper. “He always wanted me to read for him in a hotel or come back to his apartment, like, ‘How serious are you about your craft?'” In addition to writing “Bugsy,” which starred Warren Beatty, Toback directed the 1987 movie “The Pick-up Artist” with Robert Downey Jr. and Molly Ringwald. Toback denied the allegations to the Times. He said either he had never met the women, or, if he had, it “was for 5 minutes and [I] have no recollection.” He added that his ailing health — diabetes and a heart condition — made it “biologically impossible” for him to have done what the women are accusing him of.
The original plan was to compile a list of the national media's Fake News only as needed -- but no more often than once a week. Unfortunately, our MSM has done so much lying in the last 5 days, I started to worry that I could lose track. Simply put, the last few days have been a fire hose of Fake News. Read everything below, and then try to make an argument that Steve Bannon isn't 100% correct about the national media being the opposition party. P.S. Here is last week's list. 1. Entire Media Lies About Trump's Refugee Pause Being a "Muslim Ban" Using 7 countries designated by the Obama administration as failed states crawling with Islamic terrorists, the Trump administration instituted a pause on the admission of foreign nationals coming from those countries for 90 days, and halted the refugee programs from all countries for 120 days to beef up the vetting process. In the 40-plus other Muslim-majority countries throughout the world, immigration continues as usual. A Muslim ban would ban Muslims. Trump's refugee pause affects all people of all religions and does not at all affect over three dozen other Muslim-majority countries. Calling this a Muslim Ban is an outright lie. 2. CNN Lies About Tying Fox News In the Ratings On Inauguration Day The ratings weren't even close. CNN came in a distant second place, a humiliating second pace. 3. Time Magazine Blames Misreporting On Trump Time Magazine's Ryan Teague Beckwith attempted to blame misreporting on Trump's Executive Orders on Trump. This of course is an absurd lie. The Executive Orders might not be released as quickly as Time would like, but that in no way excuses Fake News from left-wing reporters attempting to fill in the blanks to suit their own twisted agenda. 4. Washington Post "Fact Checker" Attempts to Gin Up Dissent Against Trump Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler, the single most dishonest member of the media I have ever come across, used his Twitter feed to outright manufacture Fake News against Trump. He called on foreign-service officers to sign a dissent memo, which would then become an anti-Trump story. 5. EXTRAORDINARY Lies of Omission About Foreign-Born Threats to America In their push for a narrative, Fake News oftentimes comes from what the media intentionally fails to report. The lack of context is purposeful in pursuit of their destroy-Trump agenda. Here is what you are not being told about the very real threat of foreign-born terrorists: US May Have Let 'Dozens' of Terrorists Into Country As Refugees Between 2001 and 2014, 380 foreign-born terrorists were convicted in America, 40 of those were refugees. Islamic State finds success infiltrating its terrorists into refugee flows to West 6. AP Reports that Trump's Vote Fraud Expert is Registered in Three States By reporting non-news as news, the AP's obvious goal is to mislead readers into believing this man is committing vote fraud. Many people are registered in more than one state. I myself am registered in Wisconsin, California, and North Carolina. We are a transient country. Millions have lived and voted and registered in more than one state. This is a non-story. Imagine if the AP was this concerned about actual illegal voting. 7. The Viral Lie that Dick Cheney Blasted Trump Over His Refugee Pause Never happened. 8. Media Lies About Trump's Refugee Pause Based On His Business Interests From NPR, to Fortune magazine, to Reuters, to Vox… The lie that Trump's refugee pause is based on countries his company does not do business with went viral for a full day. Even the left-wing Washington Post got on board. As we now know, the seven countries chosen by Trump came from a list the Obama Administration put together, a list of countries riddled with terror and lacking in the infrastructure necessary to adequately vet immigrants and refugees. 9. ABC News Accuses Trump of Not Having Family Photos in the Oval Office Based on a single photograph that doesn't begin to show what might be in a 800-plus square foot office, ABC News's Terry Moran fired off the Fake News that the lack of family pictures in that particular photograph was meaningful. Obviously, the MSM chose to learn nothing from the Fake News fiasco involving the bust of Rev. Martin Luther King. 10. The Islamophobic Media Lie That Refugee Pauses Create Terrorists In their zeal to attack Trump, time and again the media revealed its own Islamophobia by spreading the debunked lie that such actions create more terrorists. Over and over and over again, the media coordinated a narrative that claimed Muslims become terrorists when they do not get their way. If that's not outright bigotry, if that's not looking at a group of people as scary others, what is? 11. The Lie That Mike Flynn's Son Called the Refugee Pause a 'Muslim Ban' Based only on a Tweet that included the tag #MuslimBan, Politico's Blake Hounshell and CNN's Jake Tapper spread the lie that this somehow meant Mike Flynn Jr., son of Trump's National Security Advisor, had declared Trump's refugee pause a "Muslim Ban." Using a tag to get into a top Twitter conversation means absolutely nothing. Everyone knows this, but Tapper and Hounshell still spread what they knew could be a lie. 12. Media Spreads Lies of "Mass Resignations" at State Department The Washington Post's Josh Rogin spread the flat-out lie that there was a "mass exodus of senior Foreign Service officers" at the State Department. All of it due to Trump. The truth is that the White House asked for these resignations. Furthermore, the truth is that this is standard operating procedure with a new administration. 13. New York Times' Maggie Haberman Claims Only San Bernardino Shootings Involved 'Non-US-Born Attacker' Maggie Haberman, who shares the dual-honor of being biased and not very bright, had her Fake News immediately corrected by Twitter users, none of whom enjoy the enormous resources of the leftwing New York Times. 14. Media Falsely Claims Obama Did Not Discriminate Against Christian Refugees By cherry-picking one year, 2016, and being hyper-literal about Trump's statement that it was "impossible" for Christian refugees to gain entry into America under Obama, the media spread the Fake News that Christians were not discriminated against by Obama. Here is the truth: But the numbers tell a different story: The United States has accepted 10,801 Syrian refugees, of whom 56 are Christian. Not 56 percent; 56 total, out of 10,801. That is to say, one-half of 1 percent. The BBC says that 10 percent of all Syrians are Christian, which would mean 2.2 million Christians. It is quite obvious, and President Barack Obama and Secretary John Kerry have acknowledged it, that Middle Eastern Christians are an especially persecuted group. So how is it that one-half of 1 percent of the Syrian refugees we’ve admitted are Christian, or 56, instead of about 1,000 out of 10,801—or far more, given that they certainly meet the legal definition? 15. CNN's Jim Sciutto Spreads Lie That "Refugee Policy Is Not Based On Religion" Sciutto, a former Obama official, also lied about Christians not being discriminated against. Sciutto is a lying liar who lies. 16. Media Lies About Trump Installing a Gag Order Against the EPA Standard operating procedure with a new administration was again turned into Nazi Germany. 17. Media Covered Up and Lied About Obama's 2011 Refugee Ban Due to the same fears in 2011, then-President Obama instituted a refugee ban from Iraq that lasted six months. Not only did the media cover it up, in order to protect Obama and their Narrative, the media are now falsely spreading the Fake News that Obama's refugee six-month ban from a Muslim-majority country is somehow different from Trump's. Yeah, it's not. 18. Washington Post Publishes Partisan Editorial as Straight News Story Pretty outrageous. 19. NBC's Chuck Todd Falsely Claims Fear of Sexism Contributed to Major Hillary Cover-up While I appreciate Chuck Todd admitting that he and the rest of the national media covered up the fact that they all knew how despised Hillary was in the Midwest, his excuse is just flat-out wrong. Todd claimed he and the rest of the media covered up a vital truth fearing it would be sexist to tell this truth. What poppycock. 1) We all know Todd and Company would not have covered this truth up if it were Sarah Palin, as opposed to Hillary. 2) What is sexist about "Hillary for Prison" signs? What is sexist about despising a politician? Nothing. If the signs read, "Women make Lousy Presidents" or "Hillary is a Bitch," that is sexist. But you can also bet that Todd and company would have gleefully reported on those! 20. Philadelphia Inquirer Contradicts Its Own Reporting to Gotcha Trump In September of 2016, the Inquirer reported that the murder rate was on the increase. After Trump agreed with them, the same outlet called him a liar. 21. Even MORE Corrections from the Atlantic on Their Fake News Reporting About the Unborn We reported on this debacle last week. But since then, the Atlantic has had to add even more corrections. 22. Media Spreads Lie That Trump's Chief Advisor Told the Media to "Shut Up" The national media loves to talk about themselves and feel persecuted, so Steve Bannon's suggestion that the media "should keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while" to the American people, was quickly turned into an act of persecution. No one lied more about this than CNN's Jake Tapper. Tapper even won the prize for being the most smug while spreading the lie. Bannon never said shut up. All he expressed was the same opinion many in the media have after facing the fallout of the 2016 debacle. Meaning, maybe we need to listen more to the voters and less to our own echo chamber. Nonetheless, CNN put "shut up" in quote marks. That is a lie. That is spreading the fake news that Bannon said something he did not say. Politico's media reporter did the same. Even the t-shirts lie. 22. ABC News Memory-Holes Key Part of Trump Interview During David Muir's interview with Trump, the president criticized the media for always underplaying the massive crowds at the annual March for Life. That part of the interview was omitted from the network's official transcript. 23. WINTER IS COMING: ABC News Busted Promoting Fake Image of Trump Trump looking out a window at a cold, foggy blizzard, is much more ominous-looking than the truth… The weather that day was sunny and 60 degrees. 24. Media Falsely Claim There Is Zero Evidence of Widespread Vote Fraud After Trump again said that as many as 3 to 5 million illegal votes may have been cast in 2016, the national media went on a Fake News spree claiming that no evidence of any kind exists to back up this claim. This was fairly typical of the lies spread. In fact, there is all kinds of evidence about widespread vote fraud. 1. The Media claiming it doesn’t exist is excellent reason to believe it does. 2. Despite its widespread popularity even among Democrats, the MSM and Democrats fight tooth and nail against voter ID. 3. There is this study that was published by no less than the Washington Post. 4. There is also this study. 5. And this study. -- This has been this week's edition of OMG LOOK AT ALL THE LIES TOLD BY THE MSM! Be sure to tune in next week for another edition of OMG LOOK AT ALL THE LIES TOLD BY THE MSM! Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
A woman used a fake doctor’s note to explain why she missed sentencing on forgery and burglary charges in Prince George’s County, prosecutors said. Accused of renting out foreclosed homes she didn't own, Shannon Lee pleaded guilty, but she didn’t show up for sentencing July 11, claiming she was sick. But the documents Lee submitted to prove she was sick were fake, prosecutors said. Weird News Photos “The attending physician and the admitting physician who are listed on the paperwork hadn’t practiced at that hospital in over two years, and further, the actual paperwork itself was not even the correct paperwork for that hospital for discharge information,” state’s attorney spokesman John Erzen said. Court documents show Lee also listed a UPS store in Clinton as her home address on those medical documents. She's expected to be sentenced in August.
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign team in South Carolina is no longer being paid by his presidential campaign, National Journal has learned. “Pay is only one reason people do this,” Katon Dawson, Perry’s South Carolina state director, said in an interview. “We’ll be able to live off the land for a while.” It is not clear if or when paychecks will start backing up for Perry’s team in South Carolina. Dawson said that Perry staffers in the state “have been paid up to two weeks ago.” (RELATED: Rick Perry’s Financial Implosion) Dawson said core members of Team Perry, including himself, will continue to work, even if unpaid. He said Walter Whetsell and Le Frye, two top Perry operatives in the state, are among those still working. “We’ll do it whether there’s pay or no pay,” Dawson said. In addition to the pay freeze, at least one Perry staffer was let go last week. Dawson said that move was unrelated to any “financial discomfort.” Perry has struggled in his repeat bid for president in 2016. He raised a meager $1.1 million in the second quarter, and his campaign will depend almost entirely on his far-better-funded super PAC. Notably, Perry also missed the main debate stage last week, despite a weeks-long push of television ads by his super PAC in Iowa. “Nothing has changed with South Carolina as far as the mission at hand of helping the governor become the nominee of the party,” Dawson insisted. “Nothing has changed.” (RELATED: Big GOP Donors Still Believe in Chris Christie) Perry is scheduled to visit South Carolina on Thursday, Dawson said, and he is still planning a full slate of events both this week and later in August. “As the campaign moves along, tough decisions have to be made in respect to both monetary- and time-related resources,” said Jeff Miller, Perry’s campaign manager, in an email. “Governor Perry remains committed to competing in the early states and will continue to have a strong presence in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. The governor is also looking forward to his trips to South Carolina this Thursday and to Iowa next week.”
I long had no particular views on wind farms one way or the other. But six years ago, when I first seriously looked at what they actually contribute to our energy needs and our environment, I had a profound shock. It was clear that the craze for wind energy had become one of the greatest self-deceptions of our time. Far from being “free”, wind is one of the most expensive ways of generating electricity yet devised. Without an almost 100 per cent subsidy, unwittingly paid by all of us through our electricity bills, no one would dream of building giant wind turbines in Britain, because their cost is not remotely competitive. Turbines are hopelessly ineffectual. The amount of electricity they deliver is derisory. The total power generated by all the 2,300 turbines so far built in Britain — covering hundreds of square miles of countryside and sea — averages just over 600 megawatts in a year, less than that contributed by a single medium-size conventional power station. Most serious of all, however, is the fact that wind energy is hopelessly unreliable, for the simple reason that wind speeds are not only constantly changing but wholly unpredictable. One minute a turbine may be whizzing round, generating at full capacity; the next the wind drops and the turbine is contributing only a fraction of its capacity or nothing at all. To keep electricity supplies going, the grid must have permanently available alternative conventional power sources equivalent to the maximum capacity of the wind turbines, ready to step in when the wind stops. This in itself is hugely inefficient, adding greatly to costs and, as they have discovered on the Continent, threatening to destabilise the grid or bring it to a halt when wind speeds change dramatically. The best-kept secret of the wind industry, however, which continues to fool both politicians and the media, is its trick of referring only to the contribution of windmills in terms of their “installed capacity”, as if that is what they will actually deliver. They talk about a “16 megawatt” wind farm “powering x thousand homes” as if that is the contribution it will make to our electricity needs. Yet in reality, thanks to the intermittency of the wind, a turbine will on average produce through the year only a quarter of its capacity. The success of this deception means that politicians almost invariably exaggerate the potential benefits of wind power by a factor of four. And of course the other great trick is to conceal the fact that all this must be paid for by that huge hidden subsidy. The real danger of the “great wind scam” is that it takes the eyes of politicians off the real energy crisis fast approaching us, so that we are not building the proper power stations we need to keep our lights on. That is why it will one day be looked back on as having been one of the most incomprehensible blunders of our age.
Casual observers sometimes treat the Black Lives Matter movement as just another series of semi-random, anti-cop protests that happen in cities from time to time. In reality, the movement is the latest and most successful vehicle for a covert, wide-ranging, far-left, socialist agenda steered by revolutionary communists. Yes, the Black Lives Matter movement is focused on racist police brutality and ending what they term as “mass incarceration.” This has been their trigger issue; the thing that gets people into the streets and into the movement. The movement, however, is about The Movement—the collection of issues and affiliated groups that are the far left’s agenda. As part of The Movement, Black Lives Matter deals with issues that may seem far afield from race and police brutality. For example, immigration “reform” — so two of the founders of Black Lives Matter are top-ranking officials with pro-illegal immigration groups. The Movement is also anti-Israel, and as Breitbart News has reported, Black Lives Matter has alliances with a pro-Palestinian terrorist. In fact, the Movement—and by extension, the Black Lives Matter group —has political positions on every single issue facing America, from taxes to social issues like abortion to foreign policy. Yes, including “climate change.” Don’t take my word for it, though—here’s how Black Lives Matter ties into what the left calls “environmental justice.” Another activist on the Mall, Dominque Hazzard, a member of the Black Youth Project 100, said, “The Black Lives Matter and the Climate and Justice movements are totally connected because, around the world, climate change is disproportionately impacting people of color and the working class. “The movement is about ending state sanctioned violence against black people,” Hazzard said. Want more? Here’s influential leftist author and columnist Naomi Klein, writing a year ago in The Nation: What does #BlackLivesMatter, and the unshakable moral principle that it represents, have to do with climate change? Everything. Because we can be quite sure that if wealthy white Americans had been the ones left without food and water for days in a giant sports stadium after Hurricane Katrina, even George W. Bush would have gotten serious about climate change. Don’t worry if that formula of “Climate Change = Racism” doesn’t make sense to you. It just means you aren’t a leftist. Klein continues, tying in everything to the leftist worldview: In the face of systemic state violence, courageous demonstrators shouting “I Can’t Breathe” and “Black Lives Matter” are asserting a positive, core principle about the value of every single human being, starting with the lives that are currently most discounted. Supporting the urgent call for justice and a transformation of the criminal justice system is of paramount importance and should not be watered down by piling every issue under the sun on top of it. At the same time, the clarion call that Black Lives Matter deserves to transform how we approach a great many crises in our societies, from school systems that systematically fail African-American kids, to a healthcare system that too often discards black lives. It must also jolt us out of our climate inaction. Don’t dismiss Black Lives Matter as merely an anti-cop group. The 2016 election is less than a year away and with every protest, demonstration, and student uprising, they are recruiting and training activists and new voters to back far-left Democrats in November. Earlier this month in Chicago, at a prayer vigil for Laquan McDonald, the BLM activists ended the event by handing out voter registration cards.
Splatoon Patch Notes [v2.0.0] Translation a guest Nov 23rd, 2017 3,451 Never a guest3,451Never Not a member of Pastebin yet? Sign Up , it unlocks many cool features! rawdownloadcloneembedreportprint text 1.68 KB Patch Notes from tictac (@thicctac) Note: I'll only include things that I find noteworthy, and exclude already translated info -----Quality of Life----- -When a person dc's from afk'ing in a match, the time they started afk'ing will also be included when considering the dc penalty-thingy -You can choose to exclude maps when choosing "random" in pb's -They fixed pb's so that when somebody dc's, the alpha bravo setup will be remembered for each player, instead of their position ------Weapons----- -Jet: 40% faster bullet time -Luna: can paint walls better -Blaster: can paint wall and players' feet better -For all chargers: when you shoot the ground, it paints better -Trislosher: 10% faster movement when attacking, dmg increase from 52 to 62 -Tenta Brella: Shield shoots out after 0.5sec instead of 1.5sec, inc usage of shooting the shield decreased by 25%, shield regen decreased to 6sec from 9sec, sheild shot out stays in map for 6sec instead of 8 -----Sub Weapons----- -Poison Mist: Ink usage decreased to 60% fom 70, white ink frames decreased by 25, effect of mist decreased to 5sec from 7, sub saver's effect decreased by 14% -Burst Bombs: Sub saver's effect decreased by 33% -----Special Weapons----- -Tenta missiles: tie it takes to shoot decreased when multiple targets are locked on -Jet pack: hitbox decreased by a little bit, bullets travel 19% fatser -Stingray: time decreased by 15 frames -Inkstorm: painting area decreased by 20% -----Other----- -Time it takes for players tpo start healing decreased to 1sec from the old 1.5sec -You can jump a little bit higher than before when in enemy ink -a lot of sound effects adjustments etc -a lot of glitches patched RAW Paste Data Patch Notes from tictac (@thicctac) Note: I'll only include things that I find noteworthy, and exclude already translated info -----Quality of Life----- -When a person dc's from afk'ing in a match, the time they started afk'ing will also be included when considering the dc penalty-thingy -You can choose to exclude maps when choosing "random" in pb's -They fixed pb's so that when somebody dc's, the alpha bravo setup will be remembered for each player, instead of their position ------Weapons----- -Jet: 40% faster bullet time -Luna: can paint walls better -Blaster: can paint wall and players' feet better -For all chargers: when you shoot the ground, it paints better -Trislosher: 10% faster movement when attacking, dmg increase from 52 to 62 -Tenta Brella: Shield shoots out after 0.5sec instead of 1.5sec, inc usage of shooting the shield decreased by 25%, shield regen decreased to 6sec from 9sec, sheild shot out stays in map for 6sec instead of 8 -----Sub Weapons----- -Poison Mist: Ink usage decreased to 60% fom 70, white ink frames decreased by 25, effect of mist decreased to 5sec from 7, sub saver's effect decreased by 14% -Burst Bombs: Sub saver's effect decreased by 33% -----Special Weapons----- -Tenta missiles: tie it takes to shoot decreased when multiple targets are locked on -Jet pack: hitbox decreased by a little bit, bullets travel 19% fatser -Stingray: time decreased by 15 frames -Inkstorm: painting area decreased by 20% -----Other----- -Time it takes for players tpo start healing decreased to 1sec from the old 1.5sec -You can jump a little bit higher than before when in enemy ink -a lot of sound effects adjustments etc -a lot of glitches patched
It’s a late afternoon in May, and Yahoo Movies is having a “pinch yourself” moment. We’re in Shepperton Studios’ cavernous H Stage, standing on a glass balcony that’s part of the Avengers Tower interior set. Just below us, there’s a main atrium where the glitziest, most star-studded party you could ever dream of is taking place. Nearly all of the Avengers have assembled here today: Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is perched at the bar, talking to Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Meanwhile Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) has just greeted Captain America (Chris Evans) with a bear hug, and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is chatting up some highly decorated military types. And standing away from all the action, surveying the scene, is Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), who’s sipping a martini and chatting with pal Rhodey Rhodes (Don Cheadle). The set is incredible. It’s Tony Stark’s ego run amok, writ large in stainless steel and polished glass. There’s a grand piano (which Evans gently plays between takes), a drum kit, and a full gym. Works of art line the walls, as do countless shelves of coffee table books. If it weren’t for the quinjet landing platform that’s attached to the room’s side, it’d be easy to mistake it for an immensely swank hotel lobby. View photos The Avengers assemble at their posh mansion in a scene from the Age of Ultron trailer. "It’s wild, isn’t it?" Ruffalo says later, while we’re relaxing in his trailer. "It’s the ultimate bachelor pad-slash-gym-slash-laboratory." Banner has his own lab in the tower (it’s suitably green), and Ruffalo explains his character has been working closely with his "Science Bro" Stark in the intervening years between the two Avengers films: “Banner has his own space in the Stark empire. He’s working on some biotech stuff. He’s definitely got a lot on his mind, and some big stuff brewing.” View photos Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. in Age of Ultron. If you’ve seen the first trailer, you’ll know that Avengers Tower plays a key part in Age of Ultron, as it’s the setting for an early confrontation between our heroes and the film’s titular villain, who crashes the tail-end of the party we’ve just seen on the set. We point out to Downey and Hemsworth that having a huge Avengers sign on the tower makes it very easy for the bad guys to seek them out. “Yeah, that’s a challenge for us,” explains Hemsworth. “But it’s also a threat to the bad guys as well. This is where we are.”
Newborn babies may not be able to properly digest high levels of vitamin A, or the idea that a caveman-era diet is best for them, nutritional specialists have cautioned. “The babies we tested did seem to have a very strong reaction to the diet. Unfortunately they won’t be able to put that reaction into words for a few years at least,” one expert said. “There are dangerous levels of bullshit here that are simply not safe for young people,” she said. She explained that children typically had a lower tolerance to ridiculous fads than adults. “Many adults build up an immunity to common sense over time.” Meanwhile the children’s paleo recipe book at the centre of the controversy has been pulled from print by its publisher. Chef Pete Evans has now decided to publish it as an e-book, just as our Neanderthal ancestors would have done. For more breaking stories, follow The Shovel on Facebook and Twitter or sign up for email updates at the bottom of this page. Become a Shovel member. Or follow us on Email \| Facebook \| Twitter \| Instagram
Barcelona Masia graduate focused on Milan future Vitolo and Deulofeu on Barcelona watch list In recent months, Gerard Deulofeu has reignited his career, after it appeared he had reached his peak and stagnated at Everton. A winger of unquestionable talent, he has found the consistency he has desired for so long since joining AC Milan, and he opened up on what it was like having to leave Barcelona's famed La Masia academy. "The Lionel Messi comparisons hurt my development," he stated. "It generated too much expectation surrounding me amongst Barcelona supporters - there is only one Messi. "I don't normally read the newspapers but this comparison really stuck out." One of his heroes however, was a bit earlier than the Argentine, and is a player that changed the club in equal measures. "Ronaldinho has always been an idol of mine," Deulofeu continued. "He is who I admired when I was at Barcelona." As to whether he'll one day return to the Blaugrana, anything can happen but the La Roja winger is focusing on the present. "My dream is right now, the present," he concluded. "I want to enjoy the moment I'm in with Milan."
Professor Proposes Letting Business Students Choose Grades to Reduce Stress WATCH: Tucker Grills College Student on Removal of American Flags Some students are claiming USC's longtime mascot, a white horse, is a racist symbol. The horse is named Traveler, which was also the name of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's horse. The name was called out recently by a leader of the USC Black Student Assembly at a rally following the Charlottesville riots. The Los Angeles Times reported: At the rally, according to the student newspaper the Daily Trojan, Saphia Jackson, co-director of the USC Black Student Assembly, asked students not to be quiet, and reminded that “white supremacy hits close to home” and referenced the name of the Trojans mascot. The Black Student Assembly did not respond to requests for comment, but questions about the name’s provenance have increased on social media in the midst of the national discussion on race. Tucker: Confederate Statue Debate Is a 'Manufactured Crisis' Loesch: Democrats Have Created a 'Rage Mob' They Can No Longer Control At USC football games, the white horse is always ridden onto the field by a sword-carrying, Trojan warrior. The university said in response that the horse "has always been a proud symbol of Troy" and that its name has nothing to do with Gen. Lee. Bernie Goldberg reacted this morning, saying "parody is becoming reality" when it comes to outrage on the Left. He said the story is "nothing compared" to ESPN, where adults, not students, decided to move Asian-American announcer Robert Lee off of a Virginia football broadcast due to his name. Watch the report above. Jim Brown to Kaepernick: Desecration of Flag and National Anthem Is Not the Way to Protest Roger Stone: Trump Impeachment Would Lead to Civil War Cain on Statue Debate: 'If You Don't Know Your History, You Are Bound to Relive It'
The remainder of the SA80 family comprises the L86 Light Support Weapon, the short-barrelled L22 Carbine and the L98 Cadet rifle. The SA80 was the last in a long line of British weapons (including the Lee–Enfield family) to come from the Royal Small Arms Factory , the national arms development and production facility at Enfield Lock . Development Edit The idea dates back to the late 1940s, when an ambitious programme to develop a new cartridge and new class of rifle was launched in the United Kingdom based on combat experience drawn from World War II. Two 7mm prototypes were built in a bullpup configuration, designated the EM-1 and EM-2. When NATO adopted the 7.62×51mm NATO rifle cartridge as the standard calibre for its service rifles, further development of these rifles was discontinued (the British Army chose to adopt the 7.62 mm L1A1 SLR semi-automatic rifle, which is a licence-built version of the Belgian FN FAL). In 1969, the Enfield factory began work on a brand new family of weapons, chambered in a newly designed British 4.85×49mm intermediate cartridge. While the experimental weapon family was very different from the EM-2 in internal design and construction methods, its bullpup configuration with an optical sight was a clear influence on the design of what was to become the SA80. The system was to be composed of two weapons: the XL64E5 rifle (also called the Enfield Individual Weapon) and a light support weapon known as the XL65E4 light machine gun.[9] The sheet metal construction, and the design of the bolt, bolt carrier, guide rods, gas system and the weapon's disassembly showed strong similarities to the Armalite AR-18 which was manufactured under licence from 1975 to 1983 by the Sterling Armaments Company of Dagenham, Essex,[10][11][12][13][14] and which had been tested by the UK MoD in 1966 and 1969.[15][14] During the development of the SA80, a bullpup conversion was made of an AR-18 and a Stoner 63[16][17][18] at Enfield due to the fact they could be used with stocks folded/without stocks which allowed the bullpup conversion and were later chambered in the experimental 4.85x49mm round. A bullpup conversion of the AR-15 was previously considered but the buffer tube in stock prevented the idea.[19][20][21] Technically, in the mid-1970s, the 4.85×49mm round was seen as superior to the then existing version of 5.56mm M193 round in use by the US (for the M16/M16A1) and by other forces. (This was the expressed view of trials team members whilst demonstrating the XL64E5 prototype at the British Army School of Infantry at Warminster.) It should be noted that development of small-arms munitions have a long and continuous life and it was estimated by the trials specialists from Enfield that this weapon would ultimately be superior in the 4.85mm configuration. For the 4.85 mm round, both propellant and projectile were at the beginning of their respective development curves. Also, weight for weight, more rounds of ammunition could be carried by an individual soldier – a considerable advantage on the battlefield. It was regarded as probable at the time that the argument for the 5.56 mm standard within NATO had more to do with the economics involved. Over the lifetime of a small-arms weapon type, far more money is spent on the munitions than the weapons themselves. If the 5.56 mm supporters had lost the argument in favour of a British 4.85 mm round, the economic impact would have been very large and political pressure undoubtedly played a part in the final decision. Pictured left to right are the SA80-A2, XL 60 and EM-2 In 1976, the prototypes were ready to undergo trials. However, after NATO's decision to standardise ammunition among its members, Enfield engineers re-chambered the rifles to the American 5.56×45mm NATO M193 cartridge. The newly redesigned 5.56 mm version of the XL64E5 became known as the XL70E3.[22] The left-handed XL68 was also re-chambered in 5.56×45mm as the XL78. The 5.56mm light support weapon variant, the XL73E3, developed from the XL65E4, was noted for the full-length receiver extension with the bipod under the muzzle now indicative of the type.[23] Further development out of the initial so-called "Phase A"[23] pre-production series led to the XL85 and XL86.[24] While the XL85E1 and XL86E1 were ultimately adopted as the L85 and L86 respectively, a number of additional test models were produced. The XL85E2 and XL86E2 were designed to an alternate build standard with 12 components different from E1 variants, including parts of the gas system, bolt, and magazine catch. Three series of variants were created for "Environmental User Trials". XL85E3 and XL86E3 variants were developed with 24 modified parts, most notably a plastic safety plunger. The E4's had 21 modified parts, no modification to the pistol grip, and an aluminium safety plunger, unlike the E3 variants. Lastly, the E5 variants had 9 modified parts in addition to those from the E3/E4 variants.[23] SA80 development was complicated from the start. One complication was at least three project staffing changes at the Royal Small Arms Factory, which resulted in repetition of testing several times. One problem with the design of the gun itself was that the cases would be ejected at constantly varying angles as it heated up and the rate of fire changed, resulting in a large ejection port.[25] The conversion from 4.85 mm to 5.56 mm also caused a complication, as the rate of fire dropped dramatically as the gas port was left in the same position, but the pressure and time curve of the rounds were different. The 4.85 mm round was based on the 5.56 mm case in anticipation of the need to convert calibres. The barrel was changed easily, but the gas ports had to be enlarged considerably. This was made worse by the production of ammunition with power that gave a lower port pressure and rate-of-fire. Pressure problems had less of an effect on the LSW due to its longer barrel.[26] Production Edit L85A1 with SUSAT Ditto, field-stripped Field-stripped L85A2 (post-2009 model) After receiving feedback from users and incorporating the various design changes requested, including adapting the rifle for use with the heavier Belgian SS109 version of the 5.56×45mm round and improving reliability, the weapon system was accepted into service with the British Armed Forces in 1985 as the SA80. The SA80 family originally consisted of the L85A1 Rifle, the L86A1 Light Support Weapon (LSW), and L98A1 Cadet GP Rifle. The first weapons were issued in October 1985.[27][10] The SA80 family was designed and produced by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock. In 1988, production of the rifle was transferred to the Nottingham Small Arms Facility owned by Royal Ordnance (later British Aerospace, Royal Ordnance; now BAE Systems Land & Armaments). It was envisaged that the family would replace the L1A1 SLR, the L2A3 Submachine Gun (SMG), the L4 Light Machine Gun (LMG), and the L7A2 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) as used at section level; regular infantry, Royal Marine units, and the RAF Regiment were to change over by 1987, remaining regular army units by 1990, remaining RAF units by 1991, Territorial Army units by 1991-3, and the Royal Navy by 1993. In 1994, production was officially completed; more than 350,000 L85 rifles and L86 LSWs had been manufactured for the British Armed Forces, with the former variant comprising 95% of the total run,[27] while over 21,700 L98A1 rifles were produced for cadet use.[28] The production line was broken up shortly afterwards, with the Nottingham facility itself closing in 2001. Upgrade programmes and requirements for spare and replacement parts have since been fulfilled by Heckler & Koch,[27] which later reopened the Nottingham site for this purpose.[29] As responsibility for the funding and supply of the home defence regiments of the British Overseas Territories has been handed to the local governments of the territories (despite the regiments themselves coming under command of the national (British) government and being loosely integrated with the British Army), the SA80 was not automatically supplied to these units. The Bermuda Regiment[note 1] adopted the Ruger Mini-14 in 1983, although small stocks of the L85 were also acquired for the purpose of familiarisation training as many of its personnel attend courses or attachments in Britain;[30] the Regiment would later go on to acquire an additional 400 L85A2 rifles in 2015 to replace the Mini-14.[31]. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment, which is more closely integrated with the British Army, adopted the SA80 from the outset, while the Falkland Islands Defence Force adopted the Steyr AUG; like the SA80, this is a 5.56x45mm rifle produced in a bullpup configuration. The L85 is also in use with the Jamaica Defence Force.[32] Various African and South American countries would also receive SA80s as part of wider military aid packages.[27] Design flaws Edit Soon after being adopted for service, problems began to surface during troop trials held between 1986 and 1987. Components were found to be insufficiently robust, the LSW's bipod lock often failed to hold the bipod legs in closed position, the plastic furniture was melted by insect repellent, metal parts were quick to rust in jungle environments, and the weapon's mechanism was highly susceptible to dusty and arctic environments.[27][33] Issues were not helped by the production process. The SA80 series was produced from metal stampings; while RSAF Enfield had previous experience in manufacturing stamped-metal firearms, this was only in relation to weapons such as the Sten submachine gun that had relatively loose tolerances. The tighter tolerances required by the SA80 would soon lead to production delays and high wastage levels. There were also issues with regard to working practices and employee attitudes at the Enfield site which were exacerbated by its closure in 1988 and resulting redundancies;[27] one worker was recorded as saying that "Having been shafted by BAe and our own management, we thought why the hell should we care if [the SA80] worked or not. All we wanted to do was see the last of the bloody things and leave."[34] While production at the Nottingham facility was supposed to result in better-quality weapons owing to the use of newer manufacturing methods,[33][35] few of the staff working there had any actual experience of firearms manufacture and only 15 to 20 components were actually produced inhouse (compared to the Enfield site's total of 230) with the rest being outsourced to subcontractors; since the plant kept low stocks of pre-produced components, significant delays were incurred if subcontracted components were late in arriving at the Nottingham site or did not meet required tolerances.[27] When the L85A1 and L86A1 were first sent into major combat during the Gulf War, individual performance was appalling. The L85A1 proved unreliable in semi-automatic mode, and slightly better in fully automatic mode, while the opposite was true of the L86A1. Specific complaints included: the poor quality plastic furniture fell apart and the gun was damaged easily; the magazine release catch was easily knocked accidentally and dropped the magazine; the catch on the top cover over the gas mechanism was too weak and constantly popped open, so it had to be taped down; only 26–28 rounds could be loaded in a magazine because the springs were weak (something that was also mentioned in training manuals, at least with regard to earlier Colt-produced magazines[4]), and it also had to be kept very clean and the lips checked for dents; the LSW had a small magazine capacity for its role and overheated after 120–150 rounds fired in bursts; the weapons were difficult to strip and reassemble, with the gas plug easily jamming in place and requiring an armorer to remove; and ergonomic issues related to the safety catch, cocking lever, and the location and stiffness of the fire selector switch.[26] During Operation Palliser and other intervention operations in Sierra Leone, it was discovered that the version of the safety plunger that made it onto production weapons was made from cheap injection-moulded plastic that swelled when wet, potentially rendering weapons inoperative if they had been left on 'safe'.[27] The SA80 initially gained a poor reputation amongst British soldiers as being unreliable and fragile, a fact picked up by the UK media,[36] entertainment industry,[37] and members of the House of Lords.[38] Chris Ryan regarded the SA80s as being "poor-quality, unreliable weapons at the best of times, prone to stoppages, and it seemed pretty tough to have to rely on them",[39] while his fellow Bravo Two Zero patrol member Andy McNab said that: The Regiment tried SA80s in jungle training when they came out, and found it not best suited to its requirements. [...] If rifles were cars, instead of going for a Ford Sierra 4x4 - good, reliable, tested and enjoyed by the people who drive them — in the SA80 the Army went for a Roll-Royce. But at the stage when it was first brought into service, it was still a prototype Rolls-Royce, and there were plenty of teething problems. Andy McNab, 1993[40] Immediately after the first Gulf war (Operation Granby), the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) commissioned the LANDSET Report (officially entitled "Equipment Performance (SA80) During Operation Granby (The Gulf War)"), into the effectiveness of the L85A1 and L86A1. This report criticised the acceptance of the weapon into service. Neither weapon had managed to pass the sand trials and both frequently jammed. The mechanism of both weapons needed to be well lubricated as the weapon became prone to seizure if fired "dry", yet in a sandy environment the lubricated weapon became unreliable due to the lubricant attracting sand into the moving parts. The LANDSET report identified in excess of 50 faults, most notably the magazine release catch, which could easily be caught on clothing and therefore accidentally release the magazine; the plastic safety plunger which became brittle in cold climates; and firing pins that were not up to repeated use, and prone to fracture if used in automatic fire mode. The report concluded that: [The] SA80 did not perform reliably in the sandy conditions of combat and training. Stoppages were frequent despite the considerable and diligent efforts to prevent them. [...] It is extremely difficult to isolate the prime cause of the stoppages. It is, however, quite clear that infantrymen did not have CONFIDENCE in their personal weapon. Most expected a stoppage in the first magazine fired. Some platoon commanders considered that casualties would have occurred due to weapon stoppages if the enemy had put up any resistance in the trench and bunker clearing operations. Even discounting the familiarisation period of desert conditions, when some may have still been using the incorrect lubrication drill, stoppages continued to occur. LANDSET Report, 1991[34] The report was leaked to the press, at which point the Ministry of Defence claimed that it was fake; while it was later admitted that the report was a genuine document, the MOD continued to downplay its significance, and only seven of the 50 faults identified were addressed by subsequent modifications, meaning that complaints over reliability in service continued. The MOD finally began to take the SA80 family's issues seriously in 1992 but procuring entirely new weapons was considered too expensive.[27][26] A2 upgrade programme Edit As a result, a more extensive modification programme was executed. In 2000, Heckler & Koch, at that time owned by the British defence conglomerate BAE Systems, was contracted to upgrade the SA80 family of weapons. 200,000 SA80s were re-manufactured at a cost of £400 each, producing the A2 variant. Changes focused primarily on improving reliability and include: a redesigned cocking handle, modified bolt, extractor and a redesigned hammer assembly that produces a slight delay in the hammer's operation in continuous fire mode, improving reliability and stability. Both the rifle and the LSW underwent modifications, and the programme also saw the introduction of a carbine variant.[41] The British Ministry of Defence describes the A2 revision as producing the most reliable weapons of their type in the world".[42] Armed Forces trials indicated extremely good reliability over a range of climates for various operational scenarios, though with a decline in reliability in hot, and especially hot and dry conditions.[27][26] The L85A2 has achieved an average reliability rate of 25,200 mean rounds between failure, and the L86A2 achieved 12,897 mean rounds between failures. Both weapons have higher reliability rates in cold/dry, temperate, and hot/wet conditions (over 31,500 MRBF for L85A2), but lower rates in hot/dry environments. The minimum expected life of A2 components is 10,000 rounds, meaning they may never suffer stoppages during their lifetimes. The L85A1 was required to be able to fire 120 rounds over 24 hours, and the L86A1 was required to fire 800 rounds in 24 hours. The L85A2 is required to fire 150 rounds in 8 minutes 40 seconds, and the L86A2 is required to fire 960 rounds in 36 minutes. The first A2-style SA80 weapons were rushed into action in Afghanistan in December 2001, and all 200,000 were converted by February 2006. Three to four thousand weapons were converted per month. Despite the modifications, reports started to emerge that the L85A2 was still jamming; in reality, there were few jams and problems were much less serious than they were made out to be, since they stemmed from isolated cases of soldiers not cleaning their weapons correctly.[26] The modified A2 variants are distinguished by the "HK A2" marking on the top of the weapon just forward of the buttplate and the distinctive comma-shaped cocking handle (shaped to aid the ejection of the empty round casing and prevent stoppages). Continued testing of the L85A2 in adverse conditions demonstrates its reliability over contemporary rifles, including the M16. Although it is heavier than most conventional and more modern bullpup rifles, its full-length barrel gives higher muzzle velocities and better terminal performance than both the M4 and the M16. Rounds from an M4 will only reliably fragment out to 50–100 metres, while the L85A2 and M16 allowed fragmentation out to 150–200 metres and the L86A2 has an even longer fragmentation range.[26] Despite these modifications, the L86A2 did not overcome efforts to replace it with a belt-fed machine gun. British troops were issued with FN Minimi machine guns to add suppressive fire out to 300 metres; despite these officially being supplementary weapons, they all but replaced the L86.[27][26] A further upgrade including the provision of ACOGs, a Daniel Defense-designed RIS handguard for the L85 rifle (with optional Grip Pod),[43] and a new vortex style flash eliminator was introduced as an Urgent Operational Requirement from 2007; initially intended for use by selected units,[44], the upgrade package was subsequently rolled out on a more general basis.[27][6] A3 upgrade programme Edit The SA80A3 was first unveiled in prototype form in September 2016[45] with working models on display on September 2017 at the Defence and Security Equipment International event.[46] The changes from the SA80A2 design include a modification to the upper receiver and a full-length rail system for optional add-ons such as a vertical foregrip, laser pointer and torch. It also includes a weight saving of 100g and a new Flat Dark Earth coating offering improved durability and better camouflage across various environments. The Mid Life Improvement (MLI) project received an initial investment of £5.4 million and will see 5,000 weapons upgraded initially, with plans for more weapons to be upgraded in the future. The MLI project should see the weapon in service with the British military beyond 2025.[29][47][48] Only the L85 rifle has been announced as being upgraded so far; the L86 LSW will not be upgraded and is being retired from use instead.[49]
Earlier today I said that Cuba Gooding Jr. only does direct-to-DVD movies now. Obviously that is not completely true seeing as he is in Red Tails and that came out in theaters this past weekend. After I said this though I went to his IMDB page and checked out the movies he’s done in the last few years and I’m still going to say that he is the new Steven Seagal. Let’s call him Cuben Seagal Jr., Steben Gooding Jr. or my personal favorite Blacken Goodal Jr.! You can’t see it but the quote is from the movie critic at Ok! Magazine. Christian Slater as a priest? WTF… No one f$cks with Cuba’s vacation lake house! Holy sh$t Christian Slater is on here twice! Only one man can solve the immigration issue: Cuba F$cking Jr. wearing aviators! Holy sh$t. Helen Mirren and my man Cuba as contract killers? This must be awesome! Helen’s character has cancer? Ok. She raised Cuba? Interesting. Their lovers? My eyes are bleeding!!!! Stop the pain… Extra credit: This one doesn’t need a joke…
“Divine breezes from your Lord waft through the days of your life. Listen! Be aware of them.” – Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) Today, outside the window of some random discount gym high atop a shopping center, the massive, frantic 405 freeway spasmed with traffic. A parade of anxious faces pinned behind their wheels raced toward their respective fates. Anxiety often masquerades as ambition. Fixated on fears of failing at some grand enterprise or compelled by the hopeless conquest of purchase, we drive ourselves into the ground. We must consider again our notions of success in relation to what we ought to value, namely our faith in God Almighty. Below the staggering wall that carried this desperate river of cars and trucks, a gentle row of small deciduous trees remained undeterred by our neurotic pace. Tucked away by fate or chance, they shifted in accordance to the desert winds of Los Angeles. A hummingbird, resolute in its fleeting life, darted through the leaves, a whirl of blessed feathers. I was stuck to the glass, enchanted. Even through the window I could hear Truth labor in the wind and the trees. This small music compelled me toward hope, a higher, heavenly hope far beyond the smog and smoke of this volatile city: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty.” – John Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn Our days pass with so much monotony, malaise and routine. God and our place before Him are often peripheral, distant concerns. There are jobs, bosses, relationships even groceries to contend with. Worse, there are those seemingly endless wayward impulses that often confound us even more – that is, the things we shouldn’t do but do so anyway out of compulsion, despair and fatigue – junk food, pornography, endless hours in front of the television or computer screen, gossiping, etc. Sin rarely entices us with much spectacle. More often than not, the devil’s most valuable tools are restlessness and boredom: “In all the squalid zoo of vices, one is even uglier and fouler than the rest…I speak of Boredom which with ready tears dreams of hangings as it puffs its pipe.” – Charles Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du mal Of course, even our best efforts in pursuit of pleasure and distraction leave us mired in discontent and misery. We must hone and sharpen our sense of awe and wonder in relation to the Lord of All Things as we once did as children. No easy task, but a task that rests upon our shoulders as Muslims nonetheless. Our prayers, our good deeds, are all reminders for us, but so is this bittersweet world that abounds in beauty and enchantment when the dross leaves our eyes and we can see clearly even if for just moment: “Wherever you turn, there is the face of your Lord.” – Quran, 2:115 Amen. Advertisements
This home movie captures scenes of the Great Houston Flood of 1935, primarily of the flooded downtown district, including Main, Milam, Prairie, and Texas Streets. Houstonians are seen rowing canoes down these metropolitan streets, alongside submerged storefronts and homes. Brown then includes before and after shots of the downtown district. The flood began on December 6, 1935, with a downpour that went on for two days, causing massive flooding of Buffalo and White Oak Bayous. Eight people were killed, and the Port of Houston was shut down for 8 months as its docks were submerged, the ship channel was clogged with mud and debris, and miles of railroad tracks were uprooted. Twenty-five blocks of downtown were underwater, as were 100 residential blocks. Property damage was estimated at $2.5 million, approximately $42 million in 2012 dollars. The damage and loss of life caused by this flood resulted in the creation of the Harris County Flood Control District, legislation passed by the 45th Texas Legislature in 1937. watch this film in the TAMI library ). In 1936, Brown filed for a U.S. patent for a Moving Picture Machine through which to view films. He moved into professional filmmaking as an employee of Empire and Superior Studios in the 1940s and 50s to film full-length pictures. Orris D. Brown was a Shriner and a Free Mason. He passed away in 1965. Orris Dorr Brown was born in 1890 in Henderson, Texas. He married Edna Myra Webb in 1923, and together they traveled domestically and abroad teaching cake decorating techniques using edible sugar. Brown became interested in filmmaking in the early 1930s and began filming scenery and sites as he traveled. Texas became the focus of many of his films, and he traveled extensively throughout the state to document historical figures and locations, most notably scenes of Uncle Jeff Hamilton, Sam Houston's personal slave (). In 1936, Brown filed for a U.S. patent for a Moving Picture Machine through which to view films. He moved into professional filmmaking as an employee of Empire and Superior Studios in the 1940s and 50s to film full-length pictures. Orris D. Brown was a Shriner and a Free Mason. He passed away in 1965.
2. The Loadout YOU NEED a discovery scanner. This is what allows you to see and find the visitor beacons. If you are a cheapass SOB count on having to drop into EVERY nav beacon (do not recommend, as cops and NPC pirates hang around there, and you have to complete a scan of the beacon in order to get the system data) a discovery scanner. This is what allows you to see and find the visitor beacons. If you are a cheapass SOB count on having to drop into EVERY nav beacon (do not recommend, as cops and NPC pirates hang around there, and you have to complete a scan of the beacon in order to get the system data) Variety of Passenger cabins Missions are very diverse, so have stored cabins you can quicky equip when a lucrative mission pops up Missions are very diverse, so have stored cabins you can quicky equip when a lucrative mission pops up 6A Shield, or 5 prismatic. Hull damage makes missions fail. So don't let anything get through. Base A rated thrusters mean nothing can scan you, modded means an extra bit of maneuverability which helps in dodging into the station. having good jump range will make your life better But it's playable without engineering, just remember to use your discovery scanner to make use of the extra systems you're jumping through But it's playable without engineering, just remember to use your discovery scanner to make use of the extra systems you're jumping through Shield boosters help you avoid hull damage, which freaks out some passengers - and with that much extra energy there is no reason to not have them Here's the real trick; versatility! if you'd think that having passengers in a higher class cabin than required would pad their happiness levels... you would be wrong. :( Base ship: The Orca.Necessary modules: Adv discovery scanner, passenger cabinsImportant non-functional requirements: speed, best possible shield, jump range, good sensors.The Orca is the best ship for this method of play. A cobra may also work, but the high laying Luxury jobs will not be an optionThe locking down of the mission boards can be used to your advantage. If you see a 10mil mission which requires 7 seats, economy class you can open outfitting, swap out the 6 seat business class cabin module, and then pick up that mission.Luxury cabins in particular are highly situational. I ran a 23mil/ 3 stop mission which required a luxury cabinBUT the incredibly low seat numbers mean keeping them equipped all the time is inefficient.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is offering cash prizes in a competition aimed at tackling the countries obesity epidemic. The campaign called “Obesity: The Silence Ghost” has the support of fifty health centres over the kingdom and is asking Saudi citizens to take direct action to lose weight the Saudi Gazette reports. Dubbed the “hand in hand” approach, the scheme encourages overweight people through direct support, incentives and free medication. Chairman of the initiative, Prince Abdul Rahman has promised the health facilities, each to be given 20 obese people to treat, will receive awards at the end of the programme and for a further 6 months. “These health facilities will use their best qualifications and expertise to provide comprehensive free-of-charge medical treatment to the obese people,” he said. That’s not all, though. To encourage people to get involved from home, an elimination style TV programme with cash prizes is being launched, following the weight loss efforts of the obesity patients in health centres. Prince Rahman explains, “In the last month, each health facility will nominate one contender to compete in the weight-loss competition and the winners, who have lost most weight, will receive awards” Organisers have made it clear that, apart from rewarding those that lose weight, those that don’t shed enough kilos will be ‘eliminated’ from the show. It’s not clear if they will receive further support after this elimination. Saudi’s obesity problem has grown steadily worse, with the World Health Organisation study ranking the KSA 14th for obesity globally, with 71% of the population rated either ‘overweight’ or ‘obese.
A group of former employees is suing a Michigan dentist for religious discrimination because, they said, they were fired when they complained about Christian music that was played constantly in the office. Tina Marshall runs a dental practice in Lake Orion, which is north of Detroit. In 2013, Marshall joined a controversial ministry run by Craig Stasio, who is also a chiropractor and massage therapist in nearby Clinton Township. After joining Stasio’s ministry, Marshall began to play Christian music in her office all the time. According to the Clarkston News, staff asked Marshall to turn the music off – and in some cases, turned it off themselves. The lawsuit states that the music initially played only during the day, but eventually it was played all the time – even when the office wasn’t open “to keep the demons out.” “I told her I did not think it was right to play the music all the time, as we had a wide range of religious beliefs as patients,” Nancy Kordus, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement. “She told me ‘You have to plant the seeds’ and the music had to be played 24/7 even if no one was in the building ‘to keep the demons out.’” But music wasn’t the only religious element in Marshall’s practice. Marshall would allegedly pray over her patients, and she hung religious images on the wall, put holy water at the front desk and even kept a diary of religious activities that took place in the office. Marshall also held prayers with staff at the start of each day. The lawsuits says these were initially optional but eventually became required. None of this sat well with many of Marshall’s employees, some of whom had worked for another dentist who previously owned the practice. Kordus and another employee who complained about the music and resisted the pressure to participate in religious activities were fired in 2014. They were replaced with less-experienced hygienists. That’s when the trouble really started. Marshall said she brought in Stasio to help her “restructure” her business because she needed more skilled employees. “That’s when I was like ‘This isn’t working; Craig, can you help me?’ and it worked out great,” Marshall said. “Great” is a relative term here. Stasio was given total control over personnel, according to the lawsuit, and he fired other employees who had no interest in his ministry. As a result of this shakeup, almost all of Marshall’s old staff was either dismissed or transferred elsewhere. Just one hygienist remains. Despite the allegations in the lawsuit, Marshall claims her staff chose to leave. “My old staff was great,” Marshall said. “I wish they would have stayed and liked the music, but it was their choice.” The accusations of religion-based discrimination are bad enough, but there may be something far more disturbing playing out in the Detroit suburbs. Several area parents have said that after their daughters met Stasio, they chose to drop out of college, move in with employees at Stasio’s practice and cut off almost all communication with their families. Parents told WJBK-TV in Detroit that their daughters have referred to Stasio as “the prophet.” And that’s not all. Another WJBK report said Stasio has allegedly recruited owners of various local businesses in a possible attempt to target teenagers for proselytism. One of Stasio’s followers owns a laser tag business. One laser tag patron, identified only as “Steve,” said Christian music was played during an all-night lock-in for kids at the facility. “It was really weird,” said Steve, whose 14-year-old nephew attended the party. “They were playing Christian music – and it wasn’t Christian rock it was ‘hallelujah praise Jesus’ music.” Regardless of what Stasio may be up to, it is clear that the allegations against him and Marshall are serious. No business owner has a “religious freedom” right to force employees to follow any set of religious beliefs, then fire them when they refuse to go along. Let’s hope a judge yanks Marshall’s religion-based discrimination sooner rather than later.
I got really excited when this song was first written. I guess for me it was a perfect step in the direction I saw for our first album, and I think it turned out to be exactly what I wanted. This song really grasped what we were trying to do at the time in becoming better songwriters with using dynamics and structure. I deliberated over the opening riff for ages because it is really simple and didn't sound too great to me on first listen, but I couldn't come up with anything better at the time so I left it and it definitely grew on me. Funnily enough, the intro guitars in the first intro track "Eject, Eject, Eject!" was the original riff for "Breaking & Entering" but didn't seem to fit right to me so I ended up using it as an intro to the CD. I think recording the cleans in the verse was my favorite part of this song. In previous recordings I was never able to get exactly the clean tone I want, but Mark really nailed it, I think. We used an old Traynor head that Mark had, and we barely needed to tweak it. It just sounded perfect and warm and exactly what we needed. I also used Jake's Telecaster for this. We released this song first for the album and I think it was a great way of showing what the album was about and where we were at at that point in time. Whakaio Taahi plays guitar in Tonight Alive, who released their latest album, What Are You So Scared Of?, February 14 on Fearless Records. For more about the band, visit their official website and Facebook page.
Let's get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ... Carson Wentz Tells Us About Quarterbacking In Philly, And What To Order At Wawa - UPROXX Wawa is great. Turkey, bacon, avocado sandwich is pretty prime. You can’t go wrong with that one. Reasons to get excited about the Eagles’ Day 3 draft picks - BGN The Eagles had five picks on the third day of the 2017 NFL Draft. After triple dipping on defense in the first three rounds, it was unsurprising the Eagles followed up with three straight offensive picks and then finished with two defensive players. Despite them being later round picks, these players mostly have things to get excited for and more of these players than not could be role players down the line. BGN Radio #235: Did The Eagles Help Carson Wentz In The Draft? - BGNRadio.com Reviewing the Eagles’ 2017 NFL Draft. Mailbag: What would be your hindsight Eagles mock draft? - PhillyVoice I think a lot of people are selling Derek Barnett short. As for Allen and Hooker being better overall players, I would agree with Allen. I think he was a “top five” type of talent in this draft, but he was a medical risk. I don't have the Eagles' doctors' reports on him, so I don't know what they know. As such, I'm not in a position to say they should have taken Allen. Obviously, 15 teams other than the Eagles passed on him as well, so the Eagles weren't alone. As for Hooker, I don’t think he’s better than Barnett. Yes, he made a lot of big plays for Ohio State, and that’s appealing, but he was also a horrid tackler. He has a ways to go before he’s an all-around complete safety. From warehouse to red carpet: the driving force behind Derek Barnett - ESPN The glitz and glamour of the NFL draft behind her, Christine Barnett began settling back into her routine this week, returning to the same UPS warehouse that she has toiled in for the past 23 years. She had taken some time off to join her son, Derek, in Philadelphia for the draft. Walked the red carpet with him down the historic museum steps. Sat with him as he was selected 14th overall by the Philadelphia Eagles. Watched from a couple rows back as he met with the local media for the first time, using the opportunity to heap praise on her as he often does. Eagles build tasty roster with a big box of Now and Later - Inquirer The Eagles emerged from the NFL draft as a team that has chosen two paths to the 2017 season and beyond, one that takes a straight line to improving the roster right away, even if incrementally, and the other that meanders through the woods a bit, with a higher potential reward down the road, but less certainty of success. Whether the team will be competitive this season, and to what extent, is really not that important. It isn't going to win the Super Bowl, and if that is the real, and not just stated, goal, the Eagles have done just enough to create a professional environment for 2017 in which hope can triumph even if the team doesn't all that often. The organization's focus is on a more distant horizon, and given the reality of their division and their own stage of development, that is exactly as it should be. A look at players Eagles missed from 74-99 after Timmy Jernigan trade - CSN Philly With Sutton, Tankersley, Lewis and Griffin going off the board a few spots before the Eagles' pick, it's kind of reminiscent of the fifth round in 2016. The Eagles drafted Wendell Smallwood just after a few other running backs, including Pro Bowler Jordan Howard, went off the board. The Eagles claimed Smallwood was always their guy, but it's fair to wonder. Answering Your Questions - Iggles Blitz That really is a great Combine showing. Gratz started 25 games for the Jaguars before they let him go. He didn’t play much last year for the Rams. I have yet to go back and study his tape. I don’t know what has worked and what hasn’t. Now that the draft is over I do have the time to check him out. The fact he is so athletic and has some experience means he has a chance to compete for a job and win it. The Eagles will give him a clean slate and clearly CB is wide open right now. Whoever wants a job just has to go win it. All that said, I wouldn’t count on Gratz doing much. He doesn’t have a great track record and seems to be declining. He is getting a fresh start in Philly and maybe that will bring out the best in him. Quick Hits: Rookie Camp Ahead - PE.com January 1, 2017, Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles finished their 2016 season against the Dallas Cowboys, with a starting wide receiver corps of Nelson Agholor, Dorial Green-Beckham, and Paul Turner. Quarterback Carson Wentz averaged 5.2 yards on his 43 passing attempts ... What free agents make the most sense for Eagles? - Morning Call First off, forget LeGarrette Blount, the 30-year-old running back who led the league with 18 rushing TDs for New England last season. Price tag will be too high, plus he's not a fit in the passing game, either. But there are some veteran free agents out there who can help the Eagles right now. Here's a look at the most intriguing ones. Pumphrey reveals he has second child from high school - SDUT “There was a DNA test involved with other men. Come to find out, this thing happened three months ago … we did the DNA and he’s mine,” Pumphrey said. “And I’m taking full responsibility. I just consider it another blessing.” Pumphrey’s daughter, Maliya, has been present in his life since birth and was regularly seen at Aztecs football games during Pumphrey’s college career. The son’s name is Malik. Silva: Dynasty Rookie Rankings - Rotoworld Scatback build at 5-foot-8, 176, but was a workhorse at San Diego State. Jay Cutler retires to join FOX broadcasting booth - SB Nation The veteran quarterback followed Tony Romo’s lead and pursued a career opportunity off the field. ... Social Media Information: BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio BGN Radio Facebook: Click here to like our page BGN Radio Patreon: Support the show! BGN Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton: Follow @BrandonGowton
Antonio Conte has played down speculation that he could take over AC Milan next season, while the Serie A club have also moved to dismiss any rumours of contact with the Chelsea manager. Ex-Juventus and Italy boss Conte was linked with a move to Milan in the summer, when he spoke openly about how he had missed his family and struggled to settle in his first season in London. Those rumours have flared up again recently with current Milan coach Vincenzo Montella under pressure due to unsatisfactory results and talk of Gennaro Gattuso being placed in charge until the end of the season -- when the club could then try to appoint Conte as a long-term solution. When asked to comment on the rumours by Sky Sport Italia following Chelsea's 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday, Conte stated he did not want to think about such speculation. "Oh come on, forget it," he said. "Let's try to remain focused because, as I've said, between now and the end of the year, it's going to be a difficult path to follow in every sense because, look, every single day another story and another thing comes out, and they like this kind of situation here. "I'm so focused on Chelsea -- I've got to do the best I can for Chelsea. I know we've got a very hard, intense season ahead, but if we have the spirit and the enthusiasm that we've seen today, we'll try to fight against everything and against everybody." Mirabelli was also asked his opinion on the rumours prior to Milan's 2-0 win over Sassuolo on Sunday -- a result which alleviates the pressure on Montella going into the international break -- and he was equally dismissive of the talk. Antonio Conte has been linked with a return to his native Italy. "Believe it or not, these are things which are only part of your world; they are journalistic creations," he told Mediaset. "We are involved in a league season and we're not looking at what's going on elsewhere. "We have faith in Montella and we are working every day on continuing this project. Maybe we expected less difficulty compared to what we have had, but we are still united in this project." After committing over €200 million to new players in the summer, Milan envisaged a return to the Champions League next season. They are still nine points adrift of the top four, with fourth-placed Lazio's home game with Udinese postponed on Sunday, but Montella says he is not going to revise his objectives. "Even though we still have to improve a lot to close in on the teams ahead of us, in terms of our games against our direct rivals, it's not like you could see much of a difference," Montella told Mediaset. "We've lost them, though, so that means we still have to grow in certain areas, and I am convinced that we will do and that we will pursue our objective right to the very end." Sunday's win lifted Milan to seventh, still four points behind sixth-placed Sampdoria and a qualification berth for the Europa League next season. Ben Gladwell reports on Serie A, the Italian national team and the Bundesliga for ESPN FC, UEFA and the Press Association. @UEFAcomBenG.
'Tis the season of year-end listing, of yelling at your colleagues that, no, the Weeknd did not have the best album of the year because clearly Tegan and Sara did. At CBC Music, we drill our year-end focus down to mainly Cancon — and our best albums of 2016 down to 25 — and we can’t possibly include everyone we want. But we can try. With this list, we’ve kept it to the new: bands and artists who have either formed or put out their first works in 2016, and who have blown us away, either onstage or via album. From Charlotte Day Wilson to Old Soul Rebel to Not You: the 11 best new Canadian bands of 2016. Charlotte Day Wilson Charlotte Day Wilson is a 24-year-old singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist from Toronto. With CDW, she released one of the most engrossing, soulful and impressive debuts of the year. Wilson seemed to come out of nowhere in 2016, initially garnering critical praise for her standout collaboration on BadBadNotGood’s fourth album, IV, released in July. Her rich, weighty vocal delivery was exactly what the jazz quartet needed to fill in the space it's grown accustomed to leaving, which is often left to its own or, on instances like Sour Soul, filled in by rappers like Ghostface Killah. Wilson’s incredible performance on “In Your Eyes” was so head-turning that it even managed to overshadow Sam Herring (Future Islands), who impressively channelled his best Bill Withers on his vocal turn for “Time Moves Slow.” The overwhelming praise perfectly set the stage for Wilson’s self-released debut, CDW, a completely self-made triumph of an album (she's also currently managed by Arts & Crafts, the Toronto label where she previously interned). Wilson’s six-song EP was self-produced — short of one track, “Where Do You Go,” which was helmed by another Toronto rising star, River Tiber — and it’s a smouldering, evocative interpretation of sounds of the past, from Stax Records to Serge Gainsbourg to Sade, taking elements of soul, jazz and gospel and imbuing them with an all new sense of potency. — Jesse Kinos-Goodin (@JesseKG) Not You One of the newest on this list — the band’s debut EP, Misty, isn’t out until March 2017 — Not You’s members are familiar Halifax faces: Nancy Urich (Dog Day, the Burdocks), Stephanie Johns (the Stolen Minks, Moon), Rebecca Young (Soaking up Jagged, Pastoralia) and Meg Yoshida (Bad Vibrations). The shiny new four-piece played its first show in August 2016, packed the Seahorse Tavern at the Halifax Pop Explosion in October and will open for Wintersleep’s second, nearly sold-out hometown show in the new year. Not You self-describes as making slippergaze, which seems to translate to sweet-and-hazy '90s indie rock featuring dreamy harmonies and lowercase song names. The show is tight and the mood is nostalgic — get thee that Not You EP when it arrives. — Holly Gordon (@hollygowritely) &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://notyouhfx.bandcamp.com/track/haha"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;haha by Not You&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; Weaves Frantic, irreverent and immediate, Weaves produces the kind of winking art-rock that invites you in only to slap you in the face for being so gullible. The Toronto quartet broke out this year with a self-titled debut that showcased singer Jasmyn Burke’s spastic vocal attack — equal parts Karen O. and tUnE-yArDs — along with the group’s wind 'em up to blast 'em up away dynamic. Listening to tracks such as “Coo Coo,” “Tick” and “Candy,” one gets the feeling the group wrote some great pop songs, blew them up, then warped and reconstructed them. It’s a feeling both familiar and uncomfortable, yet undeniably charming. — Jon Dekel (@jondekel) River Tiber It’s pretty easy to spot rising talents in the Canadian music scene. Just a peek at the long stretches of collaborators on artists’ releases and soon you’ll quickly spot the common threads. Take a look at the work of BadBadNotGood, Kaytranada and even Drake, and you’ll see this name: Tommy Paxton-Beesley. The Toronto producer and singer-songwriter, who goes by the name River Tiber, found his own profile bubbling up to the top in 2016 with his debut album, Indigo, a moody, ambient collection of sounds that’s a personification of his city’s chilly late-night vibes. Flexing his myriad skills on this album, especially his captivatingly emotive voice, Paxton-Beesley proved that in just a short period of time, he has become one of music’s best secret weapons. But in 2017, River Tiber will be a secret no more. — Melody Lau (@melodylamb) Allan Rayman Right now, there are two things that are really exciting about Allan Rayman: first, his music, which is electrifying; second, that we don't really know a lot about him. The singer, songwriter, producer and director has a lot on his mind and, so far, he's let his music (and the arresting films that he creates for it) do the talking for him. He has a new album coming out in early 2017, which will no doubt deliver on the electrification. If it blows up big the way it should, then maybe, just maybe, we'll hear more from the man himself. — Judith Lynch (@CBCJudith) Jean-Michel Blais Jean-Michel Blais started playing the family organ when he was nine years old. By 11, he was beginning to compose original material, and by 17, he began his classical training at the Trois-Rivieres Music Conservatory. In 2016 and at 31, Blais released his debut album, the now Polaris longlisted II, a 28-minute collection that was the result of two years of improvisation. Inspired by artists like Chilly Gonzales and Philip Glass, Blais's compositions can be as poignant as they are playful, mixing together accessible melodies with experimental flourishes. His first single, "Nostos," begins with a simple, catchy melody before building into a soaring mix of ethereal keys and electronic production, a small sample of the virtuoso on display on II. —JKG Old Soul Rebel I saw Old Soul Rebel open for the great Adia Victoria earlier this year, and their live performance was astounding. Chelsea Johnson and Lola Whyte make Southern-inspired blues rock that’s unlike almost anything else coming out of Vancouver. They have just one EP to their credit, but it’s a blistering and bold effort that only hints at the power the pair brings to the stage. “Lose Control” will make you think of Alabama Shakes and lead singer Brittany Howard in the best way possible, and it’s probably a good idea to get familiar with them now so that next year you can be like, "Oh totally, I’ve known about Old Soul Rebel forever." — Andrea Warner (@_AndreaWarner) Begonia Winnipeg’s Alexa Dirks used 2016 to step outside her Juno Award-winning group Chic Gamine and stake vocal claim on another project — this time solo, as Begonia. With her showstopping voice, Dirks blends acoustics and synths for her own brand of gospel. Her first EP, Lady in Mind, comes out March 2017, and while the first single, “Juniper,” claimed No. 1 spot on the Radio 2 Top 20 in October, new single “Out of My Head” is the track we’re really coveting. While Dirks uses the four hand-clapping minutes to free herself from ghosts past, we’ll hang onto this track until we get the full release next year. — HG &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://hellobegonia.bandcamp.com/track/out-of-my-head"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Out Of My Head by Begonia&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; Harrison Canadian producers are continuing to make their mark globally on music with progressive, collaborative, beat-oriented projects, demonstrating their sharp curatorial prowess. While you may be aware of Montreal's Kaytranada and his Polaris Music Prize-winning effort, 99.9%, there's plenty more where that came from. Take, for instance, Toronto producer Harrison. On his '80s-infused full-length debut Checkpoint Titanium, out this year, Harrison imbues his musical approach with malleable soulful, electronic grooves that inquisitively meander beyond their starting points. Harrison's layered and intricate keyboard compositions are the foundation of his work, exhibiting his ability to translate his past inspirations firmly into the present. Collaborating with a close circle of featured guests and vocalists like Halifax native Ryan Hemsworth, Toronto rap wunderkind Clairmont the Second and Young Guv, a.k.a. Ben Cook of F--ked Up, Harrison charts his own assertive, yet eclectic path to the future. — Del Cowie (@vibesandstuff) Lanikai This band kind of came out of nowhere for me a few weeks ago and quickly became a daily go-to. Lanikai is the new pop project from former Imaginary Cities co-founder Marti Sarbit, and the band’s self-titled EP shimmers and bounces, sunlight reflecting off the Pacific Ocean. The first single, “I’m Glad,” soars and swells as an incredible piano line marches up and down the song’s spine. There’s something small, hopeful and urgent about Sarbit’s voice as she sings, “I’m glad to know that you are here” over and over, moving the line from affirmation to declaration, mantra to revelation, the glow of brass and strings filling the sky behind her words, the warmth of a thousand sunsets spilling out into our hearts. — AW Witch Prophet Ayo Leilani has been creating queer-friendly spaces within Toronto’s hip-hop scene since 2009, when she co-founded the arts collective (and unofficial record label) 88 Days of Fortune. She’s also been part of rap/electro group Above Top Secret for the past six years. But in late 2015, Leilani dropped her first single under a new moniker, Witch Prophet — and it was fire. Featuring Stas THEE Boss (of the now defunct THEESatisfaction), the track was included on Black Lives Matter Toronto’s fundraising mixtape, and became the opening number on Witch Prophet’s October 2016 mixtape, H.P.B. — the first set of songs Leilani has released under this new name. “Do we keep moving forward?/ And backward?/ And forward?” asks Leilani on “Pearly Gates,” spinning her own truth on a cut from Mobb Deep’s 2006 track of the same name. H.P.B. is only four songs long, but you can revel in the intersection of its soul, R&B and hip-hop nods for days. Despite such a short offering, Witch Prophet’s voice has taken a strong hold on 2016. — HG Explore more: Making Noise: 10 artists who shaped 2016 2016: in memoriam CBC Radio 3's top 103 songs of 2016 25 best Canadian albums of the year The 20 most unforgettable music videos of 2016
Benchmark Capital sent a letter to Uber employees to explain why the firm decided to sue former CEO Travis Kalanick. "We know that many of you are asking why Benchmark filed a lawsuit against Travis last week,” the letter reads. “Perhaps the better question is why we didn’t act sooner." The firm wrote that they warned Kalanick over a month ago that members of the board were prepared to “resort to litigation” if he did not stop meddling in the search for his replacement. The letter reads in part: We were asked to postpone any filing and assured that efforts would be made to get these changes made without a lawsuit. We waited and waited, watching as things deteriorated even further. Eventually we felt that we could wait no longer and took action. It is our hope that this lawsuit will break the past, persistent patterns of dysfunctional behavior — making it possible to create a truly independent board and hire a truly great CEO. Benchmark, which sits on Uber’s board, is suing Kalanick for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract, claiming Kalanick was attempting to control the board for his own “selfish needs.” Since the firm filed the lawsuit, a group of investors loyal to Kalanick asked Benchmark to divest its shares and step off the board. Members of the board, other than Kalanick and Benchmark, also said they were disappointed that the firm decided to resort to litigation. Sources previously told Recode those members were not aware Benchmark was suing Kalanick until the complaint was filed. The letter further details some of Benchmark’s primary concerns. For one, the firm wanted to expedite the implementation of recommendations that former Attorney General Eric Holder’s law firm Covington & Burling made to overhaul the company’s culture. Benchmark said that to describe the Holder report as “hard-hitting” was an understatement. While most of you have not had the opportunity to read the full “Holder Report” written by Tammy Albarrán and Eric Holder at Covington, Benchmark's representatives on Uber's board have. To describe it as hard-hitting would be an understatement. It’s why the board agreed to adopt Covington’s recommendations in full. That was well over two months ago, and while Uber’s excellent executive leadership team is making commendable progress on these changes, many of the most important issues agreed to by the board remain unaddressed. Not having a chief financial officer at Uber could not be “justified” given the company’s scale and is “symptomatic of the broader problems with past management practices,” Benchmark added. Uber’s former and only CFO Brent Callinicos stepped down in 2015, saying that he would be spending time with his family. While the company has had someone fill the role of head of finance, Uber hasn’t found a replacement for Callinicos since then. Here’s the letter in full: To the Uber Employees: Uber is the most important and promising company of our generation. We have tremendous respect for the incredible work you do to provide this vital service in cities all around the world and to create work opportunities for millions of people globally. We know that many of you are asking why Benchmark filed a lawsuit against Travis last week. Perhaps the better question is why we didn’t act sooner. As you know, Travis resigned in June at the request of a large group of shareholders which included Benchmark. It was a rare and extremely difficult step for us. But we acted out of a deep conviction that it would be better for Uber, its employees, and investors to have a fresh start. We believed then, as we believe now, that failing to act would have meant endorsing behavior that was utterly unacceptable in any company, let alone a company of Uber’s size and importance. It’s easy to reduce this situation to a battle of personalities. But this isn’t about Benchmark versus Travis. It’s about ensuring that Uber can reach its full potential as a company. And that will only happen if we get rid of the roadblocks and distractions that have plagued Uber, and its board, for far too long. We need to focus on the work ahead — on building a company that everyone is proud to be associated with: employees, riders, drivers, and the cities you serve. You deserve that. You have always deserved that. We are sorry that it has taken us so long to do the right thing. We hope to address three key issues with this action. CEO Search: Nothing is more important than finding the right new leader for Uber. The best CEO candidates will only want to join if they believe that the board is truly independent, without any agenda other than the long-term success of the business. The search for a new CEO started over 50 days ago. It was at the same time that Travis agreed in writing to modify the company’s voting agreement to ensure that the board was composed of independent, diverse, and well qualified directors. Despite agreeing in writing to sign these amendments, he has still not done so. Travis’s failure to make good on this promise, as well as his continued involvement in the day-to-day running of the company, has created uncertainty for everyone, undermining the success of the CEO search. Indeed, it has appeared at times as if the search was being manipulated to deter candidates and create a power vacuum in which Travis could return. A number of people have asked why we took legal action before giving Travis the chance to sign these amendments. The fact is that we did give him that chance. Over a month ago we told him and other members of the board that we were prepared to resort to litigation to force him to honor his commitments. We were asked to postpone any filing and assured that efforts would be made to get these changes made without a lawsuit. We waited and waited, watching as things deteriorated even further. Eventually we felt that we could wait no longer and took action. It is our hope that this lawsuit will break the past, persistent patterns of dysfunctional behavior — making it possible to create a truly independent board and hire a truly great CEO. Holder (Covington) Report: While most of you have not had the opportunity to read the full “Holder Report” written by Tammy Albarrán and Eric Holder at Covington, Benchmark's representatives on Uber's board have. To describe it as hard-hitting would be an understatement. It’s why the board agreed to adopt Covington’s recommendations in full. That was well over two months ago, and while Uber’s excellent executive leadership team is making commendable progress on these changes, many of the most important issues agreed to by the board remain unaddressed. These include reformulating Uber’s cultural values (something many employees have said is essential to improving Uber’s culture), enabling a new “tone at the top,” and appointing an independent chairperson. We hope that our action will help expedite the implementation of Tammy Albarrán and Eric Holder’s recommendations in full. Chief Financial Officer: Talk to any great CEO and she or he will tell you that having a strong, business-friendly CFO is essential to any company’s success. Yet Uber has operated without one for over two years now. This cannot be justified, given the scale and complexity of the business, and is symptomatic of the broader problems with past management practices. We hope that our lawsuit will help expedite the CFO search. We know that the last six months have been incredibly hard for you all, and that this lawsuit may create more uncertainty short-term. We hope you understand that our decision was motivated by a deep desire to do what is best for Uber, and for the thousands of employees working so hard every day. Benchmark's approach is to be quiet and understated and to work behind the scenes. We pride ourselves on being incredibly supportive of the many amazing founders we have been fortunate enough to back over the last 20+ years. But these are unusual circumstances which required unusual action. Finally, let us end by reiterating what we said at the beginning. We have tremendous respect for what you have achieved. You are a truly amazing team. And we deeply believe that Uber’s best days are ahead. - Benchmark
After the first day of the Democratic convention was frequently interrupted by delegates for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) protesting calls to unify behind Hillary Clinton, the Vermont senator told his supporters Tuesday that their jeers would not stop a Donald Trump presidency. During a breakfast meeting with California delegates, attendees booed when Sanders said that they need to elect Clinton and defeat Trump. The senator then told the crowd that their jeers aren’t helpful. “It is easy to boo, but it’s harder to look your kids in the face who would be living under Donald Trump,” he said. Sanders went on to call Trump “a demagogue who does not believe in the Constitution of the United States.” “That is dangerous stuff. So our job is to do two things. It is to defeat Trump, it is to elect Clinton. But it is not to end on Election Day,” he said. During a morning event held by Bloomberg Politics, Sanders said he hoped his supporters would “accept the reality” that Clinton will be the Democratic nominee.
A man found with guns in a Disneyland Paris hotel was on Tuesday condemned by a French court to six months' house arrest and made to wear an electronic tagging bracelet. Prosecutors had sought a nine-month suspended sentence for the 28-year-old who was found to be carrying two handguns, ammunition and a Koran when he was arrested last Thursday. Disneyland Paris said the guns were picked up by routine scanning of the man's bags at the hotel entrance. Police were called to Disneyland Paris last month after a man tried to check-in to a hotel with two handguns The man, who has not been named, has been sentenced to six months' house arrest following the incident A police source said at the time of the arrest that preliminary investigations did not point to terrorism, and that the man had said he was carrying the guns because he feared for his safety. The Paris restaurant worker, a convert to Islam, will spend his sentence at his mother's house in the Loiret region southwest of Paris. The court in the city of Meaux, east of the French capital, also banned him from carrying firearms for five years. The defendant, with long hair in a bun and a short beard, told the court that he had bought his first gun to defend himself after being the victim of an act of aggression. The defendant, who has not been named, has to live with his mother in the Loiret region, southwest Paris He added that he had acquired the second pistol after the November 13 jihadist attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead. Described as 'a boy with a big heart' by his girlfriend and a 'pathological liar' by the judge, the man told the court that had not wanted to leave his firearms at his mother's home where he was living. Despite the discovery of the guns and the Koran, and after several Islamist attacks in and around Paris last year, investigators had quickly ruled out the possibility that the defendant had been planning a terror attack.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Deutsche Bank boss John Cryan is looking for ways to return the firm to profitability Chinese conglomerate HNA has overtaken Blackrock to become Deutsche Bank's biggest shareholder after increasing its stake in the firm to nearly 10%. HNA became a major shareholder in Europe's largest investment bank after acquiring a 4.8% stake in March. Its financial unit, HNA Capital, reportedly has ambitions of becoming a global investment bank. Deutsche Bank has been looking to raise funds after incurring major losses due to legal probes and misconduct charges. Earlier this year, the German lender abandoned plans to sell its Postbank unit and sold 8bn euros ($8.8bn) of shares instead. HNA, which is privately run by billionaire Chen Feng, has been on a major acquisition spree in recent years. The Chinese group owns stakes in a range of companies including Hainan airlines, hotel operator Hilton Worldwide and Singapore-listed logistics firm CWT.
Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Fight Back! Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Travel With The Nation Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Sign up for our Wine Club today. Did you know you can support The Nation by drinking wine? Haitian business organizations and members of the country’s tiny elite used the Haitian police force as their own private army in the wake of the 2004 coup that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, according to a secret US Embassy cable. Ad Policy Then–US Ambassador to Haiti James Foley warned in the cable "against private delivery of arms" to the Haitian National Police (HNP) after learning from a prominent Haitian businessman that "some business owners have already begun to purchase weapons and ammunition from the street and distribute them to local police officials in exchange for regular patrols." Related Article Nation Conversations: Betsy Reed and Dan Coughlin on WikiLeaks Haiti The Nation The May 27, 2005, report was in a trove of 1,918 cables that WikiLeaks made available to the Haitian weekly newspaper Haïti Liberté, which is collaborating with The Nation on a series of reports on US and UN policy toward the Caribbean country. Haiti’s private sector elite has been a key US ally in promoting Washington’s agenda in the country, from free trade and privatization of state enterprises to two coups against President Aristide followed by US and UN military occupations. Fritz Mevs, a member of "one of Haiti’s richest families and a well-connected member of the private sector elite" with major business interests in Port-au-Prince’s downtown and port, was the principal source for Foley’s report. Mevs told the Embassy that the president of the Haitian Chamber of Commerce, Reginald Boulos, had "distributed arms to the police and had called on others to do so in order to provide cover to his own actions." Boulos currently sits on the board of former President Bill Clinton’s Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC), which controls the spending of billions donated to rebuild Haiti after the January 12, 2010, quake. The May 2005 cable describes the period after the February 29, 2004, coup d’etat, which not only removed Aristide from power but repressed his Fanmi Lavalas party, set up a US-backed de facto government, and ushered in a 9,000-strong UN military occupation known as MINUSTAH (UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti). De facto Prime Minister Gerard Latortue’s interim government of Haiti and his paramilitary allies had difficulty stabilizing their unpopular regime, despite killing an estimated 3,000 people and jailing and purging from government jobs hundreds of Lavalas militants and sympathizers. The regime had particular trouble suppressing pro-Aristide strongholds like the slum areas of Bel Air and Cite Soleil, which mounted a fierce resistance to the coup and the occupation. The de facto government, US Embassy and Haitian elite called the resistance fighters "bandits" or "gangs," the terminology used in the cable. Titled "Haitian Private Sector Panicked by Increasing Violence," the cable relays Mevs’ report to the Embassy’s political officer that Haitian "business leaders are exasperated by the lack of security in the vital port and industrial zone areas of Port-au-Prince and are allegedly arming local police with long-guns and ammunition in an effort to ensure security for their businesses and employees." Foley wrote that "Mevs says that of the roughly 150 business owners in the area, probably 30 have already provided some kind of direct assistance (including arms, ammunition, or other materiel) to the police, and the rest are looking to do so soon." Mevs "defended the idea of the private sector arming the police in general, but he lamented the haphazard manner in which many of his colleagues seemed to be handing out weapons with little control," the cable says. Mevs also worried "that funneling the arms secretly would only serve to reinforce rumors that the elite were creating private armies," which in fact was happening. Mevs asked the Embassy if "the U.S. would oversee [a] program" under which the private sector could legally buy the HNP’s guns because "he did not trust either MINUSTAH or the HNP to properly control the issuance of weapons." The private army "rumor" was corroborated by "contacts of the Econ Counselor [who] report from time to time of discussions among private sector leaders to fund and arm their own private sector armies." Security for businesses around the capital’s industrial, warehouse and port districts reportedly degenerated after the March 30, 2005, death of Thomas Robenson, alias Labaniere, a onetime Lavalas leader in Cite Soleil’s Boston neighborhood. He defected to the forces defending the 2004 coup and provided armed protection to nearby commercial zones. Labaniere was killed "allegedly in a plot directed by rival pro-Lavalas gang leader Dread Wilme," Foley wrote. After that, the UN force had tried to secure the commercial areas but "was proving to be a poor substitute for Labaniere," an adviser to Cite Soleil’s mayor told the Embassy, largely because "MINUSTAH troops (who, he said, rarely set foot outside of their vehicles) were unable to identify the bandits from amongst the general populace as Labaniere had done." The residents of Cite Soleil did not view Emmanuel Wilmer (aka Dred or Dread Wilme) as a "bandit." They saw him as a hero defending them from pro-coup paramilitaries (who in 1994 burned many houses in the rebellious shantytown) and UN occupation troops. Today, one of the main boulevards through Cite Soleil is named after him, and murals of his face adorn many walls. Wilme told the Lakou New York program on Brooklyn’s Radio Pa Nou station in April 2005 that "MINUSTAH has been shooting tear gas on the people. There are children who have died from the gas and some people inside churches have been shot…. The Red Cross is the only one helping us. The MINUSTAH soldiers remain hidden in their tanks and just aim their guns and shoot the people. They shoot people selling in the streets. They shoot people just walking in the streets. They shoot people sitting and selling in the marketplace." But for Foley and the Haitian elite, the UN military was not doing enough. "According to Mevs, although MINUSTAH has on occasion parked armored vehicles near the Terminal with some success, he said criminals regularly force the tanks to move (by burning tires or fecal matter nearby), and as soon as the vehicles depart, the rampage continues." Foley asked the "Core Group" of international donors and the UN military for a "swift, aggressive" response to the business sector’s call for action against the "criminal elements" from slums like Cite Soleil. "Ambassador Foley warned the Core Group that MINUSTAH’s stand-down in Cite Soleil put the elections at risk, and that the insecurity around the industrial zone risked undermining what is left of the Haitian economy," said the cable. The UN mission chief Juan Gabriel Valdes "promised a more robust response from MINUSTAH," which sat down with police leaders to develop a plan in "coordination with the private sector," the cable explains. "In response to embassy and private sector prodding, MINUSTAH is now formulating a plan to protect the area," concluded the cable. Weeks later, on July 6, 2005, at 3 am, 1,440 Brazilian and Jordanian soldiers, backed by forty-one armored personnel carriers, sealed off Cite Soleil and attacked. UN troops fired more than 22,000 bullets, leaving dozens of civilian casualties, including women and children. "It remains unclear how aggressive MINUSTAH was, though 22,000 rounds is a large amount of ammunition to have killed only six people" (the UN’s official death toll), wrote Foley in a July 26, 2005, Embassy cable obtained by Professor Keith Yearman of the College of DuPage through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The UN claimed it had killed only "gang leader Dred Wilme and five of his associates," the cable says, while noting, "at St. Joseph’s hospital near Cite Soleil, Doctors Without Borders reported receiving 26 gunshot victims from Cite Soleil on July 6, of whom 20 were women and at least one was a child." By August 1, Foley was praising the Brazilians in another cable (obtained by Yearman’s FOIA requests), titled "Brazil Shows Backbone in Bel Air." According to Foley, "the security situation in the capital has clearly improved thanks to aggressive incursions in Bel Air and the July 6 raid against Dread Wilme in Cite Soleil…. Post has congratulated MINUSTAH and the Brazilian Battalion for the remarkable success achieved in recent weeks."
If you’ve ever wanted to see Pee Wee Herman’s famous bicycle, or the largest collection of the all-fiberglass Bowden Spacelander bikes, this repurposed Pittsburgh industrial warehouse has you covered. An 1863 Boneshaker at the entrance kicks off the world’s largest bicycle museum, Bicycle Heaven. For bike enthusiasts, this place lives up to its name. Craig Morrow’s sprawling collection of over 3,000 bicycles and bike memorabilia spans two floors in the warehouse shop, displaying rare and famous specimens, many models of antique bicycles dating to the 19th century, and paraphernalia like horns, oil lamps, and sirens. The bike from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure is on display next to a rare Columbia Double Eagle, a small bicycle built for two. Some donated bicycles also have placards written by those who donated them, telling of their history and the joys of those who owned and rode them. Also on display are very rare Bowden Spacelanders, fiberglass frame bicycles built by British automotive engineer Benjamin Bowden. Only 544 were made, just over 30 are known to exist. Craig has collected 17, and eight of these are on display at the museum. Bicycle Heaven is also a working bike shop. Here in the company of such rarities, anyone can bring their own beloved bike in for a tune-up.
Express News Service By BHUBANESWAR: Expressing concern over the indifferent attitude of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) towards repair of Jagamohana of Jagannath Temple at Puri, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday sought intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a letter, Naveen said an intervention scheme with stainless steel supporting frames to address problems of actual structure of the Jagamohana was submitted by Superintendent Archaeologist, Bhubaneswar for approval of the Director General, ASI. The scheme was based on recommendation of the technical core committee, constituted by the ASI for overseeing conservation work of Jagamohana. “Unfortunately, the scheme was disapproved by the Director General, ASI with suggestion for further study,” Naveen said. “We are highly concerned about such indifferent attitude of ASI as any further delay in addressing the problem may lead to a serious situation,” he said. Stating that Director General, ASI should be instructed to reconsider the proposal and come up with a concrete solution, Naveen said the Odisha Government will bear the expenditure. The Jagamohana is in alarming state due to severe distress/cracking of capitol stone layers atop the pillar head of four central columns supporting the pyramid roofing structure. Temporary supports have been provided to avoid any accident and devotees are not allowed to enter the Jagamohana, the CM said.
Spread the love Dallas, TX — Ironically enough, there are many people within the police accountability movement who advocate the disarming of society. Somehow, they think that police will magically begin to act in a moral manner and respond quicker to 911 calls once the rest of society can no longer protect themselves with guns. Sadly, however, as a recent home invasion case out of Dallas, Texas shows us — 911 is no safety net. An innocent homeowner thought he’d be safe after he dialed 911 last month when heard his back door open and footsteps come through the house. He was wrong. “He pointed the gun at me and he said, ‘Don’t you say a thing. Don’t you dare move,’” says the 65-year-old man who wishes to only give his first name, Jamie. “He had the gun to my head and he made me turn over on my stomach.” The homeowner wants to remain anonymous as he’s afraid the home invasion robbers may return. And, if he calls the police, he’ll be up a creek again — without a gun. As WFAA reports: IT WAS ABOUT 6:40 A.M. ON APRIL 26 WHEN JAMIE HEARD THE BACK DOOR OPEN. THEN HE HEARD THE FOOTSTEPS. JAMIE CALLED OUT, ASKING WHO WAS THERE. A VOICE RESPONDED, “IT’S THE COPS.” HE IMMEDIATELY KNEW THAT COULDN’T BE TRUE. TWO MEN CAME INTO HIS BEDROOM. ONE OF THEM DID ALL THE TALKING. HE HELD A GUN TO JAMIE’S HEAD FOR ALMOST THE ENTIRE TIME THEY WERE IN THE HOUSE. THEY RANSACKED THE ROOM. THEY TOOK HIS PHONE, CAR KEYS, HOUSE KEYS, WALLET, AND OTHER ELECTRONICS. AS THEY WERE LEAVING, THE MAN TOLD HIM TO COUNT TO 100. “I HAD GOTTEN TO SEVEN OR EIGHT AND IT WAS ALMOST LIKE HE HAD LOST INTEREST,” JAMIE SAYS. “HE SAID, ‘DON’T YOU GET UP UNTIL I’M GONE.’” For five minutes, Jamie sat in fear of being killed, hoping that cops would show up. They didn’t. “I still feel the gun on the back of my head,” he recalls. “He kept saying, ‘Where is the safe?’ and I would say, ‘I don’t have the safe’ and he would press [the gun] into my head.” Luckily, for Jamie, his life was spared and the robbers took his things, but not his life. They were never captured and likely never will be. After having a gun to his head, Jamie continued calling 911. “They would say, ‘Well, are they still in the house?’” he says. “I said, ‘No but the guy put a gun to my head. What if he’s still around here somewhere?’ Every time we were told, ‘Well, we don’t have anyone to send out. We’re shorthanded.’” After the robbers left, Jamie would wait over an hour, for police to finally show up because there are simply not enough cops to be everywhere at once. The department even admits it cannot keep up with the calls. “In many instances, Priority 2 calls can be held for 30 minutes or up to three or four hours,” says Officer Nick Novello, a central patrol officer. “If we were at the precipice, we are in free fall right now.” “I think we’re at the point now where we need to be concerned,” Interim Dallas Police Chief David Pughes said last month. Calling the police for protection is nowhere near effective, not too mention that there is a good chance your house will be wrecked, your pet killed, or worse. Not only is it a crap shoot to call 911, but it’s a terribly rigged craps game in which the house almost always wins – and you lose. Researchers found that less than 5 percent of all calls throughout the country dispatched to police are made quickly enough for officers to stop a crime or arrest a suspect. The 911 bottom line: “cases in which 911 technology makes a substantial difference in the outcome of criminal events are extraordinarily rare.” Even the cops know this. As the Free Thought Project previously pointed out, Police chiefs across the country are urging citizens to arm themselves and admitting that police cannot stop mass shootings or home invasions, only a well-armed society can. In light of this highly controversial subject now making its rounds across the digital ether, an incredibly powerful video from a court case has surfaced, highlighting the power of self-defense with a gun versus calling the cops. In February 2014, James Cvengros and his girlfriend heard glass breaking and their neighbor, 54-year-old Twain Thomas, screaming in the apartment complex’s hallway. So, Cvengros grabbed his pistol, set up a camera and locked his door. Only moments later, the Machete-wielding Thomas came stomping through the door in a scene reminiscent of a horror film. He began swinging at the couple until he was hit with several rounds from Cvengros’ pistol. Only after he’d been shot did he break out of his rage and Thomas then admitted on film that he was going to kill them. Last year, a court determined that Thomas suffers from PTSD and has a frontal lobe injury from a car accident. The 54-year-old didn’t know what he was doing and only snapped out of rampage mode after he was shot. “His fight-or-flight is constantly on overdrive,” Thomas’ neuropsychologist, Mark Corgiat said. In January, Thomas was sentenced to at least five years in prison before he is eligible for parole. Had Cvengros been disarmed by those who advocate removing guns from society, this situation would have been horrific. The death toll could have been far greater than Cvengros and his girlfriend and wouldn’t have stopped rising until police arrived some 11-60 minutes later. Luckily, Cvengros didn’t call 911.
Ed Dolan writes: In nominal terms, the yuan has strengthened about 2.5% since China's June 19 decision to ease its currency policy. That works out to an annualized rate of nominal appreciation of almost 8%. The simplest way to calculate real appreciation is to add on the difference between China's inflation rate (3.5%, according to August data) and US inflation (about 1%, or even less if the dip in the September figures holds up). Doing so gives us an annual rate of real appreciation of more than 10%. Two or three years of that would pretty well eliminate the 20 to 40% undervaluation that critics are talking about. I would stress the point that the general rate of inflation is not the ideal measure here (what is the inflation rate for tradeables or would-be tradeables?), but the point remains an important one.
Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. April 13, 2017, 10:43 AM GMT / Updated April 13, 2017, 11:44 PM GMT By Claudio Lavanga and Nick Bailey ROME — The legend goes that if you throw a coin backwards into the Trevi fountain, using your right arm over your left shoulder, you will return to the city. A lot of visitors to Rome are clearly buying into the story, with an Italian charity confirming that nearly $1.5 million dollars in change was thrown into the fountain during 2016. “The [city] council hands over to us bags full of coins thrown into the fountain,” said Alberto Colajacomo, spokesman for Caritas, the Catholic non-profit that receives all coins — and other items — thrown into the water. It reinvests the proceeds into charitable initiatives. “Among the coins often we find other objects, including glasses, religious medals and even a couple of dentures,” Colajacomo told NBC News. Originally completed in 1762, the fountain was recently given a major 18-month makeover, financed by the Fendi fashion brand, that added LED lighting and allowed restoration of the marble facade. Fishing for change in the fountain is illegal, and arrests by Italian police are common.
(Wikipedia) YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE {{item.title}} Any local without an ancestral visas or dual citizenship knows travelling on a plain old green South African passport is no joke. Before even thinking about entering most countries around the world, we are required to pass the ultimate endurance test: a visa application. Yet, the South African passport is the most powerful African passport, the latest data published by the Henley Passport Index shows - a list of world passports, ranked from the most powerful to the weakest, based on how many other countries one can visit with that passport visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival/e-visa. As of January 2019, South African passport holders can travel to 101 world countries without the need to apply for a visa prior to their trip. South Africans can travel to and enter 67 countries without any type of visa. There is another 34, which they can enter by obtaining a visa on arrival or enter on a free e-visa at the port of entry of their destination country. The overall global list is topped by three Asian countries Japan, Singapore and South Korea, followed by the EU/EEA countries. TRAVEL PLANNING: See detailed Quick Guides for each of the visa-free destinations for South African travellers here. All in all there are 101 countries around the globe we can enter on our passports alone, and while they may not be the US, Canada, Australia or most of Europe, there are some pretty exciting places to go. Here's a round-up all the countries you can either visit visa-free or get a visa on arrival with a valid passport: Africa Most SADC countries are accessible to us without a visa, as long as we're going there for vacation. Any form of work - even volunteering - requires some form of a visa, so make 100% sure what the rules are beforehand. Here is the full list of African countries we can enter without visas: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Djibouti, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Senegal, Seychelles, eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), Somalia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. And then a few where we get a visa on arrival: Cape Verde, Comoros, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Tanzania, Togo Tunisia and Uganda. South and Central America The good news is that pretty much the ENTIRE South and central America is accessible to us on nothing but a passport, with the exception of, among others, Suriname, French Guiana, Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Here is a full list of the South and Central American countries we can enter on our passport: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Bolivia Cayman Islands, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Falkland Islands, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uruguay and Venezuela. North America Sorry, folks, it's a no go. Visas are a must. Check out what you need for the US Visa application process. Europe Well, it's mostly closed to us, but there are a few surprising destinations we can enter sans visa. Ireland, Kosovo, Russia, Georgia and France's Reunion Island. Also see: Reunion Island - an eruption of unusual landscapes Asia Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Visa on arrival: Armenia, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, South Korea, and Timor-Leste Middle East Iran, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar Free E-visa Turkey Oceania Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated states of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Tuvalu, Vanuatu. Check out the of visa requirements for ordinary South African citizens.
Battle Pope is an independent comic book created by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore, which was published by their own small press company under the moniker of Funk-O-Tron originally in 2000. The series was reprinted in color by Image Comics in 2005, with plans to possibly continue it with new stories after collecting the original material. The book tells the tale of a hard drinking, womanizing Pope, condemned by God for his own evil ways, who is called to action to save Saint Michael, with the help of Jesus H. Christ, becoming mankind's final hope in a world overrun by demons following the Rapture. The comic was adapted into a season of 8 animated webisodes that appeared on Spike TV's website in 2008.[1] Plot [ edit ] The opening panels show Pope Oswald Leopold II sitting in a bar drinking and reminiscing. There is a flashback to a young child preparing to accept the mantle of Pope. He undergoes martial arts training from Bruce Lee, because "The Pope needs to be ready for anything." After becoming Pope, Leopold leads a life full of drinking, sex and debauchery. Eventually, God casts judgement on the entire human race, condemning them all. He allows the gates of Hell to open and the world is invaded by swarms of demons. After a great war, a treaty is formed and Hell's gates are closed. Human and demon survivors roam the Earth together and co-exist. After the flashback, Pope witnesses a gang kidnapping a young woman. When Pope tries to stop the group, they summon the demon Belaam. Pope beats the demon after a brief fight by cutting off his right arm with a sword. The woman expresses her gratitude and goes back to Pope's house. Later that night, Belaam ambushes Pope, killing the woman. While distracted by her death, Pope appears to be killed. As Belaam relishes his triumph, he is shot from behind by Jesus. Pope soon awakens and finds he is in the presence of Jesus and God. They reveal to him that God sent Saint Michael to watch over the good people left on Earth. Lucifer was able to overpower and capture the saint. God gives Pope super-strength and tells him that if he rescues Saint Michael, he will get into Heaven despite his deplorable life. As Pope and Jesus search for Hellcorp - Lucifer's headquarters on Earth - they are attacked by the Zombie Twins, Lucifer's henchmen. Pope dispatches the duo, but they were not beaten and summon all of Earth's corpses to form a giant, writhing zombie monster. Pope can't stop this new monster, but Jesus is able to destroy them in a brilliant explosion when they try to eat him. After killing the zombies, Pope and Jesus are once again attacked by Belaam, now with a robotic arm, but he is easily defeated. Finally at Hellcorp, Jesus and Pope enter, only to have to fight waves of demons waiting for them. After putting up an incredible fight, Pope and Jesus are incapacitated and brought before Lucifer. They then discover Lucifer's plan: to steal Saint Michael's halo and combine it with his own demon horns, expanding his powers to godlike proportions. Pope escapes, but is unable to prevent Lucifer from donning the halo and he is banished. Pope then spends what seems like a long time in Hell, fighting every day to survive. But just 17 seconds later on Earth, Pope is rescued by God, who increases his powers by granting him a halo of his own. With his new-found power, Pope defeats Lucifer and saves Saint Michael. God grants Pope access to Heaven, but he turns it down to stay and protect the people of Earth. Afterwards, Pope returns home and Jesus becomes his roommate.
Yesterday, Jim Bakker interviewed Donald Trump-loving End Times pastor Tom Horn, who declared that a recent Time magazine cover featuring an image of President Trump leaning against a crumbling Washington Monument was a prophetic sign that Trump is leading the fight against occultism in America. After Bakker voiced his concerns that Trump is under constant attack from the occult, Horn explained that Trump’s election was God delivering America from a dark spirit of witchcraft and “the supernaturalism that has been at work behind the scenes.” Horn said that America, since its inception, has been under the control of the occult and that the Founding Fathers actually prophesied “a coming global leader … that is going to lead the United States into a new world order,” who Horn asserted would be the Antichrist. But the Time cover, he said, was a prophetic sign that Trump is leading that battle against this coming supernatural darkness. “Did you see what Time magazine did?” he asked. “In their feature article on Trump called ‘Trump Goes To War Against Washington, D.C.,’ it’s a giant picture of him leaning against the obelisk and breaking it. That was a very subtle and telling message about who this war is against. This is a battle against supernaturalism. Some got it and most didn’t, but that is exactly the point that they were making.”
Jordan Graham/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET Some people are never grateful. Why, one Utah mom decided to cancel Christmas for her kids because she said that her kids were deeply ungrateful beings. Which makes the video of this granny so uplifting. Opening her gift on Christmas morning, she was struck by a painful fear. Her kids had gone and bought her an iPhone. But she doesn't need an iPhone. She doesn't want an iPhone. She doesn't want to learn how to use an iPhone. Everybody uses them, she says, and she knows nothing about them. She's happy to know nothing about them. She's happy with her landline. Yes, I said landline. Still, those who have bought her the phone -- presumably her grandkids -- explain that Apple does a really good job of making an iPhone. Then she is instructed: "Now put it in your mouth." After a brief moment in which she considers whether her grandson is a pervert, a madman or a magical combination of both, she realizes her phone is made of chocolate. "Oh, thank God," she says. I wonder how many people this year were relieved not to get an iPhone and how many were raging that they didn't. (Via Daily Dot)
The Magazine's recent article about the world's remaining adventures prompted readers to respond with examples of their own feats. It questioned whether any ground-breaking explorations remained undone. Here, eight readers describe their own expeditions. Visiting every country in the world without flying Graham Hughes, of Liverpool, has nearly visited every UN-recognised country in the world - including some unrecognised territories - travelling only on land and by sea. I've already been to 198 countries (190 members of the UN) and have just three more to go before I complete my journey. It's taken me three years and nine months to get this far, with no professional support and living off a shoestring budget and relying on the kindness of strangers. 193 UN member states and... Palestine Western Sahara Kosovo Taiwan Vatican City British home nations Plus disputed territories such as Tibet and West Papua, but not counted in 201-country total It's cost me everything I own - and my 10-year relationship - and there have been plenty of trials and tribulations along the way. I got arrested twice in Guinea, God-knows how many times in Cameroon and spent a week behind bars in both Cape Verde (on a charge of people smuggling) and Congo (on a charge of being a spy). But, to be fair, that was a small and inconvenient part of what has been a wonderful, hilarious, incredible adventure. Iran was the country that least lived up to preconceptions, becoming the highlight of my trip. I was warmly welcomed into people's homes, invited for dinner, helped along the way - it was incredible. I'm now in Sri Lanka, trying to arrange passage on a cargo ship to the Maldives and the Seychelles (islands + piracy = immense difficulty in getting there without flying). I hope to hit my final country, South Sudan (the newest country on Earth) in November and then overland it back to Blighty for tea and biscuits by December. This adventure has reaffirmed my faith in humanity. OK, I've run into some trouble with authorities, but most people - in every town of every country - are just trying to get on with their lives and will fall over themselves to help a stranger in need. Seven seas, seven summits Seven summits in seven continents... North America: McKinley (US 6,194m/20,320ft) McKinley (US 6,194m/20,320ft) South America: Aconcagua (Argentina 6,960m/22,834ft) Aconcagua (Argentina 6,960m/22,834ft) Antarctica: Vinson (4,897m/16,023ft) Vinson (4,897m/16,023ft) Australasia: Carstensz Pyramid (Indonesia 4,884m/16,024ft) Carstensz Pyramid (Indonesia 4,884m/16,024ft) Asia: Everest (China/Nepal 8,848m/29,028ft) Everest (China/Nepal 8,848m/29,028ft) Africa: Kilimanjaro (Tanzania 5,895m/19,340ft) Kilimanjaro (Tanzania 5,895m/19,340ft) Europe: Elbrus (Russia 5,642m/18,510ft) Graham Hoyland, of Derbyshire, aims to be the first person to climb the highest mountain on every continent and sail the "seven seas" - the five oceans, with the Pacific and Atlantic in separate north and south trips. Through my work as a film-maker I'd already climbed Mt Everest and Mt McKinley in Alaska, as well as sailed the Southern Ocean to Antarctica, when it struck me as an opportunity to do something no one else has ever done. When I was made redundant in 2009 I decided to make the attempt full-time. So I bought a cheap sunken sailing boat, rusting from the inside out, and have since sailed the North Atlantic. In a way it's a race against rust. ... and the seven seas Arctic Ocean North Atlantic Ocean South Atlantic Ocean North Pacific Ocean South Pacific Ocean Indian Ocean Southern Ocean I've just skied up (and down) Mt Elbrus in Russia and am sailing to South America this week to climb Mt Aconcagua. I've been scraping together enough money in any way that I can, but the flight to climb Mt Vinson in Antarctica is too expensive - about £30,000 - so I'm going to sail the Southern Ocean, the Everest of oceans, for a second time. The sea scares me more than mountains. It can really feel like it's out to get you and sometimes you feel very vulnerable. I'm hoping to complete everything within three or four years. Flying around the world in a gyrocopter Norman Surplus, of Larne in Northern Ireland, is attempting to be the first person to circumnavigate the globe on a gyrocopter, or autogyro - an early forerunner to the helicopter. The gyrocopter is the last remaining method of flight yet to be flown around the world, despite its near 90-year history. I only began flying in 2005 after battling bowel cancer, which I am now fundraising for during this attempt. I left Northern Ireland in March 2010 and have flown through 18 consecutive countries so far. One adventurous moment was an emergency landing next to a remote Saudi Arabian petrol station during a desert sandstorm - luckily the gyro's preferred fuel of choice happens to be regular unleaded. I'm now in Japan, where I've been effectively grounded since July 2011 due to Russian red tape. The most frustrating aspect is that the Russians simply do not provide any feedback on my application to cross their airspace. Unfortunately Russia acts as the "gatekeeper" for crossing the Bering Sea to Alaska and this remains the only viable route for small aircraft crossing the Pacific Ocean. I remain optimistic that the flight will be allowed to continue in spring 2013. I'm then aiming to set a new coast-to-coast record across the US before taking on the challenges of Greenland and the North Atlantic to return home. Caving in northern Spain Ben Hudson, of Oxford, this year led a caving expedition to Pozu del Xitu, northern Spain, where two divers completed the world's deepest cave diving traverse - entering one cave and exiting another - at a vertical distance of 1265m and 9km horizontally. What I find so exciting about caving is that it is an entirely unexplored wilderness with enormous potential for discovery. But it's also easily accessible for anyone who is trained and fit. I only started caving two years ago and this year I led a world-class expedition to Pozu del Xitu in northern Spain - that's pretty exciting. And it hasn't cost me an enormous amount either. Over four weeks, we rigged the cave with modern hardware down to a depth of 1,135m. Underground trips typically lasted three or four days, with an underground camp at a depth of about 650m. The final rigging trip - from camp to the bottom and back again - took three of us more than 25 hours of non-stop caving. Tony Seddon and Paul Mackrill then completed the world's deepest cave diving traverse between the Culiembro and Xitu caves, before ascending the ropes we'd put in place throughout the cave. Mountain climbing in Iraq Levison Wood, of London, runs a company specialising in "world firsts", leading him up numerous unclimbed peaks. After leaving the Army two years ago, I became a full-time expedition guide and explorer. Many remaining world firsts are in countries that have a troubled history, which leads us to post-conflict zones such as South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq. Image caption A local mountain guide with AK-47 Earlier this year I led a team of six to Kurdistan, where we went up not only unclimbed but even unnamed mountains. Close to the Iranian border, with occasional Turkish bombing raids, the region still has its dangers. We were actually arrested by local militia and held overnight - although they were very helpful once they realised we were there to promote tourism in the area. One of our crew skied down the mountain over minefields that would have been uncrossable had they not been buried by 2m of snow. But it's not just former war zones that contain firsts. I recently led the first expedition across Madagascar from east to west and have plans for many more. Rowing the Northwest Passage Kevin Vallely, of Vancouver, Canada, plans to row the Northwest Passage - once sought by explorers as a possible trade route to the Orient - in a single season. Our crew of four will be the first to row the Northwest Passage, the historic gateway to the Orient. We will start from Tuktoyaktuk, northern Canada, on 1 July 2013 and row east for 24 hours a day whenever possible. We'll be rowing in two-man shifts, in perpetual sunlight. We're hoping to complete it in about 75 days but we're grasping at straws when talking time on an expedition like this - there are just too many variables. But there is a cut-off date. If we don't finish by October we'll have serious issues with freeze-up. There is a wider issue than just being the first. Not long ago the Northwest Passage was inaccessible even by steel-hulled ice-breakers. If we can succeed at traversing it using only human power, it will scream to the fact that dramatic environmental changes are underway. Maybe our trip will help this reality bubble to the public consciousness just a little bit more. If we succeed, it will be a human first, but we have no illusions about what this means. It will be a human first because the world has changed. This will be very sobering. Exploring the West Papuan jungle Will Millard, of Downham Market in Norfolk, has been exploring the Indonesian conflict state of West Papua for the past five years. We were left beating a nearly disastrous jungle retreat, losing two stone each and almost running out of food West Papua is one of this planet's last unknown frontiers. Since 2007 I've made friends with local warriors and explored the region, becoming aware of the "Great Road" - a vast inter-tribal trade route and one of the longest running foot-only routes in human history - yet almost unnoticed by the outside world. This year I set out to make the first unbroken, unassisted crossing of the province (more than 1,000km), linking the Great Road to the coasts through new trade routes. In some stretches of forest, my colleague and I were almost certainly the first humans, let alone outsiders, to have been there. Ultimately we didn't make a full crossing of the province. Our proposed route was not a trade route at all, and we were left beating a nearly disastrous jungle retreat, losing two stone each and almost running out of food. In May I returned solo and discovered a different route to the coast to finish the project. I've barely scratched the surface of this under-researched province's potential, but fear it may disappear before it is ever fully understood. Who knows what is out there still yet to be discovered? Abseil UK's highest waterfall, then kayak gorge below Richard Bannister, of Harrogate in Yorkshire, plans to abseil down the Falls of Glomach in Scotland, before kayaking down the gorge below. I'm 35 and a married dentist and father of one, but I still make time for the odd adventure. I've been white water kayaking for about 12 years and I'm a competent kayaker but am not out to be the best. What appeals to me most is running new or little-known rivers and exploring them. Finding these places in the UK is rare and makes it all the more special. What appeals to me most is running little-known rivers This brings me to my plans for November. The Falls of Glomach in Scotland are the highest permanent (never dries up) waterfall in the UK at 114m. Almost certainly no one has ever been down this gorge at all, as it is practically inaccessible, and there's no evidence of any previous attempt. It's so deep and shear-sided, you cannot see the majority of what lies below. Depending on water levels, after abseiling down the waterfall we'll either canyon (that is, walk, swim and climb) or kayak down from there. There is a definite air of the unknown, so we'd need to call upon our skills and experience from various disciplines to get down. But what a trip.
Over the past years, we have been focusing on two major aspects of the MuseScore project: adding features and make MuseScore as stable as possible. We have really come a long way. With the launch of musescore.org in September 2008, things started to accelerate. It facilitated more interaction between users and developers on all levels: bug hunting, writing documentation, translating the software and much more. Two years later, the results are phenomenal. From 2000 downloads in Aug 2008, MuseScore has grown to an astonishing 80000 downloads last month. This growth is something we can be very proud of. With these massive figures, MuseScore is on the verge of entering the top100 of most downloaded open source software world wide. If you checked the download graph carefully, you'll notice that in the past 2 months, the download figures doubled. We attribute this to the elevated interest of music education in MuseScore. This terrific news obviously introduces some new and steeper challenges. MuseScore users will expect that new releases are stable, that their old scores can be opened in new releases and still look the same. Also, the more features in MuseScore, the tougher it will become to get to a stable release within a decent time frame. And let's not forget we need MuseScore running on several platforms. To sum up, MuseScore is becoming a huge project. We can only cope with it if we have some people behind the project who are fully dedicated to it. I have been discussing this matter with Nicolas and Werner for quite some time now. At FOSDEM 2010, we came together for the first time in real life. While talking this through, it all came down to the simple fact that if we want to support and further develop MuseScore on a full time basis, there needs to be a business model in place. Since we didn't want to touch the free & open nature of MuseScore, we thought we should try to create an online sheet music sharing platform. We announced it for the first time in April this year and while it's still in alpha, you can take a look already at http://musescore.com. The business model behind this website will be similar as the one from Flickr.com: a subscription based service for more storage and features. While we don't know yet whether this business model will succeed, we took the plunge and have been spending full time now on the development of MuseScore, musescore.org and musescore.com. The basic idea is that the revenue made with musescore.com will fund some of the key people behind MuseScore. Initially this will be Werner, Nicolas and myself. This solution is somewhat similar to the Wordpress project, where some of the core Wordpress developers are on the payroll of Automattic, the company behind wordpress.com. These are really exciting times for us. If we succeed, we’ll be able to make a living from our hobby and passion. And while doing so, MuseScore will further improve and grow.
A disgruntled man shaved off the hair and eyebrows of his ex-wife and the mother of his 12 children in Sindh province's Larkana district in a stark reminder of the violence and dark ages customs and traditions that women in the rural areas of Pakistan have to put up with.Zehra, the 45-year-old victim, has lodged a complaint with the women's police station in Larkana that her husband with the help of his three nephews had beaten her and then shaved off her hair and eye brows as punishment for leaving him.Zehra complained that she divorced her husband, Abdul Sattar Methlo, two years ago because he used to beat her and was not earning anything, Zareen Chandio, said the SHO of Larkana."Zehra has 12 children from Sattar, nine sons and three daughters. On Saturday she came from Khaipur to Larkana to attend a ceremony of a relative where Abdul Sattar was also present," Chandio said."He picked up a fight with her asking her why she had left him and when she tried to leave he caught her and tortured her and then escaped and is still absconding," she said.The tragic incident in Larkana, the home district of two former Prime Ministers of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto and the power centre of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, is symbolic of the violence against women in Pakistan.Violence against women is common in rural areas of the country and many women are victim of "honour killings" by their husbands, brothers or relatives.
Rio de Janeiro: Majlinda Kelmendi gave Kosovo their first ever judo world title on Tuesday as she beat Brazil`s Erika Miranda in the -52 kilogrammes gold medal match in Rio de Janeiro. The 22-year-old - the first Kosovan judoka to win a medal at the championships since it became a state in its` own right in 2008 - was not a shock winner as she came to Rio de Janeiro ranked number one in her category having won the prestigious Masters event. For Miranda it was also her first medal at either world or Olympic level, the 26-year-old having lost the bronze medal match in the 2007 and 2010 world championships. It is the first time that Brazil have won a medal in this category. Bronze medals went to Germany`s Mareen Kraeh and Yuki Hashimoto of Japan - the latter Japan`s third medal in as many events. AFP
But today it’s assumed that only the lean, muscular, hairless and ab-defined will feel comfortable in a bikini. “It’s become difficult to feel natural with a normal body,” Ms. Kennedy said. “Fatism has taken over. It’s O.K. to be mean to lumpy, lardy people. It’s a sort of subtle intolerance towards people that’s very bad.” Thanks to the ubiquity of cameras, wearing a bikini is now scary even for gorgeous celebrities. Remember how Jennifer Love Hewitt was pilloried in 2007 for the crime of wearing a bandeau without being a size 0? Helen Mirren was accused of having had surgery when she dared to flaunt her (taut, toned) 62-year-old stomach in a tomato-red bikini a year later. “It’s about everyone everywhere having a comment, and they are anonymous,” said Gabrielle Reece, the former volleyball star and now a fitness guru, who has also been captured bare-stomached by the paparazzi. “The bathing suit is really a metaphor for all the ways we can approach a lot of things,” she said. “Why would we punish ourselves when we don’t have to? Why dread that?” Photo But the bikini has become the star of several fear-inspiring marketing campaigns. A recent advertisement for Yoplait Light features an itsy-bitsy yellow-and-red polka dotted bikini hanging on a wall as a future award for the diligent yogurt eater. Nivea has a Goodbye Cellulite, Hello Bikini! Challenge, which prods women to slim down and buy its products. Nivea also sponsors the Cosmopolitan Magazine Bikini Bash, which last year involved 100 lithe dancers in blue-and-white ruffled bikinis tossing their hair violently to the Midi Mafia’s song “Two-Piece” in front of 1,000 attendees at the Planet Hollywood resort in Las Vegas. The two male singers of “Two-Piece,” fully clothed, belted, “You all look like models off the cover of Cosmo.” Amansala, a “bikini boot camp,” in Ibiza, Spain, and Tulum, Mexico, sells six-night stays starting at $1,875. “Our society definitely has a stigma of bikini readiness — my business thrives on that,” said Melissa Perlman, an owner of the resort, which she said mostly attracts women in their 30s and 40s. “But at the same time, we send a different message that you don’t have to be perfect. Feel good, take care of yourself, and looking good in a bikini will follow.” Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. Would-be attendees often call ahead asking, “Do all the women look like those on your Web site?” (That is, easy on the eyes and the jiggle.) Ms. Perlman said she was considering starting “a program for larger women who don’t want to be around women who look hot in their bikinis, but say, ‘I want to do this.’ ” On April 12, Dr. Elie Levine, a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Dr. Jody Levine, a dermatologist, hosted a bikini season prep event at their Manhattan practice to cater to the worried (19 women and one man showed up). The doctors’ press release warned, “Summer is about revealing yourself and can be dreaded if your body is not ready,” then went on to list tips such as “zap away embarrassing veins” or “boost bikini confidence with lipo for stubborn areas.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story This month, when I visited the doctors, at the end of the interview, I hoisted my shirt, pointed to the crepey skin under my bellybutton, and grabbed a pinch of fat that wasn’t there before childbirth, back in my triathlete days. The Levines’ prescription: liposuction, a skin-tightening procedure, or a tummy tuck, which costs $10,000, with a painful recovery. It might just be cheaper to gain a fresh perspective. “If you feel your body is strong, and you’re in good shape, you’re halfway there,” said Norma Kamali, 65, the designer of (among other things) modestly retro bathing suits, who now also has a wellness cafe in Manhattan. “You’re not going to go out looking for surgery to fill up your breasts, you’ll be satisfied and comfortable.” Not all women let the camera-phone-wielding bikini police (or their own self-criticism) stop them from enjoying a two-piece. Ms. Mills calls this type a “good-attitude girl.” “She is a phenomenon and totally inspiring,” she said. “She is of any age, any body, she has a totally great attitude, because she has had a come-to-Jesus moment with her body.”
PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Matt Hendricks is the only guy on Team USA who is married with children. It’s not the only reason they made the 33-year-old Edmonton Oilers Masterton Trophy (perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey) nominee the captain. But it’s one. He’s helping raise a lot of kids here. It’s been a phenomenal experience for the Blaine, Minnesota product who was never able to make a Team USA of any variety at any level before. There he was Friday arriving at the Praha Hlavni Nadrazi main train station with his USA team-mates, lugging their own luggage from the three hour trip from Ostrava and living the moment of captaining a team in the medal round of the IIHF World Championship. Wearing a ‘TC’ baseball hat, which stood for Twin Cities not Team Canada, Hendricks raved about the experience. “To be brought here to a foreign country where I’ve never been and get to put the USA jersey on for the first time in my career has been just incredible. Having that ‘C’ on the sweater means a lot, too. And, yes, I’m the only guy with kids. I have boy-girl twins that are three and a half,” he said of Gunnar and Lennon. Hendricks found out that he was going to Worlds to play with five college players, a couple KHL guys and a pair of minor leaguers, on the final day of the regular season. “We were going in to play our last regular season game in Vancouver and my agent phoned to say there was a possibility that they were going to ask me and to see if I was interested. “I was excited and called my wife right away and had to cancel the walleye fishing opener plans I’d made for last weekend and this weekend. “I was ecstatic to get the invite. I always wanted to play on one of these teams. I always wanted to have this opportunity. “Then we were in Vienna just before our exhibition game with Austria and our coach, Todd Richards, said ‘I’d like to make you our team captain.’ ” The closest Hendricks ever managed to get to making a Team USA was in 2002 when he was invited to a World Junior camp in Lake Placid and broke his leg. “I think the first time I got cut from a USA team I might have been 14,” said the mostly fourth line energy guy who has played 411 NHL games and scored 40 goals with 41 points including eight and eight in Edmonton this past season. “I’m like a fine wine though, right? Better with age.” There’s not much other fine wine around him with the American team that plays Russia in the semi-final (TSN 1:15 p.m. Eastern, 11:15 a.m. Mountain) with the winner advancing to the gold medal game against the winner of Canada-Czech Republic earlier in the day. “It’s a young team. Obviously we have a lot of young talent. I just try to lead by example and by my work ethic,” said the centre that looked liked a superstar when he scored a pair to lead the USA over Finland in the tournament opener. One of those kids, of course, is Jack Eichel, the expected No. 2 draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres. “He’s a great kid. Big body. Skates great. And the game looks easy to him. You don’t think an 18-year-old would play the way he plays and have the composure he has.” And if he’s that good and Connor McDavid is a no-brainer for the Oilers to pick No. 1 overall in the NHL Entry Draft with the pick they won in the draft lottery… “It kind of makes me wonder. Somebody told me he has 45 points in 15 games in the playoffs or something.” Like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Oscar Klefbom and Anton Lander in this tournament, Hendricks is pumped about everything that’s been happening around the Oilers. “I’m personally excited for this season. I think things are moving in the right direction. To be honest, since I was traded to the Oilers it hasn’t been much fun. This has been the toughest hockey I’ve played in my career. “I know there’s a lot of Edmonton fans that don’t want to hear me say that I look at Calgary as a great example of the type of team that you want to be. You want to be a team that never feels you are out of a game. With their third period comebacks, it was incredible what they did this year. “All odds were against them. Nobody thought they were going to be where they were. I’ll bet in their heart of hearts their organization didn’t believe they were going to be where they were. But the way their team played together as a group, a lot of things are possible.” It’s what Hendricks is leading the Americans to do in this tournament. “We have more talent in Edmonton than we’re showing in the standings. We have a better team than we’re showing in the standings. But we need direction.” Then Todd McLellan walked through the lobby and I said ‘There’s your next coach.’ “I’ve heard great things,” said Hendricks. Follow me on Twitter.com/sunterryjones
Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF The interactive short story Pregnancy, released today on Steam, begins with 14-year-old Lilla Sandor purchasing a pregnancy test. It's a painful moment for the teen. She feels ashamed and awkward. At home, waiting for the test results, she recalls the horrific act that brought her to this point. Developer Rodrigo Silvestre holds nothing back describing Lilla's violent rape. The music, once insightful and tinged with sorrow, is suddenly a discordant hiss, bringing to mind some dark and otherworldly thing that shouldn't exist but somehow does. The words flash on the screen: "Don't! Don't! Get off me!" It's a punch in the gut, and as the scene continues it grabs and twists. Presented as color saturated stills, music and text, Pregnancy is the story of a young girl dealing with discovering she is carrying a child conceived during her brutal rape. It's a harrowing journey that countless women go through every year. The difference here is that while many women deal with such situations, Lilla is not alone. She has her aunt, her sister, her friends and, most importantly, she has the player. Advertisement Advertisement The player is introduced into the story as a disembodied all-seeing voice. It's strange and more than a bit shocking, both for Lilla and the player. A bond begins to form between once-spectator and subject, both surprised to find each other receptive to the other's thoughts. Is the player Lilla's conscience? Has she suffered a mental break? As the story progresses the reasons why grow less and less important. The player is privy to her innermost thoughts and private actions. Her obsessive tooth brushing. Her taste in music and movies. Advertisement Advertisement She begins asking personal questions. When was the player born? Does the player have children? Were they planned? Eventually she asks for a name, and suddenly everything feels so much more real. Advertisement While guiding Lilla through one of the most important, life-changing decisions in her life is no doubt the focal point of Pregnancy, it's these smaller, seemingly throwaway conversations that have the most impact on the player. They're the building blocks of a relationship that blossoms into something more than player and character. Maybe the player is her conscience. Maybe the player is a trauma-induced hallucination. An imaginary friend. What the player ultimately becomes is a guiding voice in the life of a person they've come to care for—the sort of person a 14-year-old girl dealing with a horrible situation might turn to in her time of need. Advertisement Like any 14-year-old girl, Lilla doesn't always listen to advice. Advertisement But it still feels right to give it. There are choices to be made in Pregnancy, and these choices affect interactions with Lilla, but they also help players shape their own opinions of the situation. Presented with the option of calling her unwanted pregnancy "bad news" or "good news", I opted for the negative route—obviously calling anything about this situation "good" was a mistake. Advertisement Slowly it dawned on me that I was not making the right decisions—I was only making my own decisions. Perhaps another player would try to bathe Lilla's condition in a positive light to help lift her spirits. Was my negativity bringing her down? Was her reluctance to tell her aunt the result of my reaction? Suddenly I was second-guessing myself. Were I faced with similar choices in the real world, I'd likely do the same. As I downloaded Pregnancy, I wondered what qualified me to tell anyone how to deal with a tragically forced conception. But Pregnancy isn't about telling—it's about trying to understand the plight of a person in that position well enough to be comfortable guiding them towards their own decision.
‘Power Rangers’ Ends Theatrical Run With $140.2 Million Worldwide Despite there being a considerable number of fans who were excited about a new Power Rangers film, that enthusiasm did not translate into the box office success that Lionsgate probably hoped would lead to a new film franchise. Box Office Mojo reports that Power Rangers will end its theatrical run with a worldwide gross of $140,246,402. With a disappointing $85,364,450 domestic gross, fans had been hoping the overseas intake would help the film improve on its box office numbers. While the disappointing box office results for the film may have dashed any hopes for a sequel, a second film may still be possible due to high sales of Power Rangers toys. Do you think the financial performance of the film has killed any chance of a sequel? Share your thoughts below! Saban’s Power Rangers follows five ordinary teens who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove – and the world – is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discoverer they are the only ones who save the planet. But to do so, they will have to overcome their real-life issues and before it’s too late, band together as the Power Rangers. Directed by Dean Israelite, the film stars Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, Ludi Lin, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Banks and Bill Hader. Power Rangers will be available on Digital HD on June 13 followed by the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray release on June 27. Source: Box Office Mojo

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