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As with all these protests the full picture will only emerge later, so feel free to email or tweet with your stories. Thanks for all the invaluable input today; apologies if I didn't use your contribution.
8.30pm: This is Jonathan Paige taking over the live blog for the night.
There have been some more developments. Firstly, police are attempting to clear Parliament square by reopening Westminster Bridge to the South Bank. They had apparently been letting protesters out one by one but felt the area was (perhaps unsurprisingly) not clearing quickly enough. There is a line of police now slowly pushing forward to clear the area.
Are you there? Contact me @johnnypaige on twitter, via email at johnny.paige.casual@guardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3581
8.40pm Reports are coming in that at about 7.30pm Prince Charles's car, which was driving along Regent Street, was attacked by a crowd of protesters. The prince was in the car, as was Camilla.
Eyewitnesses said the car was well lit up, so it was easy to see who was inside. The car was surrounded by protesters, who broke a window and splashed the car with paint. Shortly afterwards, the police arrived, in a scene described as "complete chaos".
Again, were you there? Let us know.
9pm Some further updates on the Prince Charles car incident. Abdul has emailed to say he was at Regent Street when the prince's car was surrounded:
Pathetic security of six police bikes for the prince. No one realised who it was, evidenced by the crowd screaming "Tory scum"... About 80 people then rushed up about 50m and made a roadblock out of roadworking blocks and metal gates, forcing the motorcade to swerve and turn away.
He adds that the protest there seems to be ebbing away now.
10.25pm: Some protesters have reportedly been kettled on Westminster Bridge, between lines of police four rows deep. The officers swept Parliament Square, forcing hundreds on to the bridge.
10.50pm Apologies for the lack of updates. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say we've been a little swept off our feet here tonight. I'm going through your emails and tweets now.
11.30pm Final update …
There have been a number of calls and emails over the last two hours or so telling me about the reported kettling at Westminster bridge. According to reports, several hundred protesters are still being held there.
It's not clear how many people have been injured during the protests today. One person has emailed in a report of the kettling earlier on today:
We were forced back all the way back up to the corner of Whitehall and Parliament Square where the police were flanking us on all sides and at one side it was kicking off. They then proceeded to push us all together forcing us 'back' 'back' back' – until we had nowhere to go. I saw people being directly punched in the head by police and hit using the edge of riot shields. We were squeezed tightly together, funnelled into a gap between police vans and a wall. The police didn't seem to know where they were pushing us. People were getting crushed against walls and having to scramble over them and climb up onto ledges of the surrounding buildings to escape the surges of the crowd. They held us there for another hour, while the crowd just got more tightly packed and panicked. The atmosphere got pretty ugly and desperate at that point. People were crying and really getting hurt. It felt like if something, like the meshed netting over a basement drop I was forced to climb up on, caved in, a very serious situation indeed could easily have been created, initiated by the police behaviour. Finally, after hours of containment they released the kettle and at about 6.30pm allowed people to leave in small groups.
Patrick Matthews called in to say that his nephew, a 20-year-old student at Middlesex University, is unconscious at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital after the protests. He thinks he may have been hit on the head.
Meanwhile, Charles and Camilla are safe and well after their experience at the hands of the crowd of protesters earlier. Ben Kelsey has emailed in to remind the royal couple that "at least they didn't end up on the tumbriles [look it up]," although judging by the video I've just seen on the news, they weren't too far off.
I'm going to sign off now. There'll be more updates in the main news stories throughout the night. It's been a pleasure.Members of New York State United Teachers rally across the street from the Executive Mansion as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo hosts an open house on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014, in Albany, N.Y. Cuomo has rejected legislation that for two years would have discounted Common Core-aligned student test scores in state-mandated teacher evaluations. Cuomo called the measure unnecessary and said he will propose reforms to the evaluation system next year. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
John King recently resigned as New York state’s education commissioner after a tumultuous tenure in which he helped create and implement a controversial education evaluation system and rushed the implementation of the Common Core State Standards and aligned testing. (He is now going to work as a top assistant to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who apparently thought the controversy that King created was just fine.) That evaluation system, known as APPR, required that 20 percent of an educator’s evaluation be based on student standardized test scores. Now, New York Schools Chancellor Merryl Tisch wants to make new changes. What are they and why would they take a flawed evaluation system from bad to worse? This post explains. It was written by award-winning Principal Carol Burris of South Side High School in New York, who was named New York’s 2013 High School Principal of the Year by the School Administrators Association of New York and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and in 2010, tapped as the 2010 New York State Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York State. Burris has been exposing the botched school reform program in New York for years on this blog, and it is worth reading. Some of her earlier posts are listed at the bottom.
By Carol Burris
Sheri Lederman, is a gifted and beloved fourth-grade teacher in Great Neck, New York. Her principal adores her and relies on her to help mentor her colleagues. Over twice as many of her students have met the state standard than the average percentage for the rest of the state. Sheri is also a scholar. She received the 2012 H. Alan Robinson Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation award for her research on how 10-year-olds learn science. Yet her growth score based on the results of student Common Core standardized tests found her to be an “ineffective” teacher.
Under the present teacher evaluation system in New York, known as APPR (Annual Professional Performance Review), she is not in danger of losing her job. She was rated effective overall due to the points she received on the local measure of her students’ achievement, combined with those based on the observation of her teaching. But that will change if Chancellor Merryl Tisch has her way. Sheri would be rated ineffective overall, and one more such rating would get her fired.
New York Chancellor Merryl Tisch has announced her New Years resolution—revise the teacher evaluation system so that Common Core 3-8 test scores can trump all. In a letter to Andrew Cuomo’s aide, Jim Malatras, she explains how she (speaking for herself, not necessarily the Board of Regents) wants APPR to change.
The system she wants to change is one that she created several years ago with former education commissioner John King, which was put into law by the New York Legislature and that was rushed into place by Gov. Andrew Cuomo who denied districts state aid if they did not adopt it. It became mandatory for teachers and principals to be evaluated in part by student standardized test scores.
The short version of what she wants to do now is this—double down on test scores and strip away the power of local school boards to negotiate the majority of the evaluation plan. Tisch would get rid of the locally selected measures of achievement, which now comprise 20 percent of the evaluation, and double the state test score portion, to 40 percent. She also recommends that the score ranges for the observation process be taken out of the hands of local districts, and be determined by Albany instead. Dr. Lederman, start packing up. Merryl Tisch and Andrew Cuomo, whom you have never met, know your talents better than your local school board, your principal and the parents of the children you teach.
Why does Tisch want to change APPR?
To Tisch’s dismay, APPR which she helped design, has not produced the results that she and Cuomo wanted; only 1 percent of teachers in New York State were rated ineffective in the most recent evaluation. The plan, according to the state’s Race to the Top application, was for 10 percent of all teachers to be found ineffective, with small numbers designated as highly effective. The curve of the sorting bell was not achieved.
And then there are the Common Core test scores. Last year’s scores didn’t go up as Tisch predicted. Those pesky Toyota driving, chalk-dust covered, kid-loving teachers were just not scared enough. Thousands of them even opted out their own kids from the tests. So it is time to turn up the heat.
Although Tisch claims that this is about teacher improvement and mentoring, the letter discloses her true intent. She opines that if a teacher is ineffective in the growth score portion, as Sheri was, she should be rated ineffective overall. In addition, if a teacher has two ineffective ratings they “should not return to the classroom.” Whether those ratings, which are based on a highly discredited model, are accurate or not is moot. They produce a bell curve.
The latest exchange of letters between Tisch and Cuomo is a replay of 2010, when Cuomo wrote Tisch requesting that test scores play a bigger role in teacher evaluations. What Tisch and Cuomo did not count on at the time, was that most communities had no interest in using APPR to fire teachers. Likewise, sorting them onto a bell curve to achieve “differentiation,” as Tisch slyly puts it, seemed unprofessional and counterproductive.
Even parents have been disinterested in APPR scores. Although they can request their child’s teacher’s APPR score, not one parent in my district has asked for it during the two years that APPR has been in effect. Most principals report that parents simply do not care. Teachers like Sheri have a great reputation because of the years of loving care and great instruction they have given their students. Moms don’t need a score to know that.
And so the APPR plans created by locally elected boards of education through negotiations became something different from the Albany intent. Evaluation plans encouraged grade level goals and cooperative efforts among teachers to generate the locally determined score. Most boards and superintendents understood that collegiality, not competition, is what is needed for schools to improve. If APPR were implemented as a sorting system that focused on test scores, there would be negative effects on students. The APPR letter, signed by over one third of New York State principals, outlines the negative effects on kids if teachers were afraid of losing their jobs based on test score results. In the end, smart and savvy superintendents and teacher associations created evaluation plans to protect teachers like Sheri from an indefensible system that was nonsensical at best, and destructive at worst.
Meanwhile, the evidence has continued to accumulate that evaluating teachers by test scores simply does not work.
In April of 2014, the American Statistical Association, joined other research organizations, such as the American Education Research Association and the National Academy of Education, in cautioning against the use of student test scores, commonly referred to as VAM, in teacher evaluations. The ASA clearly outlined how unreliable this methodology is and noted that teachers’ impact on test scores is minimal–between 1 percent and 14 percent. Understand also that these VAM and “growth” ratings are all relative—pitting each teacher against all others. Even if every child scored in the mastery range on the test, there would still be a percentage of teachers rated Ineffective. It is a sorting mechanism based on an algorithm, which most researchers agree is flawed.
Opposition to the role of test scores in evaluations has expanded well beyond the research and teaching community. In an unexpected move at their fall annual convention, The New York State School Boards Association members voted against a resolution that supported the use of student performance data in teacher evaluations. Opposition to the evaluation of teachers by test scores is growing among parents as well. In a 2014 national poll, only 31 percent of parents thought teachers should be evaluated using student test scores. The public understands the negative consequences to students when their scores are used to evaluate their teachers.
New York students are already reeling under the rapid implementation of the Common Core and its tests. If the scores from those tests become 40 percent of a teacher’s evaluation and can unilaterally determine a teacher’s being rated ineffective, then the pressures on students will be enormous. A botched Common Core reform effort will become even worse. Although Tisch’s plan might result in a bump in scores, it will not be healthy or good for students, especially those with learning challenges already under tremendous stress from the Common Core and its excessively long and difficult tests.
The Tisch plan is a power grab designed to snatch away the right of elected Boards of Education to determine what is quality teaching, by shifting it to a formula produced in Albany based on flawed tests. Ironically, these are the same tests which the Governor and legislature say, in law, should have no consequential effects on students. But there is no problem using those tests to boot Sheri Lederman and teachers like her out the door.
Sheri is not accepting her unfair rating without a fight. She has gone to court. Judge Richard Platkin of the New York State Supreme Court directed the State Education Department to show cause on January 16, as to why the rating of Dr. Lederman should not be declared arbitrary and capricious — but the state requested a delay until March 20 because, apparently, officials were still assembling their data. In the meantime, I suggest that Ms. Tisch and Mr. Cuomo sit in the back of Sheri’s classroom and watch this brilliant woman teach. Then they should go out to parents and explain how she is ineffective and why she should not be allowed to teach their children anymore.
—
You may also be interested in these posts by Burris:
Four Common Core ‘flimflams’
Something is wrong when…
‘You are so smart. Why did you become a teacher?’CLOSE Former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announced launch of campaign to stop Gov. Matt Bevin from dismantling his health care initiatives. Marty Pearl, Special to CJ
Buy Photo Former Gov. Steve Beshear announced Thursday a campaign to "saved Kentucky's health care" amid Gov. Matt Bevin's actions to end kynect. (Photo: Matt Stone/The Courier-Journal)Buy Photo
Barely two months out of office, former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear on Thursday launched a campaign to try to stop his successor, Gov. Matt Bevin, from dismantling the health care initiatives he enacted.
"Gov. Bevin is working to take health care away from people who needed it desperately and for so long didn't have it," he said at a news conference in Louisville. "I'm not going to let that opportunity be taken away from them without a fight."
Bevin fired back a few hours later by blasting Beshear's health initiatives enacted through executive order.
“This decision, arbitrarily, unilaterally to expand Medicaid bypassing the legislature disregard completely how to pay for it and leaving that for the next governor to clean up, I am that next governor and I’m attempting to clean it up,” Bevin said.
Beshear, announcing he has formed the organization "Save Kentucky Healthcare," said he and supporters will use it to promote the changes he enacted to implement the Affordable Care Act, adding health coverage for more than 500,000 Kentuckians.
Under Beshear, a Democrat, Kentucky became the only Southern state to create its own health insurance exchange and accept the expansion of Medicaid to cover more, low-income citizens under the law also known as Obamacare.
But Bevin, a Republican, saying Kentucky doesn't need its own health exchange, has begun steps to dismantle it and transition Kentuckians to the federal health website. He also plans to scale back the Medicaid expansion, which he has called unsustainable, along the lines of Indiana's program, which imposes cost-sharing.
Speaking outside his office in the Capitol, Bevin blamed Beshear for the state’s current financial situation that has left the state’s pension system with tens of billions of dollars in unfunded liabilities.
CLOSE Gov. Matt Bevin criticized former Gov. Steve Beshear and downplayed his legacy. Joe Gerth, CJ
Mac Brown, chairman of the Kentucky Republican Party, invoked this year's elections in condemning Beshear's decision.
"It defies logic that former Gov. Beshear continues to extol the virtues of Obamacare," Brown said. "I wonder how many state House Democrats will embrace the failed Obama-Beshear legacy as they pursue re-election this year."
Beshear said at his news conference that he has no political agenda and no other motive than to help Kentuckians gain and keep access to health care.
Since leaving office, Beshear said he has heard repeatedly from people who were able to get health coverage, ranging from the attendant at a bowling alley where he took his grandchildren to a worker at a coffee shop.
"I cannot sit idly by," Beshear said. "I cannot sit back and watch families like these get stripped of their health care. And I won't."
The Save Kentucky Health website, savekyhealthcare.org, includes a petition, urging the public "to let Matt Bevin know you want smart, sensible health care policy in the state of Kentucky."
Beshear said that the expansion has helped Kentucky achieve the sharpest drop of uninsured residents in the nation. A recent Gallup poll found the rate of Kentuckians with no insurance has dropped to 7.5 percent from 20 percent.
Nearly 100,000 people have purchased health plans through kynect and another 425,000 have enrolled in Medicaid, the government health plan that was expanded under the health law to include all low-income people below 138 percent of the federal poverty level.
On Thursday, a national study found Kentucky, under the federal health law, has cut by 20,000 the number of children with no health coverage, down to 49,000 in 2014 from 69,000 the year before.
Further, Beshear cited outside studies including one by Deloitte consulting that showed the Medicaid expansion would have an overall positive impact on Kentucky's economy through 2021. The study showed the expansion would generate $3 billion in new revenue over the first 18 months and up to 12,000 jobs in the first year.
Bevin has derided such claims as "happy talk" and called the Deloitte findings "a lie, a straight up, straight out lie."
But Beshear said Bevin has produced nothing to contradict what he called a "mountain of evidence" and challenged him to do so.
"In the face of this mountain of evidence he simply says 'I don't believe it,' " Beshear said. "It is time for Gov. Bevin to step up and give us the evidence that supports his conclusions. So far we've heard no evidence because, quite honestly, there is no evidence."
Bevin, on Thursday, called studies cited by Beshear "baloney" and insisted the state can't afford the Medicaid expansion, despite Beshear's claims.
"It’s easy to make a determination from the outside," Bevin said. "I will leave that to him and whoever else to do whatever it is they choose to do with the free time they obviously have plenty of.”
Buy Photo Gov. Matt Bevin addresses the media regarding kynect during a press conference at the Capitol Thursday. (Photo: Dylan Buell, Special to The CJ)
The federal government pays 100 percent of the costs of those added to Medicaid through this year. After that, the federal share gradually decreases to 90 percent by 2020 and thereafter.
The federal government pays about 70 percent of the costs of some 875,000 Kentuckians in "traditional Medicaid," which covers very poor pregnant women and children, disabled people and low-income elderly in nursing homes.
Save Kentucky Healthcare's board includes some well-known public figures including his wife, Jane Beshear; Audrey Tayse Haynes, Beshear's former secretary of Health and Family Services; Crit Luallen, Beshear's former lieutenant governor; and Ben Richmond, retired president of the Louisville Urban League.
Luallen, a former state auditor who also has worked in the administration of seven governors, said she was happy to help Beshear fight to preserve the health care changes he enacted.
"This has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to address the health of this state," she said. "We just can't sit back and watch this happen."
The board also includes national political strategist Bill Hyers, who, according to his biographical information, has a history of taking on and helping win uphill political campaigns.
Save Kentucky Healthcare is a 501(c)(4) organization, a so-called "social welfare" group, which as a nonprofit may accept donations and may promote various causes. Such groups have become more prominent in recent years and range from Crossroads GPS, the conservative group co-founded by Karl Rove, to the progressive Organizing for Action.
Beshear said he didn't know yet whether Save Kentucky Health would expand into other areas.
"There are a lot of options for a 501(c)(4) and we'll make decisions as we move down the road," he said.
He said the organization is seeking donations but would not be eligible for any money left over from his inauguration fund, which must go to charity.
Bevin has said he expects to shut down kynect and transition Kentucky consumers to the federal health exchange by November.
Contact reporter Deborah Yetter at (502)582-4228 or at dyetter@courier-journal.com. Reporter Joseph Gerth contributed to this story.
Read or Share this story: http://cjky.it/1TeVSt3To the great annoyance of anyone running a Facebook page, most posts are seen by only a small percentage of those who like/follow the page. If 100 people like your meeting’s Facebook page, only something like 8 of them will see any given post you make (and not the same 8). Without paying money, there’s not much the page admin can do help Facebook posts reach more people. But there is something Average George and Average Margaret can do to help!
In fact, there are several things you can do to help Facebook posts reach more people.
See, Facebook pays attention to how people respond to posts on a page. That’s how they figure out what’s actually interesting. Further, that’s how they figure out which pages are interesting.
What do I mean by “respond to posts”? Facebook calls it “engagement,” but it means these:
comments
shares
likes & other reactions (👍❤️😂😮😢😡)
clicking on links
watching videos
The more of those things that happen on a post, the more interesting Facebook concludes it is. Then, it starts showing it to more of your 100 people. Not only that, but Average George and Average Margaret’s friends see that they engaged with those posts. And hey, maybe they find what’s been posted interesting too!
Changing that percentage
I said only a tiny percentage see the posts by default. Can you change that percentage? Yes! Look above where I said “that’s how they figure out which pages are interesting.” If a page’s posts are consistently interesting (as measured by engagement), Facebook learns that the entire page is interesting. That tiny percentage can get a little bigger. It’ll never be huge—Facebook wants your money, after all—but starting off with a larger base of people ready and able to hit “like” helps!
Of course, if your posts stop being “interesting,” that bump will disappear again.
Don’t miss anything
If you want to help Facebook posts reach more people for your meeting or church, it’d really help if you ensured you saw the posts to start with, right? That way you know what’s available to share. So, here’s the trick: set the Facebook page to “see first” in your timeline. When a new post happens, it’ll be the first thing you see the next time you check Facebook. Then, you can be sure to like, share, or comment right away (before you forget).The consumption of vegetable oils has increased dramatically in the past century. Most mainstream health professionals consider them healthy, but vegetable oils may cause health problems. Their health effects vary depending on what fatty acids they contain, what plants they are extracted from and how they are processed.
What Are They and How Are They Made? Share on Pinterest Edible oils extracted from plants are commonly known as vegetable oils. In addition to their use in cooking and baking, they’re found in processed foods, including salad dressings, margarine, mayonnaise and cookies. Common vegetable oils include soybean oil, sunflower oil, olive oil and coconut oil. Refined vegetable oils were not available until the 20th century, when the technology to extract them became available. These are extracted from plants using either a chemical solvent or oil mill. Then they are often purified, refined and sometimes chemically altered. Health-conscious consumers prefer oils that are made by crushing or pressing plants or seeds, rather than those produced using chemicals. Summary Edible plant oils are commonly known as vegetable oils. The oil is often extracted with chemical solvents or by crushing or pressing the plants or their seeds.
Consumption Has Increased Drastically In the past century, the consumption of vegetable oils has increased at the expense of other fats such as butter. The graph below shows how the consumption of polyunsaturated fats (mainly omega-6) in the US has increased to levels that are higher than ever. Photo Source: Stephan Guyenet. They are often labeled "heart-healthy" and recommended as an alternative to sources of saturated fat, such as butter, lard and tallow. The reason vegetable oils are considered heart-healthy is that studies consistently link polyunsaturated fat to a reduced risk of heart problems, compared to saturated fat (1). Despite their potential health benefits, some scientists are worried about how much of these oils people are consuming. These concerns mostly apply to oils that contain a lot of omega-6 fats, as explained in the next chapter. Summary The consumption of vegetable oils increased drastically in the last century. While some vegetable oils have been linked to health benefits, there are concerns about the excessive intake of omega-6.
You May Want to Avoid Vegetable Oils High in Omega-6 It's important to note that not all plant oils are bad. For example, coconut oil and olive oil are both excellent. The plant oils that you should avoid due to their high omega-6 content include: Soybean oil
Canola oil
Corn oil
Cottonseed oil
Sunflower oil
Peanut oil
Sesame oil
Rice bran oil Both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids, meaning that you need some of them in your diet because your body can't produce them. Throughout evolution, humans got omega-3 and omega-6 in a certain ratio. While this ratio differed between populations, it’s estimated to have been about 1:1. However, in the past century or so, this ratio in the Western diet has shifted dramatically and may be as high as 20:1 (2). Scientists have hypothesized that too much omega-6, relative to omega-3, may contribute to chronic inflammation (3). Chronic inflammation is an underlying factor in some of the most common Western diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and arthritis. Observational studies have also associated a high intake of omega-6 fat to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease (4). However, these associations don’t necessarily imply a causal relationship. Studies investigating the effects of feeding people omega-6 fat generally do not support the idea that these fats increase inflammation in the body (5). For instance, eating a lot of linoleic acid, which is the most common omega-6 fat, doesn’t appear to affect blood levels of inflammatory markers (6, 7). Scientists do not fully understand what effects omega-6 fats have on the body, and more studies are needed. However, if you are concerned, avoid oils or margarine that contain oils high in omega-6 fats. Olive oil is a good example of a healthy cooking oil that’s low in omega-6. Summary Some vegetable oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids. Scientists have hypothesized that eating too much omega-6 can lead to increased inflammation in the body and potentially contribute to disease.
These Oils Are Easily Oxidized Saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats differ by the number of double bonds in their chemical structure. Saturated fats contain no double bonds
Monounsaturated fats contain one double bond
Polyunsaturated fats contain two or more double bonds The problem with polyunsaturated fats is that all these double bonds make them susceptible to oxidation. The fatty acids react with oxygen in the atmosphere and start deteriorating. The fat you eat isn’t only stored as fat tissue or burned for energy, it’s also incorporated into cell membranes. If you have a lot of polyunsaturated fatty acids in your body, your cell membranes are more sensitive to oxidation. Basically, you’ve got your body loaded with very fragile fatty acids that can easily be degraded to form harmful compounds (8). For this reason, it may be best to eat polyunsaturated fats in moderation. Vary your diet by eating a mix of healthy saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Summary Oils that are high in polyunsaturated fats are susceptible to oxidation, both on the shelf and inside your body.
They Are Sometimes High in Trans-Fat Commercial vegetable oils may also contain trans fats, which form when the oils are hydrogenated. Food producers use hydrogenation to harden vegetable oils, making them solid like butter at room temperature. For this reason, vegetable oils found in margarine are commonly hydrogenated and full of trans fat. However, trans-fat-free margarine is becoming increasingly popular. However, non-hydrogenated vegetable oils may also contain some trans fat. One source looked at vegetable oils in the US and discovered that the trans-fat content varied between 0.56% and 4.2% (9). A high intake of trans fat is associated with all sorts of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer and diabetes (10). If a product lists hydrogenated oil as an ingredient, you can be pretty sure it contains trans fats. If you care about your health, avoid these products like the plague. Summary Hydrogenated vegetable oils are high in trans fat, which has been associated with various health problems. They are found in certain types of margarine, ice cream and cookies.
Vegetable Oils and Cardiovascular Disease Health professionals often recommend vegetable oils for those at risk of heart disease. The reason is that vegetable oils are generally low in saturated fat and high in polyunsaturated fat. The benefits of reduced saturated fat intake are controversial. However, studies show that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat reduces the risk of heart problems by 17%, but it has no significant effects on the risk of death from heart disease (1). Furthermore, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids appear to have a greater benefit than omega-6 (4). Nutritionists have raised concerns about the high amounts of omega-6 found in some vegetable oils. However, there is currently no good evidence showing that omega-6 fats affect your risk of heart disease (11). In conclusion, a moderate intake of vegetable oils seems to be a safe bet if you wish to reduce your risk of heart disease. Olive oil may be one of your best options (12). Summary Vegetable oils appear to be heart-friendly. While some nutritionists are worried about the high levels of omega-6 in certain oils, there is currently no evidence that they raise the risk of heart disease.Violence In Congo Is The Worst In Four Years
Enlarge this image toggle caption Phil Moore/AFP/Getty Images Phil Moore/AFP/Getty Images
As all eyes turn to the fighting between Israel and fighters in Hamas-controlled Gaza, another long-simmering conflict has reemerged with full force.
Bloodshed has once again come to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Congolese forces and U.N. peacekeepers, equipped with attack helicopters, battle the supposedly Rwandan-backed M23 militant group. The rebels have given the Congolese government 24 hours to begin truce talks or face a continuation of violence that is some of the worst in four years.
Refugee camps in the area are eerily empty as civilians seek safety, reports The New York Times. Tens of thousands of people have fled Goma in eastern Congo, where M23 rebels are currently waiting at the gates of the city.
M23 takes its name from March 23, the date of a 2009 peace treaty that it claims was broken by the Democratic Republic of Congo. The rebel group grew after Gen. Bosco Ntaganda initiated a mutiny of several hundred soldiers from the Congolese Army last spring. The former soldiers insisted on receiving amnesty from war crimes and more money, according to Reuters.
Ntaganda, nicknamed "The Terminator," is wanted by the International Criminal Court for enlisting child soldiers and other crimes against humanity.
Congo has pointed fingers at Rwanda for supporting the M23 group, claiming they are interested in obtaining minerals in eastern DR Congo. Rwanda has accused DR Congo of firing into its territory, although the U.S. cannot confirm these reports.
The U.K., which gave around $25 million in aid to Rwanda in September, has expressed grave concern over whether the funds are being used to support violence in eastern Congo. Minister Justine Greening, U.K. Secretary of State for International Development, said Rwanda's role in the conflict could affect next month's aid payment, on which the impoverished nation depends.
The renewed fighting poses a serious humanitarian threat in Congo, where around five million people have already died since 1998. It remains the bloodiest conflict since World War II.
(Sophia Jones is an intern with NPR News.)Girls as young as 11 will be able to ask for the morning-after pill by text message as part of plans to halt the rise in teenage pregnancies.
From July, girls at secondary schools will be able to text requests for emergency contraception if they have had unprotected sex, or if they fear condoms or other forms of protection have failed.
The scheme, in Oxfordshire, has been introduced after a jump of almost 10 per cent in the number of girls aged 18 and under getting pregnant in the county.
Easy as a text: Girls could get the pills from their school nurse (posed by models)
Girls at four schools in Oxford and two in Banbury will be able to use a new number to text a school nurse for advice on sexual health and contraception.
The nurse may then invite them in to their in-school office to collect a morning-after pill - or will point them in the direction of a local GP or primary care centre which will be able to provide one if the school is closed.
It is designed to make it easier for girls to get emergency contraception and advice even when school is closed.
The scheme, which could be copied by other areas of the country if successful, has been attacked by family campaigners who say it will encourage promiscuity and could lead to a further rise in the teenage pregnancy rate.
Latest figures show that 42,900 girls aged under 18 fell pregnant in 2007 - the highest in Western Europe.
Father John Saward, a priest at SS Gregory and Augustine Roman Catholic Church in Oxford said: 'I think it's horrendous. Presenting this as a programme will encourage promiscuity in children.'
And Norman Wells of charity Family and Youth Concern said: 'Oxfordshire PCT is sadly mistaken if it thinks a text service to help teenage girls get the morning-after pill through the school nurse seven days a week and 52 weeks a year will reduce the teenage pregnancy rate. School staff should be encouraging young people to respect and confide in their parents, not undermining them.'
Conservative health spokesman Andrew Lansley said: 'The morning-after pill should only be for emergencies, and certainly not so routine that schoolgirls can just text for it.
'This runs the risk of encouraging unprotected intercourse.'
But teenage mother Laura Cross, 18, from the Oxford suburb of Barton, said: 'I think it's a good idea. I know people who have fallen pregnant because they're too embarrassed to have the morning-after pill.
'If someone is embarrassed they would rather text than approach someone directly. Teenagers don't want to admit they are having sex because they are afraid their parents will find out.'
The service is being introduced jointly by Oxfordshire County Council and Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust after the number of teenage pregnancies in the county rose from 320 in 2006 to 350 in 2007.
Council chiefs refused to reveal which schools were involved as it might attract 'unhelpful attention'.
Over the past seven years, a total of 1,130 morning-after pills have been given to teenagers at the county's 14 Bodyzone clinics, confidential drop-in centres run by the PCT.
Oxfordshire PCT said child protection staff would become involved if any child aged between 11 and 13 asked for contraception.
Sarah Breton, lead officer for projects between the county council and Oxfordshire PCT, said: 'This will provide an extra level of contact for those young people who think they have taken a risk and don't want to approach a doctor or a pharmacist, but can text a health nurse and ask what they can do.
'Our commitment is to reduce the number of teenage conceptions in Oxfordshire so we're looking at the most effective ways of doing that.'
County councillor and mother-of-four Louise Chapman, cabinet member for children, young people and families, first fell pregnant when she was a teenager. She said: 'There's no intention on our part to undermine parents, and we would encourage young people to speak to their parents about their situation.
'The nurses are not just there to give out contraception willy-nilly. If you live in the real world this is happening and we'd be foolish to think there was something we could do to stop young people having sex.'
A spokeswoman for the PCT said: 'We haven't worked out the detail of the logistical process of how it will work. The scheme will not start until the summer.'
A spokesman for the Family Planning Association said: 'This text service is an innovative approach that should help young people access, not just emergency contraception, but also sexual health advice from trained health professionals.
'Providing young people with confidential and high quality contraceptive services is an important and effective part of the strategy to reduce teenage pregnancies.'Gay rights campaigners have responded to Dan Savage's worldwide call to drop Russian vodka as a symbol of protest against Vladimir |
speak; they will no longer be bullied into silence. The discussion has begun, and it has begun publicly, in the media.
Clearly, Hasidic communities feel threatened, as evidenced by the recent post in xoJane titled " What Women's Media Needs to know about Chassidic Women." This essay was ostensibly written by a Hasidic woman in response to the media attention focused on the Citi Field spectacle. It has sparked a controversy both in the comments section and on forums such as Metafilter, a backlash that I felt compelled to join (and blog about). The article enraged many of my peers, some of whom are religious, because it replaces what could have been a sensitive personal essay about Judaism with a whitewashed version of Hasidic life.
Chaya, the author of this article, assures us that she is a media professional with a degree in women's studies from a liberal college. Sadly, Chaya omitted the most crucial details about her identity, namely that she is a member of the most liberal Hasidic sect (Lubavitch) and that she is a Ba'al Teshuva, which translates as someone who returned to the faith. So a woman who resided on the most liberal end of the spectrum in the most tolerant of all Hasidic sects, who had chosen this way of life after she had already had access to a secular education, wrote an essay on behalf of all Hasidic women across the global spectrum, telling women's media that all is glorious and wonderful in their world. She made sweeping claims on behalf of Hasidic women: They all love their husbands, enjoy following the laws of marital purity and are safer from cervical cancer as a result. She also reduced all non-Hasidic women to a coke-snorting and skinny jeans-wearing caricature.
Words cannot adequately describe the depth of my disappointment regarding this woman's attempt at public relations. She said she felt compelled to write this in the wake of negative media attention, but she could have opted for a thoughtful essay on how she had come to choose her spiritual path and why it made her feel so fulfilled. She could have shared her personal journey without diminishing the pain and suffering of women who hadn't been consulted before she put pen to paper.
If Hasidic women can summon the moral fortitude to face up to the cracks in the foundation of the lifestyle, they can perhaps work toward repairing it, and create a healthier, happier environment for their children to grow up in.Luis Suárez is close to sealing his preferred move to Barcelona after the Catalan club held a “productive” first meeting with Liverpool and offered around £70m for the controversial forward.
Barcelona’s determination to clinch a deal for the Uruguayan was confirmed during talks between their director of football management, Raul Sanllehi, and Liverpool’s chief executive, Ian Ayre, in London on Wednesday. Rather than seek a drastically reduced fee for a player banned for four months for biting the Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, Sanllehi’s opening bid was in the region of £70m.
The fee falls short of Liverpool’s initial £80m valuation, and has not been accepted, but both sides appear convinced a deal can be done after their face-to-face negotiations over the 27-year-old. Barcelona are believed to be willing to pay a straight cash sum for Suárez or to include Alexis Sánchez as a makeweight, as Liverpool had requested.
However, the Chile international has given no indication he wants to move to Anfield and Suárez’s transfer is unlikely to be concluded until the winger has decided whether to join Liverpool, another European club or to stay at Camp Nou.
A second round of talks has not been scheduled but negotiations will continue over the coming days, with Liverpool close to getting their asking price for Suárez after cordial and constructive talks with the delegation from Barcelona. A Liverpool source said: “The talks were productive. There were sensible expectations on both sides and there will be further discussions to take place. But nothing is finalised as of now.”
Suárez is banned following the bite on Chiellini, subject to an appeal from the Uruguay football association, but a transfer is allowed in that period.
Liverpool will now await an answer from Sánchez, and hold further dialogue with Sanllehi, before finalising the terms of Suárez’s long-held desire to move to a Spanish club. His wife’s family are based in Barcelona and that has influenced his preference to join a rebuilding job under Luís Enrique rather than a move to the European champions, Real Madrid.
Suárez signed a contract extension until 2018 worth £200,000 a week with Liverpool in December, albeit with a release clause designed to eradicate the problems that erupted over his thwarted attempt to sign for Arsenal 12 months ago. The latest controversy surrounding the striker and his ban, one that would suspend the striker from the first 13 matches of Liverpool’s season, has not reduced the Anfield club’s price tag on the striker and Barcelona accepted that stance during the meeting with Ayre.
The Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, continued his club’s flattery of Suárez on Wednesday when praising the forward for publicly apologising for biting the Italy defender despite his initial claim to Fifa that he fell into Chiellini teeth-first.
Following tributes from the sporting director, Andoni Zubizarreta, on Tuesday, Bartomeu said: “He [Suárez] did something that wasn’t right so it’s the responsibility of everyone in football, be it Liverpool or anywhere else, to remember that he has said sorry. Admitting you have done something wrong is very important.
“Luis has apologised and that is honourable, he’s taken a step towards rehabilitating, the football world should support him and help him. As a football fan I hope he can turn a corner.”
As for Barcelona’s interest in Suárez, the president added: “I announced months ago that the team would undergo a deep renovation but we cannot reveal details because we don’t want to give clues away to any of our rivals. Our representatives are constantly travelling to other countries because of potential signing.
“Suárez is a Liverpool player so I can’t talk about him, he belongs to another team, a rival team. But we are all football men, and saying sorry is honourable, it helps the competition.”
Liverpool have spent £40m this summer on Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Emre Can, have deals lined up for Divock Origi and Lazar Markovic, and Brendan Rodgers hopes to reinforce his defence with Dejan Lovren and Ryan Bertrand.What was it the Engines said,
Pilots touching,—head to head
Facing on the single track,
Half a world behind each back?
~Bret Harte, 1869
I know exactly what those engines said: “Chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga, ding-ding-ding-ding, choo-choo!” How is this even a question?
Anyway, what this fellow was talking about was the Golden Spike Ceremony. It was a special event that took place on 10 May 1869 in Promontory Summit, Utah to celebrate the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States. During the ceremony, the rail line was symbolically completed with the driving of a final railroad spike made of solid gold using a silver hammer, ending years of building from both ends of the line from the East starting at the Missouri River and from the West starting at Sacramento, California (it was extended to San Francisco Bay by the end of the year). This was kind of a big deal because for the very first time the East Coast and the West Coast of the United States were connected by rail, revolutionizing cross-country travel overnight. Now, instead of traveling West in a covered wagon for several months along dangerous routes like the Oregon Trail and risk dying of dysentery, you could travel all the way to California in less than a week! Now, almost 150 years later, the Golden Spike Ceremony is considered one of the most important milestones in 19th Century American history. If you were to make a brand-new Lego set based around one historical event in the USA revolving around trains or railroads, this would be it.
Specifications
Piece count: 2,019 total (Jupiter [bright blue]: 968; #119 [dark red]: 977; track: 8; everything else: 66)
Dimensions: 124.8 mm (13 bricks) H x 520 mm (65 studs) L x 256 mm (32 studs) W
Set Description
The Golden Spike Ceremony: 150th Anniversary Lego set is meant to replicate the famous photo taken during the event showing a crowd of people posing on and in front of two steam locomotives facing each other at the point where the two railroads making up the Transcontinental Railroad met on 10 May 1869.
The two figures shaking hands are Leland Stanford, President of the Central Pacific Railroad (left); and Thomas C. Durant, Vice President and main stockholder of the Union Pacific Railroad (right). Leland Stanford was meant to be the person to drive the Golden Spike, but when he swung the silver hammer, he missed! Thomas C. Durant decided to give it a try, but when he swung the hammer, he also missed! At this point, the two men agreed to have a regular worker do the job, who drove the spike successfully. The two figures standing on the locomotives toasting with bottles of sarsaparilla (a popular non-alcoholic drink at the time similar to root beer) are the engineers. Standing in front and away from the crowd is the photographer taking the famous picture with his glass plate camera. Rounding out the remainder of the figures are two women, a soldier, and a worker.
The two locomotives are the Central Pacific Jupiter (bright blue) and the Union Pacific #119 (dark red). Their design is based directly off of full-size, operational replicas of the original locomotives at the Golden Spike National Historic Site (the original locomotives were both scrapped long ago). The Jupiter uses wood as its fuel while the #119 uses coal. These different fuel types are the reason why their smokestacks are shaped differently. Burning wood gives off a lot of sparks, which need to be caught in a large cone-shaped smokestack to prevent them from escaping and starting fires. Coal burns better than wood and gives off fewer sparks, so only a straight smokestack is needed. These locomotives are set upon eight sections of straight track and are compatible with all existing Lego train track. They are also both designed to be compatible with power functions and the top of each tender can be opened to insert a battery box and an IR remote receiver. The back wheel section of each tender can also be easily switched out with a train motor.
Stanford University Connection
The same Leland Stanford who was at the Golden Spike Ceremony founded this university along with his wife, Jane Stanford, several years later. The original Golden Spike is currently on display at the Cantor Arts Center on the university campus.
Abraham Lincoln Connection
Under President Abraham Lincoln’s administration, the Pacific Railroad Acts were passed allowing for the Transcontinental Railroad’s construction and funding. These acts and most of their amendments were passed while the American Civil War was still taking place. Furthermore, Lincoln himself chose Council Bluffs, Iowa along the Missouri River as the eastern terminus of the new railroad.
Walt Disney Connection
The current replicas of the Jupiter and #119 locomotives from the Golden Spike Ceremony located at the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Promontory Summit, Utah were built by an engineering company run by Chadwell O’Connor, a personal friend of Walt Disney himself who shared his love of railroads, particularly old-fashioned, 19th Century American railroads. Furthermore, original Disney animator Ward Kimball, who was also a personal friend of Walt Disney and a big-time train buff, did the color matching for the two locomotives and drew the elaborate pictures on the #119 locomotive and tender.
Goals and Final Remarks
My primary goal with designing this Lego set is to see Lego sell a train set based around non-fictional, 19th Century American railroading. For most Americans, the first image that will pop in their heads when you mention this topic will be of trains from the 1860s, just like the ones in the Golden Spike Ceremony set. I feel that based on the historical and visual appeal of this set, it will sell very well, especially in the United States or anyone who is fond of the American Wild West. On that note, there are many other vintage, American-themed train models on Lego Ideas that you might also find interesting and I encourage you to check them out. This Lego set was a labor of love and an absolute joy for me to make. I am completely thrilled to be able to show it to the world on Lego Ideas and I hope that you get just as excited about it as I am. Thank you for reading and please vote!What I call the Old Right is suddenly back! The terms "old" and "new" inevitably get confusing, with a new "new" every few years, so let's call it the "Original" Right, the right wing as it existed from 1933 to approximately 1955. This Old Right was formed in reaction against the New Deal, and against the Great Leap Forward into the leviathan state that was the essence of that New Deal.
This anti–New Deal movement was a coalition of three groups:
the "extremists" — the individualists and libertarians, like H.L. Mencken, Albert Jay Nock, Rose Wilder Lane, and Garet Garrett; right-wing Democrats, harking back to the laissez-faire views of the 19th-century Democratic party, men such as Governor Albert Ritchie of Maryland or Senator James A. Reed of Missouri; moderate New Dealers, who thought that the Roosevelt New Deal went too far, for example Herbert Hoover.
Interestingly, even though the libertarian intellectuals were in the minority, they necessarily set the terms and the rhetoric of the debate, since theirs was the only thought-out, contrasting ideology to the New Deal.
The most radical view of the New Deal was that of libertarian essayist and novelist Garet Garrett, an editor of the Saturday Evening Post. His brilliant little pamphlet "The Revolution Was," published in 1938, began with these penetrating words — words that would never be fully absorbed by the Right:
There are those who still think they are holding a pass against a revolution that may be coming up the road. But they are gazing in the wrong direction. The revolution is behind them. It went by in the night of depression, singing songs to freedom.
The revolution was, said Garrett, and therefore nothing less than a counterrevolution is needed to take the country back. Behold then, not a "conservative," but a radical Right.
In the late 1930s, there was added to this reaction against the domestic New Deal a reaction against the foreign policy of the New Deal: the insistent drive toward war in Europe and Asia. Hence, the right wing added a reaction against big government abroad to the attack on big government at home. The one fed on the other.
The right wing called for nonintervention in foreign as well as domestic affairs, and denounced FDR's adoption of Woodrow Wilson's global crusading, which had proved so disastrous in World War I. To Wilson-Roosevelt globalism, the Old Right countered with a policy of "America First." American foreign policy must neither be based on the interests of a foreign power — such as Great Britain — nor be in the service of such abstract ideals as "making the world safe for democracy," or waging a "war to end all wars," both of which would amount, in the prophetic words of Charles A. Beard, to waging "perpetual war for perpetual peace."
And so the Original Right was completed, combating the leviathan state in domestic affairs. It said "no!" to the welfare-warfare state. The result of adding foreign affairs to the list was some reshuffling of members: former rightists such as Lewis W. Douglas — who had opposed the domestic New Deal — now rejoined it as internationalists, while veteran isolationists, such as Senators Borah and Nye, or intellectuals such as Beard, Harry Elmer Barnes, or John T. Flynn, gradually but surely became domestic right-wingers in the course of their determined opposition to the foreign New Deal.
If we know what the Old Right was against, what were they for? In general terms, they were for a restoration of the liberty of the old republic, of a government strictly limited to the defense of the rights of private property. In the concrete, as in the case of any broad coalition, there were differences of opinion within this overall framework. But we can boil down those differences to this question: How much of existing government would you repeal? How far would you roll government back?
The minimum demand that almost all Old Rightists agreed on, which virtually defined the Old Right, was total abolition of the New Deal, the whole kit and caboodle of the welfare state, the Wagner Act, the Social Security Act, going off gold in 1933, and all the rest. Beyond that, there were charming disagreements. Some would stop at repealing the New Deal. Others would press on, to abolition of Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom, including the Federal Reserve System and especially that mighty instrument of tyranny, the income tax and the Internal Revenue Service. Still others, extremists such as myself, would not stop until we repealed the Federal Judiciary Act of 1789, and maybe even think the unthinkable and restore the good old Articles of Confederation.
Here I should stop and say that, contrary to accepted myth, the Original Right did not disappear with, and was not discredited by, our entry into World War II. On the contrary, the congressional elections of 1942 — elections neglected by scholars — were a significant victory not only for conservative Republicans, but for isolationist Republicans as well. Even though intellectual rightist opinion, in books and especially in the journals, was virtually blotted out during World War II, the Right was still healthy in politics and in the press, such as the Hearst press, the New York Daily News, and especially the Chicago Tribune. After World War II, there was an intellectual revival of the Right, and the Old Right stayed healthy until the mid-1950s.
Within the overall consensus, then, on the Old Right, there were many differences within the framework, but differences that remained remarkably friendly and harmonious. Oddly enough, these are precisely the friendly differences within the current paleo movement: free trade or protective tariff; immigration policy; and within the policy of "isolationism," whether it should be "doctrinaire" isolationism, such as my own, or whether the United States should regularly intervene in the Western Hemisphere or in neighboring countries of Latin America, or whether this nationalist policy should be flexible among these various alternatives.
Other differences, which also still exist, are more philosophical: should we be Lockians, Hobbesians, or Burkeans: natural rightsers, or traditionalists, or utilitarians? On political frameworks, should we be monarchists, check-and-balance federalists, or radical decentralists? Hamiltonians or Jeffersonians?
One difference, which agitated the right wing before the Buckleyite monolith managed to stifle all debate, is particularly relevant to right-wing strategy. The Marxists, who have spent a great deal of time thinking about strategy for their movement, always pose the question: Who is the agency of social change? Which group may be expected to bring about the desired change in society? Classical Marxism found the answer easy: the proletariat. Then things got a lot more complicated: the peasantry, oppressed womanhood, minorities, etc.
The relevant question for the right wing is the other side of the coin: who can we expect to be the bad guys? Who are the agents of negative social change? Or, which groups in society pose the greatest threats to liberty? Basically, there have been two answers on the Right: (1) the unwashed masses; and (2) the power elites. I will return to this question in a minute.
In the differences of opinion, of the question of diversity in the Old Right, I was struck by a remark that Tom Fleming of Chronicles made. Tom noted that he was struck, in reading about that period, that there was no party line, that there was no person or magazine excommunicating heretics, that there was admirable diversity and freedom of discussion on the Old Right. Amen! In other words, there was no National Review.
What was the Old Right's position on culture? There was no particular position, because everyone was imbued with, and loved, the old culture. Culture was not an object of debate, either on the Old Right or, for that matter, anywhere else. Of course, they would have been horrified and incredulous at the accredited victimology that has rapidly taken over our culture. Anyone who would have suggested to an Old Rightist of 1950, for example, that in 40 years, the federal courts would be redrawing election districts all over the country so that Hispanics would be elected according to their quota in the population, would have been considered a fit candidate for the loony bin. As well he might.
And while I'm on this topic, this is the year 1992, so I am tempted to say, repeat after me: COLUMBUS DISCOVERED AMERICA!
Even though a fan of diversity, the only revisionism I will permit on this topic is whether Columbus discovered America, or whether it was Amerigo Vespucci.
Poor Italian-Americans! They have never been able to make it to accredited victim status. The only thing they ever got was Columbus Day. And now, they're trying to take it away!
If I may be pardoned a personal note, I joined the Old Right in 1946. I grew up in New York City in the 1930s in the midst of what can only be called a communist culture. As middle-class Jews in New York, my relatives, friends, classmates, and neighbors faced only one great moral decision in their lives: should they join the Communist Party and devote 100 percent of their lives to the cause, or should they remain fellow travelers and devote only a fraction of their lives? That was the great range of debate.
I had two sets of aunts and uncles on both sides of the family who were in the Communist Party. The older uncle was an engineer who helped build the legendary Moscow subway; the younger one was an editor for the Communist-dominated Drug Workers Union, headed by one of the famous Foner brothers. But I hasten to add that I am not, in the current fashion, like Roseanne Barr Arnold or William F. Buckley, Jr., claiming that I was a victim of child abuse. (Buckley's claim is that he was the victim of the high crime of insouciant anti-Semitism at his father's dinner table.)
On the contrary, my father was an individualist — and he was always strongly anticommunist and antisocialist — who turned against the New Deal in 1938 because it had failed to correct the depression: a pretty good start. In my high-school, and in my college career at Columbia University, I never met a Republican, much less anyone strongly right-wing.
By the way, even though I am admittedly several years younger than Daniel Bell, Irving Kristol, and the rest, I must say that during all those years I never heard of Leon Trotsky, much less of Trotskyites, until I got to graduate school after World War II. I was fairly politically aware, and in New York in those days, the "Left" meant the Communist Party, period. So I think that Kristol and the rest are weaving pretty legends about the cosmic importance of the debates between Trotskyites and Stalinists in alcoves A and B at the City College cafeteria.
As far as I'm concerned, the only Trotskyites were a handful of academics. By the way, there is a perceptive saying in left-wing circles in New York: that the Trotskyites all went into academia, and the Stalinists went into real estate. Perhaps that's why the Trotskyites are running the world.
At Columbia College, I was only one of two Republicans on the entire campus, the other being a literature major with whom I had little in common. Not only that: but — a remarkable thing for a cosmopolitan place like Columbia — Lawrence Chamberlain, distinguished political scientist and dean of Columbia College, admitted one time that he had never met a Republican either.
By 1946, I had become politically active, and joined the Young Republicans of New York. Unfortunately, the Republicans in New York weren't much of an improvement: the Dewey-Rockefeller forces constituted the extreme right of the party; most of them being either pro-Communist like Stanley Isaacs, or social democrats like Jacob Javits.
I did, however, have fun writing a paper for the Young Republicans denouncing price control and rent control. And after the Republican capture of Congress in 1946, I was ecstatic. My first publication ever was a "hallelujah!" letter in the New York World-Telegram exulting that now, at last, the Republican 80th Congress would repeal the entire New Deal. So much for my strategic acumen in 1946.
At any rate, I found the Old Right and was happy there for a decade. For a couple of years, I was delighted to subscribe to the Chicago Tribune, whose every news item was filled with great Old Right punch and analysis. It is forgotten now that the only organized opposition to the Korean War was not on the Left — which, except for the Communist Party and I.F. Stone, fell for the chimera of Wilsonian-Rooseveltian "collective security" — but was on the so-called extreme Right, particularly in the House of Representatives.
One of the leaders was my friend Howard Buffett, Congressman from Omaha, who was a pure libertarian and was Senator Taft's Midwestern campaign manager at the monstrous Republican convention of 1952, when the Eisenhower-Wall Street cabal stole the election from Robert Taft. After that, I left the Republican Party, only to return this year for the Buchanan campaign. During the 1950s, I joined every right-wing third party I could find, most of which collapsed after the first meeting. I supported the last presidential thrust of the Old Right, the Andrews-Werdel ticket in 1956, but unfortunately, they never made it up to New York City.
After this excursion on my personal activity in the Old Right, I return to a key strategic question: who are the major bad guys, the unwashed masses or the power elite? Very early, I concluded that the big danger is the elite, and not the masses, and for the following reasons:
First, even granting for a moment that the masses are the worst possible, that they are perpetually hell-bent on lynching anyone down the block, the mass of people simply don't have the time for politics or political shenanigans. The average person must spend most of his time on the daily business of life, being with his family, seeing his friends, etc. He can only get interested in politics or engage in it sporadically.
The only people who have time for politics are the professionals: the bureaucrats, politicians, and special-interest groups dependent on political rule. They make money out of politics, and so they are intensely interested and lobby and are active 24 hours a day. Therefore, these special-interest groups will tend to win out over the uninterested masses. This is the basic insight of the public-choice school of economics. The only other groups interested full-time in politics are ideologists like ourselves, again not a very large segment of the population. So the problem is the ruling elite, the professionals, and their dependent special-interest groups.
A second crucial point: society is divided into a ruling elite, which is necessarily a minority of the population, and lives off the second group — the rest of the population. Here I point to one of the most brilliant essays on political philosophy ever written, John C. Calhoun's "Disquisition on Government."
Calhoun pointed out that the very fact of government and of taxation creates inherent conflict between two great classes: those who pay taxes, and those who live off them; the net tax payers vs. the tax consumers. The bigger government gets, Calhoun noted, the greater and more intense the conflict between those two social classes. By the way, I've never thought of Governor Pete Wilson of California as a distinguished political theorist, but the other day he said something, presumably unwittingly, that was remarkably Calhounian. Wilson lamented that the tax recipients in California were beginning to outnumber the tax payers. Well, it's a start.
If a minority of elites rule over, tax, and exploit the majority of the public, then this brings up starkly the main problem of political theory: what I like to call the mystery of civil obedience. Why does the majority of the public obey these turkeys, anyway? This problem, I believe, was solved by three great political theorists, mainly but not all libertarian: Etienne de la Boetie, French libertarian theorist of the mid-16th century; David Hume; and Ludwig von Mises. They pointed out that, precisely because the ruling class is a minority, in the long run, force per se cannot rule. Even in the most despotic dictatorship, the government can only persist when it is backed by the majority of the population. In the long run, ideas, not force, rule; and any government has to have legitimacy in the minds of the public.
This truth was starkly demonstrated in the collapse of the Soviet Union last year. Simply put, when the tanks were sent to capture Yeltsin, they were persuaded to turn their guns around and defend Yeltsin and the Russian Parliament instead. More broadly, it is clear that the Soviet government had totally lost legitimacy and support among the public. To a libertarian, it was a particularly wonderful thing to see unfolding before our very eyes, the death of a state, particularly a monstrous one such as the Soviet Union. Toward the end, Gorby continued to issue decrees as before, but now no one paid any attention. The once-mighty Supreme Soviet continued to meet, but nobody bothered to show up. How glorious!
But we still haven't solved the mystery of civil obedience. If the ruling elite is taxing, looting, and exploiting the public, why does the public put up with this for a single moment? Why does it take them so long to withdraw their consent?
Here we come to the solution: the critical role of the intellectuals, the opinion-molding class in society. If the masses knew what was going on, they would withdraw their consent quickly: they would soon perceive that the emperor has no clothes, that they are being ripped off. That is where the intellectuals come in.
The ruling elite, whether it be the monarchs of yore or the Communist parties of today, are in desperate need of intellectual elites to weave apologias for state power: the state rules by divine edict; the state insures the common good or the general welfare; the state protects us from the bad guys over the mountain; the state guarantees full employment; the state activates the multiplier effect; the state insures social justice, and on and on.
The apologias differ over the centuries; the effect is always the same. As Karl Wittfogel shows in his great work, Oriental Despotism, in Asian empires the intellectuals were able to get away with the theory that the emperor or pharaoh was himself divine. If the ruler is God, few will be induced to disobey or question his commands.
We can see what the state rulers get out of their alliance with the intellectuals; but what do the intellectuals get out of it? Intellectuals are the sort of people who believe that, in the free market, they are getting paid far less than their wisdom requires. Now the state is willing to pay them salaries, both for apologizing for state power, and in the modern state, for staffing the myriad jobs in the welfare, regulatory-state apparatus.
In past centuries, the churches constituted the exclusive opinion-molding classes in the society. Hence the importance to the state and its rulers of an established church, and the importance to libertarians of the concept of separating church and state, which really means not allowing the state to confer upon one group a monopoly of the opinion-molding function.
In the 20th century, of course, the church has been replaced in its opinion-molding role, or, in that lovely phrase, the "engineering of consent," by a swarm of intellectuals, academics, social scientists, technocrats, policy scientists, social workers, journalists and the media generally, and on and on. Often included, for old times' sake, so to speak, is a sprinkling of social gospel ministers and counselors from the mainstream churches.
So, to sum up: the problem is that the bad guys, the ruling classes, have gathered unto themselves the intellectual and media elites, who are able to bamboozle the masses into consenting to their rule, to indoctrinate them, as the Marxists would say, with "false consciousness." What can we, the right-wing opposition, do about it?
One strategy, endemic to libertarians and classical liberals, is what we can call the "Hayekian" model, after F.A. Hayek, or what I have called "educationism." Ideas, the model declares, are crucial, and ideas filter down a hierarchy, beginning with top philosophers, then seeping down to lesser philosophers, then academics, and finally to journalists and politicians, and then to the masses. The thing to do is to convert the top philosophers to the correct ideas; they will convert the lesser, and so on, in a kind of "trickle-down effect," until, at last, the masses are converted and liberty has been achieved.
First, it should be noted that this trickle-down strategy is a very gentle and genteel one, relying on quiet mediation and persuasion in the austere corridors of intellectual cerebration. This strategy fits, by the way, with Hayek's personality, for Hayek is not exactly known as an intellectual gut-fighter.
Of course, ideas and persuasion are important, but there are several fatal flaws in the Hayekian strategy. First, of course, the strategy at best will take several hundred years, and some of us are a bit more impatient than that. But time is by no means the only problem.
Many people have noted, for example, mysterious blockages of the trickle. Thus, most real scientists have a very different view of such environmental questions as Alar than do a few left-wing hysterics, and yet somehow it is always the same few hysterics that are exclusively quoted by the media. The same applies to the vexed problem of inheritance and IQ testing. So how come the media invariably skew the result, and pick and choose the few leftists in the field? Clearly, because the media, especially the respectable and influential media, begin, and continue, with a strong left-liberal bias.
More generally, the Hayekian trickle-down model overlooks a crucial point: that, and I hate to break this to you, intellectuals, academics, and the media are not all motivated by truth alone. As we have seen, the intellectual classes may be part of the solution, but also they are a big part of the problem. For, as we have seen, the intellectuals are part of the ruling class, and their economic interests, as well as their interests in prestige, power and admiration, are wrapped up in the present welfare/warfare-state system.
Therefore, in addition to converting intellectuals to the cause, the proper course for the right-wing opposition must necessarily be a strategy of boldness and confrontation, of dynamism and excitement, a strategy, in short, of rousing the masses from their slumber and exposing the arrogant elites that are ruling them, controlling them, taxing them, and ripping them off.
Another alternative right-wing strategy is that commonly pursued by many libertarian or conservative think tanks: that of quiet persuasion, not in the groves of academe, but in Washington, D.C., in the corridors of power. This has been called the "Fabian" strategy, with think tanks issuing reports calling for a two percent cut in a tax here, or a tiny drop in a regulation there. The supporters of this strategy often point to the success of the Fabian Society, which, by its detailed empirical researches, gently pushed the British state into a gradual accretion of socialist power.
The flaw here, however, is that what works to increase state power does not work in reverse. For the Fabians were gently nudging the ruling elite precisely in the direction they wanted to travel anyway. Nudging the other way would go strongly against the state's grain, and the result is far more likely to be the state's co-opting and Fabianizing the think tankers themselves rather than the other way around. This sort of strategy may, of course, be personally very pleasant for the think tankers, and may be profitable in cushy jobs and contracts from the government. But that is precisely the problem.
It is important to realize that the establishment doesn't want excitement in politics, it wants the masses to continue to be lulled to sleep. It wants kinder, gentler; it wants the measured, judicious, mushy tone, and content, of a James Reston, a David Broder, or a Washington Week in Review. It doesn't want a Pat Buchanan, not only for the excitement and hard edge of his content, but also for his similar tone and style.
And so the proper strategy for the right wing must be what we can call "right-wing populism": exciting, dynamic, tough, and confrontational, rousing and inspiring not only the exploited masses, but the often-shell-shocked right-wing intellectual cadre as well. And in this era where the intellectual and media elites are all establishment liberal-conservatives, all in a deep sense one variety or another of social democrat, all bitterly hostile to a genuine Right, we need a dynamic, charismatic leader who has the ability to short-circuit the media elites, and to reach and rouse the masses directly. We need a leadership that can reach the masses and cut through the crippling and distorting hermeneutical fog spread by the media elites.
But can we call such a strategy "conservative"? I, for one, am tired of the liberal strategy, on which they have rung the changes for forty years, of presuming to define "conservatism" as a supposed aid to the conservative movement. Whenever liberals have encountered hard-edged abolitionists who, for example, have wanted to repeal the New Deal or Fair Deal, they say "But that's not genuine conservatism. That's radicalism." The genuine conservative, these liberals go on to say, doesn't want to repeal or abolish anything. He is a kind and gentle soul who wants to conserve what left-liberals have accomplished.
The left-liberal vision, then, of good conservatives is as follows: first, left-liberals, in power, make a Great Leap Forward toward collectivism; then, when, in the course of |
they want to keep round pricing as it's easier to understand for consumers, and currencies do fluctuate on a daily basis. By charging a bit more than the day-to-day exchange rate, Blizzard is preventing themselves from losing any money when things may change in favor of the above countries.
Does it need to be as steep of an increase as it is though? Could they not simply adjust their pack prices more often if they need to be increased for certain countries based on their economic situations? Tell us what you think about it in the comments.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have an expansion to pre-order before tomorrow.
Blog PostFox Sets Dates For Two Untitled Marvel Films; Reschedules ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’
According to BoxOffice.com, Fox has dated two Marvel films for November 2nd 2018 and February 14th, 2019. In addition, the date for the Kingsman sequel, The Golden Circle has been moved to October 6th, 2017. One last schedule addition was made as Box Office also confirms a release date for a new Lightstorm film for December 21st, 2018.
Check out the tweets below:
UNTITLED FOX/LIGHTSTORM FILM will drop December 21, 2018. — Exhibitor Relations (@ERCboxoffice) November 24, 2016
Fox has dated two untitled Marvel films for November 2, 2018 and February 14, 2019, plus an untitled Lightstorm… https://t.co/yH96CKaTOT — BoxOffice (@BoxOffice) November 24, 2016
Fox and Marvel currently have Logan opening on March 3rd, 2017, with additional untitled Marvel films already scheduled for October 6th, 2017, March 2nd, 2018., and June 29th, 2018. Now all Fox has to do is start giving us some information on what these movies are!
Possibe options include Deadpool 2, an X-Force film team up film, or maybe even an X-Men reboot. Gambit is also not out of the cards yet as it was recently revealed Fox is still moving forward with the film. We are getting anxious, but we fully expect Fox to start announcing titles for all of these mysterious upcoming dates.
Some are speculating the new Lightstorm film could be a new Avatar movie.
Are you excited to find out what all these untitled films could be from Fox? It shouldn’t be too much longer until we start receiving more specific information. Make sure to let us know what you think the mystery movies could be down below in the comments!
Source: BoxOffice.comBEIJING — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is playing the “China-bashing card” in an attempt to rescue his falling poll numbers but has no real ideas to resolve the two nations’ differences, China’s official news agency said Tuesday.
Responding to a speech Monday in which the candidate accused China of breaking trade rules “in every way imaginable,” Xinhua said such “inflammatory” rhetoric was meant to appeal to blue-collar Midwestern voters. It called the remarks dangerous and said they offered nothing of substance to improve bilateral relations.
Trump “played the China-bashing card once again in his latest attempt to rectify his falling popularity,” Xinhua said in an editorial.
Trump accused China of illegally subsidizing exports, manipulating its currency and stealing intellectual property, all recurring themes in his campaign. Trump’s criticism has focused almost exclusively on trade practices with few mentions of China’s authoritarian political system or human rights abuses.
“At the center of my plan is trade enforcement with China. This alone could return millions of jobs into our country,” Trump said in the speech that focused on economic policy.
Xinhua said Trump had not only betrayed traditional Republican support for free trade, but also ignored the importance of China to his own business. Trump has claimed to have done major deals with Chinese customers, but given few specifics. Items in his Trump-branded clothing line have been produced in China.
“China-bashing is a recurring theme every four years, and by now it’s become quite dull,” Xinhua said. “Let’s hope the next time around that future presidential (contenders) have something more substantial to say about America’s relationship with China. U.S. voters deserve better.”
Protesters make a coordinated effort to rattle Trump during his economic speech:Whatever else can be said about the Republican Senate health care bill, it cannot be accused of pandering. The Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) - which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) hopes to bring to a vote next week - is astonishingly unpopular, often getting less than 20 percent support in polls.
The Trump administration is asking for detailed state data about voters. Here voters cast their ballots in Azusa, California during the U.S. presidential election, November 8, 2016. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni.
There isn’t a single state in which a majority favors the GOP’s proposals. In a starkly polarized political environment, it’s almost impossible for a major proposal to be this widely hated. So why would the House pass a similar bill, and why didn’t McConnell immediately bury it?
Many Republicans legislators are insulated from even the fiercest political backlash because the political playing field is tilted strongly towards the GOP side. Now the White House is about to make it even more so with a scheme to shrink the electorate and skew it towards the GOP.
In late June, the Trump administration announced a series of measures to constrict the body politic, making it older, whiter, and wealthier - and therefore more Republican. The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity is asking for detailed state data about voters. There already is evidence that merely asking for the data is stopping people from registering. Voting rights experts say that because voter rolls inevitably contain errors, such as still listing voters who recently moved, the Trump administration is likely planning to use these discrepancies to justify vote suppression efforts such as onerous identification requirements. (On Monday, while awaiting the outcome of legal challenges to the request and the refusal of some secretaries of state to comply, Trump’s commission put the request on hold.)
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That same week, the White House nominated Hans von Spakovsky, who has a lengthy history of making unsupported claims of voter fraud, to join the election integrity commission. The commission is chaired by Kris Kobach, Kansas’s controversial secretary of state, whose signature voter-ID bill, passed by his state’s legislature in 2011, has already been subject to four separate lawsuits by the ACLU. The commission was organized to find support for Trump’s unfounded claim that, “I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.” Its efforts thus far are designed to justify state vote suppression measures that harm Democrats without actually making election results any more reliable.
Civil rights advocates fear that in the months and years ahead state data will be used to deregister thousands or even millions of disproportionately minority voters. As voting right reporter Ari Berman puts it, Trump’s commission “appear[s] to mark the beginning of a nationwide voter-suppression campaign, based on spreading lies about voter fraud to justify enacting policies that purge the voter rolls, and make registration and voting more difficult.” This can determine the outcome of an election, as it did in the 2000 presidential race in Florida, where hundreds of thousands of voters who shared the same name as a convicted felon were disenfranchised.
Chasing imaginary voter impersonation, disenfranchising millions of eligible voters in the process, is not just an obsession of Trump’s. Republican lawyers are circulating the country urging state and local officials to purge voter rolls. Conservative lawyers are targeting districts with large numbers of racial minorities and few resources for legal defense. Republican state legislatures have also recently passed measures like requiring voters to present government-issued photo IDs and restrictions on early voting.
Republicans are doing everything they can to keep Democratic-leaning constituencies - people of color, the poor and young people - from voting. The party claims to have suddenly developed a peculiar fixation with election security, but it's plainly about constricting the electorate to protect Republicans from feeling voters' wrath over their unpopular policies. These efforts are not always well-disguised. A federal judge observed that a North Carolina voter suppression law, “target[s] African Americans with almost surgical precision.”
Between now and the next cycle of elections in 2018 and 2020, Republican state legislatures are likely to pass more and more vote suppression measures. While many of these laws have such a disparate impact on Americans of color that they appear to violate the Voting Rights Act or the Equal Protection Amendment of the Constitution, it seems unlikely that a Department of Justice headed by Trump appointee Jeff Sessions or a conservative-leaning Supreme Court will overrule them.
Republicans are so determined to shrink and tilt the electorate because they see it as the only way to hold power while advancing an unpopular agenda.
The core components of the BCRA - a massive cut to Medicaid spending, deregulation of insurance companies, less generous subsidies to buy insurance and a huge tax cut for the very wealthy - are all ideas with no sizeable popular constituency.
It’s not just healthcare. Every major item on the GOP’s agenda polls badly. After healthcare, Republicans want to pass more tax cuts for the rich, which are very unpopular among all voters except Republican elites. The rollback of environmental regulations - which under Trump’s EPA director Scott Pruitt has been one of the most consequential results of Trump’s victory - is widely despised. The public also opposes loosening workplace safety standards and defunding Planned Parenthood. The Republican agenda couldn’t be less popular if it was designed to repel majorities.
But Republicans won control of the federal government, despite losing the popular vote for president, through structural advantages that give rural and older white Americans outsized power. The Senate vastly over-represents small, predominantly white rural states. Democrats in the Senate, many representing large states such as California, have received millions more votes than their Republican colleagues who hold the majority of seats. The Electoral College, which also favors small states, allowed Donald Trump to capture the White House despite getting nearly 3 million fewer votes than Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Unless something changes radically, we can expect a similar outcome in next year’s midterms. Polls show that Democratic House candidates will get many more votes than their Republican opponents. But because of the natural clustering of Democratic supporters in cities, and aggressive Republican gerrymandering that has given the GOP two or three times as many House seats as Democrats in states with roughly evenly split electorates such as Pennsylvania and North Carolina, that might not be enough. The Democrats could get decisively more votes and still fail to take back the House, as happened in 2012.
Most political parties try to assemble majorities by offering policies people like. The contemporary Republican Party is a different kind of party. Even if much of their legislative agenda fails, they show no signs of tacking away from their unpopular, far-right agenda. And thanks to the various ways in which Republican officials frustrate the will of the majority, they might keep getting away with it.Get the latest from TODAY Sign up for our newsletter
Dec. 13, 2013, 6:18 PM GMT By Kristin Kalning
The men behind Canopy Cat Rescue have devoted themselves to helping cats stuck in trees, like this one they helped retrieve in November. Today
Linus the cat had been stuck in a tree for five days by the time his owner, Debbie Bitts, contacted Tom Otto.
A cat named Abbey, who was stuck in a tree around Thanksgiving, was rescued just in time for the holiday. Today
The Bitts family, of Graham, Wash., had tried everything to coax their 3-year-old tabby down. They left food at the base of the tree, and even called the fire department — but the ladder wasn’t long enough to reach him. Bitts called three cat-rescue services, but no one called her back.
But when she e-mailed Otto, who runs Canopy Cat Rescue with his brother-in-law, he came the next morning. Linus was down within the hour.
“It was fast,” recalls Bitts. “Tom got up, and he was able to lean over and pet Linus. Then he said that Linus sort of walked around to him, so Tom cradled him under his arms and then, like a rock climber, he was down in seconds.”
Otto and his co-rescuer, Shaun Sears, are both rock climbers. They’re also certified arborists who run a separate company, Canopy Conservation, and both work as mountain guides on Mount Rainier in the summertime.
But the majority of what they do these days is rescue cats — for free.
At first, they charged a set rate for each rescue, but “folks would call and ask about the rate and get super depressed,” remembers Sears. Both he and Otto are animal lovers, and they just couldn’t stand the thought of cats remaining stuck in trees because no one could afford to get them down. So these days, they operate on donations.
After his rescue, Linus the cat (pictured here with mom Debbie), slept for two days. Today
“People pay if they can, but the majority of folks we do cat rescues for can’t pay anything,” says Sears. “If they’re completely broke, we’ll help them out.”
Sears and Otto estimate that they have rescued about 250 cats in the six years they’ve been at it. They work in the dark, in the rain and on holidays. They’ve even been known to save up to three cats a day.
Lots of treed cats eventually come down on their own, but there are plenty who can’t. “Cats' claws are curved, and they have very strong hind legs, which is great for climbing up, but makes it difficult to get down,” explains Dr. Rachel Robinson, a veterinarian in Redmond, Wash.
A nighttime cat rescue. Today
Canopy Cat Rescue handles stuck kitties all over the Puget Sound region. Sears, who lives in North Bend, Wash. usually covers the North Sound, while Otto, who lives in Olympia, has the South covered. They try to mesh their schedules so one of them is always available.
The two generally use a “big shot,” a slingshot-type tool that lets them get a weighted line up over a high branch in the tree. From there, they can pull a rope over the branch, Sears says. “We climb the rope as high as needed and then swing over to reach the cat.”
Amazingly, neither has ever been scratched during a rescue. “The bigger hazard is being peed on,” laughs Sears.
They’ve had their share of memorable rescues — Sears once saved a cat stuck under an overpass in downtown Seattle, and Otto cites a recent rescue, in below-freezing temperatures, where the cat nearly landed on his head.
“Once I got her, she was shivering cold, so I held her for a little bit,” he says. “Her body felt cold. It made me feel good about getting her.”
A cat rescue posted to Canopy Cat's Facebook page in November. Today
Sears and Otto regularly post rescue pictures on their Facebook page — frantic felines meowing for help and grateful kitties snuggling their heroes.
"The pictures inspire a lot of folks that there’s people who care enough to climb into a tree and rescue a cat, whether it’s Thanksgiving, or two in the morning," says Sears. "It lets people know that there are folks out there willing to help out cats."
And for pet owners like Bitts, Sears and Otto's dedication makes all the difference.
“They don’t have to do this," she says. "And they do it with smiles, for the whole thing. From beginning to end."Out of the small town of Tepanje, a team of three thinks it’s onto something with the ‘world’s first magnetic charging dock’
When you think of Slovenia, you don’t necessarily think about new types of tech. Heck, many Americans don’t have any impression of the country. But the local scene is strong and Drop Dock shows that there is a gadget market there that needs nurturing.
Starting their Kickstarter campaign this week, the company is marketing its magnetic charging dock. It is the latest in a long line of magnetic phone chargers hoping to grab a little market share from the far more ubiquitous cables and trending wireless chargers.
“The magnetic charging technology is something new to market and it works surprisingly well,” Co-founder Tini Podkubovšek told Geektime. “We are also working on magnetic cables.”
Podkubovšek has a background in mechanical engineering from the University of Maribor, located in Slovenia’s second largest city. The company was only founded last year and has moved quickly to get the charger onto the kickstarting platform. They’re a small team of three based in Tepanje, a small town some 60 kilometers outside the capital Ljubljana where you might expect to find the core of the country’s smaller tech community. Alongside Jernej Podkubovsek and Matic Bera, Podkubovšek has bootstrapped the effort thus far, using two of his dad’s CNC milling machines to help the effort.
But magnetic chargers? How do they work?
The dock works with iOS and Android via Apple’s lightning port or a micro-USB port. It also works with or without a case.
However, wireless or magnetic charging doesn’t work with every device. It’s heavily dependent on the hardware setup, whereas creating a magnetic field can in turn create an electric current in a coil built into newer phones.
That has led to a number of crowdfunding projects claiming to be the “world’s first” version of some form of magnetic charging. The biggest campaign around was Toronto-based ZNAPS, which is a magnetic adapter for different kinds of mobile chargers and garnered over $3 million in funding for a $120,000 goal. Welsh project Spooly claims to be the world’s first magnetic charging cables, although that line refers to the cable itself being magnetic, not using magnetic charging. The XVIDA Smartphone Mounting System completed its Kickstarter campaign just last week.
The wireless phone charging market will be valued at $33.6 billion by 2019 according to WinterGreen Research. That doesn’t touch on the growing charging market for other IoT devices.
“Magnetic connection helps you placing your phone on the drop dock, once the phone is needed again, you can instantly detach it with one hand, without having to lift or even touch the dock. Just grab and go.”
Tepanje might demonstrate how small the scene is in Slovenia. The country is pretty small, so going across it for business meetings or acceleration programs doesn’t necessitate moving around too much if you are trying to keep your base of operations in the country.
“The startup scene in Slovenia is actually pretty good. But [the] Slovenian market is very small, that is why we went to Kickstarter,” Podkubovšek said, reflecting a strategy many smaller startup ecosystems use to reach global markets. Besides the capital, there’s a growing tech scene in secondary cities Maribor and Novo Mesto. Some of the country’s more prominent successes that have joined foreign accelerators include DoubleRecall (Y Combinator), 2ndSight (Wayra), Toshl (500 Startups) and Zepppelin (Techstars). Others worth noting are Zemanta, Celtra and Vox.io.
Drop Dock has a number of combo packages, including mix-and-match styles for the dock itself as well as the type of charger (iOS or Android).
They have their manufacturer lined up hoping for $45,000 worth of orders. They still have 32 days to go but have 122 backers and over $8,000 worth of buys thus far. You can buy into the project here.By Jeff Gerth, ProPublica
During the Democratic debate last month, Hillary Clinton assured viewers she would be a president at least as tough on Wall Street as her main opponent for the nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders. She cited her history as “a progressive who likes to gets things done.” Sanders and others, she added, might be “missing the forest for the trees” by aiming at big banks alone and not the more risky shadow banking system.
Clinton also proudly recalled that while serving as U.S. senator from New York, she warned bankers early in the financial crisis about their dangerous practices.
“I went to Wall Street in December of 2007—before the big crash that we had,” Clinton said. “I basically said, ‘Cut it out! Quit foreclosing on homes! Quit engaging in these kinds of speculative behaviors.’”
An examination of her remarks to Wall Street in December 2007 and Clinton’s actions as a senator—a period when she had the best opportunity to translate her words into deeds—presents a more mixed picture of her record on the banking industry.
Clinton steered a middle ground in a 28-minute address to business executives gathered at an office of the Nasdaq Stock Market in New York’s Times Square on Dec. 5, 2007. In the event, she presented a detailed analysis of the burgeoning dangers in the housing market and its threat to the economy. (ProPublica obtained a video of the speech, which hasn’t previously been posted.)
Clinton gave a shoutout to her “wonderful donors” in the audience and asked the bankers to voluntarily suspend foreclosures and freeze interest rates on adjustable subprime mortgages. She praised Wall Street for its role in creating the nation’s wealth, then added that “too many American families are not sharing” in that prosperity.
She said the brewing economic troubles weren’t mainly the fault of banks, “not by a long shot,” but added they needed to shoulder responsibility for their role. While there was plenty of blame to go around for the spate of reckless lending, and while Wall Street may not have created the foreclosure crisis, it “certainly had a hand in making it worse” and “needs to help us solve it.”
Finally, Clinton said, if the banks didn’t take the voluntary steps she proposed, “I will consider legislation to address the problem.”
The lenders did not adopt Clinton’s proposals. During 2007 and 2008, when the housing market collapsed and while she was also running for president, the Democrats controlled the Senate. Of the 140 bills Clinton introduced during that period, five were related to housing finance or foreclosures, according to congressional records. Only one of those five secured any co-sponsors. No Senate committee took action on any of them, and they died without any further discussion.
When a broad housing bill finally became law in 2008, Clinton was not among the more than a dozen senators credited by party leaders as playing a key role.
Clinton also introduced a bill in 2008 to curb compensation of corporate executives. It too died without any co-sponsors.
In dealing with Wall Street, Clinton faced the same challenge as any lawmaker representing New York, where the financial industry includes not only constituents but campaign donors. Wall Street executives were the largest donors to both her 2006 Senate re-election bid and her 2008 presidential campaign. Employees of just eight banking firms gave $2.67 million to those campaigns, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit research group.
Clinton in 2007 publicly decried a tax break for hedge-fund and private-equity executives—and continues to do so in her current campaign. But she didn’t sign on as a supporter of a Senate bill that would have curbed the break.
As a senator, Clinton also had a brush with the shadow-banking world that she now describes as a continuing threat to the financial system. When AIG, the giant insurance company and poster child for lightly regulated finance, began to implode in September 2008, Clinton reached out to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who was involved in talks to rescue the firm with government funds. Her little-noticed overture came on behalf of some wealthy investors who stood to lose millions and had hired two longtime associates of the Clintons to represent them.
Brian Fallon, a spokesman for the Clinton campaign, declined to comment for this story. The Clinton campaign has issued a fact sheet detailing her record with Wall Street as a senator.
‘ Doesn’ t Run Amok ’
In Iowa last month, Clinton underscored the difference between fiery speeches and results when she told Democrats, “It’s not enough to just rail against Republicans or the billionaires.”
During the debate she had called for stronger regulatory oversight of the financial system and addressed the theme of income inequality that has powered the campaign of Sanders, who identifies himself a democratic socialist. “It’s our job to rein in the excesses of capitalism so it doesn’t run amok and doesn’t cause the kind of inequities that we’re seeing in our economic system,” she said.
Clinton’s campaign referenced her Senate record in a fact sheet issued a few days before the debate titled “Wall Street Should Work for Main Street.” It cited one bill, the executive compensation legislation that died. It also mentioned four press releases or speeches from 2007 and 2008—including a March 15, 2007, talk in which she proposed a series of housing initiatives and her call later that year for higher taxes on hedge fund executives.
Clinton had already hit the tax break in her new campaign. In April, during her first official appearance as a presidential candidate, she told students in a classroom for auto technology at an Iowa community college: “There’s something wrong when hedge fund managers pay lower taxes than the nurses or the truckers that I saw on I-80 as I was driving here.”
Her aides then told reporters she was referring to the so-called carried-interest loophole, which taxes compensation earned by private equity partners and hedge fund managers at a lower rate than ordinary earned income.
What they didn’t say was that Clinton never signed on to the bipartisan June 2007 bill that would have curbed the break. Her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, then-Sen. Barack Obama, became a co-sponsor on July 12. The next day Clinton gave a campaign speech criticizing the tax provision. Yet she still didn’t put her name to the legislation, according to records.
During Clinton’s first presidential campaign, her official campaign website gave short shrift to financial or housing matters. In April 2008, the section of the website called “Hillary on the Issues” listed 14 topics; none involved housing, mortgages, or Wall Street.
The bills she introduced dealt with some of the issues she raised in her speeches—including one aimed at making it easier for homeowners facing foreclosure to get their loans modified—but none of them advanced, records show. The only co-sponsor who joined any of them was fellow New York Sen. Charles Schumer, who signed on to a bill that would have helped veterans refinance their mortgages. That bill also died in committee without any action taken.
Meanwhile, the Senate moved forward on other bills with wider support. They eventually led to a sweeping housing and mortgage law signed by President Bush in July 2008. That legislation was voted on three times in the Senate in 2008, in addition to a few procedural votes related to the bill. Clinton missed votes in February and April, when she was running for president, but also missed votes in late June, after she had dropped out of the contest. On July 26, when the bill passed, Clinton was there to vote in support.
The bill’s main sponsor, Sen. Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, summarized the bill’s journey and, in a floor speech, praised 13 other senators for their help. Clinton’s name wasn’t among them.
‘Closed-Door Meetings’
At the debate last month, Clinton said her campaign plan for Wall Street oversight was tougher than the one proposed by Sanders, in part because it would go beyond making sure banks aren’t too big to fail. “We also have to worry about some of the other players—AIG, a big insurance company; Lehman Brothers, an investment bank. There’s this whole area called shadow banking. That’s where the experts tell me the next potential problem could come from,” she said.
Clinton didn’t need an expert to tell her about AIG.
On Sept. 18, 2008, as the government grappled with collapsing markets, Clinton took to the Senate floor. “After years of laissez-faire policies for the middle class, the Bush administration has acted on behalf of Wall Street, with the largest and most significant federal interventions in the history of our modern financial system,” she said. “The largest banks in the world could have closed-door meetings with the White House and the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department to discuss their bailout options, but millions of homeowners with mortgages worth more than their homes, or who are facing default and foreclosure, don’t have the same opportunity.”
A day before that speech, Clinton had quietly reached out to Paulson, Bush’s Treasury secretary, on behalf of some wealthy investors in AIG. The giant insurer had made bad bets on the mortgage market, couldn’t pay its debts, and faced imminent collapse. Shareholders were poised to lose billions if the company went bankrupt or was taken over by the government.
A review of Paulson’s calendars shows that he and Clinton talked on Sept. 17 and 20. In his book about the financial crisis, Paulson mentions just the first conversation, saying Clinton called on behalf of Mickey Kantor, a lawyer who represented a group interested in staving off AIG’s imminent collapse. The group’s investment banker, according to news accounts at the time, was Roger Altman. Kantor and Altman are longtime friends of Hillary Clinton and served as senior officials in her husband’s administration. Altman headed a secret energy task force for Clinton when she was in the Senate.
In Paulson’s account of his conversation with Clinton, Kantor represented a group of Middle East investors who were considering a bid for the insurer. Paulson quoted Clinton as saying the investors hoped to save the government from having to “do anything,” but Paulson said he told her any private solution would have to guarantee AIG’s billions of dollars in liabilities, a huge, if not impossible, hurdle.
But in an interview with ProPublica, Kantor said Paulson didn’t have it quite right in the book. Kantor said he was working on behalf of “major shareholders” in AIG, not Middle East investors. The shareholders he represented owned about 30 percent of AIG’s shares—one of them was Eli Broad, a Los Angeles billionaire, philanthropist, and friend of the Clintons. Kantor said he couldn’t remember whether he had sought Clinton’s help but said it was possible given their 40-year friendship. Kantor said he hoped to persuade Treasury his clients could raise enough money to “put the ship in order” but by the time Paulson and Clinton talked the Federal Reserve had concluded that a private rescue, at a cost of at least $75 billion, was not feasible.
With its stock in free fall, there was no private solution for AIG. The Treasury and the Fed feared that if AIG defaulted, the ripples might bring down the international banking system. By Sept. 22, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York was completing a rescue package that gave the government almost 80 percent of the company in return for a loan of $85 billion. As a result, private shareholders, including Kantor’s clients, lost most of the value of their stock holdings. The U.S. eventually earned a profit of almost $23 billion on its investment.
Paulson declined to comment, Altman did not return a phone call, and a spokesperson for Broad and his foundation didn’t respond to emails or phone calls.
More Bailouts
The most important action Clinton took related to the financial crisis may have been her vote in favor of the $700 billion bank stabilization plan, essentially a bailout of Wall Street. After a short but tumultuous debate, the Senate approved the Bush administration’s plan, known as TARP, on Oct. 1, 2008. Nine Democratic senators, 15 Republicans, and one independent (Sanders) voted no.
Clinton told the Senate during the debate: “For two years, I and others have called for action as wave after wave of defaults and foreclosures crashed against communities and the broader economy.” She called for an end to the “culture of recklessness in our financial markets endorsed by an ideology of indifference in Washington.”
The next day Clinton spoke to a New York City radio host and expanded on her support for TARP.
“I think that the banks of New York and our other financial institutions are probably the biggest winners in this,” she said, “which is one of the reasons why, at the end, despite my serious questions about it, I supported it.”
For more coverage of politics and lobbying, read ProPublica’s previous reporting on how Congress explains its absences, the insurance lobby’s pivot to Democrats and an FDA fix that may cure the drug industry more than the patients.RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Circuit Court on Thursday appointed openly gay Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Tracy Thorne-Begland to fill one of several vacancies on the city District Court, just one month after the state’s General Assembly rejected his nomination.
The action by the Circuit Court is a temporary solution until a permanent appointment can be voted on in the next session of Virginia’s General Assembly in January 2013.
GOP lawmakers in the Virginia House of Delegates, led by virulently anti-gay Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William), blocked the judicial nomination of Thorne-Begland, a Richmond prosecutor for the past 12 years.
The conservative group The Family Foundation and Marshall argued that Thorne-Begland’s sexual orientation would conflict with his ability to hold up the state’s constitution.
The appointment Thursday of Thorne-Begland by the Circuit Court judges has infuriated Marshall.
“I think it’s highly imprudent and arrogant on their part,” said Marshall. “I hope Virginia understands what’s going on here: They’re contesting the authority of the General Assembly here. … This is an act of defiance on their part. When appointed officials get in fights with elected officials, they invariably lose.”
State Sen. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico, Va.), who supported Thorne-Begland’s initial nomination, applauded the circuit court judges “for recognizing Mr. Thorne-Begland’s skill, qualifications and competency, and putting aside bigotry, prejudice and false excuses.”
“I have always had and continue to have the utmost confidence in Mr. Thorne-Begland’s ability to serve our community and I am gratified to see that the circuit court judges share my confidence,” McEachin said.
Earlier this week, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that leaders of Richmond’s five largest law firms had urged the city’s Circuit Court judges to appoint Thorne-Begland to the bench, acknowledging however that it would be an interim appointment, lasting only until the General Assembly reconvenes.
The House of Delgates blocked Thorne-Begland’s appointment in May by a wide margin.
Thorne-Begland received 33 votes, and 31 delegates voted against him. He needed a majority of the 100-member House — 51 votes — to secure the judgeship. Ten delegates abstained and 26 others did not vote.
Thorne-Begland, who lives with his partner and two adopted children, has been an outspoken advocate of LGBT rights, particularly following his discharge from the U.S. Navy in the early 1990s under the now repealed “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy.
He has also served as a board member of Equality Virginia, an LGBT advocacy organization.
This Story Filed UnderCoconut Cake is a beautiful tropical pony from the island of Haywaii. From sipping on a nice tropical drink, to playing in the ocean, and to even hanging out with her best friends, it’s always a good time with Coconut. She loves to make coconut cakes, and resides on the top floor of her cake shop.
A place where you wanna go and get away from it all!About 2 weeks ago, after viewing my CMC and OC picture, asked if I could draw her OC Coconut Cake.I thought she looked cute, so I told her after I get back from south Florida, I would then work on it.Then we just talked for the rest of the night about random stuff.From the Beach Boys to Driving tests.Speaking of the Beach Boys, when I first looked at the reference that she gave me of her, I had an instant vision of her chilling out on a chair under a coconut tree with a tropical drink melting in her hoof.That's exactly the order of how I thought of the image in my head. When I got to the line "Tropical drink melting in her hoof" it instantly reminded me of that one Beach Boys song called Kokomo.......one of my favorites from them!There's one lyric in the song that goes "Tropical drink melting in your hand." It's very similar to that thought.And so that was the "Motivational Tune" that I kept listening to while drawing this, and man did it take a while with the plants, but it was fun anyway!It's almost like her song, since she seems very laid-back and relaxed as well as the sound of that particular Beach Boys song.Why don't I put a link to it here so we can listen to it while looking at this art?Sounds like a good idea! ----> www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIieHL… Hope you enjoy this art Kagome! It was a lot of fun drawing it!MLP:FiM is owned by HasbroNo copyright infringement intended.SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc’s quarterly results beat Wall Street’s expectations as the Internet search giant expanded its mobile and overseas businesses while keeping ad-rate declines in check, sending its shares to a record high.
A Google logo is seen at the entrance to the company's offices in Toronto in this file photo taken September 5, 2013. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/Files
The market reaction put Google’s stock within striking distance of $1,000, following what analysts said was a strong, but not spectacular quarter.
Shares of the world’s No.1 Internet search engine jumped 8 percent to $959.65 in after-hours trading on Thursday, after it reported a 23 percent rise in revenue from its Internet business, excluding fees paid to partners, of $10.8 billion in the third quarter.
“Expectations going into earnings were a little muted,” said Needham & Co analyst Kerry Rice. “They did what they needed to do to impress investors.”
Google’s business, like rivals Facebook Inc and Yahoo Inc, has come under pressure as more consumers access its online services on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, where advertising rates are lower than on PCs.
The average cost-per-click - the price that marketers pay Google when consumers click on their ads - decreased 8 percent during the third quarter, deepening the 6 percent price erosion that Google experienced in the second quarter.
But the total amount of paid clicks increased 26 percent year-on-year during the three months ended September 30, the highest rate of growth in one year.
“That’s the key story, their ad volume growth is outpacing the decline in cost-per-clicks,” said JMP Securities analyst Ronald Josey.
Roughly 40 percent of the traffic to |
South Wales Police Authority was funded by a formula based on need, which took into account special events. "All local authorities including police authorities should manage their resources as effectively and efficiently as possible," said the spokesman. "The minister will monitor carefully budget setting in the coming weeks and does not expect authorities to seek unreasonable council tax increases from the already hard pressed householder. "The minister will consider using the capping powers available to him in the event of excessive budget increases". The Liberal Democrat local government spokesman Peter Black said the assembly government should meet Ms Wilding "half way" to resolve the issue. "Both the Home Office and the assembly government are underfunding our local police forces," he said. South Wales Central AM Chris Franks criticised Ms Wilding's threat to stop policing the M4 as "frankly astonishing". 'Free up the police' The Plaid Cymru AM added: "It might be a good headline grabbing comment but is it responsible for the most senior police officer in south Wales to do that? "The reluctance of councillors on the police authority to accept demands for a 9.8% council tax rise might disappoint the chief constable. However, to lash out in such an intemperate manner is very unhelpful." Meanwhile, Ms Wilding's calls for dedicated traffic officers were echoed by the assembly's enterprise and learning committee. Committee chairman Gareth Jones AM said Wales' two major corridors in its road network - the A55, and the M4 in the south - were vulnerable to congestion. Any such jams went onto have "worrying social and economic impacts", he said.
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StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionThe young attacker has caught the eye of many a manager, including Sir Alex Ferguson, with the Red Devils boss seemingly scouting the player in person last weekend against Lyon
Eden Hazard has admitted that he is excited by the interest shown in him by Manchester United, after Sir Alex Ferguson made the trip to France to see the Lille starlet in action over the weekend.
The Red Devils boss attended the Ligue 1 club’s 2-1 defeat away at Lyon to check on the progress of the talented Belgian, who has caught the eye of many Premier League sides.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has also made no secret of his desire to bring the 21-year-old to England.
Hazard, who has scored 11 times in 27 appearances so far this season, concedes that he is likely to move onto an English club when the time is right and that the interest shown by United excites him, but insists that he must keep focus on his duties with Lille.
The Belgium international told La Voix du Nord: “Of course [United interest me], this is a club that excites everyone, but for now my focus is on Lille.
“But yes, it is a pleasure to be watched by one of the best coaches in the world, if not the best.”
Manchester United are 11/4 with Bet365 to qualify for the next stage of the Europa League by coming from behind in their second-leg clash with Athletic Bilbao on Thursday.
Want to be at the Euro 2012 opener? Who doesn't? With Sharp FanLabs you can win free tickets to the opening event of 2012's biggest tournament. Click here to take part!Screenshot via YouTube There's a new Mazda MX-5, known more colloquially as the "Miata," on the block. The latest generation of the beloved roadster is set to arrive in the third quarter of this year.
A quarter-century after its introduction, the frisky little drop-top has been steadily improved. It's gotten bigger and faster. But how much faster?
Mazda decided to find out, pitting a first-generation MX-5 against the latest model and filming the excitement. A pair of endurance racers were recruited: Jade Paveley to pilot the 1990 Miata; and Owen Mildenhall to helm the new MX-5.
The earliest Miata managed only 116 horsepower. With a larger engine, the new MX-5 cranks out 155. At a race track in Spain, Mazda's thinking was that such a power differential translates into 4 seconds, so that's how much of a head start Paveley got.
Would she be able to hold her lead?Atolia was the richest tungsten mine in the world that now stands in ruins. Despite that, Atolia has a very interesting story. Atolia is a ghost town in a Mojave desert near Randsburg in San Bernardino County. You can see Atolia driving down hwy 395.
Atolia story begins in 1903 when Charles Taylor and Tom McCarty, discovered the tungsten deposits and shipped a carload of ore to Germany to be processed. They made a nice amount of money and in 1906 were bought out by E. B. Degolia and Mr. Atkins. Atkins and Degolia became area mining operators and they put up the first mill here in 1907. The town's name Atolia derives from a combination of names of its two founders Atkins and Degolia, hence Atolia.
The Atolia Mining Company produced close to $100,000 worth of ore in 1906, their first year of operation. By 1913, just 7 years later, they had produced $1,000,000 worth of ore. The town’s boom time were the years during World War I. The Atolia mine had a payroll of $60,000 per month and between the years of 1916 and 1918, nearly $10 million was produced, making it the richest tungsten mine in the world. All of the things a miner could need could be found in the town’s four restaurants, drug store, three general stores, three rooming houses, four pool rooms, two stationary stores, ice cream parlor, garage, three butcher shops, miscellaneous stores and picture show. There was even a new school house for 60 pupils and a newspaper to keep the citizens informed.
Atolia's biggest year was 1916, as the value of tungsten was skyrocketing. Doubling its production again, the Atolia Mining Company produced 108,000 units of ore at $33 a unit for a total of over three and a half million dollars. Atolia's population grew rapidly accounting for over 2000 residents.
"Eastern manufacturers sent buyers to Atolia to bid on tungsten ore like bushels of wheat or cotton, with prices for small amounts of high grade ore, in at least one instance, reaching $90 a unit. The buyers didn't ask too many questions as to where the tungsten came from, as highgrading was all too common. However, miners were watched as if they were mining South African diamonds; lunch pails were inspected daily, and ore was sealed before shipment by rail. Tungsten had become a precious metal ".
Water was also very precious commodity in Atolia. Ironically it was shipped from near by town, Hinkley. Why is it ironic?..... well because most of you remember "Erin Brockovich" the movie and a town with a poison water. That town was Hinkley, almost 100 later after PG&E polluted Hinkley's ground water. A tank car of water shipped from Hinkley to Atolia cost between $15 and $28. The water was shipped from Hinkley till 1917, when the Randsburg Water Company pipeline reached Atolia, the mining company was doing it's best to conserve water and even caught rainfall with gutters on every building.
"People in the Randsburg area made thousands of dollars from tungsten overnight. One S. E. Vermilyea purchased a lease for $2,000 and worried that he'd never recover his initial investment. Three days later he hit high grade ore and refused an offer of $25,000. A canvas bag the size of a shopping bag filled with high grade scheelite float was worth $350. Even children gathered the ore and made big money".
This opportunity was huge but unfortunately, it did not last. In 1917 the Atolia Mining Company sold 116,000 units, 8,000 more than it produced in 1916. Although this was worth more than two million dollars, this represented a loss of one and a half million dollars over what the same amount would have brought in 1916. The price of tungsten had dropped to $18 a unit and Atolia's boom was on a decline.
"Atolia tungsten production for 1918 was $1,525,000 from 61,000 units of ore at $25 a unit, and in 1919, when only 4,000 units were sold at $16 a unit, the Atolia boom was over. The next year the Atolia Mining Company didn't ship a single unit of ore".
With the end of World War I the demand for tungsten diminished, not to mention that tungsten was inexpensively mined and shipped from China, sounds familiar, isn't it? People started to move away from Atolia, businesses would close and a town began to fade in history.
Atolia now stands in ruins. The town does not have any residents. There is a sing "Private Property" and it seems according to public records that the site is under BLM control. If you want to explore the area, go ahead, no one will stop you. However, please don't litter, no camp fires and no graffiti, please respect and help to preserve our mining history.
References:
"Atolia -Randsburg Tungsten Boom": http://mojavedesert.net/desert-fever/atolia-randsburg.html
"The Mojave Desert" http://cali49.com/mojave/2013/10/17/atolia-cal
miners cabin
inside miners cabin
open floor plan
what about that couch?
How about that master bedroom
mill building
Mill Building Interior
What’s left of the very large Joshua Hendy Ball Mill.
Assay laboratory building office
Exhaust hoods are always good to have when playing with toxic chemicals.
Merry Christmas! from downtown Atolia!
Article and photography by Natasha PetrosovaWITNESS AND CELEBRATE NASA’S FUTURE
Author Ray Bradbury died Tuesday, June 5, 2012, at the age of 91. According to the Los Angeles Times, as the author of more than 27 novels and story collections, "most famously 'The Martian Chronicles,' 'Fahrenheit 451,' 'Dandelion Wine' and 'Something Wicked This Way Comes,' and more than 600 short stories, Bradbury has frequently been credited with elevating the often maligned reputation of science fiction." Bradbury wrote the following essay in 2000 for the NASA Art Program.Why does NASA exist?Why doexist?Why does life exist upon this strange and lonely planet?How did we arrive and for what reason?An age-old question. One that each of us at one time or another has asked.Each time the Universe responds with silence.NASA stands before that silence and probes that mystery.We stand with NASA in response to the incredible miracle of impossible life on an insensate world.We move back to a Moon that we wish we had never deserted. We move onward to Mars to establish a base and then a community and finally a miniature civilization on its enigmatic soil.All this will be done not as a technological fear, a military exercise, or as a display of human vanity.We do it because NASA has realized that the Universe which extends for billions of light years in all directions is meaningless unless--Unless what?Unless there are observers and caretakers of that stunning interstellar display.The Universeto be noticed, to be seen, and dutifully noted.What use all those incredible firework dimensions if no eye fixes and reflects, no brain takes notes, no heart moves with passion at the display?NASA answers the silent cry of the Cosmos for recognition.NASA is the witness and we fellow witnesses to the endless deeps.NASA’s activities are "our" activities. The purpose of life on Earth is to see, to know, and to tell what the Cosmos has to offer. Without us human beings, without NASA, the Universe would be unseen, unknown, untouched. A mindless abyss of stars ask to be discovered.So NASA in the coming years will be chief witness and we as fellow observers, celebrants to the cause. NASA and we have been given the job by genetic accident and surprise of crying Lo! to an unsolvable territory.NASA and we do this to see, to know, and to prevail. Life one day on Earth will vanish through intemperate heat or cold. We prepare ourselves for the Time of Going Away to other worlds, to other stars.Why? Because we love and value this life and living that has been given to us. Ours the obligation and to see and know and try to understand. First then, the Moon, then threshold Mars, and one far future day to landfall some world adrift near Alpha Centauri.Can NASA do this? Can we run tandem with NASA and live forever or a million years, whichever comes first?We can, we will, we(WARNING: This article presents a significantly simplified taxonomy. Further, there are many meta-ethical views within Christianity; this article is incompatible with some of those views, including Divine Command Theory and moral absolutism.)
Until confronted with moral dilemmas, right decisionmaking — after we untangle our interests — seems pretty straightforward.
Like this guy. One happy fellow, playing his guitar:
And when we’re no longer “in dilemma,” we can forget about the complexity of morality, and revert to this “straightforward” / “common sense” / “plain to see” / “easy” falsity.
But it turns out that our moral practice is — roughly — a trio of three guitarists, all playing at the same time.
Red is all about the rules. He represents moral stipulations that you’ve been taught, or that you’ve “red,” or what have you.
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is all about the rules. He represents moral stipulations that you’ve been taught, or that you’ve “red,” or what have you. Green is all about seeking goals in service of all sorts of interests. But that’s not all; he’s also clumsy. Very clumsy. In the day-to-day, we’re rather inadequate at forecasting the innumerable consequences of each action we take. But, Green tries his darndest.
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is all about seeking goals in service of all sorts of interests. But that’s not all; he’s also clumsy. clumsy. In the day-to-day, we’re rather inadequate at forecasting the innumerable consequences of each action we take. But, Green tries his darndest. Blue is all about intuition; his feelings and gut-reactions to moral situations. His moral force is powered by direct appeals to conviction, disgust, anger, felt affection, etc.
A Beautiful Song…
For the most part, the three musicians play together very nicely.
Even if one musician rests while another plays, it sounds good.
Even if one musician plays a major and another its relative minor, it sounds pretty neat as a minor seventh.
… Usually
But sometimes, one musician plays a radically mismatched chord vs. the other two.
And it sounds terrible.
In other words, sometimes the gut and the clumsy goal-seeking go way against the rules. Sometimes the clumsy goal-seeking goes against both the rules and the gut. And sometimes the rules and clumsy goal-seeking are allied, but the gut dissents.
Judging the Musicians
So when one musician is out of sync, how do we figure out if he’s right to be out of sync?
To explore this question, let’s examine the three out-of-sync dilemmas in the abstract.
Red Out of Sync
This is when a common moral rule seems very counterproductive according to Green (clumsy goal-seeking) and Blue (gut intuition).
Maybe Red is wrong. It may be that times, culture, or circumstances have changed so that the rule is no longer useful.
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. It may be that times, culture, or circumstances have changed so that the rule is no longer useful. But maybe Red is right. It may be that the rule remains good, but the ways by which the rule is useful are very difficult to understand or untangle, and the gut and clumsy goal-seeking fail to ascertain them.
Green Out of Sync
This is when clumsy goal-seeking feels wrong and violates the common rules. The tension here is whether the person can be certain enough in his goal-driven analysis that he can say, “I’ve gotta do it anyway.”
Maybe Green is wrong. The forecast was incorrect.
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Example: You live in poverty and your family is very hungry. You see an opportunity to steal some groceries. You do not notice a plainclothes officer nearby, who will arrest you if you do; you will then be put in prison, and your family will be even worse off.
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And this is just considering the interests of you and your family. Ideally our actions are in the best interests of our other relationships and even the world at large. Perhaps you won’t go to prison, but your theft will damage other people irreparably through unforeseen butterfly effects. And perhaps it may do damage to your own conscience, setting you on a dark path that ends in ruin.
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You are not omniscient. You cannot know about every detail of your circumstances and what exhaustively will come of your actions. This is what makes your forecasting clumsy. The rules tell you not to steal, your feelings tell you not to steal, and even though your clumsy goal-seeking says to steal, you’d be best — here — to ignore it.
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. The forecast was incorrect. Example: You live in poverty and your family is very hungry. You see an opportunity to steal some groceries. You do not notice a plainclothes officer nearby, who will arrest you if you do; you will then be put in prison, and your family will be even worse off. And this is just considering the interests of you and your family. Ideally our actions are in the best interests of our other relationships and even the world at large. Perhaps you won’t go to prison, but your theft will damage other people irreparably through unforeseen butterfly effects. And perhaps it may do damage to your own conscience, setting you on a dark path that ends in ruin. You are not omniscient. You cannot know about every detail of your circumstances and what exhaustively will come of your actions. This is what makes your forecasting clumsy. The rules tell you not to steal, your feelings tell you not to steal, and even though your clumsy goal-seeking says to steal, you’d be best — here — to ignore it. But maybe Green is right. The forecast, though clumsy, is indeed correct.
Blue Out of Sync
The rule says “do it,” the decision analysis says “do it,” but it feels wrong anyway; the gut says, “No, don’t!”
Maybe Blue is wrong. The intuition is molded and crafted by experience, but that doesn’t make it impeccable — in fact, it’s largely driven by momentum and unconscious “preprogrammed” feelings of disgust, loss-aversive fear, righteous indignation, and even vengeance without fruitfulness. Good decisions can yet rub it the wrong way.
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. The intuition is molded and crafted by experience, but that doesn’t make it impeccable — in fact, it’s largely driven by momentum and unconscious “preprogrammed” feelings of disgust, loss-aversive fear, righteous indignation, and even vengeance without fruitfulness. Good decisions can yet rub it the wrong way. But maybe Blue is right. The rule is counterproductive (perhaps outdated, or should have been regarded as context-constrained) and the clumsy analysis was incorrect. Thankfully the intuition had been molded and crafted by experience to rebel against both the official rules and the incorrect analysis (clumsily performed).
The Common Denominator
Let’s simplify the above to answer our earlier question.
When Red is out of sync, Red is right when the rule is useful ( beneficial and constructive ).
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is out of sync, is when the rule is useful ( ). When Red is out of sync, Red is wrong when the rule isn’t useful ( beneficial and constructive ).
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is out of sync, is when the rule isn’t useful ( ). When Green is out of sync, Green is right when the analysis (albeit clumsy) is correct. (The analysis measured benefit and constructiveness.)
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is out of sync, is when the analysis (albeit clumsy) is correct. (The analysis measured.) When Green is out of sync, Green is wrong when the analysis is incorrect. (The analysis measured benefit and constructiveness.)
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is out of sync, is when the analysis is incorrect. (The analysis measured.) When Blue is out of sync, Blue is right when the rule isn’t useful ( beneficial and constructive ) and the clumsy analysis (which measured benefit and constructiveness ) was incorrect; thankfully, the intuition’s formative experience and other “preprogramming” raised warning flags.
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is out of sync, is when the rule isn’t useful ( ) and the clumsy analysis (which measured ) was incorrect; thankfully, the intuition’s formative experience and other “preprogramming” raised warning flags. When Blue is out of sync, Blue is wrong when the intuition’s limited formative experience and other “preprogramming” yields a gut-feeling contrary to usefulness ( benefit and constructiveness ).
See the pattern?
It’s consequence. Consequence is schematically “king.” We know this because it is the common judge against which all the musicians are measured.
A rule is bad when it makes things worse.
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is bad when it makes things worse. A prospective analysis is bad when it through erroneous forecasting makes things worse.
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is bad when it through erroneous forecasting makes things worse. One’s intuition is bad when it bends toward making things worse.
Let’s call “consequence as schematic ‘king'” CASK for short.
The Danger of Pure Consequentialism
As we’ve talked about several times, pure consequentialism can be dangerous. CASK can be true, but Green is still a clumsy analyzer.
We are not equipped for pure consequentialism; we are clumsy.
A practical adoption of pure consequentialism has us pitiful, clumsy humans deferring to Green every time, foolishly hoping that Green is a perfect “oracle” for CASK.
But as we’ve seen above, Green can be wrong.
Conflation of CASK and “always defer to Green” is a modal scope fallacy, and — tragically — fosters doubt in CASK.
The Danger of Deontology
But it’s also horrible to proclaim that the rules are schematically “king,” as if “Do this and not that” is the fabric of moral decisionmaking. It isn’t. Rather, rules are very useful ways of helping to guide us pitiful, clumsy humans to good decisions.
Rules are tools. And Red can be incorrect — or become incorrect over time, as circumstances change.
As Emergent Patterns
These strategies — rules, robust character guides called “virtues,” clumsy goal-seeking, and gut intuitions — emerge when CASK collides with the “real world” of human limitations.
When we recognize them as emergent from CASK — and not “more fundamental” than CASK — things make a whole lot more sense.
Deontology, the idea that rules are the schematic “king” of meta-ethics, is misguided; rules emerge as useful under CASK.
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It surprises us that Red and Green can “fight” so much, given this emergence. But it shouldn’t; this surprise is a product only of the aforementioned modal scope fallacy. Red and Green can fight all day; only the referee of true consequence — something to which we humans have limited access — can judge the winner.
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, the idea that are the schematic “king” of meta-ethics, is misguided; emerge as useful under. It surprises us that and can “fight” so much, given this emergence. But it shouldn’t; this surprise is a product only of the aforementioned modal scope fallacy. and can fight all day; only the — something to which we humans have limited access — can judge the winner. Similarly, moral intuition is not the schematic “king” of meta-ethics. It likewise emerges from CASK, through both genetic and memetic evolutionary patterns.
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It surprises us that Blue and Green can “fight” so much, given this emergence. But it shouldn’t. Blue is a bit “stuck in the past” due to how it’s made, and Green makes clumsy guesses about the future. It stands to reason they’d be prone to argument.
Retaliation as an Emergent Pattern
There are other patterns that emerge as well.
One of the biggest relates to justified moral reaction.
Under CASK, a justified moral reaction (to some bad thing) ideally has three missions: Repairing the situation, repairing the person, and repairing the institution.
The situation was such that the transgressor was free to transgress and hurt others. Attempt to repair that situation by restricting that person.
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The person needs to learn — convincingly — not to transgress anymore. Attempt to repair the person by whatever means are most feasible and practical.
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Society as an institution seems to be producing people who behave this way. Attempt to repair the institution by going after institutional cofactors, like domestic abuse, poverty, and lack of education and mentoring guidance. (One very common play at institutional repair is to overpunish people for its deterring effect… but we’d hope to find a better way.)
It goes without saying that if all of these missions were “easy” for us, we’d do them with every transgressor, and with no rational hesitation.
But they aren’t easy for us. They’re really hard.
And thousands of years ago, they were even harder.
It’s not easy to restrict a person when you have no secure prisons and a lack of sufficient infrastructure to sustain prisoners indefinitely and humanely.
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It’s not easy to repair a person. Even to this day, our most common remedial response is “put them in a prison for a long while and see if that teaches them a lesson.”
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And it’s not easy to repair an institution. It’s especially difficult when people’s views of culpability view institutional repair as “excuse-making” and dismiss the exercise entirely.
So, what happens when the “three missions” are incredibly difficult, but correct under CASK?
For beings that aren’t very developed — either in terms of biology or civilization — this “rough approximation” is remarkably optimal (as compromise between “CASK” & “doable”).
It’s so optimal that we see it baked-in to the intuitions of birds, fish, dogs, and a host of other animals.
(After all, that highly complicated network of causes and effects is vaguely triangle-like.)
But this — purely retributive justice, “just deserts,” lex talionis, etc. — isn’t the schematic “king.” This isn’t really how morality “works” underneath.
Retaliation is just a crayon-drawn approximation of silicon circuitry. It’s an emergent result of CASK being confronted by the complexity and challenge of the real world, which includes our amazing-and-pathetic (depending on your reference point) brains.
And as human civilization “grows up,” we should be graduating more and more toward a more nuanced and difficult understanding of justified moral reaction, even including decisions that come at personal cost for a better, greater good.
More Reading
“The Fourfaced Writ.” A thought experiment that shows us how, under Christianity, the New Covenant points us to greater recognition of CASK with the goal of loving others.
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A thought experiment that shows us how, under Christianity, the New Covenant points us to greater recognition of with the goal of loving others. “The Angelic Ladder.” How one’s place on the “ladder” — the degree to which a person or a people-group is truth-aware, altruistic, and good at forecasting — determines one’s allowed moral freedom (even as this freedom comes with New burdens).
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How one’s place on the “ladder” — the degree to which a person or a people-group is truth-aware, altruistic, and good at forecasting — determines one’s allowed moral freedom (even as this freedom comes with New burdens). “Omniscient Prole Dilemmas.” Certain thought experiments will try to convince you that CASK is untenable by granting you CASK -knowledge in a situation, then watching you squirm with resultant Red / Blue dissension. These hypotheticals are loaded garbage. The answer against these people is, “Give me a hypothetical with Clumsy Green instead of CASK, and I’ll tell you what I’d do.”The Helga Pictures are a series of more than 240 paintings and drawings of German model Helga Testorf (born c. 1933[1][2] or c. 1939[3][4]) created by Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009) between 1971 and 1985.
Creation [ edit ]
Helga Testorf was a neighbor of Wyeth's in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and over the course of fifteen years posed for Wyeth indoors and out of doors, nude and clothed, in attitudes that reminded writers of figures painted by Botticelli and Édouard Manet.[2][5] To John Updike, her body "is what Winslow Homer's maidens would have looked like beneath their calico."[6]
Born in Germany, Helga entered a Prussian Protestant convent chosen by her father in 1955. After becoming seriously ill she left the convent and lived in Mannheim, where she studied to be a nurse and a masseuse.[3] In 1957, she met John Testorf, a German-born, naturalized American citizen, whom she married in 1958.[3] By 1961 they were living in Philadelphia, where she worked in a tannery, but they soon moved to Chadds Ford.[3] There she raised a family that would grow to include four children,[7] and acted as caretaker to farmer Karl Kuerner, an elderly neighbor who was a friend and model for Wyeth.[4]
Wyeth asked Testorf to model for him in 1971, and from then until 1985 he made 45 paintings and 200 drawings of her, many of which depicted her nude. The sessions were a secret even to their spouses.[8] The paintings were stored at the home of his student, neighbor and good friend, Frolic Weymouth.
Aftermath [ edit ]
Lovers (1981) (1981)
Explaining the series, Wyeth said, "The difference between me and a lot of painters is that I have to have a personal contact with my models.... I have to become enamored. Smitten. That's what happened when I saw Helga."[9] He described his attraction to "all her German qualities, her strong, determined stride, that Loden coat, the braided blond hair".[10] Art historian John Wilmerding wrote, "Such close attention by a painter to one model over so long a period of time is a remarkable, if not singular, circumstance in the history of American art".[1] For art critic James Gardner, Testorf "has the curious distinction of being the last person to be made famous by a painting".[9]
When the existence of the pictures was made public images of Testorf graced the covers of both Time and Newsweek magazines.[7][11] Testorf, although flattered by the paintings, was upset by the publicity and controversy they provoked.[7] Although Wyeth denied that there had been a physical relationship with Testorf, the secrecy surrounding the sessions and public speculation of an affair created a strain in the Wyeths' marriage.[12]
Well after the paintings were finished, Testorf remained close to Wyeth and helped care for him in his old age.[4] In a 2007 interview, when Wyeth was asked if Helga was going to be present at his 90th birthday party, he said, "Yeah, certainly. Oh, absolutely," and went on to say, "She's part of the family now. I know it shocks everyone. That's what I love about it. It really shocks 'em."[13]
Exhibitions and ownership [ edit ]
In 1986, Philadelphia publisher and millionaire Leonard E.B. Andrews (1925–2009) purchased almost the entire collection, preserving it intact. Wyeth had already given a few Helga paintings to friends, including the famous Lovers, which had been given as a gift to Wyeth's wife.[14] [15] The works were exhibited at the National Gallery of Art in 1987 and in a nationwide tour.[16] There was extensive criticism of both the 1987 exhibition and the subsequent tour.[15] The show was "lambasted" as an “absurd error” by John Russell and an “essentially tasteless endeavor” by Jack Flam, coming to be viewed by some people as "a traumatic event for the museum."[15] The curator, Neil Harris, labeled the show “the most polarizing National Gallery exhibition of the late 1980s,” himself admitting concern over "the voyeuristic aura of the Helga exhibition."[17]
The tour was criticized after the fact because, after it ended, the pictures' owner sold his entire cache to a Japanese company, a transaction characterized by Christopher Benfey as "crass."[15]
List of works [ edit ]
Tempera on panel:
Letting Her Hair Down (1972)
(1972) Sheepskin (1973)
(1973) Braids (1977)
(1977) Farm Road (1979)
(1979) Day Dream (1980)
(1980) Night Nurse (1995)
Drybrush and/or watercolor on paper:
Black Velvet (1972)
(1972) The Prussian (1973)
(1973) In the Orchard (several versions, 1973–85)
(several versions, 1973–85) Seated by a Tree (1973, other versions from 1973 and 1982)
(1973, other versions from 1973 and 1982) Crown of Flowers (1974)
(1974) Loden Coat (1975)
(1975) Easter Sunday (1975; a non-Helga watercolor also bears this title)
(1975; a non-Helga watercolor also bears this title) Barracoon (1976; a non-Helga tempera also bears this title)
(1976; a non-Helga tempera also bears this title) On Her Knees (1977)
(1977) Drawn Shade (1977)
(1977) Overflow (1978)
(1978) Walking In Her Cape Coat (1979)
(1979) Night Shadow (1979)
(1979) Pageboy (1980)
(1980) Knapsack (two versions, both 1980)
(two versions, both 1980) Lovers (1981)
(1981) From the Back (two versions, both 1981)
(two versions, both 1981) In the Doorway (three versions, all 1981)
(three versions, all 1981) Cape Coat (1982)
(1982) Campfire (two versions, both 1982)
(two versions, both 1982) Sun Shield (1982)
(1982) Flotation Device (1984)
(1984) Autumn (1984)
(1984) Refuge (1985)
(1985) Red Sweater (1987)
(1987) Helga's Back (1991)
(1991) Barefoot (1992)
(1992) Uphill (1999)
(1999) Gone (2002)
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]Dear Editor,
Viral infections such as HIV and HCV have a serious negative effect on the health of injecting drug users (IDUs) in Iran (1-4). Two recent studies in Tehran, Iran have shown that HCV prevalence was between 52%-80% among IDUs (5, 6). Furthermore, many IDUs might be infected with HIV and/or HCV in the earlier stages of their injection career, long before reaching therapeutic programs (7). As a result, simultaneous therapy of drug injecting and viral infections among IDUs is a medical priority. Opium tincture is a culturally acceptable alternative to medications such as methadone in some parts of south-east Asia and it is perceived as a traditional medicine for opioid detoxification and relieving opioid withdrawal symptoms. In some countries, however, the cost of methadone maintenance therapy is a barrier to its widespread use. One response to this problem has been the use of opium tincture as a less expensive substitution treatment. In recent years, maintenance therapy with opium tincture has been introduced in Iran as a new strategy to treat drug use problem among IDUs. In Myanmar, opium tincture has been known as an inexpensive pharmaceutical product which is as effective as methadone in treating opioid use problem (8). A study on opium-dependent patients has confirmed long-term positive therapeutic outcomes with opium tincture among opium-dependent patients (9). Somogyi and colleagues (2008) evaluated the clinical effectiveness of using different doses of opium tincture in the management of opioid withdrawal in a sample of 45 opium-dependent subjects and confirmed the effectiveness of opium tincture in the management of opioid withdrawal symptom with minimal adverse effects by using flexible dosing (10). A report by Natpratan (1996) showed that opium tincture was effective in treating opium dependence and contributed to managing drug abuse and HIV infection (8). In a study on a culturally-French environment that methadone was not available, buprenorphine and opium tincture were used in a group of 18 male and female opioid-dependent subjects during 14 months of treatment. The study results showed that body weight, physical and psychological health, socio-professional status and family relationships significantly improved in subjects after 14 months of using opium tincture (11). In Iran, opium use has a long history (12) but recently, seizures of heroin use have increased in Iran (13). Heroin seizures and heroin injection in Iran have contributed to making extreme efforts by policy makers and health providers to interrupt injection practices by widely implementing buprenorphine and methadone maintenance therapies (14-16). In 2010, the government of Iran also authorized the use of opium tincture as a main part of expanding maintenance therapies for opioid users especially IDUs. The expansion was approved after a pilot project was evaluated by the Iranian government (17). There is a strong body of evidence supporting buprenorphine and maintenance therapies for treating IDUs. As part of an international multicenter longitudinal cohort study with opioid maintenance therapy during 2003-2005, methadone maintenance therapy was administered to 127 opioid-dependent patients (65 were IDUs) in Tehran and the cases were followed for 6 months. A considerable reduction in using heroin and other opiates was reported by |
for sympathy and ask, ‘Why us?’ ” said the general manager. “But you have to remember that good teams find ways to win.”
Except the Capitals, otherwise a good team. (1987)
For many Washingtonians, the Caps long ago ceased to be a mere hockey team. They’re turning into the stuff of larger legend. Each spring they surpass themselves in ritual suffering. You laugh because crying seems excessive. But nobody deserves this sort of annual embarrassment. Yet nobody knows how to stop it. (1995)
Pull the covers back over your face. Get back in that ball. And don’t set the alarm. When you wake up, eventually, it’ll all be the same as it ever was. (2017)
Bibliography. (All stories come from The Washington Post.)
Gildea, William. (1989, April 16.) “Capitals are missing indefinable something; Latest collapse proves talent only goes so far.”
Steinberg, Dan. (2010, April 28.) “Caps lose Game 7, D.C. fans suffer again.”
Fachet, Robert. (1986, April 29.) “Picking up the Pieces and Looking Ahead; Capitals, With Mind on Cup, Overlooked Matter at Hand.”
Gildea, William. (2000, April 23.) “They Were Just a Shooter Short.”
Boswell, Thomas. (1986, April 29.) “Capitals Should Digest Some Humility.”
Kornheiser, Tony. (1996, April 30.) “It’s a Gag We’ve Heard Before.”
Carrera, Katie. (2012, May 12.) “Washington Capitals fall to N.Y. Rangers in Game 7.”
Boswell, Thomas. (2013, May 14.) “Washington Capitals’ playoff exit: A tradition that’s getting old.”
Boswell, Thomas. (2011, May 6.) “It’s time for the Caps to trade their road map for a new GPS.”
Boswell, Thomas. (2003, April 21.) “After Meltdown, a Familiar Letdown.”
Wise, Mike. (2013, May 14.) “Capitals stars no longer young, certainly outgunned.”
El-Bashir, Tarik. (2010, April 29.) “Top-seeded Washington Capitals knocked out of Stanley Cup playoffs by eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens.)
Frey, Jennifer. (1996, April 29.) “The Song Remains The Same.”
Wise, Mike. (2010, April 29.) “Mike Wise on the Washington Capitals’ stunning loss to the Montreal Canadiens.”
Wilbon, Michael. (1992, May 3.) “No Choking This Time: The Better Team Won.”
Steinberg, Dan. (2016, May 10.) “The best season in Capitals history ends in a painfully familiar spot.”
Hochberg, Len. (1995, May 20.) “Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda; Caps Dumbfounded By Loss to Penguins.”
Prewitt, Alex. (2015, May 13.) “Rangers continue Game 7 mastery of Capitals.”
Boswell, Thomas. (1987, April 20.) “Ah, Suspense! Oh, Shoot — Inevitability.”
Boswell, Thomas. (1995, May 19.) “There They Go, Again.”
Svrluga, Barry. (2017, May 10.) “Say it again, Capitals: Round 2, Game 7, Loss.”Lancaster police now say a woman falsified a story of kidnapping and rape following a car crash.
Police said the woman will be criminally charged.
Investigators said she reported she was driving southbound along North Memorial Drive on Monday, when she was rear-ended.
That's when the woman alleged a man pulled out a knife and forced her back into her own car, struck her across the face several times and threatened to kill her if she did not do exactly what he said.
Police said she told them she woke up more than four hours later and ran to a neighbor's door for help. That neighbor then called 911.
Her father's car is back in his driveway. It had been missing after the woman's alleged tall tale.
"We were kind of shocked but hopefully we can get her into rehab," said Chuck Mettler.
Mettler had just a few comments after learning his daughter made up the story.
He spoke with 10TV earlier in the day before police said she made up the incident. He thought she was using his car to run an errand.
"She went up to Meijer's to get me a birthday cake and she was on her way back from there," said Mettler. "She's breaking down, crying. She blames herself."
Tuesday night, Lancaster detectives said they learned that story was not true.
They said the alleged victim lied about the kidnapping and rape to cover up the fact she was using her father's car for drug activity.
"The drug situation in Lancaster is out of control and something needs to be done," said Mettler.
Police say charges against the woman will be coming soon.
Watch 10TV News and refresh 10TV.com for more information.
Previous Story: Lancaster Woman Says She Was Raped After Fender-BenderArmed with nothing but your pop gun and your fists, take out the invading creatures, arcade-style, in Go Go Sniper.
Inspired by the single-screen arena classics, Go Go Sniper boasts a combo-based scoring system that rewards risky play. By punching enemies, you make them faster, angrier, and worth more points! Line them up and shoot to create a high-scoring combo, but be careful; some creatures might shoot back!
Trying the game for the first time? Start with Tour Mode, where you progress through various stages with unique architecture. After mastering the Tour, face a never-ending onslaught of enemies and compete for the high score in Infinite Mode. Whether you're a beginner, veteran, or anywhere in between, Go Go Sniper has the perfect challenge for all.
Try Go Go Sniper today; it's worth a shot.
Note: Please wait a bit for the game to load; its file is 11MB.
Changes
6 August 2017
The game is now downloadable! Please note that the download is Windows-only; other operating systems must play the game online.
6 March 2017
Special thanks to Reddit users ReflextionsDev, Cassiyus, and olaf_from_norweden: there are now options to choose control schemes! Choose between either 2 buttons and a three-way joystick (with up on the stick to jump) or 3 buttons and a two-way joystick (with a dedicated jump button).
4 March 2017
Fixed the two known issues detailed from 27 February 2017.
Changed the title screen's logo by one pixel.
Fixed a glitch introduced in the previous version where the rolling boulder never spawned. Now, survive in Infinite Mode long enough to see it!
27 February 2017
Added a new obstacle, a rolling boulder, to Infinite Mode. Survive for a long time and you might see it!
Changed the "hit" color of the Shot Stopper (rock) from red to blue to indicate that it is not damageable.
Changed the layout of Infinite Mode's level to increase its difficulty.
Known Issues to be fixed: In very rare situations, scoring may fail to award the correct amount of points.
"Pacing" motion locks certain enemies into an unintended movement pattern.A Democratic congressman who represents a Texas district bordering Mexico says in a new interview that "a miracle" is needed to pass legislation this year to protect young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) told The Houston Chronicle, however, that he does not see Congress passing new legislation this year to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
"We're trying to put as much leverage on Republicans as we can, but they are saying early next year. I was hoping we could do it by the end of the year and maybe a miracle will happen, but I don't see it right now," Cuellar told the newspaper.
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"I hate to put it so cold, but do you shut down the government for 800,000 people at the expense of 320 million Americans? That's really what you're looking at."
President Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE in September said he would rescind the Obama-era DACA program, which protected certain young immigrants from deportation, but provided Congress with six months to pursue a legislative replacement.
Democratic lawmakers have pushed for a fix to DACA to be included in an end-of-the-year spending bill, a prospect that Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanBrexit and exit: A transatlantic comparison Five takeaways from McCabe’s allegations against Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report: Sanders set to shake up 2020 race MORE (R-Wis.) said last month is not on the table.
Rep. Joaquin Castro Joaquin CastroHouse votes to overturn Trump's emergency declaration On The Money: House votes to block Trump emergency declaration | McConnell unsure if Trump move is legal | Fed chief sees 'conflicting signals' from economy | Governors bullish on infrastructure after Trump talks | Big win for AT&T-Time Warner deal The Hill's Morning Report - Dems appear to have votes to counter Trump on emergency MORE, another Texas Democrat, told the Chronicle that an immigration bill has the most viability this year.
"Once the Congress gets beyond that, it will become harder to leverage support for DACA into successful legislation," Castro said.Matt Yglesias echos a reader’s concern about Occupy Wall Street lining up with “End the Fed” rhetoric driven by the Paul camp (“Occupy Gainesville Facebook page is currently full of posts about the evil of fractional reserve banking, the danger of inflation, & other such Ron-Paulishness”), and wonders what can be recommended to get people interested in monetary policy and the Fed.
I’d really like this audience’s reactions, particularly when it comes to blog posts, videos, online materials or other general thoughts. My friend Andrew Bossie is doing some teach-ins on monetary policy at the Occupy Wall Street New York, and we have been thinking of ways to formalize it for the audience – there’s a huge demand from people who want to learn.
For online stuff that comes to mind, there’s Matt’s article and Paul Krugman on the babysitters’ co-op. I really like Chris Hayes’ paper from early on, The Case for Inflation, which places it against the Washington Consensus of the past 30 years and the changing battle of ideas over economics. At one of the Federal Reserve panels we did, Josh Bivens of EPI outlined Five Ways to Determine a Strong Liberal Member of the Federal Reserve, which I thought was very helpful.
One thing I’ve noticed after talking with people on this topic is that it is important to split the Federal Reserve as financial regulator from the Federal Reserve’s role in monetary policy. For some people trying to figure it out, they hear Federal Reserve and they immediately think financial sector bailouts. They think “monetary policy” is some version of AIG bonuses, the New York Fed hand-waiving bad books, Alan Greenspan ignoring FBI investigations and consumer reporter on fraud in the subprime market, and TARP. They think regulatory capture, etc. And they are right to be pissed about all these things in the financial markets.
But it is important to explain that this is very different from monetary policy. Indeed, paying interest on reserves, opportunistic disinflation and an indifference to high unemployment – the things that the left-liberals concerned about monetary policy bring up as major problems – are things that Wall Street likes, or at least doesn’t mind at all.
In fact, the biggest attacks from left-liberal spaces against expansive monetary policy has been to collapse this distinction, and make it seem that monetary policy is only about goosing banker bonuses. From Matt Taibbi (“big banks and Wall Street speculators are real, immediate beneficiaries of [QE2]”) to Shahien Nasiripour (“When it comes to helping Wall Street and corporate America, the Federal Reserve spares no expense,” with Ryan Avent response), many criticism of QE2 have gone along these lines. The idea that tight money hurts creditors and rentiers and loose money helps them is a new, incorrect, one. Nobody seemed to report that the AFL-CIO supported QE2 and additional monetary expansion.
It is entirely consistent to support “Audit the Fed” legislation and expansive monetary policy like QE2 and beyond (Dean Baker, for one, does). And the transparency argument over the bailouts should carry over to transparency on monetary policy. The biggest question mark I have right now is whether or not the Federal Reserve will kill any recovery – especially if driven by new fiscal stimulus – if inflation goes above 2%. How much do they emphasize their obligation to maximum employment versus inflation? These are incredibly important considerations.
More generally, James Kwak’s friend wondered “about the Tea Party: when has there been a populist movement that wanted to make money harder?” Indeed up until the Tea Party, all populists movements wanted looser money. Here’s Father Coughlin, the Glen Beck of the Great Depression, who was a monster but was right on monetary policy:
Many factors had conspired to create the Great Depression, Coughlin explained, but one loomed larger than all the others: a “cursed famine of currency money”.... Denouncing America’s rigid adherence to the gold standard (“Wedded to the false philosophy that gold is the value and not the measure; that it is the master and not the servant... we have been overwhelmed by catastrophe”), he urged immediate revaluation – a doubling of the price of gold per ounce from the present level of $20.67 to $41.34. The government would thus be able to issue twice as much currency on the basis of its existing gold supply. Revaluation would encourage, indeed, almost force the wealthy to put their “hoarded dollars” back into circulation; it would enable debtors to bear mortgages and other loans more easily; it would promote peace by making America’s allies better able to repay their wartime debts; and, most important of all, it would stimulate the economy sufficient to restore jobs and create prosperity for all.
Who has a very clear argument for a general audience (key on general audience) on why the Gold Standard is a bad idea? There’s a Breakdown episode with Liaquat Ahamed about it that was good, Yglesias had a post, Josh Barro had an article and David Frum has several keeping their right flank in check.
What else would you emphasize?Service Level Agreements (SLAs) have long been used for quick and accurate views on overall performance. They provide technical, input-based metrics (uptime counts, downtime, response time, etc.) that highlight areas of strength and weakness. But what do these SLA metrics really mean to your business? Do the outcomes direct actions that result in a happy customer?
Not necessarily. SLAs are most of the times technical. They don’t directly relate to your customer and so, measuring them alone is an outmoded practice. To understand what is happening with your business and what it means to your customer today, you need to focus on monitoring business services AND experience. This means measuring the user experience, or eXperience Level Agreements (XLAs) and correlating the results back to your technical SLAs. For example: Is your shopping application still available for customers? How long does it take to connect with iDeal and finish the payment? Is the content on your website still loading fast enough?
By focusing on XLAs, the user experience and business outcomes, in addition to SLAs and key performance indicators (KPIs), you can take your IT Service Management to the next level. Why? Because once you've achieved your SLA goals, your job is done. But XLAs challenge you to improve yourself. For example, let’s say this year you've reached your 99% uptime goal. That’s great! But how did your customers experience your business services? Do you have any idea what their state of satisfaction is, overall? Probably not. Measuring XLAs provides this insight, as well as an opportunity to continuously improve your services and your business.
PS. We're building a new, Algorithmic IT Operations platform that provides full stack insight and investigation across teams and tools. Click here to learn more.
Here’s an overview of some of the other differences between SLAs and XLAs:
SLAs:
are hard and technical related KPIs
are from a technical perspective inside your organization
relate to a finger-pointing culture - "that's not my problem"
XLAs:
are based on soft and business impact related KPIs
are from a user perspective outside your organization
relate to an involved culture within your organization - "I want to improve"
So, should you stop measuring your SLAs all together? Definitely not. You still need to capture these important technical metrics. But it’s important to go one step further and correlate all this data to your desired business outcomes for a more accurate, holistic picture. Now is the time to transition from traditional SLAs and redefine new ones based on business requirements that meet customer needs.
In other words, ”SLAs are dead, long live SLAs!”
So, where to start?
According to a report on user experience management and business impact, there are five key categories to measure, ranked by priority:
Business impact: optimize business outcomes of IT delivered business services based on user interactions.
Performance: monitor and optimize effective delivery of business services to end consumers regarding performance and security.
Service usage: understand frequency and other usage patterns that leverage IT delivered business services.
User productivity: optimize end-user interaction with business services.
Design: optimize effective design and business services content for end consumers regarding navigation and relevance.
This goes way beyond Application Performance Management (APM). Measuring the user experience is a shared investment across all IT teams, throughout the IT landscape and requires a whole new way of thinking in IT service management.
With this in mind, we developed StackState. StackState gives you the ability to correlate technical SLAs to your desired business outcomes by providing a real-time overview of your full IT stack. This includes all the business processes, services, software systems, applications and hardware/cloud infrastructure components you use to facilitate the business services that are vital to your customers’ experience and your revenue.
Want to learn more about StackState? Request a free guided tour to get a better understanding of our solution.Retired Supreme Court justice Ian Binnie was careful last month to avoid linking his report on Senate expenses to the Mike Duffy trial, but several of his findings strike at the heart of the P.E.I. senator's criminal proceedings
"I was very circumspect not to get into issues that would overlap or conflict with the Duffy trial. It's a totally different process," Binnie said when he released his report on "questionable" and inadmissible expenses identified by the auditor general.
A central issue in Duffy's case was the designation of the senator's home in P.E.I. as his primary residence, which made him eligible to claim meals and other expenses for his time in Ottawa, despite the fact that he has lived and worked in Canada's capital for decades.
Duffy's trial reconvenes tomorrow to hear the judge's ruling on 31 charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery. Duffy pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Binnie was asked to adjudicate on a similar issue when reviewing the auditor's findings for Conservative Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu.
The 'fiction' of primary residence
Boisvenu claimed Sherbrooke, Que., was his primary residence even though he had lived in the Ottawa region for the majority of time under consideration by the auditor general's investigation.
Binnie wrote in his report that Boisvenu had no right to claim living expenses and per diems in 2012 because he spent only 45 days at his "primary" residence in Sherbrooke, in large part due to divorce proceedings.
Binnie dismissed the claim that financial statements and a provincial health card alone — items Duffy also referred to as proof of residence in his case — were enough to determine a senator's primary residence.
"Regardless of the various registrations, Senator Boisvenu was in fact resident in [the National Capital Region] in 2012," he wrote. "If in fact the senator was not primarily resident in Sherbrooke in 2012, he ought not to receive financial allowances based on the fiction that he was."
Boisvenu's lawyer argued that there was nothing in the Senate rules that demanded a senator spend a certain number of days at their primary residence, something Binnie acknowledged was true.
Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu faced many of the same questions about his primary residency that were adjudicated during Mike Duffy's trial. Former Supreme Court Justice Ian Binnie's findings on this file might be problematic for Duffy. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press)
But the former justice said that a degree of common sense should be considered when filing living expense claims, saying anything else would be disingenuous.
"Primary residence is a matter of fact," he concludes. "A senator is not entitled to claim travel status when he is living at what is in fact his primary residence," adding that Boisvenu should be compelled to repay the $20,467.33 in expenses he had claimed.
Duffy's criminal defence lawyer, Donald Bayne, has tried to present a similar defence as that employed by Boisvenu, arguing that Senate rules around residency were vague at best. Duffy needed to deem his Cavendish cottage as his primary residence as it was his home in the province he was appointed to represent, Bayne argued.
Duffy claimed living expenses and per diems not because he was out to defraud the Senate, but rather to fulfil his constitutional obligations as the senator for P.E.I., Bayne said.
Duffy says he was forced to file claims
Duffy himself said in court he was told by Senator David Tkachuk — the then-Conservative chair of the Senate's internal economy committee — to file the expenses so as not to "create any light between you and any other senator who's on travel status when they're in Ottawa but most particularly any P.E.I. senator."
"He said... to not do so could create controversy about whether or not you are truly a Prince Edward Island senator, a resident of P.E.I., you're constitutionally qualified, you must do this," Duffy said Tkachuk told him.
Senator David Tkachuk says he told Mike Duffy that if he was living in Ottawa he shouldn't be claiming living expenses and per diems. Duffy told a different story in court, insisting that Conservative leadership in the Senate pressured him to file expense claims to assert his legitimacy as a senator from P.E.I.
But in his report, Binnie said the expense claims are a matter of Senate administrative policy and are not a reflection of a senator's constitutional right to represent a province in the Red Chamber.
"This has nothing to do with his constitutional qualification to continue to sit as a senator for Sherbrooke," he said of Boisvenu's case. "The issue here is the Senate travel policy, not the constitution."
Tkachuk has challenged Duffy's testimony, telling reporters he remembers their conversation about living expenses much differently.
"I would have told them that if you're staying here in Ottawa that you should be claiming expenses, because your primary residency is in your home province. And if I was living here in Ottawa, and that was [my] primary residence, I shouldn't be claiming expenses," Tkachuk said, echoing the conclusion reached by Binnie.
Duffy faces expulsion
The speculation will stop Thursday when Charles Vaillancourt, the judge who presided over Duffy's trial, delivers his ruling.
If Duffy — who is currently on a leave of absence from the Senate with pay — is convicted of just one criminal charge and receives anything other than a discharge at sentencing, he will be suspended from the upper house, a Senate spokesperson told CBC News.
His $142,400 a year salary would immediately be cut off. The resources that are available to a senator, including his office, staff, and research budget (which has been at the heart of his criminal proceedings), would also end.
Duffy's suspension would remain in effect until all of his legal avenues have been exhausted.
If a conviction is upheld after an appeal, it would then be up to his fellow senators to decide whether a permanent expulsion is appropriate.
If Duffy is cleared of all criminal charges, he will return to work right away as if the whole matter — a three-year long legal saga — had never happened.A couple of weeks back, the Greater London Authority released the excitingly-named London Infrastructure Plan 2050: a suite of documents proposing everything from a new orbital railway line to better flood defences.
The plan is largely a response to the fact the capital’s population is growing at the fastest rate in decades. At some point in the very near future (6th January 2015, the GLA estimates) London will breach the previous population record of 8.6m that it set in 1939. And that growth is not slowing down. By the middle of the century, it’s likely to increase by nearly a third to hit 11.3m; it could get as high as 13.4m.
This, as you can imagine, that will put quite a strain on the city’s infrastructure. In case you haven’t had the chance to read the entire plan yourself, here are some salient points:
1. London could have high-speed trains to Stuttgart, Strasbourg and Geneva
One of the plan’s transport priorities is extending the rail links into Europe. This would take some pressure off airports, reduce freight traffic on the motorways and, best of all, make for a wider range of city breaks. The proposed network could look like this:
They’re even thinking about installing an “additional cross-channel rail tunnel” to accommodate more international rail journeys. This plan, though, isn’t included in the cost estimates.
2. Where the extra Londoners live will depend on where the infrastructure goes
The report includes some nifty visualisations which shows how different policies would affect the city’s population density. If it continues with its current policies, by 2050, London’s population density could look like this:
Basically that’s a lot of people in the centre and along the river, but far fewer as you head out of town.
But different options are also on the table. One is to increase density in London’s various “town centres”. If that happens, the report’s authors reckon London’s population would look like this:
Suddenly, that’s lots more people in far flung places like Coulsdon, Upminster, and Feltham. That would mean that any growth in population happens in areas that already have decent shops, facilities and transport inks.
3. London needs faster broadband
Broadband, or “High speed connectivity”, actually gets a whole supporting document to itself (in city planning circles, that’s a pretty big deal). The government is aiming for 99 per cent of the population to have access to “superfast” connections, which can be as fast as 300Mbps, by 2018. At the moment, the average British broadband connection runs at just 12 Mbps.
But the areas with the darker grey dots on this map have speeds of just 2 Mbps connectivity:
In other words, much of the capital is stuck in a broadband blind spots.
If the GLA gets its way, a city-wide Connectivity Advisory Group would be given the job of monitoring the capital’s broadband speeds and trying to plug the gaps. One possible solution is to re-use the ducts that borough councils use for CCTV systems as a housing for broadband wiring; another is creating communications hubs for communities to use – like New York’s plans for Wi-Fi phone boxes.
4. The money doesn’t have to come from Westminster
“Throughout these documents runs a golden thread,” Boris Johnson says in his introduction to the planning document. “London government needs more financial powers to invest in London’s infrastructure and support its growth.”
That “golden thread” is surprisingly literal. Delivering this plan will take a lot of money: £1.3 trillion, according to Arup, the engineering consultancy that worked on the plan. Based on the city’s current population of 8.4m, that’s a cool £154,762 per head.
Asking for a sum of this sort isn’t likely to win the capital many friends in places like Birmingham and Leeds, that are crying out for public investment themselves. But, as Boris says, this money doesn't have to come from the national government. The report highlights the work of the London Finance Commission, which called on the government to devolve property taxes to the city authorities; it wants the city to have greater powers to borrow, too.
In this way, London would be able to finance its own infrastructure needs, without needing to compete for cash with the rest of the country. (While we're at it, why not devolve powers to the country's other city regions, too?)
5. Someone didn’t check the transport document’s back page.
Well, you can’t plan everything.New Options for Managing Character Sets in the Microsoft C/C++ Compiler
The Microsoft C/C++ compiler has evolved along with DOS, 16-bit Windows, and 32/64-bit Windows. Its support for different characters sets, code pages, and Unicode has also changed during this time. This post will explain how our compiler has worked in the past and also cover some new switches provided by the C/C++ compiler in Visual Studio 2015 Update 2 CTP, specifically support for BOM-less UTF-8 files and controlling execution character sets. Please download this and try it out. For information on other compiler changes in Update 2, check out this post.
There are some great resources online that describe Unicode, DBCS, MBCS, code pages, and other things in great detail. I won’t try to reproduce that here and will cover the basic concepts quickly. The Unicode Consortium site is a great place to learn more about Unicode.
There are two main aspects to understanding how our compiler deals with different character sets. The first is how it interprets bytes in a source file (source character set) and the second is what bytes it writes into the binary (execution character set). It is important to understand how the source code itself is encoded and stored on disk.
Explicit indication of Unicode encoding
There is a standard way to indicate Unicode files by using a BOM (byte-order mark). This BOM can indicate UTF-32, UTF-16, and UTF-8, as well as whether it is big-endian or little-endian. These are indicated by the sequence of bytes that results from the encoding of the U+FEFF character into whatever encoding is being used. UTF-8 is encoded as a stream of bytes, so there isn’t an actual “order” of the bytes that needs to be indicated, but the indicator for UTF-8 is still usually called a “BOM”.
Implicit indication of encoding
In the early days of Windows (and DOS) before Unicode was supported, text files were stored with no indication of what encoding the file was using. It was up to the app as to how to interpret this. In DOS, any character outside of the ASCII range would be output using what was built in to the video card. In Windows, this became known as the OEM (437) code page. This included some non-English characters as well as some line-drawing characters useful for drawing boxes around text.
Windows eventually added support for DBCS (double byte character sets) and MBCS (multi-byte character sets). There was still no standard way of indicating what the encoding of a text file was and the bytes would usually be interpreted using whatever the current code page of the system was set to. When 32bit Windows arrived, it had separate APIs for UTF-16 and another set for so-called “ANSI” APIs. These APIs took 8-bit characters that were interpreted using the current code page of the system.
Note: in Windows you cannot set the code page to a Unicode code page (either UTF-16 or UTF-8), so in many cases there is no easy way to make an older app understand a Unicode encoded file that does not have a BOM.
It is also common nowadays to encode files in UTF-8 without using a BOM. This is the default in most Linux environments. Although many Linux tools can handle a BOM, most tools won’t generate one. Not having a BOM actually makes many things simpler such as concatenating files or appending to a file without having to worry about who is going to write the BOM.
How the Microsoft C/C++ compiler reads text from a file
At some point in the past, the Microsoft compiler was changed to use UTF-8 internally. So, as files are read from disk, they are converted into UTF-8 on the fly. If a file has a BOM, we use that and read the file using whatever encoding is specified and converting it to UTF-8. If the file does not have a BOM, we try to detect both little-endian and big-endian forms of UTF-16 encoding by looking at the first 8 bytes. If the file looks like UTF-16 we will treat it as if there was a UTF-16 BOM on the file.
If there is no BOM and it doesn’t look like UTF-16, then we use the current code page (result of a call to GetACP) to convert the bytes on disk into UTF-8. This may or may not be correct depending on how the file was actually encoded and what characters it contains. If the file is actually encoded as UTF-8, this will never be correct as the system code page can’t be set to CP_UTF8.
Execution Character Set
It is also important to understand the “execution character set”. Based on the execution character set, the compiler will interpret strings differently. Let’s look at a simple example to start.
const char ch = ‘h’;
const char u8ch = u8’h’;
const wchar_t wch = L’h’;
const char b[] = “h”;
const char u8b[] = u8″h”;
const wchar_t wb [] = L”h”;
The code above will be interpreted as though you had typed this.
const char ch = 0x68;
const char u8ch = 0x68;
const wchar_t wch = 0x68;
const char b[] = {0x68, 0};
const char u8b[] = {0x68, 0};
const wchar_t wb [] = {0x68, 0};
This should make perfect sense and will be true regardless of the file encoding or current code page. Now, let’s take a look at the following code.
const char ch = ‘屰’;
const char u8ch = ‘屰’;
const wchar_t wch = L’屰’;
const char b[] = “屰”;
const char u8b[] = u8″屰”;
const wchar_t wbuffer[] = L”屰”;
Note: I picked this character at random, but it appears to be the Han character meaning “disobedient”, which seems appropriate for my purpose. It is the Unicode U+5C70 character.
We have several factors to consider in this. How is the file encoded that contains this code? And what is the current code page of the system we are compiling on? In UTF-16 the encoding is 0x5C70, in UTF-8 it is the sequence 0xE5, 0xB1, 0xB0. In the 936 code page, it is 0x8C, 0xDB. It is not representable in code page 1252 (Latin-1), which is what I’m currently running on. The 1252 code page is normally used on Windows in English and many other Western languages. Table 1 shows results for various file encodings when run on a system using code page 1252.
Table 1 – Example of results today when compiling code with various encodings.
File Encoding UTF-8 w/ BOM UTF-16LE w/ or w/o BOM UTF-8 w/o BOM DBCS (936) Bytes in source file representing 屰 0xE5, 0xB1, 0xB0 0x70, 0x5C 0xE5, 0xB1, 0xB0 0x8C, 0xDB Source conversion UTF8 -> UTF8 UTF16-LE -> UTF-8 1252 -> UTF8 1252 -> UTF-8 Internal (UTF-8) representation 0xE5, 0xB1, 0xB0 0xE5, 0xB1, 0xB0 0xC3, 0xA5, 0xC2, 0xB1, 0xC2, 0xB0 0xC5, 0x92, 0xC3, 0x9B Conversion to execution character set char ch = ‘屰’;
UTF-8 -> CP1252 0x3F* 0x3F* 0xB0 0xDB char u8ch = u8’屰’;
UTF-8 -> UTF-8 error C2015 error C2015 error C2015 error C2015 wchar_t wch = L’屰’;
UTF-8 -> UTF-16LE 0x5C70 0x5C70 0x00E5 0x0152 char b[] = “屰”;
UTF-8 -> CP1252 0x3F, 0* 0x3F, 0* 0xE5, 0xB1, 0xB0, 0 0x8C, 0xDB, 0 char u8b[] = u8″屰”;
UTF-8-> UTF-8 0xE5, 0xB1, 0xB0, 0 0xE5, 0xB1, 0xB0, 0 0xC3, 0xA5, 0xC2, 0xB1, 0xC2, 0xB0, 0 0xC5, 0x92, 0xC3, 0x9B, 0 wchar_t wb[] = L”屰”;
UTF-8 -> UTF-16LE 0x5C70, 0 0x5C70, 0 0x00E5, 0x00B1, 0x00B0, 0 0x0152, 0x00DB, 0
The asterisk (*) indicates that warning C4566 was generated for these. In these cases the warning is “character represented by universal-character-name ‘\u5C70 |
application or leave the choice of location to us. You may request overseas processing by attaching a cover letter to your application, or contacting the Military Help Line at 877-CIS-4MIL (877-247-4645), TTY (800) 877-8339 or militaryinfo@uscis.dhs.gov.
The field office will schedule your interview to review your eligibility for naturalization and test your knowledge of English and civics. If you are found eligible for naturalization, we will inform you of the date you can take the Oath of Allegiance and become a U.S. citizen."Oh man. I forgot about him." Inevitably, you will hear this curse several times at any fantasy hockey draft. It typically comes from the guy whose draft preparation consisted of printing off last year's stats. That guy always overlooks the players who missed a good chunk of time, or even the whole season, due to injury. It seems like 2010-11 had an unusually high number of quality fantasy options who fell to the IR early on. So it's critical to keep these guys in mind as you prepare for this fall's draft. Unless you want to be that guy.
Zach Parise (F-NJ)
First and foremost in this group is Zach Parise. It may be easy to forget, but not too long ago, Parise was regularly mentioned among the top 10 most talented players in the league. A slow start last season, followed by a season-ending injury in week 3 quickly pushed him to back of fantasy owners' minds. By no means am I prepared to immediately reinstate him in the top 10 of my draft list, but he's one player that you shouldn't overlook in the early rounds based on his 6 points scored last season. Top 25 is certainly within reason, and among left wingers, he should be in your Top 10. He's had nearly a year to recover and should put up at least 70 points for the Devils in yet another contract year.
Mark Streit (D-NYI)
Another completely forgotten commodity not to pass by is Mr. Streit. In the previous two seasons, Streit established himself as a top-tier fantasy defenseman for the Islanders. He missed all of last season after being injured in the pre-season. There was talk of him returning down the stretch, but it wasn't worth the risk, given where the Isles stood in the standings. He should be back and ready to resume his role as #1 defenseman for New York. He's a strong bet for your top 25 and a case could be made for pushing the top 15.
Kyle Okposo (F-NYI)
Another early casualty on the Island last fall, Okposo returned half way through the season, but took his time getting up to full speed. The shoulder injury should be well behind him at this point, and he should get back on track towards being New York's top power forward. Expect goal scoring to be up on the Island this season, and Okposo should be a big part of that progress.
Peter Mueller (F-COL)
Hard to know what, if anything, to do with Peter Mueller at this point. He missed all of last season with a concussion, but recently started skating and expects to be in uniform for this season. After arriving in Colorado at the tail end of the 2009-10 campaign, he tore it up, scoring 9 goals and 20 points in 15 games. Prior to that run, he had been a marginal fantasy forward during his time in Phoenix. If you're in a deep league, keep him on your radar for a late round pick.
Marc Savard (F-BOS)
Once upon a time, not too long ago, Savard was a top 10 fantasy forward. His story is infamously tragic with the concussion problems he has suffered. Although he continues to fight, there is no guarantee he will play again. If he does, it seems unlikely that he will ever return to star status. Until he a) returns, b) plays a few weeks, and c) puts up some decent numbers, I wouldn't bother placing him on any draft list.
Andrei Markov (D-MON)
The only question you need answer here is do you believe that he is, and will stay, healthy. When he's in the lineup, he has shown himself to be in the top 15 of all fantasy defensemen. Missing 112 games over the past two seasons is enough to scare me away. In his 10 year career with Montreal, he's played 80 games or more just once. If he's available come round 10, I'd give him a serious look. Any earlier than that is not worth the risk.
Evgeni Nabokov (G-NYI)
The Islanders can't buy a break in net. When they finally sneak around and snatch up a top-notch goalie, he refuses to show. After sitting out all of last season across multiple continents, Nabokov has shown marginal interest in putting on an Islander jersey, so it's worth considering his possible placement on your draft list. First, the facts: 1. When he left the NHL last summer, he was still among the very elite at his position. San Jose needed to save cap space, and Nabokov thought he would be happy making more money back in Russia. 2. That didn't work out for him, so he spent most of the year at home. Should he return, there's no reason to think he's lost his gift in one year's time.
Should he actually play for the Islanders, you'll be looking at a very good goalie on an average, but improving team. Should he garner enough attention elsewhere and be shipped out to a contender, better yet. There's certainly a risk factor in drafting him too high, but if it plays out right, he could be the steal of the draft if you can nab with a mid-to-late round pick.
Jordan Staal (F-PIT)
Remarkably, Pittsburgh's top 3 centers all missed almost exactly 1/2 of last season, with Crosby, Staal and Malkin having played 41, 42, and 43 games respectively. It seems unlikely that you will overlook Crosby and Malkin, but Staal is still an afterthought for most fantasy owners. While it doesn't seem that he'll reach fantasy stud status the way big brother has, don't forget this guy is just 23 years old. There's still plenty of room to grow in terms of fantasy value. Determining how high to place him remains a challenge on many fronts, particularly with the uncertainty of his role and playing time expectations based on the health of centers 1 & 2. It's a fair bet to expect 60+ points out of Staal with potential for more.
David Perron (F-STL)
Perron seemed to be on the cusp of a breakout last October, starting the year with 4 goals in his first 6 games. His season came to an end early on due to a hit by Joe Thornton. He's still recovering from that concussion with no firm commitment on a return. That makes him a tough sell for an early pick. He's got plenty of upside if he can shake the headaches. Pencil him for a late round sleeper and listen to everyone else groan when they realize what they overlooked.
Derek Roy (F-BUF)
Roy was in the midst of a career season, when injuries put him on the shelf last December. At that point, he was sitting on 34 points in 34 games and carrying the Sabres up front. He missed all but the last game of the season after that, dropping him from the minds of most fantasy owners. He should be just fine to start the season, and thus should be regarded as a fairly safe pick on your draft list. 70 points are well within reason.
A few other noteworthy selections that you won't find high on last year's scoresheet:News Release
Epson Develops the World's First Office Papermaking System that Turns Waste Paper into New Paper
- PaperLab promises to revolutionize office recycling by securely destroying documents and turning them into office paper using a dry process -
The PaperLab office papermaking system
- TOKYO, Japan, December 1, 2015 -
Seiko Epson Corporation (TSE: 6724, "Epson") has developed what it believes to be the world's first*1 compact office papermaking system capable of producing new paper from securely shredded waste paper*2 without the use of water*3. Epson plans to put the new "PaperLab" into commercial production in Japan in 2016, with sales in other regions to be decided at a later date. Businesses and government offices that install a PaperLab in a backyard area will be able to produce paper of various sizes, thicknesses, and types, from office paper and business card paper to paper that is colored and scented.
A developmental prototype of the PaperLab will be demonstrated at the Epson booth (booth location: 4-002) at Eco-Products 2015, an environmental exhibition that will take place at the Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center) from December 10 to 12.
The enduring universal appeal of paper lies in its simplicity as a communication tool. Information on the highly portable and always convenient medium of paper is easy to read, easy to digest, and easy to remember. On the other hand, this essential tool is also produced from a limited resource. As a leading company in the world of printing, Epson has been deeply involved with paper used for its printer products. With this in mind, the company set out to develop technology that would change the paper cycle. With PaperLab, Epson aims to give new value to paper and stimulate recycling.
PaperLab Features
1. Office-based recycling process
Ordinarily, paper is recycled in an extensive process that typically involves transporting waste paper from the office to a papermaking (recycling) facility. With PaperLab, Epson is looking to shorten and localize a new recycling process in the office.
2. Secure destruction of confidential documents Until now enterprise has had to hire contractors to handle the disposal of confidential documents or has shredded them themselves. With a PaperLab, however, enterprise will be able to safely dispose of documents onsite instead of handing them over to a contractor. PaperLab breaks documents down into paper fibers, so the information on them is completely destroyed.
3. High-speed production of various types of paper
PaperLab produces the first new sheet of paper in about three minutes of having loaded it with waste paper and pressing the Start button. The system can produce about 14 A4 sheets per minute and 6,720 sheets in an eight-hour day.
Users can produce a variety of types of paper to meet their needs, from A4 and A3 office paper of various thicknesses to paper for business cards, color paper and even scented paper.
4. Environmental performance
PaperLab makes paper without the use of water. Ordinarily it takes about a cup of water to make a single A4 sheet of paper. Given that water is a precious global resource, Epson felt a dry process was needed.
In addition, recycling paper onsite in the office shrinks and simplifies the recycling loop. Users can expect to purchase less new paper and reduce their transport CO₂ emissions.
PaperLab technology
Epson's foundation of compact, energy-saving and high-precision technologies enables the company to achieve small, energy-efficient products that offer outstanding accuracy and performance. With printer business operations spanning the consumer, office, commercial and industrial sectors, Epson has an immense storehouse of ink and media expertise, as well as the ability to produce reliable, durable systems that will operate stably.
In addition to these, Epson has developed Dry Fiber Technology without water, a new group of technologies for the PaperLab.
Dry Fiber Technology consists of three separate technologies: fiberizing, binding, and forming.
Fiberizing Using an original mechanism, waste paper is transformed into long, thin cottony, fibers. This process immediately and completely destroys confidential documents. Since the PaperLab does not use water, it does not require plumbing facilities. That, plus its compact size, makes it easy to install in the backyard of an office. Binding A variety of different binders can be added to the fiberized material to increase the binding strength or whiteness of the paper or to add color, fragrance, flame resistance, or other properties needed for a given application. Forming Users can produce sheets of A4 or A3 office paper and even paper for business cards thanks to forming technology that allows them to control the density, thickness, and size of paper.
Epson aims to help customers increase operational efficiency by providing high-speed, low-power business inkjet printers that deliver images of amazing quality at a low cost per print. And by employing PaperLab to convert used paper into new, the company believes that offices of all types will fundamentally change the way they think about paper.
See the attachment for the main specifications of the prototype product (30KB)
Click here to view the product concept movie.
*1 Epson believes it is the world's first paper production system to use a dry process.
*2 The system can use ordinary A3- and A4-sized copy paper as raw material.
*3 A small amount of water is used to maintain a certain level of humidity inside the system.By Elliot Foster
Shannon Briggs could be one step closer to the heavyweight showdown he has craved.
The 44-year-old former world champion has embarked on a self-confessed world tour in a bid to secure a top-level clash in the sport’s glamour division.
Briggs (59-6-1, 52 KOs), using his ‘Let’s Go Champ’ chant, has invaded anything and everything he possibly can with regards to events involving 200lb-plus men since coming to the UK.
After a meeting with Eddie Hearn, which was filmed exclusively on iFL TV by Kugan Cassius, gatecrashing the press conference to David Haye’s next fight and also making several appearances during the fight week of Anthony Joshua’s IBF heavyweight world title challenge against Charles Martin, Briggs has been handed a stroke of luck.
David Haye told him last week that a clash between the pair could be discussed if he passed a brain scan, which he has done, and if he fought –– and won –– on his undercard on May 21.
Haye (27-2, 25 KOs) faces Arnold Gjergjaj (29-0, 21 KOs) over 10 rounds at London’s O2 Arena and Briggs, whose last ring action came in the shape of a two-round stoppage over Michael Marrone last September, has been guaranteed a slot on the undercard.
Steve Goodwin, who has been appointed by Hayemaker to take care of the supporting cast for the second edition of ‘Haye Day’, confirmed the addition on social media and also said that 19-year-old undefeated welterweight Daniel Keenan (1-0) will also feature on the bill.Doppelganger Lit like a BranchDavidian
Join Date: May 2006 Location: Earth Posts: 5,990
HID lights in reflector housings- A reminder to some of you out there.
Let's look at a few basics.
Reflector vs projector housings..in one simple picture-
What is a H.I.D/Xenon bulb anyway? Well, your standard halogen bulb that has been standard for decades is nothing different in design than your typical household light bulb. It works by passing energy over a small filament which in turn causes the filament to become super heated and produce light. We should all understand how this works. Like this-
In HID or Xenon lighting, a small arc of plasma is created by energy passing through various gases and elements in a sealed chamber. This arc produces the light you see..it's kind of like a small lightning bolt to put it in simple terms. It works like this-
Let's discuss the two types of light bulbs and the two types of light housings used on cars today.
Now for a general light, this really is no different other than overall light output. The HID is able to produce a brighter light with less energy. But when it comes to automotive applications, things change...a lot. Automotive lights are designed in a very specific manner in order to put light where you need it, and not put light where you don't, as in putting light on the road and not in oncoming driver's faces. The general standard for years has been a halogen bulb in a reflector housing. In this housing, bulbs have a shield built into them to help control light output. Think of it like walking though a dark room with a candle to light your way. Notice that when you do this, the glare from the candle hurts your ability to see what you are trying to light up. What do most people do? Well, instinctively most people put their hand between their eyes and the candle. This is the same concept on most halogen bulbs and is designed to only allow light into a specific part of the reflector housing. You can see it here as a little piece of metal next to the filament-
And this is the desired effect of all of this. The location of the filament and the shield are super critical in the design of a reflector, changing the location of the filament's location even a couple of millimeters will change every angle at which the light travels, ultimately letting light go in places it was not designed to. This is is also the exact same reason why your high-beams project light much higher and wider- because the high-beam filament is no shielded and placed in a location that causes the light to scatter in a different direction.
There are many cars with projector lenses that use halogen bulbs. But the bulbs used in the projector housings do not, I repeat, do not have a shield on them. This is because the way a projector housing works, the lens (and if applicable, the shield build into the housing) does all the focusing. In some projector setups, both high and low beam patterns are available and are controlled with a movable shield. Here is an example of what I am talking about-
..and this is how a projector housing works-
Now when it comes to HID lights, almost all of the cheap/regular kits for most all bulbs are unshielded. There are a few exceptions that have a shield operated by a solenoid, but generally speaking most, if not all of your average HID installs in reflector housings are done wrong.
You average HID bulb looks like this-
Notice the little bubble in the middle? That is where the arc is produced and where the light comes from. Notice the difference in the following picture of the location of the halogen filament vs. the location of the HID "filament". This is the root cause of why putting HIDs in reflectors is never a good idea-
Upon changing the location of the actual light source, you get massive amounts of light scatter (glare). This is what is very bad and annoying to all other drivers on the road. You are essentially blinding them as if you were driving with your high-beams on. I've heard many people exclaim "but I can see so much better with my HIDs (in reflector housings)"...and this is only true because you are scattering light all over the place. Here are some examples of what I am talking about-
Halogen in reflector-
Halogen in projector-
HID in reflector housing-
Notice all the light scatter/glare that is up higher than the "cut off" line? That is bad...very bad. I could post up numerous examples of this all day long. Even while it "might not look so bad", it is bad. Aiming your headlights down won't help any either. All aiming your lights down will do is move the focus point down, but glare will still be emitted up and out. Oncoming drivers will see this. Most people might thing your brights are on too....even though they're not. Both of the car in the following picture are equipped with traditional halogen reflector housings..but one of them had improperly installed HID lights, can you tell which one is which?
See how bad that is? Sadly, none of the people doing this actually care they are blinding other drivers...nor do they really listen to those who care to inform them politely.
Lastly, we have color. For whatever reason that I may never understand, people seem to love the blue/pink/purple lights too. They think it looks "cool" or that they can see better with it. In fact, no matter what the reasoning is, they are 100% dead wrong. HID lights, as many know, are offered in different "K" ratings. This is for Kelvin. The Kelvin range describes light at different frequencies. Here is a simple way to understand Kelvin (K) and light output-
In reality, anything above 5K is really not any more helpful or useful to the human eye. In fact, the lower the Kelvin rating, the "better" it is for your eyes. Natural sun light is actually pretty yellow. Regualr halogen light is also on the yellow scale. The human eye likes this and is why we can see the colors we see. Notice with a blue or red light how everything looks a single color? This is the same for HID lights in the 8K+ range. Your eye does not like the frequency and takes much longer to adjust as well as a severe loss of detail when looking at something. This is actually why police lights are blue...because they're VERY attention getting and police want you to see their blue lights from as far away as possible...so you know they're there. Blue/purple/pink headlights are terrible for your eyes. I could actually give much more detailed information as to why, but I don't need to be that technical right now. Just know, and please understand why all of this is so bad.
TL;DR? Just read this:
If you put HIDs in your car and they don't look almost exactly like this-
Then you are doing it wrong and irritating everyone driving down the road at night.
If your lights looks like this..regardless of the HID in reflector housing...
...you are a complete and useless ricer who shouldn't be allowed to own a car. Ok, another fun rant for everyone...well, maybe not everyone. Those of who you care about "doing things right" and research your modifications before installing them, I'm not looking at you. Yes, there are correct ways to retrofit HIDs into your car that came with reflector housings. If you have done this, thank you and good job. If you have OEM projectors and have put HIDs in, then you're fine as well. The ones I am looking at, again, are those who blindly throw parts at their cars without even the basic understanding as to what they are doing. Today's focus is lighting. With the introduction of H.I.D (high intensity discharge ) or "Xenon" lighting in automotive applications, drivers have been given a better and safer way to see at night....mostly. This types of lights started out as OEM options and have slowly (well, back then) trickled their way down to the average consumer for a low price. At first, to have Xenon lighting in a car that did not come with it required getting a hold of an OEM setup, which was (and still is) very expensive. As aftermarket manufacturers saw the demand for these kits, they flooded the market with them for every automotive bulb under the sun. While a benefit to some, it has been a glaring problem to many motorists. Far too often, owners who like to modify their cars have been like horny leg-humping dogs by sticking these lights in every hole they can think of...weather they belong there or not. Not only have the applications of many of these lights been wrong, manufacturers have even gone as far as to manipulate the technology of these light to produce some of the most annoying and unusable lights ever conceived.Let's look at a few basics.Reflector vs projector housings..in one simple picture-What is a H.I.D/Xenon bulb anyway? Well, your standard halogen bulb that has been standard for decades is nothing different in design than your typical household light bulb. It works by passing energy over a small filament which in turn causes the filament to become super heated and produce light. We should all understand how this works. Like this-In HID or Xenon lighting, a small arc of plasma is created by energy passing through various gases and elements in a sealed chamber. This arc produces the light you see..it's kind of like a small lightning bolt to put it in simple terms. It works like this-Let's discuss the two types of light bulbs and the two types of light housings used on cars today.Now for a general light, this really is no different other than overall light output. The HID is able to produce a brighter light with less energy. But when it comes to automotive applications, things change...a lot. Automotive lights are designed in a very specific manner in order to put light where you need it, and not put light where you don't, as in putting light on the road and not in oncoming driver's faces. The general standard for years has been a halogen bulb in ahousing. In this housing, bulbs have a shield built into them to help control light output. Think of it like walking though a dark room with a candle to light your way. Notice that when you do this, the glare from the candle hurts your ability to see what you are trying to light up. What do most people do? Well, instinctively most people put their hand between their eyes and the candle. This is the same concept on most halogen bulbs and is designed to only allow light into a specific part of the reflector housing. You can see it here as a little piece of metal next to the filament-And this is the desired effect of all of this. The location of the filament and the shield are super critical in the design of a reflector, changing the location of the filament's location even a couple of millimeters will change every angle at which the light travels, ultimately letting light go in places it was not designed to. This is is also the exact same reason why your high-beams project light much higher and wider- because the high-beam filament is no shielded and placed in a location that causes the light to scatter in a different direction.There are many cars withlenses that use halogen bulbs. But the bulbs used in the projector housings do not, I repeat, do not have a shield on them. This is because the way a projector housing works, the lens (and if applicable, the shield build into the housing) does all the focusing. In some projector setups, both high and low beam patterns are available and are controlled with a movable shield. Here is an example of what I am talking about-..and this is how a projector housing works-Now when it comes to HID lights, almost all of the cheap/regular kits for most all bulbs are unshielded. There are a few exceptions that have a shield operated by a solenoid, but generally speaking most, if not all of your average HID installs in reflector housings are done wrong.You average HID bulb looks like this-Notice the little bubble in the middle? That is where the arc is produced and where the light comes from. Notice the difference in the following picture of the location of the halogen filament vs. the location of the HID "filament". This is the root cause of why putting HIDs in reflectors is never a good idea-Upon changing the location of the actual light source, you get massive amounts of light scatter (glare). This is what is very bad and annoying to all other drivers on the road. You are essentially blinding them as if you were driving with your high-beams on. I've heard many people exclaim "but I can see so much better with my HIDs (in reflector housings)"...and this is only true because you are scattering light all over the place. Here are some examples of what I am talking about-Halogen in reflector-Halogen in projector-HID in reflector housing-Notice all the light scatter/glare that is up higher than the "cut off" line? That is bad...very bad. I could post up numerous examples of this all day long. Even while it "might not look so bad", it is bad. Aiming your headlights down won't help any either. All aiming your lights down will do is move the focus point down, but glare will still be emitted up and out. Oncoming drivers will see this. Most people might thing your brights are on too....even though they're not. Both of the car in the following picture are equipped with traditional halogen reflector housings..but one of them had improperly installed HID lights, can you tell which one is which?See how bad that is? Sadly, none of the people doing this actually care they are blinding other drivers...nor do they really listen to those who care to inform them politely.Lastly, we have color. For whatever reason that I may never understand, people seem to love the blue/pink/purple lights too. They think it looks "cool" or that they can see better with it. In fact, no matter what the reasoning is, they are 100% dead wrong. HID lights, as many know, are offered in different "K" ratings. This is for Kelvin. The Kelvin range describes light at different frequencies. Here is a simple way to understand Kelvin (K) and light output-In reality, anything above 5K is really not any more helpful or useful to the human eye. In fact, the lower the Kelvin rating, the "better" it is for your eyes. Natural sun light is actually pretty yellow. Regualr halogen light is also on the yellow scale. The human eye likes this and is why we can see the colors we see. Notice with a blue or red light how everything looks a single color? This is the same for HID lights in the 8K+ range. Your eye does not like the frequency and takes much longer to adjust as well as a severe loss of detail when looking at something. This is actually why police lights are blue...because they're VERY attention getting and police want you to see their blue lights from as far away as possible...so you know they're there. Blue/purple/pink headlights are terrible for your eyes. I could actually give much more detailed information as to why, but I don't need to be that technical right now. Just know, and please understand why all of this is so bad.If you put HIDs in your car and they don't look almost exactly like this-Then you are doing it wrong and irritating everyone driving down the road at night.If your lights looks like this..regardless of the HID in reflector housing......you are a complete and useless ricer who shouldn't be allowed to own a car.There is a battle going on in the halls of US congress about self-driving cars: to trust humans, or not to trust them. Less trusting legislators have seized the upper hand.
On Oct. 4, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved a bill allowing self-driving cars to be sold without steering wheels or human controls, and prevent states from restricting such technology, reports Reuters. Before it becomes law, the final legislation must go to the full Senate and be reconciled with a similar bill passed by the U.S. House last month.
The US is hurtling toward a critical decision about autonomous vehicles. The technology has advanced rapidly, and vehicles capable of driving themselves in most conditions are already on the road. They are making taxi stops in Pittsburgh, beer runs in Colorado, and entering the lineup of every major car company. To demonstrate the technology, Tesla has plans to have a Model S drive itself from New York to Los Angeles by the end of 2018.
Even as automakers make technical strides toward full autonomy, known as Level 4 or 5 capabilities according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), they lack clarity on the technology’s legality. General Motors, Alphabet (parent company of Waymo), and Ford have all clamored for federal legislation to give guidance that would preempt a mess of conflicting state laws.
Car companies may finally get it. At the heart of the debate is whether to let humans take over control of vehicles from computers. The federal government has already cautiously acknowledged that, ultimately, machines are likely to be far safer than humans on the road (94% of serious car crashes in the US are due to human error, killing out 30,000 people each year). Exactly when they will achieve that safety milestone, however, remains controversial. Taking away the steering wheel seems drastic, but researchers (and some senators) argue allowing humans to take control actually makes self-driving cars more dangerous.
This “handoff problem” ranks among the trickiest obstacles in autonomous driving. In driver tests, transferring controls from computers to humans can take an average of three to seven seconds, according to Audi, far too long in an emergency. That’s prompted some carmakers to skip so-called Level 3 capabilities, where humans must take over in some situations, to strive for full autonomy, says Ken Washington, Ford’s VP of research and advanced engineering, in Wired. “Right now, there’s no good answer, which is why we’re kind of avoiding that space,” he said.
As written, the bill lets NHTSA issue exemptions from federal safety requirements, and instructs the agency to decide on requests within six months. Each manufacturer may sell up to 15,000 self-driving vehicles and up to 80,000 after three years if they can show they demonstrate similar safety records to current vehicles. The cap would be lifted after four years. The legislation applies to all vehicles except commercial trucks over 10,000 pounds, which were excluded over Democratic objections.Jean-Marie Loret strove to find out if it was true that his father was Adolf Hitler. New evidence supports the story
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New evidence from France and Germany supports the story of Jean-Marie Loret, a man who believed Adolf Hitler was his father. Loret’s mother, Charlotte Lobjoie, is said to have had an affair with the future dictator in 1917, when she was 16.
Loret died in 1985. Four years earlier, he had written a memoir called Your Father’s Name Was Hitler, in which he recounts the revelation about who his father was. He was told his mother met Hitler while he was on leave from fighting the French. They began an affair, even though they could hardly speak each other’s language. According to the book, when the couple went for walks in the countryside during Hitler’s rare visits, their “talks” were frequently him long-form ranting in German.
Lobjoie kept from Loret his father’s identity until just before her death in the early 1950s. While Hitler never recognized Loret as his, he sent Lobjoie money. In an ironic twist, Loret fought the Germans in 1939 and joined the French Resistance during the Nazi occupation, having no idea his alleged father was the enemy’s leader.
(MORE: Adolf Hitler’s ‘Wolf Lair’ Is Now Up for Rent)
After he learned his father was potentially the Nazi leader, Loret struggled with the news and eventually hired a slew of experts, including a historian, a geneticist and a handwriting analyst, to verify his mother’s claim. Indeed, he and Hitler had the same blood type and similar handwriting. The two of them also look strikingly similar.
And now, recent evidence reported by Le Point magazine has given Loret’s story even more credence. These include official military documents that show cash deliveries to Lobjoie during the German occupation of France. Paintings found in Lobjoie’s attic bear Hitler’s signature. A picture of a woman whom Hitler painted looks just like Lobjoie.
As the official record goes, Hitler never had children. But if he really did father Loret, his lineage now survives through Loret’s children. Loret’s lawyer has pointed out that the children might be eligible to receive royalties on Hitler’s book Mein Kampf — but how much would anyone want to benefit from being related to Hitler?
MORE: New Biography Claims Coco Chanel Was a Nazi SpyMichael Smith and Jemele Hill weigh in on the 76ers announcing a deal to have StubHub's logo appear on their jerseys. (0:49)
The Philadelphia 76ers have become the first team in the four major U.S. sports to sell an ad on a jersey.
The 76ers announced Monday morning that ticket company StubHub will have its logo on the team's jerseys beginning in the 2017-18 season, when the NBA's three-year pilot program will start.
Sources with knowledge of the deal say the team has sold all three seasons at $5 million a year, with the option to extend the contract with StubHub should the league continue to allow the 2½-by-2½-inch logo patch to be on the jerseys in the future.
"We are about being first, being different, being innovative and getting to market at quickly as we can," 76ers CEO Scott O'Neil said. "We're thrilled that the NBA has decided to be an innovator among the major sports leagues in this country, we're happy that we will be the beneficiaries, and we know that being first here will drive value for our partner."
The 76ers have sold the first advertisement to appear on the jerseys of a team in any of the four major U.S. sports. Courtesy Philadelphia 76ers
Teams are allowed to sell to any company so long as it doesn't deal in gambling, alcohol or politics. The NBA has given protected status -- meaning the companies' competitors can't show up on a team jersey -- to a number of its national partners: the media partners (ESPN, ABC, Turner), the apparel partner (Nike starting in 2017-18) and on-court partners Tissot (the official timekeeper) and Spalding (the official ball). No other league partners, including Ticketmaster, a StubHub competitor, are protected.
"This is strategic beachhead property for us," StubHub CEO Scott Cutler said. "We, as a company, have been very transaction-oriented. We want to be more a part of the emotional experience fans have with their teams, and we think a deal like this gets us closer."
NBA teams will keep half of the money generated by selling sponsorships on jerseys, and that half will be further split in two, with one portion going to the individual team that does the deal and the other going to a revenue-sharing pool. The half that does not go to the teams will be split with the players and will contribute to a rising salary cap.
Jerseys sold to fans nationwide will not have the corporate sponsor logo on them, but O'Neil said the Sixers will sell jerseys with a StubHub logo at their team locations.
"We have a very strong opinion that little Scottie, [a hypothetical consumer] who is 9 years old, will want to wear what the players are wearing on the court," O'Neil said.
StubHub, which is owned by eBay, has traditionally been a ticket resale site, but it has forged a partnership with the Sixers that will make |
E-Man says, recovering, “couldn’t have put it better myself.” “We waste time,” the Hasssa says, agitated, “with philosophy...when our Empires are on the brink of disaster?”
J’onn enters, a worried John Stewart behind him. “We will waste no more time, Madame Ambassador,” J’onn says, bowing to the emissaries. He asks them to return with him to the conference room, where they can now officially begin the negotiations. But as he does this..
.
...he reaches into his cape for another cookie. And he’s completely out. A look of panic washes over J’onn’s face -- “Oh, no!” -- and he becomes invisible. The door to the room opens and closes (although the emissaries don’t notice it).
The aliens are understandably upset -- “Where has he gone?” -- but Ralph steps in again, telling them that J’onn is right there. He pretends that, although invisible, J’onn is beside him, speaking to him telepathically. “The Martians are known for being an incredibly...self-effacing race. J’onn believes that, in order to oversee these negotiations properly, he has to remove his own ego from the exchange. He...” Ralph pretends to listen: “What’s that you say, J’onn? Oh...right, right.” Turning back to the emissaries: “He says that this is about you, not him...so he’ll step back and...um...use me as his intermediary.” (“What the devil do you think you’re doing?” GL whispers. “Saving your tail,” Ralph whispers back.)
The Shrond is suspicious now: “Why you?”
E-Man doesn’t miss a beat. “Because of my high intelligence...my brilliant intuition...” He leans in close, speaks in a stage whisper, indicating GL: “...and the fact that J’onn trusts me more than the rest of these bozos.”
The emissaries have no choice but to go along with it. “After all,” the Shrond gleefully asserts, “if the talks succeed, it is to our benefit. And if they fail...well, my people will decimate the Hasssa Empire...and that, too, is to our benefit.”
The Hasssa emissary almost attacks the Shrond again, but Ralph intervenes.
GL then takes Ralph aside and tells him that he’d better know what he’s doing. “You mean you’re gonna let me do this?” an amazed Ralph asks. “You actually trust me?” “Of course not,” GL replies. “But I’ve got to find J’onn. And remember,” he continues, “if there’s an interplanetary war...all those lives are going to be on your head.”
“Hey,” Ralph says, nonchalant, “don’t worry, I -- “ And then, suddenly, the impact of those words hits him. “Maybe Superman should do this.” John looks over at the emissaries. “He’s unavailable. Besides, we change horses now and those two are gonna go ballistic. Don’t screw up, Ralph.” E-Man: “When have I ever screwed up?” Beat. “Don’t answer that.” A disgusted GL turns and leaves. “Heaven help us,” he mutters.
INT. THE CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT: The Atom, using what looks like a high-tech pooper-scooper, is collecting samples of J’onn’s “H'ronnmeer hurl” as well as some cookie crumbs; studying the scooper’s LED readout as he does so. “What are you doing?” Ice asks. “I’m not exactly sure,” the distracted Atom says. “Well, that’s helpful,” says Fire. “I think it might be,” Atom says, taking his samples and heading for the door. “Has everyone around here’s gone nuts?” Fire wonders. “He’s trying to help,” Ice observes. “If he really wanted to help,” Fire replies, indicating the vomit, “he would’ve cleaned the rest of that up.” Ice covers the offending spew in ice, which will at least neutralize the stink.
Ice and Fire get an urgent call on their com-links from John Stewart, asking them to meet him outside J’onn’s quarters.
INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE J’ONN’S QUARTERS - NIGHT: Fire, Ice and GL converge...GL buzzing J’onn and asking him to let them in. J’onn, in a voice that sounds demented, feverish, demands that they go away, leave him alone. “J’onn, please,” Ice implores him, “whatever it is -- ” “Go AWAY!” he roars. “That’s it,” says an angry and worried GL...
...who uses his power-ring to blast the door in. They rush in...
INT. J’ONN’S QUARTERS - NIGHT/CONTINUOUS:...to find the room in semidarkness. J’onn, sweating, eyes glazed...huddled in the corner, sitting on the floor, an empty Oreo bag on his lap. His belly has grown yet again...hanging over his belt. The entire room is floor to ceiling Oreo packages, some full, some empty. J’onn at first looks embarrassed, ashamed. Then angry: “I told you to go away!”
“How,” a stunned Ice asks, “did you get all these?” “An arrangement...with the manufacturer,” J’onn replies, like a man in a trance. Now it all makes sense to GL: “My God...you’re addicted to the cookies!” Fire and Ice share a look. “Nobody,” Fire says, “gets addicted to cookies.”
“Nobody human,” a voice says. We WIDEN to include the Atom, who walks in carrying a Palm-Pilotish device. “But for a Martian,” Atom continues, “it’s a very different matter. ”J’onn comes out of his stupor for a moment. Gets to his feet. “What do you mean?”
“The long-chain polymers in the cookies,” Atom explains, showing J’onn and the others the technical data on his Palm, “create an extremely powerful interaction with your Martian physiology. This isn’t just some craving, J’onn,” he continues, looking around at the ocean of cookie packages, “this is a life-threatening addiction. Not only that,
but -- ”
Now J’onn gets angry again, interrupting Atom: “It’s nothing that I can’t control. And it is none of your business.” GL gets in J’onn’s face. “Of course it’s our business. You’re our teammate.” “Our friend,” Ice adds. “Not to mention,” Fire interjects, “the little matter of that intergalactic war you’re supposed to be stopping.” The mention of the war seems to bring J’onn back to himself. “Yes, the war...” And then, again, he grows dark, agitated.
J’onn presses a button and a viewscreen comes alive, offering a beautiful view of the Earth, spinning below. “Can it be any worse than what I see from up here, day after day? War. Hatred. Barbarism. I sit here observing humanity’s madness...trying, in my small way to help...but what good has it really done?” He turns toward the other Leaguers now, incredible pain on his face. “You are correct, Atom. I am not human. I feel the Earth’s pain. It gnaws at me. Burns through my nervous system.” He laughs, a harsh thing. Picks up a package of Oreos, plucks out a cookie. With heartbreaking sadness: “And you would deny me this one small pleasure?”
“We’re not denying you anything, J’onn,” Ice says, gently. “We’re trying to help you.”
“I am in command of myself,” J’onn says, stuffing his face now. “I control the cookie,” he continues, shoving more and more Oreos in, “the cookie does not control...” Then he stops, frightened, fully realizing what he’s doing.
“Come on, buddy,” GL says, taking the package away from J’onn. “Let the Atom do what he can to -- “ J’onn savagely backhands GL, knocking him across the room. “GIVE ME MY COOKIES!!” he roars. And the fight is on. GL, Fire, Ice and Atom trying to subdue the Martian...
...the battle carrying them all over the Watchtower: a brutal mess.
INT. THE LOUNGE - NIGHT: E-Man is playing the guitar, singing “Kumbaya” with the two emissaries. At least he’s trying to get them to join in. “What,” hisses the Hasssa, “is the point of this?” E-Man, still pretending he’s talking to an invisible J’onn: “Mr. J’onzz says that music is the universal language...and it will allow us to bond.” “I do not want to bond with you or this Hasssa witch!” the Shrond burps. “You don’t now,” E-Man says, “but after a few more choruses of -- “
They HEAR the NOISE OF BATTLE OUTSIDE. All three rush to the door to see J’onn and the others fighting their way down the corridor...then vanishing around the turn.
“Wait!” says the Hasssa. “Was that not -- the Martian?” E-Man’s eyes goes wild with panic for a beat, then: “No, no, no, that wasn’t J’onn...that was our...our Martian Manhunter simbot. Since J’onn’s our strongest member...we use a robot that simulates his powers to...ah...train the rest of the team. And as you can see, it really keeps the guys an’ gals on their toes.” He looks up at empty air. “Isn’t that right?” He pretends to listen. A smile. “You really have a way with words, J’onny, you know that?”
Suddenly, we HEAR a STRANGE TONE. The Shrond pulls out a bizarre communication device, talks in indecipherable burps. “I have new orders,” he announces. “Good ones, I hope,” Ralph says. “If we have not concluded these negotiations in another thirty of your Earth minutes,” the Shrond burps, “it’s war.” “And I for one,” says the Hasssa, “can’t wait.”
E-Man’s not sure what to do...so he hustles the emissaries back into the room...launching into another, now-frantic chorus of “Kumbaya.”
ELSEWHERE IN THE WATCHTOWER: The battle reaches its climax as J’onn takes Fire, Ice, GL and Atom down...then turns invisible again: gone. “How,” GL asks, “do we find a guy who can turn invisible...read minds...become anyone...or anything?” Atom: “It gets worse.” “What?” “He’s experiencing a physiological meltdown.” “What does that mean exactly?” Fire asks. “It means that if we can’t stop him...cure this thing fast...he’s going to explode -- and he just might take us all with him.”
END ACT ONE
ACT TWO
INT. THE TELEPORTER ROOM - NIGHT: More cookies beam in from the manufacturer. An invisible J’onn sneaks in, gathers the packages up, but just as he reaches the door...
...the Atom pops up out of nowhere -- he’d been hiding at microscopic size -- barring J’onn’s path. “I have no wish to harm you, Doctor Palmer,” J’onn says. “I only wish to be left alone.” “You’re dying, J’onn,” Atom says. “Those things are killing you.” “You’re a liar. You just...you just want my cookies...” “Listen to yourself!” J’onn’s trying to think straight, but it’s clearly difficult. “Even if what you’re saying is true,” J’onn snarls, “shouldn’t it be my decision how I live...how I die?” “You’re not in any condition to make that choice.” And with that...
...a third arm manifests, projecting out of J’onn’s forehead, smashing the Atom in the face with brutal efficiency, knocking him unconscious. The feverish J’onn looks down at the Atom: “I am sorry, Doctor...but no one gets between me and my sweet...” He shoves several cookies in his mouth. “...friends...”
INT. THE LOUNGE - NIGHT: Things aren’t going very well with the emissaries. “What is the point of this?” the exasperated Hasssa shouts. “These creatures,” she continues, indicating the Shrond, “have no hearts, no souls! One might as well negotiate with a rock!” “You,” the Shrond burps back, “dare call the Shrond soulless...when your people are the ones who attack our border settlements without provocation?!” “Hypocrite!” the Hasssa rails. “You arm yourselves with weapons of mass destruction, aimed at the heart of our Empire -- and then wonder why we act to protect ourselves?”
And once again the two ambassadors start going at each other...and this time they each pull out blasters, demolishing half the lounge in the process.
Desperate to stop them, Ralph wraps himself around and around the two emissaries, binding them together, face-to-face: they can’t move, they’re stuck that way. “Release us!” the Hasssa demands. “Or you shall pay with your worthless human life!” the Shrond adds. “I think,” Ralph offers, taking on the tone of a therapist, “that we need to get to the root of your anger. Aggression like this doesn’t just appear overnight, you know. It begins very early in life. Now tell me,” he continues, turning toward the Hasssa, “about your childhood.” And, suddenly, there’s an expression of extreme vulnerability on the Hasssa's face...as if Ralph has just pushed a primal psychological button.
INT. A WATCHTOWER CORRIDOR - NIGHT: Fire and Ice are following a trail of cookie crumbs, searching for J’onn. Ice: “I’m so worried about him, Bea. The poor man is suffering so.” Fire: “Not to sound -- excuse the expression -- cold, hon...but that ‘poor man’ could destroy the entire Watchtower when he melts down...so you might worry about us a little, too.” Ice: “I have to believe that we’ll find him before that ha -- “ And then Ice stops, because she notices (although Bea doesn’t) a cookie...in the corner...floating on the air for an instant, and then vanishing. (It’s the invisible J’onn, chowing down, an almost- empty bag of Oreos in his hand.)
With lightning speed, Ice whirls and blasts the entire area...the barrage of ice outlining the invisible Martian...frozen in mid-bite. “Good girl!” Fire says. “Lantern,” she continues, talking into her com-link, “we’ve found him on
level -- “ But before she can continue...
...J’onn’s body solidifies -- and he effortlessly smashes out of the ice-block, the impact sending Fire and Ice flying. Ice struggles to her feet, imploring J’onn to give himself up. But J’onn is so feverish now, so crazed, that he just picks her up and smashes her against the wall.
And now Fire’s seeing red: “You. Hurt. Tora.” She explodes in an inferno of green flame, barraging J’onn, dropping him to his knees. (Fire being the one thing that can stop a Martian.) Fire’s so angry, she keeps pouring it on and pouring it on. J’onn collapses, toppling flat on his back.
“Stop!” a weak, desperate Ice wails. “You’re killing him!” Fire: “He could have killed you!” Ice: “No! He doesn’t realize what he’s doing! He can’t help himself!” Fire’s anger fades (a little). “You’re right,” she says, grudgingly turning off her flames. “As usual. Come on, he’s down anyway. Let’s get him to -- “
And then, with a speed that rivals the Flash, J’onn’s up and flying past Fire and Ice...knocking them both down again...his Oreo bag, left behind. The two women get to their feet...
...but are knocked down yet again as J’onn super-speeds back INTO FRAME, grabs the cookie bag and super-speeds OUT OF FRAME again. “So much,” says a disgusted Fire, “for compassion.”
EXT. THE WATCHTOWER - NIGHT. A massive Hasssa battleship suddenly warps into orbit around the Watchtower.
INT. THE WATCHTOWER/MEETING ROOM - NIGHT: John Stewart and the Atom facing a large viewscreen, where we see the HASSSA CAPTAIN, looking none-too happy. The Captain says that, if the negotiations fail -- and given the timeframe, they most certainly will -- and the two Empires go to war, the Hasssa are going to use the Earth as a base of operations in this sector. Before GL can protest...
...a massive Shrond battleship appears, locking into orbit beside the Hasssa. “Apparently,” the Hasssa Captain continues, “our adversaries had the same idea.” “The deadline’s not up yet,” GL says to the Hasssa. “There’s still time to work this out. Come on,” he continues, turning to the Atom, “we’ve gotta find J’onn. He’s the only one who can get us out of this.”
INT. ANOTHER ROOM ON THE WATCHTOWER - A LITTLE LATER: GL and Atom enter, John scanning the room with his ring. There’s nothing there but furniture: some chairs, bookcases, a table with a single cookie on it. “Trouble is,” GL grouses, “when J’onn changes form, he actually becomes the thing...down to the last molecule. There’s no way to tell if he’s actually in here.” Atom subtly nods toward the table, then says: “He’s not here, let’s try the gym.” And they exit. A moment later, the table grows a huge mouth...that gobbles up the cookie. And then...
...the door is blasted open by a green ray, Atom and GL rushing back in: “Aha!” John roars. “Gotcha!” But...
...the table gets up (its four legs growing longer)...and runs away, barreling past the amazed Gl and Atom.
INT. THE LOUNGE - NIGHT: Ralph and the emissaries stand in the doorway, watching first the table, then the Leaguers, rush by. E-Man says this is a hugely popular sport on Earth. “Table-chasing. It’s on ESPN more than figure skating. But now,” he continues, putting an arm around the Shrond, and guiding him back into the room, “let’s get back to what you were saying about your father...”
INT. A WATCHTOWER AIR VENT - NIGHT/ON J’ONN: He’s hidden himself away in the vent. Deathly sick now. Feverish, sweating. Delirious and pathetic. Hands shaking violently...as he licks cookie crumbs off them.
He desperately searches his cape: nothing there. Then he puts a hand to his head and telepathically scans the Watchtower. “No,” he whispers, horrified. “No,” he repeats, “I’ve eaten them all.” He tries his com-link, hoping to reach the manufacturer on Earth: nothing but static. It’s dead.
VERY CLOSE on the panicked J’onn: “I have to get off this satellite.”
INT. THE TRANSPORTER ROOM - NIGHT: J’onn stumbles in. He tries to boot up the teleporters...but they don’t work. WIDEN to reveal GL, Atom, Fire and Ice stepping out of the shadows. “No teleporters,” John Stewart says. “No communication with the outside. We’re stopping this, we’re helping you, here and now.”
“Please!” J’onn begs. “I have to beam out! I have to get my cookies!” “You’ll die, J’onn,” Ice says, her heart breaking, “don’t you understand that?” “If I’m dying,” J’onn growls...
...as he leaps at them, “then I’m taking all of you WITH me!”
As the Leaguers try to subdue him, as he battles desperately against them, J’onn morphs and morphs...from his true Martian shape to the forms SUPERMAN, WONDER WOMAN, HAWKGIRL, FLASH, AQUAMAN. All of “them” speaking with J’onn’s voice. All of “them” pleading -- even as J’onn continues to fight savagely -- to be let off the station.
GL and the others hammer J’onn unrelentingly -- and, given his weakened state, they finally manage to get the upper hand: J’onn falls to his knees, utterly exhausted in mind and body. He looks up at his friends with the pathetic expression of a whipped dog. “I...I give up,” he gasps. At least that’s how it seems...
...until J’onn suddenly morphs into a tiny, winged insect...
...and escapes again. Fire and Ice sprint after him. Atom checks his Palm Pilot-device. “How much time?” GL asks. “Physiological meltdown in approximately...seventy-two seconds.” “We’re not gonna make it, are we?” GL asks. Atom’s stunned silence is all the answer John Stewart needs.
INT. A WATCHTOWER CORRIDOR - NIGHT. The feverish, confused J’onn is running, stumbling -- but, in his current state, he has no idea where he’s going, what he’s doing. And his belly is getting bigger and bigger and bigger...PULSING and CHURNING and RUMBLING.
INT. THE SHROND BATTLESHIP - NIGHT: The SHROND CAPTAIN studies the chronometer: “The deadline is up in two Earth minutes,” he says. “Prepare to destroy the Watchtower and then open fire on the Hasssa ship.” “But our emissary -- ” says the FIRST OFFICER. “Is expendable,” burps the Captain.
INT. THE LOUNGE - NIGHT: Ralph’s got the two emissaries crying their eyes out (and in the case of the multi-eyed Shrond, that’s quite a feat).
“My dad,” sobs the Shrond, “never once took me to observe the ritual slaughter of the Urrpoodooloos...and yet I’ve...I’ve always blamed myself...for his failure.” “It’s all right,” Ralph says, bawling, too (although, in his case, it’s a performance. When the emissaries turn away, he shakes his head and rolls his eyes), “just let it out.”
“My mother,” wails the Hasssa, turning to the Shrond with sympathy and understanding, “put me in the Master Kennel when I was only four sechplatts old...and all these years...I, too, have blamed myself!” “Oh, the horror, the horror,” says the Shrond, feeling a wave of compassion for his adversary. “But that’s no way to live,” Ralph says. “We have to release our guilt and shame...move beyond it.” “Yes,” says the Hasssa, eyes glistening with tears, turning to face the Shrond. “Yes,” agrees the Shrond, looking at the Hasssa with new understanding, “yes, of course...he’s right!”
“Look at us,” E-Man says, melodramatically blowing his nose. “Three different worlds, three different cultures...but we’re all human under the skin...” The Shrond and Hasssa stop crying, fix E-Man with fierce stares. “Figure of speech,” Ralph says quickly, realizing his error. The emissaries accept that -- and begin weeping all over again, even harder. Ralph joins in, puts his arms around the two aliens and says: “C’mon, you sweet, beautiful people -- let’s sign that peace treaty.” They’re just about to put pen to paper when...
...J’onn bursts in. He’s GROANING as if he’s in incredible pain. There’s a psychic wave -- like a high-pitched electronic signal -- rippling from his mind through the minds of E-Man and the emissaries. Driving them to their knees.
GL, Atom, Fire and Ice rush in -- “He’s gonna blow!” Atom shouts
-- but they’re instantly downed by the psychic sound wave.
J’onn SCREAMS.
They all SCREAM.
The PSYCHIC WHINE rises and rises and rises to a DEAFENING MIND-SHREDDING PITCH and then:
J’ONN EXPLODES!
INT. THE HASSSA BATTLESHIP - NIGHT/CONTINUOUS: The Hasssa crew watches in alarm as the Watchtower is rocked by the force of the explosion. “Are they firing at us?” the Hasssa Captain wonders. She turns to one CREWMAN: “Power up weapons!” And to ANOTHER CREWMAN: “Target the Watchtower!”
INT. THE LOUNGE - NIGHT: E-Man opens his eyes...to find that a) he’s not dead and b) he’s covered in a thick, pea-soup like substance. We WIDEN to see that the entire room -- and everyone in it -- has been splattered with the stuff. (It’s like Dr. Seuss’s Oobleck.)
J’onn is on the floor, in his natural Martian form...looking extremely emaciated; depleted and weak. He GROANS.
“What happened,” a groggy John Stewart asks the Atom, as they both rush to J’onn’s side, “to the explosion that was going to kill us all?” “I said it might kill us all,” Atom clarifies. “Might.”
The emissaries, meanwhile, are angry again; they want to know the meaning of this: why did the Martian become visible again and attack them? E-Man tells the ambassadors that this wasn’t an attack. Far from it. “On Mars...perhaps once in a thousand years...someone is blessed this way.” “Blessed?” asks the Hasssa. “You see,” E-Man continues, “Among his people, J’onn J’onzz is considered not just a warrior, not just a diplomat...but a holy man.” “Indeed,” says the impressed Shrond, licking off the pea-soup with his long and disgusting tongue. “But,” E-Man continues, “he’s not just an ordinary holy man...oh, no...he’s one of the very highest of the high priests...a...a Barsoom Laka Laka.” “Barsoom Laka Laka?” interjects Fire. “Unless you’ve got something better,” Ralph whispers, “shut up.”
“And this,” the Hasssa says, indicating the splattered soup everywhere, “is a...Martian blessing.” “Not just a Martian blessing...the supreme Martian blessing -- which is granted only once in a millennium to the worthiest souls. All of us who share in this blessing today,” Ralph goes on, sounding like an overheated, cable-TV evangelist, “are bonded together in spiritual unity...till the end of time!”
The two emissaries look at each other, awed and impressed. “Then our Empires,” the Hasssa says, weeping again, “must never go to war.” “Never,” agrees the Shrond, who also breaks down in tears again. “Oh...I am so happy...”
The Watchtower is suddenly rocked by blasts from BOTH the alien battleships.
E-Man: “Uh...would you both mind telling your buddies out there how happy you are?” Emissaries: “No problem.”
Meanwhile, Atom and GL rush J’onn out of the lounge on a power-ring-created stretcher. “The explosion was his body’s last attempt to purge the toxins,” Atom explains to Ice, “and it didn’t work. If we don’t get him to the lab immediately...he’s a dead man.”
INT. WATCHTOWER LAB - NIGHT: The Atom affixing a device -- like a high-tech version of the classic no-smoking patch -- to a weak, dejected J’onn’s upper arm. “It will take a few weeks,” Atom says, “but this should gently eradicate your body’s dependency on the cookies.” “But can I --?” J’onn asks, hopefully. “Not a one,” Atom says. “But here,” he continues, offering J’onn an odd-looking wafer, “this should help assuage your body’s craving for the time being.”
J’onn takes a bite. Grimaces. “Tastes like...cardboard.” “Best I could do,” Atom admits, “given your physiology and my baking skills.”
INT. J’ONN’S QUARTERS - NIGHT: The Martian sits alone, staring at an empty Oreo wrapper. A beat, an inner struggle, a SIGH...then he balls up the bag and hooks it into the trash.
A KNOCK at the door. “Come in...” John Stewart enters: “How’re you doing, buddy?” J’onn: “Did the ambassadors get off safely?” GL: “Still crying alot, but yeah, they’re gone.” J’onn, amazed: “Ralph Dibney did what I could not.” “So elephants can fly,” GL shrugs. “So what?”
J’onn stands and paces, agitated. “I have revealed the darkest corners of my psyche for all to see. I have acted like a buffoon...a madman. I am humbled...and ashamed.” “Of what?” GL says. “Of making a fool of yourself? Happens every day around here. Or haven’t you met Bwanna Beast?”
Another KNOCK at the door...and Ice comes in. She’s brought a huge bowl of popcorn. “Atom says it’s safe,” she sweetly assures him. J’onn eats a small handful. “Not bad,” he admits. “How ‘bout a movie to go with that?” says a voice. WIDEN to reveal that it’s E-Man, Atom and Fire. “Don’t you knock?” J’onn asks. “Of course not,” E-Man says, matter-of-factly. J’onn SIGHS: “Come in, come in.”
The Leaguers gather around their Martian friend: “Face it, J’onny,” says Ralph. “You’re stuck with us.”
J’onn looks at his friends, then down at a cookie crumb on the table. Smiles gently: “I can think of worse fates.”
FADE OUT:John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American artist and sculptor. He is most associated with his creation of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota. He was associated with other public works of art, including a bust of Abraham Lincoln exhibited[5] in the White House by Theodore Roosevelt and now held in the United States Capitol Crypt in Washington, D.C..
Early life [ edit ]
The son of Danish immigrants, Gutzon Borglum was born in 1867 in St. Charles in what was then Idaho Territory. Borglum was a child of Mormon polygamy. His father, Jens Møller Haugaard Børglum (1839–1909), had two wives when he lived in Idaho: Gutzon's mother, Christina Mikkelsen Borglum (1847–1871) and Gutzon's mother's sister Ida, who was Jens's first wife.[6] Jens Borglum decided to leave Mormonism and moved to Omaha, Nebraska where polygamy was both illegal and taboo.[7] Jens Borglum worked mainly as a woodcarver before leaving Idaho to attend the Saint Louis Homeopathic Medical College[8] in Saint Louis, Missouri. At that point "Jens and Christina divorced, the family left the Mormon church, and Jens, Ida, their children, and Christina's two sons, Gutzon and Solon, moved to St. Louis, where Jens earned a medical degree. (Jens) then moved the family to Nebraska, where he became a county doctor".[9][10] Upon his graduation from the Missouri Medical College in 1874, Dr. Borglum moved the family[9] to Fremont, Nebraska, where he established a medical practice. Gutzon Borglum remained in Fremont until 1882, when his father enrolled him in St. Mary's College, Kansas.[11]
After a brief stint at Saint Mary's College, Gutzon Borglum relocated to Omaha, Nebraska, where he apprenticed in a machine shop and graduated from Creighton Preparatory School.
Elizabeth Janes Putnam Borglum [ edit ]
Borglum's wife, Elizabeth Janes, was born in Racine, WI on December 21, 1848.[12][13] She studied art and music in Boston, New York, and Paris. Her marriage to J. W. Putnam ended in divorce. She taught music in Milwaulkee before moving to San Francisco in 1881, studying art at the School of Design under Virgil Williams and L. P. Latimer,[14][15] moving to Los Angeles, California in 1884, and the next year began art study with William Keith. In 1885, she met Gutzon Borglum, who was also a student of Keith's.[16][17][18] In 1889 in Los Angeles, she married Borglum, who was her pupil and 19 years younger.[19] The Borglums spent the next ten years traveling widely, studying and exhibiting in Europe. Borglum was trained in Paris at the Académie Julian, where he came to know Auguste Rodin, and was influenced by Rodin's impressionistic light-catching surfaces. Borglum's works were accepted to the 1891 and the 1892 Paris Salons. In Paris, Elizabeth studied with Felix Hildago. Elizabeth took part in the 1892 Columbus Centennial Exhibition in Spain. A return trip to California proved to be ill-timed, as the state was in the throes of a financial depression. In 1893, they purchased a home, "El Rosario", in Sierra Madre, California. In 1896 Gutzon and Elizabeth went back to Europe, this time to London.[20] In London, she studied with California painter Emil Carlsen. Due to marital problems, she returned to southern California in 1902, while Borglum was living in England.[19] After she and Borglum separated in 1903 and divorced in 1908, Elizabeth stayed at "El Rosario".[21][22][23][24][25][26][27] She continued her art career, painting and teaching and taking classes from J. Foxcroft Cole. In 1915, she moved to Venice, California,[28] dying there on May 21, 1922. Elizabeth Borglum's work is rooted in the Tonalist-Barbizon esthetic.[29]
New York City [ edit ]
Back in the U.S. in New York City he sculpted saints and apostles for the new Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in 1901; in 1906 he had a group sculpture accepted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art[30]— the first sculpture by a living American the museum had ever purchased—and made his presence further felt with some portraits. He also won the Logan Medal of the Arts. His reputation soon surpassed that of his younger brother, Solon Borglum, already an established sculptor.
Mary Montgomery Williams Borglum [ edit ]
Borglum married Mary Montgomery Williams, on May 20, 1909, with whom he had three children,[6] including a son, Lincoln, and a daughter, Mary Ellis (Mel) Borglum Vhay (1916–2002).
Public life [ edit ]
Borglum was active in the committee that organized the New York Armory Show of 1913, the birthplace of modernism in American art. By the time the show was ready to open, however, Borglum had resigned from the committee, feeling that the emphasis on avant-garde works had co-opted the original premise of the show and made traditional artists like himself look provincial. He moved into an estate in Stamford, Connecticut[31] in 1914 and lived there for 10 years.
Borglum was an active member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons (the Freemasons), raised in Howard Lodge #35, New York City, on June 10, 1904, and serving as its Worshipful Master 1910–11. In 1915, he was appointed Grand Representative of the Grand Lodge of Denmark near the Grand Lodge of New York. He received his Scottish Rite Degrees in the New York City Consistory on October 25, 1907.[32]
Borglum was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.[33] He was one of the six knights who sat on the Imperial Koncilium in 1923, which transferred leadership of the Ku Klux Klan from Imperial Wizard Colonel Simmons to Imperial Wizard Hiram Evans.[34] In 1925, having only completed the head of Robert E. Lee, Borglum was dismissed from the Stone Mountain project, with some holding that it came about due to infighting within the KKK, with Borglum involved in the strife.[35] Later, he stated, "I am not a member of the Kloncilium, nor a knight of the KKK," but Howard Shaff and Audrey Karl Shaff add that "that was for public consumption."[36] The museum at Mount Rushmore displays a letter to Borglum from D. C. Stephenson, the infamous Klan Grand Dragon who was later convicted of the rape and murder of Madge Oberholtzer. The 8x10 foot portrait what portrait? contains the inscription "To my good friend Gutzon Borglum, with the greatest respect." Correspondence from Borglum to Stephenson during the 1920s detailed a deep racist conviction in Nordic moral superiority and strict immigration policies.[37]
Monuments [ edit ]
In 1925, the sculptor moved to Texas to work on the monument to trail drivers commissioned by the Trail Drivers Association. He completed the model in 1925, but due to lack of funds it was not cast until 1940, and then was only a fourth its originally planned size. It stands in front of the Texas Pioneer and Trail Drivers Memorial Hall next to the Witte Museum in San Antonio. Borglum lived at the historic Menger Hotel, which in the 1920s was |
the fact that they were opening The Last of Us with such a shopworn video-game trope?
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Druckmann said that they had indeed seen Sarkeesian's latest video, though they were conscious of the trope well before that. "The problem with that trope," Straley said, "is when there's no character there. Then it's just a device that's used to progress the male character's story.
"But it becomes more complicated when you have a fully three-dimensional character that has different wants and needs and has interesting contradictions. And that's what we tried doing with Sarah, with the time we had with her. And again, we felt like we used the power of mechanics in the fact that you embody Sarah, and you see how she moves and how she reacts. And you can look at her room and see all the stuff that she's into.
Druckmann: "At the end of the day, you have to be a slave to the story. … Abstract it enough and you can find these tropes and these conventions everywhere. So all you can do is say, 'What is honest?'"
"Here's a girl that has a lot of agency; she went out of her way to somehow get money and buy her dad a watch. They have this relationship where they can banter with one another. As much as we could, we tried to really flesh out her character. So that you know, we're working toward that moment when she eventually dies, [and] you don't feel like… I think that scene wouldn't have worked if she was a very flat character.
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"The other thing: Where that trope is usually used in games is to fuel a violent revenge story. That's almost all of the examples that were used in Anita's video. Where here it's like, yes, Joel becomes a violent man, but it wasn't necessarily because of Sarah's death. It's because of what the world has done to him. If anything, Sarah's death has shut him down. He didn't go on this [rampage], 'I'm gonna go kill every soldier, I'm gonna find the guy that ordered the soldier to shoot my daughter!' No, it's about this man that has completely shut down and is pretty much dead inside, until he meets Ellie."
"At the end of the day," Druckmann said, "you have to be a slave to the story. You can't worry yourself about these things… abstract it enough and you can find these tropes and these conventions everywhere. So all you can do is say, 'What is honest?' What was honest for the prologue was to show a snippet of what this family had to go through, how they were ripped apart, so that you can imagine what happened to the rest of the world. But you're seeing it from a very personal viewpoint. And then you just try to make those characters as real and as grounded as possible so that you can buy into that drama."
The 'Citizen Kane of Games'
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One of the more enjoyable things to come up in the critical response to The Last of Us was the hoary old Citizen Kane of Games meme. The comparison is as well-worn as any of the zombie tropes in The Last of Us, and yet whenever a game this good comes out, inevitably some critic or other will compare it to Orson Welles' groundbreaking 1941 film.
Like clockwork, Empire released their early review of the game and concluded by saying that in addition to being one of the best games of this console generation, The Last of Us "may also prove to be gaming's Citizen Kane moment." Across the Internet, a thousand heads met a thousand desks.
I asked Druckmann and Straley if they thought that was a fair assessment. Is The Last of Us is the Citizen Kane of games? At first, Druckmann laughingly tried to turn it back around on me, asking what I thought the comparison meant. I said I was more interested in what he thought.
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"It's already been attributed to several games, and now it has become almost a joke?" Druckmann said. "Like, I think Metroid Prime was called the Citizen Kane of video games."
(He's right, it was.)
"Who knows, right?" he said, more seriously. "You hope you leave some kind of mark and you inspire people. Look, we're into narrative-driven games. We hope that there'll be more games like this, games that take story seriously, that really work hard to combine story and gameplay. I hope it leaves some kind of mark, and it inspires more people to make games like this, and to try to push it forward even further."
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Then he laughed. "There's gotta be a Wayne's World of games."The Government has introduced new measures to criminalise the sale of legal highs.
Minister for Health Mary Harney announced a criminal ban with immediate effect on a list of these drugs.
The ban makes it illegal to buy or sell mephedrone, spice products and substances which mimic cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy.
These products contain chemicals such as mephedrone, benzylpiperazine, methylone, methedrone, butylone, flephedrone, and MDPV.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern also published the main parts of the New Criminal Law, which makes it illegal to sell hallucinogenic products.
The Psychoactive Substances Bill will also allow gardaí to seek a court order to close head shops suspected of selling drug-like products with the onus on the owners to prove they are not involved in such activities.
Minister Harney brought an order to Cabinet to ban the substances following approval for the measure from the European Commission yesterday.
'These substances are dangerous and their sale and promotion have caused huge anxiety to families and communities throughout the country,' Minister Harney said.
'Their possession and supply are now illegal and subject to criminal sanction of: up to seven years imprisonment and/or a fine for unlawful possession, and, on indictment, up to a maximum period of life imprisonment for unlawful supply,' she said.
Minister Pat Carey, minister with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, said the measures will send out a ‘clear message’, especially to young people, about the dangers of psychoactive substances sold through head shops.
‘The controls introduced today constitute a significant measure to tackle the issue of the psychoactive substances currently being supplied here in Ireland via the internet and through head shops.’
He continued: ‘Psychoactive products on sale in Ireland will continue to be monitored and any other products with a detrimental health effect will be added to the list of controlled substances’.Jared Kushner didn't report on a government financial disclosure form that he is the part-owner of a real estate start-up that counts Goldman Sachs clients and billionaires Peter Thiel and George Soros among its investors.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the connection, pointing out that the president's son-in-law and White House senior adviser, continued to have a stake in Cadre, which connects investors with real estate projects.
Kushner's Cadre stake was one of many interests that the Journal found unreported in Kushner's disclosure firm, which also included loans totaling at least $1 billion from more than 20 lenders, including Deutsche Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
President Trump's son-in-law also provided personal guarantees on more than $300 million worth of debt.
Kushner's attorney Jamie Gorelick told the Journal that Kushner's stake in Cadre is under the umbrella of another company he owns called BFPS Ventures LLC, which is reported in his financial disclosures.
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The Wall Street Journal found that Jared Kushner (pictured) didn't report on government filings that he was still a partial owner in the real estate start-up Cadre
Cadre's early investors included Peter Thiel (left), President Trump's most prominent Silicon Valley supporters, and George Soros (right), a well-known Democratic donor
Mr. Kushner will recuse himself from matters to which Deutsche Bank or RBS are parties, because he has provided personal guarantees on their loans, said a person familiar with his ethics arrangement.
The documents that are currently public, however, don't mention Cadre by name.
Gorelick also told Journal reporters that Cadre is identified in a revised version of his financial disclosure form and will be made public after it is certified by ethics officials. She said it's'very normal' for there to be revisions for these kinds of things.
She added that Kushner had discussed his stake in Cadre with officials working for the Office of Government Ethics, though a spokesman for OGE didn't immediately respond to the Journal's request for comment.
Kushner, Gorelick said,'resigned from Cadre's board, assigned his voting rights and reduced his ownership there.'
Additionally, a person familiar with Kushner's ethics arrangement told the Journal that the aide will recuse himself from matters related to Deutsche Bank or RBS.
President Trump's son-in-law co-founded Cadre in 2014 with his brother Joshua Kushner, the boyfriend of super model Karlie Kloss, and their friend Ryan Williams, who had worked with the brothers at Kushner Cos., the business Jared Kushner ran before his White House gig.
According to its website, Cadre describes itself as a 'technology-enabled investment platform that connects qualified individuals and institutions to fully vetted, compelling real estate investment opportunities.'
Investors, those willing to hand over six-figures or more sizable amounts, are able to put money into specific properties or larger funds.
As users of Cadre have to fit a specific bill, Kushner and company first turned to a Goldman Sachs fund to finance their real estate projects, the Wall Street Journal found.
One of those investors, Thiel, is Silicon Valley's best known Trump supporter, speaking in support of the now-president at last summer Republican National Convention and touting a Trump presidency at the National Press Club in Washington too.
While Thiel's ties to Trump family members isn't surprising, the Journal also found that Cadre had secured a $250 million line of credit from the family office of George Soros, a top Democratic donor often portrayed as a liberal boogeyman in rhetoric coming from Republican candidates, including President Trump.
Reporters for the Journal were later told by a person familiar with the affairs of Soros' family office that the investment was made in early 2015, before Trump announced his desire to run for president.
Some of the money raised by Cadre went to Kushner Cos. real estate projects, according to information sent to investors and given to the Journal, including some projects where Jared Kushner personally has a stake, according to Cadre documents and the top aide's disclosure form.
Williams, who is listed as the co-founder and CEO, on Cadre's website – which doesn't mention either Kushner – told the Journal that the company has been working with regulators to'reflect Jared's non-operational, non-management relationship with the company, which has been in place since the inauguration.'NEW DELHI: BJP had on Saturday indicated that if the terror attacks in Pathankot are found to have been supported by the Pakistani establishment, making it clear any evidence of complicity of Pakistan’s state actors in the attack, will adversely impact the fresh peace initiative that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken with the neighbouring country.While there has been no change yet in the schedule for the foreign secretary level talks that are on the anvil, any shift in the schedule will depend on the way Pakistan reacts to the attacks. According to sources, whether to go ahead with the talks now hinges on how much the Nawaz Sharif government “cooperates” with the Indian authorities in the aftermath of the attack.When asked about the possible impact of the terror strike on the Indo-Pak talks, which received a fillip after Modi made a surprise visit to Lahore, party secretary Shrikant Sharma said, "the right decision will be taken at the right time."BJP has traditionally taken a tough stand on the issue of terror, especially one emanating from Pakistan and any dilution of the terror plank will be seen as a turn-around and go down adversely with its core votery. Hence, it is at odds that the terror strike and peace talks will go together.The party condemned the attack and congratulated the security forces for "foiling" the terror attack on the air base and said India was capable of giving a befitting reply to such attacks."BJP condemns it. Our brave soldiers have foiled the terror attack on the air base. We congratulate our armed forces that they were able to thwart it with their wisdom and valour. India is capable of giving a befitting reply to any terror attack," Sharma said, giving out the party line.BJP pays its tributes to the soldiers killed in the attack, he added.BJP took a while to come out with its official line of response to the attack as operation to foil the attack took its time. The party line had to be balanced, at a critical juncture when the peace talks had been initiated rather dramatically by the PM, and BJP’s tough line on terror too had to be factored in. The official response had to override some of the first responses that hinted that the peace move “shall not be revoked”.Moral victories are stupid, which makes the fact that Liverpool revel in them... well, entirely predictable. Last year it was all about our style of play and time wasting, which Luis Suarez is still sore about. And if it wasn't that, it was Steven Gerrard's slip being a freak accident. Anything to take the credit away from Chelsea, even if the FA refuses to do the same with the points.
What's the excuse this year? You guessed it: the late Gary Cahill handball that could -- perhaps should -- have been a penalty. Brendan Rodgers is very, very cross that his team didn't get the spot kick, and so we get the 'deserved' word popping up. It's like clockwork.
It was a clear [penalty]. We worked so hard in the game, we need those decisions. It was quite obvious, it hits his hand, it was a clear clear penalty and the referee has a clear view of it. The players gave everything and we deserved at least a point. -Source: BT Sport via Get West London.
Let's be clear: Liverpool were bad. They were perhaps slightly less bad in the final stages, but their two best chances of the match were long-range shots that happened to hit Cahill. They defended poorly, failed to deal with the press, and very little about the flow of the game after it went to 1-1 suggested that they were going to get anything out of it.
Which makes them complaining about being hard done by very funny indeed. They weren't good enough to trouble Chelsea, but instead of focusing on getting better, they're going to whine about Anthony Taylor. But hey, at least you have two moral victories in one week!To help honor the Super Bowl’s golden anniversary — Super Bowl 50 is this February — you can expect some trips down memory lane throughout the upcoming season, celebrating pivotal moments from the NFL’s last 50 years.
Microsoft, though, is looking to the next 50.
As part of the $400 million, five-year contract that Microsoft signed with the NFL in 2013, the Redmond company is upping the ante this year for its technology on and off the football field.
“This year is unlike any other year as far as the NFL partnership,” Jeff Tran, Microsoft’s Director of Sports Marketing and Alliances, told GeekWire this week.
Last season, Microsoft endured a few hiccups with some of its technology implementation from a PR standpoint. As it introduced Surface tablets for players and coaches on the sidelines to replace traditional black-and-white paper printouts of past plays, some NFL announcers kept referring to the device as an “iPad-like tool.”
Microsoft pays a fortune to have Surface tablets on NFL sidelines. Monday Night Football guys call them iPads. Love that so much. — Jeff Hokit (@jeffhokit) September 9, 2014
Whether announcers figure out the difference between an iPad and a Surface this year is still up in the air. But you can expect to see more players and coaches using Microsoft’s device on the sidelines, particularly as the technology helps them win games.
“What we’ve really learned is that professional athletes and coaches, just like any profession, they want to get better — whether it’s diagramming a play in the coaches’ booth or seeing how a play unfolded immediately after the snap,” Tran said.
The idea is to replace the traditional printed paper black-and-white images of plays to analyze previous possessions, and instead use the waterproof tablets that allow for annotations on each photo with the Surface Pen.
Tran noted that players and coaches are using the tablet “in really crucial moments of the game.”
“If we can provide a product or service that professionals can use to gain an advantage, more and more will adopt the product,” Tran said. “It’s all about sharpening that blade and just bringing better technology to these professionals.”
Players and coaches are getting a Surface upgrade on the sidelines this season, moving from a custom-built Surface Pro 2 used last year to new Surface Pro 3 tablets that offer a bigger and thinner screen, lighter weight, clearer images, and a pen that can be used in four different colors.
There’s also a new whiteboard screen that lets coaches and players diagram plays.
In addition to the new tablets, which will be used throughout the 2015-16 season, the NFL is testing video streaming to the devices during preseason games for both players and coaches, along with referees.
That means players and coaches will be able to watch replays of what just happened on the field. Referees, meanwhile, will be able to do the same and in some cases may not have to go “under the hood” to watch a replay.
“What you are seeing is the NFL recognizing the importance of the technology revolution.”
The NFL tested video streaming to the tablets during last year’s Pro Bowl, and it was met with generally positive feedback. They’ll do the same for about 20 preseason games in August and September, but don’t expect the new features to be implemented until after this season at the very least.
“The NFL certainly has a process to make changes to the game, but what you are seeing is the NFL recognizing the importance of the technology revolution and they are proving it in their actions by testing video on the sidelines and for instant replay,” Tran said.
Off the field, Microsoft is debuting a revamped NFL app for Xbox One, Surface, and Windows which includes a neat new feature called “Next Gen Stats” that takes data from RFID chips worn by NFL players who embed small devices made by Zebra in their shoulder pads during games.
Fans will be able to track player speed (MPH) and total distance run from video highlights of certain plays via “Next Gen Stats,” which will be formatted as you see in the screenshot below.
The NFL has used these stats for internal use and in a few TV broadcasts, including last year’s Pro Bowl, but this is the first time fans have been able to access the data elsewhere.
Microsoft also added new fantasy football integration with its Xbox One app — now those with teams on CBS and Yahoo! can see their stats on Microsoft’s NFL Xbox One app, not just NFL.com like past years.
The app will be released later this month, and will be available on Windows 10. It also includes a new game-day notification feature and a new replay function where fans can watch replays from multiple angles from key plays.
Microsoft is also reportedly working on ways to implement its HoloLens augmented reality headset with football, but Tran wouldn’t offer any further details.
Tran did note that the partnership with the NFL thus far has been “really tremendous” from a strategic standpoint for both parties.
“Microsoft is just getting started with the NFL in regard to how technology can really impact the game of football,” he said.
Microsoft today released a trailer for a new 10-part video series called “Beneath The Surface,” which will showcase how the Surface is being used by NFL teams on and off the field. The trailer, which you can watch below, features Seahawks quarterback and Surface spokesman Russell Wilson, who calls the tablet a “game-changer.” Drew Brees, Blake Bortles and Nick Foles also appear in the video.After the administration released details of the July mission to rescue journalist James Foley and others in Syria, intelligence suggests ISIS dispersed the remaining hostages to multiple locations, making them harder to locate, a military source told Fox News.
In addition, the source added guard forces around the hostages doubled while widely publicized reporting about the scope of new aerial surveillance in the region caused ISIS to change its pattern of behavior on the ground.
"Any time you (disclose) very highly sensitive tactical information, you're giving away your road map if you will, your strategy," said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee receives regular intelligence briefings. "It's very highly damaging to the hostages."
The details about the rescue mission were released by the Defense Department and National Security Council one day after a video was posted online Aug. 19 of Foley’s execution.
The administration said its hand was forced because unnamed reporters had learned about the raid to rescue Foley and other hostages, believed to include Steven Sotloff, who was also later executed by ISIS.
Asked about the ramifications of providing the information in such a public way, Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said Friday it was still the right call.
"We regret it at the time we had to talk about this," Kirby said. "There was absolutely no intention of ever having to talk about that rescue attempt but because of leaks to certain reporters, it forced our hand to try and provide some context to that. So it's not about do I now regret it. We regret it at the time. We still regret that we had to talk about it."
The military source said the disclosures, which included specific details about the mission itself -- including personnel and hardware -- increased the risk for special operations forces in the future.
Two separate sources also told Fox the release of information was damaging because the Foley case was considered "an ongoing mission" after the raid did not locate him and the others near the ISIS stronghold of Raqaa, Syria.
Some Republicans, including McCaul, believe the administration shoulders some of the blame.
"It's all because the administration leaked this information that is highly sensitive,” he said. “And quite frankly is in violation of the law."
Asked about ISIS' response to the disclosures, a National Security Council spokeswoman said she could not discuss intelligence matters, adding the administration had nothing to do with the original leaks to reporters, describing those claims as "baseless."NEW DELHI: The government said on Saturday that filing income tax returns and applications for permanent account number or PAN cards will, from July 1, mandatorily require Aadhaar cards, or at least the applicant’s enrolment number for the unique identity (UID).The order came a day after the Supreme Court upheld the law, Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act, that mandates the possession of Aadhaar cards to file I-T returns, and the linking of the UID with PAN cards. “Those who do not have an Aadhaar will have to apply for one in the next 20 days if returns are to be filed after July 1. Those who wish to file the returns or apply for PAN before the deadline can do without Aadhaar, for the time being,” explained an officer.But, based on the court ruling, the government has, for now, kept the linking of PAN cards with Aadhaar on the tax department website voluntary. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the policy-making arm of the tax department, said the apex court had only given “partial relief” to those who do not yet have an Aadhaar or an Aadhaar enrolment ID, and the taxman, hence, “will not cancel” the PAN of such individuals.Cancellation of PAN will have several implications, including making bank accounts, mutual funds and insurance policies, non-compliant with know-your-customer (KYC) norms. Chances are that most PAN holders would have Aadhaar, which has a base of 115 crore Indians.While there are 29 crore PAN holders, only around 4.5 crore file income tax returns. Most Indians file their returns by the July 31 deadline, although they have the option to file returns without paying any penalty till the end of the year. The government is expecting a spurt in filings this year on the back of demonetisation and other steps initiated to crack down on black money. The CBDT described the SC’s Friday judgment as “landmark”.In one of the more poignant quotes from her interview with Vanity Fair last week, Caitlyn Jenner talked about the deep discomfort she felt for decades as she hid the person she really was:
The uncomfortableness of being me never leaves me all day long. I’m not doing this to be interesting. I’m doing this to live … if I was lying on my deathbed and I had kept this secret and never ever did anything about it, I would be lying there saying, ‘You just blew your entire life. You never dealt with yourself.’ And I don’t want that to happen.
It’s an extreme and heartbreaking depiction of the distress you feel when you’re acting in a way that doesn’t really feel like you. (A lesser example might be, say, pretending that, yes, you’d just love to attend that bachelorette party in Las Vegas.) In an intriguing new study published in Psychological Science, a trio of researchers led by Harvard Business School’s Francesca Gino claim to have uncovered one reason why very few of us enjoy behaving in ways that feel false for long stretches of time: To our minds, authenticity may be a moral imperative.
Across five experiments, Gino and her team, which included Maryam Kouchaki of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and Adam D. Galinsky of Columbia University, found that when people are nudged into recalling past experiences where their behaviors felt inauthentic, they tended to feel more immoral and impure than those who’d remembered a time they behaved authentically. In one online experiment, for example, the researchers asked 269 participants to write about a time in their personal or professional lives when they did something that made them feel, to some degree, fake. Afterwards, the study volunteers were asked about their current feelings of impurity, rating how “dirty” or “tainted” they felt on a 7-point scale. Those in the inauthentic condition reported stronger feelings of impurity (3.56 out of 7 on average) compared to those who’d been thinking about a time they did something that made them feel true to themselves (1.51 on average). The finding echoes previous work by University of Michigan psychologists, which also suggested a link between immorality and literal feelings of impurity. (In that study, after people were told to tell a lie on a voice mail, they were more likely to express an interest in mouthwash in a subsequent and ostensibly unrelated survey on consumer products.)
In contrast, recalling moments of authenticity made people feel pretty good about themselves. That same experiment found that those who’d remembered a personal moment of living their truth (as Oprah might phrase it) were also more likely to describe themselves in prosocial terms, such as helpful and cooperative, than the inauthentic group. But in a follow-up experiment, the researchers found that feeling fake is actually more likely to drive people to act in helpful ways, perhaps in an attempt to compensate for the feeling of moral degradation. A third of 92 people who’d been asked to remember past instances of inauthenticity lent more of their time to the researchers by filling out an optional extra 15-minute survey; just 17 percent of the 97 people who’d written about a time they felt true to themselves agreed to help out.
It’s another research project spearheaded by Gino on how acting fake makes us feel terrible. Last year, for example, she published a study that claimed the reason so many people despise professional networking is that it makes us feel inauthentic, and, therefore, literally gross. Finding ways to be true to yourself — whatever that means to you — may be something more than a meaningless self-help cliché; as Gino and her colleagues conclude, “being true to thine own self is experienced as a form of virtue.”College Debt How College Debt is Putting the Squeeze on Families
Parents are increasingly struggling to repay federal loans they've taken out to help cover their children's college costs, according to newly released federal data.
The Parent Plus program allows parents to take out essentially uncapped amounts to cover college costs, regardless of the borrower's income or ability to repay the loan. As the cost of college has risen, the program has become an increasingly critical workaround for families that max out on federal student loans and can't pay the rest out of pocket.
Education Department officials have long said that they simply don't have figures on how many of the loans were in default. But the agency has finally run some numbers. The data shows that default rates, while still modest, have nearly tripled over the last four years. About five percent of loans originated in fiscal year 2010 were in default three years later. The default rate at for-profit colleges is much higher, at 13 percent.
Overall, there is about $62 billion in outstanding debt from Parent Plus, according to the new data. The average Parent Plus loan borrower owes about $20,300. The Education Department compiled the numbers at the request of a government committee that is working on new rules for the program.
As ProPublica and the Chronicle of Higher Education have detailed, the availability of easy money can put individual families in a difficult place, leaving them to choose between taking on debt that they may struggle to repay and curtailing what they believe to be their child's best shot at building a future. (See: How the Government Is Saddling Parents with College Loans They Can't Afford.)
The program can be a losing proposition not only for overburdened parents, but also for taxpayers when the government isn't able to recoup what it loaned.
Consider Lisa, a New Jersey mother living on Social Security disability payments who nevertheless qualified for tens of thousands dollars in Parent Plus loans. (Lisa asked that her last name not be used.) Due to an accident that left her with partial paralysis and chronic pain, Lisa had no expectation that she would ever work again. Lisa took the loans with mixed feelings, but no regrets, determined to help her daughter get the college education that she'd never had.
Documents reviewed by ProPublica show that Lisa is now roughly $45,000 in debt. That's even with her daughter — currently a junior — having attended a community college for a year, giving her a year's reprieve from taking on more parent loans. This fall, Lisa's younger child will start college as well.
"There was a part of me that was definitely terrified, because it's something that in my lifetime I couldn't pay back. Let's be realistic. With what I get, there was no way," Lisa said, on signing for the loans. But she also felt relief: "Like, 'Wow, they're going to give me this money so I can do something for my child.'...You're like a lottery winner."
Her daughter worries about the loans, having planned on paying for them anyway because she knew Lisa couldn't.
"Honestly my mom never should have been accepted for a Plus loan," her daughter told ProPublica. (She also asked that her name not be used.) "It's ridiculous that they gave thousands of dollars a year to somebody who will never work again."
To collect on defaulted loans, the government can garnish wages and Social Security checks. But the government is unlikely to get much back from Lisa, who gets roughly $700 per month from Social Security. Lisa may even ultimately qualify to get the loans discharged by the federal government. (Cancellations of debt due to severe and permanent disabilities have not been easy to get in the past, though that process has improved somewhat since we first reported on it.)
While both families and the government can face downsides for the loans going bad, colleges and universities benefit either way.
In the fall of 2011, a slight tightening of credit checks for Parent Plus caused consternation at a handful of colleges that were particularly reliant on revenue through the parent loan program. Several historically black colleges saw drops in enrollment, causing staff furloughs at some schools. EDMC, a for-profit college chain, felt the change enough to have to note it in regulatory filings, alerting investors to possible impacts on earnings.
Facing pressure from schools, the Education Department backpedaled, working with schools to reverse denials on a case-by-case basis. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan personally apologized to HBCU leaders, in particular, for how the changes were handled.
At the moment, there's no mechanism in place that even loosely ties the performance of parent-loans back to the colleges that benefitted from the borrowed dollars, the way there is for most federal loans to students.
To do that, the agency would first need to track default rates by individual colleges. A department spokeswoman said the agency doesn't calculate those figures.* Gunmen set off bombs, fire on congregation
* Islamist Boko Haram often target Christians
* Nigerian forces are struggling to contain insurgency (Updates death toll from second attack)
By Imma Ande
YOLA, Nigeria, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Suspected insurgents armed with guns and explosives killed at least 62 people in northeast Nigeria, including at a church service, in a region where Islamist sect Boko Haram is resisting a military crackdown, witnesses said on Monday.
They killed 22 people by setting off bombs and firing into the congregation in the Catholic church in Waga Chakawa village in Adamawa state on Sunday, before burning houses and taking residents hostage during a four-hour siege, witnesses said.
On Monday, a separate assault by suspected members of the shady sect killed at least 40 people in Kawuri village, in remote northeastern Borno state, security officials said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for either attack.
President Goodluck Jonathan is struggling to contain Boko Haram in remote rural regions in the country’s northeast corner, where the sect launched an uprising in 2009.
Boko Haram, which wants to impose sharia law on a country split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims, has killed thousands over the past four and a half years and is considered the biggest security risk in Africa’s top oil exporter and second largest economy after South Africa.
Its fighters’ favourite targets have traditionally been security forces, politicians who oppose them and Christian minorities in the largely Muslim north.
The spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Yola, Reverend Father Raymond Danbouye, confirmed 22 people killed in the church were buried at a funeral on Monday.
The military and police did not respond to requests for comment but one army source confirmed the church attack, asking not to be named because he wasn’t authorised to speak with the media.
VILLAGE RAZED
Waga Chakawa is near the border with Borno state, in which the second attack occurred that killed at least 40 people.
Several witnesses put the figure at 50, although none had counted the numbers of bodies themselves. They added that the militants had burned down the village and set off multiple explosions, shooting anyone trying to flee.
“The whole village has been razed by Boko Haram and there were still loud explosions from different directions as I left, with bodies littering the village,” said resident Bulama Kuliri, who narrowly escaped.
An army spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jonathan replaced his chiefs of defence, army, navy and air force last week in a widespread military shake-up. No reason was given for the overhaul, but security experts believe there was a need for a change of tactics in combating Boko Haram.
Jonathan declared a state of emergency in three northeastern states in May last year and launched an intensified military campaign to try to end the insurgency. (Reporting by Imma Ande; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Tim Cocks and Alister Doyle)ESPN’s Weekly NFL Programming Schedule for 2016
Of 42 ESPN commentators, 11 predicted the Seattle Seahawks will win Super Bowl LI. The Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots follow with nine and six votes, respectively. The Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers earned five votes apiece.
As for Conference Championships, the Patriots (17 votes) and the Steelers (15) are favored to win the AFC, while the Packers (16) and the Seahawks (15) are favored in the NFC. Quarterbacks Russell Wilson (12), Aaron Rodgers (11) and Ben Roethlisberger (7) earned the most votes for league MVP.
Commentator AFC Champ NFC Champ Super Bowl Champ League MVP Josina Anderson Broncos Cardinals Cardinals Carson Palmer Annie Apple Patriots Giants Giants Eli Manning Joe Banner Chiefs Packers Packers Aaron Rodgers Michelle Beisner Steelers Packers Steelers Ben Roethlisberger Jarrett Bell Steelers Seahawks Steelers Russell Wilson Stephania Bell Patriots Panthers Panthers Cam Newton Chris Berman Chiefs Seahawks Seahawks Russell Wilson Matthew Berry Patriots Packers Patriots Aaron Rodgers Andrew Brandt Steelers Packers Packers Aaron Rodgers Tedy Bruschi Steelers Seahawks Seahawks Russell Wilson Adam Caplan Patriots Seahawks Seahawks Todd Gurley Ryan Clark Steelers Packers Packers Ben Roethlisberger John Clayton Steelers Seahawks Seahawks Ben Roethlisberger Jeff Darlington Patriots Packers Patriots Tom Brady Trent Dilfer Steelers Panthers Panthers Ben Roethlisberger Mark Dominik Bengals Seahawks Seahawks Russell Wilson Dan Graziano Bengals Cardinals Cardinals Russell Wilson Jon Gruden Steelers Packers Packers Aaron Rodgers Matt Hasselbeck Steelers Seahawks Seahawks Russell Wilson Tim Hasselbeck Patriots Seahawks Patriots Cam Newton Merril Hoge Steelers Packers Steelers Ben Roethlisberger Ron Jaworski Bengals Seahawks Seahawks Russell Wilson Keyshawn Johnson Steelers Packers Steelers Aaron Rodgers Suzy Kolber Patriots Cardinals Cardinals Tom Brady Randy Moss Patriots Seahawks Patriots Aaron Rodgers Wendi Nix Patriots Packers Patriots Tom Brady Sal Paolantonio Patriots Seahawks Seahawks Russell Wilson Antonio Pierce Colts Packers Packers Aaron Rodgers Louis Riddick Patriots Seahawks Seahawks Russell Wilson Jeff Saturday Patriots Panthers Panthers Ben Roethlisberger Phil Savage Steelers Seahawks Seahawks Cam Newton Adam Schefter Chiefs Packers Packers Aaron Rodgers Mark Schlereth Patriots Packers Packers Aaron Rodgers Michael Smith Jets Packers Packers Antonio Brown Jim Trotter Steelers Cardinals Steelers Russell Wilson Ed Werder Steelers Seahawks Seahawks Russell Wilson Trey Wingo Patriots Cardinals Cardinals Russell Wilson Charles Woodson Raiders Packers Raiders Khalil Mack Darren Woodson Patriots Panthers Panthers Aaron Rodgers Damien Woody Patriots Seahawks Patriots Ben Roethlisberger Field Yates Patriots Cardinals Cardinals Cam Newton Steve Young Steelers Packers Packers Aaron Rodgers
–30–Cristiano Ronaldo will cost a staggering £785million should a club wish to buy him from Real Madrid.
That's the buy-out clause placed in the 29-year-old superstar's contract and the astronomical price his agent, Jorge Mendes, insists he is worth.
The one billion euro tag underlines why Manchester United and other suitors will find it near impossible to prise him away from the Santiago Bernabeu.
Cristiano Ronaldo's buy-out clause is a whopping £785million, a price his manager says he is worth
Ronaldo's manager Jorge Mendes says the figure means it will be impossible to take him from the Bernabeu
Ronaldo in action for Portugal against France on Saturday night in a friendly international
Sportsmail reported last month how, despite their affection for the player, United were not willing to break the bank for such a deal and Mendes said: 'I no longer get calls from anyone asking |
I came home."
Harry furrowed his eyebrows.
"And as soon as I stepped foot inside that house, I realised something was missing," she said, her fingers going back to her necklace. "My mother's piano—the one she'd taught me to play on. The one I'd run to anytime I was feeling down. The only real thing I had left of her. It was just…gone."
She paused for a moment, her nostrils flaring as she breathed heavily through her nose.
"My father sold it while I was away," she said, turning her head back to look at him, her eyes shining now with unshed tears. "And I can't even tell you how much that broke my heart."
Harry felt himself deflate at her words. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side, feeling her melt against him.
"I couldn't stand to be in that house for one more second," Abby said, a few tears running silently down her cheeks, now. "We had this huge row, and I left. Before I even saw my brother."
"And I never went back," she added in a whisper, her face screwing up in pain at the very thought. "Not even once."
Harry swallowed hard as he rubbed circles onto her back. He moved his other hand towards his pocket and carefully pulled out his wand so that he could cast a Muffliato around them.
"But I tried calling, you know," Abby said after a moment, sounding a bit congested. "I called so many times, but he never answered. And I deserved that. I deserved it."
"Don't say that," Harry said quietly, feeling a deep sadness swell in his chest.
She swiped at her tears in frustration and shook her head. "It's been eight years, Harry, and I've never once heard from him," she said, leaning back to meet his eyes. "I have no idea where he is. No idea what he's doing. If he's even okay."
"And now…after all this time, my father has the nerve to invite me to his wedding," she said, her tone filled with disbelief. "As if nothing ever happened…as if he could just erase everything!"
She squeezed her eyes shut and dropped her head into her hands, breathing heavily.
"You think he might be there," Harry said, leaning against his knees so he was level with her. "Your brother, I mean."
She nodded.
Harry stared at the ground for a moment before looking back up at her. "Do you have any reason to believe he's not living a normal, happy life somewhere?" he said, speaking as gently as he could. "I mean you don't know, do you?"
Abby let her hands fall to her lap, her entire posture shrinking a bit. "I don't think it's that simple," she said, shaking her head. "Because the thing is…my dad mostly ignored me, but with my brother…he could be quite cruel with his words. To the point where Ryan started lashing out…getting into all sorts of trouble. And I just know that me leaving made it a hundred times worse."
She let out a long breath and creased her forehead, looking so much older than Harry had ever seen her.
"You see now, Harry," she said, meeting his eyes. "Why you were wrong when you said I had nothing to apologise for."
He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.
"All those years, I could've gone home. Just once. Just to see him," she said, sounding desperate. "And then one day…I called the house and my dad picked up. And he told me that Ryan had gone. And I knew at that moment that I might never see him again."
"And I'll never stop blaming myself," she said, leaning back against the bench. "For being too afraid. Too selfish…"
Harry shook his head as he gazed at her, trying and failing to come up with something to say. "Abby…"
"And I know what you think of me," she said, staring back at him. "That I'm this kind-hearted, innocent girl…who's always happy..."
Her voice broke as she said the last word.
"But that's not me," she said. "Not really."
She turned away from him, then, trying to hide the tears now spilling freely from her eyes, but Harry reached out a hand and gently turned her face back.
He'd seen her cry before, but never like this. Never with so much distress. And he just wished he knew how to comfort her or even where to begin.
"It's okay," Abby said after a while, placing her hand over the one he still had resting against the side of her head. "I'll be fine, I promise. I'm just emotional because…well, I haven't really talked about this stuff with anyone for a long time."
Harry couldn't help but let out a sniff of amusement. "You're comforting me," he said, wiping at her cheek with his thumb. "It should be the other way round."
Abby shrugged. "I don't need to be comforted, Harry," she said, her eyes filling with warmth. "I just need to be heard. That's all I want. To be heard and understood."
He nodded. "I can do that."
"Good," she said with a smile.
"And just you know," he said, letting his hand fall from her cheek. "I don't think any less of you, now. There's no reason to. If anything…I respect you even more."
Abby stared at him for a moment, a fresh set of tears slowly spilling from her eyes which only caused him to grin.
"Those better be happy tears," he said, pulling her in for a hug.
She clung to him, wrapping her arms tight around his middle and nodding into his chest. "They are, I promise."
They stayed in that position for a long time afterwards, Harry leaning his head back against the bench as he stared up at the evening sky. And though he thought of many things, his mind kept going back to the fact that Abby had presumably just shared everything with him. Her family, her friends, her past. Everything that made her who she was today.
And with a heavy heart, he wondered if he could ever do the same.
It was one thing to tell Abby about magic. But it was something entirely different to tell her about him.
The Boy-Who-Lived.
The Chosen One.
The bloody saviour of the bloody wizarding world.
No…not now. Not yet.
He hated having to keep even more secrets from her after all this time. But he just couldn't bring himself to consider the possibility yet. The moment she knew the truth about him, he feared nothing would ever be the same again.
And he liked the way things were now. He really liked them.A new technique using artificial intelligence to predict where deforestation is most likely to occur could help the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) preserve its shrinking rainforest and cut carbon emissions, researchers have said.
Congo's rainforest, the world's second-largest after the Amazon, is under pressure from farms, mines, logging and infrastructure development, scientists say.
Protecting forests is widely seen as one of the cheapest and most effective ways to reduce the emissions driving global warming.
But conservation efforts in DRC have suffered from a lack of precise data on which areas of the country's vast territory are most at risk of losing their pristine vegetation, said Thomas Maschler, a researcher at the World Resources Institute (WRI).
"We don't have fine-grain information on what is actually happening on the ground," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
To address the problem Maschler and other scientists at the Washington-based WRI used a computer algorithm based on machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence.
The computer was fed inputs, including satellite derived data, detailing how the landscape in a number of regions, accounting for almost a fifth of the country, had changed between 2000 and 2014.
The program was asked to use the information to analyze links between deforestation and the factors driving it, such as proximity to roads or settlements, and to produce a detailed map forecasting future losses.
Overall the application predicted that woods covering an area roughly the size of Luxembourg would be cut down by 2025 — releasing 205 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere.
The study improved on earlier predictions that could only forecast average deforestation levels in DRC over large swathes of land, said Maschler.
"Now, we can say: 'actually the corridor along the road between these two villages is at risk'," Maschler said by phone late on Thursday.
The analysis will allow conservation groups to better decide where to focus their efforts and help the government shape its land use and climate change policy, said scientist Elizabeth Goldman who co-authored the research.
The DRC has pledged to restore 3 million hectares (11,583 square miles) of forest to reduce carbon emissions under the 2015 Paris Agreement, she said.
But Goldman said the benefits of doing that would be outweighed by more than six times by simply cutting predicted forest losses by 10 percent.Retired Marine Gen. James "Mad Dog" Mattis has been tapped to serve as President-elect Donald Trump's Defense Secretary. Americans can expect a lot of awesome quotes from Mattis, since he already has so many.
Here are nine of Mattis's best quotes.
1. "I come in peace. I didn't bring artillery. But I'm pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you f*** with me, I'll kill you all."
2. "The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some a**holes in the world that just need to be shot."
3. "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up there with you. I like brawling."
4. "You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it's going to be bad."
5. "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
6. "In a country with millions of people and cars going everywhere, the enemy is going to get a car bomb out there once in awhile."
7. "No war is over until the enemy says it’s over. We may think it over, we may declare it over, but in fact, the enemy gets a vote."
8. "Marines don’t know how to spell the word defeat."
9. "I don’t lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word."
Quotes provided by the Washington Free Beacon, Conservative Review, and Politico.The insurance marketplace is large. Many insurance companies are competing for customers since the pool is finite. With new health insurance coverage being mandated, whether it is individual health insurance, family health insurance, or group health insurance, established insurance providers know they need customers to remain in business.
As a result, providers are offering cheap plans through the state and federal exchanges, and then ultimately either withdrawing from the exchanges when they can no longer feasibly support their plans, or raising premiums. The Affordable Care Act was great in theory. Its execution, as always, is more complex.
Rather than using an established insurance provider, consider seeking a large group health insurance plan from an independent agency like Taylor Benefits Insurance.
How Many People Will My Plan Cover?
There is no legal maximum number of group members when it comes to large group health insurance plans. Whether you run a local business, or you run a Fortune 500 firm, you can find group insurance that will cover your employees.
However, the minimum number of group members required to be considered for large group health insurance, on average, is 50 people or more. When choosing large group health insurance plans, keep in mind that you should look for insurance providers and independent agencies that specialize in large group insurance.
The Benefits of Large Group Health Insurance & Employee Benefit Plans
Large group plans will affect every aspect of health care coverage, from subsidies, to out of pocket payments, a pre existing condition or illness, to preventive care of the insured. All this and more will be determined based on the size of your group.
A correlation does exist between the availability of health plan benefits and the employee take-up rate, as it refers to group size. The larger the group, the more likely an employee is to enroll in a group plan offered by their workplace.
The more people eligible, who enroll in a open enrollment group health coverage or employee benefit plan, the more financially feasible the plan becomes so the cost of your insurance program will be much lower. This means that large group health insurance plans are better able to provide for the following, when compared to smaller group and individual plans.
Preexisting conditions
Deductibles
Coinsurance
employer sponsored (funded) Medicare / Medicaid enrollment
Dental plans / Dental coverage
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
Vision insurance and vision care
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And more.
Typical Health Care Coverage
Typical health care coverage varies, even when it comes to large group health insurance plans. Most plans will cover the basics, like life insurance and disability coverage, and then provide more coverage depending on the group’s needs.
Affordable health insurance plans that also cover all the health benefits and coverage that groups want is a complex process to follow. This is why independent insurance agencies are most capable of providing you with the plan you need, since they can offer you large group health insurance plans you will not find anywhere else.
Essential Health Benefits
Due to the passage of Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act (ACA), you can receive essential health benefits in your group health insurance plans. These are benefits which are required to be included for plans offered through the state and federal health care exchanges.
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Next Steps
Decide whether a large group health insurance plan is right for you. If you have no need for extended coverage, and the essential health benefits required under Obamacare are enough, you may decide to go with a smaller plan. However, if you want broader and more comprehensive health care coverage, consider contacting an independent agency that specializes in the large group health insurance marketplace.
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Deja vu all over again
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This video has received enormous attention on the Internet recently with hundreds of thousands of views in just a few days.
It shows a New York City police officer picking a cyclist at random and violently assaulting him.
This kind of things has been going on in the US for many years.
Click here for a detailed report of a mass assault by police officers against cyclists ordered by then Mayor Willie Brown.
Mass Police Attack Ordered Against Critical Mass Riders by San Francisco Mayor (1997)
Note: The account of this attack was one of the very first "blogs" in Internet publishing history.Thousands of people in Hungary found themselves trapped in heavy snow after a sudden cold snap and high winds swept over Eastern Europe. Budapest has deployed tanks to reach motorists trapped by the conditions.
The heavy dump has trapped people in cars, buses and trains as dozens of major roads across the country were blocked by the snowfall.
Tanks and other military vehicles with caterpillar tracks have been dispatched to rescue motorists as trucks jackknifed causing huge traffic jams on the main motorway that links Budapest and Vienna.
"The situation is most critical on the M1 motorway where hundreds of cars are stranded in the snow, most of them for 18-20 hours now," Reuters cites Marton Hajdu, spokesman for the National Directorate for Disaster Management.
Thousands of people have been forced to spend the night in their cars or roadside buildings after a snowstorm paralyzed traffic on the major Hungarian highway.
A Reuters photographer travelling with a rescue convoy said high winds had caused snowdrifts on the motorway up to a meter (3 feet) high.
Those who happened to be waiting out the snowstorm at home were left shivering as the electricity and heating went off. In total up to 100,000 of Hungarians have been suffering from cold in their apartments.
The weather conditions also forced the government and several opposition parties to cancel outdoor festivities and events planned for Friday's national holiday commemorating Hungary's 1848 revolution against the Habsburgs.
Neighboring Slovakia along with Bulgaria and parts of Serbia and Bosnia have also been facing foul weather.
In eastern Slovakia, some 40 trucks were trapped in snow on a highway in the High Tatras region. The army ordered the deployment of hundreds of soldiers to help out. Local authorities are warning citizens not to use cars.
To avoid traffic jams in Poland authorities banned heavy trucks from entering the city of Rzeszow, fearing they could get stuck and gridlock roads.
In Bulgaria, a woman was killed when scaffolding collapsed in high winds in the central town of Gabrovo. In the southern town of Krichim a school was evacuated when wind tore off the roof.
Snow has caused travel chaos in other parts of Europe too, leaving scores of passengers stranded at airports, railway stations, and at sea.
Frankfurt Airport - Europe's third busiest- has cancelled and delayed up to 100 flights of a scheduled 1,200 after the city saw about 12cm of snow.
Travellers going to France have also faced inconvenience with a quarter of flights out of Paris cancelled by the city's two main airports - Charles de Gaulle and Orly.
Some 80,000 homes in the north and northwest of France were without power, following snowfalls of up to 60cm.
The unseasonable snowfall comes little more than a week before spring officially starts in Europe.
sThe head of an energy price watchdog in Newfoundland and Labrador says it’s time for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to say no.
George Murphy of the Consumer Group for Fair Gas Prices was reacting to news that Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro is going for a 13 per cent increase in rates over the next two years.
That’s even before the Muskrat Falls era, although part of the increase is to fund interconnection to the North American grid. The utility also needs money to ensure a safe, reliable supply of electricity.
Murphy says Hydro has a lot of questions to answer about how it spends money and maintains equipment.
He’s calling on people to write down two letters and an exclamation mark and mail it to the P.U.B. He suggests the two letters be N-O.Daniel Hannan is an MEP for South-East England, and a journalist, author and broadcaster. His most recent book is How we invented Freedom and why it matters.
First-past-the-post is groaning and swaying under the strain. Our voting system was designed for two blocs: a government and an opposition. You can see it in the layout of the Commons chamber. But over the past five years we have moved from a two-and-a-quarter party system to a five or six party system. The old argument for first-past-the-post – that it boosts the larger party and so provides stable government – no longer applies. These days, it throws up anomalous, unpredictable results that are only distantly related to how many people supported each party.
A number of factors have contributed to the change. A decade ago, Douglas Carswell and I co-authored a book called The Plan which, among other things, predicted that, as traditional loyalties broke down, people would increasingly shop around for niche parties. The Internet has played a part, as has the introduction of proportional representation at various non-Westminster elections: voting is habit-forming and people who have backed smaller parties at, say, Scottish or European elections cannot automatically be recalled to their older national allegiances.
First-past-the-post worked in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when MPs were independent and parties were loose alliances. It’s hard to imagine that anyone would invent it today. For many Conservatives, of course, this is no argument: lots of things that we wouldn’t invent today work perfectly well. As Edmund Burke kept telling anyone who’d listen, it’s not enough to find a theoretically better alternative – you have to find an alternative that is better by a sufficient margin to justify the inevitable disruption involved in adopting it. But I think we have reached that point; and I think that growing numbers in all parties can see it. The only clear beneficiary of first-past-the-post today is the SNP, which aims to dictate policy to the next government with less than four per cent of the national vote.
Before sketching out what my preferred alternative is, let me deal with three likely objections – two from Conservatives, and one from non-Conservatives. The two Tory objections are “Leave well alone” and “Why are you raising this subject when we should be straining every sinew in the election campaign?” The converse objection is “Too late, you Tory numpty, you had your chance with the AV referendum”.
To take them in turn, the Conservative objection to electoral reform is about more than Burkeian scepticism. During the 1980s, many Tories reached the view that only first-past-the-post made Thatcherism possible. The permanent coalitions implied by proportional voting would, they believed, condemn Britain to sclerosis. This may have been true, but not because of any property intrinsic in first-past-the-post. It just happened that the Right at that time benefited from the Labour-SDP split as the Left now benefits from the Conservative-UKIP split.
Human nature being what it is, most politicians are either consciously or subliminally influenced by what suits their party when they pronounce on the ideal voting system. But party advantages shift like sand dunes in desert storms. It’s wiser to work out what is right in principle: no one can tell which system will favour which party in a decade’s time.
To say that we have always had the current system is, in any case, untrue. We have had multi-member constituencies in the past, and have repeatedly altered our voting system since 1832. If change is coming, we should take ownership of that process, as Disraeli did in 1867 – arguably the finest manoeuvre of the old shyster’s career.
To those who say, “Why raise this now when you should be campaigning?” I’d say two things. First, I am campaigning. Please join me: I’m in Brighton Pavilion and Hove today, Crawley and Horsham tomorrow, then Portsmouth, Southampton and Eastleigh. More to the point, though, this is precisely the kind of question that ought not to rushed as part of a coalition deal. Last time, we ended up with a referendum on a system that almost nobody had wanted. Why? Because four exhausted men needed to agree something quickly.
So let me say this now, before we know the election result. Instead of scrabbling to cobble something together after polling day, we should agree that a Royal Commission will put the options before Parliament in time for a referendum in, say, 2018. Any new electoral method would come into effect only five years after that – in other words, three elections from now. This would reduce the incentive for parties to try to game what was to their advantage, and instead focus the debate on the merits of the competing systems.
Which brings me to the non-Tory objection. The reason I opposed AV in the referendum – after some agonising – was that it was so obviously intended to favour a particular outcome, namely the election of more Liberal Democrat MPs. Though I was in principle in favour of electoral reform, I couldn’t support something so squalidly self-serving. At every public meeting, “Yes” campaigners would begin by apologising for the fact that they were proposing a system they had previously been rude about. And, sure enough, voters saw AV for what it was: a politicians’ trick.
The system that most electoral reformers had actually supported, when it was a question of principle rather than of Lib Dem advantage, was the Single Transferrable Vote (STV), and you can see why. STV retains a constituency link while ending the concept of a safe seat, because it allows MPs to be ousted by more popular candidates from their own parties. Voters like it and, while it isn’t proportional in theory, it tends to be in practice. It encourages candidates to campaign as individuals, as local champions, rather than as representatives of their parties. It thus has the incidental effect of strengthening backbenchers against Whips, and the legislature against the executive.
Every system has its pros and cons, obviously, but you can learn a lot from the way in which opponents attack something. In Ireland, STV is popular with almost everyone except (in private) politicians. Why don’t Ireland’s TDs and MEPs like it? Because, as a Fine Gael friend put it to me, “Instead of acting in the national interest, I have to do what my constituents want.” That’s the whole bloody idea, I told him: it’s called democracy.
I know what I’m saying won’t be popular with ConservativeHome readers. Many of my fellow Tories are comfortably settled into trenches, and won’t easily be drawn into no-man’s land. But the fragmentation of the old party system makes some form of change inevitable, sooner or later. The question is whether we want to be involved in that process or whether – as with Scottish devolution or Lords reform – we end up leaving it to the Left to design the new system. Think about it. In the mean time, if you’d like to help with some canvassing, we’re meeting at 11.30 this morning at 23 Old Steine, Brighton.Like the museum — a mishmash of memorabilia — the bunker tour seems to appeal to a public appetite that several experts have recognized. Hitler sells.
Advertisement Continue reading the main story
“Of course it sells, that is clear,” said Stefanie Endlich, a professor at the University of the Arts in Berlin and an expert on Nazi art. “But all these revivals of National Socialist situations are a little unsettling.”
Historians at state-funded institutions, like the widely praised Topography of Terror center nearby, are also disturbed by Mr. Giebel’s venture. “We don’t work with sets,” said Kay-Uwe von Damaros, spokesman for the center. Besides that, he said, Mr. Giebel “demands an entry fee; we do not.”
Mr. von Damaros estimated that about 1.3 million people a year visit the Topography of Terror exhibition, a dense and grim accounting of how the Nazis rose, ruled and destroyed. “This shows the interest in working through the story continues to be high,” he said. “And it also is proof that the quality is right.”The South African government reacted angrily Wednesday to warnings by the United States and Britain about possible imminent "terrorist" attacks by Islamic extremists in the country's major cities.
Without naming the countries, a strongly-worded statement described the warnings as "alarmist" and said diplomatic action had been taken to register South Africa's "displeasure".
The U.S. said Saturday it had received information that "terrorist groups" were planning to carry out attacks in upmarket shopping malls in South Africa during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Britain issued a similar alert two days later.
"The information provided as a basis for the latest terror alerts on South Africa has been found to be very sketchy," the government said in a statement.
"We have found the information to be dubious, unsubstantiated and provided by a 'walk-in' source based on questionable conclusions."
South Africa rejected "attempts to generate perceptions of government ineptitude, alarmist impressions and public hysteria on the basis of a questionable single source," it said.
"The South African government has demarched the affected embassies to register our displeasure," the statement added.
The U.S. and British embassies were not immediately available for comment.
South Africa, which has a Muslim minority of around 1.5 percent in a population of some 53 million, has so far escaped the jihadist attacks seen in several other African countries.Last year’s pole speed at PIR was over 192mph and prompted legendary team owner Roger Penske to describe downforce levels there as “ridiculous.”
The race itself was also regarded as one of the series’ less exciting events on the 2016 schedule, with cars struggling to make passes – a situation exacerbated by the Chevrolet-powered cars appearing to have a major advantage over the Honda-powered machines.
However, Pappas, IndyCar’s VP of competition and race engineering, told Motorsport.com that he doesn’t expect the governing body will be making aerodynamic alterations to the cars during the PIR test on Feb. 10-11.
“The aero freeze was agreed to by both manufacturers,” he said, “so that drove a lot of our decision to stick with what we have. We think second time around, with the teams and drivers now having a lay of the land, the racing could be a bit different. Everyone learns a little bit more and we have different tire compounds.”
Pappas also said that he wasn’t expecing a “two-tier”race divided by manufacturer. Marco Andretti was highest qualifying Honda driver (11th) last year, while Graham Rahal led the HPD contingent (fifth) on race day.
“Manufacturers have made gains since last year, engine-wise, and they and the teams have a better understanding of the aero package at Phoenix," said Pappas.
“Also, if you look back, Ryan Hunter-Reay [Andretti Autosport-Honda] was running well in the top five, he was hooked up. He just got unlucky with the timing of the yellows.
“I think you’ll see a different sort of race this time, more competitive.”Charge against firm’s advertising arm follows reinforced filing against shopping service and probe into alleged abuse of Android
The European commission has filed a third antitrust charge against Google, this time against its AdSense advertising business.
The EU regulator accuses Alphabet’s Google of abusing its dominance in search to benefit its own advertising business, which has historically been the company’s main revenue stream. The EC also reinforced its existing charge against Google’s shopping service, which the regulator says receives preferential treatment in search results.
European competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said: “Google has come up with many innovative products that have made a difference to our lives. But that doesn’t give Google the right to deny other companies the chance to compete and innovate.
“We have also raised concerns that Google has hindered competition by limiting the ability of its competitors to place search adverts on third-party websites, which stifles consumer choice and innovation,” Vestager said.
The commission said it had sent two “statements of objections” to Google and given its parent company, Alphabet, 10 weeks to respond. Google faces fines up to 10% of its global turnover for each case if found guilty of beaching the bloc’s antitrust rules.
Vestager also said the commission’s preliminary probe into Google Shopping has revealed that Google has “unduly favoured its own comparison shopping service in its general search result pages”, meaning that “consumers may not see the most relevant results to their search queries.
“If our investigations conclude that Google has broken EU antitrust rules, the commission has a duty to act to protect European consumers and fair competition on European markets,” Vestager said.
A Google spokesperson said: “We believe that our innovations and product improvements have increased choice for European consumers and promote competition. We’ll examine the commission’s renewed cases and provide a detailed response in the coming weeks.”
The EU’s concerns around Google’s adverts relate to the company’s AdSense for Search platform, in which Google acts as an intermediary for websites such as those of online retailers, telecoms operators or newspapers, with searches producing results that include search ads.
Google’s AdWords and AdSense programmes, which formed the bulk of Google’s $75bn (£56bn) in revenue last year, have been on the EC’s radar since 2010, after rivals complained about unfair advertising exclusivity clauses and undue restrictions on other advertisers.
The EU’s executive branch is already investigating whether Google gives preferential treatment to its own products, including Google Search and Chrome, in its Android operating system. Device manufacturers are obliged to place Google Search and Chrome on the primary home screen of Android devices, as well as other Google apps, if they want to provide access to the Google Play Store - the single largest source of third-party Android apps.
The company is also facing complaints against its image search from Getty Images.Government treatment of individual civil liberties is no better than that of farm animals, National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden claims in an excerpt from an upcoming book.
“By preying on the modern necessity to stay connected,” writes Snowden in his foreword to The Assassination Complex: Inside The Government’s Secret Drone Warfare Program, “governments can reduce our dignity to something like that of tagged animals, the primary difference being that we paid for the tags and they’re in our pockets.”
Snowden is, of course, referring to smartphones. The GPS in most smartphones can—and frequently does—work much like the tags used by farmers and referenced by Snowden. Tracking our every move with increasingly worrisome accuracy, smartphones provide marketers and authorities with information about where we eat, shop, work, live, and sleep.
Not that long ago, the specter of government surveillance wasn’t a smartphone but a network of tiny chips implanted on your car, in your wallet, or even in your body. Once the topic of a heated debate, RFID chips now seem like modest and quaint anachronisms compared to what a smartphone can learn about you. The rise and fall of concern over these tiny chips tells the story of our sudden and complete acceptance of the surveillance state.
RFID tags are astoundingly useful in a number of ways. Household pets are frequently “chipped” so they can found and identified if separated from their home (raising the rate at which they are located by 238 percent for dogs and 2,000 percent for cats, according to the Humane Society). Warehouses and shipping centers use them to improve logistics and decrease wait times. Organizers of marathons and other races use them to get the most accurate finish time (check for one in your number tag from your latest 5k). Delta Airlines even unveiled RFID luggage tags earlier this week with the hope of helping passengers recover lost luggage.
The rise and fall of concern over these tiny chips tells the story of our sudden and complete acceptance of the surveillance state.
Marketers have also found their appeal. Stores like Walgreens have been using RFID chips for years to more closely track customer movements and better target in-store displays. Festival goers at Lollapalooza have, since 2014, been asked to use RFID-enabled bracelets to charge all purchases instead of bringing cash into the festival. In 2013, Budweiser unveiled “The Buddy Cup,” a red beer cup linked to your Facebook account that will friend you with any person with whom you share a toast.
Once upon a time, however, these microchips were not viewed as harmless features of efficiency and innovation. The concept of being forced to carry a RFID-enabled device—or even having one under your skin—was once isolated to dystopian science fiction. Neo is tagged by Agents in The Matrix, as is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in Total Recall, and all tributes in The Hunger Games.
Such depictions came closer to reality a decade ago when RFID use by employees first came under public scrutiny. In 2007, Citywatcher.com, a manufacturer of surveillance hardware, raised eyebrows when two of its employees had RFID chips implanted into their skin to be used as keys for access to top secret information. As USA Today predicted microchipping “might start with Alzheimer’s patients or Army Rangers, but would eventually be suggested for convicts, then parolees, then sex offenders, then illegal aliens — until one day, a majority of Americans, falling into one category or another, would find themselves electronically tagged.” A 2007 NBC Nightly News report suggested RFID implants would be commonplace by 2017.
The issue became a minor controversy for an even more minor presidential candidate. Tommy Thompson, who ran for the GOP nomination in 2008 and the Senate in 2011, once sat on the board of Verichip, a major manufacturer of RFID chips. “You put it in your right arm and it is very small and it doesn’t bother you at all,” Thompson told CNBC. “But it certainly is going to allow you to identify who you are, protect your child if you have a new child that’s born in a nursery, you can protect that child from having somebody walk off with it.” Thompson said he would even get one installed himself and declared RFID chips “a big coming thing.”
Many evangelical Christian groups even worried the coming ubiquity of so-called “spychips” would bring about the end of the world forecast in the Book of Revelations. According to the Christian Broadcasting Network, the use of RFID or NFC chips installed under the skin as payment is fulfillment of Revelations’ prediction all humans will one day be forced to wear the “mark of the beast” on their hand or forehead. Some depictions, such as that in the best-selling Left Behind series of speculative apocalyptic fiction, show microchips used as currency in an Antichrist-controlled world government.
The idea of tagging humans against their will isn’t that far-fetched. In 2010, an RFID-manufacturer attracted the attention of law enforcement when it failed to get informed consent before implanting microchips into 200 Alzheimer’s patients. In 2015, Manhattan surveillance firm BrickHouse Security reported getting several calls a day from concerned parents asking if they could install microchips in their child in order to prevent kidnappings. After the disappearance and death of Avonte Oquendo, a 14-year-old New Yorker with autism, Sen. Chuck Schumer proposed “Avonte’s Law,” which would provide funding for law enforcement, families, and caretakers to, among other things, install tracking devices on the clothing of or directly on their autistic children.
The supposed need to implant computer chips under the skin of sensitive populations has been almost completely replaced by the surveillance capabilities of the smartphone you likely already own. Marketers use smartphones to track your every move on- and offline, including your in-store movements. Employers have found a wellspring of available data not just in apps used by employees but by charting their movements through the use of “wellness” programs that encourage and even reward employees for using wearable devices such as a Fitbit. A 2015 report from data analytics firm Tractica expects wearable use among employers to grow exponentially before 2020, with an annual growth rate of enterprise purchases of such systems growing |
on the image to go to an interactive version of the network Hashtagify.me tells us which hashtags are related – it does so by checking when the same two hashtags are mentioned together several times. It’s no surprise why #Spartans and #Buckeyes are so closely linked this year: The Michigan State vs. Ohio State Big Ten championship game rocked the football nation when the Spartans knocked the Buckeyes out of contention for the national championship game. With a 34-24 win over the #Buckeyes, the #Spartans are the 2013 Big Ten Football Champions & heading to Pasadena! pic.twitter.com/UuLdeKXajM — Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) December 8, 2013 But what I found especially interesting (and puzzling!) here is that despite the fact that Northwestern University, Indiana University, Purdue University, and the University of Iowa have been a part of the Big Ten for over 100 years, their sports teams aren’t very connected with the other Big Ten sports teams on Twitter. This is in direct contrast with the relatively newer Big Ten teams such as Ohio State University, Michigan State University, and Pennsylvania State University, whose sports teams are all mentioned frequently with other Big Ten sports teams. What’s going on there? Could it be because the other Big Ten teams didn’t didn’t perform very well in their games this year – so their fans weren’t raving enough on Twitter? So, in the end, who won the match on Twitter? Hashtagify.me also measures the relative popularity of all hashtags on Twitter, and here’s the final standings for our lot:
Popularity of Big Ten sports Twitter hashtags #Michigan is in the lead here, but… was that fair play? This hashtag is not only related to college sports, it’s used for everything Michigan, as we can see from its own related hashtags:
The strongest connection (thicker line) is with #Detroit, and then there are also #jobs, #news, #US… even if it is my sister University, in an unexpected turn of events, I have to disqualify #Michigan for not having a clearly defined sports hashtag.
#Huskers, #Buckeyes and #Badgers, on the other hand, are clearly referred to sports, so we can declare our winner: #Huskers, with a mere.3 points over #Buckeyes. It was a close one, and I’ll have to suggest Wolverines fans to use the #Wolverines hashtag instead of #Michigan if they want to be able to compete next year – competition on Social Media has its own rules, and you better stick to them if you want to win!Racer Bobby Dale Earnhardt apologized to fans, friends and family on Tuesday following his arrest in West Virginia on a drunken driving charge.
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"I wanted to let you all know I made a terrible mistake last night drinking and driving and I am thankful nothing bad happened from my stupidity and I know It could have," Earnhardt wrote in a post on his Facebook page.
"I’m sorry for letting all my fans friends and family down," said Earnhardt.
The 25-year-old is the son of Kerry Earnhardt, nephew of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and grandson of NASCAR Hall of Fame member Dale Earnhardt.
Earnhardt said that he hopes he can "make it up to each and everyone of you and in the future be a good role model."
A Charleston police officer pulled Earnhardt’s vehicle over Monday night after seeing it make a wide left turn at a high rate of speed, with the tires squealing through the turn. Earnhardt was charged with first-offense driving under the influence, a misdemeanor, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.
Earnhardt’s eyes were glassy and his speech was slurred, and there was an odor of alcohol inside the vehicle, Cpl. R.C. Basford wrote in the complaint.
Earnhardt’s blood alcohol level was.193, more than twice West Virginia’s legal limit to drive of.08. He told Basford that he had had two shots of liquor at a local bar, according to the complaint.
He spent the night in the South Central Regional Jail and was released Tuesday morning following an arraignment.
If convicted, he faces up to six months in jail and a maximum $500 fine.
Earnhardt moved to Charleston from Rockingham, N.C., recently as part of a plan to gain driving experience and eventually compete in NASCAR races. He plans to race in the 2013 ARCA Truck Series, according to his website.
Earnhardt said in his Facebook post that he plans to move forward with his racing career.Do I place a higher value on reason, critical thinking, and skepticism or on the interpretation of feelings as accurate indicators of truth (e.g., if I feel harassed, I was harassed), arguments from experience, and the uncritical acceptance of third wave feminist ideology? Some tendentious derpwad on the internet
All claims require evidence, whether they are extraordinary or not. And a claim, in and of itself, is not, by definition, evidence. Some other derpwad on the internet
I don’t know what it is, but some skeptics have adopted this calcified attitude towards what constitutes reasonable evidence and reasonable claims. It seems to me that these are nothing but excuses contrived to justify denying reality, and that they are actually toxic to any kind of functional, societally useful version of skepticism; this is the skepticism of the status quo.
What if people actually operated as these advocates for purblind skepticism suggest? So I paid a call on SkepticDoc, M.D., the very acme of this form of skepticism. Here is how the visit went.
PZ: Doctor, lately I’ve been experiencing shortness of breath and an ache in my left shoulder when I exert myself…
SkepticDoc: Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down! See the name on the shingle? It’s SkepticDoc. Do you have anything other than your feelings to justify wasting my time here?
PZ: What? I’m telling you my symptoms…
SkepticDoc: Yeah, yeah, your feelings. Do you have some physical evidence that you felt pain? Some independent corroboration that you felt this remarkable “ache”? So far, this is just gossip.
PZ: It prompted me to come here, pay money, face some physical discomfort, and apparently have my condition mocked and dismissed. But what you’re supposed to do now is test me, find evidence of the cause of the problem and help me get better.
SkepticDoc: Right. Sure. But why should I bother? Look, people live to be about 70 years old on average, that’s over 25,000 days without dying of heart disease. The odds that you’re actually experiencing these symptoms is really, really low, so it’s a waste of my time to take you seriously. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
PZ: But I’m a 57 year old man with a family history of heart disease and a prior incident that required hospitalization! This isn’t extraordinary!
SkepticDoc: A professional victim, eh? Your kind are always in here giving me your sob story. Well, boo hoo hoo. Look at all the people who aren’t having trouble with heart attacks, and try to be like them. They aren’t in here taking up my office hours.
PZ: So you aren’t even going to examine me?
SkepticDoc: Oh, all right. I’ll take a look at your chart.
Hmmm.
Says you’re a college teacher, right? Made these same complaints a couple of years ago, same time of the year…right before classes start? Interesting.
Your job is a little stressful? You think another couple of cushy weeks in a bed with pretty nurses waiting on you hand and foot is looking pretty good right now? Yeah, I’ve seen your type.
PZ: Getting stuck in a hospital isn’t a vacation! And I like my work!
Wait, what are you doing? You’re supposed to be interpreting my medical history, not trying to psychoanalyze me. Yes, I have a history of heart disease. That’s why I’m being careful and coming to you now.
SkepticDoc: Aha, you admit it!
PZ: I admit what?
SkepticDoc: That this is your personal problem, and that you’re expecting someone else to help you. It seems to me we have a little problem with personal responsibility here. Grow a spine!
PZ: But…but…you’re a doctor. This is your job.
SkepticDoc: That’s right. I’m in charge. But my first job here is to find a reason and place the blame. By the way, I notice you’re a bit overweight.
PZ: Yes.
SkepticDoc: Stop it. Just stop eating. When someone comes by with a cookie or a hamburger or a carrot or something, just don’t eat it. If you find it hard to say no to a second helping, just leave some food on your plate. It really is that easy.
PZ: OK, mea culpa. I’ll watch the diet more closely. But this is a problem right now, I’m worried and I need your help.
SkepticDoc: What problem? I just checked the heart transplant registry, and your name isn’t on it. If this were a really serious problem, you’d have gone all the way to applying for a transplant immediately, so I think the fact that you’re taking a lesser step means your problem can’t possibly be that bad.
PZ: Huh? Are you suggesting I need a heart transplant? You haven’t even looked at me! I’ve detected symptoms of an onset of a possible problem, and I’m here taking an appropriate first step to diagnosis and treatment.
SkepticDoc: I don’t know. You look fine to me — you don’t seem to be having a heart attack now, your color’s good, if a little flushed, all the observable evidence says you’re not in need of any kind of medical attention. Why are you bothering me?
PZ: I told you! Chest pains!
SkepticDoc: And I told you, I don’t believe this personal testimony nonsense. And hey, didn’t you earlier say the pain was in your shoulder? Now you claim it’s your chest? You’re not very credible, liar.
PZ: <storms out>
A few minutes later…
Nurse: Dr. SkepticDoc! Dr. SkepticDoc! That man who just left your office … he has collapsed by his car, his face is turning purple, I think he’s having a heart attack!
SkepticDoc: You say. Do you have any evidence to back up that unusual claim?
[and…scene!]
This story has been entirely fictional. There is no SkepticDoc, M.D. in my town, and no humane and responsible doctor would express the kind of absurdly hyperskeptical attitude we see in the cited derpwads. Also, I’m in fine health and am not experiencing any chest pains…I mean, shoulder aches!A surveillance image of one of two suspects who police believe pretended to be police officers as they robbed a 14-year-old boy in a Bronx subway station. (Credit: NYPD)
— Police on Wednesday released sketches and surveillance video of two suspects who allegedly pretended to be police officers as they robbed a 14-year-old boy at a Bronx subway station.
Around 4:20 p.m. Thursday, May 2, the suspects came up to the boy when he was on the platform of the No. 6 train at the Whitlock Avenue station in the North Hunts Point section of the Bronx, and told him they were police officers, police said.
They told the boy he had committed a violation and demanded that he empty his pockets, police said. One of the suspects then took out a gun and took the items from the boy, while the other snatched his chain.
The suspects then ran off, police said.
The suspects were both described as Hispanic males, one wearing a red hat and a red and white baseball shirt, the other with a pony tail and wearing a white T-shirt.
Police also released a surveillance image, and an image of the chain similar to the one the suspects allegedly ripped off.
Anyone with information was asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS, log onto the Crime Stoppers website, or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and enter TIP577.Citizens Co-op, a member-owned cooperative, opened in July 2011 to offer local, organic and natural foods.
While grocery stores are proliferating in Gainesville, two that provide natural and organic foods are in the process of closing.
The Citizens Co-op board decided at its Wednesday meeting to close the store at 435 S. Main St., saying in a letter to members Thursday that “it has consistently had operating expenses which were greater than revenue.”
At the same time, a sign at the Earth Origins Market at 521 NW 13th St. says that store is closing and offering discounts. A call to the store’s corporate headquarters Thursday was not returned by press time.
The other Earth Origins locations, including the one at 1237 NW 76th Blvd., have continued to advertise weekly sales that did not apply to the 13th Street location.
Citizens Co-op General Manager Kim Drummond said the store never recovered the community support it had before a labor dispute led to customer boycotts in 2014.
“And now there’s just market saturation. There’s so many grocery stores and there’s only more opening up,” she said.
Since 2012, Gainesville has seen the opening of Trader Joe’s, Earth Fare and Lucky’s Market, and a Wal-Mart Supercenter with a full grocery section, while plans are in the works for two Aldis, a 365 by Whole Foods and a Publix under construction a few blocks from Earth Origins.
Citizens Co-op, a member-owned cooperative, opened in July 2011 to offer local, organic and natural foods.
Members boycotted the store during the labor dispute and never fully returned even though the store settled with the employees by offering them their jobs back and paying a combined $10,000 in monthly installments, which were paid off in June.
Board member Neal Devine said co-ops attract people with high social, political and environmental expectations.
“During that crisis there were people signing up for memberships so they could vote and have some say in what’s going on and never shop,” he said.
Board member Rick Nesbit, who was involved from the beginning, said there was infighting among people who should have been cooperating.
“There’s a lot of people that care about sustainable agriculture but sometimes the purity of your intentions doesn’t actually match the reality of business,” he said. “I think like we’ve seen with the Tea Party on the right wing of America, we’ve got some people who can’t accept compromise on the left as well and they get a little too critical sometimes about the details that can cause friction.”
Nesbit said he thought the Co-op's location was a problem, even though the area is starting to revitalize with the imminent opening of Depot Park.
“Unfortunately we were here before that.”
“If we could just support local businesses, we’d all be a lot better off because that money recycles, and that’s the lesson that I hope people can take to heart,” he said.
The store is trying to sell off its remaining produce and equipment to be out by the end of the month.
The Earth Origins store on 13th Street started as a food co-op called Mother Earth Market across the street in the 1960s and moved to its current location in the late 1970s. Art Gore, who owned a small chain of natural food stores in South Florida, bought it in 1986 and opened the second location on 76th Boulevard in 1993, an Ocala store in 1996 and a Sarasota store in 1997. Natural Retail Group of Palm Harbor acquired the stores in 1998 and changed the name to Earth Origins in 2011.Universal Orlando raised ticket prices once again over the weekend, becoming the first of Orlando's big theme-park operators to lift base prices above $90.
The price of a one-day, one-park Universal ticket is now $92, before tax. That's a 3.4 percent increase from the previous price of $89.
Single-day tickets that cover admission to both of Universal's theme parks — Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure — rose 3.2 percent, from $124 to $128.
Some other ticket options rose by slightly larger margins. The price for a two-day, two-park ticket jumped 4.4 percent, from $159.99 to $166.99.
This is the second consecutive year that Universal has jumped out in front of its larger rival, Walt Disney World, with a round of price increases. Universal has been able to take advantage of strong pricing power afforded by the popularity of its Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Universal will also open a major new ride next month based on the Transformers toy and film franchise.
One-day, one-park prices remain $89 at both Disney and SeaWorld Orlando. But if history is any guide, the other parks will follow soon with price hikes. Neither Disney nor SeaWorld would say Monday whether they intend to raise prices in the near future.
"We set our prices to reflect the value of the entertainment experience we offer," Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said. "Our guests continue to tell us we offer great entertainment at great value. Our new pricing has options as low as about $42 per day. And we will continue to offer a variety of value-driven, multi-day vacation packages for guests and their families."
jrgarcia@tribune.com or 407-420-5414Moscow is deploying warships at its base in the Syrian port of Tartus. The long-planned mission comes, providentially, at the very moment when it could help prevent a potential conflict in the strategically important Middle Eastern country.
The Russian battle group will consist of three vessels led by the heavy aircraft-carrying missile cruiser, Admiral Kuznetsov.
Russian military officials insist that the move has no connection with the ongoing crisis in the region and was planned a year ago, the Izvestia newspaper reports. Apart from Syria, the aircraft carrier and its escort ships are set to visit the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Genoa in Italy and Cyprus, says the former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Viktor Kravchenko.
Nevertheless, he added that the presence of a military force other than NATO’s is very useful for this region, because “it will prevent the outbreak of an armed conflict,” Izvestia quoted Kravchenko as saying.
The Soviet Union, the Admiral recalled, created a special naval squadron to deter Western military forces in the Mediterranean Sea. To repair and supply its ships, Moscow needed its own maintenance base in the region, and that was how the base in Tartus came into being.
At present, the base is mostly used to support vessels of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Some 600 military and civilian personnel of the Defense Ministry serve there.
News of Russia’s naval deployment in Tartus came shortly after the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush anchored off Syria, along with additional naval vessels. The US battle group is to remain in the Mediterranean, allegedly to conduct maritime security operations and support missions as part of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. The US 6th Fleet is also patrolling the area, Interfax reports.
“Of course, the Russian naval forces in the Mediterranean will be incommensurate with those of the US 6th Fleet, which includes one or two aircraft carriers and several escort ships,” Admiral Kravchenko explained. “But today, no one talks about possible military clashes, since an attack on any Russian ship would be regarded as a declaration of war with all the consequences.”
The mission is set to start in early December, when the Admiral Kuznetsov begins its journey in the Barents Sea, accompanied by another vessel of Russia’s Northern Fleet, the heavy ASW ship Admiral Chabanenko. The group will then skirt the European continent from the west and enter the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar.
Later, they will be joined by frigate Ladny of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. It will travel through the Bosphorus, with a stop-over in Malta’s Valletta.
Admiral Kuznetsov will be carrying eight Sukhoi Su-33 all-weather fighters, two Kamov Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopters and several brand new Mig-29K fighters. The Mig fighters were built for India’s air force and are supposed to be “tested” during their first assignment.
Military officials have stressed that all flights will be performed in open waters, away from the Syrian coast.
Unlike American aircraft carriers, designed largely as floating runways, Admiral Kuznetsov is a heavily-armed aircraft-carrying cruiser. Its primary armaments, among others, are 12 long-range surface-to-surface anti-ship Granit cruise missiles, a six-gun short-range surface-to-air missile system Kinzhal, eight close-in air defense Kashtan gun-missile systems and two UDAV-1 anti-submarine systems.
The Admiral Kuznetsov has already been twice to the port of Tartus during its assignments in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean in 1995 and 2007.Last season, there was one knuckleball pitcher in the major leagues. It was okay, because he won a Cy Young Award. This spring, there will probably be just one knuckleball pitcher in the major leagues. Which is okay, because at least there's another knuckleball pitcher knocking on the door. Last season, the Red Sox traded for Steven Wright, who has become a knuckleball pitcher even though he throws his fastball in the low 90s when he wants to. And Wright finished last summer with Triple-A Pawtucket, posting a 3.15 ERA in four starts.
Wright's been invited to the Red Sox' major-league spring training this spring, and he's got an outstanding model for success. At WEEI.com, Alex Speier's got the whole story:
"I pinch-hit against R.A. Dickey this past year when I was in Pittsburgh. That day, I think he struck out 14 or 15 guys and was making everyone look silly. You could see it from the dugout. Guys would come back and say it was moving pretty good. I felt the same way some of the times facing Steven," said Sox infielder Brock Holt, who faced Wright in two games in Double-A in 2012. "The first time I faced Steven, I took one pitch just to see it. I said, 'No way he can throw strikes with that thing.' First pitch, strike. Second pitch, fouled it off. Third pitch, swing and I don't know how I missed it. Swing and a miss and I was confused about what just happened. The catcher dropped it and threw me out at first. He's got a good one, and he throws it hard."
How hard? According to C. Trent Rosencrans (via CBSSports.com), pretty damned hard: Like Dickey, Wright throws a harder knuckleball than the tradition knuckler -- throwing it in the mid-70s and low-80s. And even though he's a member of the Red Sox, he watches Dickey's success and is thankful... "I watch what he does and that's literally who I want to be," Wright said. "I want to do what he's doing right now. He's showing that you can command the knuckleball, you can command it for strikes."
No question about it. As I wrote last summer in this space, Dickey's knuckleball might be a paradigm-shifting pitch: "Robert Alan Dickey is one of a kind. But it's at least possible that in 10 years, he'll be viewed as the father of an entire generation of angry knuckleballers."
When I wrote those words, I didn't know anything about Steven Wright. But it sure seems like he's doing his best to become the first of that next generation. And at only 28, he's got plenty of time.
He'll probably need some more. When you look at Wright's 2012 season, split between the Indians' and Red Sox' organizations, the first thing you notice is his 2.54 ERA in 25 minor-league starts. That's really impressive. Dig a little deeper, though, and you notice his 1.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in Class AA. That's not commanding the knuckleball for strikes. By comparison, in Dickey's last 20 Triple-A starts -- spread over three seasons and three organizations, because two of those organizations didn't know what they had -- he struck out 85 and walked only 25. That's commanding the knuckleball for strikes.
And of course, he's only gotten better since then.
Also of course, Wright doesn't have to be Dickey to be useful. I've been wrong about knuckleballers before -- anybody remember Charlie Zink? Charlie Haeger? -- but I'm not betting against this one.FT LEAVENWORTH, KS — An administrative error has been blamed for a mix-up in sentencing involving the cases of convicted Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan and Bradley Manning, the Army private convicted of leaking classified documents to the website WikiLeaks.
After sentencing concluded last Wednesday in Fort Hood, Texas, it was reported Hasan would undergo gender reassignment surgery and change his name from Nidal to Nahid Hasan. Nahid is an Arabic name meaning “one with full, round breasts.”
Not long after it was revealed, the traitor formerly known as Chelsea had been transferred to death row where he awaits execution by lethal injection.
Leavenworth officials announced that both gender reassignment and execution have been approved by fiscal offices. Due to end of fiscal year funding constraints, changing these allocations will be too costly in the final quarter.
Sequestration and work furloughs were also cited as possible contributors to the errors, which are now fiscally and administratively impossible to correct. Administrative offices in Leavenworth were unavailable for comment due to a “training holiday.”
Hasan, who had declined to speak on his own behalf previously, is reportedly now quite vocal concerning this turn of events.
“This is egregious,” the former Army psychiatrist said of the mix up. “I’m supposed to get 72 virgins, not turn into one. My mullah screwed me!”
At press time, Manning was unavailable for comment, throwing a hissy fit in his cell. This despite fellow inmates having assured him they would still call him girls names.
Al Jazeera America has reported Al Qaeda rumblings of possibly facilitating an arranged marriage between Hasan and Ayman al-Zawahiri. Since the announcement or the error, Hasan has received multiple proposals of marriage from various Afghan jihadis, including Zawahiri.
“A woman who used to be a man? That’s the best of both worlds,” remarked one jihadi. “Every day will be man-love Thursday!”The November issue of Shueisha's Jump Square magazine is announcing on Thursday that a manga adaptation of the upcoming Production I.G anime Psycho-Pass will launch in the following issue on November 2. Relative newcomer Hikaru Miyoshi is drawing the manga.
The original anime series takes place in the near future, when it is possible to instantaneously measure and quantify a person's state of mind and personality. This information is recorded and processed, and the term "Psycho-Pass" in the anime's title refers to a standard used to measure an individual's being. The story centers around the "enforcement officer" Shinya Kōgami who is tasked with managing crime in such a world.
The anime series will premiere in October. Akira Amano (Reborn) created the anime's original character designs, and Gen Urobuchi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/zero) drafted the story.
[Via Manga News]Extraterrestrial Conflict
Right now, somewhere in the Rocky Mountains of the American West, there are two teams of Air Force specialists preparing to defend America’s interests — in space. They are the 26th Space Aggressor Squadron (26th SAS) and the 527th Space Aggressor Squadron (527th SAS), and their job consists of training the rest of the military for any possible contingency involving extraterrestrial combat and creating strategies to defend the security of any U.S. interests in space.
In other words, they play the role of the bad guys on a potentially intergalactic scale, “attacking” and provoking U.S. troops in mock space battles — as foreign countries and any other hostile power looking to threaten America in space. Space Aggressors train troops to make strategic use of space resources, for example by engaging in “brute force jamming,” which uses satellite networks to transmit signals to make any original message unintelligible to outsiders. However, they also train U.S. forces to fight without space resources, such as GPS and satellite communications, to ensure that they can competently fight using inertial navigation systems, compasses, and maps.
“We study threats to the space realm, either coming from space or based on land,” 26th SAS chief of training Captain Christopher Barnes told Seeker. “If we can’t directly replicate them with hardware, then we figure out if there’s a software solution or some way we can train people to the point where they can fight through them, if they have to, in a conflict.”The game was over.
Zeros showed on the clock. New Westminster’s Sebastian Reid lay still and dejected on the ground, the ball at his side, his senior season ending in defeat, a mere 19 yards short of the end zone.
Terry Fox had won the 2017 Subway Bowl triple-A football championship at B.C. Place, 14-7 victors over the Hyacks.
Until … they hadn’t.
The referees waved back the tide of celebrating Ravens rushing onto the field, instructing the scorekeepers to put a single second back on the clock.
One second. One play. Once chance.
New West quarterback Kinsale Philip dropped back, watching the blitz bear down from both sides, and lofted a high, arcing ball off his back foot as he was pounded into the turf.
Senior Severio Asaba answered the prayer, leaping high between three defenders in the end zone, coming down with the ball — his only catch of the season — and pulling the Hyacks to within one.
New Westminster coach Farhan Lalji, sensing the momentum and magnitude of the moment, opted to go for two, and senior Lucas Sabau obliged, punching in the game-winning points from five yards out to give the Hyacks their first triple-A title in school history.
Game over. 15-14 New West.
Unreal.
Unbelievable.
Unforgettable.
“Look, this group is a group of winners,” a proud New West head coach Farhan Lalji told the New Westminster Record’s Dan Olson after the game.
“I’m not going to get all sanctimonious and stuff — we were fortunate. There was a lot of good fortune that happened here. Fox played a very, very good football game defensively.”
Terry Fox and New West started the season ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, so it was no surprise they met in the final. And it was no surprise the game itself was as close-fought as their rankings.
The Ravens jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a pair of second-quarter touchdowns from Cade Cote, one an 89-yard score that bettered his 84-yard scoring effort from the semifinals a week before. Quarterback Jevaun Jacobsen set up Cote’s second-quarter score with a monstrous 40-yard scamper of his own, then single-handedly stalled two Hyacks drives in the second half with a forced fumble and an interception of his good friend, Philips.
New West managed to get on the board with a little over three minutes left in the third quarter, after a big run from Reid set up a one-yard plunge by Philips. It remained back and forth from there, until the Ravens drove down to the red zone with the final quarter ticking down. And with three minutes remaining, they were set to make it a two-score game, but missed a 30-yard field goal, their second costly missed kick in the game.
The Hyacks then began their long improbable march back, getting the ball on the 20 with 2:34 left. They converting some key fourth downs, including a huge run by Philips to the Hyacks’ 38 with a minute left. And with 13 seconds left, Philips hit Reid on a short out. He cut inside and exploded up the field instead of heading out of bounds, and was tackled at the 19, appearing, it seemed, to end end the game.
After the officials restored order on the field, New West snapped the ball as the whistle sounded and the clock started, continuing the sequence of unlikely events.
Asaba’s incredibly athletic catch looked like it may have touched the ground, but with no replay in high school football, the game went on, and the Hyacks completed the improbable.
#subwaybowl … wow. Maybe the best finish I have seen in a HS game In BC history… congrats @FarhanLaljiTSN and Hyacks big Kahunas goes for 2 and the win wow 🙌 — SanchezDavis2 (@DavisSanchez) December 3, 2017
“Certainly we felt we were in position to win the game and it comes down to the very last play of the game with no time on the clock,” Fox co-coach Tom Kudaba said the Record.
“You get a call against you, and so be it. What do you do? It’s a tough one. I’m happy for (New West), someone has to win and lose, but to lose like that is a tough one for our kids, that’s for sure.”
DOUBLE-A FINAL
The Windsor Dukes bet their perfect season on what turned out to be the perfect strategy.
The North Vancouver school, wary of the high-octane offence their Abbotsford opponents boasted, sent all their kickoffs hard and short at the Panthers, figuring it was worth the field position battle if they could recover the ball a few times. The strategy paid off as the Panthers turned it over five times on the squib-ish kicks, three of which were turned into touchdowns in a 44-29 Dukes victory Saturday night at B.C. Place.
The Dukes finished the year a perfect 10-0, winning their seventh high school football double-A title in school history and first since 2005.
Down 15-8 in the second quarter, the Dukes scored 21 points in span of 3:24, with two of those touchdowns coming directly off the fumble recoveries.EUCF 2016 is the 10th European Ultimate Club Finals, it was held in
Sunday:
Open final play-by-play, as it happened:
Clapham with a stifling zone at the start, after the first point Funk had a couple of turnovers, a few points traded and a break for CUSB. 4-4.
Clapham working it well but footblock from CUSB and the score. 5-4 CUSB
CUSB show great awareness of the stall count as a team to get a D with the wall and then the stream dies. Comes back and it’s 6-4 La Fotta.
Couple of travel calls. La Fotta with a zone, some fouling on the mark from Davide. Ashley Yeo with another score from Justin, 6-5.
Huge Justin sky after a floaty CUSB huck – will be a good photo! Timeout.
Long possession with only short passes, Clapham work it up the line and bring it level, 6-6. Stream dies.
It’s back and I’ve missed a couple of turns, then Chris Baker sends a flick skyward but gets saved by newcomer Connor McHale. Contested foul. Conrad Wilson with the Clapham score, 7-6 Clapham, then they take half 8-6.
Justin with a layout catch on a lateral cut, then a big hammer across to Ashley Yeo who lays out big for 9-6.
CUSB mis-throw and then Briggs to Jackson deep with a flick – 10-6. Timeout – feels like a push coming from CUSB but they have to put in their offence…
Deep throw by CUSB just out of the reach of defender Garner, 10-7.
Clapham timeout on stall 8, they get out after a false re-start, Stobbs cuts up line for 11-7 score.
Floaty mistake mid-field from La Fotta and Clapham sustain their offence outside the end zone to score, 12-7.
Tom Abrams with the layout D on Davide, quick move up the line for 13-7.
La Fotta trapped at the back of their end zone, manage to complete a huck but then another unforced error on the next throw. Clapham bomb it deep to Andrew Jackson for another goal, 14-7. Stream is dropping in and out quite a lot.
A couple of turnovers before another unforced error for La Fotta, this time on their own goal line, and Clapham pick it up quickly and slot it in for the win! 15-7, Clapham are EUCF 2016 champions!
Women’s Final:
CUSB Shout put in a good performance against Flying Angels in the women’s final, with Eliza Frangalini making many huge grabs for them, but FAB’s experience shone through as they closed the game out 15-13. The match turned into quite a huckfest, both up and down wind, many contested catches and D’s in traffic.
Mixed Final:
After a fantastic domestic season where they took the UKU Nationals title, Reading secured their first EUCF title by defeating the very young team Grüt (FC Airborn, Netherlands) in the Mixed Final – this Reading side are incredibly strong and didn’t have many problems, dealing with the unpredictable and brave offence of Grüt – 15-8 the final score.
Saturday:
Semis:
Clapham 15 – 8 Tchac:
Tchac’s fairytale rise gets firmly stopped by the UK powerhouse. Tchac’s unconventional style got them a few points and some incredible layout blocks, but Clapham seemed solid and confidently put away the game. Clapham’s Justin Foord connected with Ashley Yeo for the winning point.
Bad Skid 11 – 14 CUSB La Fotta:
The firey Italians, after a heated battle with Switzerland’s Freespeed in the quarter, had the edge on Germany’s Bad Skid and secured their spot in the Final for the second year running.
Clapham vs CUSB La Fotta is a repeat of the EUCF 2015 final, where Clapham won 15- |
justices of the U. S. Supreme Court already have made a public stand for same-sex marriage, having performed ceremonies.
The actions by Elena Kagan and Ruth Ginsburg have prompted citizens groups to call for them to recuse themselves from the coming decision, but they have declined to do so.
Kagan performed a Sept. 21 same-sex marriage for her former law clerk, Mitchell Reich, and his partner in Maryland. Ginsburg performed a same-sex marriage at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in August 2013.
“Both of these justices’ personal and private actions actively endorsing gay marriage clearly indicate how they would vote on same-sex marriage cases already before the Supreme Court,” the American Family Association said.You’ve got to hand it to Nate Prosser.
In a league where depth defensemen are everywhere and easily can get squeezed out of a job because of that, the Elk River native has carved out a quality NHL career that will reach Season Nine this upcoming fall.
It won’t come in Minnesota though (well, we assume it won’t come in Minnesota as I’ll remind you below).
Prosser’s two-year, two-way contract worth $650,000 a season ($400,000 guarantees) with the St. Louis Blues is official. He’ll rejoin his former Wild coach, Mike Yeo, a few states south of us and may have a solid shot of making the Blues, who have a strong group of six defensemen on one-way contracts.
Prosser, 31, was by far the longest-serving and most successful college free-agent pickup in Wild history. He played parts of eight seasons, ranks 26th in franchise history with 282 games, seventh in franchise history with 475 blocked shots and was always the good soldier when it came to being that extra defenseman.
Always smiling and always positive, Prosser’s nature was why four different Wild coaches were perfectly comfortable having him be the seventh defenseman. Even those times Prosser was undoubtedly frustrated with his role, coaches never had to worry about him creating a stink or distraction in the locker room.
He just showed up daily, practiced hard and waited for his turn.
“I’ve kind of always been that seventh man here for six, seven years, but with Yeo and Torch (John Torchetti) and Bruce [Boudreau], they’ve all been so great and so honest with me,” Prosser said Wednesday night. “That’s something, I’ve told Bruce, ‘Thank you for always being so honest with me.’”
I remember when the Wild signed Prosser out of Colorado College.
To be blunt, I had never heard of him, was at my buddy’s house in Nashville when the news came and quickly added a few graphs to the next day’s paper and posted a blog.
Prosser showed up in Nashville the next morning, was affable but nervous and, frankly, I’m not sure how much I even wrote about him because he wasn’t supposed to play those final weeks of the 2009-10 season.
But lo and behold, a couple injuries occurred at the end of the season and instead of recalling a defenseman, the Wild rewarded Prosser by thrusting him into the final three games of the season in Edmonton, Calgary and at home against Dallas.
In his NHL debut, Prosser assisted on an Andrew Brunette goal against the Oilers and he got to experience the season finale at Xcel Energy Center.
“That was supposed to be [Mike] Modano’s last game,” Prosser reminded.
The Prosser highlight always will be scoring that Jan. 18, 2014, overtime winner against the Stars. It came on Hockey Day Minnesota, an event hosted at Elk River’s Handke Pit – the same place Prosser skated around all the time as a small kid -- a self-described “annoying little shrimp” and pipsqueak -- before growing a full foot his junior year of high school.
To this day, Prosser still hears from friends that they can’t believe of all the talented kids skating in Elk River during his younger days, Prosser’s THE guy that has a pro career that’s a year shy from a decade.
Amazing, eh?
“There have been a lot of memorable games with the Wild, but that overtime winner, having Hockey Day being in Elk River, my hometown, knowing all the people watching, I mean, I never get out there in overtime, and then to get that chance where the [Nino Niederreiter rebound] just came to me, it was awesome,” Prosser said.
Prosser, a Seann William Scott clone, may go down as the Wild player who most took a hit to make a play, so to speak.
Nobody took a licking and kept on ticking like Prosser.
“Maybe I’ve got a little Gumby in me,” Prosser once told me.
Yeo, who respects Prosser wholeheartedly, once said of Prosser, “There’s certain messages that you can send to your teammates. It’s the ones I think where a player’s paying the price for his teammates that are the loudest and the clearest messages.”
Team-first. Charitable. Nice as can be. Shows up and works hard daily.
It’s a big reason our Professional Hockey Writers’ Association chapter once nominated him for the Masterton.
Prosser has talked to Yeo a few times this summer and particularly the past few days.
“I’ve been with him since Day One of pro hockey basically,” Prosser said. “I was in Houston with him and then I came up to Minnesota with him. He knows what I bring and I know his style and I know what he wants from me. He wants energy, he wants me to be physical and chirping and getting after guys and making that good first play. It’s just about being solid and playing good defensively. We have a good relationship. He’s a great guy for me to look up to.”
Prosser assumes he’s done in Minnesota. But remember, in 2014, Prosser signed with the Blues, didn’t make the team out of camp, was placed on waivers and the Wild, knowing what he brought in terms of depth, plucked him off waivers.
So who knows what tomorrow brings?
But if this is it for Prosser in Minnesota, he’s thankful.
He got married here, had three Minnesota-born daughters here because of the luxury of getting to play for his home-state Wild, got to play in front of his parents, siblings and 25 other family members often.
“And the fans have been unbelievable,” Prosser said. “In March and when playoff time comes around, you feel the buzz in this state. And there’s something about it that just gives you the goosebumps and makes you want it more and more. It’s been such a good journey. Whenever I look back at this experience, it’s been such a blessing to be able to play in my hometown for this long.”
I'm about to enter my 23rd season covering the NHL -- 13th covering the Wild. I've covered a lot of great human beings. Prosser's right up there at the top.Chairman Costello, Vice Chairman Hughes, and distinguished members of the Labor and Commerce Committee:
Thank you for the opportunity to share my recent work on certificate-of-need (CON) laws as they are applied to health care in the Last Frontier.
My name is Thomas Stratmann. I am a University Professor of Economics and Law at George Mason University in Virginia and a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
INTRODUCTION
In four different academic, data-driven studies, my coauthors and I examined the impact of certificate-of-need laws. We compared economic and health measures between the 35 states that have CON laws to those in states that do not have CON laws.
All four of these peer-reviewed studies are attached as part of my submitted written testimony. These studies use state-of-the-art statistical methods that are well accepted in social sciences, health sciences, and many other areas that analyze data, such that the conclusions are based on apples-to-apples comparisons—that is, I perform the analysis in such a way that states with and without CON laws are comparable. All data I use are publicly available so that my results can be replicated by anyone who chooses to do so.
My findings show that CON laws do not deliver the benefits that were promised to patients. My findings are as consistent as they are unfortunate: across the board, CON laws have failed.
CON harms patients by reducing healthcare quality. CON harms patients by reducing access to health care. CON harms patients by reducing medical equipment such as MRI machines and CT scanners that help to diagnose illnesses and thereby prevent premature death.
My findings are consistent with the positions of the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice under both Democratic and Republican administrations, which have argued that CON laws fail to meet their stated goals and that CON laws are harmful to patients. CON laws are not helpful for patients because they reduce the availability of medical care by making it difficult for medical providers to offer their services. Nor are they cost saving.
All of these harmful effects are particularly bad for Alaska because it is geographically distant from the lower 48 states. In the lower 48, patients can travel across state borders to access medical services not provided in their states. For most Alaskans, such travel is cost prohibitive, and they have to live with harmful effects of CON.
BACKGROUND
Certificate-of-need laws require state agency approval before an already-licensed healthcare provider can establish a new healthcare facility and before an already-licensed healthcare provider can expand. In some states, CON laws require permission from state regulators to provide medical services or to purchase medical equipment to which the government otherwise has no objections.
CON LAWS IN ALASKA
CON laws in Alaska require medical providers to obtain government permission to compete for 20 medical services (out of 35 medical services regulated across the US states by CON). Some examples of CON laws are:
In Alaska, a hospital needs permission to add a new hospital bed.
In Alaska, permission is required for a new provider to open a new hospital.
In Alaska, permission is required to purchase an MRI machine, CT scanner, or PET scanner.
In Alaska, permission is required to open an ambulatory surgery center.
RATIONALE FOR AND CONCEPTUAL INEFFECTIVENESS OF CON LAWS
While there are numerous claims made about CON laws, the laws’ primary goals include:
Ensuring an adequate supply of healthcare resources,
Protecting access in rural and underserved communities,
Promoting high-quality care,
Supporting charity care, and
Controlling cost.
Certificate-of-need laws were well intentioned when they were first introduced in states in the mid-1960s. However, the effectiveness of these laws should be measured by their outcomes. Even the best-intended laws might not lead to the best results.
Conceptually, the failure of CON laws might have been expected because CON laws grant a government-protected monopoly to incumbent providers. And basic economics and common sense tell us that government-protected monopolies tend to have negative consequences.
Moreover, CON laws do not have a public health justification. That is, certificate-of-need requirements have nothing to do with public health or safety. Separate state and federal laws govern who is allowed to practice medicine, what type of qualifications are required to do so, and what kind of medical procedures are or are not permitted.
CON laws are designed to restrict competition. And, in a manner unheard of in any other industry I know, in health care, existing hospitals and other medical providers have the opportunity to oppose the CON application of a would-be competitor, simply by claiming that there is no need for that additional medical service. This is akin to McDonalds needing permission from Burger King to open a restaurant in Alaska.
By requiring permission from regulators prior to any change, these state laws limit the ability of healthcare providers to offer cost-effective and innovative healthcare. Yes, CON laws prevent innovation that would otherwise result in less costly medical procedures, less evasive medical procedures, and safer medical procedures.
One example of a less costly, less evasive, and safer medical procedure is the virtual colonoscopy, as opposed to the traditional optical colonoscopy. When a state requires a certificate of need for MRI machines, as does Alaska, it discourages providers from offering new procedures like virtual colonoscopies. This is because providers first have to get permission from state regulators, which not easy to obtain. The subsequent lack of adequate screening to detect cancer early probably contributes to unnecessary deaths.
EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE OF THE FAILURE OF CON LAWS
My colleagues and I started a project several years ago to analyze data to rigorously test whether each of the stated goals of CON was being achieved.
Specifically, we examined the following claims made by CON proponents:
CON laws increase access to medical care facilities.
CON improves access to diagnostic services, such as medical imaging services.
CON assures that more indigent care is provided.
The adoption of CON increases quality of medical care.
We found that CON does not deliver on these promises. There has not been increased patient access to medical care, and the quality of medical care has not been improved. In fact, CON laws have backfired. It turns out that states with CON laws have less patient access to medical care and lower quality of medical care.
CON REDUCES ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE IN FACILITIES ACROSS THE STATE
One measure of access to medical care is the number of hospitals in a state. To control for the state population served, we measure hospitals per 100,000 population. More hospitals means shorter travel times to hospitals and greater access.
However, the data show that there are fewer hospitals per 100,000 capita in CON states versus in states without CON. In 2011, Alaska had about 25 hospitals. A comparable state without CON has 35 hospitals. So a state without CON has more than thirty percent more hospitals. And this estimate controls for confounding factors—such as age distribution, healthiness of the population, and percentage of the population on Medicaid and Medicare—in order to do an apples-to-apples comparison. This finding suggests that CON reduces access to medical care.
My research also uses another metric to determine the effect of CON on access to medical care—the number of hospital beds available in CON states versus states without CON. And here, we compare states with a CON law that regulates hospital beds versus states that do not regulate beds.
My findings unambiguously show that states without CON have more beds per patient. Why is this important? Well, it means that patients have more choices. They are less likely to be turned away from a hospital. And it might mean that there are hospitals closer to patients.
Alaska also has a CON law for ambulatory surgery centers. Comparing Alaska to statistically similar states without CON laws shows that without a CON, Alaska likely would have 25 centers instead of the 17 it had in 2011, when my data series ends.
CON proponents also say also say that CON laws increase provision of medical care and access to medical care in rural areas. But instead of providing more help for the rural population and better access for the entire state population, as CON proponents claim, CON in fact does the opposite. Alaska has fewer ambulatory surgery centers and fewer hospitals, thus fewer choices. Alaskans in both urban and rural areas have fewer choices because of CON. For example, states comparable to Alaska without CON have eight additional rural hospitals instead of the current roughly 17 hospitals as of 2011.
PATIENTS IN STATES WITH CON HAVE LESS ACCESS TO MEDICAL IMAGING AND OTHER SERVICES
The negative effect of CON on medical supply is not restricted to facilities. Medical inputs such as MRI, CT, and PET scans are also negatively affected. This is because there are CON laws that require permission to purchase such imaging equipment. For example, per year, Alaska residents have about 6,000 MRI scans. My estimates show that residents in states comparable to Alaska but without CON receive almost one-third more MRI scans—that is 8,000 MRI scans. States without CON also have about 30 percent more CT scans than states without CON.
Among the states with no CON laws, North Dakota, with its natural resource boom, might be the most comparable to Alaska. Comparing MRI and CT scan utilization among these states shows that North Dakota residents have more access to medical care than Alaska residents, as measured by utilization. In North Dakota, there are about 190 MRI scans per 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries per year, while in Alaska the number is 170. Similarly, in North Dakota, there are about 440 CT scans per 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries, while there are more than one-third fewer CT scans in Alaska—that is 300 CT scans per 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries.
QUALITY OF HOSPITAL CARE IS LOWER IN STATES WITH CON
In states without CON laws, hospitals have an incentive to compete to attract patients. Hospitals cannot compete as well on prices as most industries do because many of their patients are Medicare and Medicaid patients who can only be charged fixed amounts. But hospitals can compete on different margins, such as quality of service. So there is a strong incentive for hospitals in states without CON to compete for patients by providing better quality of medical services. This incentive does not exist to the same degree in states with CON laws, because in these states, hospitals are shielded by law from competition.
In contrast to this reasoning, some proponents of CON claim that it is good to have fewer hospital providers. They argue that when procedures are concentrated in a few hospitals, physicians have more experience performing operations because they have more volume, and this translates into higher quality of medical services.
To analyze which of these competing views is correct, I used data on the quality of medical services delivered by hospitals. These data come from a publicly available database maintained by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS). The evidence from the analysis of this data shows CON does not improve quality of medical care.
Unfortunately, however, the numbers are much more alarming than this. The numbers show that CON laws actually reduce hospital quality. Comparing states with CON laws versus those with no CON laws shows that states with CON laws have lower quality of service, as measured by their hospital mortality rates and hospital readmission rates. Specifically, states with CON laws have
0.5 percent more deaths for surgery patients with serious complications,
A 0.6 percentage point higher pneumonia mortality rate,
A 0.3 percentage point higher heart failure mortality rate, and
A 0.4 percentage point higher heart attack mortality rate.
This evidence shows that CON is harmful to patient health and survival in states that have CON laws on the books.
QUALITY OF INDIGENT CARE IS NOT BETTER IN STATES WITH CON
CON proponents sometimes make the claim that CON increases indigent care because successful applicants might commit themselves to increase their medical services to the indigent. However, the data fail to support such optimism. It turns out that hospitals in CON states have only as much indigent care—measured as uncompensated care—as hospitals in states without a CON law. Thus, CON does not lead to additional services for the poor.
CONCLUSION
If all states had CON laws, studying the effect of CON laws would be very difficult because we would not know what the world would look like without CON laws. Fortunately, 15 states do not have CON laws. This allows us to get a glimpse into the world without CON. And when comparing these two worlds, the data show that CON reduces access to medical care overall in the states with CON, in both rural areas and urban areas. CON states have fewer providers, such as hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. CON results in fewer medical inputs, such as MRI and CT scans and the number of hospital beds. CON does not live up to the claim that it increases indigent care. Moreover, CON reduces quality of medical services.
The takeaway from these findings is that CON laws are bad for Alaska because they reduce the quality of medical care in Alaska, they reduce access for Alaskans, and they reduce opportunities to obtain medical services such as MRI and CT scans. Alaska would be better off if the Last Frontier would join the 15 states that do not have CON laws.Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach said he was prepared to use deadly force over the weekend after hundreds “illegal aliens” paid a visit to his home to rally for immigration reform.
According to Sunflower Community Action, about 300 activists traveled to Kobach’s home after holding a prayer vigil and and a town hall in Kansas City on the Saturday before Father’s Day.
“They went straight to his front door to ask him to stop spreading his hate, and either focus on his job as Secretary of State or step down,” Sunflower Community Action reported. “He has long devastated communities and wrought enormous financial costs to many states. A trail of shoes was left on his front steps to symbolize all the fatherless families due to deportations.”
Video of the rally showed the large group of loud but peaceful protesters in front of Kobach’s home calling for him to come out.
“Kris Kobach, we know you can stand with us, we know you can stand with Kansas people because Kansas people wants family — wants family unity, we want love,” an activist with a bullhorn said. “And we’re showing it right now.”
Within five minutes, the protesters had made their point and left the property.
Kobach told Fox News radio host Todd Starnes that he and his family had been out of town at the time, but he was “just appalled” because “they don’t have a right to enter someone’s private property and engage in this kind of intimidation.”
“If we had been in the home and not been armed, I would have felt very afraid – because it took the police 15 minutes to show up,” he explained. “It’s important we recognize there’s a reason we have the Second Amendment. There are situations like this where you have a mob and you do need to be able to protect yourself.”
“The Second Amendment is the private property owner’s last resort.”
Kobach vowed not to let the “illegal aliens” change his mind about opposing comprehensive immigration reform.
“My views are set and I’m determined to do what I can to restore the rule of law,” he insisted. “Let’s obey our laws and not give amnesty to illegal aliens.”
Update (3:30 p.m. ET): Fox News radio host Todd Starnes reported the rally by encouraging his followers on Twitter to “Lock and Load, America.”
Watch this video from Sunflower Community Action, broadcast June 15, 2013.
Video streaming by Ustream
(h/t: Right Wing Watch)A stealth plan to transform Minneapolis' ailing Block E into a gambling and entertainment hub that could draw millions of tourists from across the Upper Midwest is about to land at the State Capitol.
Alatus LLC, the Minneapolis developer that bought the downtown entertainment complex at a deep discount last summer, has been meeting quietly with downtown business leaders since last summer on plans for a Bellagio-style, state-run casino, along with privately owned retail and restaurants.
On Wednesday, company officials, along with House Rep. John Kriesel and Sam Grabarski, head of the Minneapolis Downtown Council, presented plans for the luxury casino they say will yield thousands of jobs and millions in sales -- all without public funding. The working name of the redevelopment: Minnesota Live.
Kriesel, a freshman Republican legislator from Cottage Grove, will carry the House bill needed to create a downtown casino. Like other Republicans, Kriesel opposes Gov. Mark Dayton's plan to raise taxes as a way of alleviating the state's $5 billion deficit, but said he could see expanded gambling as part of a final budget solution. Sen. Doug Magnus, an assistant majority leader, will carry the bill in the Senate.
"I know the governor wants a little more revenue," Kriesel said. "You know what? I'm all about compromise." Magnus said he supports the proposal because "I really do believe a strong, vibrant Minneapolis is good. It's one of the keys to the state."
Magnus and Kriesel's task is a delicate one. Until now, casino gambling has been the exclusive province of the state's American Indian tribes, who until recently thought their biggest fight was against a proposal to put video slots at horse-racing tracks.
The bill faces some high hurdles. The GOP-dominated Legislature remains divided on expanded gambling. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has said he does not support it.
But the proposal also represents an opportunity to renew economic development downtown, create a new tourist attraction and provide an ongoing stream of gambling revenue that would, for the first time, be subject to state and local taxes.
An architectural rendering shows a dramatic, four-story glass atrium where the defunct GameWorks once stood, with waterfalls spilling across a rooftop terrace. The Hennepin Avenue casino would be within walking distance of the Target Center, the new Twins ballpark, and both light rail and the Northstar commuter line.
The bill would require the state lottery board to put out a request for proposals for the casino management contract. Alatus would respond with plans to open part of the project as early as next spring, with completion targeted for 2013. The Alatus team would include Minneapolis-based Ryan Cos. and Bruce Kaplan, a CB Richard Ellis retail specialist who played a major role in the $300 million transformation of Chicago's Navy Pier into a popular downtown tourist destination. The project would require a minimum private investment of $200 million.
The state lottery board would have full control of the casino and would disburse the revenue.
Surprising findings
Bob Lux and Phillip Jaffe, principals of Alatus, have a clear view of Block E from their offices on the 28th floor of the U.S. Bancorp Center.
They first started considering the casino idea last spring, before they bought the property for a mere $14 million, along with $28.5 million in tax increment financing repayments.
By September, they had hired the Innovation Group, national gambling consultant, to study the idea. Innovation estimated that a casino with 3,200 gambling positions -- chairs at a slot machine, or table, for instance -- and other games could draw 5.6 million people to downtown Minneapolis from across a five-state region a year.
"It was astounding to us," Jaffe said.
Lux said they envisioned a project like no other in the state. "We want people at 7 o'clock on a Sunday evening when they're driving back to Minot to say, 'Wow, that was cool. We want to come back.'"
Innovation projects the casino would create up to 2,800 full-time gambling jobs, up to 625 construction jobs and about 1,000 indirect jobs. The traffic would be projected to generate a need for 84,000 additional hotel room nights, expanding the occupancy rate in downtown Minneapolis hotels by about 5 percent annually.
That traffic would also produce a stream of gambling tax revenue for state coffers -- a one-time fee of $50 million initially and an ongoing tax stream of about $125 million a year once it was up and running. Lux estimates the state would get an additional $5 million in tax revenue just from the additional traffic in parking ramps
The big numbers give pause.
"I'm always a skeptic about numbers like that," said Barbara Johnson, president of the Minneapolis City Council. "But I was wrong about Mall of America." Johnson said she has an "open mind" about the project because Block E needs something completely new.A Git Horror Story: Repository Integrity With Signed Commits
(Note: This article was written at the end of 2012 and is out of date. I will update it at some point, but until then, please keep that in perspective.)
It’s 2:00 AM. The house is quiet, the kid is in bed and your significant other has long since fallen asleep on the couch waiting for you, the light of the TV flashing out of the corner of your eye. Your mind and body are exhausted. Satisfied with your progress for the night, you commit the code you’ve been hacking for hours: "[master 2e4fd96] Fixed security vulnerability CVE-123". You push your changes to your host so that others can view and comment on your progress before tomorrow’s critical release, suspend your PC and struggle to wake your significant other to get him/her in bed. You turn off the lights, trip over a toy on your way to the bedroom and sigh as you realize you’re going to have to make a bottle for the child who just heard his/her favorite toy jingle.
Fast forward four sleep-deprived hours. You are woken to the sound of your phone vibrating incessantly. You smack it a few times, thinking it’s your alarm clock, then fumble half-blind as you try to to dig it out from under the bed after you knock it off the nightstand. (Oops, you just woke the kid up again.) You pick up the phone and are greeted by a frantic colleague. “I merged in our changes. We need to tag and get this fix out there.” Ah, damnit. You wake up your significant other, asking him/her to deal with the crying child (yeah, that went well) and stumble off to your PC, failing your first attempt to enter your password. You rub your eyes and pull the changes.
Still squinting, you glance at the flood of changes presented to you. Your child is screaming in the background, not amused by your partner’s feeble attempts to console him/her. git log --pretty=short …everything looks good—just a bunch of commits from you and your colleague that were merged in. You run the test suite—everything passes. Looks like you’re ready to go. git tag -s 1.2.3 -m 'Various bugfixes, including critical CVE-123' && git push --tags. After struggling to enter the password to your private key, slowly standing up from your chair as you type, you run off to help with the baby (damnit, where do they keep the source code for these things). Your CI system will handle the rest.
Fast forward two months.
CVE-123 has long been fixed and successfully deployed. However, you receive an angry call from your colleague. It seems that one of your most prominent users has had a massive security breach. After researching the problem, your colleague found that, according to the history, the breach exploited a back door that you created! What? You would never do such a thing. To make matters worse, 1.2.3 was signed off by you, using your GPG key—you affirmed that this tag was good and ready to go. “3-b-c-4-2-b, asshole”, scorns your colleague. “Thanks a lot.”
No—that doesn’t make sense. You quickly check the history. git log --patch 3bc42b. “Added missing docblocks for X, Y and Z.” You form a puzzled expression, raising your hands from the keyboard slightly before tapping the space bar a few times with few expectations. Sure enough, in with a few minor docblock changes, there was one very inconspicuous line change that added the back door to the authentication system. The commit message is fairly clear and does not raise any red flags—why would you check it? Furthermore, the author of the commit was indeed you!
Thoughts race through your mind. How could this have happened? That commit has your name, but you do not recall ever having made those changes. Furthermore, you would have never made that line change; it simply does not make sense. Did your colleague frame you by committing as you? Was your colleague’s system compromised? Was your host compromised? It couldn’t have been your local repository; that commit was clearly part of the merge and did not exist in your local repository until your pull on that morning two months ago.
Regardless of what happened, one thing is horrifically clear: right now, you are the one being blamed.
Who Do You Trust?
Theorize all you want—it’s possible that you may never fully understand what resulted in the compromise of your repository. The above story is purely hypothetical, but entirely within the realm of possibility. How can you rest assured that your repository is safe for not only those who would reference or clone it, but also those who may download, for example, tarballs that are created from it?
Git is a distributed revision control system. In short, this means that anyone can have a copy of your repository to work on offline, in private. They may commit to their own repository and users may push/pull from each other. A central repository is unnecessary for distributed revision control systems, but may be used to provide an “official” hub that others can work on and clone from. Consequently, this also means that a repository floating around for project X may contain malicious code; just because someone else hands you a repository for your project doesn’t mean that you should actually use it.
The question is not “Who can you trust?”; the question is “Who do you trust?”, or rather—who are you trusting with your repository, right now, even if you do not realize it? For most projects, including the story above, there are a number of individuals or organizations that you may have inadvertently placed your trust in without fully considering the ramifications of such a decision:
Git Host Git hosting providers are probably the most easily overlooked trustees—providers like Gitorious, GitHub, Bitbucket, SourceForge, Google Code, etc. Each provides hosting for your repository and “secures” it by allowing only you, or other authorized users, to push to it, often with the use of SSH keys tied to an account. By using a host as the primary holder of your repository—the repository from which most clone and push to—you are entrusting them with the entirety of your project; you are stating, “Yes, I trust that my source code is safe with you and will not be tampered with”. This is a dangerous assumption. Do you trust that your host properly secures your account information? Furthermore, bugs exist in all but the most trivial pieces of software, so what is to say that there is not a vulnerability just waiting to be exploited in your host’s system, completely compromising your repository? It was not too long ago (March 4th, 2012) that a public key security vulnerability at GitHub was exploited by a Russian man named Egor Homakov, allowing him to successfully commit to the master branch of the Ruby on Rails framework repository hosted on GitHub. Oops. Friends and Coworkers/Colleagues There may be certain groups or individuals that you trust enough to (a) pull or accept patches from or (b) allow them to push to you or a central/“official” repository. Operating under the assumption that each individual is truly trustworthy (and let us hope that is the case), that does not immediately imply that their repository can be trusted. What are their security policies? Do they leave their PC unlocked and unattended? Do they make a habit of downloading virus-laden pornography on an unsecured, non-free operating system? Or perhaps, through no fault of their own, they are running a piece of software that is vulnerable to a 0-day exploit. Given that, how can you be sure that their commits are actually their own? Furthermore, how can you be sure that any commits they approve (or sign off on using git commit -s ) were actually approved by them? That is, of course, assuming that they have no ill intent. For example, what of the pissed off employee looking to get the arrogant, obnoxious co-worker fired by committing under the coworker’s name/email? What if you were the manager or project lead? Whose word would you take? How would you even know whom to suspect? Your Own Repository Linus Torvalds (original author of Git and the kernel Linux) keeps a secured repository on his personal computer, inaccessible by any external means to ensure that he has a repository he can fully trust. Most developers simply keep a local copy on whatever PC they happen to be hacking on and pay no mind to security—their repository is likely hosted elsewhere as well, after all; Git is distributed. This is, however, a very serious matter. You likely use your PC for more than just hacking. Most notably, you likely use your PC to browse the Internet and download software. Software is buggy. Buggy software has exploits and exploits tend to get, well, exploited. Not every developer has a strong understanding of the best security practices for their operating system (if you do, great!). And no—simply using GNU/Linux or any other *NIX variant does not make you immune from every potential threat.
To dive into each of these a bit more deeply, let us consider one of the world’s largest free software projects—the kernel Linux—and how its original creator Linus Torvalds handles issues of trust. During a talk he presented at Google in 2007, he describes a network of trust he created between himself and a number of others (which he refers to as his “lieutenants”). Linus himself cannot possibly manage the mass amount of code that is sent to him, so he has others handle portions of the kernel. Those “lieutenants” handle most of the requests, then submit them to Linus, who handles merging into his own branch. In doing so, he has trusted that these lieutenants know what they are doing, are carefully looking over each patch and that the patches Linus receives from them are actually from them.
I am not aware of how patches are communicated from the lieutenants to Linus. Certainly, one way to state with a fairly high level of certainty that the patch is coming from one of his “lieutenants” is to e-mail the patches, signed with their respective GPG/PGP keys. At that point, the web of trust is enforced by the signature. Linus is then sure that his private repository (which he does his best to secure, as aforementioned) contains only data that he personally trusts. His repository is safe, so far as he knows, and he can use it confidently.
At this point, assuming Linus’ web of trust is properly verified, how can he confidently convey these trusted changes to others? He certainly knows his own commits, but how should others know that this “Linus Torvalds” guy who has been committing and signing off of on commits is actually Linus Torvalds? As demonstrated in the hypothetical scenario at the beginning of this article, anyone could claim to be Linus. If an attacker were to gain access to any clone of the repository and commit as Linus, nobody would know the difference. Fortunately, one can get around this by signing a tag with his/her private key using GPG ( git tag -s ). A tag points to a particular commit and that commit depends on the entire history leading up to that commit. This means that signing the SHA1 hash of that commit, assuming no security vulnerabilities within SHA1, will forever state that the entire history of the given commit, as pointed to by the given tag, is trusted.
Well, that is helpful, but that doesn’t help to verify any commits made after the tag (until the next tag comes around that includes that commit as an ancestor of the new tag). Nor does it necessarily guarantee the integrity of all past commits—it only states that, to the best of Linus’ knowledge, this tree is trusted. Notice how the hypothetical you in our hypothetical story also signed the tag with his/her private key. Unfortunately, he/she fell prey to something that is all too common—human error. He/she trusted that his/her “ |
does this mean?, well – if people don’t understand or care about the problem you are trying to solve, they won’t care about your solution. Innovation stops dead in its tracks and no amount of polish will get it moving.
Frankly there’s a lot of work that’s all polish and no substance. People are copying reality rather than designing it. After 25 years, I’m disappointed that much of our industry is still largely focused on more realism in rendering and behavior. It’s sort of an age old desire that tracks back through tv, cinema, photography, panoramas, the camera obscura, and even painting. Media & Film scholar Lev Mavovich once called VR at SIGGRAPH “Zeuxis and Parrhasius on an Industrial Scale”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trompe-l%27%C5%93il#History_in_painting
An early version of his thoughts on VR development, later written into the book The Language of New Media is here:
http://www.egs.edu/faculty/lev-manovich/articles/assembling-reality-myths- of-computer-graphics/
What does the future of VR look like to you?
Curiously, I really look to the past on this – are you up for the ultimate VR Flashback?
Early cinema was born in 1864 as a scientific investigation of the training of (and betting on) racehorses. It was seen as a medium of simulation. Realism was the goal. Early film developers worked hard to improve clarity, add color, sound, increase the frame rate, the length, and keep the film stock from catching fire.
Early film scholar Andre Bazin’s essay entitled “The Myth of Total Cinema” explains:
“The guiding myth, then, inspiring the invention of cinema, is the accomplishment of that which dominated in a more or less vague fashion all the techniques of the mechanical reproduction of reality in the nineteenth century, from photography to the phonograph, namely an integral realism, a recreation of the world in its own image, an image unburdened by the freedom of interpretation of the artist…”
What this means is that the language of cinema; jump cuts, close-ups, establishing shots, zooms, and flashbacks were completely unknown. Film was seen as a continuous stream of reality. At most it was cut into acts, like theatre. Editing the film, cutting and arranging bits and pieces to enhance the story was uncharted territory outside the realm of imagination for directors, producers, and the audience.
The following 1908 conversation between a producer and a young D.W. Griffith offers some insight into the challenge of editing reality:
“How can you tell a story, jumping about like that? The people won’t know what its’ about.”
“Well,” said Mr. Griffith, “Doesn’t Dickens write that way?”
“Yes, but that’s Dickens; that’s novel writing; that’s different.”
“Oh, not so much, these are picture stories; not so different.”
Flash forward to today and we get virtual reality addressing the same challenge of editing. I’m still waiting for a virtual D.W. Griffith to have this conversation with a critic:
“How can you understand a space that jumps about like that? The people won’t know what it’s about.”
“Well,” said Virtual Griffith, “Doesn’t Shigeru Miyamoto design that way?”
“Yes, but that’s Shigeru Miyamoto; that’s game design; that’s different.”
“Oh, not so much, these are still a mix of narrative and interaction; not so different.”
The true shape of virtual reality will start when designers borrow the freedom and flexibility of game design, but without the focus on immersing players in separate play driven worlds. In a sense, future VR will be an edited reality – but unlike film it will be altered to make it more useful and functional. In games we see this already, in World of Warcraft doors and often walls and railings are edited out.
There’s a lot of great history and deep theory here. The curious can find details and surprises (like the role of the Russian Socialist Revolution) here:
www.isovista.org/images/texts_theory/VirtualWorldsMythTotalCinema4.pdf
Many of the documents cited are here: http://www.isovista.org/index.php/database/theory
What projects are you working on now?
I teach game design online and just set up a small digital arts group, Isovista.org to support my students and recent graduates. It’s about nurturing art, innovation, education, in VR with the help of young designers and old professionals. Former students of mine Adam Walker, Jo Gibson, are helping out and many others are in touch.
Progress is a little mixed. We just shut down the multi-user gallery / classroom. It was in Unity 3D, which is both great and flawed. The gallery / classroom ideally would hold a large and constantly updated body of virtual art and/or educational presentations. Sadly game engines like Unity won’t allow scripts to be loaded on the fly, so our gallery and presentation space is pretty much hobbled at the start. Big downloads and occasional patches work for games, but not for us. Sadly, people with a videogame mindset don’t really see the problem. Since this isn’t something we can’t change, we’ll just dabble for a bit in Unity, X3DOM, and HMD’s
On the plus side, I got the data I needed on the impact of the Oculus Rift.
I also filed my first patent (provisional), and have more to come.
UploadVR’s “Flashback” series is an ongoing effort. We are looking for virtual reality pioneers who worked with VR in the 1990s and before. If you are one of those people or know someone who is, email Matthew Terndrup at [email protected] to arrange for an interview.A Russian airliner blown out of the sky over Sinai, and now the slaughter of Hezbollah’s Shia Muslims in Beirut – it’s the same war.
Thursday night’s suicide bombings by Isis in Lebanon, causing almost 50 deaths and wounding 250, displayed the same savagery, the same attention to detail, the same target: the enemies of Isis who are supporting President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria. The Lebanese were waiting for these latest attacks for weeks.
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 $0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.
General Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s “General Security” apparatus, has been saying for months that he is “fighting Isis” – which is perfectly true – and his men, along with the Lebanese army, have for the past two weeks been raiding the homes of Sunni Islamists in Tripoli and around Sidon, reportedly finding explosives and at least one suicide vest. The sinister black Isis flag can now be seen in both Tripoli and hanging over the main street of the Palestinian Ein el-Helwe refugee camp in Sidon.
This does not mean Isis is about to “take over” Lebanon. Nor does it imply a sectarian conflict is about to overwhelm the nation that suffered its own 15-year civil war, which ended a quarter of a century ago. But the Isis struggle against the Russians, Hezbollah, the Iranians, the Syrian regime, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s military rule in Egypt and the Sunni Arab Gulf states will consume the innocent anywhere in the region, and perhaps outside it.
Lebanon’s own security apparatus has for months been trying to dislodge an Isis outfit around the Sunni town of Ersal in the far north-east of Lebanon, on the very border with Syria, while General Ibrahim and his colleagues were fearful that Isis might target the huge running marathon in Beirut last Sunday.
Police on bicycles could be seen along the Corniche day and night, talking to gloomy-faced young men with pistols ill-concealed in their trouser pockets, in the hope of preventing an Isis bombing of seafront tourists.
But Isis decided to strike at its old Hezbollah antagonists. It has hit the southern suburbs before, and it almost managed to destroy the Iranian embassy in Beirut when two suicide bombers tried to blast down the gates to the compound.
However, Thursday night’s attack took weeks to plan, according to the same security men who have been trying to prevent such suicide bombings. The two motorcycle bombers must have moved many times through the same Bourj al-Barajneh streets close to the community centre, the market, the bakery and the Hezbollah-run hospital which they eventually targeted.
It’s not easy to move past both the army’s checkpoints at Bourj al-Barajneh and Hezbollah’s own militia barrages. The Isis claim of responsibility was as coldly delivered as its boast of bombing the Russian airliner over Egypt, and Hezbollah, whose thousands of fighters have fought for Assad’s army in Syria – hundreds of whom have paid for this campaign with their lives – delivered its equally bleak reply. This struggle against Isis and its fellow Islamists, Hezbollah said, would be “a long war”.
Lebanon’s own politicians uttered the sort of condemnation that now comes like confetti in a country with a parliament that can scarcely meet because of sectarian squabbling, and with a cabinet that is unable to agree on garbage collection; where the prime minister constantly threatens to resign, and where there has not been a president for a year and a half. There were “plans to create strife”, one minister said, forlornly.
Isis long ago proved that it goes for the jugular, sometimes, as we know, in the most literal fashion. But does the Russian and now the Hezbollah assault also suggest that Isis is under serious pressure, if only temporarily, before the weight of its multiple enemies? Perhaps. Safer, though, to take seriously the words of Hezbollah. It’s going to be a long war.
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.
At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads.
Subscribe nowImage copyright Reuters Image caption The overwhelming majority of Londoners voted to remain in the EU
A petition calling for Sadiq Khan to declare London an independent state after the UK voted to quit the EU has been signed by thousands of people.
The petition's organiser James O'Malley, said the capital was "a world city" which should "remain at the heart of Europe".
Nearly 60% of people in the capital backed the Remain campaign, in stark contrast to most of the country.
The LSE's director said the vote showed how "radically different" London is.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Could London's mayor become President Sadiq?
Prof Tony Travers said London's economy and politics "look so different" to the rest of the country and it was up to the mayor to decide whether to argue for more power.
"Maybe moving more decision making to cities and councils could be a solution to the differences within the country," he said.
Following the result, Sadiq Khan said it was "crucial that London has a voice at the table during those renegotiations" with the EU.
"We will continue to look outwards and trade and engage with the entire world, including the European Union," he said.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Only four boroughs in the capital backed the Leave campaign
The petition, which suggests the mayor could become "President Sadiq", has already been signed by more than 27,000 people.
Mr O'Malley said he was a "big EU fan" and was "fed up watching the results" when he set up the page on change.org.
He said he was "astonished" the petition had taken off but suggested it showed he had "clearly touched a nerve" with others who "like me want to live in an international city".
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The petition calls for London to "remain at the heart of Europe"
One person who commented on the page said he felt "morally, culturally and historically closer to Paris, Brussels and Rome than I do to Sunderland".
Another wrote: "We need to break free of the dead weight."
A second petition calling for London to remain part of the EU has been signed by more 7,500 people.On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration was looking to 'drive a wedge' between Russia and Iran in its effort to improve relations with Moscow while confronting Tehran. Multiple observers, from Russian foreign policy analysts to American paleo-conservatives, warn that a US-Iran clash would be a catastrophic mistake.
Citing unnamed senior officials in the Trump administration, as well as European and Arab country officials, the Wall Street Journal piece noted that the White House was trying to balance the "seemingly contradictory vows to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and to aggressively challenge the military presence of Iran – one of Moscow's most critical allies – in the Middle East."
"If there's a wedge to be driven between Russia and Iran, we're willing to explore that," a senior administration official reportedly told the newspaper.
Moscow almost immediately responded to the WSJ piece, calling it little more than "unfounded speculation," and an attempt to poison relations between Washington and Moscow before they ever have a chance to improve. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the Wall Street Journal was the one trying to "drive a wedge" between the two powers.
Russian political observers have been similarly cautious. Boris Dolgov, a senior fellow at the Moscow-based Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Russian Institute of Oriental Studies, told RIA Novosti that Moscow must make every effort to assure both the US and its allies that Iran is not a threat.
"Such statements in the American press should probably be taken quite seriously," the expert said. "But I think that Russia, for its part, must work to try and influence Washington's thinking about Iran posing a threat to the United States and its ally Israel."
Presenting Tehran as a threat to Washington's security is simply "wrong," Dolgov added. "The Iranians themselves have repeatedly said that the main reason behind their confrontation with Israel is the Palestinian issue. If a solution to that issue is found, the conflict will in many respects be settled. However, its existence facilitates the promotion of this aggressive rhetoric."
For his part, Radio Sputnik contributor Ilya Kharlamov emphasized that while Western observers are now trying to'read the tea leaves' for hints about what it will take for Russia to break its partnership with Iran in Washington's favor, "the fact is that the Russia-Turkey-Iran format [of cooperation] is playing a more and more important role in resolving the Syrian crisis, and none of the members of this triumvirate have any plans to break it."
© Sputnik / Alexey Kudenko Kremlin Disagrees With Trump Describing Iran as 'Number One Terrorist State'
With this in mind, the commentator recalled that the Kremlin has already responded in disagreement to Trump's recent statement that Iran was the "number one terrorist state," and added that Moscow intends to continue to develop and expand its relationship with Tehran.
Ultimately, Kharlamov suggested that so long as Washington does not clearly define their priorities on the Iran issue, or continues to make cryptic comments about the country being 'put on notice' without clarification, speculation, rumors and theories of the kind found in the Wall Street Journal story will continue.
"Trump's people simply have not yet had the time to get a full grasp on all the intricacies on foreign policy," the journalist suggested. As a result, "one simply needs to gather patience, and let others write articles with all sorts of dubious conspiracy theories."
CIS Institute Deputy director Vladimir Yevseyev, meanwhile, thinks that while Trump may realize, at some level, that the Russian-Iranian coalition has been highly effective against Daesh, his ties to Israel may now be pushing him toward confrontation with Tehran.
"The Israeli lobby assisted Donald Trump during his election campaign," the analyst noted. "He may have certain obligations to the state of Israel – toward fulfilling those promises that he gave them during the campaign. In any case, the restoration of close ties with Israel is one of the most likely vectors of the new administration's foreign policy."
Yevseyev noted that as far as Moscow was concerned, "Russia's relations with Iran, just like its relations with China or other countries, must not be considered in the context of Russian-US relations. The same is true for US relations with these countries. These are various tracks which should not be crossed. If the Kremlin holds out on its position, it will be able to continue mutually beneficial cooperation with Iran, including in the military sphere, and to ignore the'signals' coming from overseas."
For his part, Experimental Creative Center Vice President Yuri Bialy noted that he could not help but get the impression that these 'leaks' to the Wall Street Journal were coming from forces, perhaps even from inside Trump's own team, which are not interested in normalization between Moscow and Washington, and hence are trying to put Washington in an stalemate.
Whether that is the case or not, Yevseyev noted that the worsening in relations between Washington and Tehran was extremely alarming. Washington's rhetoric may influence the political situation in the Middle Eastern country, including in the presidential elections, set for May, and force President Hassan Rouhani into a more conservative position. In that case, the analyst noted, a growing mutual enmity may eventually lead to open confrontation.
Russian observers' assessment has generally been matched by US paleo-conservatives, who supported Trump as the candidate who could save the country from endless wars in the Middle East. In his column for The American Conservative, veteran paleo-con commentator Pat Buchanan warned Trump against escalating the conflict with Iran, particularly if it has to do with trivial issues like missile testing or Riyadh's military adventurism in Yemen.
"The problem with making a threat public [of putting Iran] 'on notice' – is that it makes it almost impossible for Iran, or Trump, to back away," Buchanan noted, referring to National Security Advisor Michael Flynn's remarks last week at a press briefing following Tehran's missile testing. "Tehran seems almost obliged to defy [the US], especially the demand that it cease testing conventional missiles for its own defense," the commentator added. The threat also increases the probability of the architects of the nuclear deal, including President Rouhani, are "thrown out [of office] in this year's election."
© REUTERS / Omar Sanadiki Tehran Wary of Trump-Proposed Plan on Safe Zones in Syria
Buchanan recalled that "high among the reasons that many supported Trump was his understanding that George W. Bush blundered horribly in launching an unprovoked and unnecessary war in Iraq."
"Along with the 15-year war in Afghanistan and our wars in Libya, Syria and Yemen, our 21st- century US Mideast wars have cost us trillions of dollars and thousands dead. And they have produced a harvest of hatred of America that was exploited by al-Qaeda and ISIS to recruit jihadists to murder and massacre Westerners."
"Osama's bin Laden's greatest achievement was not to bring down the twin towers and kill 3,000 Americans, but to goad America into plunging headlong into the Middle East, a reckless and ruinous adventure that ended her post-Cold War global primacy," the observer emphasized. "Unlike the other candidates, Trump seemed to recognize this."
"It was thought he would disengage us from these wars, not rattle a saber at an Iran that is three times the size of Iraq and has as its primary weapons supplier and partner Vladimir Putin's Russia," Buchanan added.
Hopefully, the Trump administration will realize the danger of such an openly confrontational policy, and correct course before the verbal sabre-rattling turns into something more serious.An open carry activist and military veteran speaking exclusively with Infowars says federal agents told him to “be quiet” for a year or face federal charges after being arrested by Department of Homeland Security agents at a political rally in Spokane, Washington.
The activist, Anthony Bosworth, was participating in the “Our State, Our Rights” rally near the city’s federal courthouse when members of multiple federal agencies approached and began demanding identification.
While inquiring on the alleged need to provide ID, Bosworth was accused of being in violation of federal gun laws according to a DHS agent on scene.
“It’s against federal law,” the agent claimed. “18 U.S. C 930 says it’s illegal.”
Bosworth, correctly citing the law’s wordage, asserted that the restriction only applied to the inside of federal buildings.
“On federal property,” the DHS agent argued. “You’re on federal property.”
18 U.S. Code 930 in fact never once uses the words “on federal property,” but instead repeatedly refers to the possession of a firearm inside a federally-run building.
(a) Except as provided in subsection (d), whoever knowingly possesses or causes to be present a firearm or other dangerous weapon in a Federal facility (other than a Federal court facility), or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both.
After being confronted by a U.S. Marshall, Bosworth was arrested while attempting to locate the end of the federal property line.
“You’re not protesting. You’re violating the law,” the Marshall said.
According to Bosworth, who spoke with Infowars following his release, the same U.S. Marshall later attempted to coerce him into ceasing all political activity while in custody.
Bosworth stated that after receiving a citation, the Marshall said that he could likely avoid federal charges and prison time if he was “quiet for a year.”
“He basically said, ‘Between me and you some friendly advice, if you be quiet for a year there is a good chance this will all go away. Just some friendly advice,'” Bosworth recalled.
Shortly after, police and an FBI agent reportedly began asking Bosworth about his future plans and political activity, which has made headlines over recent months.
Bosworth was eventually allowed to leave after roughly 3 hours of questioning.
Following his detainment, Bosworth revealed that the same FBI agent, now using a different name, confronted him on the street and asked for a “private meeting.”
The agent reportedly stated that he lacked knowledge on the Second Amendment and wanted to learn Bosworth’s viewpoints, an obvious attempt to lure Bosworth into becoming an informant while gathering further information on his constitutionally-protected First Amendment activity.
Refusing to give the agent his cellphone number, Bosworth was eventually able to leave the area.
Bosworth’s treatment, from the clearly unlawful arrest to the attempt to quell free speech, is standard operating procedure among federal agents tasked with surveying politically active conservative Americans.
A gun store owner in South Carolina was confronted by FBI counterterrorism agents just last year and asked to provide information on “suspicious purchases” made by people talking about “big government.”
Both the FBI and Homeland Security have also taken an interest in war veterans, even claiming that they are the greatest terror threat to the nation.
The statement is unsurprising given the FBI’s most recent national terror threat assessment list, which makes no mention of Islamic terrorists whatsoever, instead focusing primarily on alleged right-wing groups.
The absurdity became even more apparent last year after a report in the Washington Free Beacon revealed that Homeland Security maintains a “hands off” list of individuals with suspected ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah, and other groups.
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Follow Mikael Thalen @ https://twitter.com/MikaelThalenArai has led Honda's F1 efforts since the manufacturer announced that it would be returning to the sport as the exclusive partner of McLaren.
But its return has fallen below expectations, as it faced both reliability and performance issues during a disappointing 2015 campaign.
Honda has spent the winter revamping key concepts of the power unit which it hopes will allow McLaren to make the necessary steps and move up the order in 2016.
However, despite Arai having maintained charge of the F1 programme over the winter, it has been decided that he will be stepping down from the position at the end of this month ahead of his retirement.
The decision was ratified at a Honda Board Meeting in Japan that took place on Tuesday.
Reshuffle
As part of annual changes that Honda makes to its corporate structure, a wider restructuring of staff has been approved.
The F1 project will now be headed by Yusuke Hasegawa, while Arai's other motorsport activities will be taken over by R&D and Sakura head Kenji Ohtsu.
Yoshiyuki Matsumoto has been appointed as supervising director of the F1 project.
Arai will stay on in his F1 role for now, to act as an advisor during a handover phase.
Pressure pot
Arai faced intense pressure last year, as McLaren's hopes of a push for decent results fell short – and its energy recovery weaknesses were exposed at power tracks like Spa and Monza.
At a tense press conference at the Italian Grand Prix, Arai also had to fend off some hostile questioning from the media about his and Honda's failure to deliver.
Speaking to Motorsport.com at the end of last year, Arai explained why he had repeatedly been positive about prediction for progress, even if those hopes ultimately fell short.
"As a team if the team management talked negative all the time or tried to play down everything then that brings the whole team down, because they look to us," he said.
"My philosophy is I shouldn't be doing that. I believe the team, they are doing their best – so they will try to do their best.
"At the real beginnings of 2014 in Abu Dhabi, with electrical problems at the very beginning, I believed if we got rid of the electrical issues then it would possibly turn out for the better.
"But, as I said, over the summer was when everything was clear – that it was a hardware issue that we had the difficulty with. Then we could put our heads down.
"At the same time it was a very difficult Saturday at Monza! But it was a good experience…"Early Friday morning, after two snipers shot 12 police officers during a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas, killing at least five of them, Twitter reached a fever pitch. A vocal and largely conservative faction of the internet insisted Black Lives Matter was responsible for the deaths of these officers, despite clear, photographic evidence to the contrary: Numerous reports showed that the protest — a response to this week's shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile — had been peaceful until gunmen outside the event opened fire.
Someone please show these images to former one-term Illinois congressman and current radio host Joe Walsh. In response to the police shootings, Walsh tweeted a thinly veiled, implicitly racist threat to Black Lives Matter and President Barack Obama:
"3 Dallas Cops killed, 7 wounded. This is now war. Watch out Obama. Watch out black lives matter punks. Real America is coming after you."
After about a half hour, he deleted it. I screengrabbed it from Tweetdeck.
Twitter Joe Walsh's tweet
Walsh clearly hasn't learned his lesson from the 2014 incident in which he was temporarily kicked off his own radio show for using racial slurs.
Looks like former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh isn't having a very good nightpic.twitter.com/WF4x3Tftbr
Or maybe he has: He called people of color "punks" this time, rather than the N-word. And, hmm, I wonder what he means by "real America." Unless he's talking about Native Americans forming a warring militia and "coming after" Black Lives Matter and Obama, it sure seems like Walsh is talking about white people taking back their country from everyone else.
So is this the most racist tweet a former congressman has ever sent? Per Betteridge's law, it's probably not — but if you can spot a more heinous message, we'd love to see it.National Broadband Network recruiters have been slammed by local workers for seeking Ireland nationals to come and work in Australia on the multibillion-dollar telecommunications project.
Recruitment company OneIRC is advertising in Ireland for 'Copper Gurus' to work on the country's 'largest telecommunications project', with positions available 'all over Australia.'
Job seekers are being offered migration assistance to get to Australia and $75,000 per year over three years.
Recruitment company OneIRC is advertising in Ireland for 'Copper Gurus' to work on the country's 'largest telecommunications project', with positions available 'all over Australia'
National Broadband Network recruiters have been slammed by local workers for seeking Ireland nationals to come and work in Australia on the multibillion-dollar telecommunications project
Job seekers are being offered migration assistance to get to Australia and $75,000 per year over three years
'Expand your career opportunities,' the advertisement reads, touting it as a 'terrific opportunity to see the great southern land.'
'Bring the family and stay in one spot or travel across the country.'
Interviews for the position will take place in Ireland in June.
The Communication Workers Union has hit out against the ads, calling them a pitch to Irish backpackers, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Greg Rayner, CWU National Secretary accused the Liberal Government of sending jobs offshore.
'This is Australia's biggest job creating infrastructure project and with youth unemployment over 10 per cent we need these job here and now,' he told the publication.
The communication Workers Union has hit out against the ads, calling them a pitch to Irish backpackers
The National Broadband Network is currently in the processing of doubling its construction workforce to 9000 people
Jim Metcher, the union's NSW Branch Secretary described the recruitment as a 'disgrace' and said jobs will be 'dished out to workers in Kilkenny, not Sydney.'
The National Broadband Network is currently in the processing of increasing its workforce to 9000 people.
It hopes to connect eight million homes by 2020, the publication reported.BERLIN — Frank Ebert, a human-rights activist from East Berlin, was so sure the breach in the Berlin Wall was temporary that he spent part of his first day in the West stocking up on ink, paper, books and other materials that would be impossible to get once he returned to the Communist side.
Within two or three days, though, reality hit. “You couldn’t close the wall again,” recalled Mr. Ebert, who helped to organize celebrations here this weekend for the anniversary of the wall’s demise. “Very quickly it was normal.”
Twenty-five years later, it is so normal that many residents of this increasingly cosmopolitan European capital can hardly relate to life in the heavily militarized, divided city of the days before Nov. 9, 1989. Moritz van Dülmen, director of Kulturprojekte Berlin, the organizer of the anniversary event, estimates that roughly half of today’s residents never had direct experiences with the 96-mile barrier.
Now, slick, modern buildings trace the wall’s footprint. A section of what was known as “death strip” — a sliver of heavily mined land lined by watch towers — is now a park known for its Sunday flea market and open-air karaoke.Elizabeth Phillips felt she was robbed in Macau on Saturday. | James Goyder/Sherdog.com
An unnamed judge was relieved of cageside duties following what the Ultimate Fighting Championship deemed as questionable scoring during the two opening bouts of UFC Fight Night "Bisping vs. Le." The UFC, which serves as its own athletic commission when holding events outside of the United States, made the decision following Milana Dudieva against Elizabeth Phillips and Royston Wee versus Zhuikui Yao. Dudieva defeated Phillips via split decision, while Wee captured a split verdict over Yao.UFC President Dana White confirmed the decision during the event’s post-fight press conference. "Did you ask me sir, if it was true, that a judge was removed?" White said. "Yes, he was. He was involved in the first fight and the second fight. I told the guys to go let him grab some beer and some popcorn and go sit down and start watching some fights, not judging them."While the judging decision in Wee vs. Zhuikui is much more open to debate, the women’s bout was almost universally panned. Sherdog.com editors Mike Fridley, Brian Knapp and Jordan Breen unanimously scored the tilt 29-28 for Phillips Phillips, a loser via split decisions in her only two fights under the UFC banner, took to Facebook to voice her displeasure with the way things went down on Saturday and in general when it comes to the sport of mixed martial arts.“I got robbed so f–king bad. I hate the UFC,” Phillips said on Facebook. “I was on top dominating all three round elbowing this Russian piece of crap. And they said I lost the split decision. Anybody says that I lost is a piece of crap and will get deleted from my friends list cause I whooped her ass the whole fight. I’m done fighting for awhile cause this is some corrupt s--t.”While it has yet to be revealed which judge was removed from turning in scorecards after the two opening bouts, Howard Hughes, who is frequently used on cards held recently outside of the states such as UFC Fight Night “Brandao vs. McGregor” and UFC Fight Night “Munoz vs. Mousasi” was the only judge assigned to both of the first two scraps.By Joseph Caso | USA
People in America are confused now more than ever. We have rioters that claim peace, racists that claim others are racist, anti-fascists using fascist tactics, liberals that claim to be conservative, libertarians who are pro-government, the list could go on. A lot of people are trying to fight for the side they believe is right, democrats and republicans alike.
They are both wrong. The real fight will never be between these political parties but, rather, between true libertarians and true authoritarians.
First, we need to understand why the great constitutional republic that is the United States was formed. It was formed by people oppressed by a government they once trusted, people who fought and won against the world’s strongest military power. These people weren’t fueled by money or political gain, but rather by the thought that they could somehow, against all odds, create a government in which the people are not oppressed. A government founded on the principles of John Locke, someone who believed that the government should serve the people and in doing so, protect their rights to life, liberty, and property.
But now it has seemed like we have started to lose these valuable ideals that we once held dear. This begs the question, “Haven’t we learned from the past?” Whenever there is a place that doesn’t follow these ideals there is tyranny, and the places that are not yet tyrannical are just like U.S.: slowly descending down a slippery slope to authoritarianism. These words seem ridiculous, but that is the worst part. Western governments do their best to normalize the elimination of the people’s rights in exchange for more government power, by taking their citizens’ rights away slowly but surely. To speed this up they disguise their increase in power as a form of societal progress while slandering those who disagree. Congress passes bills that can only be described as taxpayer-funded government steroids that masquerade as acts of “equality” or “safety.” They make you look like you don’t want Americans to be protected or you are just one of “phobes,” transphobe, Islamophobe, xenophobe, etc. It is a despicable rabbit hole that western societies are starting to go down and we need to stop.
An example of this would be gun control. We have the right to bear arms in order to ensure that the government doesn’t overstep its bounds. So why would we allow that same government in which we are supposed to protect ourselves from to dictate what we can use to protect ourselves from them? Oh yeah, we need to give them up for “safety,” makes sense. Typical government rights violation for the “greater good.”
Another example of this is when those who are brainwashed in our society try to shut down “hate speech.” The ignorance in that is self-evident. Our rights cannot be alienated whether it is by the government or by another citizen, for example, I can’t use my right to bear arms to shoot someone because that would interfere with their right to life. Shouldn’t that apply to freedom of speech? If someone uses their freedom of speech to shut down yours isn’t that a violation of your rights? The answer is yes, especially in the case of physical force to achieve this end.
What is even worse is that it is not just about people shouting down speakers. If we look to our friends up north we can see that they are passing laws and motions directly impeding on freedom of speech, making into law what citizens can’t say in order to eliminate “hate” and forcing them to say things in that same regard. I am of course speaking of the new motions restricting Islamophobia as well as the slightly more infamous bill (thanks to Professor Jordan B. Peterson of The University of Toronto), that coerces people to refer to someone with their “correct” gender pronouns, bill C-16, which has since been passed and made into law.
We need to stop living in the moment and look into the future if we continue to take these deceivingly “progressive” steps toward big government we will continue to have our rights restricted and our American values spat on. If we don’t wake up now we along with almost every other country on Earth will be plagued with the disease of authoritarianism. So please put down the syringe of government power and reach towards the antidote of liberty, before it is too late.
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Like this: Like Loading...In this interview taped at QCon London 2009 Rich Hickey talks about Clojure, shortly before the 1.0 release.
The interview covers many of the interesting aspects of Clojure, particularly its support for concurrency. Rich explains Clojure's model of Software Transactional Memory (STM), which uses the concept of Multiversion concurrency control (MVCC).
But STM is only one way to use concurrency; Clojure also supports many other concurrency primitives, such as Agents (not to be confused with Actors - the difference is explained in the interview).
Next to the existing concurrency primitives, Rich also explains his ideas for a new one, which will make it easier to use Locks, maybe allowing to define acquisition order or other properties.
Developers familiar with mainstream OOP languages and interested in Clojure will be particularly interested in Clojure's programming model. Clojure supports Java's OOP model and can interact seamlessly with Java libraries and OOP concepts. Idiomatic Clojure code, however, doesn't rely on the OOP concepts of languages like Java or C#. Runtime polymorphism is achieved through multimethods which is integrated with the Java class system, but can be made much more flexible with custom dispatch methods. The interview discusses the reasons behind and advantages of this approach in detail.
Finally, the discussion also touches the topic of performance. Clojure compiles to Java bytecodes and also has advantages over other dynamic languages, in that it allows to avoid polymorphism when it's not needed. It also allows arithmetic to be as fast as normal Java code ( |
the provision of 3,000 tractors, 105 combine harvesters and 100,000 plows for the country’s farm mechanization program. Mr. Ndlovu, the information minister, said the Reserve Bank had been getting foreign currency for imports of food and medicine.
Mr. Ndlovu said the Global Fund had sided with Western nations that had restricted aid to Zimbabwe and imposed sanctions on it — sanctions that Mr. Mugabe and his party blame for the country’s economic ruin.
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“The money from the Global Fund is nowhere near what the Reserve Bank has spent on health care for the country,” the information minister said.
Civic groups and opposition officials contend that Mr. Gono and the Reserve Bank have helped finance the governing party’s patronage operation, essential to Mr. Mugabe’s hold on power for the past 28 years. Eddie Cross, a senior official in the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, accused the Reserve Bank of looting the Global Fund’s donation.
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International aid groups and United Nations agencies say the country’s annual inflation rate of more than 230 million percent and rules imposed by the Reserve Bank have severely complicated the logistics of helping the most impoverished people.
The Reserve Bank suspended electronic banking a month ago, making it impossible for international organizations to pay for goods and services with bank transfers. The Reserve Bank has also severely limited cash withdrawals from commercial banks. And the inflation rate has rendered check payments nearly worthless by the time they clear days later.
More than 20 aid groups, donor countries and United Nations agencies wrote Mr. Gono last week asking that electronic banking be restored for humanitarian aid purposes and that they be allowed to pay service providers in foreign currency. If agencies are increasingly unable to pay for their field operations, they wrote, that inability will “greatly increase the already substantial suffering of those Zimbabweans who are most in need of humanitarian response.”
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A third of Zimbabweans are now hungry and in need of food aid, the United Nations estimates. A million children have lost one or both parents. About 140,000 people died of AIDS there last year.
Mr. Mugabe’s government banned the work of international aid groups for almost three months during the election season earlier this year, accusing them of backing the political opposition. The ban was lifted on Aug. 29, two months after Mr. Mugabe was declared the victor in a discredited presidential runoff election. His main rival, the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, dropped out of the race, citing state-sponsored violence against his supporters.
It has taken time for the aid groups to resume work. One major humanitarian group, which declined to be identified by name for fear of retaliation against its staff by government officials, said it would be able to get food to only half as many people as originally planned this month because of the difficulties of paying for its logistical operations.
The Zimbabwe office of the United Nations Children’s Fund, which coordinates one of the world’s largest programs for orphans, decided Friday that it could no longer pay the local groups it supported there by check, seriously hampering its ability to help the most vulnerable children and their mothers, said Roeland Monasch, Unicef’s acting representative in Zimbabwe.
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Mr. Monasch said the United Nations’ daily posting of the country’s exchange rate showed that the number of Zimbabwe dollars required to buy a single American dollar rose from 3 million on Oct. 23 to 1 billion the next day, and then to 40 billion on Wednesday and 1.1 trillion on Saturday. For Unicef to continue operating, he said, it must start using American dollars.
Mr. Parsons, the Global Fund inspector general, who presented the preliminary findings of a Global Fund audit on Tuesday in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, to donor nations and United Nations agencies, said in the interview that he had met with Reserve Bank officials to tell them, “We need our money back.”
But Reserve Bank officials have told the Global Fund they do not have the foreign currency required, Mr. Parsons said, so, “One has to assume they spent it on other things.”
In Mr. Parsons’ presentation to donors, a slide on program management featured a Cameroonian saying: “Trust in Allah but tie your donkey.” The Global Fund’s management, known as the secretariat, has not released any new money to Zimbabwe since last December and will not disburse more until the problems in protecting the Global Fund’s donations are resolved, he said.
“We cannot safely leave foreign exchange in Zimbabwe,” Mr. Parsons said. “The secretariat has to find some other means to safeguard our funds — to keep it offshore and drip-feed it into Zimbabwe. It can’t be under the Reserve Bank or anyone influenced by the Reserve Bank.”As a solo performer, Mr. Jackson ushered in the age of pop as a global product — not to mention an age of spectacle and pop culture celebrity. He became more character than singer: his sequined glove, his whitened face, his moonwalk dance move became embedded in the cultural firmament.
His entertainment career hit high-water marks with the release of “Thriller,” from 1982, which has been certified 28 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and with the “Victory” world tour that reunited him with his brothers in 1984.
But soon afterward, his career started a bizarre disintegration. His darkest moment undoubtedly came in 2003, when he was indicted on child molesting charges. A young cancer patient claimed the singer had befriended him and then groped him at his Neverland estate near Santa Barbara, Calif., but Mr. Jackson was acquitted on all charges.
Reaction to his death started trickling in from the entertainment community late Thursday.
“I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news,” the music producer Quincy Jones said in a statement. “I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”
Berry Gordy, the Motown founder who helped develop the Jackson 5, told CNN that Mr. Jackson, as a boy, “always wanted to be the best, and he was willing to work as hard as it took to be that. And we could all see that he was a winner at that age.
Tommy Mottola, a former head of Sony Music, called Mr. Jackson “the cornerstone to the entire music business.”
“He bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and pop music and made it into a global culture,” said Mr. Mottola, who worked with Mr. Jackson until the singer cut his ties with Sony in 2001.
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Impromptu vigils broke out around the world, from Portland, Ore., where fans organized a one-gloved bike ride (“glittery costumes strongly encouraged”) to Hong Kong, where fans gathered with candles and sang his songs.
In Los Angeles, hundreds of fans — some chanting Mr. Jackson’s name, some doing the “Thriller” dance — descended on the hospital and on the hillside house where he was staying.
Jeremy Vargas, 38, hoisted his wife, Erica Renaud, 38, on his shoulders and they danced and bopped to “Man in the Mirror” playing from an onlooker’s iPod connected to external speakers — the boom boxes of Mr. Jackson’s heyday long past their day.
“I am in shock and awe,” said Ms. Renaud, who was visiting from Red Hook, Brooklyn, with her family. “He was like a family member to me.”
Dreams of a Comeback
Mr. Jackson was an object of fascination for the news media since the Jackson 5’s first hit, “I Want You Back,” in 1969. His public image wavered between that of the musical naif, who wanted only to recapture his youth by riding on roller-coasters and having sleepovers with his friends, to the calculated mogul who carefully constructed his persona around his often-baffling public behavior.
Mr. Jackson had been scheduled to perform 50 concerts at the O2 arena in London beginning next month and continuing into 2010. The shows, which quickly sold out, were positioned as a comeback, with the potential to earn him up to $50 million, according to some reports.
But there had also been worry and speculation that Mr. Jackson was not physically ready for such an arduous run of concerts, and his postponement of the first of those shows to July 13 from July 8 fueled new rounds of gossip about his health. Nevertheless, he was rehearsing Wednesday night at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. “The primary reason for the concerts wasn’t so much that he was wanting to generate money as much as it was that he wanted to perform for his kids,” said J. Randy Taraborrelli, whose biography, “Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness,” was first published by Citadel in 1991. “They had never seen him perform before.”
Mr. Jackson’s brothers, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy, have all had performing careers, with varying success, since they stopped performing together. (Randy, the youngest, replaced Jermaine when the Jackson 5 left Motown.) His sisters, Rebbie, La Toya and Janet, are also singers, and Janet Jackson has been a major star in her own right for two decades. They all survive him, as do his parents, Joseph and Katherine Jackson, of Las Vegas, and three children: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, born to Mr. Jackson’s second wife, Deborah Jeanne Rowe, and Prince Michael Jackson II, the son of a surrogate mother. Mr. Jackson was also briefly married to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley.
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A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department said the department assigned its robbery and homicide division to investigate the death, but the spokesman said that was because of Mr. Jackson’s celebrity.
“Don’t read into anything,” the spokesman told reporters gathered outside the Bel-Air house. He said the coroner had taken possession of the body and would conduct an investigation.
At a news conference at the hospital, Jermaine Jackson spoke to reporters about his brother. “It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest at his home,” he said softly. A personal physician first tried to resuscitate Michael Jackson at his home before paramedics arrived. A team of doctors then tried to resuscitate him for more than an hour, his brother said.
“May Allah be with you always,” Jermaine Jackson concluded, his gaze aloft.
In Gary, Ind., hundreds of people descended upon the squat clapboard house were Mr. Jackson spent his earliest years. There were tears, loud wails, and quiet prayers as old neighbors joined hands with people who had driven in from Chicago and other nearby towns to pay their respects.
“Just continue to glorify the man, Lord,” said Ida Boyd-King, a local pastor who led the crowd in prayer. “Let’s give God praise for Michael.”
Shelletta Hinton, 40, drove to Gary from Chicago with her two young children. She said they had met Mr. Jackson in Gary a couple of years ago when he received a key to the city. “We felt like we were close to Michael,” she said. “This is a sad day.”
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As dusk set in, mourners lighted candles and placed them on the concrete doorstep. Some left teddy bears and personal notes. Doris Darrington, 77, said she remembered seeing the Jackson 5 so many times around Gary that she got sick of them. But she, too, was feeling hurt by the sudden news of Mr. Jackson’s death.
“He has always been a source of pride for Gary, even though he wasn’t around much,” she said. “The older person, that’s not the Michael we knew. We knew the little bitty boy with the big Afro and the brown skin. That’s how I’ll always remember Michael.”
Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary on Aug. 29, 1958. The second youngest of six brothers, he began performing professionally with four of them at the age of 5 in a group that their father, Joe, a steelworker, had organized the previous year. In 1968, the group, originally called the Jackson Brothers, was signed by Motown Records. The Jackson 5 was an instant phenomenon. The group’s first four singles — “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There” — all reached No. 1 on the pop charts in 1970, a feat no group had accomplished before. And young Michael was the center of attention: he handled virtually all the lead vocals, danced with energy and finesse, and displayed a degree of showmanship rare in a performer of any age.
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In 1971, Mr. Jackson began recording under his own name, while continuing to perform with his brothers. His recording of “Ben,” the title song from a movie about a boy and his homicidal pet rat, was a No. 1 hit in 1972.
The brothers (minus Michael’s older brother Jermaine, who was married to the daughter of Berry Gordy, Motown’s founder and chief executive) left Motown in 1975 and, rechristened the Jacksons, signed to Epic, a unit of CBS Records. Three years later, Michael made his movie debut as the Scarecrow in the screen version of the hit Broadway musical “The Wiz.” But movie stardom proved not to be his destiny.
A Solo Sensation
Music stardom on an unprecedented level, however, was. Mr. Jackson’s first solo album for Epic, “Off the Wall,” released in 1979, yielded two No. 1 singles and sold seven million copies, but it was a mere prologue to what came next. His follow-up, “Thriller,” released in 1982, became the best-selling album of all time and helped usher in the music video age. The video for title track, directed by John Landis, was an elaborate horror-movie pastiche that was more of a mini-movie than a promotional clip.
Seven of the nine tracks on “Thriller” were released as singles and reached the Top 10. The album spent two years on the Billboard album chart and sold an estimated 100 million copies worldwide. It also won eight Grammy Awards.
The choreographer and director Vincent Paterson, who directed Mr. Jackson in several videos, recalled watching him rehearse a dance sequence for four hours in front of a mirror until it felt like second nature.
“That’s how he developed the moonwalk, working on it for days if not weeks until it was organic,” he said. “He took an idea that he had seen some street kids doing and perfected it.”
Mr. Jackson’s next album, “Bad,” released in 1987, sold eight million copies and produced five No. 1 singles and another state-of-the-art video, this one directed by Martin Scorsese. It was a huge hit by almost anyone else’s standards, but an inevitable letdown after “Thriller.”
It was at this point that Mr. Jackson’s bizarre private life began to overshadow his music. He would go on to release several more albums and, from time to time, to stage elaborate concert tours. And he would never be too far from the public eye. But it would never again be his music that kept him there.
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Even with the millions Mr. Jackson earned, his eccentric lifestyle took a severe financial toll. In 1988 Mr. Jackson paid about $17 million for a 2,600-acre ranch in Los Olivos, Calif., 125 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Calling it Neverland after the mythical island of Peter Pan, he outfitted the property with amusement-park rides, a zoo and a 50-seat theater, at a cost of $35 million, according to reports, and the ranch became his sanctum.
But Neverland, and Mr. Jackson’s lifestyle, were expensive to maintain. A forensic accountant who testified at Mr. Jackson’s molesting trial in 2005 said Mr. Jackson’s annual budget in 1999 included $7.5 million for personal expenses and $5 million to maintain Neverland. By at least the late 1990s, he began to take out huge loans to support himself and pay debts. In 1998, he took out a loan for $140 million from Bank of America, which two years later was increased to $200 million. Further loans of hundreds of millions followed.
The collateral for the loans was Mr. Jackson’s 50 percent share in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a portfolio of thousands of songs, including rights to 259 songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, considered some of the most valuable properties in music.
In 1985, Mr. Jackson paid $47.5 million for ATV, which included the Beatles songs — a move that estranged him from Mr. McCartney, who had advised him to invest in music rights — and 10 years later, Mr. Jackson sold 50 percent of his interest to Sony for $90 million, creating a joint venture, Sony/ATV. Estimates of the catalog’s value exceed $1 billion.
Last year, Neverland narrowly escaped foreclosure after Mr. Jackson defaulted on $24.5 million he owed on the property. A Los Angeles real estate investment company, Colony Capital L.L.C., bought the note, and put the title for the property into a joint venture with Mr. Jackson.
A Scandal’s Heavy Toll
In many ways, Mr. Jackson never recovered from the child molesting trial, a lurid affair that attracted media from around the world to watch as Mr. Jackson, wearing a different costume each day, appeared in a small courtroom in Santa Maria, Calif., to listen as a parade of witnesses spun a sometimes-incredible tale.
The case ultimately turned on the credibility of Mr. Jackson’s accuser, a 15-year-old cancer survivor who said the defendant had gotten him drunk and molested him several times. The boy’s younger brother testified that he had seen Mr. Jackson groping his brother on two other occasions.
After 14 weeks of such testimony and seven days of deliberations, the jury returned not-guilty verdicts on all 14 counts against Mr. Jackson: four charges of child molesting, one charge of attempted child molesting, one conspiracy charge and eight possible counts of providing alcohol to minors. Conviction could have brought Mr. Jackson 20 years in prison. Instead, he walked away a free man to try to reclaim a career that at the time had already been in decline for years.
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After his trial, Mr. Jackson largely left the United States for Bahrain, the island nation in the Persian Gulf, where he was the guest of Sheik Abdullah, a son of the ruler of the country, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. Mr. Jackson would never return to live at his ranch. Instead he remained in Bahrain, Dubai and Ireland for the next several years, managing his increasingly unstable finances. He remained an avid shopper, however, and was spotted at shopping malls in the black robes and veils traditionally worn by Bahraini women.
Despite the public relations blow of his trial, Mr. Jackson and his ever-changing retinue of managers, lawyers and advisers never stopped plotting his return.
By early this year, Mr. Jackson was living in a $100,000-a-month mansion in Bel-Air, to be closer to “where all the action is” in the entertainment business, his manager at the time, Tohme Tohme, told The Los Angeles Times. He was also preparing for his upcoming London shows.
”He was just so excited about having an opportunity to come back,” said Mr. Paterson, the director and choreographer.
Despite his troubles, the press and the public never abandoned the star. A crowd of paparazzi and onlookers lined the street outside Mr. Jackson’s home as the ambulance took him to the hospital.New York City is known for its Halloween parade, and there will be Trick or Treaters on the streets for Halloween.
But for the first time, there's another treat for New Yorkers by an iconic landmark.
"It is the most iconic building in the world, it's very exciting," said Marc Brickman, a lighting designer.
Marc Brickman can't wait for Thursday night when he gets to light up the Empire State Building in a way that's never been done before.
"It's around 15,000 channels of LED lighting," Brickman said.
In other words, get ready for something spectacular.
Brickman designed the light show as well, but for Halloween he's getting to light the tippy top as well, known as the antennae.
"It is 200 feet of additional lighting that's been added to an already spectacular building," Brickman said.
And all of this is done by computer. The arrangement or choreography takes about a month of planning and the lights are all LED. The lights were put in last November allowing for light shows with as many as 16 million colors.
"We have a great mix of five songs, a nine-minute program with a Halloween theme," Brickman said.
Those colors are going to be spooky, spanning from the 72nd floor all the way up.
"It's pretty amazing how far you can see it, as far as Connecticut," Brickman said.
So take a pause to take in the sights, not down below, but 1,454 feet in the air.
"It's a treat to New York City by the Empire State Building," Brickman said.
Fans in New York and around the Tri-State area can tune into Z100 (100.3 FM) or KTU (103.5 FM) to hear the synchronized soundtrack in real-time during the light show.
You can also check it out on the Empire State Building's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/esbnycIn a recent editorial, the Wall Street Journal announced that ethics courses are useless because ethics can't be taught. Although few people would turn to the Wall Street Journal as a learned expert on the teaching of ethics, the issue raised by the newspaper is a serious one: Can ethics be taught?
The issue is an old one. Almost 2500 years ago, the philosopher Socrates debated the question with his fellow Athenians. Socrates' position was clear: Ethics consists of knowing what we ought to do, and such knowledge can be taught.
Most psychologists today would agree with Socrates. In an overview of contemporary research in the field of moral development, psychologist James Rest summarized the major findings as follows:
Dramatic changes occur in young adults in their 20s and 30s in terms of the basic problem-solving strategies they use to deal with ethical issues.
These changes are linked to fundamental changes in how a person perceives society and his or her role in society.
The extent to which change occurs is associated with the number of years of formal education (college or professional school).
Deliberate educational attempts (formal curriculum) to influence awareness of moral problems and to influence the reasoning or judgment process have been demonstrated to be effective.
Studies indicate that a person's behavior is influenced by his or her moral perception and moral judgments.
Much of the research that Rest alludes to was carried on by the late Harvard psychologist, Lawrence Kohlberg. Kohlberg was one of the first people to look seriously at whether a person's ability to deal with ethical issues can develop in later life and whether education can affect that development.
Kohlberg found that a person's ability to deal with moral issues is not formed all at once. Just as there are stages of growth in physical development, the ability to think morally also develops in stages.
The earliest level of moral development is that of the child, which Kohlberg called the preconventional level. The person at the preconventional level defines right and wrong in terms of what authority figures say is right or wrong or in terms of what results in rewards and punishments. Any parent can verify this. Ask the four or five year old why stealing is wrong, and chances are that they'll respond: "Because daddy or mommy says it's wrong" or "Because you get spanked if you steal." Some people stay at this level all of their lives, continuing to define right and wrong in terms of what authorities say or in terms of reaping rewards or avoiding unpleasant consequences.
The second level of moral development is the level most adolescents reach. Kohlberg called this the conventional level. The adolescent at the conventional level has internalized the norms of those groups among whom he or she lives. For the adolescent, right and wrong are based on group loyalties: loyalties to one's family, loyalties to one's friends, or loyalty to one's nation. If you ask adolescents at this level why something is wrong or why it is right, they will tend to answer in terms of what their families have taught her, what their friends think, or what Americans believe. Many people remain at this level, continuing to define right and wrong in terms of what society believes or what laws require.
But if a person continues to develop morally, he or she will reach what Kohlberg labeled the postconventional level. The person at the postconventional level stops defining right and wrong in terms of group loyalties or norms. Instead, the adult at this level develops moral principles that define right and wrong from a universal point of view. The moral principles of the postconventional person are principles that would appeal to any reasonable person because they take everyone's interest into account. If you ask a person at the postconventional level why something is right or wrong, she will appeal to what promotes or doesn't promote the universal ideals of justice or human rights or human welfare.
Many factors can stimulate a person's growth through the three levels of moral development. One of the most crucial factors, Kohlberg found, is education. Kohlberg discovered that when his subjects took courses in ethics and these courses challenged them to look at issues from a universal point of view, they tended to move upward through the levels. This finding, as Rest points out, has been repeatedly supported by other researchers.
Can ethics be taught? If you look at the hard evidence psychologists have amassed, the answer is yes. If you read the Wall Street Journal, you wouldn't have thought so.Donald Trump has a big problem with Catholics. And he's earned it.
Hillary Clinton leads him by 19 points among weekly church-going Catholics and 16 points among other Catholics, according to the most recent Pew survey.
Not good for his prospects this Fall. Catholics are a quarter of the electorate and, four years ago, Mitt Romney split the Catholic vote almost 50/50 with Barack Obama -- and lost the election.
Why are so many Catholics down on Donald Trump?
One clear reason is that many are Latinos. Trump has made Latinos the villains of his campaign, so no surprise there.
But most American Catholics aren't Latino.
Most, like us, are descendants of immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Poland, Germany, or other European countries. We know our families' immigration stories -- which ancestors came to America and when, the stereotypes and discrimination they overcame, and the pride they took in their heritage and in America.
So, when Mr. Trump makes immigrants and immigration his enemy, he's attacking us and the families of most American Catholics. When he says build a wall to keep out Latin Americans and ban Muslims, he sounds just like the bosses who said "No Irish need apply" and the nativist politicians in the 1920s who passed laws to stop Italian immigration.
For good reason, John F. Kennedy, our only Catholic president, called the United States "a nation of immigrants." Mr. Trump has declared political war against that powerful and inclusive idea of America, so it's no wonder so many children and grandchildren of Catholic immigrants are not amused.
And then there is foreign policy.
For reasons that may not become clear unless he releases his tax returns, Mr. Trump is remarkably fond of Russian President Vladimir Putin. And remarkably weak when it comes to honoring our country's commitment to NATO -- that European alliance for mutual defense first led by General Dwight Eisenhower.
That concerns many Americans of all faiths. But it's particularly important to Americans with family ties to Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Ukraine, and other neighboring countries on the front lines of renewed Russian aggression. And, of course, these Americans are overwhelmingly Catholic.
Finally, there is Pope Francis.
Years before Mr. Trump declared war on Latinos, immigrants, and NATO, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, son of an Italian immigrant to Argentina, became Pope Francis I. He brought to the Papacy the New Testament spirit we learned in American Catholic schools -- tolerance, forgiveness, and love, particularly for refugees fleeing death or oppression. He spoke out on current issues from inequality to climate change -- and most American Catholics agree with him.
In recent decades, Catholics have become swing voters, generally supporting the winning presidential candidate but by small margins. 2016 could be different.
In large measure because of Mr. Trump, Hillary Clinton, raised in the social gospel of Methodism, could earn the largest share of the Catholic vote than any Democrat since JFK.
Is America a great country or what?
You don't have to be Catholic to understand Mr. Trump's danger to the American dream -- but it helps.BOSTON -- A man dressed as a clown who's running for a Boston city council seat has caused a stir on a college campus.
Police tell The Boston Herald that Pat Payaso's presence near a polling location at Roxbury Community College made some people nervous on Tuesday and they called the authorities.
A photo Payaso posted on social media indicates he was there to vote.
Police spokesman Officer Stephen McNulty says Payaso later was stopped by an officer who realized he wasn't a threat.
The Roxbury resident has donned a rainbow wig, a red nose and clown makeup in recent campaign photos and videos on social media. His last name means clown in Spanish.
Payaso will be on the November ballot along with seven other candidates for an at-large city council seat.
-- The Associated PressNovarupta (meaning "newly erupted"[2] in Latin) is a volcano that was formed in 1912, located on the Alaska Peninsula in Katmai National Park and Preserve, about 290 miles (470 km) southwest of Anchorage. Formed during the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, Novarupta released 30 times the volume of magma of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.
Eruption of 1912 [ edit ]
1912 eruption of Novarupta Volcano Novarupta Date June 6–8, 1912 Type Ultra Plinian Location Aleutian Range, Alaska
VEI 6
Novarupta geologic cross section
The 1912 eruption that formed Novarupta was the largest to occur during the 20th century. It began on June 6, 1912, and culminated in a series of violent eruptions. Rated a 6 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index,[3] the 60-hour-long eruption expelled 3.1 to 3.6 cubic miles (13 to 15 km3) of ash, thirty times as much as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.[4][5][6] The erupted magma of rhyolite, dacite, and andesite[7] resulted in more than 4.1 cubic miles (17 km3) of air fall tuff and approximately 2.6 cubic miles (11 km3) of pyroclastic ash-flow tuff.[8] During the 20th century, only the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines and the 1902 eruption of Santa María in Guatemala were of comparable magnitude; Pinatubo ejected 2.6 cubic miles (11 km3) of tephra.[9], and Santa María just slightly less. At least two larger eruptions occurred in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during the 19th century: the 1815 eruption of Tambora (36 cu mi or 150 km3 of tephra)[10] and the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa (4.8 cu mi or 20 km3 of tephra).[11]
The Novarupta eruption occurred about 2.5 mi (4.0 km) from the peak of Mount Katmai Volcano and 4,000 ft (1,200 m) below the post-eruption Mount Katmai summit. During the eruption a large quantity of magma erupted from beneath the Mount Katmai area, resulting in the formation of a 1.2-mile (2 km) wide, funnel-shaped vent and the collapse of Mount Katmai's summit, creating a 2,000-foot (600 m) deep,[4] 1.9 by 2.5 mi (3 by 4 km) caldera.[12]
The eruption ended with the extrusion of a lava dome of rhyolite[7] that plugged the vent. The 295-foot (90 m) high and 1,180-foot (360 m) wide dome it created forms what is now referred to as Novarupta.[13]
Despite the magnitude of the eruption, no deaths directly resulted.[14]:3[15] Eye witness accounts from people located downwind in the path of a thick ash cloud describe the gradual lowering of visibility to next to nothing. [16] Ash threatened to contaminate drinking water and decimate food resources, but the native Alaskans were aided in their survival by traditional knowledge passed down through generations from previous eruptions. However the native villages experiencing the heaviest ash falls were abandoned and the inhabitants relocated.[16]
The eruption is said to have had an effect on the level of the Nile.[17]
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes [ edit ]
Colorful ash in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes
Pyroclastic ash flow from the eruption formed the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, named by botanist Robert F. Griggs, who explored the volcano's aftermath for the National Geographic Society in 1916.[14][18]
The eruption forming the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is one of the few in recorded history to have produced welded tuff, producing numerous fumaroles that persisted for 15 years.[19]
Katmai National Park [ edit ]
Established as a National Park & Preserve in 1980, Katmai is located on the Alaska Peninsula, across from Kodiak Island, with headquarters in nearby King Salmon, about 290 mi (470 km) southwest of Anchorage. The area was originally designated a National Monument in 1918 to protect the area around the 1912 eruption of Novarupta and the 40-square-mile (104 km2), 100-to-700-foot (30 to 210 m) deep, pyroclastic flow of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.[20]
See also [ edit ]vulnerability of electronic voting machines to tampering +
How safe is the EVM? Down the years, netas across parties have claimed EVMs can be tampered with while Election Commission has strongly dismissed the allegations. As yet again doubts swirl over the safeguards for EVMs, here’s a look at how the machines work and the two sides of the debate
Congress was displaying a "defeatist" mindset +
BENGALURU: The Congress may be sceptical and carping about the, but for Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, it is not an issue, at least in Karnataka."We cannot say tampering (with EVMs) has taken place in these elections," he said, buouyed by the victory of the Congress candidates in the Nanjangud and Gundlupet assembly bypolls, in which the party retained both the seats in spite of a tough fight by the BJP.His party had only spoken about the "scope" for tampering, Siddaramaiah told reporters when asked about his stand on EVMs in the light of the outcome of the bypolls.The chief minister said he had asked the party candidates and agents to ensure that the EVMs were thoroughly checked and also told the officials to educate the voters about them.Siddaramaiah said he was told that the EVMs used in the two bypolls had Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).His remarks come against the backdrop of a campaign launched by the Congress-led opposition on alleged EVM tampering after a string of defeats in the assembly polls, including in Uttar Pradesh where the party was decimated.Ratcheting up pressure on the Election Commission, the Congress had also led an opposition delegation to President Pranab Mukherjee and taken up the issue of alleged EVM tampering with him, noting that it raised bona fide concerns on the possibility of manipulating electoral outcomes.The Congress wants return of the old ballot paper system but there are divisions within the party on the issue.Former Union minister M Veerappa Moily reportedly said in an interview that by questioning the reliability of EVMs, thePunjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh too has toed a different line from that of his party and is quoted to have said, "If the EVMs were fixed, I wouldn't be sitting here. The Akalis would be."The EC has thrown a gauntlet at the political parties challenging the EVMs, daring them to try to hack the machines and show that they can be tampered with."From the first week of May, experts, scientists, technocrats can come for a week or 10 days and try to hack the machines," an official source said yesterday.The challenge will be open for a week or 10 days.Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzCornyn less popular than Cruz in Texas: poll Trump unleashing digital juggernaut ahead of 2020 Inviting Kim Jong Un to Washington MORE (R-Texas) on Tuesday offered the latest in a series of Republican ObamaCare alternatives ahead of a Supreme Court ruling that could gut the law.
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Cruz's bill, called the Health Care Choices Act, would allow people to buy health insurance across state lines, long a Republican health policy goal. It would also repeal Title I of ObamaCare, which would undo much of the law, including the mandate to |
would be subject to severe sanctions," Jean Barthelemy, an LFP lawyer, warned before turning his gaze back on Monaco. "We're still waiting for proof of serious damage to Monaco's interests."The federal government is currently paying nearly $900,000 annually in maintenance fees for bank accounts that are sitting empty. The 13,712 accounts are opened to provide grant money, but often, when the grants are used up the accounts don’t always get closed, The Washington Post reports.
The grant accounts aren’t closed out immediately because most require an extensive audit before shutting them down. In the case of security and complex construction projects, it could be years before an empty account is closed.
Republican Sen. Tom Coburn and Democratic Sen. Tom Carper have been pushing the Obama administration to stay on top of the issue. The Government Accountability Office is also urging quicker processing of the accounts, which cost $5.25 a month to stay open. “Agencies paying fees for expired accounts with zero dollar balance are paying for services that are not needed,” the group said in a statement.
“If anyone had kept open a bank account with no money, and was getting a charge every month, they would do everything they could to close it” said Citizens Against Government Waste President Thomas A. Schatz. “It’s just lack of attention to detail. And poor management. And, clearly, the fact that no one gets penalized for paying money to keep the accounts open.”
Government officials, however, are not optimistic that the process will ever be fool proof. Nancy Gunderson, who oversees grants in the Department of Health and Human Services says, “These accounts are a normal part of the grants business cycle and will never be totally eliminated.”
Follow Sarah on TwitterInformation Magazine Roundup taken from Shougai.
So far we know the Oracle fleet can travel to different planets, but what about a few planets we’re already familiar with. In an interview with Famitsu, Sakai dropped a few hints that we may likely cross the Ragol and Gurhal Solar Systems.
Famitsu asked if PSO2 will have some connection with PSU/PSO. Although Sakai being tight lipped about the whole endeavor he did say that maybe this star fleet could potentially reach Ragol and Gurhal to a degree. (It appears they may have some future plans to add some form of them into the game, but nothing is certain. Though this reminds us of when they wrote how PSPo3 (Victory) should take place in a new setting.)
Each game server is called, “World” and there will be multiple “Worlds” to choose from. Each World is independent from the other, and thus you can not “exchange” with a different world. When you start the game you choose a world and create a character, but you can make different characters in different worlds. They are considering giving you the ability to move your character into another world (not certain yet.)
For now, there are three races, but there’s a possibility that we could see more.
As you earn EXP, your class level rises, when you level up you acquire “points.” By using these points you can learn class skills, and these class skills are for your current class. You can not use a class skill designated for one class to another. Even if you reach the maximum level you can not acquire all the skills. So you should choose the skills that you want. They are considering plans to be able to redoing your skill tree.
Wired lance: You can’t throw the larger sized enemies. According to Dengeki, the Wired Lance can do something else other than flinging enemies, it can tear off a part of the body. Perhaps you may have to rip parts of enemy’s armor to expose its weak point? [shougai]
Rod: You can link 3 kinds of techs, and for the linked techs you can charge them. For example; by charging, the power of the technic changes, the effective range changes, and the effect changes. However the PP consumed does not change with a charged Technic.
Technics: You learn them by acquiring the disk. But each disk has a stat requirement in order for you to learn it, say for example, you need atleast 50TEC to learn this technic. There are no limits to the number of Techs you can learn. They are considering whether you should be able to transfer techs to other players. High level disks are dropped by enemies, low level disks can be obtained in tutorials and such.
Jump: During a jump you can perform a normal attack, just attack, or photon art. During a jump the original combo and techs behavior will change (for example the range of the attack). There are some enemies where you can only jump on their backs if they have collapsed, however some other enemies will allow you to jump on them while they are standing.
Original Combo: You can set up the first / second / and third photon art to perform your original combo. Like; 1: Tornado Break 2: Spinning Break 3: Gravity Dance. It’s even possible to weave in normal attacks.
Makes sense now does it!
Interrupt Event: There will also be “rare events” as well the usual random events. The enemy level may suddenly change and can create for a more difficult battle, but if you fail the conditions of the interrupt event, you will receive no penalty. You will receive reward items for successfully completing it.
Incapacitation: The end result grade will drop based on the amount of incapacitation one has. Each result is independent from the other player. So if Player A dies many times, it won’t affect the results of Player B who didn’t die.
Photon Sensitive Effect: When you continuously defeat enemies your PSE has a chance of activating. When this happens your EXP, Drop Rate, and Meseta rate can increase. If you acquire an “Evolution Drop” from an enemy you can get even more bonuses applied to your EXP, Drop Rate, and Meseta. If PSE occurs consecutively, you can get a PSE Burst which increases the drop rate and the number of enemies that appears in a huge amount. PSE Burst can be extended by killing more enemies.
Multiparty: You can have multiple players up to 12 participate. But they don’t necessarily have to be 3 parties of 4 people. It can be 12 parties of 1 person. You can also set up and shuffle the parties each member is in at the area, so If I’m in party A, I can be shuffled to party C. While you are in a multiparty area, your support technic only applies to your own party, but some technics from other parties can affect your party. (No details about which Technics yet.)
Drop Items: Each player sees their own drops, the system is similar to PSZero and PSP2i.
Units: You can have units for the arm, back, and leg. Some things can be used as an additional part for the costume, so when you equip it you may see a visual change. These units can do things like increase defense and attribute rate.
Mags: Mags are back but they will not be shown in the Alpha test. Details about them are unknown.
EXP: It is applied when you are within the viewing range of the enemy. If you are too far away you will not get EXP.
Reincarnation: At present this feature does not exist, it may occur in the future but details are unknown.
Visual Lobby: Events and related information will appear on signboard, there will be a theater which is just a huge screen, and it will play videos too.
My Room: They will return but not much details about it for now.Ever since the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the most powerful militaries in the world have been those that have nuclear weapons. After all, a massive army means little compared with the ability to level entire cities with a single explosion. But technologies change over time, and [a new report] suggests artificial intelligence could soon surpass nuclear weapons as the world’s greatest military threat.
The report, which comes from Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the request of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s research arm, suggests A.I. could give smaller countries unable to amass big armies or develop nuclear weapons a way to rival even superpowers militarily. While the United States does figure to particularly benefit from its huge investments in A.I., it doesn’t take overwhelming resources for a country to use machine-learning systems to create dangerous cyberwarfare applications. A small, malicious hack could be enough to cripple huge swaths of another country’s weapons capabilities — including its ability to launch nukes.
Here’s another example: Many U.S. military operations rely heavily on drones to target hostile parties and climate them. If another country wanted to stop those operations, it wouldn’t necessarily need to build and launch air-defense systems — it may simply need to figure out a way into the military’s cyber defenses in order to neutralize those drones. Smaller nations that cannot invest in high-powered missiles and conventional weapons may simply need to find some wunderkind hackers who can bypass digital firewalls.
Part of the report states:
“Since cyber capabilities were far cheaper than their non-cyber equivalents, smaller states with less powerful militaries also made use of cyber. Ethiopia and many other governments, for example, used cyber tools to monitor political dissidents abroad. Likewise, hostile non-state actors, including both criminals and terrorists, have made effective use of cyber tools for geographically dispersed activities that would be much more difficult to execute in the physical domain. In the near term, the Cambrian explosion of robotics and autonomy is likely to have similar impacts for power diffusion as the rise of national security operations in the cyber domain did.”
The other major takeaway digs into the implications behind automated weapons systems. The report argues the National Security Council, the Department of Defense, the State Department, and other federal institutions need to work soon to figure out an international framework for regulating A.I.-based weapons systems. Cyberwarfare won’t be going away, obviously, but the idea of automated weapons, like, say, killer robots, makes more than a few people incredibly nervous.
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Figuring out how to be prepared for A.I. weaponry won’t be easy. The definition of automated weapons has not been established, and trying to impose a specific standard on what is an automated weapon and what isn’t will be a very contentious debate. Nevertheless, the report says it behooves the U.S. and its partners to figure out how to best limit the proliferation of A.I.-based weapons the same way it has for biological and chemical weapons.
Nuclear weapons might have the potential to end the species, but A.I. has just as much of a potential to irrevocably transform how humans do their fighting. Without a better handle on how we should use these systems, things could get out of hand pretty fast.Because I didn’t want to review Total Recall wholesale for you, here’s a Turbo Review!
When calling yourself Total Recall you’re going to have to do something worthwhile. Coming twenty two years after the classic original it’s long enough perhaps for a remake; reboots have come round quicker elsewhere, so time isn’t the issue. What is arguably an issue is, it didn’t need to be remade.
So does treating it as a standalone allow it to fare any better?
Colin Farrell is Douglas Quaid, a factory worker struggling with dreams of being a spy. He goes to ‘Rekall’, a company that implants memories to allow saps to live their dreams, but there are consequences.
Farrell is decent when he gets to pause and look to build some sort of opportunity for charisma or connection with his two female leads. Wife Kate Beckinsale hams it up slightly to be the premier villain when Bryan Cranston’s Cohaagen is grossly underused. Jessica Biel’s rebel comes along for the ride. Bill Nighy’s rebel leader, Matthias is given very little screen time.
Without any satire, laughs or enough time to pause and build a thought to care with repeating chaotic chases while lacking any intricate plotting or characterisation there is no feeling in Total Recall. The very cool looking visuals are just a shell.
Some chases are exhilarating and at times future world New Britain and ‘The Colony’ (Australia?) look very impressive, but it’s a world lifted heavily from elsewhere and just one of numerous examples of borrowing from far superior Sci-fi’s.
One-liners are delivered without the humour required and from an opening with an extremely distracting strobe lit escape, every shot seems to have a majorly off-putting, tagged -on lens flair thing going on, which feels completely artificial. Perhaps a stylistic device to create a dreamlike feeling but it’s overused.
Whether comparing to the original or viewing it on its own merits, Total Recall 2012 is poor.
Take a Johnny cab to the original.
AdvertisementsIn a wide-ranging interview with Michael Kay on 1050 ESPN, Steinbrenner applauded the work done by general manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees' baseball operations department over the past several weeks, while also adding that he believes manager Joe Girardi has done the best he could with a roster that is about to receive an infusion of youth.
NEW YORK -- There's a chance that Hal Steinbrenner has been reading fans' comments and tweets. The Yankees' managing general partner said that he monitored the digital world in the hours following the club's Trade Deadline activity on Monday, and his sense is that the majority of the fan base seems legitimately excited about what could be on the way.
NEW YORK -- There's a chance that Hal Steinbrenner has been reading fans' comments and tweets. The Yankees' managing general partner said that he monitored the digital world in the hours following the club's Trade Deadline activity on Monday, and his sense is that the majority of the fan base seems legitimately excited about what could be on the way.
In a wide-ranging interview with Michael Kay on 1050 ESPN, Steinbrenner applauded the work done by general manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees' baseball operations department over the past several weeks, while also adding that he believes manager Joe Girardi has done the best he could with a roster that is about to receive an infusion of youth.
"I can tell you, paying a lot of attention to not only conventional media -- but also social media, which is a big part of our daily lives now -- the fans are excited that we are rebuilding the system," Steinbrenner said. "The fans are excited to start seeing the guys that they've been hearing about for a long time. … There's a lot of excitement in the air about our youth and the fact that people are going to start to see it."
Steinbrenner specifically mentioned catcher Gary Sanchez, who is reportedly set to be promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, as well as outfielder Aaron Judge, who was recently activated from the Triple-A disabled list and may join the club down the stretch. Steinbrenner also said that infielder-outfielder Tyler Austin could appear in The Bronx soon.
Video: Tate, Frazier among dynamic players added to Yankees
"It was hard to let Carlos [Beltran] go in particular, because obviously he was the best hitter on our team and a huge part of our offense and a great player, period. But it does allow us to do some things with the DH spot," Steinbrenner said.
Those new faces will offer Girardi flexibility, and the obvious next step is to ponder the situation with Alex Rodriguez, who is batting.204 with nine home runs; he is owed approximately $27 million through next season. It has been speculated that the Yankees could release Rodriguez, and the slugger said on Tuesday that no matter what happens, "I'm at peace with myself."
Steinbrenner said that he ultimately will do what is best for the organization, but that releasing Rodriguez has not yet been discussed.
"I've seen the articles. I don't know where they're coming from, but none of that has been discussed with me," Steinbrenner said. "We're going to look at what we're going to do in the hours, days and weeks to come. We're going to analyze everything and look at all options, but it hasn't been done yet."
In filling an unfamiliar role as Trade Deadline sellers, Steinbrenner said that the Yankees determined that they could potentially still compete for an American League Wild Card spot without relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller, which is why he felt that it was important to fill the void by acquiring Tyler Clippard and Adam Warren to assist closer Dellin Betances.
Video: NYY@NYM: Clippard fans Flores in return to Yankees
"Having three of the best closers in baseball is an incredible luxury, but it's not a necessity," Steinbrenner said. "We thought we could do certain things within these trades, forgetting the great prospects we got, to try to fill the void of their absence. We'll see how it turns out, but each one was an individual. Clearly with the market right now, particularly for closers before the Deadline, when someone offers you their No. 1 overall prospect, it's a trade you've got to look at."
Steinbrenner said that he is pleased with the Yankees' restocked farm system, suggesting that outfielder Clint Frazier could have a big league impact next year, while right-hander Ben Heller might appear in the Bronx before the end of this season. Infielder Gleyber Torres and left-hander Justus Sheffield are among the others that Steinbrenner said he is looking forward to tracking.
Video: Callis talks Yankees' farm system, Trade Deadline
"We did something different this year than our normal way of operating, but I believe overall the majority of our fans like what we did, are happy with what we did," Steinbrenner said. "But the results have to pan out, right -- the prospects have to pan out. It remains to be seen, but I have no regrets whatsoever. I put a lot of thought obviously into every one of these trades, and if I greenlighted them, that means I'm excited about them."
Bryan Hoch has covered the Yankees for MLB.com since 2007.UPDATE (4:41 PM):
The House of Representatives will have to vote again on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Wednesday morning, per the parliamentarian.
JUST IN: Because of some parliamentarian issues with the House-passed version of the tax reform bill the Senate will vote tonight to change some provisions, and the House will have to revote tomorrow morning. — Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) December 19, 2017
In a statement released by House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), there were three issues found by the Senate Parliamentarian that violate the Byrd Rule and will have to be removed before the Senate vote later Tuesday night.
And here is the extra vote announcement from the House Majority Leader's office. pic.twitter.com/TKqbPrpp3y — Jennifer Shutt (@JenniferShutt) December 19, 2017
The House of Representatives voted 227 to 203 on Tuesday to pass the final version of the GOP Tax Cut and Jobs Act.
Lawmakers had just four days to read through the 503-page bill after it was released on Friday. Just hours before the House was set to vote, even top Republicans on the tax writing committee couldn’t speak to the basic details of the bill.
I asked Kevin Brady — THE WAYS AND MEANS CHAIRMAN — if he could name the tax brackets. He said he could, and he knew there were seven, but he refused to name them. (Or he couldn’t name them.) I’m currently 0-11 on a House Republicans who can name the brackets in this bill. — Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) December 19, 2017
The final bill is expected to be a deficit-buster, costing roughly $1.46 trillion dollars according to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation. That deficit could be much higher if Congress fails to extend the individual tax cuts, which are set to expire after 2025. Corporations, however, will get a permanent tax cut which cost $1 trillion dollars alone, according to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation.
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America’s health care system will also take a devastating blow thanks to the bill. The individual mandate, a provision of the Affordable Care Act that required individuals be covered by heath insurance or face a tax, is repealed in the bill. The Congressional Budget Office estimates this will result in 13 million more uninsured Americans. Cuts to Medicare and Social Security be soon on the horizon as well.
Middle-class Americans, who Trump and his administration have repeatedly stated will stand to benefit the most from the GOP tax plan, will likely see a tax hike or little-to-no difference in their taxes.
Analysis of the final tax bill from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center found that taxpayers in the bottom quintile (making less than $25,000 a year) would get an average tax cut of roughly $60. Taxpayers in the middle income quintile (those with income between about $49,000 and $86,000) would receive an average tax cut of about $900. Meanwhile, taxpayers making more than $733,000 annually would receive an average cut of $51,000.
Meanwhile, Trump and his wealthy real estate and hedge fund associates are poised to reap the biggest benefits.
More than 3/4's of the Trump-GOP tax bill would go to the top 20% of taxpayers and foreign investors in 2019. https://t.co/hgeWKSpnY6 pic.twitter.com/vkmqWoxA8A — ITEP (@iteptweets) December 19, 2017
Trump told a crowd at a September event in Indiana that the tax plan is “not good for him,” but it is very, very good for him. Trump and his family could save more than $1.1 billion dollars under the plan, but because he hasn’t released his taxes, there’s no way of knowing the exact extent to which his tax plan benefits Trump.
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The American public has caught on to this scam. A recent CNN poll from Tuesday found only 33 percent of Americans say they favor the GOP tax bill, while 55 percent oppose it, making this legislation the most unpopular bill in 30 years.
In spite of this, the Senate is expected to vote on the final bill Tuesday evening.Over the last year I’ve discovered and fell in love with the Vagrant project. Vagrant is a wonderful tool for getting started with cloud-based automation and devops. One of the problems it aims to solve is the idea that code “works on my machine“. While vagrant does indeed offer Windows as a first-class supported citizen, there’s still surprisingly little support around tooling or examples of how this can be achieved with an ASP.Net application. I see this toolset being very critical in the future of software development and cloud computing. So with that said, and myself being primarily a.Net developer, I wanted to start doing my part to help make ASP.Net and Windows Server based development with these tools much easier.
Today, I’ll walk you through a few easy steps to get started with a Windows VM on Vagrant, and do some basic provisioning. These steps can be followed both on OSX and on Windows, with some slight variation in installing the tools.
A Quick Introduction
Vagrant is a tool used to support one of the core tactics of the devops movement, and that’s to get your infrastructure (that is, the servers that your application is running on) into source code. If your infrastructure could be built from source code and tools, it can then be checked into source control. Because it’s in source control, each developer is now also capable of running the exact same VM as you and more closely replicating the production environment. One important step towards obliterating the “works on my machine” excuse and streamlining your build process.
Each Vagrant working copy has a backing baseline “box” that is a pre-built virtual machine for a specific provider, such as Virtualbox, VMWare, or even a cloud provider such as EC2 / Azure / Openstack. Once the baseline box has been downloaded and working copy box has launched, you define provisioning steps to tell vagrant how to install the source code onto your new VM. Provisioning tools such as Puppet and Chef are great for this, (and vagrant has full support for them) because the same provisioning manifests can also be used for provisioning your development, QA, staging, and production servers.
Installing the Tools
Vagrant is a command line tool, so everything you’re doing here is going to be command line based. Given that, I would highly recommend using a good command line shell such as Cmder for Windows or Fish for OSX. For package installers, I would recommend Chocolatey for Windows and Homebrew (and Cask) for OSX
The two tools we we need to install are Vagrant and Virtualbox.
OSX (assumes Homebrew and Cask are installed)
brew install vagrant
brew cask install virtualbox
Windows (Assumes Chocolatey is installed)
cinst vagrant
cinst virtualbox
Initializing your Box
For this example, we’ll take an existing Windows Vagrant box and initialize it. This box is Windows Server 2012R2 based and is running a trial edition of Windows. It is built and hosted by me. It’ll likely take a few hours to download because of this, (my hosting isn’t the fastest, but it’s very cheap) but you can re-host the same box on your own servers for faster downloading for other developers if needed. You can check out this and other Windows-based boxes that I maintain on my Vagrant Cloud site.
We’ll start with an empty working directory. This command should always be run at the root of the project that will be running your application (usually your git/svn working copy root)
vagrant init kensykora/windows_2012_standard
This creates a boilerplate Vagrantfile (which is just a ruby script) in the current directory. This is a file you will want to commit to version control. If you open up this file, you’ll notice a lot of commented out documentation for getting started in configuring your Vagrant environment. I would recommend that at some point you begin to explore these options, or view the full documentation at docs.vagrantup.com.
Now we need to download and “up” the box (meaning bring it online).
vagrant up
This will begin downloading the box, and once finished, the box will be brought online. You’ll also notice a new folder has been created called.vagrant which houses the storage for this new VM.
Additionally, Vagrant also stores a clean copy of the box in a local spot in your home directory so that if you in the future, try to initialize another box with the same base box, you won’t have to download it again. Because this box is also associated with Vagrant Cloud, Vagrant will check for updates and offer for you to update the base box. This particular box I am planning to maintain and provide updates to on a quarterly basis or more.
You can control Vagrant’s default behavior through environment variables. For example, you can change the location where base boxes such as this one are stored with VAGRANT_HOME=d:\.vagrant and the default Vagrant provider with VAGRANT_DEFAULT_PROVIDER=vmware_desktop.
Connecting to the Box
You’ll notice that once the box is powered up, you don’t see any Window into the box as you would normally with Virtualbox. This is by design, (When you launch a cloud instance via the command line, you don’t see it’s screen either) but can be changed in the Vagrantfile. We can, however, remote into the box via RDP.
vagrant rdp
username: vagrant
password: vagrant
This is the standard vagrant username and password for all vagrant boxes. This is intentionally insecure, as all base vagrant boxes are only intended for development purposes. You should never attempt to migrate these to any other environment that is publicly accessible.
Note: As of Vagrant 1.6.3 there is a known issue causing `vagrant rdp` calls to fail on Windows hosts. This is not an issue in OSX and is fixed for a future 1.6.4 release: mitchellh/vagrant#3973 – As a workaround, you can manually open your RDP client and connect to 127.0.0.1:2200, or whatever port is displayed on the output of “default: 3389 => 2200 (adapter 1)” output of the `vagrant up` command from earlier.
Provisioning the Box
A baseline box isn’t much good on its own — What we will ultimately want to do is configure it to run our application from our source code. Let’s start by creating a basic HTML page to host on IIS and get it running.
index.html
<html> <body> <p>Hello World!</p> </body> </html>
Put this file in the root of your directory. Now, let’s write a powershell script to install IIS and configure the default site.
Configure.ps1
$windowsFeatures = @( 'Web-Server', 'Web-WebServer', 'Web-Mgmt-Console', 'Web-Mgmt-Tools' ); Install-WindowsFeature -Name $windowsFeatures #Workaround for IIS Permissions Issues New-SmbShare -Name vagrant -Path C:\vagrant -FullAccess @("IIS_IUSRS","IUSR", "Administrators") Remove-Website 'Default Web Site' New-Website -Name MyWebsite -Port 80 -HostHeader * -PhysicalPath \\localhost\vagrant
And finally, update the Vagrantfile to setup script provisioning and port forwarding for IIS.
Vagrantfile
# -*- mode: ruby -*- # vi: set ft=ruby : # Vagrantfile API/syntax version. Don't touch unless you know what you're doing! VAGRANTFILE_API_VERSION = "2" Vagrant.configure(VAGRANTFILE_API_VERSION) do |config| config.vm.box = "kensykora/windows_2012_r2_standard" config.vm.network "forwarded_port", guest: 80, host: 8080 config.vm.provision "shell", path: "Configure.ps1" end
You may want to simply replace your Vagrantfile with the above contents, but if you wish to simply modify the one that’s there, just add the two lines config.vm.network and config.vm.provision directly underneath the already existing config.vm.box. SublimeText with the sublime-vagrant module works great for being a Vagrantfile editor.
Once you’ve made these changes, let’s force the box to re-provision (it will think it has already provisioned since your original vagrant up).
vagrant provision
Now, test it out by opening your browser on your host (not the VM) to http://localhost:8080 – You should now have a working application VM running your website! Feel free to make changes to the index.html page and watch them update on your VM! This shows that you are able to use the VM without any need for RDP or having it visible on your desktop.
Full Source Example: https://gist.github.com/kensykora/889452478e622078910c
What’s Next?
Now that we’ve successfully launched our Vagrantbox, we can remote in and use it as a sandbox to do our development, test software applications, evaluate third-party software, and pretty much anything you’d want to do with a VM — all from the command line and all without having to build the VMs ourselves. Of course, we can if we want to, and in future posts I’ll cover this topic as well as provisioning them with CM tools like Puppet, and using your infrastructure code to deploy to dev and prod servers. Feel free to try out the same steps above with my other boxes listed at Vagrant Cloud, or any other boxes listed there.It’s not news to anyone that some of the most popular antifeminist “arguments” are in fact logical fallacies.
For example, here’s the fallacy of relative privation, suggesting that women in first world countries aren’t allowed to complain about sexism so long as anyone in the world is worse off than them.
And here’s the good old straw man, in the form of a meme accusing feminists of believing all sorts of things they don’t believe (as well as a few things they do believe, but for perfectly good reasons).
MRAs: in case you’re wondering which of these statements are straw men and why, I’ve attached a helpful footnote below.
So, yeah, those are some logical fallacies on display. But looking through the memes on display on the Male Lives Matter Facebook page today — which is where the memes above came from — I began to realize that MRAs have invented a whole bunch of brand-new logical fallacies of their own.
Let’s take a look, shall we?
Argumentum ad Picard Facepalm
This “argument” might make a little more sense were it not for the fact that Patrick Stewart — you know, the dude who played Picard — weren’t in fact an outspoken feminist who has literally worn a “this is what a feminist looks like” shirt in public.
I should note that using a Picard facepalm pic isn’t always a fallacy For example, if you are Ian McKellen, a personal friend of Stewart who famously carried a Picard facepalm sign at the London Women’s March this January.
Argumentum ad Ha Ha You’ll Never Get Laid
Granted, “white knighting” is not the same as feminism; it’s a rather patronizing form of “chivalry.” And that last post on the right up there is a little cringey.
But this meme is aimed at male feminists. And while there are some ostentatiously “feminist” dudes who profess a shallow facsimile of feminism in hopes of scoring with the ladies, genuinely feminist dudes are feminists because, you know, they actually believe in equality and shit. As much as this might shock MRAs and others obsessed with classifying men according to simplistic schemes using Greek letters, feminism doesn’t actually render men unfuckable.
Hell, I have actual photographic proof that one of the guys in this very meme has had sex with at least one woman at least once. Here’s the guy in the middle up there — Nev Schulman of the show Catfish — posing recently with his very pregnant wife.
IN YOUR FACE MRAS!!!11!
In case you’re wondering, she has since given birth to a baby girl.
Argumentum ad WTF-um
Wat
Argumentum ad You’re Not a Fireman
Apparently if you’re a female feminist you’re not entitled to emergency services? Even if you pay taxes just like everybody else? Does that apply to male feminists too? I need to know before I light my apartment on fire.
It’s true that there are not a lot of female firefighters. It’s also true that women have been largely kept out of the profession. But not by feminists — the only people I ever see arguing against women firefighters are MRAs and other antifeminists.
Argumentum ad You’re Not a Coal Miner
A kind of mash-up of the Fallacy of Relative Privation and Argumentum ad You’re Not a Fireman. It’s worth pointing out that none of the MRAs I’ve ever seen making this “argument” has themselves been a coal miner.
Argumentum ad Women Sometimes Get Drunk
It’s true that women sometimes get really, really drunk. I’m not quite sure how exactly this is a rebuttal of feminism.
Or is this about the hats? Are you suggesting that women need to start wearing 1956-style hats again?
It’s all very confusing. I think I need a drink.
FOOTNOTE:
Here are the straw men in that straw man meme above:
On drunk women: feminists DO believe drunk women should be responsible for their behavior. Just not the behavior of others. If a woman drives drunk, feminists have no problem with her charged with drunk driving. If a woman is raped while she is drunk, by contrast, feminists don’t think she should be charged with “drunk being raped.”
On alimony, etc: Women do pay alimony and child support when a court rules that it’s appropriate, and no feminist I’ve ever seen has argued that they shouldn’t.
On the draft: Feminists have long argued that women should be allowed to serve in combat and the National Organization for Women has in fact taken legal action to try to extend selective service registration to women,
As for the other ones? I’m not quite sure how exactly the “false accusers should be charged” crowd defines a “false accuser,” but, yes, it’s true feminists don’t want rape accusers charged if they lose a rape case any more than they want murder accusers to be prosecuted for losing a murder case. Accusers of all sorts can be prosecuted for filing a false police report, but this is relatively rare.
Meanwhile, 50-50 custody can be crappy for kids, so it makes little sense to make it the default setting. As for the one about “unwed fathers,” is that really saying what it looks like it’s saying? If so, no, feminists don’t think fathers should be allowed to force women to get an abortion (or to not get an abortion).
EDIT: I reworked the paragraph on feminist dudes and sex to make myself clearer.
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Like this: Like Loading...This week, both Israel and Palestine witnessed the grim spectacle of bigots celebrating child-murdering terrorists. Depending upon which media you consume, you may only have heard about one of these incidents. But it is both important and instructive to place them side-by-side, not because they are mirror images of each other, but because they reveal key differences between how Israeli and Palestinian societies respond to extremism.
On Tuesday, Palestinians gathered in Ramallah to honor Samir Kuntar, a member of the Palestine Liberation Front who infamously murdered an Israeli father in front of his four-year-old daughter, then smashed her head in against a rock. Two others were also killed in the assault. As Newsweek put it in 2008, “the details of Kuntar’s attack are so sickening that they give pause even to some of Israel’s enemies.” Kuntar was killed last week in Syria, likely by an Israeli air strike on the Hezbollah forces he was directing. Just three days later, he was commemorated in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian government, in a gathering that included top officials from President Mahmoud Abbas’s ruling Fatah party, one of whom addressed the attendees. As the Times of Israel reported:
During the Ramallah ceremony, Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad eulog |
om – is to make sure effective sports science procedures are in place.
Leicester’s investment in the area of sports science means that the club’s rise to Premier League champions isn’t as meteoric as it may appear at first glance. Leicester did it by increment. When Nigel Pearson became the club’s manager in 2008, there wasn’t really a sports science department at Leicester, but he believed in the practice, and as Reeves says “was quite keen on the initial development of the department”. Reeves was hired as an apprentice alongside Paul Balsom – who also works as a consultant for the Swedish national team – and as Leicester’s ambitions and budget grew, so did their faith in sports science. But the process of collecting more data on players at the club was deliberate.
Nothing that happens at Leicester is down to good fortune.
“Although our department has grown over time, it hasn’t just happened for the sake of it. It’s because we’ve seen an area that we need to develop or we’ve seen an aspect that we could improve on, so we’ve looked to bring someone in who fits that need,” says Reeves.
Preventing injury
So what is Leicester doing that so many other clubs aren’t? Well, for a start, the club and its sports science team begin by acknowledging that they can’t prevent all injuries. Instead the club uses data to inform its practice.
Despite the investment in sports science and the technology available to us, we don’t appear to be making inroads in reducing injuries
“When you look through the literature that’s out there [it shows] the number of injuries or the occurrence of injuries is still exactly the same now as it was ten seasons ago,” says Reeves. “What that means is despite the investment in sports science and the technology available to us, we don’t appear to be making inroads in reducing injuries. Now does that come from us not learning or not changing our practice as a profession, or is it that the game’s changing, the demands are higher on the players, and they’re expected to cover more distance and be more explosive which ultimately opens them up to a greater risk of injury?
“I think the way that we’ve tried to view it at Leicester City is by using technology to inform our practice. Not only do we use it as a descriptor of what’s happened in training, we also then look to use it as a platform for discussion, giving objectivity to what we’ve done. That allows us to plan for the future: plan the following days training session, plan for the game and asses where each individual player is at, and are they able to perform to their maximum? Ultimately over the years it’s probably helped us as an education tool.”
Even though Reeves and Leicester admit that they can’t prevent injuries from occurring, that hasn’t stopped them from trying. And the stats they amassed in their title-winning season suggest that it’s a battle the club is winning. According to physioroom.com, Leicester lost just 275 days to injury last season, and on only eight occasions did they have a player miss more than two weeks of action. By contrast, Leicester’s nearest rivals Arsenal lost 1137 days to injury, and had 24 instances where players missed more than two weeks.
“If you’re paying players the money that they’re on nowadays, if some players get ruled out for four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks that’s obviously going to have a massive impact on the club from a financial point of view, but it’s also affecting the way that the manager can work,” says Reeves.
“It means that players aren’t available for a match day, but it’s also about training sessions. If the players aren’t available to take part and train their fitness is reduced, but, also, they don’t understand necessarily the role that they’re meant to perform in the team.”
Reeves says Leicester’ sports science staff have a number of different approaches they use to try and reduce the risk of injury. The club uses the Nordbord hamstring testing system to provide data on eccentric hamstring strength, and takes advantage of GPS monitoring equipment in order to assess players’ peak speeds. But significantly Leicester’s sports science and medical teams recognise that every player is different, so deliver tailored programmes that cater for the needs of a multinational squad with different abilities and strengths.
“Some of our players, for example our centre halves, are thirty-five years old plus and weigh a 100kg, so they’re by no means being treated in the same way as Jamie Vardy, who has lit up the Premier League this season. They all have very individual needs and from a reduction of injury perspective we have to take that into account,” says Reeves.
On the training pitch
But what does a training session at Leicester look like? Football has long since moved on from thinking that long-distance runs and a kickabout are adequate preparation for matchdays, but how has Leicester managed to produce a team that is able to blow teams away with explosive pace, while, at the same, minimising the risk of injuries? According to Reeves, the club essentially splits their working week into three stages: recovery, high-intensity work and, finally, the players workloads are reduced in preparation for the next game.
“If you consider our normal working week between a Saturday game to the following game on the next Saturday, each training session or each day of the week has a very different focus,” says Reeves. “We try and approach each day in order to meet the varying demands of the game. It might be earlier on in the week, when we have certain players that have played at the weekend, our focus is in and around recovery. That might be for the 48 hours after a game where we’ll be looking to take subjective scores, we’ll be using iPads and apps in order to record the players’ data and how they’re feeling, how well they slept, the number of disturbances in the night, their nutritional strategies.”
According to Opta, the Premier League champions scored more counter-attacking goals than any other team last season, and it’s on the training pitch that Leicester’s sports science team have honed the explosive qualities that make counter-attacking football possible.
“Football and the Premier League are electric to watch and the fans this season will have seen that throughout,” explains Reeves.
“As we progress through the week we have the adaptation days. These will be our hardest training sessions of the week where we’ll be looking to impart acceleration, deceleration exposures on the players in small, tight areas, so a lot smaller than the pitch you’ll see them running around on a Saturday. We then have larger areas which open players up and register some of the high speed distances and the peak speed which is really important for the demands of the game that we see now.”
As much as Leicester’s staff realise the importance of exposing players to their peak speeds, which they will need to use come match day, the sports science team also make sure that they aren’t overworking the players when the week’s latter stages are approaching. To combat this, the physical demands placed on the players are reduced to help ensure that they’re physically prepared for the following game and can play with their usual verve.
Leicester leading the way
As Leicester’s sports science department has grown, the amount of data it collects has grown with it. While that puts the people charged with analysing the data in a powerful position, they also have a responsibility to be judicious with the information, and only share what’s necessary with Leicester’s manager, Claudio Ranieri, and the playing staff.
“I think that one of our jobs is to use the information appropriately. Obviously if we didn’t have this understanding then we could potentially be going to the manager every day, every game saying you’ve got to withdraw this player,” says Reeves.
“Your guess is as good as mine how long I’d last in a job if I was trying to pick the team, but ultimately if there is key information that suggests that there may be issues in and around certain players or members of the team, if we can identify patterns that have happened across previous seasons or when certain training sessions have taken place then I think it’s our job to give that information to the manager, empowering him to make decisions, and ultimately then he’s aware of the risk versus reward of whatever decision he comes to.”
Right now the rest of the Premier League may be wondering how exactly Leicester won the league, but the club has always tried to be open about the training methods it employs and the data it collects. In 2014, the club’s doors were opened to coaches from the Premier League and national teams right the way through to representatives from clubs playing in England’s Conference for a seminar on how the club was approaching fitness, conditioning and sports science. Far from being a club that is only looking inward, Leicester has always been a club that attempts to contribute to the practice of sports science being furthered throughout the football industry.
I think in the past everyone’s been quite concerned about the way their own department or their own club are performing and has probably operated under a kind of cloak of secrecy
“I think in the past everyone’s been quite concerned about the way their own department or their own club are performing and has probably operated under a kind of cloak of secrecy and not wanted to give away any ideas, and ultimately you can’t blame them. Football is very cutthroat,” says Reeves.
“I think that we can certainly go a long way in trying to share ideas; I think that’s improving now that departments are getting bigger, and the relationship between different departments is becoming better. There’s some great events going on, different conferences, workshops which again will help with networking and building relationships.”
Leicester’s desire to share data isn’t limited to football. The club has already teamed-up with local rugby union team Leicester Tigers in order to shape how it approaches improving players’ strength and conditioning, and the club doesn’t intend to stop there. There are a number of teams from many different sports that could help Leicester remain at the top of the table.
“I think it’s great to not only try and get an understanding of the way that football teams are working, but to look across different disciplines, to go into cycling like the kind of culture and environment that Team Sky have set up, with marginal gains, or looking at rugby and the way that they try and implement different recovery processes or their strength and conditioning aspects,” says Reeves.
Jamie Vardy’s having a VR session
On the evidence of last season, Leicester clearly lead the pack on and off the pitch, but the club is well aware that if it stands still others will supplant it at the top of the table. So what are Leicester City’s team doing to maintain their superiority?
“From a virtual [reality] point of view we did actually have discussions with a motor racing company who [use VR to] prepare their drivers to understand the turns, the concentration that goes into a race, the decision making process,” says Reeves.
“Now from a football point of view the game is less predictable, you never know what’s going to happen, but I think there could certainly be elements whether that’s reactions, whether its awareness or visual acceptance that could certainly develop in the future and that’s something I may be looking at.”
While VR headsets could be one way of preparing players for matches, it would be very difficult for them, at this stage in their development, to accurately reproduce what it’s like to make decisions out on the pitch in intense, pressurised moments. Football is still trying to work out how to effectively prepare players for penalty shootouts, for instance, and it’s debatable whether putting on a VR headset will ever be able to recreate the feeling on having a nation’s hopes and dreams resting on one player’s shoulders.
Most people within the game recognise that players’ mental states are indicative of how they will perform, so it’s unsurprising that Leicester are already looking at how they can use data to coach players minds as well as their bodies.
“We’ll often have a look at when goals are scored and conceded, and if we’re conceding goals late on is that down to a lack of fitness or is it down to lack of concentration? Ninety minutes of football is extremely demanding: the stress associated with a game, the levels of arousal, the crowd, everything that goes in and around a Premier League game is stressful, so if we can try and identify the way that the minds working, the decision making process, how players are reacting to certain stimulus and ultimately can we coach that or improve it. That would be a really interesting development,” explains Reeves.
What next?
But what now for Leicester? Can the club do the unthinkable and win the Premier League again? After last season, and with the support structure that is now in place, no-one would bet against them, and no-one will be offering 5000/1 on them to win the league this season, but with a European campaign to distract and weary them, the club must be worried about maintaining the style of play that has brought success.
“We were in the Championship two season ago and that’s an extremely demanding league and clubs that are in that are playing pretty much every Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, so they have to face three game weeks on a regular basis,” explains Reeves.
“That’s something we have dealt with in the past, so I hope we can try and implement out recovery strategies and philosophies of training in order to try and manage the training week and prepare the squad for those additional games.”
And what now for Reeves? Success is never ignored in football, and we’ve already seen some of Leicester’s title winning players being offered gold and trinkets to prise them away from the King Power stadium. But when you’re working for the Premier League champions where else is there to go?
“I’d say I’m extremely driven to try and be working right at the top, but it isn’t necessarily a case of working in the Premier League is making me a better sports scientist than when I was in the Championship,” says Reeves “It’s about the level of support you provide.”As marriage rates have fallen, the number of U.S. adults in cohabiting relationships has continued to climb, reaching about 18 million in 2016. This is up 29% since 2007, when 14 million adults were cohabiting, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Roughly half of cohabiters – those living with an unmarried partner – are younger than 35. But an increasing number of Americans ages 50 and older are in cohabiting relationships, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of the Current Population Survey. In fact, cohabiters ages 50 and older represented about a quarter (23%) of all cohabiting adults in 2016.
Since 2007, the number of cohabiting adults ages 50 and older grew by 75%. This increase is faster than that of other age groups during this time period and is driven in part by the aging of Baby Boomers. In 2016, 4 million adults ages 50 and older were cohabiting – up from 2.3 million in 2007. By comparison, 8.9 million adults ages 18 to 34 were cohabiting last year, up from 7.2 million.
While cohabitation is rising, cohabiters still make up relatively small portions of each age group – particularly among adults ages 50 and older. In total, 7% of U.S. adults were cohabiting in 2016. Just 4% of adults 50 and older were cohabiting. By comparison, 14% of Americans ages 25 to 34 were cohabiting – the highest share among the age groups analyzed here. Roughly one-in-ten adults ages 18 to 24 and 35 to 49 were cohabiting.
The rising number of cohabiters ages 50 and older coincides with rising divorce rates among this group. With the higher divorce rates and a growing share of people who have never been married in this age group, more individuals are unmarried and available for partnering or re-partnering. In 2016, 61% of adults ages 50 and older were married, compared with 64% in 1990.
Most cohabiters ages 50 and older have previously been married, including a majority who are divorced (55%). Just over a tenth of cohabiters ages 50 and older (13%) are widowed – a share that rises to 27% among cohabiters 65 and older. Still, about one-fourth of cohabiters (27%) ages 50 and older have never been married.
By contrast, majorities of cohabiters younger than 50 have never been married, including nearly all cohabiters ages 18 to 24 (97%) and 85% of those 25 to 34. About half (52%) of cohabiters ages 35 to 49 have never been married, while roughly a third (36%) are divorced.
Among cohabiters ages 50 and older, a majority (57%) are in their 50s. Another three-in-ten are in their 60s, while one-in-ten are in their 70s. Just 3% of cohabiters ages 50 and older are in their 80s or older.
Topics: Baby Boomers, Older Adults, Lifestyle, Family and Relationships, Marriage and Divorce, Generations and Age, Household and Family StructureRide-sharing services like Uber and Lyft are cutting into public transit use in cities like Chicago, according to a new study.
The study by the University of California-Davis Institute of Transportation Studies found that after adopting ride-sharing services, there was a 6 percent net decline in transit based on survey respondents’ changes in travel behavior.
“Data across the country has made it pretty clear that there are aspects of ride-hailing that are directly competitive with transit,” said Kyle Whitehead, government relations director with the Active Transportation Alliance, which advocates for transit, bicyclists and pedestrians.
The study concluded that ride-sharing is likely to contribute to growth in vehicle miles traveled in major cities, which means more traffic on the streets.
CTA spokesman Brian Steele said that both historically low gas prices and ride-sharing services have been factors contributing to the CTA’s recent ridership declines.
To help the CTA, Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed to the City Council on Wednesday a fee of 15 cents in 2018 and an additional fee of 5 cents in 2019 on ride-sharing trips, in addition to an existing 52-centfee. The fee, if approved, would make Chicago the first city in the nation to institute a fee on the ride-sharing industry dedicated specifically to mass transit, the administration said.
The Emanuel administration maintains that the ride-sharing industry has drained $40 million from city and other local government coffers, in part by shifting some commuters away from the CTA.
While the UC Davis study reported a net drop in transit use, survey respondents who had adopted ride-sharing reported being 3 percent more likely to use commuter rail, such as Metra, indicating that they might be using ride-sharing services to go to and from train stations.
Ian Savage, a transportation expert at Northwestern University, said that Uber and other ride-sharing services initially caused a loss of business for taxis, and now are causing some negative effect on public transit. He said that ride-sharing services can serve as a complement to public transit as well as a competitor — encouraging some people to do without a second car.
“A combination of Uber and Divvy and CTA can make it more practical to live a car-free lifestyle,” said Savage. But he noted that ride-sharing vehicles clogging major arterials like Halsted Street could cause problems for other traffic, including buses.
Emanuel budget: 15 cents more per Uber, Lyft ride; $1.10 increase in monthly phone fees »
As Uber fights PR woes, Lyft gains in Chicago market »
The UC Davis report, released this month, also found that about 9 percent of ride-sharing users had disposed of one or more household vehicles.
The study found that a larger portion of “transit-only” travelers have no household vehicle, at 41 percent, compared with those who use both transit and hail rides, at 30 percent. College-educated, affluent Americans have adopted ride-sharing services at double the rate of less educated, lower-income populations, the study reported.
Ride-sharing users in big cities say the top reason they opt for the service is to avoid the hassle of parking if they drive themselves, according to the report. Another major reason was that respondents wanted to avoid drinking while driving.
The study also found that if ride-sharing had not been available, up to 61 percent of trips would not have been made, or would have been by walking, biking or transit.
“If you make it available and affordable and reduce the pain of traveling, then people travel more,” said Regina Clewlow, a researcher at UC Davis and the author of the study. “The beauty of Lyft and Uber is that they’re so convenient.”
The report surveyed 4,094 residents from seven major metropolitan areas, including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, in two phases, between fall and spring of 2014 and 2015 and again between August 2015 and January 2016.
Representatives for Uber and Lyft disputed the results of the study and cited other studies with different conclusions.
An Uber spokesperson said that there is no research in the report that conclusively supports the claim that ride-sharing can contribute to congestion. The spokesperson also noted that the timing of the report fails to take into account Uber’s growth in the suburbs and the partnerships Uber has launched with local governments and transit agencies.
Uber also pointed to research by the American Public Transportation Association showing that the more people use ride-sharing services like Uber, the more likely they are to use public transit.
A Lyft spokesman pointed to a Lyft survey of passengers that found that 22 percent used Lyft to connect with public transit, and 56 percent said they use their cars less because of Lyft.
“We believe our cities need more efficient, affordable transportation options to make car ownership a thing of the past and look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with transit agencies to achieve this goal,” Lyft said in a statement.
Both Lyft and Uber offer shared-ride services, known as UberPool and Lyft Line, which are cheaper than regular ride-sharing services but more expensive than transit. With these services, a driver may pick up more than one rider going in the same direction.
Clewlow said there is an opportunity to reduce vehicle ownership and miles traveled through ride-sharing, especially through services like UberPool and Lyft Line. However, research suggests that without more coordination between the public and private sectors, this “idealistic outcome” might not happen, said Clewlow.
Whitehead said that if too many people are using hired cars, it can affect urban quality of life.
“We know it’s much more efficient to move people in buses than vehicles that carry one or two people,” said Whitehead. “It makes our city less safe, it makes our city less environmentally friendly.”
mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @marywizchicagoMay 20, 2009 – Dr. Anklesnap
Big man Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic has been calling himself ‘Superman’ for the past few seasons in the NBA. We all know that the nickname ‘Superman’ for a basketball player has been reserved for sometime now for the Big Diesel Shaquille O’Neal. Well during the early part of tonight’s Eastern Conference Finals opener in Cleveland, Dwight Howard took a page out of the Shaquille ‘Superman’ O’Neal book.
What page was that? Dunking so hard and with so much force that you break things. Important things. In Shaq’s case it was often a broken backboard support or shattered glass backboard. In Dwight’s case tonight he dunked so hard he broke the shot clock. The game was delayed for a good period of time. Maybe that was Dwight’s way of trying to knock the Cavaliers off their rhythm.
Suuuppperrmannn’s in the Building!! Enjoy the replay folks:A West Side man whose video of himself smoking marijuana with his pet chameleon went viral and led to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge was acquitted Wednesday by a Cook County judge who found his behavior immature but not criminal.
Bruce Blunt, 40, whose brief trial drew some laughs from spectators, including attorneys, said he sometimes blew smoke into the mouth of his chameleon, Binna, because it seemed to calm the sometimes aggressive reptile.
Earlier this year, he posted a video of the two on Facebook that within days far exceeded 500,000 views and, according to trial testimony, triggered a complaint to Chicago authorities from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Chicago police arrested Blunt near his mother's home after conducting brief surveillance to find him over several days, according to trial testimony.
"I blew a little smoke on her and it didn't harm her," Blunt said outside the Branch 43 courthouse at 3150 W. Flournoy St. "It calms her down because I see a difference in her mood."
"She turns lime green," his fiancee Kellie Williams added. "She's more relaxed."
In the video, Blunt holds Binna in his hand and twice blows smoke into her mouth. Each time, the chameleon closes her mouth, appearing to ingest it and then opens her mouth again.
Prosecutors said the video proved Blunt had criminally mistreated his pet.
"It's just a little guy," said Assistant State's Attorney Mike Bagnowski, speculating what effect the marijuana smoke would have on Blunt's attorney before withdrawing the remark. "He blew smoke not once but twice into its mouth."
Man who blew marijuana smoke in pet chameleon's mouth acquitted May 27, 2015. (Fly Height) Man who blew marijuana smoke in pet chameleon's mouth acquitted May 27, 2015. (Fly Height) SEE MORE VIDEOS
Attorneys went back into the chambers of Judge Robert Kuzas to play the video for him. After hearing brief closing arguments, Kuzas acquitted Blunt of the misdemeanor animal cruelty charge.
Blunt's behavior was "really, really uncalled for and immature" but didn't rise to the level of criminal behavior, said Kuzas, noting the reptile didn't appear to suffer.
"The chameleon didn't change it's demeanor, it didn't change its color," the judge said. "There's a finding of not guilty."
Stephanie Bell, PETA's cruelty casework director, said in a telephone interview that she was disappointed in the ruling and wished prosecutors had called an expert to testify about the harm marijuana smoke can cause small reptiles.
"Forcing any animal to breathe in smoke without their consent or understanding — especially of a mind-altering or psychoactive nature — it's cruelty, and obviously local officials agreed with us," she said.
Dr. Susan Horton, a veterinarian and owner of Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital in Skokie, said it's quite common for veterinary clinics to treat birds harmed after their owners breathed marijuana smoke into their faces, perhaps not knowing the effect it has on the much-smaller creatures.
It can cause anything from "mild sedation to a full-on seizure," Horton said, adding that her clinic had to euthanize a cockatoo that had been severely brain damaged by marijuana smoke.
Horton said pet owners "think it's funny, but it's actually very cruel."
Now cleared of wrongdoing, Blunt hopes to get his beloved chameleon back from the city's Animal Care and Control center — both for his sake as well as that of his 10-year-old daughter. He still has Binna's terrarium in a spare room that also contains two geckos, a 75-gallon saltwater aquarium and a guinea pig.
"The (PETA) people, they really did a number on me, calling me a jerk... and saying I'm abusing animals," Blunt said. "Man, if they only knew. I've never hurt an animal in my life — I take in stray cats and dogs. I love animals, man."
sschmadeke@tribpub.com
Twitter @SteveSchmadekeThe Mississippi Senate passed a bill last week to drug test welfare recipients who are considered at risk for substance abuse.
Starting July 1, applicants to the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides cash assistance to families in need, will be required to fill out a written questionnaire in order to assess the likelihood that they struggle with substance abuse. If their answers indicate substance abuse is likely, the applicant will be required to submit to a drug test.
If individuals test positive for a controlled substance, they will continue to receive TANF benefits but must undergo treatment. If they test positive a second time within a year, the recipient will be kept out of the program for 90 days. A third positive result will remove the recipient from the program for a year.
Implementation of the bill's components is estimated to cost about $36,000 per year, which will be paid for with TANF funds.“Anyone who’s going to read your article has either used marijuana or knows someone who has, and they know that person is not a criminal.”
That’s how cannabis legalization activist, co-founder of the British Columbia Marijuana Party and former Vancouver NDP candidate Dana Larsen ended our phone interview.
Larsen, who will speak tonight at the Grad Club, has been involved in the cannabis anti-prohibition movement since his teenage days.
“When I was a student at Simon Fraser University, I started a club on campus. I guess that was kind of my first activism,” he said.
In 1994, shortly after he graduated, Larsen helped create Cannabis Culture Magazine, where he was editor until 2005. Marc Emery, the leader of the British Columbia Marijuana Party and so-called “Prince of Pot,” served as the publisher.
Larsen said that, because the magazine’s office in Vancouver was close to that of the Marijuana Party’s which frequently experienced police raids, running the publication was sometimes difficult.
“Working with Marc Emery I’ve seen lots of interesting things happen over the years,” he said. “We would all take pay cuts and the magazine would get delayed.”
Emery, who’s facing extradition to the United States for conspiracy to distribute marijuana and marijuana seeds, used to run a store called Hemp BC, which played a major part in selling cannabis-related paraphernalia. In 1998, police seized his entire stock.
“When Marc was running Hemp BC, the police would raid and take all the bongs and pipes,” Larsen said, adding that bongs and pipes are still illegal in Canada, though the law is rarely enforced. The sale and distribution of marijuana is illegal in Canada, but its use has been permitted for medicinal purposes since 2001. In 2006, Larsen founded the Vancouver Seed Bank, which sells seed varieties by mail-order, including those for banned plants such as marijuana and coca, which is used in the production of cocaine.
Larsen, who was invited to speak at Queen’s by the Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the Young New Democrats, said his talk tonight will centre on the plant origins of four prohibited drugs: marijuana, coca leaf, opium poppy and psilocybe mushrooms.
“My goal is to realign peoples’ thinking,” he said. “We think of drugs as white powders and chemical labs in people’s basements, but at its origin it’s really a war on plants.”
Larsen said he’ll speak about the industrial uses of hemp, the coca plant’s benefits and the use of opium poppies for pain relief. He’s also speaking at the University of Toronto and Wilfred Laurier University.
Larsen said he has managed to steer clear of police action so far.
“I’ve never been arrested or charged with anything or done any time,” he said.
Aside from the police, Larsen said public response to his work has generally been supportive.
“Usually people … see what we’re doing as a useful thing,” he said.
Cannabis Culture Magazine circulates most of its 75,000 printed copies in the United States, but Canada is its second-largest market, Larsen said. When he was the editor, he said, the magazine sometimes faced legal troubles. Police in Timmins, Ontario forced the removal of the magazine from shelves on the grounds that it was a “crime comic.”
Larsen said the magazine is banned in Australia and New Zealand, as well as other countries.
While working at the magazine, Larsen co-founded the British Columbia Marijuana Party and the Canadian Marijuana Party. He ran as a candidate for the Canadian Marijuana Party in the 2000 federal election, receiving three per cent of the vote in the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast riding. In 2001, he ran in the British Columbia provincial election, receiving 3.5 per cent of the vote.
For a one-issue party, Larsen said, the results were surprisingly high.
“We weren’t expected to elect anybody. Our goal was to show the other parties there was a movement and a voice for this. We received three per cent of the vote our first election, which for a single-issue party is fairly substantial I think—it shows for three per cent of people it’s the number one issue.”
In September 2003, Pot.TV, an online source for videos related to marijuana culture and another Emery-led initiative, featured the federal New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton as its guest.
Layton, who had been party leader for nine months at the time, came to Emery’s home courting the anti-prohibitionist vote in an anticipated upcoming election.
Larsen said he already supported NDP philosophy and ideas in other areas, but Layton’s appearance marked a political turning point for him.
“When Jack Layton came on Pot.TV I joined the NDP,” he said.
Leaving the Canadian Marijuana Party in Emery’s hands, Larsen set to work on reforming the NDP’s drug policy.
“When I joined the NDP I always found a lot of grassroots support for drug reform. What the party was lacking was a comprehensive statement that puts all the drug policies together,” he said. “There was also some inconsistency between provincial and federal parties. There’s always going to be some disagreement, but I found that often provincially they favoured prohibition but federally they were more open.”
In 2005, Larsen founded eNDProhibition, an anti-prohibition wing of the NDP.
“Part of creating eNDProhibition was to bring parties on the same page on this issue,” he said. “We’re basically NDPers who want to see a change to the drug laws and see the party take a stronger stance on this.”
He said the group, which has about 700 members across Canada, has passed resolutions in several provinces regarding cannabis and supervised injection sites.
“To me it’s all one issue, but … we often have one in each of those two camps to bring the party together on these two issues,” he said of cannabis and supervised injection.
Larsen was set to run as an NDP candidate in Vancouver in the October 2008 federal election, but resigned in September after questions emerged about his role with the Seed Bank. In addition, a video from Pot.TV surfaced of him smoking marijuana and taking psychedelic drugs LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) and DMT (dimethyltryptamine). After taking DMT, he was shown driving a vehicle.
Larsen said he wasn’t legally impaired in the video, but he resigned to avoid drawing negative attention to the Party.
“The videos that they showed and all the stuff that I’ve done—I stand by virtually all of that stuff. I’m proud of a lot of the work that I’ve done, but I also understand that taking LSD and filming yourself and putting it on the Internet is a bit out there for a lot of people,” he said.
Larsen said he had been a candidate for a year and a half and should have released the videos to the public earlier.
“Having the Liberal Party release that stuff during an election campaign—and that’s what happened—puts it in the worst possible light, it made it very difficult, he said. I didn’t want to make Jack Layton defend what I’d done on video 10 years ago.”
“It looked like I was going to become the focus and that totally wasn’t my goal within the Party.”
Larsen said the NDP didn’t kick him out and Layton wasn’t involved in the process.
“I could have forced the issue but I didn’t want to do that. I think I made the right decision, but it was a difficult one to make.”
Larsen said he’d like to run as a candidate again.
“If having taken marijuana or psychedelics means that you’re not allowed to run for political office then that eliminates a lot of people. A number of other politicians have used marijuana but they don’t do it on camera and they don’t have it released to the public during an election campaign.
“Everyone’s got a stupid video of themselves doing something they shouldn’t have done,” he said. “I was doing it before Facebook and YouTube, so maybe I’m ahead of the curve.”
Larsen said he’ll continue to push the NDP on its stance on drugs.
“It’s not a peripheral issue, it’s a key issue that ties into other areas of concern,” he said.
“I’d like to see the NDP, at the provincial level, become more proactive on this. At the provincial level you’ll have the party saying, ‘We do support legalization, but we can’t do anything about it, so in the meantime we have to crack down on these gangs.’ I find that to be a contradiction from my perspective.”
Larsen said marijuana legalization is a politically touchy topic.
“With every politician there’s sort of this fear, they don’t really know how to talk about marijuana and drug policy,” he said. “But I can’t think of an area of policy where our laws are more inappropriately based on harm and punishment and a misunderstanding of human behaviour than in marijuana prohibition.”
Larsen said anti-prohibition isn’t necessarily a partisan issue, pointing out that right-wing think tank the Fraser Institute supports the legalization of all drugs.
Larsen said his job isn’t finished until “our children and grandchildren aren’t still living this nightmare and seeing our money and our resources go towards people who are not guilty of any crime at all.
“I think Canada has a unique opportunity to make a difference in this area, and I think it’ll be a shame if we don’t.”
Dana Larsen speaks tonight at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the Grad Club.A court in Vietnam has sentenced 30 people to death over heroin smuggling in what is said to be the largest such trial ever held in the country.
The trial, over the smuggling of nearly two tonnes of heroin, began in Quang Ninh province in early January.
Dozens of others were also given prison sentences from two years to life.
This is the largest-ever drug trial in Vietnam in terms of the number of defendants and the death sentences given, says the BBC's Nga Pham.
A total of 89 defendants, including the 21 men and nine women who were sentenced to death, were arrested last year on various charges.
They belong to different drug rings accused of smuggling the heroin from Laos through Vietnam and China since 2006, state media report.
Presiding Judge Ngo Duc told AFP news agency that the trial was held at the prison because of the seriousness of the case.
This is only the first stage of a special investigation carried out by Quang Ninh police, and the extent of the crimes may |
is much likelier to be targeted than a man, Pentagon surveys indicate. But because male service members greatly outnumber females, officials believe the majority of sexual assault victims — 53 percent in 2012 — are men.
These men — an estimated 13,900 last year alone — are far less likely than women to report an attack. Only 13 percent of reports last year were filed by men, military data show.
But the disparities do not end there. The Sun found that when men do report a sexual assault, military authorities are less likely to identify a suspect, to refer charges to court-martial or to discharge the perpetrator than in cases in which the victim is a woman.
Critics blame those differences on a military culture they say has been slow to recognize the possibility that men can be raped — and that remains hostile to the victims.
“For young men, the military justice system is the last place they would seek remedy,” says Nancy J. Parrish, president of Protect Our Defenders, a Washington-based advocacy group for sexual assault victims of both genders. “Male victims face more obstacles, more prejudice against them, more disbelief, more efforts to silence and humiliate them.”
Military leaders, under pressure from Congress and the White House to eliminate rape from the ranks, acknowledge that there have been shortcomings in the handling of sexual assault cases over the years. But they say they are doing better. A special Pentagon office has been training troops and commanders in rape prevention, working with prosecutors and encouraging victims to come forward.
Creating conditions in which victims feel confident reporting assaults is key, they say, to punishing more perpetrators. But getting male victims to cooperate with investigators presents a particular challenge.
“You have an environment that values strength and values the warrior ethos,” says Nate Galbreath, the top civilian adviser to the Pentagon's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. “And, of course, when any man is sexually assaulted, they really wonder whether or not they fit into this warrior culture. But what we're trying to get across to men is that warriors not only know how to fight, they also know how to ask for help.”
The Sun spoke with seven former service members who say they were sexually assaulted while in uniform. Those attacks date from the 1970s to as recently as 2009. All described long-lasting impacts, including depression, anxiety, flashbacks, substance abuse and difficulty maintaining employment and relationships. Five said they had attempted suicide — some several times.
“It makes you do a complete about-face in the way that you view the world,” says Lewis, who was 20 when he was assaulted in 2000. “Really, it's a day-to-night experience.”
Now 34, the large-framed Lewis still carries himself with the bearing of a sailor. He wears his dark hair closely cropped, and speaks in direct and precisely crafted sentences. He lives in Anne Arundel County with Andrew, his partner of five years.
In March, he became the first man to testify before Congress about being sexually assaulted in the military. He is one of a small group of male victims now breaking a decades-long silence.
Speaking out in documentaries, at news conferences and on Capitol Hill, the men say they want the same things that female survivors want: better services for victims, justice for perpetrators, and, ultimately, the elimination of rape from the ranks.
Many want to remove prosecutions for sexual assault from the chain of command — taking the authority to send suspects to court-martial away from commanders and giving it to trained lawyers.
But they also want something more: A change in the way sexual assault is viewed, both inside the military and out. It isn't a women's issue, the men say, but a problem that can affect anyone.
That shift in perspective, they say, would benefit male and female service members alike.
Michael F. Matthews, a 20-year veteran of the Air Force, says people have become “complacent” with the idea of a woman being raped. “A lot of times, they blow it off. They say, ‘Yeah, she might be lying, she might have changed her mind afterwards, was she drinking, what was she wearing?'”
Matthews, a victim of sexual assault, adds, “All those things get thrown out the window when you start talking about a heterosexual man. I'm not looking to have sex with a guy. It doesn't matter what I was wearing.
“The public needs to know that. If people understand that this can happen to a guy, then we can dispel some of the myths about what rape is, for men and for women.”Corncob 3D and the Corncob Other Worlds Campaign
(Now officially freeware!)
The sci-fi flight-simulator game for DOS, Corncob 3D, is one of countless games I have fond memories of, but I did notice it’s nearly impossible to obtain it (and its sequel) legitimately. I wanted to fix that! I tracked down the developer, Kevin Stokes, and received permission from him and George Welch to release both games as freeware! Thanks a bunch, Kevin and George!
These games can be played on modern systems by using DOSBox.
I’ve managed to obtain…
The original shareware Corncob 3D v3.42 from the site of MVP, the publisher
└─> Download!
A disk image of Corncob Deluxe v3.42 (It seems " Deluxe " is just the shareware v3.42 on a disk?)
└─> Download the disk image! or Download the install files from the disk!
Installer files from a disk of the Corncob Other Worlds Campaign v3.42 (This came from the developer himself, Kevin Stokes!)
└─> Download!
The game's source code as provided by Jason Biniewski and Anatoly Shashkin (Kevin Stokes has given his permission to do whatever we like with this!)
└─> Download!
…As far as I’ve seen, these are the latest versions. Please let me know if you've seen otherwise.
I’m still looking for…
A disk image of the Corncob Other Worlds Campaign (Though it’s not that necessary, since I have the files from the disk.)
Anything else of relevance!
…Please contact me if you can provide these!
Return to TideGear.net…
Contact me: tidegear @at@ gmail.dot. comTensions are rising in the corridors of Toronto's condo buildings as some owners look to cash in by listing their units on short-term rental sites like Airbnb, while others are calling on the city to step in and stop them.
"We constantly get complaints," said Linda Pinizzotto, who is president of her downtown condo board and the head of the Toronto-based Condo Owners Association.
Pinizzotto says the constant come-and-go of Airbnb guests is turning her building into a de-facto hotel.
"They knock on a resident's door asking if they can borrow salt, they complain because they can't find coffee machines," she said. "It's unbelievable."
It's a bomb that's going to explode down the road if we continue to allow this type of thing without proper legislation. - Linda Pinizzotto, President, Condo Owners Association
Increased traffic from short-term rentals is also leading to higher utility bills and greater wear-and-tear on common areas, according to Pinizzotto.
"These buildings were not made to be hotels, they were made to be primary residences," she said. "The value of these buildings will decrease if the maintenance fees go up too high."
"It's a bomb that's going to explode down the road if we continue to allow this type of thing without proper legislation."
'No more short term'
Toronto real-estate broker Mary-Ann Semen says she's also noticed increased frustration from condo boards and management companies.
"A lot of condominiums now, if you go into their elevators to show a property they have a sign posted, 'No more short term. Minimum leases three or six months.'"
Semen works with potential tenants to secure long-term rentals, mostly in investor-owned condominiums. She says while short-term sites like Airbnb are a good stop-gap measure in a hot rental market, she's seeing a backlash from property managers.
"3939 Duke of York [Blvd] in Mississauga just posted a notice in their elevators, 'Enough. We are looking for long-term tenants,'" Semen said.
"And all your tenants have to register to get a [security] fob with management, so they will know," she said. "They want a copy of the lease to prove that individual is living there for a minimum of six months."
Clampdown imminent?
Short-term accommodation rental websites like Airbnb.ca offer several condo rental options in Toronto. (Airbnb.ca)
One downtown condo owner who rents her unit on Airbnb says she is worried about a potential clampdown on what's become a cash cow, "They [the management] want every person to register, it may become impossible to continue."
The woman, who spoke to CBC News on condition of anonymity, said she used to rent to a long-term tenant, but switched to Airbnb in April for the money.
'I used to make $100 a month [profit], now I make 15 times more.' - Airbnb host
"Obviously the income has been higher," she said. "I used to make $100 a month [profit], now I make 15 times more."
The woman said despite one bad set of guests the overall experience with short-term renters has been positive.
Advocacy group wants regulations
But it's the bad experiences that are driving owners like Pinizzotto to push for municipal regulations, such as the law that prevents owners from renting their properties for periods of less than 30 days in New York City.
Quebec recently further tightened its rules on short-term rentals after the province passed legislation in 2015 to rein in the practice.
The COA is a member of Fairbnb, which describes itself as "a national coalition concerned about the proliferation of short-term rentals in cities across Canada." It also has links with the Union for Hospitality Workers in the GTA.
Fairbnb spokesperson Thorben Wieditz says he'd like to see some kind of regulation in Toronto. "Keep with the spirit of sharing, but cut out the commercial element," he said, "and cut out this category of landlords that own multiple units and rent them out."
Legislation not the solution: Filion
But Coun. John Filion who represents the condo-dense Ward 23 says owners should solve their own problems.
Coun. John Filion represents Ward 23, Willowdale, an area he says is "hugely overpopulated" with condos. (Patrick Morrell/CBC) "God knows how many hundreds of thousands of condo units we have across the city. The city can't possibly police that," he said.
"They all have boards of directors. They should look for what's in their powers to regulate."
Rod Escayola, a Partner with law firm Gowling WLG agrees.
They all have boards of directors. They should look for what's in their powers to regulate. - John Filion, Toronto city councillor
"The condominium corporation is the best one to come up with whatever regulation works for them and enforce them, rather than the municipality."
He says many condo corporations already have rules on the books against short-term rentals, and that it`s not difficult to enforce them.
"With respect to Airbnb, the beauty of it is that the owner or the one operating the short-term lease is actually giving you all the evidence they need, Escayola said. It's on the website."
But Escayola does acknowledge the issue is emblematic of a struggle between two fundamental but competing rights.
"Somebody who wants to be able to do what they want in their castle, and the rest of the community who says 'your castle is in my kingdom.'"
Airbnb did not respond to CBC News' requests for comment.The press' credibility problem took a turn for the worse this year.
Chalk it up to bias, sloppiness, or sheer panic in response to the election of Donald Trump, but the bottom line for 2017 is that there was a shocking decline in the quality and reliability of political journalism.
Instead of adjusting adeptly to Trump's easy relationship with the truth and his tendency to abuse members of the news media, a significant number of political journalists and commentators tripped over themselves to repeat every bit of gossip, thinly sourced claim and half-cocked rumor.
These stories fell short of the most basic function of political journalism in that they failed to provide readers with a clear and indisputably accurate picture of what is really going on at the White House and Congress. These botched reports also further diminished the public's already dwindling trust in the press.
This isn't to say all coverage of the Trump administration was trash. Rather, it's to say an unusually large number of 2017 stories, tweets and headlines turned out either to be overhyped, inconclusive, misleading, half-true, or flat-out false.
Starting in order of most recent, here is our catalogue of this year's shoddiest political reporting beginning Jan. 20, 2017:
Dec. 26 : Stop Making Fund of Me
The Claim: Republicans funded the Trump-Russia dossier.
The Source: CNN's Evan Perez.
The Facts: GOP donor Paul Singer contracted Fusion GPS via the Washington Free Beacon during the 2016 primaries to perform opposition research on Trump and the other Republican candidates. The research that was done for that specific project is ultimately unrelated to the so-called "Russia dossier."
Dec. 21 : Dismissed!
The Claim: A judge has dismissed a suit accusing President Trump of profiting through his office, ruling that the president had not violated the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
The Source: The New York Times.
The Facts: The judge didn't quite clear Trump of the charges. Rather, the judge said he found the plaintiffs lacked standing. It's a small thing, and this isn't really a major mistake on the Times' part. That said, the reason this since-corrected misfire is so notable is because it stands as one of the extremely rare examples of a media misstep that favored Trump.
Dec. 19 : Begging the Begin
The Claim: The GOP "begged" Democrats to work with them on tax reform, according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
The Source: A headline published by the Hill.
The Facts: She said no such thing. Rather, Sanders said Democrats should have been "begging" the GOP to work with them on the bill.
Dec. 18 : Off the Rails
The Claim: A deadly Amtrak derailment in Tacoma, Wash., that killed three people is another example of how the GOP puts tax cuts for the wealthy ahead of funding for infrastructure and technology advancements that could save lives.
The Source: A tweet by MSNBC's Joy Reid that ended up being shared by more than 10,000 social media users.
The Facts: The derailment happened on a new track built specifically for a brand-new high-speed rail. Reid issued a correction eventually noting the facts of the deadly derailment.
Dec. 15: How Orwellian
The Claim: Under the Trump administration, the CDC has issued a list of banned words, including "fetus," "transgender," "vulnerable," "entitlement," "diversity," "evidence-based" and "science-based."
The Source: The Washington Post.
The Facts: There is no ban, and there was no attempt by right-leaning ideologues to strip supposedly politically charged language from the CDC's lexicon. Rather, some bureaucrats suggested that certain words be removed from budget proposals so as to ensure specific programs would get requested funding
"The Times confirmed some details of the report with several officials, although a few suggested that the proposal was not so much a ban on words but recommendations to avoid some language to ease the path toward budget approval by Republicans," the paper reported.
Dec. 12 : Fox Overhype
The Claim: Fox News has obtained roughly 10,000 messages sent by two anti-Trump FBI officials previously involved in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
The Source: Fox News.
The Facts: Fox obtained the same 375 texts that were made available to Congress and the press prior to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's testimony before Congress. The cable news network did not, in fact, have access to additional materials that could've have gone a long way to disquieting concerns regarding the fact that the text scandal hinges entirely on out-of-context excerpts taken from private conversations spanning several months.
Dec. 11 : Pentagon With the Wind
The Claim: "The Pentagon says it will allow transgender people to enlist in the military beginning Jan. 1, despite Trump's opposition."
The Source: The Associated Press.
The Facts: Nope.
"Just confirmed with the lead lawyer on this case: This tweet is WRONG. The Pentagon will respect a court order requiring transgender enlistment on Jan. 1. That's it. The order will likely be appealed before then," reported Slate's Mark Joseph Stern.
"No, the Pentagon did not overrule Trump on the trans troops ban," he added. "I suppose the tweet could be technically correct under an EXTREMELY generous reading of it — but even then, highly irresponsible, because anyone without our background knowledge of the case would misunderstand it."
Dec. 8 : Audience Size Twitter is the Best Twitter
The Claim: President Trump appeared before a nearly empty arena in December to stump for Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.
The Source: The Washington Post's Dave Weigel.
The Facts: Weigel shared a picture on Twitter claiming President Trump's appearance on behalf of Moore had attracted a pitifully small crowd. Weigel was wrong, and the picture he shared was taken prior to the rally's official start time. Weigel deleted the inaccurate claim and apologized.
Dec. 8 : "A Colossal Fuck Up"
The Claim: Donald Trump and his inner circle received advance notice during the 2016 presidential election of WikiLeaks' plans to dump thousands of hacked emails belonging to Democratic National Committee staffers and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.
The Source: CNN, MSNBC, and CBS News.
The Facts: The email that supposedly showed the 2016 GOP nominee and his team received advance notice of the email dump was actually sent after the hacked correspondences were made publicly available.
CBS, MSNBC, and CNN each reported separately that Trump and his team were given a heads-up, according to an email sent on Sept. 4. In reality, the email in question was sent on Sept. 14, after the emails were published online.
The difference between Sept. 4 and Sept. 14 is the difference between someone flagging already public information and someone quietly slipping the GOP nominee and his team advance access to hacked correspondences.
In short, the since-amended reports are little more than a "colossal fuck up" for their respective newsrooms, as on CNN reporter put it for the Washington Examiner.
Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 : Deutsche Marks
The Claim: Special counsel Robert Mueller has subpoenaed President Trump's bank records.
The Source: Bloomberg News and the Wall Street Journal.
The Facts: Both newsrooms eventually walked backed their supposed scoops and the stories that remain are now about Trump associates.
"Trump's Deutsche Bank records said to be subpoenaed by Mueller," read the original Bloomberg headline.
A day later, Bloomberg amended the story and the headline so that it now reads, "Deutsche Bank Records Said to Be Subpoenaed by Mueller."
The Wall Street Journal, for its part, published a headline originally titled, "Trump's Deutsche Bank Records Subpoenaed by Mueller.
That headline was corrected eventually to read, "Mueller Subpoenas Deutsche Bank Records Related to Trump."
Dec. 4 : Another Huge Russia Scoop!
The Claim: Former deputy national security adviser K.T. McFarland appears to have lied to Congress this summer when she testified about disgraced Gen. Michael Flynn's communications with the Russians, according to her personal emails.
The Source: The New York Times.
The Facts: The Times has amended the article heavily since publication so that it is now mostly innuendo. The initial references to the emails have been removed, and the story now leans mostly on Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who only questions whether McFarland was forthright in her congressional testimony.
The report's core message has been softened considerably since its initial publication. Where the headline once declared that "McFarland Contradicted Herself on Russia Contacts," the story now reads, "A leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee questioned on Monday whether a high-ranking official in Donald J. Trump's transition team had been deceptive over the summer about her knowledge of discussions between Michael T. Flynn..."
The article, which was once so sure of itself, now eases away from its original message by stating McFarland, "might have given ‘false testimony' in her answers."
That's not to say the article doesn't try to pin something on the former deputy national security adviser. The wink-winking seen in the original version of the story is still there; the language is just less certain.
Dec. 3 : Hatched From Thin Air
The Claim: Sen. Orrin Hatch is largely uninterested in rescuing funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program because he believes sick and lazy children do not deserve government aid.
The Source: Journalist Twitter, including MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, Newsweek's Kurt Eichenwald and the Los Angeles Times' Jamil Smith.
The Facts: Hatch said no such thing. Rather, he said that the "billions and billions" that are wasted on those who can help themselves make it harder to keep CHIP funded.
Hatch said in reference to welfare spending in general: "I have a rough time wanting to spend billions and billions and trillions of dollars to help people who won't help themselves, won't lift a finger and expect the federal government to do everything."
The senator also said in those same remarks that he's committed to protecting CHIP funding. Lastly, it's worth noting Sen. Hatch co-wrote the bill to extend funding for CHIP.
Dec. 2 : A Huge Russia Scoop!
The Claim: K.T. McFarland conceded in a private Dec. 29 email that Russia tipped the 2016 presidential election in Donald Trump's favor.
The Source: The New York Times.
The Facts: McFarland did indeed write that Russia "has just thrown the U.S.A. election to [Trump]."
However, as Times report itself noted, she most likely said this in paraphrase of Democratic criticisms of the Trump administration. The White House certainly denied she wrote it in earnest.
The Times' breathless handling of a single excerpt from her emails nevertheless set off a news cycle alleging McFarland had actually conceded Russia stole the U.S. election for Trump.
Dec. 2 : A Kushner Job
The Claim: Kushner ordered Flynn to contact the Russians.
The Source: A headline published by the Hill.
The Facts: White House senior adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner reportedly ordered Gen. Flynn during the transition period to contact Russian officials about a certain U.N. resolution. That's it. The headline suggests something much more ominous, but it's just not there.
Dec. 1 : Lobbyists Everywhere
The Claim: More than 6,000 lobbyists worked on GOP tax reform bill.
The Source: A headline published by the Hill.
The Facts: The report itself notes that there are, "11,000 active lobbyists in the nation's capital … and more than half of them — 6,243 — have reported working on taxes this year."
That's not quite the same thing as working specifically on the GOP's tax bill.
Dec. 1 : Flynn, ABC News and Brian Ross
The Claims: Former national security advisor Gen. Michael Flynn is prepared to testify that, as a candidate, Donald Trump directed him to make contact with the Russians.
The Source: ABC News' Brian Ross.
The Facts: The referenced directive came after the 2016 election. The president-elect reportedly ordered his transition team to contact Russia and other world leaders regarding the incoming administration's foreign policy objectives, which is standard for incoming presidents.
It took ABC eight hours to issue a correction. When it did, it characterized it incorrectly as a " clarification."
Ross was suspended for his error, and subsequently banned from any further coverage of the president.
Nov. 30 : Plagiarist Not
The Claim: Ivanka Trump plagiarized one of her own speeches during her visit to India
The Source: Newsweek.
The Facts: Ivanka Trump didn't plagiarize a thing. She referenced her earlier, original speeches. That's called repeating yourself.
The Newsweek story has since been amended so that the headline now reads, "Ivanka Trump Recycles One of Her Own Speeches in India." The article also includes an editor's note that reads, "The headline of this story was changed to reflect that Trump reused portions of an earlier speech rather than ‘plagiarized' it."
Nov. 9: Not a First
The Claim: Trump is the first president since George H.W. Bush to fail to take questions from reporters alongside his Chinese counterpart on his first visit to China.
The Source: CNN's Jeremy Diamond.
The Facts: Trump is the first U.S. president since the last U.S. president to take no questions during a first trip to China. Former President Barack Obama took no questions with the Chinese president during their first meeting in China.
Nov. 6: Japan and Cars
The Claim: President Trump doesn't know Japan already builds cars in the United States.
The Source: CNN.
The Facts: The president is definitely aware Japanese businesses build cars in the U.S.
"[W]e have a couple of the great folks from two of the biggest auto companies in the world that are building new plants and doing expansions of other plants," Trump said in his address to Japanese business leaders on Nov. 6. "I also want to recognize the business leaders in the room whose confidence in the United States — they've been creating jobs — you have such confidence in the United States, and you've been creating jobs for our country for a long, long time."
He added, "Several Japanese automobile industry firms have been really doing a job. And we love it when you build cars — if you're a Japanese firm, we love it — try building your cars in the United States instead of shipping them over
Nov. 6 : Don't Be So Koi
The Claim: President Trump embarrassed himself in Japan when he dumped all of his fish food during the ceremonial feeding of the palace koi.
The Source: CNN, the New York Daily News the Guardian and many more.
The Facts: Full video of the event showed Trump was only following Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's lead.
The two world leaders visited the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, where they were both given individual boxes of fish food for the traditional feeding of the palace's koi fish. The president and the prime minister spooned in their feed a little at a time. Abe then dumped the rest of his box into the pond. Trump followed suit, spooning in just a little at first, and then dumping out the remnants of his box. That's it.
Nov. 2 : Kill Him Two Times
The Claim: The fact that Donald Trump called for the death penalty for vehicular terrorist Sayfullo Saipov, but not for the white man who carried out the Las Vegas shooting, suggests the U.S. president is probably racist.
The Source: GQ magazine.
The Facts: Trump probably hasn't called for the death penalty for Stephen Paddock because the Las Vegas shooter is already dead. Meanwhile, the man who killed eight people in New York City on Oct. 31 is still very much alive.
October 19 : Flunking a True Statement
The Claim: No, the Clintons were not paid millions by Russia.
The Source: Newsweek.
The Facts: Yes, the Clintons have accepted millions of dollars from Russian entities. Newsweek's supposed fact check came in response to a tweet from President Trump that read, "Russia sent millions to Clinton Foundation."
He is not wrong, and the Newsweek article acknowledges as much.
It acknowledges that former President Bill Clinton received a generous $500,000 speaking fee in 2010 from a Kremlin-linked bank with ties to Uranium One, a Canadian uranium company that had mines in the U.S.
The Newsweek article also acknowledges a separate New York Times report that showed Uranium One's chairman donated approximately $2.35 million to the Clinton Foundation in four separate installments as his company was being acquired by a Russian nuclear energy firm called Rosatom.
The Newsweek article doesn't, however, acknowledge that Uranium One owners donated an estimated $145 million to the Clinton foundation. That particularly glaring omission is just icing on a crummy cake.
Oct. 13 : Lyin' Ryan
The Claim: House Speaker Paul Ryan said it's on hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico to get back on its own two feet.
The Source: The Hill, MSNBC's Joy Reid, NowThis News' Matt Saccaro, SB Nation's Marc Normandin.
The Facts: Ryan wasn't being callous about the situation in Puerto Rico, nor did he dismiss the issue as merely a problem for the small unincorporated U.S. territory.
"There's a humanitarian crisis that has to be attended to. And this is an area where the federal government has a responsibility, and we're acting on it...Yes, we need to make sure that Puerto Rico can begin to stand on its own two feet," he said.
Ryan added, "They've already had tough fiscal problems to begin with," the House Speaker told reporters this week. "We've got to do more to help Puerto Rico rebuild its own economy so that it can be self-sufficient."
Oct. 2: The Mentally Ill and Guns
The Claim: Republicans have made it easier for the mentally ill to buy guns.
The Source: An oldie, recycled most recently by Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne and Politico's Michael Grunwald,
The Facts: This is a malicious smear.
Here's what happened: Congress voted to overturn a last-minute Obama-era regulation that would give the Social Security Administration the power to revoke a person's Second Amendment rights based on whether he receives disability for a mental impairment that keeps him from working, or if he "[uses] a representative payee to help manage their benefits."
The repeal of the Obama-era regulation, "doesn't allow people to buy guns who have been properly adjudicated by a court of law as mentally ill or unstable," as my Washington Examiner colleague David Freddoso explained at the time.
"The Obama-era rule was designed to take away people's rights without due process of law. It would have flagged the names of people who, for example, have an anxiety disorder or depression which keeps them from working, and who, as the SSA puts it, ‘need help in managing [their] personal money affairs,'" he added. "As the many non-political mental health and autism advocacy groups that supported the House action noted, there is no link between these factors and a propensity for violence."
Republican lawmakers were joined in their opposition to the regulation by a number of disability and civil liberty advocacy groups, including the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Arc of the United States, the Association of Mature American Citizens, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Council on Disability, the National Disability Rights Network and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Like the GOP, these organizations held that the Obama gun regulation posed a threat to civil liberties. They also argued that the now-defunct regulation stigmatized the disabled.
Opposition wasn't about making it "easier" for the mentally unstable to get their hands on firearms. Only an intentionally uncharitable read of the issue would take someone to that conclusion. Opposition was about restoring due process rights to people caught up in the now-defunct regulation's overly broad guidelines.
Oct. 2: Gun Lift
The Claim: The House is voting to lift restrictions on gun suppressors just days after a mass shooting event in Clarke County, Nevada, left 58 dead and hundreds more wounded.
The Source: CNN chief national security correspondent and former Obama State Department official Jim Sciutto, NBC News' Rebecca Sanchez and Mic's Emily C. Singer.
The Facts: The House had no plans that week to address H.R.3668, which includes a provision that would loosen federal restrictions on gun suppressors. It never did.
This story appears to have originated with a San Francisco Chronicle report titled, " Pair of pro-gun bills on move in House." The article suggests the House "could pass" the SHARE Act as soon as this week, but it never provides proof of this claim. The closest that the report gets to backing the allegation is when it cites House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who said last week that the House had the votes to pass H.R.3668.
A review of the House's legislative itinerary for the week beginning Oct. 2 showed the measure was not scheduled for consideration. A handout provided to reporters on Sept. 29 by the office of Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy's, R-Calif., which is responsible for setting the House's legislative agenda, also showed no signs of the SHARE Act. A source in McCarthy's office also confirmed the bill was never slated for consideration that week.
In short, this particular narrative is a total fabrication.
Sept. 25 : Betsy DeVos and Private Jets
The Claim: "Education Secretary DeVos uses a private jet to fly around the country to tour schools and attend other work events" and "DeVos uses private jet for work-related travel."
The Source: The Associated Press and the Hill.
The Facts: DeVos uses – ahem – her own private jet at her own expense for work-related travel.
She pays for almost everything. There is practically no cost to taxpayers. In fact, her to-date submitted travel expenses amount to a mere $184. Though the AP and Hill reports actually mentioned these details, the headlines were misleading enough as to have kicked off the usual cycle of online rage mobs.
September 5 : Stepping on Rakes
The Claim: Top White House adviser Kellyanne Conway doesn't know how to read a news report.
The Source: Journalist Twitter.
The Facts: Conway published a note on Twitter that read, "In 1300-word story, NYT Fails To Mention Federal Criminal Defendant Bob Menendez Is A Democrat."
Her tweet linked to a Daily Caller report titled, "NYT Writes 1300 Words About Dem Senator's Corruption Trial Without Mentioning He's A Democrat."
The Daily Caller article and Conway are 100 percent accurate.
The initial run of the Times' report on the New Jersey senator appeared online without a single mention of his party affiliation. Social media users noted the glaring omission, and a few even accused the Times of deliberately shielding the Democratic Party from the Menendez scandal.
The Times eventually updated its story to include that he's a Democrat, which several journalists apparently didn't notice or understand. Instead, they dumped on Conway for saying something that was true because they didn't understand what happened.
September 1 : A Good Scrubbing
The Claim: Trump administration officials "quietly" removed a 2014 sexual assault report from the White House website
The Source: The Huffington Post, Teen Vogue, the Root, the New York Times' Women in the World page.
The Facts: No one was "quietly" trying to undo the previous administration's work on sexual assault reporting. White House administrators were merely adhering to policies established several years ago during the Clinton and Bush eras.
The White House website is normally wiped clean with each new administration. The older pages are archived elsewhere. In fact, the Obama-era issues pages, including the sexual assault report, are still available at the archived version of the Obama White House website. This is how it was done during the transition periods between presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and between Bush and Barack Obama.
August 31 : Fake News Comes For Mnuchin
The Claim: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin may scrap plans to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 with abolitionist hero Harriet Tubman.
The Source: The Hill, Vice, Journalist Twitter.
The Facts: Mnuchin never committed to any such thing. He only declined to comment specifically on the Treasury's plans for the $20. He redirected his interviewer to a different subject, which is what government officials do when they're not prepared to speak on a specific subject.
"Let me just comment on, you know, ultimately we will be looking at this issue. It's not something that I'm focused on at the moment, but the number one issue why we change the currency is to stop counterfeiting. So the issues of why we change it will be primarily related to what we need to do for security purposes, and I've received classified briefings on that. That's what I'm focused on for the moment," he said
He added after some pressing from Liesman, "people have been on the bills for a long period of time. This is something we'll consider."
Aug. 1: Affirmative!
The Claim: "The Trump administration is preparing to redirect resources of the Justice Department's civil rights division toward investigating and suing universities over affirmative action admissions policies deemed to discriminate against white applicants."
The Source: The New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.
The Facts: DOJ officials published a job posting to the Civil Rights Division requesting volunteers to help investigate a complaint filed in 2015 by 64 Asian-American groups. The complaint alleged discrimination against Asian college applicants by Harvard University. The "white applicants" language appears to have originated from rumor or from a poor understanding of the DOJ documents viewed by the Times, the Journal and the Post, which have yet to correct their respective report.
The Asian-American Coalition for Education, which filed the complaint against Harvard, was pleased with the news, saying in a statement, "Today, we are very encouraged that the Trump Administration will start looking into this issue, providing Asian-American students with equal protection under the laws."
July 10: ComeyLeaks
The Claim: Former FBI director James Comey's personal memos detailing private conversations with President Trump contained top-secret information.
The Source: Fox News, twisting original reporting from the Hill.
The Facts: The report upon which Fox News hosts based their claims said no such thing.
The Hill report never stated Comey leaked "top secret" information to an associate. There's also no indication the Trump administration even classified the Comey memos as "top secret."
The Hill only went so far as to suggest that it's possible Comey may have maybe leaked something classified. It all depends, really, on which memos were leaked, and whether they were classified at the time of leaking. The Hill doesn't commit to answering these questions, and he report is carefully worded for a reason.
To be clear, the Hill report, titled "Comey's private memos on Trump conversations contained classified material," does not appear to be outright false, though the headline does oversell what the report actually says.
July 6: A Monumentally False And Stupid News Cycle
The Claim: House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., has imposed a puritan dress code on female congressional reporters.
The Source: Yahoo News, Fortune, Glamor, Esquire, Bustle, Mashable, Newsweek, Mic, Jezebel, Vogue.
The Facts: The Speaker's lobby dress code is decades old. Ryan has nothing to do with what it requires of members of the press, |
fixed rate. The site offers a Work Diary section that lets you view a memo about what a contractor is working on, screen shots six times an hour, and a graph showing their activity level. Hours worked are transferred to a financial report by Upwork automatically.
In addition to graphic design work, Upwork matches businesses and workers for web and software development, writing, customer service, marketing and other projects. You can pay contractors with a credit card – if you plan to spend at least $500 per week, you can apply to pay with checks.
Here is a tutorial I posted that will help you with hiring on Upwork: How to Find a Great Designer on Upwork (formerly oDesk)
Types of design work to outsource
Logos – In our experience design competitions are a great way of getting logos done.
Simple web site design or layouts- Design competitions are also great for this. If you really don’t have a lot of design requirements you can also go wtih a more simple method such as a pre-made design template (search on Google for design templates).
Complex web sites – Larger websites (more than 20 pages) that need a lot of different elements will likely need a lot of ongoing design work. It’s best to try and find a designer that you can pay on an hourly basis or for the project. On the other hand you can pay them to complete the entire project, however, make sure that you have very clear specifications.
User interface design – One of the most important aspects of designing your site is the usability. When users visit the site, can they navigate the site easily, can they find what they want? Do the forms work effectively, or do users find it difficult to fill them in? If you have a complex site with lots of things that the users need to do on the site, usability is crucial. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find any designer that understands usability, and very difficult to find a low cost designer that understands usability. The best way to get started (if you have a low budget) is to learn about this by yourself and spoon feed the designer. Also you can copy conventions from sites that have multi-million dollar budgets that they spend on usability (Facebook, Linked In, Google etc).
Designing for conversion – Do you want your web site to actually SELL for you? This is an advanced skill that is almost impossible to find in low cost designers (and even in high priced designers!). Again you need to learn about conversion yourself (and direct the designer). Two great web sites with lots of free information on conversion are: marketingsherpa.com and abtests.com
Getting the design brief right
One of the most important factors to getting a good result is writing clear design specifications. 99 designs have some great templates for the sort of information you should cover in your design brief. For example, will your new logo be a word mark, pictorial mark, letter form or might it be based around a character? Will it be feminine, young, playful or loud, simple and modern? A good designer will need to know all of this information before they get started to help them create a relevant design for the target audience. Some examples of existing design you like will also help.
Tip: You should also make sure you designs are delivered in as many formats as possible. For instance, a vector version of your logo (scalable graphics) will be much more useful then a Photoshop document, although both versions might be useful.
Other useful information you should include in your brief
Along with a general description you should also try and clarify or provide the following information for your designer:
1. The title of project
2. How do you want the project delivered? FTP? Dropbox?
3. Due date and any other milestones
4. Any sketches or existing resources you might have, including any relevant market research
5. Any calls to action, headlines, or body copy that needs to be included in the design
In Conclusion
Design competitions are a great way to get started, and are fantastic for logo designs for example. If you need more complex ongoing work however you will need to develop a relationship with a designer and pay them per hour or project to create designs for you. You don’t need to spend $10,000 to get a great design for your business, you can get a good result with a much lower budget. If you are looking to hire someone on a more permanent basis, you can also try posting an advertisement on your local job sites, or in design forums like DesignersTalk.
BONUS:
If you are just getting started with outsourcing, this comprehensive guide will help you make the most of it!
If you are looking for more design resources, here is a list of 101 web design blogs you need to follow.These new and “improved” five-sided oranges from Japan look weird, taste great and they won't roll off your table. Even more awesome, an alternate way of reading the kanji characters used to describe them makes these freaky fruits great good luck gifts for anxious students.
“Goukaku iyokan” means “five-sided iyokan” with “iyokan” being a certain type of orange-skinned citrus fruit. Someone at the Hizuchi Tachibana 4H Club in Japan's Ehime prefecture realized, however, that “goukaku iyokan” can also mean “to have a good feeling about passing” - same pronunciation, different spelling!
At this point, we imagine one club member looked at another and said “are you thinking what I'm thinking?” So it was that the concept of five-sided lucky oranges was born. The next step involved turning that dream into reality and in the words of Ned Ryerson, it was a doozy: it took three years of trial and error before the first angular fruits were ready for harvest.
The fruit-shaping technique is similar to that used to create heart-shaped cucumbers, baby-shaped pears and square watermelons, being that a mold placed around each immature fruit compels said fruit to conform to the mold's dimensions. The oddball oranges show off their pentagonal profile best when sliced, which is a lot less disturbing than cleaving an already creepy baby-shaped pear.
Due to the special attention accorded to each and every prospective pentagonal orange throughout its lifetime on the tree, expect the cost per fruit to be higher than your average, run-of-the-mill round citrus. It matters not: concerned and caring parents will snap up these lucky oranges faster than an examination monitor can say “put down your pencils!” (via Rocketnews24 and Pouch)After starring in best picture-winner Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel moved on to a project that couldn't have been worse-received.
2010's Avatar: The Last Airbender was rejected by fans of the beloved Nickelodeon property, taken to task by critics and faced accusations of whitewashing. For Patel, the experience on the M. Night Shyamalan film changed his view of Hollywood and the types of roles he would take.
"I don't know what I would like to play, but I know what I'm afraid of playing: those big studio movies. After Slumdog, I did a film that was not well received at all. The budget of Slumdog was like the budget of the craft services of this movie," Patel said during The Hollywood Reporter Actor Roundtable. "And I completely felt overwhelmed by the experience. I felt like I wasn't being heard. That was really scary for me, and that's really when I learned the power of no, the idea of saying no. Listen to that instinct you get when you read those words for the first time."
Patel, who played Prince Zuko, said watching his own work on the film, he "saw a stranger on the screen that I couldn't relate to."
Read the full Actor Roundtable here. It features plenty of fun superhero tidbits, such as Andrew Garfield expressing regret over his Amazing Spider-Man movies and Jeff Bridges recalling performing rewrites on Iron Man.Wednesday, January 12, 2005; Page A21
Just for a moment, let's pretend that there is no moral, legal or constitutional problem with torture. Let's also imagine a clear-cut case: a terrorist who knows where bombs are about to explode in Iraq. To stop him, it seems that a wide range of Americans would be prepared to endorse "cruel and unusual" methods. In advance of confirmation hearings for Attorney General-designate Alberto Gonzales last week, the Wall Street Journal argued that such scenarios must be debated, since "what's at stake in this controversy is nothing less than the ability of U.S. forces to interrogate enemies who want to murder innocent civilians." Alan Dershowitz, the liberal legal scholar, has argued in the past that interrogators in such a case should get a "torture warrant" from a judge. Both of these arguments rest on an assumption: that torture -- defined as physical pressure during interrogation -- can be used to extract useful information.
But does torture work? The question has been asked many times since Sept. 11, 2001. I'm repeating it, however, because the Gonzales hearings inspired more articles about our lax methods ("Too Nice for Our Own Good" was one headline), because similar comments may follow this week's trial of Spec. Charles Graner, the alleged Abu Ghraib ringleader, and because I still cannot find a positive answer. I've heard it said that the Syrians and the Egyptians "really know how to get these things done." I've heard the Israelis mentioned, without proof. I've heard Algeria mentioned, too, but Darius Rejali, an academic who recently trolled through French archives, found no clear examples of how torture helped the French in Algeria -- and they lost that war anyway. "Liberals," argued an article in the liberal online magazine Slate a few months ago, "have a tendency to accept, all too eagerly, the argument that torture is ineffective." But it's also true that "realists," whether liberal or conservative, have a tendency to accept, all too eagerly, fictitious accounts of effective torture carried out by someone else.
By contrast, it is easy to find experienced U.S. officers who argue precisely the opposite. Meet, for example, retired Air Force Col. John Rothrock, who, as a young captain, headed a combat interrogation team in Vietnam. More than once he was faced with a ticking time-bomb scenario: a captured Vietcong guerrilla who knew of plans to kill Americans. What was done in such cases was "not nice," he says. "But we did not physically abuse them." Rothrock used psychology, the shock of capture and of the unexpected. Once, he let a prisoner see a wounded comrade die. Yet -- as he remembers saying to the "desperate and honorable officers" who wanted him to move faster -- "if I take a Bunsen burner to the guy's genitals, he's going to tell you just about anything," which would be pointless. Rothrock, who is no squishy liberal, says that he doesn't know "any professional intelligence officers of my generation who would think this is a good idea."
Or listen to Army Col. Stuart Herrington, a military intelligence specialist who conducted interrogations in Vietnam, Panama and Iraq during Desert Storm, and who was sent by the Pentagon in 2003 -- long before Abu Ghraib -- to assess interrogations in Iraq. Aside from its immorality and its illegality, says Herrington, torture is simply "not a good way to get information." In his experience, nine out of 10 people can be persuaded to talk with no "stress methods" at all, let alone cruel and unusual ones. Asked whether that would be true of religiously motivated fanatics, he says that the "batting average" might be lower: "perhaps six out of ten." And if you beat up the remaining four? "They'll just tell you anything to get you to stop."
Worse, you'll have the other side effects of torture. It "endangers our soldiers on the battlefield by encouraging reciprocity." It does "damage to our country's image" and undermines our credibility in Iraq. That, in the long run, outweighs any theoretical benefit. Herrington's confidential Pentagon report, which he won't discuss but which was leaked to The Post a month ago, goes farther. In that document, he warned that members of an elite military and CIA task force were abusing detainees in Iraq, that their activities could be "making gratuitous enemies" and that prisoner abuse "is counterproductive to the Coalition's efforts to win the cooperation of the Iraqi citizenry." Far from rescuing Americans, in other words, the use of "special methods" might help explain why the war is going so badly.
An up-to-date illustration of the colonel's point appeared in recently released FBI documents from the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. These show, among other things, that some military intelligence officers wanted to use harsher interrogation methods than the FBI did. As a result, complained one inspector, "every time the FBI established a rapport with a detainee, the military would step in and the detainee would stop being cooperative." So much for the utility of torture.
Given the overwhelmingly negative evidence, the really interesting question is not whether torture works but why so many people in our society want to believe that it works. At the moment, there is a myth in circulation, a fable that goes something like this: Radical terrorists will take advantage of our fussy legality, so we may have to suspend it to beat them. Radical terrorists mock our namby-pamby prisons, so we must make them tougher. Radical terrorists are nasty, so to defeat them we have to be nastier.'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl' claimed both the U.S. dramatic grand jury prize and the U.S. dramatic audience award.
After 10 days of premieres and deals in Park City, the Sundance Film Festival jury handed out honors across a range of categories on Saturday evening.
Comedian Tig Notaro presided over the ceremony, which saw Me and Earl and the Dying Girl nab both the U.S. dramatic grand jury prize and the U.S. dramatic audience award.
See more Sundance Awards: Winona Ryder, Adam Scott Salute Park City's Finest (Photos)
"This movie was about processing loss and, but really to celebrate a beautiful life and a beautiful man, which is my amazing father. So this is to his memory and to celebrate him through humor, so thanks again for this opportunity," said Earl director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon upon accepting the grand jury prize.
Meanwhile, The Wolfpack, a look at a family of six siblings living in Manhattan, claimed the U.S. grand jury prize for a documentary. Robert Eggers, whose film The Witch was acquired by A24 films shortly after the festival opened, claimed the directing award for U.S. dramatic title.
Rick Famuyiwa's Dope, which was acquired by Open Road and given a June 12 theatrical release, claimed the special jury honor for excellence in editing while Kyle Patrick Alvarez's The Stanford Prison Experiment took home the U.S. dramatic screenwriting award.
Earlier in the week, the festival unveiled the short film awards, with Don Hertzfeldt's World of Tomorrow claiming the grand jury prize.
Below is the full list of winners from the evening.
U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Documentary: The Wolfpack
U.S. Dramatic Directing Award: Robert Eggers for The Witch
Directing Award for U.S. Documentary: Matthew Heineman for Cartel Land
U.S. Dramatic Screenwriting Award: The Stanford Prison Experiment
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography: Diary of a Teenage Girl
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Excellence in Editing: Lee Haugen for Dope
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Collaborative Vision: Advantageous
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Social Impact: 3 1/2 Minutes
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Verite Filmmaking: Western
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Breakout First Feature: (T)error
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Cartel Land
U.S. Dramatic Audience Award: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
U.S. Documentary Audience Award: Meru
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic: Slow West
World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award: Umrika
World Cinema Documentary Audience Award: Dark Horse
Next Audience Award: James White
World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award: Alante Kavaite for The Summer of Sangaile
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography: Germain McKicking for Partisan
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting: Jack Reynor for Glassland
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting: Regina Case and Camila Mardila for The Second Mother
World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize: The Russian Woodpecker
World Cinema Documentary Directing Award: Kim Longinotto for Dreamcatcher
World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing: How to Change the World
World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact: Pervert Park
World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Unparalleled Access: The Chinese MayorVoters are evenly divided on whether or not President Donald Trump should be removed from office, according to a poll released Monday morning.
Forty-two percent of respondents said that the president should be removed from his office in some way, but another 42 percent believe that the president should stay exactly where he is, according to a poll released by USA Today. The remaining respondents were undecided.
A question in the poll asked voters if they would be “upset” if Trump is impeached in some way. Thirty-four percent answered in the affirmative, but 34 percent of voters said they wouldn’t feel upset if Democrats were somehow able to follow through with their threats.
“I don’t really trust him — all the things he’s done while he’s in office, all of the lies, the investigation that goes on with him, the things he says to his staff,” respondent Vera Peete of California said in a follow-up interview.
Forty-six percent of respondents don’t believe Trump will finish out his first term, with only 27 percent of all voters believing that the president will serve through the 2020 presidential election.
Democrats haven’t taken any action since California Democratic state Rep. Brad Sherman formally introduced Articles of Impeachment in June. Ranking Member to the Senate Judiciary Committee Dianne Feinstein asserted there was no evidence that the president colluded with members of the Russian leadership.
“I’ve been asked questions: Is this collusion? Do you have evidence of collusion? Right now, no,” Feinstein said in May. “Not what I would call sufficient. Suspicion is one thing, the evidence is another.”
USA Today surveyed 1,330 adults from July 17 through July 19, with a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points in either direction.
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Bunting is a huge tight end commitment for the Wolverines, and he has great potential. Bunting has good size for a tight end at 6'6'', 210 pounds, and he's ranked as the No. 11 tight end in the 2014 class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Allen Trieu of scout.com reports on the commitment (h/t Kyle Meinke of mlive.com on Twitter):
Hinsdale Central's Ian Bunting visited Michigan this weekend and after taking a few days to think about his decision, ended his recruitment today with a commitment to Michigan over offers from schools like Notre Dame, Ohio State, Mississippi, USC, Oregon and more. "When I went there and visited and got to spend a lot of time with the coaches, players on the team and got to spend the night with them. It felt like home. It felt like the right place for me. My parents came with me and they both loved it and the coaches were so nice and welcoming and it really had a good sense of family there which is one of my favorite parts about game of football is brotherhood and the bond with the teammates and could definitely sense that it was there. Not just with the kids, but coaches too. I got to meet all the coaches' families and it was just the right place for me."
Brady Hoke's 2014 class now features seven commitments, and the Wolverines are without a doubt off to another hot start on the recruiting trail, especially offensively.
This is important considering Michigan's desire to fully transition to the pro-style offense. The tight end position is integral in the pro, both from a blocking and receiving standpoint, so Bunting really is an important commitment for Hoke and his staff to hold on to.
He has the size to stay home and block, but he also projects to be a good receiving tight end. In fact, he reminds me a bit of sophomore tight end Devin Funchess in that regard.
Bunting runs with long strides, he has above average speed and quick feet. He has the ability to run smooth routes and he can be effective between the seams or even near the sideline on vertical routes. He displays good hands, good athleticism and great length for a tight end.
He joins a class that already features 4-star wide receiver Drake Harris, so the aerial future of Michigan's offense seems to be in capable hands for the time being.Batavia's Graveyard, now known as Beacon Island, in the Wallabi Group, Abrolhos Islands
Batavia ( [baːˈtaːviaː] ()) was the flagship of the Dutch East India Company. It was built in Amsterdam, Dutch Republic, in 1628. Batavia set sail on her maiden voyage for Batavia, the capital of the Dutch East Indies.
The ship failed to reach its destination when it wrecked on the Houtman Abrolhos off the coast of Western Australia, killing approximately 40 of its 341 passengers. A mutiny occurred soon after, leading to a massacre among the survivors that remains Australia's largest recorded mass murder.
Relics recovered from Batavia, including portions of its hull, are on display in the Western Australian Museum's Shipwreck Galleries in Fremantle.
Mutiny on the Batavia [ edit ]
Voyage [ edit ]
On 27 October 1628, the newly built Batavia, commissioned by the Dutch East India Company, sailed from Texel[1] for the Dutch East Indies, to obtain spices. It sailed under commandeur and opperkoopman (upper- or senior merchant) Francisco Pelsaert, with Ariaen Jacobsz serving as skipper. These two had previously encountered each other in Surat, India. Some animosity had developed between them in Surat after Jacobsz became drunk and insulted Pelsaert in front of other merchants, leading to a public dressing-down for Jacobsz by Pelsaert. Also on board was the onderkoopman (under- or junior merchant) Jeronimus Cornelisz, a bankrupt pharmacist from Haarlem who was fleeing the Netherlands, in fear of arrest because of his heretical beliefs associated with the painter Johannes van der Beeck, also known as Torrentius.
During the voyage, Jacobsz and Cornelisz conceived a plan to take the ship, which would allow them to start a new life somewhere, using the huge supply of trade gold and silver on board. After leaving the Cape of Good Hope, where they had stopped for supplies, Jacobsz deliberately steered the ship off course, away from the rest of the fleet. Jacobsz and Cornelisz had already gathered a small group of men around them and arranged an incident from which the mutiny was to ensue. This involved molesting a high-ranking young female passenger, Lucretia Jans, in order to provoke Pelsaert into disciplining the crew. They hoped to paint his discipline as unfair and recruit more members out of sympathy. However, the woman was able to identify her attackers.[5] The mutineers were then forced to wait until Pelsaert made arrests, but he never acted, as he was suffering from an unknown illness.[citation needed]
Shipwreck [ edit ]
Shipwreck location
On 4 June 1629, the ship struck Morning Reef near Beacon Island, part of the Houtman Abrolhos off the Western Australian coast.[1] Of the 322 aboard, most of the passengers and crew managed to get ashore, although 40 people drowned. The survivors, including all the women and children, were then transferred to nearby islands in the ship's longboat and yawl.
An initial survey of the islands found no fresh water and only limited food (sea lions and birds). Pelsaert realised the dire situation and decided to search for water on the mainland. A group comprising Captain Jacobsz, Francisco Pelsaert, senior officers, a few crew members, and some passengers left the wreck site in a nine metres (30 ft) longboat (a replica of which has also been made), in search of drinking water. After an unsuccessful search for water on the mainland, they abandoned the other survivors and headed north in a danger-fraught voyage to the city of Batavia, now known as Jakarta.[citation needed]
En route they made further forays onto the mainland in search of fresh water. In his journal, Pelsaert states that on 15 June 1629, they sailed through a channel between a reef and the coast, finding an opening around midday at a latitude guessed to be about 23 degrees south where they were able to land, and water was found.
The group spent the night on land. Pelsaert commented on the vast number of termite mounds in the vicinity and the plague of flies that afflicted them. Drake-Brockman suggested this location is approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of Point Cloates where water has subsequently been located.[citation needed] Pelsaert states that they continued north with the intention of finding the 'river of Jacob Remmessens', identified first in 1622, but owing to the wind were unable to land. Drake-Brockman suggests that this location is to be identified with Yardie Creek.
It was not until the longboat reached the island of Nusa Kambangan in Indonesia that Pelsaert and the others found more water. The journey took 33 days, with everyone surviving. After their arrival in Batavia, the boatswain, Jan Evertsz, was arrested and executed for negligence and "outrageous behaviour" before the loss of the ship (he was suspected to have been involved). Jacobsz was also arrested for negligence, although his position in the potential mutiny was not guessed by Pelsaert.
Batavia's Governor General, Jan Coen, immediately gave Pelsaert command of the Sardam to rescue the other survivors, as well as to attempt to salvage riches from the Batavia's wreck. He arrived at the islands two months after leaving Batavia, only to discover that a bloody mutiny had taken place amongst the survivors, reducing their numbers by at least a hundred.
Murders [ edit ]
Jeronimus Cornelisz was left in charge of the survivors. He made plans to hijack any rescue ship that might return and use the vessel to seek another safe haven. Cornelisz even made far-fetched plans to start a new kingdom, using the gold and silver from the wrecked Batavia. However, to carry out this plan, he first needed to eliminate possible opponents.[12]
Cornelisz's first deliberate act was to have all weapons and food supplies commandeered and placed under his control. He then moved a group of soldiers, led by Wiebbe Hayes, to nearby West Wallabi Island, under the false pretence of searching for water. They were told to light signal fires when they found water and they would then be rescued.[12] Convinced that they would be unsuccessful, he then left them there to die, taking complete control of the situation.
Cornelisz never committed any of the murders himself, although he tried and failed to poison a baby (who was eventually strangled). Instead, he coerced others into doing it for him, usually under the pretence that the victim had committed a crime such as theft. Cornelisz, it has been suggested, sought "novelty and stimulation" after having ordered numerous murders by ordering more "perverse atrocities".[citation needed]
The mutineers had originally murdered to save themselves but eventually they began to kill for pleasure or out of habit. Cornelisz planned to reduce the island's population to around 45 so that their supplies would last as long as possible. He also feared that many of the survivors remained loyal to the VOC. In total, his followers murdered at least 110 men, women, and children.[citation needed]
Rescue [ edit ]
Image plate of Hayes' soldiers and Cornelisz's mutineers racing to the rescue ship in separate boats
Although Cornelisz had left the soldiers, led by Wiebbe Hayes, to die, they had in fact found good sources of water and food on their islands. Initially, they were unaware of the barbarity taking place on the other islands and sent pre-arranged smoke signals announcing their finds. However, they soon learned of the massacres from survivors fleeing Cornelisz' island. In response, the soldiers devised makeshift weapons from materials washed up from the wreck. They also set a watch so that they were ready for the mutineers, and built a small fort out of limestone and coral blocks.
Cornelisz seized on the news of water on the other island, as his own supply was dwindling and the continued survival of the soldiers threatened his own success. He went with his men to try to defeat the soldiers marooned on West Wallabi Island. However, the trained soldiers were by now much better fed than the mutineers and easily defeated them in several battles, eventually taking Cornelisz hostage. The mutineers who escaped regrouped under soldier Wouter Loos and tried again, this time employing muskets to besiege Hayes' fort and almost defeating the soldiers.
But Wiebbe Hayes' men prevailed again, just as Pelsaert arrived. A race to the rescue ship ensued between Cornelisz's men and the soldiers. Wiebbe Hayes reached the ship first and was able to present his side of the story to Pelsaert. After a short battle, the combined force captured all of the mutineers.
Aftermath [ edit ]
Male, aged about 35–39, with a gashed skull, broken shoulder blade and a missing right foot
Pelsaert decided to conduct a trial on the islands, because the Sardam on the return voyage to Batavia would have been overcrowded with survivors and prisoners. After a brief trial, the worst offenders were taken to Seal Island and executed. Cornelisz and several of the major mutineers had both hands chopped off before being hanged.[19]
Wouter Loos and a cabin boy, Jan Pelgrom de By, considered only minor offenders, were marooned on mainland Australia, never to be heard of again. This unwittingly made them the first Europeans to have permanently lived on the Australian continent.[20] This location is now thought to be Whitecarra Creek near Kalbarri, though another suggestion is that nearby Port Gregory was the place. Reports of unusually light-skinned Aborigines in the area by later British settlers have been suggested as evidence that the two men might have been adopted into a local Aboriginal clan.[citation needed] However, numerous other European shipwreck survivors, such as those from the wreck of the Zuytdorp in the same region in 1712, may also have had such contact with Indigenous inhabitants, making it now impossible to determine whether the Batavia crew members were responsible.
The remaining mutineers were taken to Batavia for trial. Five were hanged, while several others were flogged, keelhauled or dropped from the yard arm on the later voyage back home.[21] Cornelisz's second in command, Jacop Pietersz, was broken on the wheel, the most severe punishment available at the time. Captain Jacobsz, despite being tortured, did not confess to his part in planning the mutiny and escaped execution due to lack of evidence. What finally became of him is unknown. It is suspected that he died in prison in Batavia. A board of inquiry decided that Pelsaert had exercised a lack of authority and was therefore partly responsible for what had happened. His financial assets were seized, and he died within a year.
On the other hand, the common soldier Wiebbe Hayes was hailed a hero. He was promoted to sergeant, which increased his salary, while those who had been under his command were promoted to the rank of corporal.[21] Of the original 332 people on board the Batavia, only 68 made it to the port of Batavia.[citation needed]
The Sardam eventually sailed home with most of the treasure previous housed on the Batavia aboard. Of the 12 treasure chests that were originally on board the Batavia, 10 were recovered and taken aboard the Sardam.[20]
Wreck [ edit ]
Batavia's stern s stern
Surveying the north-west coast of the Abrolhos Islands for the British Admiralty in April 1840, Captain John Lort Stokes reported that "the beams of a large vessel were discovered", assumed to be the Zeewijk, "on the south west point of an island", reminding them that since Zeewijk's crew "reported having seen a wreck of a ship on this part, there is little doubt that the remains were those of the Batavia".[19]
In the 1950s, historian Henrietta Drake-Brockman argued from extensive archival research, that the wreck must lie in the Wallabi Group of islands. The wreck was first sighted in 1963 by lobster fisherman David Johnson. Many artifacts were salvaged in the 1970s, including port-side stern timbers, cannons and an anchor.[22] To facilitate the monitoring and any future treatment, the hull timbers were erected on a steel frame. Its design—and that of a stone arch, also recovered—was such that individual components could be easily removed.[23]
In 1972, the Dutch government transferred rights to Dutch shipwrecks in its waters to the Australian government. Excavated items are on display at the Western Australian Museum's various locations, though the majority of cannons and anchors have been left in situ. The wreck remains one of the premier diving sites on the West Australian coast.[24]
Treasure [ edit ]
Rijksdaalder silver coins recovered from the wreck site
The Batavia carried a considerable amount of treasure. Each ship in the Batavia class carried an estimated 250,000 guilders each in twelve wooden chests containing about 8000 silver coins each. This money was intended for the purchase of spice and other commodities in Java. The bulk of these coins were silver rijksdaalder issues produced by the individual Dutch states, with the remainder being mostly made up of similar coins produced by German cities such as Hamburg. Each of these silver coins was equal to 2.5 guilders, hence approximately 12 x 8000 = 96000 coins. Displays of the largely heavily corroded coins are on show at the Fremantle Western Australia Shipwrecks Museum, and at the Museum of Geraldton (Western Australia Museum), along with other artifacts from the wreck. These coins are derived from the two chests Pelsaert failed to salvage. Coins continue to be recovered by divers.
Pelsaert was instructed to recover as much of the money as possible on his return to the Abrolhos Islands, using divers ‘to try if it is possible to salvage all the money’ [and] ‘the casket of jewels that before your departure was already saved on the small island’ (for the jewels see below). Recovery of the money was far from easy. Pelsaert reported difficulties in pulling up heavy chests (e.g., 27 October 1629 when a chest had to be marked with a buoy for later recovery). On 9 November he recorded sending four money chests to the Sardam, and three the next day but then abandoned further recover work. By 13 November, Pelsaert recorded that ten money chests had been recovered (about 80,000 coins), leaving two lost since there had been twelve loaded originally. One was jammed under a cannon, and one had been broken open by the mutineers.
The Batavia's treasure also included special items being carried by Pelsaert for sale to the Mogul Court in India where he had intended to travel on to. There were four jewel bags, stated to be worth about 60,000 guilders, and an early-fourth-century Roman cameo, as well as numerous other items either now displayed in Fremantle and Geraldton, or recovered by Pelsaert. The Gemma Constantina Batavia cameo depicts the emperor Constantine I and is considered probably to have been made at his court to commemorate the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312.[28] The cameo was in 1628, the property of an Amsterdam jeweller called Gaspar Boudaen, on whose behalf Pelsaert was carrying it. Boudaen had added a gold frame with jewels.
The cameo was removed from the wreck to Beacon Island where it formed part of Cornelisz's loot. It was recovered by Pelsaert after the mutiny was over. It was not sold in India and returned to Holland in 1656. The cameo was at the Royal Penningkabinet at Leiden in Holland from 1823 until 2004, but is now at the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden). In 2017 it returned to Western Australia for the first time since 1629, and was displayed in Fremantle at the Western Australia Maritime Museum until the 23rd of April, 2017.[31][32]
Replica [ edit ]
A Batavia ship replica was built from 1985 to 1995, using the same material and methods utilized in the early 17th century. Its design was based on contemporary accounts, recovered wreckage, and other contemporary ships such as Vasa.
See also [ edit ]
Bibliography [ edit ]
Media related to Batavia at Wikimedia Commons
Media related to at Wikimedia Commons Works related to The Abrolhos tragedy at Wikisource
Coordinates:Nyepi Nyepi is Balinese Hindus' festival of silence. Everything is deserted, human footprint on nature minimized, only emergency services centers work. Also called Day of silence Observed by Balinese Hinduism Type Hindus, cultural Celebrations Perform tapa brata penyepian Observances Prayers, Religious rituals, Fasting Begins 6 AM Ends after 24 hours Date Hindu Balinese Saka
Kedasa 1 2018 |
trend, citizens moved by the plight of strangers have organised through schools, churches and Facebook groups to give what they can, from food to baby clothes to language lessons and even shelter.
On Sunday (16 August) Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday condemned a surge in German attacks on refugee shelters and warned that the issue of asylum could become a bigger challenge for the European Union than the Greek debt crisis.
Asked about more than 200 arson attacks against homes for asylum seekers seen in Germany this year as the country faces a record influx of refugees, Merkel said: “That is unworthy of our country.”
Merkel warned that waves of refugees would “preoccupy Europe much, much more than the issue of Greece and the stability of the euro”.
“The issue of asylum could be the next major European project, in which we show whether we are really able to take joint action,” she told ZDF public television.
For Germany, where some officials have said the number of asylum seekers could top 600,000 this year, Merkel said the issue posed particular challenges.
With thousands of refugees sleeping in tents and authorities saying they are overwhelmed with applications, Merkel said the current situation was “absolutely unsatisfactory”.
She called for the European Union to establish a list of safe countries of origin, where citizens are not under threat of violence or persecution.
Last week, Germany’s interior minister said it was “unacceptable” that 40% of asylum-seekers in his country were from the Balkans, calling it “an embarrassment for Europe”.
About half of Germany’s 300,000 asylum applications since January have come from the southeast European region that includes Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.
Berlin is looking at ways to deter such claims in order to better serve people from crisis zones such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The UN refugee agency has said the number of people driven from their homes by conflict and crisis has topped 50 million for the first time since World War II, with Syrians hardest hit.TROY, NY – Vojtech Mozik is the latest Albany Devils player to be recalled to the NHL. The New Jersey Devils announced the transaction as the A-Devils stepped onto the ice Tuesday morning for practice at Knickerbacker Ice Arena.
Mozik is no stranger to the NHL, he played seven games with New Jersey last season. The 23-year-old ranks second all-time on the AHL Devils’ +/- list with a +32 rating in 61 career games. Last season, he was a +28 in 53 outings, producing two goals and 15 assists.
So far this season, three other Albany players have seen action in the NHL. Steven Santini and Miles Wood began the year with New Jersey and Nick Lappin is currently playing at that level.
• SPEAKING OF LAPPIN
Lappin registered his first career NHL point – an assist — during the Devils 3-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning last Saturday. During the second period, the Devils’ rookie won a battle for position against Braydon Coburn. Lappin sent a backhanded pass to the front of the net, finding Devante Smith-Pelly at 5:22.
“Lap’s just been consistent – really even in training camp,” said Head Coach Rick Kowalsky. “He does a lot of the little things right. He’s around the puck. He’s creating chances. He still has some things to learn defensively, but he’s pretty detailed in that side of the game. When he gets the puck in the offensive zone or off the rush, he usually makes the right decision.”
Lappin finished last season with Albany, playing as an ATO. He had 14 points (8g-6a) in 23 regular season and postseason contests.
• EGGS AND HOCKEY
It seems like once a year, the Devils play a “School Day Game.” Such is the case Wednesday when the Devils take on the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at 11 am at Webster Bank Arena. Despite the early start, it’s just another hockey game.
“We don’t do a bunch of them,” Kowalsky said. “You’re more on your practice time. The big thing is just your meals. When do you eat? How early do you have to get up? It really starts the day before, with your lunch, your dinner and maybe a late-night snack and making sure you get a solid sleep. There’s no nap time.”
“From a coach’s standpoint, it’s just business as usual. Where it really gets weird is when you walk out of the rink at 1 o’clock. That’s strange. As a coaching staff, we never leave at 1 o’clock.”Review is for the Vinyl version. The cover is unique and an interesting addition from an artwork perspective. The included poster is nothing spectacular (not a comment on the young women in the poster -- just the poster itself), but things like that inside a vinyl album are always a solid plus. As for the album -- excellent.
This is NOT the Black Keys. Fans expecting a new Black Keys album but under a different group name will be slightly disappointed. The group naturally plays in some of the same spaces, but is strikingly different in others. The album is very listenable front to back. Side A the best tracks in my opinion are "Put a Flower in Your Pocket" and "Cold Companion". Side B includes a number of solid tracks and is slightly better than Side A. Best tracks include "Chains of Love" and "Rosie (Ooh La La)". Oddest (in a good way) on the album is "Come & Go".
Worth the money and your time.A major new U.S. government study says cell phones may cause cancer, reigniting years of debate over the long-term health effects of mobile devices.
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) announced late Thursday that a multi-year, peer-reviewed study found "low incidences" of two kinds of tumors in rats exposed to radio frequencies produced by cell phones. The Wall Street Journal reports the tumors were gliomas, which are in the glial cells of the brain, and schwannomas of the heart.
"Given the widespread global usage of mobile communications among users of all ages, even a very small increase in the incidence of disease resulting from exposure to [radio-frequency radiation] could have broad implications for public health," the findings said.
Yahoo! News reports the study, which cost $25 million for more than a decade of research, is the NTP's most expensive project ever. More than 2,500 rodents were exposed to the same type of radiation and frequencies used by cell phones for nine hours daily for two years.
The cancer link was only found in male rats, though rats exposed in utero tended to have slightly lower birth weights. Results from the research on mice weren't released.
The findings appear to support earlier research that found the same types of tumors in humans, causing the International Agency for Research on Cancer to classify radiation as a possible human carcinogen, back in 2011.The World Health Organization also said that year that cellphone radiation was considered a group 2B possible carcinogen.
"This study in mice and rats is under review by additional experts," a spokesperson for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which oversaw the new study, said in a statement. "It is important to note that previous human, observational data collected in earlier, large-scale population-based studies have found limited evidence of an increased risk for developing cancer from cell phone use."
Industry leaders, on the other hand, have insisted there are no dangers in using cell phones or other mobile devices. The WSJ points out some pickled vegetables and coffee are also considered to be possibly carcinogenic by the WHO and the IARC.
Earlier this month, results from a 30-year study in Australia found no significant link between cell phones and brain cancer among humans despite an increase in mobile devices. Cancer rates rose slightly in men since 1993, but remained stable in women.
But Ron Melnick, who ran the NTP project until retiring in 2009, told the newspaper that the their results should put an end to people saying there's no risk.
The Federal Communications Commission, which determines safety guidelines for U.S. cellphone use, told the WSJ that no changes have been suggested to the public yet.
"Scientific evidence always informs FCC rules on this matter," an FCC spokesman said. "We will continue to follow all recommendations from federal health and safety experts including whether the FCC should modify its current policies and RF exposure limits."Leicester 33 (13)
Tries: Goneva, Morris, Croft, Tait Cons: Flood 3 Pens: Flood 2
Harlequins 16 (9)
Tries: Chisholm Cons: Evans Pens: Evans 3
Leicester blew away Harlequins with a stylish second-half display to reach a ninth consecutive Premiership final.
Quins looked to be going into the break with a narrow lead, Nick Evans kicking three penalties to Toby Flood's two.
But Leicester took advantage of a Quins turnover on the brink of half-time when Vereniki Goneva finished superbly.
Tigers trying for 10 Leicester have nine top-flight titles to their name, coming in 1988, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2010
It proved the catalyst for a Tigers resurgence, with Niall Morris, Tom Croft and Mathew Tait crossing before Ross Chisholm added a consolation.
It means Leicester will have the chance to secure a 10th top-flight title and end three years without the Premiership trophy in their possession at Twickenham on 25 May, when they will face the winner of Sunday's semi-final between Saracens and Northampton.
They did it by overpowering the reigning champions Harlequins who, without the inspiration of injured England captain Chris Robshaw, would have had to become the first visitors to win a semi-final at Welford Road in 15 years if they were going to defend their crown.
But Conor O'Shea's side have proven troublesome for the Tigers recently, winning their past three encounters, including last year's final and a trip to the East Midlands at the beginning of the season.
And Quins started with confidence, pressuring the hosts quickly and forcing yards from the boots of Danny Care and Evans.
Leading 6-3 from two Evans penalties, they almost landed the first try of the afternoon, Care collecting the ball from a ruck and diving for the line, only to be stopped by a superb last-ditch tackle from Croft.
Care himself had to be equally alert at the other end, cutting out Flood's kick that looked destined for the path of the onrushing Goneva.
Final record Leicester have reached the play-off final nine times, winning four and losing five. They are currently on a two-game losing run in the Twickenham showpiece game, having lost to Saracens in 2011 and Harlequins last year. All but three of the 12 Premiership finals have involved the Tigers.
But the Fijian wing was not to be denied and, after Evans and Flood added a further penalty each, he knocked the wind out of Quins in first-half injury time.
Harlequins opted to keep ball in hand rather than boot the ball into touch to end the half, and were turned over at a ruck. Tigers swiftly moved the ball left to release Goneva, who brushed off Tom Williams's challenge to touch down under the posts.
Flood converted to give Tigers the lead from a half they had struggled to get to grips with.
It was as good as it got for the champions, who were never within touching distance of the hosts in the second period.
Media playback is not supported on this device Win great for all at Tigers - Cockerill
Flood kicked another penalty before Care, superb in the first half, was sin-binned harshly for what referee Greg Garner deemed a deliberate knock-on.
And with Care poised to come back on, Manu Tuilagi powered through a Quins tackle before passing inside to give Morris the easiest of finishes.
The contest was essentially over when Croft took a pass on the right flank just inside the Quins half and showed sensational pace to accelerate away from the cover to score.
England fly-half Flood missed the second conversion attempt but Leicester's lead became unassailable when Morris and the outstanding Tait combined on the wing to send the latter through for the score.
Quins, who won a maiden title last season, showed fight until the end and were rewarded when Chisholm profited from tidy work by Williams to add a late try.
But Leicester's dominance will have caught the attention of their potential Twickenham opponents and could set up a repeat of the 2011 final, should table-toppers Saracens overcome Saints on Sunday.
VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Leicester director of rugby Richard Cockerill:
"I am delighted with the performance. The (Goneva) try before half-time was crucial for us and I thought across the board the players were outstanding.
"So much work goes into the season across the board, from top to bottom, and to get to a final - which we have got to win - is great for the club.
"We have switched off a couple of times against teams in the second half this season but we knew we couldn't switch off the gas today.
"The club is steeped in history in terms of getting to finals. Getting through the semi-final is an achievement but the main goal is picking up silverware at the end of the season."
Harlequins director of rugby Conor O'Shea:
"In the second half Leicester were absolutely outstanding, but I will have nothing but admiration and pride for the way we came up here and tried to play.
"We didn't go into our shells - we gave it our best shot - but in the second half it was an absolutely magnificent performance by Leicester.
"I thought we played pretty well today. We just came up against a force in the second half that played at a level we couldn't match.
"We knew it was going to be ferocious. We probably took them by surprise in the first half the way we went about our business, and I don't want people to forget just how well we played in that first 40 minutes.
"But they just ramped it up. They were brilliant today, they were like rabid animals at times the way they were going into it, and sometimes you lose composure away from home.
"If we had played like we did in the first half against the majority of teams then we would have been out of sight and over the hill at half-time."
LINE-UPS
Leicester: Tait; Morris, Tuilagi, Allen, Vereniki, Goneva, Flood (c), Ben Youngs; Mulipola, Tom Youngs, Cole; Kitchener, Parling; Croft, Salvi, Crane.
Replacements: Castrogiovanni for Cole (68), Hawkins for Tom Youngs (69), Mafi for Parling (72), Waldrom for Crane (72), Harrison for Ben Youngs (72), Ford for Flood (72), Smith for Tait (72), Balmain for Mulipola (77),
Harlequins: Brown; Williams, Lowe, Casson, Monye; Evans, Care; Marler, Gray, Johnston; Kohn, Robson; Fa'asavalu, Wallace, Easter (C).
Replacements: Buchanan for Gray (62), Lambert for Marler (62), Collier for Johnston (68), Matthews for Kohn (62), Guest for Care (62), Dickson for Fa'asavalu (53), Botica for Casson (48), Chisholm for Monye (65).
Referee: Greg Garner
Attendance: 20,243Almost exactly a year ago I wrote about applying Fitts’ Law to commonly used buttons. Fitts’ Law is pretty well known among user experience professionals and front-end developers as it can be used to make commonly accessed user interface elements much easier to target. Hick’s law is probably less known, but its effectiveness is just as great.
Hick’s law “describes the time it takes for a person to make a decision as a result of the possible choices they have.” This law can be applied to the number of options for a question on a form, the number of dishes offered on a restaurant menu, as well as the number of menu items on a context menu.
In the case of Firefox’ context menus, we were able to remove a very seldomly used menuitem (“Send Link…”), and combine the “Reload” and “Stop” buttons.
Our new heatmap data showed us that only 0.89% of users clicked on the “Send Link…” menuitem. This is not really a surprise, given that the location for the majority of webpages can be found by looking at the location bar. This is in contrast with “Send Image…” which was used by 3.34% of users. “Send Image…” likely has higher usage because the majority of image URLs are not available in the primary UI.
Combining “Reload” and “Stop” gives us another nice win because the two states are mutually exclusive and the combination reflects the default state of the two actions in our location bar. Making this change led to discussions about removing the “Forward” menuitem when it is disabled, similar to how we remove the Forward button in the navigation toolbar when it is disabled. While removing the “Forward” menuitem would align with internal consistency, it would also make the remaining menuitems more ambiguous (“Back” and “Reload”).
The disappearance of the Forward button in the navigation toolbar does not make the Back button ambiguous. The back button is visually connected to the location bar (signifying a relationship between the two items), and the arrow describes moving backwards. If the context menu only contained “Back” and “Reload”, or potentially “Back” and “Stop”, then there is a much greater chance of confusion as to what “Back” really does. In other words, the presence of “Forward” helps to provide a navigational context for the other menuitems in their group.
These changes are available today on our Firefox Aurora and Firefox Nightly channels. Let me know what you think 🙂Decree pardons Egypt protesters BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Egypt's new president has issued a decree pardoning all those charged with or convicted of acts "in support of the revolution" since the beginning of the popular uprising that forced Hosni Mubarak from power. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/decree-pardons-egypt-protesters-28871691.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/migration_catalog/article28857450.ece/329be/AUTOCROP/h342/World%20News%207-1.jpg
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Egypt's new president has issued a decree pardoning all those charged with or convicted of acts "in support of the revolution" since the beginning of the popular uprising that forced Hosni Mubarak from power.
The move by Mohammed Morsi was long demanded by Egypt's youth groups behind the uprising.
It could potentially benefit more than 1,000 protesters who are on trial following their arrests during demonstrations since the uprising against Mubarak erupted on January 25 last year and until Morsi was sworn in on June 30.
Those already convicted for their role in the protests may be pardoned. Most of those on trial or convicted were detained during the rule of the generals who took over after Mubarak stepped down in February last year.
Mohammed Gadallah, Mr Morsi's legal advisor, said the decree is "one of the revolution's most important victories". "It shows the revolution is now in power and guides the decision-making," Mr Gadallah said. "This is a legislation that protects the revolutionaries."
However, the wording of the decree is vague and does not immediately set anyone free, according to several human rights lawyers. It asks the prosecutor general and the military prosecutor to prepare a list of names, within a month of the decree being issued, of those who may benefit from the pardon.
The first article of the decree, which was published on Mr Morsi's official Facebook page, orders a "comprehensive pardon for crimes and misdemeanours or attempts to commit them in support of the revolution and the realisation of its goals". The only suspects exempted from the decree are those charged with premeditated murder over that time period.
Mr Gadallah said the decree is likely to cover all major court cases where protesters clashed with military troops and security forces. However, he admitted it is not clear how many would benefit from the pardon. Protesters on trial face charges ranging from resisting authorities, damaging public or private property or disrupting public order. More than a 12,000 civilians have been brought before military tribunals, many of them on charges such as "thuggery".
It will be up to the prosecutor general and the military prosecutor to name those who will be pardoned. Suspects who are excluded can challenge the decision, and a judicial panel would be the final arbiter.
Mr Seif said it could take months before pardons materialise.
Press AssociationUnderage marriage remains widespread in the U.S., with at least 207,468 minors having been legally married across the country between 2000 and 2015, according to Unchained At Last, a nonprofit that opposes arranged and forced marriages.
87 per cent of the minors who married were girls, and mostly 16 or 17 years old, the Independent reported.
The youngest children to wed were three 10-year-old girls from Tennessee in 2001 and an 11-year-old boy from the same state in 2006.
12-year-olds were also granted marriage licenses in Alaska, Louisiana and South Carolina, and 11 other states permitted 13-year-olds to marry.
1,000 children aged 14 or under were also issued marriage licenses, according to the Independent.
The latest figures released by Unchained at Last had been for the years between 2000 and 2010, where they had estimated that more than 167,000 children married underage.
The figures for New York stood at 3,800 for the same period. Whereas in Virginia, about 4,500 children were married between 2004 and 2013, according to the Tahirih Justice Centre. In New Jersey, 3,500 children were married each year between 1995 and 2012.
According to Reuters, 170,000 children were wed between 2000 and 2010 in 38 of the 50 states.
Minors are currently allowed to marry in many states in the U.S. provided that they obtain permission from both parents and the court. There are also other legal loopholes that allow children to wed, such as teen pregnancy, which forgoes parental consent.
Research has shown that child marriages are associated with higher rates of unwanted pregnancies, abuse, and divorce. Child marriage and forced marriage also disproportionately affect girls and women, and those who marry in their teens are also more likely to develop psychiatric disorders, have limited or no access to education and have fewer career opportunities.
Child marriage has been a hotly-debated issue in the U.S. and many states have begun to take better action against it by updating their old laws and introducing new measures to protect children.
However, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie refused to sign a law last May that would have banned marriage for those under 18 years of age in his state, saying that not allowing any exceptions would conflict with "religious customs" and "the cultures and traditions of some communities." The move caused public outcry across the state and country.
The situation around the world is no different, and although the global child marriage rate is declining, according to Girls Not Brides' data, every two seconds a girl under the age of 18 becomes a bride.Xbox Live director of programming Larry Hryb - better known as Major Nelson - has revealed that you can plug an Xbox 360 into the Xbox One using the new HDMI-in port on the console.
"Absolutely; you can certainly plug an Xbox 360 in the back - that was one of my first questions when I heard about the [HDMI-in] feature," he told a Reddit Games interviewer at E3.
He stopped short of explaining why you'd want to do that, but the inference from the question was that you might want to use the Xbox One UI, or perhaps make use of its multi-tasking while playing.
The same question covered plugging a Windows 8 PC in via HDMI-in port. "The answer is yes," he said - a remark that seemed to cover both PC and set-top box input. It's not specific confirmation but judging by the Xbox 360 compatibility there's a good chance PCs will be too.
"It's the only console right now that has HDMI-in, and it's going to absolutely allow you to plug in your, for instance, your cable, your set-top box," he said.
He looks a bit worn out. Also, ridiculous. And why is she singing?
Hryb tackled other thorny subjects such as how long Xbox One game licenses - your new Xbox games library - will last for. Will they outlive the Xbox One?
"We haven't even started this generation so it's kind of early to talk about the end of the generation. That's certainly something that we would not do," he said, referencing ending support at the end of the generation. "That's not the way the system is designed - it's designed for flexibility. Let's get this system out there first."
He also talked about bans. Now games are tied to licenses which are in turn tied to Xbox Live accounts, does being banned mean being withheld your game collection?
"Absolutely not," Hryb answered definitively. "You will always have access to the games you've purchased.
To which the interviewer commented: "Yay."
To which Hryb replied: "Yay - really? Come on! You had to expect that."
"It's safe to say we're confident where we're going. It's also safe to say that gamers are going to love our vision of the future and what we're going to offer for gaming." Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb
"Sony did WHAT?!"
He was pressed again about the 24-hour online DRM check that Xbox One carries out, and wheeled out a familiar line about flexibility and sharing games with your family.
"We think the upside of being connected... it's really about the library and having access to your games anywhere you are - things you can't really do today," he said.
"We think it's going to be more flexible for the future, and that's kind of what Xbox One is all about - we've looked towards the future and said, 'This is where the gaming industry is going and we want gamers to come with us on this journey which is going to unlock the amazing potential of these great gaming experiences as well as flexibility as I just described with the library. It's one approach that we think is going to be infinitely more flexible."
Hryb was confronted about Sony, too, and whether Microsoft would change anything following its rival's combative showing at E3.
"I don't think - we're not going to change anything," he answered. "We're very happy with what we've done with Xbox One. Did you see the games on stage at our briefing? Did you see the exclusives? We're really really proud of the system and the games that are coming out."
He used Respawn's Titanfall as an example of an exclusive and asked the interviewer if she'd seen it. She had, so he said: "OK. Enough said. Conversation over."
Titanfall may yet become a PlayStation game, although it's only on Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC for now.
"It's safe to say we're confident where we're going," Hryb wrapped up. "It's also safe to say that gamers are going to love our vision of the future and what we're going to offer for gaming."“Under God” to Remain in the Mandated Pledge of Allegiance Used in Public Schools
For immediate release
Contact: Merrill Miller, 202-238-9088 ext. 105, merrillmiller@americanhumanist.org
(Washington, DC – May 9, 2014) – In a disappointing ruling against religious equality and the rights of atheists and humanists, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court today ruled against a humanist family in their challenge to the mandated recitation of “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance used in public schools.
The lawsuit, filed by the American Humanist Association and the Massachusetts family in 2010, bypassed previously unsuccessful traditional First Amendment Establishment Clause arguments, instead making the case based on equal protection rights within the state constitution. The daily recitation in public school classrooms of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag—in the version that includes an affirmation that the nation is “under God”—violates state nondiscrimination law, attorneys for the plaintiffs argued.
“We are very disappointed by the court’s ruling,” said the plaintiffs’ attorney David Niose, legal director for the American Humanist Association. “No child should go to public school every day, from kindergarten to grade 12, and be faced with an exercise that portrays his or her religious group as less patriotic.”
The Pledge exercise is a daily indoctrination, Niose said, not just a harmless ceremony as some have asserted. “The flag-salute is how we define patriotism for children on a daily basis,” he said. “When we define patriotism with a religious truth claim—that the nation is in fact under a god—we define nonbelievers as less patriotic.”
Today’s ruling follows oral arguments made Sept. 4, 2013, before the Supreme Judicial Court after an appeal was filed by the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center. The court approved the bypass of a lower appellate court in taking the case on direct appellate review.
The court’s decision seemed to place significant weight on the fact that the atheist children in question had not been bullied due to their atheism, potentially opening the door to future challenges under different facts.
The ruling in this case does not stop religious discrimination protections from being asserted in other states with Equal Protections rights guaranteed in their constitutions. The American Humanist Association will be investigating religious discrimination claims by families of public school children in those states and taking the necessary legal steps to end government-sponsored religious discrimination. The American Humanist Association currently has a similar lawsuit pending in New Jersey.
“We continue to strive for the rights of Americans who are good without a god, working in the courts of law and the courts of public opinion. With the growing numbers of humanists and atheists across the country, it’s only a matter of time before we restore the Pledge of Allegiance to the more inclusive ‘one nation indivisible,’” said American Humanist Association Executive Director Roy Speckhardt.
The American Humanist Association supported the case through its legal arm, the Appignani Humanist Legal Center, which works to defend the rights of humanists through the court system.
Documents related to the decision can be viewed here.
# # #
The American Humanist Association advocates for the rights and viewpoints of humanists. Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., its work is extended through more than 175 local chapters and affiliates across the United States.
Special thanks to the Louis J. Appignani Foundation for their support of the Appignani Humanist Legal Center.
Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism, affirms a responsibility to lead ethical lives of value to self and humanity.PHUKET: Police in Phuket will continue to hold onto foreigners’ passports as long as they see fit while carrying out an investigation – even if for nothing more than dealing with private negotiations for damages arising from a minor car accident, The Phuket News confirmed this week.
policecrimeaccidentstourismpatong
By Tanyaluk Sakoot
Saturday 6 February 2016, 09:00AM
Handing over your passport to settle a vehicle damages claim can cause far more problems than foreseen. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot
The issue of Thai authorities holding passports resurfaced after The Phuket News recently followed up on a report that police in Patong had held onto a British national’s passport for more than three weeks, without pressing any charges.
Eventually, after several phone calls by The Phuket News, the claim was quickly settled, and the foreigner was allowed to conduct a “visa run” so that he may legally continue to stay in the country and work.
After initially declining to answer any questions regarding one of his officers retaining a passport for such a long period without taking any legal action, Kathu Police Chief Col Chaiwat Uikum focused his explanation on foreigners facing criminal charges.
“A passport is the most important document that police can obtain as evidence when a foreigner is suspected or involved in a crime in the Kingdom,” he said.
“Depending on the severity of the case, police may withhold a passport until the official investigation is concluded and the passport holder is handed over to the court, then the foreigner can get his or her passport back,” Col Chaiwat explained.
Col Chaiwat declined to define how long his officers will hold onto a passport before charges are pressed.
“We cannot put a time frame on it. It depends on each case,” he said.
Lt Gen Tesa Siriwato, Commander of the Region 8 Police, supported Col Chaiwat’s position on holding passports indefinitely – but only in investigations that lead to criminal charges.
Region 8 Police oversees police operations in seven Southern Thailand provinces: Ranong, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Krabi, Phang Nga and Phuket.
“Our policy regarding withholding passports is that we do so only in order to properly identify its holder and that the details in the passport match those recorded in the Immigration database,” he told The Phuket News this week.
“However, it is standard procedure to retain the passports of any foreigners facing any criminal charge, but after the matter has been settled in court and damages have been paid, we have no reason to hold the foreigner’s passport.”
The issue of police in Phuket holding foreigners’ passports has been raised by diplomats for decades, with little to no result, despite even car and motorbike rental operators in Patong moving over to a system whereby they upload only photos of passports to a police database for safe keeping.
That system was launched in 2014, oddly, at the behest of the Patong Police – and even then because they were about to crack down on ensuring foreigners were carrying their passports at all times as required by Thai law.
Contacted by The Phuket News this week about their position on handing passports over, the British embassy in Bangkok noted, “It is a valuable document and remains the property of the British Government. It should not be used as a guarantee or deposit for anything with a third party.”
However, the embassy also recognised, “As part of Court proceedings and on the basis of legal advice, you may decide to surrender your passport as part of bail conditions.” (Click here for UK Government travel advice for British nationals in Thailand.)
Similarly, the US embassy in Bangkok noted, “We encourage US citizens to comply with local law enforcement requests and instructions.”
However, the embassy also noted, “Assisting US citizens in need is our highest priority and an individuals should contact the US Embassy if he or she has any concerns or if any assistance is required.” (Click here for information about US embassy services provided to US citizens in Thailand.)
The US embassy specifically warned American nationals against scams by car, motorbike and jet-ski operators falsely claiming exorbitant amounts of money for damages to their vehicles, but added, “Note that the Embassy cannot intervene in personal financial disputes; however, you can apply for a new passport at the US Embassy or Consulate General if you have not recovered your passport.” (Click here for details.)
The Australian embassy in Bangkok noted, “Passports are valuable documents that should be appropriately protected… Australians should not provide passports as deposits or guarantees under any circumstances.”
Specifically regarding rental operators, the embassy said, “Protect your passport: Operators may request your passport as a deposit or guarantee before hiring jet-skis or motorbikes. If there is a dispute about damage to a rented jet-ski or motorbike, rental operators may try to keep your passport until they receive compensation.”“The Saphrax Protocol” designs
Finally… Here are my designs for the season 7 finale. This was one of my favorite episodes of the season too. Just a few thoughts below:
Hank, Action Man, and Phage- are all having some weird shared NDE. Oh and I think it’s pretty self-explanatory (if you listen to their conversations) what those costumes are referencing right ; )
Guild Blackout 01- these guys are like beefed up, super specialized guild commandos… Basically, Jackson Publick wanted updated guild commandos so now (based on his sketches) we have these guys.
Guild Choir & Drummer- the drummer is straight-up occult inspired, but check out the hooded cone head on the choir guy… That fella was inspired by real-life cloaked and hooded Catholics celebrating Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Spain!
Okay so that’s about it for now. Maybe I’ll post a few pages from the new Go Team Venture!: The Art and Making of The Venture Bros. book after this… Otherwise this will likely be my last VB post for a while. I hope you all enjoyed this season; we definitely put our blood, sweat, and tears into it for ya!
Go Team Venture!!Donovan Mitchell was widely labeled as an athletic guard with defensive upside in the lead-up to the 2017 NBA draft. Knowingly or not, Mitchell only fed into the idea by the way he answered questions after pre-draft workouts.
“It starts on the defensive end,” he told reporters in Utah in late May. “I think the most important thing, as opposed to being a 1 and 2 on offense or defense, is being able to guard guys as quick as Russell Westbrook, but then the size of Klay Thompson.”
In that same interview, Mitchell, who played two seasons at Louisville, talked about how he tries to find opportunities on offense but didn’t focus on creating shots for himself. Predraft reports touted his athleticism and potential on defense. His offensive game had promise, but it was mostly described as “a mixed bag” by draft experts.
“Defense travels,” he said. “Offense comes and goes.”
But the Jazz, whether they knew it or not when they traded up to no. 13 overall to draft Mitchell, needed his offense to come ASAP. Gordon Hayward’s departure for Boston left a void 15.8-field-goal-attempts-per-game wide. The Jazz still possessed a formidable team on paper, but as they found out early in the season, they lacked an offensive focal point.
In the first 11 games of the season, Ricky Rubio averaged over 12 shots a game. As The Ringer’s Danny Chau pointed out, that trend was a death wish. In their past six games, however, that number has dropped to 7.8 shots a game. Coincidentally or not, the Jazz |
: pieces of the gemstone golem, diviner, artisan, sous chef, blacksmith, botanist, farmer, First Age and shaman outfits.
: pieces of the gemstone golem, diviner, artisan, sous chef, blacksmith, botanist, farmer, First Age and shaman outfits. Cosmetic items : including the flying goblin hat and swagger stick.
: including the flying goblin hat and swagger stick. And much more: such as dungeoneering tokens, protean bars and planks and shark fists!
Interested? Head over and chat with Vic now. He'll even give you 50% off your first 200 credits bought in each skill.
Note that the Bonus XP cost of credits for each skill will increase (separately) as you spend Bonus XP from them.
Vic's only accepting Bonus XP until the end of October 5th, so don't delay. He'll be around afterwards, but only to exchange credits for rewards.
Make use of his service while you can, and get what you want from your Bonus XP.
The RuneScape TeamWhen my editor asked me I was interested in writing about my take on what to expect from Lady Gaga performing the halftime show of Super Bowl LI, my reaction was a resounding, “Me?! Do you even read my articles? My hottest hot takes on the media are on reruns of Star Trek and how much I hate awards shows. Now you want me to cover both pop music and sports?” He replied, “Well, about how it’s going to be political.” All I could think was, Oh. Well. I guess that is what I do around here. So here we go, my hot take about Lady Gaga’s halftime show…
Why is everyone expecting a political statement? Is that what we do during the halftime show now? If I recall correctly, the first time a political statement was made during a halftime show was by Beyoncé at last year’s game in an outfit invoking the Black Panthers, but in short shorts and chunky heels, and singing her new song, "Formation," which as we all know was about empowering black identity, and the video protested against the recent spate of police killings of unarmed black men. The performance wasn’t that shocking to watch, and as far as statements go, it was well done. Of course, I’m only speaking for myself and not the masses of shocked and outraged white people who thought that a bunch of backup dancers wearing sexy black militant costumes was about to usher in a race war. I mean, really guys? If you’re that frightened when a black person wears a black beret, I hate to tell you this, but the Army issues black berets to black people every day and teaches them to use rocket launchers.
Still, if we’re going to start doing political statements during halftime of the Super Bowl, I’m OK with it. Sports has long had a history of political statements from athletes, so why shouldn’t the performers get in on what’s probably the largest audience they’ll ever have? Over the course of sports history, you have Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising a Black Power fist at the 1968 Olympics and President Carter leading 50 countries to boycott the 1980 Olympics over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In 1967 Katherine Switzer snuck into the Boston Marathon, which was men-only at the time, and finished the race even though officials tried to physically remove her. In 2012 members of the Miami Heat shared a picture of themselves in hoodies with the hashtag #WeAreTrayvonMartin. In 2013 Minnesota Viking Chris Kluwe wrote often about the rampant homophobia on his team and in the NFL, while in 2014 members of the St. Louis Rams came onto the field with their hands in the air to say "Hands Up Don’t Shoot." Last year San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to show support of Black Lives Matter. These are small handful of political protests in sports, and these are just the protests involving American athletes. There are dozens more examples involving Irish independence, defiance of Nazi Germany, protests against Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, women’s suffrage in England (which resulted in a fatality), and religious discrimination.
So if Lady Gaga wants to get involved in the athletic political protest racket, I say go for it. Almost certainly her protest will be against Donald Trump’s presidency and his appointing of white supremacists like Steve Bannon to the National Security Council, taking said white supremacists off the terrorist watch list, then limiting background checks on gun purchases. Or maybe it will be about Trump not recording his conversations with Putin over the White House phones. Maybe it will be about his Muslim ban or appointing shills for oil companies to the Environmental Protection Agency and the State Department. Could be about Trump threating war with Iran, North Korea, and Mexico? It might be about his botched raid in Yemen, which killed an 8-year-old girl. There’s also his firing of the acting attorney general over her refusing to defend his nonsensical Muslim ban, the firing of almost every senior director in the State Department, and senior Secret Service personnel. Maybe it’s … HOLY JESUS WE HAVEN’T EVEN GONE THREE WEEKS WITH THIS GUY AND HE’S SETTING FIRE TO EVERYTHING!
Mother of God! If Gaga doesn’t get up there and channel America’s collective anxiety and just scream in abject horror for 15 minutes it’ll be the biggest letdown in Super Bowl history. We should all just be screaming along with her. Why even have a game?! Just spend the whole time screaming at Trump, “What the hell are you doing, you lunatic?!”
AMANDA KERRI is a writer and comedian based in Oklahoma City. Follow her on Twitter @EternalKerri.For other ships with the same name, see SS Berlin
SS Berlin was an express passenger liner of the early 20th century, which saw service as an auxiliary cruiser of the Imperial German Navy during the First World War.
Early career [ edit ]
Berlin was built in 1908 by AG Weser of Bremen for the North German Lloyd shipping line, and saw service on the Genoa to New York City route prior to the outbreak of the First World War. In August 1914 Berlin was at Bremerhaven undergoing repairs, and was taken over by the Imperial German Navy for service as an auxiliary cruiser.[4]
Service history [ edit ]
Berlin was intended for use as a fast minelayer and also to operate as a commerce raider. This was part of Germany’s kleinkrieg campaign, to wear down Britain’s numerical advantage by using mines and other devices to sink warships, or to divert them from fleet operations into trade protection. Berlin was converted for the role at Kaiserliche Werft ( KWW ) in Wilhelmshaven and equipped with minelaying equipment and 200 mines. She also carried two 105mm guns, and several heavy machine guns.
Commissioned in October 1914 under the command of KzS Hans Pfundheller, the ship's first mission was laying a mine field off the north-west coast of Ireland against British trade. This she succeeded in doing, laying 200 mines on 23 October off Tory Island. By chance the Grand Fleet had evacuated Scapa Flow under the threat of U-boat attacks (the Flow being undefended at that time) and were stationed temporarily at Lough Swilly.[5] On 27 October vessels of the Grand Fleet sailed into Berlin’s minefield; the new dreadnought battleship HMS Audacious was struck and damaged, sinking later as efforts were made to tow her to safety. The trans-Atlantic liner RMS Olympic was also in the area, with a full complement of passengers, but she escaped hitting any of Berlin’s mines, thus avoiding a further tragedy and a major diplomatic incident.[6]
Berlin sought to return to Germany, but put in at Trondheim with storm damage. Having outstayed her 24 hours grace and unfit to leave port, she was interned by the Norwegians on 18 November 1914.[7]
Despite her short career Berlin was one of the more successful of Germany’s raiders, accounting for the single most grievous loss to the Royal Navy’s strength in the early kleinkrieg campaign.
Aftermath [ edit ]
Berlin remained in Norway for the duration of the war. In 1919 she was transferred to Britain as war reparations and put into service as the British liner SS Arabic. In 1931 she was discarded and broken up for scrap.
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Halpern, Paul (1994) A Naval History of World War I ISBN 1-85728-295-7 HB
ISBN 1-85728-295-7 HB Hawkins, Nigel (2002) The Starvation Blockades ISBN 0-85052-908-5
ISBN 0-85052-908-5 Schmalenbach, Paul (1977) German Raiders ISBN 0-85059-351-4
Media related to SS Berlin (1908) at Wikimedia CommonsDefeated Sanity is one of the oldest running brutal death metal bands still going, having formed in 1994. Defeated Sanity have changed vocalist quite often during the years and it’s now up to Josh Welshman to take after the long line of vocalists. When I started writing this I was three songs in and Josh is doing a fine job, to me personally this is the best Defeated Sanity has sounded. Which is no bad feat seeing the history the band got with a great discography and famous within the metal underground.
What makes Defeated Sanity special (except that they change vocalist a lot and yet stay top tier) is that they take their time between releases. Making the fans getting hyped for a long time and doesn’t leave anything to chance. Their releases have always been very solid, as is Disposal of the Dead // Dharmata. The album is full of surprises, as Defeated Sanity has managed something I am unsure if any band has done before. A split album with themself. Disposal of the Dead being the brutal death metal part, bringing all the classic brutality we all love with the highlight being The Bell. Dharmata is the second part which gives us the bands technical death metal side, where At One With Wrath is the high point. I really like this concept and it just shows what Defeated Sanity can do.
Going over to Dharmata much of the brutality and deep pits of hell growling is changed to a more progressive technical sound. I myself am more of a fan of the Disposal of the Dead sound than Dharmata but just the fact that you get both on a full-length album is wicked. I am sure many of you out there will think just the oposite. I am also sure that this is an album you need in your collection as it features some of the best riffs, grooves, vocals this year. You name it Defeated Sanity got it and their showcase of talent is supreme.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DefeatedSanity
For fans of: Suffocation and Wormed
Favorite song: The BellEarlier this month in “GOP Leaders, Tech Execs Plot Against Trump At Secret NeoCon Island Meeting,” we discussed the American Enterprise Institute’s annual World Forum, an event held on Sea Island, Georgia.
It’s a notoriously secretive affair and is off limits to the press. “We can’t even get a snow update,” Bloomberg joked last year.
At this year’s gathering the main topic, according to Huff Post, was “how to stop Donald Trump.” Attendees included Tim Cook, Larry Page, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and even Karl Rove himself who reportedly gave a presentation outlining what he says are Trump's weaknesses.
The AEI confab amounts to more evidence that establishment conservatives are getting very, very worried about what they see as an existential threat to the Republican party. As we and others have written, a Trump nomination would be devastating for the GOP. That’s why the party is hard at work behind the scenes crafting a plan to effectively steal the nomination from Trump at the convention in July (see here, here, and here for more).
Thanks to FEC filings out Sunday we discover still more evidence that conspiracies to “stop Trump” are proliferating.
“A trio of conservative groups not affiliated with any candidate has spent about $28 million against [Trump], mostly on negative ads that aired in the past few weeks,” Bloomberg writes, adding that “so far, the effort has failed to dent his popularity.”
Among those who have contributed: Warren Stephens and his brother, Jackson "Steve" Stephens Jr., Paul Singer, and the Ricketts family. Here’s more:
Warren Stephens and his brother, Jackson "Steve" Stephens Jr., gave a total of $3.5 million last month to two of these groups, according to filings Sunday with the Federal Elections Commission, on top of $500,000 last year. The filings show only one other family, the Ricketts clan of Omaha, Nebraska, that's a bigger funder of the stop-Trump campaign, having given $5 million since January. Other backers of the effort revealed in the filings were Paul Singer, the New York hedge-fund manager, who gave $1 million; and William Oberndorf, a San Francisco investor, who gave $500,000. During the current race, Stephens has handed out total of $300,000 to super-PACs supporting Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, and Chris Christie, all of whom have since dropped out.
Most of the Stephens' giving in recent years has been to a super-PAC run by Club for Growth, a powerful conservative group that pushes for limited government and lower taxes, and which has been one of the biggest spenders against Trump.
None of this is lost on Trump.
I hear the Rickets family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are secretly spending $'s against me. They better be careful, they have a lot to hide! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2016
"Sometimes I just can't comment other than, I have an active family who cares deeply about our country," Pete Ricketts said in February. "My family is very politically active on both sides of the aisle and so we have folks that get involved in different things. I'm not involved with what everyone's doing."
"Our Principles PAC, a group set up to highlight Mr. Trump’s past liberal positions, took in $4.8 million last month, with a roster of donors that shows it has significantly expanded beyond the Ricketts family, which provided the group’s early funding," The New York Times wrote late Sunday night in a piece that carries the snarky title "Donald Trump Is Finally Uniting Top Republican Donors." Here's a bit more color from The Times:
Mr. Stephens and his brother also gave $2.5 million last month to a super PAC connected to the Club for Growth, a free-market activist group that was one of the first outside organizations to take on Mr. Trump. All told, the group, whose members met last week to discuss how to escalate their efforts against Mr. Trump, raised $4 million in February, three times as much as it had raised any other month this election cycle. Richard Uihlein, an Illinois shipping-supplies manufacturer and conservative activist, who backed Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign last year, gave the Club for Growth $500,000. Several other donors with ties to Republican also-rans gave large contributions as well, including Richard Gaby, who gave $50,000 to a super PAC backing former Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, and Robert Arnott, a California-based investor who has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into groups backing Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. In January, the group also raised $100,000 checks from other prominent donors allied with Mr. Trump’s rivals, among them Robert Mercer, a longtime Club for Growth donor who is backing Mr. Cruz. Some of the new money is coming from donors to the political network led by Charles G. and David H. Koch. Their network, the biggest and deepest-pocketed independent political force in the conservative world, has for months weighed intervening in the Republican primary against Mr. Trump.
And here's the February breakdown for Our Principles (you can find the latest monthly Club For Growth filing here):
Make no mistake, this is money wasted. Plain and simple. As we've said repeatedly, you can't beat Trump with negative ads. He's a walking negative ad - for himself. We're talking about a candidate who, when asked about John McCain, said the following: "I like people who weren't captured." You couldn't dream up something more negative if you tried.
And that's the whole point. Trump is gaffe proof. It doesn't matter what you say about him. There's nothing a bunch of stuffy establishment conservatives can say about Trump that has any chance of reflecting more poorly on his character than do the things that come out of his own mouth each and every time he takes the stage!
That's the genius of Trump - and don't think he doesn't realize it.
Why there doesn't seem to be a single political commentator or strategist anywhere in America who gets that is beyond us.
To beat Trump, you need to figure out how to tap into the same anger and yes, in some cases the same perceived narrow-mindedness, of his support base and you need to give them an alternative that addresses their concerns without resorting to the same type of bombastic rhetoric that so alarms the frontrunner's detractors.
Like it or not, Trump's support base are voters. They're also Americans. It's more important to understand what they want and why than it is to disparage the man they think should lead the country. Until someone in the GOP figures that out, the party won't stand a chance of stopping Trump.It may seem inconceivable to set up shop inside a soccer-mom chariot when you can afford more traditional accommodation. After talking to UC Berkeley seniors Parker Stow and Carter Keeling, a couple of “vanners,” it was soon made clear that their living situation was not a defining part of their identity, nor did it seem as though they lead completely different lives than the typical student. “It actually hasn’t been radically different for me,” said Stow. “It doesn’t feel as big of a deal as it might sound.” He has lived in vans for almost a year and a half. “It’s very elegant: You just buy a van and put it on the street and you think weird stuff will happen to it, but honestly we just go in and sleep every night and wake up and that’s sort of it,” Keeling agreed.
Boarding at a co-op is the main consideration that makes van-living feasible for both Stow and Keeling. “Logistically, it just makes things easy because you get your food there, you have a place to charge your electronics, you can use the restroom, shower,” Stow explains. For both of them, the co-op also provides a social element when the van gets lonely — or too warm. “We don’t hang out there during the day because it gets too hot,” Keeling said. “It’s just the sun blasting down on your car, so we’re lucky to have the co-op to spend our days.”
In fact, it was through the co-op that both discovered the option to live in a van. Stow had spent half a summer living in a friend’s van, and when another vanner in the co-op unexpectedly had to move abroad, Stow jumped on the opportunity. “I found out about the dude leaving for Ethiopia and I was like, ‘I enjoyed the last few months, I like not paying money, sounds like an attractive option.’ ”
Keeling’s story is a bit more complicated. Having always started late on apartment-hunting, he consistently found himself in unideal locations that were expensive and far away. This year, he decided, would be different. Looking for housing with his best friend, Keeling was on a cost-efficient quest and found himself in a small, crowded room on Ashby. “We wanted to get out of there,” he said “I’ve always known about vanners, but I never thought about it for myself.” In fact, it was on Stow’s recommendation that Keeling and his friend purchases a van they found on craigslist for $900.
The van came with a queen-size mattress, a belt, a fedora and 4 tabs of acid.
While the 1970s Ford Econoline provided enough space for Keeling and his friend, it lacked the typical function: properly running. “We drove it to Berkeley and the next day I had to move it across the street for street sweeping, but it didn’t turn on,” Keeling said. “It was literally the day after I bought this thing, and it just didn’t turn on.” The engine and circuitry could not be revived, leaving their van immobile ever since. “When we got the three-day (parking) notice in our first spot, we had to move it. So, we got eight people from the co-op to come and push the van. I was steering,” he said.
While this may seem like a stressful comedy of errors, Keeling takes solace in the silliness. “The whole process of the place we had to move out of in August: finding a van, the van breaking down, moving into the van, living in it,” Keeling explained, “It’s very absurd, it’s all very ridiculous. Every morning, I just feel that joy of the absurdity.”
That absurdity mixed with a little clutter describes the van life pretty well. “Storing clothes in an organized manner is pretty tough,” Stow admits. On the other hand, because Keeling shares the space with his friend from home, a routine is in place, “I have left side and Joey has right side, and then we have two hampers and two bags,” he said. “We keep clean clothes in the hampers. Put dirty clothes in the bag.”
The van came with a queen-size mattress, a belt, a fedora and 4 tabs of acid.
This full-proof system didn’t always exist, “Before that, it was just toss, toss, toss, dig every morning, smell the underwear. Is it clean? I don’t know, it smells fine.” Clothes aren’t the only things of questionable cleanliness when you live in a van that’s separated from indoor plumbing. “I think I’ve been on a path the past year towards embracing the scummy lifestyle: not showering every day, not brushing my teeth twice every day and wearing the same clothes every now and then.” Worries about bad breath? “I just cover it up with black coffee a lot.”
Despite the scum, both are avid proponents of the lifestyle. It’s been an experiment in necessity and luxury. “It’s reinforced the fact that I can not have too much going on in my living space and still be perfectly happy and functional,” Stow said. It also gave Keeling new insights about daily life. “It helped me understand so much of how we are raised, how we live our daily routines and how stuff is kind of unnecessary — having a room and stuff in it. Having morning routines where you get up and shower, wear a different pair of clothes and you’re always super hygienic. You have a set time you go bed, set time that you wake up.”
Keeling also says he feels more free living in a van. “I never really enjoyed living in apartments,” he said. “It was very restricting, having one set place that you go to every night, about having one bed in one apartment and you have to go through the front door, at the elevator, through the hallway. Living in a van, I have the liberty to sleep in a room in the co-op, go up to the fire trails and spend the night. In a way, it’s freeing. My mind isn’t weighted by expectations of what my life should be like.”
And if this new perspective doesn’t entice you to the lifestyle, the financial benefits alone are pretty prime. “More people should do it.” Keeling said, “It’s cheap. It increases housing, technically, in Berkeley. Putting a van on the street is a new unit. And it’s just kind of fun.”
Contact Marlena Trafas at [email protected]No one knows what the hell is actually going on with American Horror Story, its Easter eggs, or season connections. I don’t even know if the man upstairs, Ryan Murphy, knows. Are the stories just one, random, twisty outcome of some seriously dark, brilliant minds joining forces? Or are Murder House, Asylum, Coven, Freak Show, Hotel, and its characters components of a single, deliberate story?
I’m not sure we’ll ever know (damn you, RM), but coming up with theories makes us feel better for the time being because we can only lose so much sleep over this every night. After taking a look at some of the AHS theories the Internet has to offer, I found myself shaking my head at how ridiculous some were, wanting to dismiss them immediately. But then I thought: these ideas are so far out there, they actually might make perfect freaking sense. Read some below, and tell us if you agree.
Theory 1: Vivien Harmon from Murder House is the granddaughter of Freak Show’s suicidal doctor. FX At first, this connection seems so loosely tied and random as hell. A main character connected to who, now? And three seasons apart? But hear it out. Vivien talked about her family from Boston and sister in Florida. In season 4, set in Jupiter, Florida, Dr. Bonham killed himself, and his daughter came from Boston following the incident. The theory says: “there are two very specific and deliberate shots of Dr. Bonham with his grandkids: two boys and a girl. My bet is that the girl is Vivien’s mother. This would’ve made her about five or six in 1952, putting her in her mid-60s in 2013 (when Murder House is set). A plausible age for Vivien’s mother, as Connie Britton (who plays Vivien) is 48.” I’m no mathematician, but damn.
Theory 2: Freak Show’s Dandy (Finn Wittrock) and Asylum’s Dr. Oliver Thredson (Zachary Quinto) are brothers. FX Here’s the long skinny with details you need to know: “1929: Oliver is born; his mother Gloria Mott, (Frances Conroy) is 33, the age he claims she was when she abandoned him. 1932-1934: Dandy is born to the same mother (maybe enough time has passed for her to feel secure in having a child); Gloria is 36-38; this puts Dandy and Oliver at approximately a 3-5 year age gap. 1952: The current setting of Freak Show; Gloria is 56, and Dandy is 18-20 (which, given that he still lives at home makes sense, and Gloria looks relatively old for having an only son as young as Dandy). 1964: The setting of Asylum; Oliver is 35. Maybe the reason [Gloria] spoils Dandy so much is because she feels guilty about the poor son she gave away, forced to grow up in an orphanage. After growing up without a family, Oliver probably didn’t even know his biological last name, so Thredson could have been given to him by the orphanage or something he came up with on his own. Oliver and Dandy look similar enough, and of course they both have their psychopathic behavior. Plus, we have no idea about either of their fathers, so maybe he was a crazy serial killer too.” They’re psychotic and sexy enough to be very much related and you know it.
Theory 3: Asylum’s Dr. Arden is an alien. FX LOL, right? Nah, LOL because this could actually be legit. Here are the arguments: 1. Aliens do strange experiments on humans just like the psychotic Dr. Arden does. 2. When he visits Kit Walker in his cell, “Kit first believes he is being approached by an alien.” 3. Shelley claimed something was weird with his man parts, which obviously means alien. Just saying.
Theory 4: Evan Peter’s Freak Show character was foreshadowed in the opening credits of Coven. FX Precise as hell, but enticing, nonetheless. One fan pointed out that when Evan’s name came up in the credits, the goblin character (far left) in the background had lobster hands, which would eventually be part of his season 4 character.
Theory 5: Detective Jack Colquitt in season 1 and season 4 are related. FX So, there’s a Jack Colquitt in Murder House and Freak Show, and they’re both detectives. In season 1, Jack is the cop who “investigates Ben Harmon’s missing patient after he took a little nap during her session.” In season 4, Jack is “the cop who investigates the Freak Show and ends up arresting Meep.” The actors are different, the characters are separated by 60 years and 2,600 miles, but they must be related because this is more than coincidence, OK?
Theory 6: Murder House’s Billie Dean (Sarah Paulson) is the love child of a young Constance (Jessica Lange) and Asylum’s Timothy (Joseph Fiennes). FX Here’s the convoluted yet somewhat promising theory you would have never come up with yourself: “Billie Dean is actually Timothy’s daughter from a fling he had with a very young Constance (who he got together with because she looked like a younger Jude and he felt guilty over what happened between them). Billie was then raised by family of Timothy’s in California, hence why she retained the name Howard. [It] would explain Billie Dean’s southern-sounding first name (while she didn’t raise her, Constance may still have named her). [And] explains Constance’s attachment to Billie and also give more meaning to her dislike of Tate. She is repelled by him in the same way Addie fears him. Furthermore, as Constance’s fourth child, she is a missing piece and the illegitimate voice of reason in the Langdon family.” Is your mind exploding, or what?
Theory 7: Coven’s Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts) is related to Murder House’s Nora Montgomery (Lily Rabe). FX So much crazy bitchiness, it only makes perfect sense. Here’s what the theorist has put together: “Madison is around high-school age in Coven (which takes place in 2013), so let’s say she was born in 1995. Madison happens to have the same last name as Murder House O.G. couple Charles and Nora Montgomery, who built and then lived in the murder house in the 1920s — keeping their mutilated child Thaddeus (or “Infantata”) in the basement. Could the two Montgomerys be related? Descendants? Consider this: Emma Roberts [played] a fortune-teller on Freak Show. Could this be related to Madison Montgomery’s telekinesis? Telekinesis could be genetic.” And did we mention the irrational, sick, twisted, fabulous bitchiness?
Theory 8: The show is just a bunch of stories told by people over a campfire. tumblr My favorite theory, I saved the best for last. Would be so beyond irritating if this was the truth after all of these theories have been conceptualized, but its simplicity slays me.As usual, the heart wins. People that work here and friends I trust advised against it. Something about competitors will know and so will suppliers and that’s bad for business and what about competitive advantage and if you start here where does it stop. It’s risky and naïve and you need to understand that. And then I smiled and said I hear ya but what I don’t get is why every company doesn’t do this. Life has risk and I’d rather build trust with truth than skeptics with silence and when you have an opportunity you have to seize it.
So, this is my first post on the State of GORUCK: The Back Story Edition.
I don’t have the same passion for revenue that I do for people, but money is kind of like water on a Challenge: you have to have it. It’s not something we brag about at GORUCK and it’s not something we hide behind, either. It is what it is.
Growth is expensive, and growth is what we’re buying with our cash. We’re creating jobs and building infrastructure and upgrading systems that will help us run things more smoothly. The goal being that we want your experience with us to be first class. As there are more of you, there have to be more of us. Currently we have 38 full-time employees and 45 Cadre, decorated combat veterans of Special Operations, that all believe in our central mission to do right by people. We’re not perfect but we try to be and when we’re wrong we own it and we make it right. Without all of my mistakes the numbers would be much higher and without all of your support the numbers would be much lower.
Failure is wisdom’s muse. When she sings you listen and I’m no stranger to her call. 2008 was the year. Emily and I were still married and had spent 4 years of separate training and deployments around the globe. No expenses and too few shared experiences behind us, we put about $70K toward what would become GORUCK – things like designers and logos and websites and legalities and prototypes and mistakes add up. When we went our separate ways in 2009, I got GORUCK and Java and we both lost a ton. The song was a tough one to hear over and over kind of deal. But life’s a funny place and humility goes a long way, especially if you have a sense of humor. Emily took Challenge Class 003 in NYC in 2010. When it was over, we laughed and said it’s so cool even your ex-wife wants to do it with you. Ha ha, right? Later, events she had run in Africa while serving as a Diplomat became the blueprints for GORUCK Scavenger and Trek and we’ve built them out into our corporate-focused leadership training side called GORUCK Solutions. And now she works at GORUCK and I’m probably the only person in history to hire his ex-wife to work for a company she inspired and helped start. Oh yeah, I forgot that punch line. In 2007 when we were talking about what I should do when I moved to Africa, she said ‘you should do the GORUCK thing’ and I can tell you that without Emily’s support, GORUCK would be a very different place and by very different I mean much worse or not at all. And without the wisdom that failure taught me, I would be half the man I am today.
With the idea for GORUCK fresh on my mind, I called two people from the US Embassy in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, West Africa: Jack (above right, next to me) and Mike (below). Sitting in some back corner cubicle using some special code to call back to the States, I heard two things: I love the name and it could work. On the spot Mike became a one man Board of Advisors and Jack would later run point for things like logos and website layouts and we designed GR1 and the other rucks in his apartment in the East Village in 2009 as my marriage was burning. If you’re ever in a bad place, ask a friend for help. You’d be surprised how much people will do for you. And I was lucky to have Jack in my life to ask.
Fast forward to the summer of 2010 after my first year in business school and GORUCK needed more cash. I had a couple hundred bags on hand and more in production but few buyers and life is expensive. You can see in our 2010 numbers that we only did $52,356 in revenue. 100% of that came after May 2 and the majority came at Christmastime. December of 2010 we did something like $20K and it felt like we were printing money. In the Spring of 2010 I had started asking family and friends for money even though it felt like begging and nobody likes to beg. Mike, who knew everything GORUCK to date – and who by the way helped raise me (he was married to my mom for 12 years) – became and has remained GORUCK’s only investor. He bought 20% of GORUCK for $150K based on a valuation for GORUCK at $750K that he did himself. The point is that I didn’t know what I was doing on the numbers side of running a business. What’s fair and what’s not? – I had no idea. I trusted Mike and he wanted me to succeed. If you ever need to take money to fund something, two pieces of advice: (1) wait as long as you can and (2) trust the source.
Venture Capitalists (VC’s) were another option. I did not go that route for a few reasons: (1) I didn’t personally know any VC’s (the trust thing), (2) obtaining funding can become a full time job. If I did that, when would I find the time to do the things I needed to do to help GORUCK grow, and (3) I would have been way out of my league. I always wanted to do things differently, and I was pretty sure VC’s would not get it. That’s not a fact, that’s my projection.
So whatever Mike’s shares are worth now, I got the better deal because I had him even more in my corner. Mike’s been running a pretty large company for years, has several hundred employees and the experience to go along with it. And he’s always the guy you call when you need advice. Like I did with GORUCK. And much the same with Emily and Jack, without him GORUCK would either be vastly different or non-existent.
Two funny things, though:
(1) Mike recently told me with a smile that he thought he would never see his money back. His theory was that I’m not very good at failing but he still thought it was too tough of a business to ever see real growth. Niche product was his internal assessment.
(2) In early 2011, I was almost out of cash again. The GORUCK bank account had ~ $20K in it. Mike advised me to take additional capital and double down on the gear side, that The Challenge would be impossible to scale because the class sizes were small and required a Cadre to lead each one. But there’s nothing like people showing up to prove a concept. Recently he took Challenge Class 653 (aka it’s scaled) in Daytona Beach, Florida, with 14 other folks from his company. And when it was over, he even smiled and 3 years later everything made a lot more sense.
The point is that we were building a brand, not selling widgets with ads. There’s no other company out there (that I know of) that has the internal DNA |
, and he’ll feel the kinship this new-age ale has with his humble childhood.
Your Granola Yogi Aunt
Fair State Cromulence Sour Wheat Beer
What pairs well with a nice, pallid Christmas tofurky? It’s a question you’ll have to answer when your flowerchild of an aunt comes into town looking to get some ethically produced suds to go with her extra-firm, sprouted abomination. Get a Fair State Cromulence in her hand before she corners you to opine the benefits of water birth. She’ll love how Fair State is brewed at an employee-owned facility in Northeast, and once you tell her that sour beers are made with what’s essentially free-range yeast, she should be more than willing. Cromulence isn’t a very aggressive sour, and it has a bit of that vinegary, kombucha-like taste she’s used to. If she’s still not completely sold, you can tell her that shamans in Borneo feed it to infants to help establish their gut microbiota. It’s an outright lie, but it’s just as veritable as all the New Age junk she shares on her Facebook.
Your Pencil-Necked Accountant Uncle
Excelsior Spresso Milk Stout
This poor bastard. He’s been up to his yambag in Excel spreadsheets so long that he’s forgot how to interact with anyone outside of a cubicle. The guy is basically a walking office joke, and he’s yukking his chinless way to your place for the Yuletide. Your uncle is always going on about how he’s useless without his coffee. “Don’t talk to me before I’ve had my cuppa joe!” he probably says 80 times a day to the same vacant laughter. The best way to get him to loosen his ugly holiday tie is to start him off with something he’s comfortable with — how about Excelsior’s Spresso? Truthfully, this artfully crafted milk stout tastes more like a coffee than a beer. The heavy mocha presence is only partially balanced by the sudden crispness of the aftertaste. A sixer of these will have this spreadsheet-enslaved number-cruncher comin’ out of his shell like it was 8 p.m. at the annual office holiday soiree.
Your Crossfit-Obsessed Cousin
Big Wood Amigo Grande Mexican-Style Lager
The holidays are the one time of the year Brock breaks his paleo diet, so he’ll be able to enjoy some good-ol’-fashioned liquefied grains. Your cousin is gonna have a tough time sharing a table with people who don’t understand his passion for injurious cult fitness, so slip him a can of Amigo Grande. He’ll appreciate the boner joke in Big Wood’s name, and as someone who’s looking for a beer that tastes as good going down as it does being upchucked on the floor of a converted garage full of coked-out exercise gurus, he’ll dig Amigo Grande’s Corona-imitating smoothness. It’s one of the lowest-concept microbrews in Minnesota, and it’s the type of refreshing craft beer anyone — even dudes who think cavemen had the most nuanced grasp of nutrition — can get down with.
Your Insufferable Hipster Brother
Burning Brothers Roasted Coffee Strong Ale
Perhaps the only person in your family with a more deliberately restrictive diet than your meathead cousin, your brother is the most sigh-inducing member of your holiday assembly. It’s hard to keep up with the micro-gastro trends he’s cycling through, but there are certain buzzwords that will get this mass-appeal-averse sibling interested, and gluten-free is one of them. Burning Brothers in St. Paul runs a zero-gluten facility. They use sorghum to make their brews, and their Roasted Coffee Strong Ale is the crowning achievement of this grain alternative. Balanced, smooth, and creamy, Roasted is an unassailable option for folks who think the craft beer scene is too mainstream.
Your Basic-Ass Sister-in-Law
Indeed Yamma Jamma Harvest Ale
Sarah loves fall. And wine. And painting with her friends while drinking wine. That’s all you know about her, because that’s really all there is to her. She’s a caricature of a woman stuffed into a chunky sweater and yoga pants, but your sibling loves her, so it’s your duty as host to make her feel at home. What better way than to appeal to her sensibilities? Indeed took a root vegetable and made it the root of their harvest ale, the brilliantly autumnal Yamma Jamma. To be honest, the beer is better than she’ll probably appreciate — it takes a keen alchemist to prop up the banality of a brown ale on a potato, and Indeed have created a smooth-drinkin’ Frankenstein with Yamma Jamma — but once you suggest she chase every sip with a marshmallow to recreate her favorite holiday casserole, Sarah will be all in on this local craft brew.
Your Niece who Never Outgrew her Goth Phase
Steel Toe Dissent Dark Ale
With the amount of money this dastardly outcast puts into mascara, she probably hasn’t ventured very far into the craft beer market. You want something that matches her pitch-black aesthetic, and St. Louis Park’s Steel Toe Brewing cooks up the perfect match. The name Dissent is almost too on-the-nose for this little creature of the night, and the beer is so dark that light won’t pass through it. But it’s actually quite roasty and warm with strong coffee flavors, and the malty vanilla body betrays its unwelcoming exterior. Likewise, your once-darling niece still has some of her childhood pleasantness dormant inside her vampiric shell, and maybe sharing one of Minnesota’s finest foreign-style stouts will help bring that out.
Drew
Summit Sticke Alt Düsseldorf Ale
Who the fuck is Drew? He RSVP’d to your Christmas Evite, but you have no idea who he is or who he’s with. Is he your cousin’s boyfriend? Your new uncle-in-law? Your grandma’s hospice nurse? Well, shit, you gotta get the guy something, even if it’s not very expensive. You could just settle for Summit’s more readily available options like EPA or Saga, but even if you don’t know Drew’s obviously white ass, you still want something less ubiquitous to impress him. The solution? Edition 20 in Mike Lundell’s Unchained series — the Sticke Alt ale. Sticke Alt is a “secret”-styled German altbier that is heavy on malt and hops. Sharing your secret with Drew should create some instant bonding, especially as you note its synergy with the yams. Hopefully Drew is a cool dude, because if he’s a weird asshole, you’re gonna be stuck with him after giving him this one-year-only brown beer.
All photos by Jerard FagerbergThe F.B.I. has hatched another hare-brained scheme to convince the
American public that the threat of terrorism comes in many forms.
This time, the F.B.I. and the media would have you believe that
some backwards white folks, and perhaps the Occupy Movement as a
whole, are potential terrorist plotters.
B.S.
Over and over again, the F.B.I. writes the script, they cast idiots
to play the parts, and then bust their own terror plot with a big
show in the press.
Even the New York Times can't remember any recent terror plot
'busts' that DIDN'T involve the F.B.I. actually having to provide
the entire scenario, including the fake bombs.
They do this to keep the American public convinced that if we
don't give up our rights, if we don't accept government
transgressions and tyranny, then we will all be at the mercy of
terrorists.
Exactly like the Mafia protection racket with a better publicist...Reminder: upload rules
Maniapark is not a team/personal/painter skin dump!Ever since the Steam Workshop recent crackdown on low-effort content (painter skins, obvious rip-offs and the like), we have noticed a sudden increase in submissions involving otherwise fine-looking team/personal skins and not-so-fine painter skins, which are still prohibited under our policies, as Maniapark are intended to be a public quality content showcase, as outlined here: http://www.maniapark.com/rules.php As such,If your team/personal skin is done with an external program and you really wish to share it with us all, we strongly invite you to delete your nickname or anything else indicative of your appartenance to a team off of it before doing so.To make.LOC files for your team/personal skin work using Dropbox, refer to this post: http://www.maniapark.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=210455#p210455 Alternately, by using Google Drive: http://www.maniapark.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=24629 Thank you for your understanding!Google continues to build out its lineup of content partners for the Chromecast streaming media device. This time, partners include Comedy Central, Sesame Street Go, Nickelodeon, and TuneIn, providing a good mix of comedy, kids and radio/podcast content for direct broadcast to your TV or display.
Other new channels include EPIX, YuppTV and Encore, which add additional TV and movie content, including live broadcast Indian television, and U.S. blockbusters. The new apps debuting today should help make Chromecast an even better companion for Thanksgiving gatherings, offering up something for the family to gather around while waiting on that turkey to brown.
It’s interesting to see some content partners, like TuneIn, debut on Android TV first and then make their way to the Chromecast later. Casting functionality is a different approach to the native, local software available on Android TV, but media providers testing both models will be able to shed more light on what stands the most chance of prevailing long-term.
On the one hand, Android TV built directly into televisions and set-top boxes shows a lot of promise – you don’t need anything else, just pick your app and go. On the other, smartphones are ubiquitous as it is, and you’re more likely to have the content you want on the device you always have with you than on a local service, especially if you’re using it away from home or at a new location.
So long as Chromecast keeps signing on media partners, and those same partners continue to loosen up about how and where their content gets consumed, my long bet is on simple streaming, rather than separate platforms.Imagine a house outside of space and time. I picture a nice three-story Victorian house— burnt red with white trim. The front door is yellow. And it has one of those spires, as every imaginary Victorian house should have.
In the parlor, Johann Sebastian Bach is sitting at the piano, not playing anything. Just sitting there. Just like he always does. Over lunch he talked of his love for music and his almost mathematical fascination with bringing melodies and counter-melodies together. Yet here he’s sitting silently, so afraid of the notes that he might play that his fingers never touch the keys.
In one of the upstairs bedrooms, Leonardo Da Vinci has locked himself in a closet. He’s painting in there— we think. But we’re not totally sure. Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing in secret. No one sees it. Ever. All we know is there’s a door and he goes behind it for a while, and then comes out. Sometimes he talks about it. He makes vague references to techniques and theories that he’s developing. But we’ll never know what they are.
Martin Luther King Jr. sits at the kitchen table, pen in hand, writing a speech or sermon that no one will ever hear. He’s been spending his time sitting there every day, writing. And every time you ask him what he’s up to, he simply shrugs and says, “Oh nothing.” He’s not interested in sharing his work.
As you explore, you find many other great women and men— all the people that have shaped your world. They’re all in this house going about their life’s work, yet not sharing any of it.
Can you imagine it?
A world in which Bach never laid the foundations of western music? A world in which Da Vinci— if he did paint the Mona Lisa — never told anyone about it? A world in which Martin Luther King Jr. never shared his dreams?
What a different world it would be— their names would be meaningless and the beauty that they created would go unknown.
It takes imagination to think of great leaders like this, because we know them to be quite the opposite: prolific and open. We can google a name and find the things that person created: books, talks, videos, art, institutions, and whatever other mediums they used.
Now remove the people you admire, and put yourself in this house. This is often where we live— full of potential, ideas, dreams, desires, and vision, yet scared to share it. Afraid to risk being seen, criticized, and rejected.
It’s so much easier to stay anonymous than it is to stand up for what you want to create in the world.
We say it matters that our voices be heard, but we allow ourselves and others to hide and play it safe.
We’re afraid of what our families will think about the work we want to create or the music we want to make, so we’re timid and shy with it.
Do this with me: choose a great leader, artist, or hero. Now ask yourself: were they afraid of what people thought about them and their work?
The answer is yes. Yes. Yes! Of course. And did everyone love everything they did? Absolutely not. It’s not possible.
So what’s more important, MLK’s legacy or that his friends may have had concerns about him? DaVinci’s flying machines or his siblings feeling jealous? Bach’s prolific catalog or the fact that his friends didn’t really “get him”?
The imaginary house is old. You didn’t notice it at first, but it’s unkept and dilapidated. Brown stains on the ceiling show the leaky roof. The floor boards squeak and bend. The doors are barely holding to their hinges. The wall paper is peeling. The sinks drip brown water. And the windows don’t get close to stopping the draft.
A sign above the door reads: “The home of fear and timidity.”
It’s time to leave this house. It’s not a good place for you. Your heroes didn’t live here, and neither should you.
Come out and into the sun.
It’s time to speak your truth, because it deserves to be heard.
It’s time to go public with your private project. It’s time to take action on finding or creating your dream job. It’s time to let yourself be the person you were made to be, with all your goodness and all your difficulty.
Come out and play. Show us your work. Show us what you have to make. We want to see you.
(Visited 22 times, 1 visits today)Based on the commentary I was seeing in online articles and social media comments yesterday, someone had just painted a mustache on the Mona Lisa. No one seemed to care that Da Vinci had decided to it himself.
I’m referring to the outpouring of dismay over the news that some changes had been made to the storyline and score of Disney’s upcoming film of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods. Mind you, no one has seen the film as of yet; the response resulted from a New Yorker “Talk of the Town” piece in which Sondheim spoke of the changes, and more to the point, from online articles based on that story which extracted out the specifics of the pending changes without the full context of the original report, which regrettably is behind The New Yorker’s paywall. Therefore it’s the secondhand reportage which seems to have reached the widest audience and sparked a healthy flurry of unhappiness.
I for one would like to state that I’m shocked – shocked, I say – to find that the creative and commercial forces behind the film adaptation of a stage work have mandated changes in the original material (for those immune to written sarcasm, I mean to say that I’m not remotely shocked). The litany of stage material (or for that matter books, true life stories and even prior films) that has been slightly altered or radically reworked for movie consumption is endless. But even minor changes become the fodder for endless online investigation, interpretation and instantaneous outrage, the currency of so much digital derision by the faithful. And it’s not even an online phenomenon – I remember the furor that arose when Tim Burton had the temerity to cast Michael Keaton as Batman in the 80s, even for what was a major reworking of material that had been reduced to camp 20 years earlier on television.
That Disney might want to homogenize some of the spikier elements of Into The Woods should have come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the company’s brand, which has a long history of altering fairytale stories, from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty to Once Upon A Time and Maleficent. Yes, I am one of the many who revere Sondheim’s work, and the man, but just as the removal of “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” from that film adaptation didn’t ruin the story on screen, I’m at least willing to wait to see Into The Woods before I critique its choices, whatever the rationale. And let’s face it, after almost 30 years, it’s not as if film companies were fighting for the right to bring the material to the screen.
What frustrates me much more in this scenario is the way in which the details of changes have been excised from their context in The New Yorker. Sondheim’s revelation came out of a conversation with high school teachers which touched upon some of the problems they face in trying to produce challenging work at their schools, by Sondheim and others. While reporter Larissa MacFarquhar is glib about opposition to Sweeney Todd (“the teachers were smut and gore idealists”), she does report on the portion of the conversation specific to Into The Woods. In particular, she relates how the teachers told stories of opposition to elements of infidelity and sexuality in the Sondheim-Lapine piece, and how Sondheim compared the attitudes of school administrators to those of Disney executives. (I asked the organization that arranged the conversation, the Academy for Teachers, whether a recording of the full session had been created, but founder Sam Swope said they had none, that the New Yorker account was accurate and that the censorship discussion was only a small part of a wider-ranging talk.)
When a teacher explains that she must always present bowdlerized versions of musicals (please look up that odd word if you don’t know it), the article reports:
“Can you let them read the original and then discuss why, say, Rapunzel is not allowed to die in the adulterated version?” Sondheim asked. “We do that, but they just get angry. They feel censored–they don’t feel trusted.” “And they’re right,” Sondheim said. “But you have to explain to them that censorship is part of our puritanical ethics, and it’s something that they’re going to have to deal with. There has to be a point at which you don’t compromise anymore, but that may mean you won’t get anyone to sell your painting or perform your musical. You have to deal with reality.”
Now I’m not entirely comfortable with Sondheim’s conflation of censorship with marketplace realities, since censorship is performed unilaterally by people in power against those without influence, whereas creative alteration in a commercial setting results from negotiation – and money is at the root of the decisions on all sides. Into The Woods wasn’t taken unwillingly from Sondheim – he sold it. I trust that he has safeguarded the essence of the show. But I agree that the impulse to homogenize for the marketplace does indeed come from a puritan ethic, as does school censorship, both cases where adults take a patronizing view of what young people can handle – though in the case of a Disney film, they’re trying to reach audiences much younger than the participants in high school theatre programs in a big tent effort.
It is the stage alteration in schools that perpetually worries me. In cases when creators or rights holders have authorized “junior”or “school” versions of stage works, they are active participants in the excision of “challenging” material,” and while perhaps that’s also a market-driven decision, I like to think that it also occurs in the best interests of allowing to students to take on work which would otherwise be wholly off-limits in a school setting. Regardless, I worry about the academic gatekeepers who mandate these changes, which may vary from school to school or state to state, and in far too many cases are done at the school level without any approval from the licensing house or creator. That’s where censorship is truly taking place and insidious. It’s where the idea that anyone can alter a stage text at will is born, much to the consternation of authors, and their representatives at the Dramatists Guild, in the U.S.
As Sondheim notes in the New Yorker piece, “If you look at most plays, it’s like the sonata form in music–if you screw around with that, you’re taking your life in your hands.”
It is clear in the article that Sondheim is an active participant in the film of Into The Woods, whether his resulting choices are grudgingly mercenary or willingly collaborative is hard to assess. Regarding the removal of the Baker’s Wife’s liaison and the song “Any Moment,” the article reports one educator’s distress and Sondheim’s acquiescence.
“Stick up for that song!” a teacher called out. “I did, I did,” Sondheim said. “But Disney said, we don’t want Rapunzel to die, so we replotted it. I won’t tell you what happens now, but we wrote a new song to cover it.”
As with any adaptation of a prior work, changes are inevitable. Fortunately, the new version doesn’t change the source, and in the case of Into The Woods, Disney’s film won’t yield a whole new stage text. I do worry that schools will interpret the screen revisions as permission to alter their own productions, which is in fact illegal; I’ve been struck by how often opposition to Sweeney Todd has arisen from the film’s gouts of bloods, which suggest that gore is essential to the show, when even John Doyle’s Broadway revival dispensed with obvious blood-letting, so the films do suggest a template to the public. What is very likely to occur from the Into The Woods film is that people beyond the core fan base for musicals will be introduced to the genius of Sondheim and, perhaps, that even more schools will do the show – according to the approved text.
It may be fun join in online outrage, but it’s an impotent act in a case like this. The film will be what Disney wants it to be. Why not put those efforts to better use, and direct them to supporting live theatre and making sure that the teachers whose genuine concerns sparked this kerfuffle have the opportunity to tackle brilliant and challenging work with their students, their schools and their communities. That’s where your voice can make a difference, in advancing the cause of arts education and in the battle against true censorship whenever it arises.
Addendum, June 23, 2014: One week after The New Yorker article came out and five days after the online furor began, Stephen Sondheim released the following statement about changes to Into The Woods, which largely negates the cuts he said would be happening. It reads:
An article in The New Yorker misreporting my “Master Class” conversation about censorship in our schools with seventeen teachers from the Academy for Teachers a couple of weeks ago has created some false impressions about my collaboration with the Disney Studio on the film version of Into the Woods. The fact is that James (Lapine, who wrote both the show and the movie) and I worked out every change from stage to screen with the producers and with Rob Marshall, the director. Despite what the New Yorker article may convey, the collaboration was genuinely collaborative and always productive. When the conversation with the teachers occurred, I had not yet seen a full rough cut of the movie. Coincidentally, I saw it immediately after leaving the meeting and, having now seen it a couple of times, I can happily report that it is not only a faithful adaptation of the show, it is a first-rate movie. And for those who care, as the teachers did, the Prince’s dalliance is still in the movie, and so is “Any Moment.”
Like this: Like Loading...Harvard Professor Laurence Tribe has been getting a lot of press in advance of his representation of Peabody Energy in its dispute with the Obama Administration over the constitutionality of the Environmental Protection Agency’s carbon dioxide emission regulations. The New York Times reported (April 6) that many of Tribe’s colleagues at Harvard Law School are “bewildered and angry.” Jody Freeman, director of the environmental law program at Harvard Law School, told the Times that Tribe’s claims of unconstitutionality are “baseless.” Freeman and respected law professor and Supreme Court advocate Richard Lazarus wrote on the Harvard Law School website that Mr. Tribe’s arguments are “ridiculous.”
Really? The legal analysis of one of the country’s leading constitutional scholars has no merit whatsoever?
Worse yet, Tribe has even been called a traitor. But a traitor to what? It can’t be that he is a traitor to the constitution. Every constitutional case involves disagreement over the meaning of the constitution. Judges, including Supreme Court justices, often disagree about constitutional requirements. Losing arguments and dissenting opinions are not the pronouncements of traitors. That Professor Tribe disagrees with the Obama administration and apparently most academic lawyers could not make him a traitor to the constitution.
Tribe’s sin is not that he might prove to be wrong on the constitutional issue. Rather it is that he might prove to be right and thereby undercut the Obama administration’s climate change policies. In other words, Tribe is a traitor to the environmentalist policy agenda.
Sadly, this sort of characterization of legal arguments is increasingly commonplace. When Ted Olson joined J to argue in defense of gay marriage he was deemed a traitor by many social conservatives. When Chief Justice John Roberts provided the fifth vote to uphold the constitutionality of Obamacare he was labeled a traitor by opponents of the health care law. But like Tribe, right or wrong, these people were stating honestly held legal conclusions, not personal policy preferences. Or so we must fervently hope.
The politicization of legal argument is particularly evident in the legal academy. Many law professors see themselves as advocates for particular causes, not teachers of the law. Environmental law professors, for example, are overwhelmingly dedicated to preparing their students to represent the environmentalist side of environmental disputes. Those who would suggest that the law sometimes actually favors the position of an energy company or some other ‘enemy’ of the environment are dismissed as hired guns. Either you’re on the side of the environmentalists, or you’re the enemy. And woe unto someone like Professor Tribe who was presumed to be on the side of right and good but appears to have taken up the cause of the enemy.
Honest disagreements over the meaning of the constitution and other laws should be the grist of academic debate, not the basis for labeling one side or the other as traitorous. Professor Tribe should be, and will be in the upcoming legal proceedings, challenged on the legal merits of his constitutional argument. By dismissing his views as those of a traitorous hired gun we invite the courts to do the same.
The tendency to judge legal arguments, whether expressed in law review articles, legal briefs or judicial opinions, on the basis of their policy implications rather than their legal merits is corrosive of the rule of law. Too often we presume that judges will rule on the basis of their political preferences, not on the basis of what the law requires. Editorialists condemn or praise judicial rulings on the basis of results rather than the quality of legal reasoning. Law professors teach their students that any result is possible with creative argument, and the right judge.
Whatever one thinks of the Obama administration’s climate change policy agenda, Professor Tribe should be presumed to be stating his sincere legal opinion, and he should be particularly admired for doing so when it runs counter to what may be his political preferences. That is what every lawyer, law professor and judge should aspire to do. Of course lawyers can and must advocate for the causes of their clients, but at the end of the day their arguments must be evaluated on their legal merits. Otherwise the rule of law will give way to political power and we will all be traitors to the principle of constitutional government.With both the Republican and Democratic campaigns coming down to the final states, the primary races are heating up. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton both had huge days on April 26, increasing the likelihood that they will be the general election matchup come November.
Democratic Delegate Count (2,383 Needed) Pledged Delegates All Delegates Hillary Clinton 1,570 2,089 Bernie Sanders 1,219 1,258
Republican Delegate Count 1,237 Needed Donald Trump 743 Ted Cruz 545 John Kasich 143
With the conventions looming, a lot of minds are turning to the general election. RealClearPolitics polling aggregations show that Clinton beats Trump soundly in matchups, and is well ahead in favorability. This can change quickly, though, as an acrimonious Republican race ends.
Here’s a look at the state of the race:
Match-Up Polls: Clinton Holds Substantial Lead
Despite Trump’s assertion that Clinton would be “easy to beat,” he’s significantly behind in general election match-up polls aggregated by polling site RealClearPolitics, though not as far back as in races against Sanders.
Trump’s last victory against Clinton head-to-head was a 2-point edge in a USA Today poll in February. Clinton has won all but five matchups with Trump since RealClearPolitics began tracking the matchup in May 2015. The George Washington poll, however, has her at only +3, within the poll’s margin of error (3.1).
Favorability: Clinton Low, Trump Abysmal
Clinton and Trump combine for the most-hated frontrunner duo in favorability polling history. This is certainly bad news for Clinton, but there’s a ray of hope: she’s doing far better than Trump, who is the least-liked candidate since polls began tracking the issue.
Clinton Unfav. Fav. Margin AP/GfK 55 40 -15 PRRI/Atlantic 54 40 -14 Economist/YouGov 54 43 -11 RCP Average 54.2 40.2 -14
Democrats Favored in the Betting Markets
The betting markets, as aggregated by PredictWise, don’t track hypothetical matchups, and likely won’t handle general election candidates by name until they’re named as such at the party conventions. In party terms, however, the markets like the Democrats’ chances, giving the party a 75 percent chance to take the White House against just 27 for the Republicans.
Part of this, however, is likely due to their confidence in Trump regarding the primaries. Though it was as high as 80 percent at the beginning of March, the markets still hold Trump as a 64 percent favorite to take the nomination. Given Trump’s double-digit losses to both Democratic candidates, it’s a reasonable prediction, but it does require Trump to clinch the nomination, which is very much up in the air.Commons leader says ministers need to work out how to disclose information while protecting negotiations with EU
The government has conceded that it must share dozens of previously confidential documents assessing the economic impact of Brexit after Labour won a Commons motion demanding their release.
After Wednesday evening’s unanimous vote calling for the 58 studies to be released, ministers refused to confirm whether the arcane type of motion passed unanimously by MPs, known as a “humble address”, was considered binding.
But answering questions in the Commons on Thursday, the leader of the house, Andrea Leadsom, said this was the case. However, she indicated that there could be some delays as ministers pondered how to release the information without damaging Brexit negotiations.
“It is absolutely accepted that the motion passed by the house yesterday is binding, and that the information will be forthcoming,” she said. “But as I think has been made very clear, it is the case that it’s difficult to balance the conflicting obligation to protect the public interest through not disclosing information that could harm the national interest, whilst at the same time ensuring that the resolution that the house passed yesterday is adhered to.”
The Labour motion, tabled by the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, calls for the full, unredacted impact assessments to be passed to the Brexit select committee, which would decide what elements could be released more widely.
Earlier on Thursday, Robin Walker, the junior Brexit minister, said talks had already begun between his department and the chair of the Brexit committee, Labour MP Hilary Benn, on the next steps.
“We take very seriously the motion of parliament, we will be responding to it,” Walker told MPs. “The secretary of state has already spoken to the chairman of the select committee of exiting the European Union and will be discussing this matter with him further in due course.”
Benn later wrote to Davis asking him to “confirm in writing as soon as possible the arrangements that you are making to give effect to this decision”.
In the letter, Benn told Davis he would happily discuss what sections might be sensitive once the reports had been sent to the committee.
Labour has sought for months to secure the release of the studies, which cover the great majority of the UK economy, prompting speculation that ministers were wary of sharing them because of the gloomy assessments they contain.
The motion was passed unanimously after the government said it would not oppose the measure, a tactic it has taken several times recently to ward off likely rebellions by Tory MPs supporting Labour motions.
However, while normal opposition day motions can be ignored by the government without consequence, the measure seeking release of the papers was tabled as a humble address, an arcane parliamentary request rarely used since the 19th century.
The Speaker, John Bercow, said such motions were “traditionally regarded as binding or effective”, but said he could not immediately rule whether ministers would be judged in contempt of parliament if they did not act.
After five rounds of Brexit talks, David Davis runs out of bluster | John Crace Read more
Starmer, who tabled the motion, said after the vote that he expected ministers to release the studies. “Labour has been absolutely clear since the referendum that ministers could not withhold vital information from parliament about the impact of Brexit on jobs and the economy,” he said.
“It’s completely unacceptable for the Tories to have wasted months avoiding responsible scrutiny and trying to keep the public in the dark. The reality is that it should not have taken an ancient parliamentary procedure to get ministers to listen to common sense.”
During the debate, Starmer argued that passing the papers initially to the Brexit select committee would be a prudent approach, not least as it has a majority of Conservative MPs, despite being chaired by a Labour member.
Responding to Starmer, Walker said the government was wary of releasing “unvarnished” advice in case it prompted future documents to be written in less frank terms..
Release of the documents was backed in the debate by several Tory MPs, including the pro-Brexit Jacob Rees-Mogg as well as other rebels such as Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston.
In her contribution to the debate, Soubry took aim at diehard Brexiters on her own side, who she said had to get serious about the process. “You’ve won, you’re in charge of this, now you have to face up to the responsibility of delivering a Brexit that works for everybody in this country and for generations to come,” she said.
Soubry added that some of those opposed to releasing the studies seemed mainly worried about what they contained, saying: “The implication is quite clear: there’s something in them that’s not to be disclosed because it might prick this golden bubble, this balloon, of the promised land of Brexit.”The subject has become a key issue in the Brexit debate: who gets in and who has to stay out. And what will Britain look like if we put up insurmountable barriers to people from other countries and cultures who want to live and work here?
The Conservative government has already been tightening up immigration controls for the very people British industries say are most needed – unskilled workers – and is considering a points-based system that would allow only the best-qualified professionals in.
Coupled with plans to make it far tougher for foreign students to study here, the political measures being taken in Westminster are likely to have far-reaching effects on British culture.
But whether in universities, farming, the NHS, in the care or the catering industries, there is a growing sense of unease over who exactly will plug the gaps – especially in filling the low-paid jobs that many British-born workers won’t touch.
Migrants are disproportionately employed in low-skilled work – half of all those working in canning or bottling factories, for example, are foreign born – and since people come here looking for work, most will gravitate to where there are vacancies, leading to a report commissioned by the government advising: “The implication is that in terms of low-skilled employment at least, there are large parts of England and Wales where competition between UK-born and migrant workers will be very small or virtually non-existent.”
Few industries illustrate the positive impact of immigrants on our society as clearly as food. The wealth of tastes and flavours available in our kitchens and supermarkets, the huge variety of takeaways and restaurants on our high streets, is something many British people take for granted.
While the impact of foreign-born workers on the wages and employment opportunities of British-born workers is hotly debated, there are already reports of dozens of curry houses closing down due to a shortage of staff, something that was acknowledged by Theresa May when she was home secretary.
The Observer spoke to five people working in the British food industry, each of whom has contributed something unique to their adopted country.
Enam Ali came from Bangladesh as a teenager in 1974 and went to work in a Southampton burger bar while supporting himself through his studies, quickly abandoning the law degree his parents wanted him to take for a degree in hospitality. He has worked for restaurants and run his own, opened a trade magazine for the sector and advised the government on regulation in the industry. But it was establishing the British Curry Awards in 2005 that makes Ali most proud, and that won him his MBE in 2009.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Former British Prime Minister David Cameron is shown around the kitchen by the founder of the British Curry Awards, Enam Ali, centre left, at the 2013 awards ceremony in London. Photograph: Sang Tan/AP
“I do feel very proud of contributing,” he said. “What has happened here in Britain is such a great story, an untold story, in how all these foods, from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, were distilled into something else here, the British curry. And it is British |
back of the aircraft, and the officers physically removing her rom the plane.
"Despite repeated requests by officers, the woman refused to leave the aircraft and had to be removed," Delta Airlines said in a statement. "She was arrested and charges are pending."Oklahoma senator caught in motel room with teen boy sanctioned
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Senate voted Wednesday to impose sanctions on a state senator who police say was found with a teenage boy in a motel room.
Police officials in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident last week involving Sen. Ralph Shortey and a teenager. No charges have been filed.
The Senate voted 43-0 for a resolution that accuses the Oklahoma City Republican of "disorderly behavior" and imposes punishment. Among other things, it removes Shortey from membership and leadership of various Senate committees, bars him from occupying his office and reserved parking spot at the Capitol, blocks his expense allowances and authorship of bills, and revokes his right to have an executive assistant.
Senate officials said Shortey will still receive his $38,400 annual salary as a senator and will be allowed to vote.
Shortey, who was not present in the Senate chamber when the resolution was adopted without opposition, was not in his Capitol office Wednesday and has not responded to requests for comment.
The resolution by Senate President Pro Tem Mike Schulz, a Republican from Altus, was co-sponsored by 44 of the Senate's 48 senators. In a statement following its passage, Schulz said it was not intended to be "a presumption of guilt or innocence."
"The Oklahoma Senate has full faith that the judicial system will play out appropriately and bring this matter to a lawful conclusion," Schulz said. "This resolution reserves the right of the Oklahoma Senate to pursue further action if more facts come to light."
The chair of the Oklahoma Republican Party, Pam Pollard, released a statement Wednesday condemning Shortey's actions and alleging he is being investigated for a sex crime.
"No person, particularly a child, should be subjected to sex crimes," Pollard's statement says. "While we believe in the right to a fair trial and that all people deserve their day in court, the accusations against Ralph Shortey are in no way in line with the principles of the Oklahoma Republican Party."
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Senate Resolution 7: http://bit.ly/2nG84WXAs sure as dark clouds gather in hurricane season, a storm is brewing around artist compensation. Art and technology are at odds. However, it wasn’t always that way.
From the advent of cassette multitracks in the ’80s, to the arrival of digital multitracks in the ’90s, to the maturation of digital audio workstations in the ’00s, affordable, cutting-edge technology enabled recording artists to seize the means of production. The rise of the internet enabled them to marshal the means of distribution. Without those home studios, without a free internet, artists would still be trying to catch the ear of some well-connected impresario who could foot the bill for commercial studio time and old-media publicity. It’s a plain fact: thanks to technology, producing and distributing music is a lot easier than it used to be. And artists have reaped the benefits.
Yet, as an artist, you sense that something is wrong.
Like an impending thunderstorm, you feel it coming. The wind kicks up, the temperature drops, the dogs begin to bark. Something is about to happen, and it might just take a gutter off your house.
Art and technology are about to collide.
Wait, Isn’t “Fairness” a Good Thing?
The latest rumble arrives in the form of the proposed Internet Radio Fairness Act (IRFA). Led by internet-radio giant Pandora, proponents of the bill want to reduce the compulsory rate at which internet radio broadcasters pay royalties to artists. Supporters are seeking to cap royalties at a level they say supports the growth of internet radio. The “fairness” of that is debatable, but one thing is clear: if the Act becomes law, artists will be paid less, maybe a lot less, than they are now.
That is, a big chunk of the money now marked for artist royalties will be used to subsidize the internet radio business.
There isn’t really a nice way to say that unless your goal is obfuscation. As unpleasant as it sounds, with the major labels in decline, the tech industry is poised and primed to raid the artist-royalty coffers.
As Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven frontman David Lowery put it recently, “Meet the new boss — worse than the old boss.”
Open the umbrella.
Who Determines Artist Compensation?
In everyday commerce, the seller sets a price the buyer can accept or reject. This practice is commonly known as “willing buyer/willing seller.” Yet artists often find their work being made available digitally without their consent, or being sold at a rate set by others.
Pandora is seeking to prevent artists from setting a price for internet radio licensing. IRFA would make fundamental changes to the Copyright Royalty Board, and make it virtually impossible for artists to challenge new, lower compulsory rates for internet radio play.
Hear that clap of thunder?
In no likely scenario is the internet radio industry going to sacrifice its profits for the well-being of artists. It is going to pursue its own interests as a content distributor, and do everything in its power, naturally, to drive down the price it pays for content.
When It Rains, It Pours
Sure, many artists still see the tech sector as an ally. It’s fun to record songs in GarageBand on your iPad. It’s fun to listen to Pandora, a great platform that serves not only listeners but artists, too. Technological innovation has delivered a new level of freedom to artists, helping them to create more efficiently and to reach more people with their work than ever before.
So what’s the problem, exactly?
The problem is that these brewing storm fronts each have their own momentum. And they have just met at the same point in the sky: artist royalties.
The good news, and don’t let Kim Dotcom tell you differently, is that you own the content you create. Without it, all else — including internet radio — fails.
And that is a flood the tech sector does not want to see.
What should artists do to protect their royalties? Leave it in the comments below.
About Mark Doyon
I run Wampus, a creative development agency and label for emerging artists and authors. I make records as Arms of Kismet (and sometimes Waterslide), and wrote the book 'Bonneville Stories.'Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Cecil Parkinson was one of Margaret Thatcher's closest political allies, reports James Landale
Cecil Parkinson has died aged 84 after what his family said was "a long battle with cancer".
As Conservative Party chairman under Margaret Thatcher in the early 1980s, he played a key role in the Tories' 1983 general election victory.
Lord Parkinson quit the cabinet soon after when it emerged his ex-secretary Sara Keays was carrying his child.
Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "a man of huge ability" who had helped transform the UK in the 1980s.
Paying tribute in Downing Street, Mr Cameron said he had "learnt a lot" from Lord Parkinson at the start of his political career, describing him as part of "a great political generation that really did extraordinary things for our country".
And Mark Thatcher said Lord Parkinson had been a "great personal friend" to his family.
As they confirmed his death, a family spokesman said: "We shall miss him enormously. As a family, we should like to pay tribute to him as a beloved husband to Ann and brother to Norma, and a supportive and loving father to Mary, Emma and Joanna and grandfather to their children.
"We also salute his extraordinary commitment to British public life as a member of parliament, cabinet minister and peer - together with a distinguished career in business."
Image caption Cecil Parkinson, right, pictured with Norman Tebbit, played a key role in the 1983 election
Image copyright PA Image caption But he resigned soon afterwards when it emerged his former secretary Sara Keays was carrying his child
Image copyright PA Image caption Cecil Parkinson briefly returned to frontline politics in 1997, reprising his role as Conservative chairman
The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said Cecil Parkinson was one of Margaret Thatcher's closest political allies but said that his career was "undone" by the scandal that engulfed him following his affair with Ms Keays.
The former chartered accountant and businessman was central to Margaret Thatcher's political agenda and achievements in office, he added.
'Charm'
Lord Parkinson was in the front rank of Conservative politics for three decades, first being elected to Parliament in 1970.
After becoming a junior minister after Margaret Thatcher's 1979 election victory, he swiftly rose through the ranks and was named party chairman and elevated to the cabinet in 1981. He was a member of the war cabinet during the 1982 Falklands conflict.
He was tipped to be named foreign secretary after overseeing the Tories' landslide election victory in 1983. But he was given the more junior role of trade and industry secretary and it later emerged he had fathered a child with his former secretary, prompting him to resign in October 1983.
Former Conservative cabinet minister Michael Portillo said this scandal had "definitely held back his career" but the fact that he was offered a cabinet post at all was testament to his closeness to the PM.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jeremy Paxman to Cecil Parkinson in 1997: "You're the chairman of a fertiliser firm. How deep is the mess you're in at present?"
Former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said Lord Parkinson would have been "the most natural candidate" to succeed Margaret Thatcher had events not turned out in the way they did.
"John Major eventually filled the gap that Cecil Parkinson would have had," he told the BBC News Channel. "But Cecil Parkinson was in reality a Thatcherite while John Major, as Margaret Thatcher eventually discovered, was not nearly as close to her, as she had hoped and assumed".
The former prime minister regarded Cecil Parkinson as "one of us", Sir Malcolm added: "He shared her views, thoughts and ideas. She was comfortable with him and had confidence in him, In addition, at a personal level, he was able to charm her."
'Exceptional talent'
After being brought back into government by Margaret Thatcher in 1987, Cecil Parkinson served as energy and transport secretaries.
He stood down as an MP in 1992 and was elevated to the House of Lords. He briefly made a comeback as Tory Party chairman, under William Hague, after the party's general election hammering in 1997.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Lord Hague: "He was an exceptional talent"
Lord Hague described him as "an exceptional talent and an extraordinarily nice man to work with".
Other members of the current government have also been paying tribute. Chancellor George Osborne tweeted: "Sad to hear of death of Cecil Parkinson. I worked with him when he was party chairman in 1997-8 - he was there in our hour of greatest need."
And former minister Alan Duncan said Lord Parkinson was "personable, amusing, easy-going and mischievously witty". "He started as Margaret Thatcher's great marketing man for overseas trade and turned into one of the great personalities of the Thatcher era," he said.
When the scandal over Cecil Parkinson's infidelity broke during the 1983 Conservative Party conference, Ms Keays claimed the politician had agreed to leave his wife Ann for her.
In her book, A Question Of Judgement, Ms Keays claimed that the then Mr Parkinson had "begged" her to have an abortion and that he had "haggled over every pound" of financial support for their daughter Flora.
But the Conservative politician insisted that he had voluntarily made more than adequate provision for Flora - who was diagnosed at an early age with learning disabilities and Asperger's syndrome, and had an operation to remove a brain tumour when she was four.
In 1993, Cecil Parkinson and Sara Keays secured an injunction to prevent any information being published about Flora or her schooling until she turned 18. The court order was designed to protect her privacy but was later disowned by Miss Keays.
In an interview in 2002, after the gagging order had expired, Flora Keays said her father had "behaved very badly" towards her and her mother but hoped that one day he would become "part of our lives".Germany Agrees: There Is A Solar-Powered Solution To Greek Debt Crisis
April 1st, 2013 by Tina Casey
The Germany-Greece Solar Power Agreement
Greece already has the makings of a strong but slowly growing solar power sector. The Germany-Greece agreement, which was signed last Thursday, calls for Germany to take the lead in helping the country to rev up its solar power production with an investment of $319,000 (250,000 euros).
That represents one-fourth of the program’s initial phase, which was formulated by the European Union’s Task Force for Greece. Other members of the EU will chip in the rest for a total of one million euros.
Germany Beats US On Solar Power Costs
What could turn out to be far more valuable than the money, though, is Germany’s low cost solar power track record. With the benefit of German experience, Greece’s solar sector could successfully compete on the export market despite the added cost of transmission infrastructure.
We’ve been reporting on the relatively low cost of German solar power here at CleanTechnica for a while now. Among the articles we’ve put up is a little nugget from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which published a detailed comparison of solar power costs between Germany and the U.S. last fall.
Overall, the installed cost of a residential solar power array in Germany comes in at around $3.00 per watt, while in the U.S. a similar array would cost about double that, at $6.19 per watt.
At least part of the reason has to do with the “soft costs” of solar power including permits, inspections, grid connections, and everything other than the hardware itself.
The Obama Administration has been pursuing a goal of $1.00 per watt for installed solar power (that would translate into about six cents per kWh) through the SunShot Initiative. SunShot is a broad-ranging public-private program that includes private sector incentives to reduce soft costs such as the Rooftop Challenge, as well as funding for foundational research to improve solar cell efficiency.
Geopolitics And Sustainable Energy
One of our favorite things to do is add up the “twofer” benefits of renewable energy, and the Germany-Greek deal pushes it out into the geopolitical realm.
Creating new green jobs in Greece and providing that country with a valuable, sustainable and competitive export to help get its finances on track is all well and good, but what’s really interesting is the creation of a significant new energy producer within the EU. That could help offset EU’s natural gas dependency on Russia, which suffers from instability and prices spikes, further complicated by relations between Russian and its neighbors, most notably Ukraine.
CleanTechnica first noticed that something could be in the works between the German and Greek solar markets back in 2011, but the idea almost sputtered out in 2012, when Germany had second thoughts about a head-to-head competition between its domestic solar industry and Greek imports.
Clean Vs Dirty Energy Exports
Not for nuthin’ but while 21st century geopolitics came down on the side of clean energy in the EU, here in the U.S. we’re still spinning our wheels in the mid-20th century fuel export scenario.
As our domestic sustainable energy production revs up here, we’re seeing more pressure to increase U.S. petroleum, coal and natural gas exports. We’re also seeing more pressure to use our ports for fossil fuel exports from Canada, most notably in the form of “dirty” tar sands oil through the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline.
Instead of a twofer, we’re getting increased risks here in the U.S. from the continued impacts of mountaintop coal mining, natural gas fracking and oil pipeline transportation.
In the most recent Keystone development, our friends over at The Hill report that U.S. Representative Lee Terry (R-Nebraska) referred to approval of the Keystone pipeline as a “no-brainer,” just days after an existing Exxon pipeline ruptured and sent thousands of barrels of crude tar sands oil from Canada spilling into a residential neighborhood in Arkansas.
Maybe that could pass for a no-brainer in the 20th century, but good luck with that in 2013.
Follow me on Google+ and TwitterThis entry is aimed at people outside of LA and NYC who have bought UCB book and tried to do the pattern game and had trouble with it. Maybe even people IN LA and NYC, I don’t know. It’s an exercise which is a training wheels version of the pattern game. Let’s call it the “stations” pattern game.
And as you can probably already tell, this entry will be the most improvy improv entry ever. Holy shit, is this one ever nerdy. If you read this, you are in DEEP, my friend. But it’ll be worth it! I’ve been running this exercise a lot lately and it’s killing! You gotta try it!
WHAT IS THE PATTERN GAME AGAIN?
The pattern game is an opening. It’s basically a ritual where a group uses word association to turn a suggestion into a bunch of ideas. You then use the ideas to start scenes. At the UCB, as championed by Matt Besser, we use this ritual to aggressively develop and pitch very full comedy ideas at the very top of our show. You’ve heard of “game of the scene” – in the pattern game we almost build the entire game BEFORE the scene. Whoa, right?
Perhaps you’ve tried to learn the pattern game, which means you’ve become totally confused by the pattern game. I mean, it IS crazy. A bunch of people stand like robots in a semi-circle and blurt terms at each other. It puts everyone in their heads, and there’s no way to remember everything people say, and everyone’s eyes glaze over and looks down at each others shoes and it’s REALLY WEIRD. Right?
And to make it worse, everyone – EVERYONE – seems to do the pattern game a bit differently. Everyone likes their own way of doing it and turns their noses up at the way everyone ELSE does it.
Well, I like my way of doing it and I am looking down my nose at the way YOU do it.
Not really, but this exercise will help make the pattern game work. And once you get comfortable with it, you’ll see the pattern game is a powerful tool, and if you get good at it you will be able to do something that only a small percentage of improvisers can do: realize the game of the scene as you are doing it.
You should shudder with anticipation here, because that’s some major shit I just said.
THE PATTERN GAME IS WRITING
Okay, first off, give over to the idea that the pattern game is about writing. It just is. It’s pitching ideas to each other. You can try to liven it up with a lot of physicality and emoting, but you’re just delaying the root issue: you’re writing. That’s partly why this is hard. You’re using a different set of mental muscles than you do for the rest of improv.
There are people who think that anything that feels like writing is cheating in improv. Don’t be like that. Improv is acting AND writing. It’s MORE acting, yes, but it’s also writing and you should accept that.
I mean, the writerly types need to get over themselves and commit to abstract sound-and-movement stuff. And so the actorly types should get over themselves and do some thinky verbal stuff. Let’s all meet in the middle and use each others powers to become a huge comedy machine.
TELL ME THE EXERCISE ALREADY
Here we go! It’s a bit awkward to write out so stay with me, here.
6-8 people up. Could even be more. Whatever. Break into three groups of at least 2 people each. We’re going to call those groups “stations.”
STATION ONE: TERMS
Coach gives a suggestion to station 1, like “birdhouse.” Someone in the group says something which “birdhouse” reminds them of, like “hummingbirds” and then everyone word associates off the last term. Words or very short phrases. “sugar diet” “atkins diet” “fooling yourself” “lies” “the dog went to a farm."
The group should try NOT to be funny. Just do terms. Rich specific ones are better than simple boring ones.
STATION TWO: PITCHING AND CONFIRMING
As station 1 does their word association, the people in station 2 are listening and trying to think of funny ideas for scenes. When someone thinks of one, they go "stop” – and station 1 stops – and then the person in station 2 says their idea to the other people in station 2.
They just say it like a human being. They say “Okay, so maybe it’s a dad telling his kid about how the Atkins diet is not a real thing.”
That’s the pitch. Maybe that’s not funny. Maybe it is. The people in station 2 shouldn’t be too fussy. Be aggressive and say ideas even if you’re not sure of them.
Okay, so once a pitch has been said — SOMEONE ELSE IN STATION 2 HAS TO CONFIRM IT. They have to say back what is funny about the idea. They can clarify it, but they shouldn’t change it.
Something like “So it’s like a birds-and-the-bees talk, but instead they’re telling the truth about the Atkins diet, and that it’s a sham?”
That confirmation part is important. Because a lot of people will accidentally completely change the idea. They’ll say something like “So this is a world where Atkins is a huge conspiracy and you get in trouble if you’re not on Atkins?” In that case, the person who pitched it would say “no, not like that.” THAT’S RIGHT, IT IS OKAY IN THIS EXERCISE FOR THE PERSON WHO PITCHED THE IDEA TO SAY NO. Then someone else tries to confirm it, or that person who already tries keeps truing. Maybe the person who pitched it has to re-explain. They are talking like normal human beings here.
If the person who is confirming says something that amounts to a different idea, and the pitcher likes the new idea better — you should still stick with the original idea. For right now, being able to understand someone else’s idea is more important than pitching around.
Phrases that help to clarify a game: “instead of” and “as if” – instead of birds-and-the-bees, it’s about Atkins. Or it’s as if the Atkins Diet was the story of Santa Claus and kids have to find out.
Once the pitch has been clarified, station 2 is done.
STATION 3: EXAMPLES AND TITLING
The people in station 3 will then give three examples of things that might be said in the scene that station 2 pitched. Either lines of dialogue that would be said at some point in the scene, or just things that might happen.
“Son, it’s time to talk. Put down that bacon strip.”
“Johnny, when a person loves his body very much, he stops shoveling crap into it just because of a fad diet book.”
“My parents were pretty progressive. We never did the Atkins diet, they were big on telling me the truth when I was like 3. Yeah, it was intense.”
Really hilarious, right? Okay, it’s not great. But you can see how these examples fit the scene that was pitched. And if there was any doubt as to what this idea really was, we will now know. You’ll be able to feel it: AH, yes, that’s what the idea is.
After there’s been 3 ideas, then someone in station 3 gives a title. The title is not really a title but a phrase that describes what the game is. This part may be redundant with something that was said in the station 2 portion, but do it anyway.
So maybe someone titles this scene “If the Atkins Diet was like the Santa Claus story.”
Then the coach gives a new suggestion to station 1 and you do it again. Do it a bunch. Everyone take turns being in different stations.
What happens very quickly is people learn how to communicate their ideas to each other. And they see that even the weaker ideas can be very fun once station 3 tries to come up with examples for it. You learn how to talk to each other about games.
NEXT STEP: EVERYONE IS IN ALL STATIONS
For the next phase, everyone stands in a semi-circle and there are no stations. Anyone can do any part. But you still go through the same phase. People are saying words, then someone pitches an idea, then someone confirms, then 3 examples, a title and start over. So the same person might say a term, and then later give an example.
FINAL STEP: NO STATION 2, NO TITLING
And the last step is to skip what station 2 was doing, and you also don’t bother titling it because it sounds lame.
You do terms, and then instead of pitching an idea with full words – you just give an example when you think you’ve got something funny. And then the group does two or three other examples until you feel like you all get it, and then you go back to doing terms.
So it’d be like…
birdhouse, humming bird, sugar diet, atkins diet, fooling yourself, “son it’s time we had a talk – you’re too old to be avoiding carbs anymore.”
And then you’re doing something very close to the pattern game. At the very least you will have a common language for describing the games of the scene.
And as you do this more and more, try to use fewer and fewer words. Brevity is the soul of wit and all that shit.
Wait, who am I to talk about brevity? This entry is… oh my god, 1500 words. This is insane.
But wait, more!
HISTORY
I did an version of this in a class at UCB in New York, and one of the students was Shaun Diston. Then years later when I hired Shaun to be a teacher I saw him doing a stations pattern game in a practice of his I was observing. I was like “hey, I love that exercise” and he said “I got that from your class!” But he had improved it greatly. Then I took the way he was doing it and tweaked it again to the version I described above. I’m sure Shaun has tweaked his and it’s probably better than mine again. What I’m saying is that Shaun and I are at war.
Ok, that’s it! If you have read the UCB book and are interesting in learning the mad ritual that is the pattern game I recommend this training wheels version! Also if you want a way to practice naming the game of the scene!
Whew.The Bipartisan Effort to End Gerrymandering in North Carolina
Jeff Jackson Blocked Unblock Follow Following Mar 8, 2017
Here’s why I just filed a bill to end gerrymandering in North Carolina, and why you should care.
Gerrymandering has become the defining feature of North Carolina politics. It’s why less than 10% of incumbents stand any real chance of losing a general election. It’s why the GOP has a hammerlock on the state legislature — with artificial supermajorities in both chambers — despite the fact that we’re a roughly 50/50 state.
Here’s why that’s messing up the state: Under our ultra-safe-incumbents map, the vast majority of us are only vulnerable in a primary. That means the current majority only needs to appeal to folks who vote in the Republican primary, which is about 10% of the state.
The other 90% of us have been rendered politically irrelevant. Not by accident — by design.
If you’ve been wondering why your state legislature seems content to keep us in the late night comedy routines and forfeit hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs over regressive social legislation, you have your answer. The 10% of the state that votes in the GOP primary has become the filter for all our legislation — to the point where they might as well be the entire electorate. It’s skewing the agenda.
If we let an independent commission draw the maps, dozens more of us would be vulnerable in general elections, forcing us to appeal to the rest of the state and not just focusing on our primary voters. Bills like HB2 would never happen, and if they did, they would certainly be repealed after becoming economic disasters.
Important note: My party gerrymandered for decades. For years, Republicans filed bills to end gerrymandering and give the power to draw maps to an independent group — and my side threw all those bills in the trash can, because we never thought we’d be out of power.
Then 2010 came along, the backlash to Obamacare kicked in, and the GOP seized majorities in both chambers in time to redraw the districts for the next decade. Then they decided to do something my party never did, which was to test the theoretical limits of how many members of their own party they could fit in the General Assembly. Hence, artificial supermajorities.
And here we are. Dramatically out of step with the rest of the state and with all of your friends in other states asking, “What’s going on in North Carolina?”
My bill is an identical copy of a bill that has been filed in the state House by a number of Republicans, so there is bipartisan support to end gerrymandering and return our elections to the voters. The political challenge will be finding support within the majority party in the state Senate.
If we end gerrymandering, it will be the most important piece of legislation passed this decade.
We absolutely need to get this done.According to the BBC, Jonjo Shelvey is reportedly on the verge of signing for Newcastle for twelve million pounds. The England international has not featured as much as he’d have like to for the Welsh side in recent weeks, with the likes of Jack Cork, Ki Sung-yueng and even Leon Britton making more regular appearances at the heart of Swansea’s midfield.
There is no doubting the former Liverpool player’s ability, his skill of transitioning the ball from defense to attack being a particular strong point. However, it looks like this will represent a good deal for both sides. It seemed that Shelvey’s playing days at Swansea City were numbered, and the Welsh side have received an acceptable amount for a player of his quality. Indeed, the money could be used to reinforce Swansea’s attacking options, as goals are a premium, and perhaps the main issue which is making them plummet down the Barclays Premier League.
Not since Yohan Cabaye, arguably, have Newcastle United had such a good central midfielder, who will add steel, passion and perhaps even some goals which will be vital for one of the biggest sides in England, who have an awful lot of history.
If both sides stay up this season, then this deal will have played a large part of that.Peter Shumlin, Democratic governor of Vermont, moved heroin addiction to the front burner of national news by devoting his entire State of the State address last week to his state’s dramatic increase in heroin abuse. Shumlin described the situation as an “epidemic,” with heroin abuse increasing 770 percent in Vermont since 2000.
Vermont is a microcosm of the nation. Across the U.S., heroin abuse among first-time users has increased by nearly 60 percent in the last decade, from about 90,000 to 156,000 new users a year, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
At the same time, non-medical prescription opiate abuse has slowly decreased. According to the SAMHSA 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the number of new non-medical users of pain killers in 2012 was 1.9 million; in 2002 it was 2.2 million. [It bears repeating that these stats are for abuse of non-medical prescription pain killers, not abuse of drugs obtained with a prescription.]
In the same time-frame, abuse of methamphetamine also decreased. The number of new users of meth among persons aged 12 or older was 133,000 in 2012, compared to about 160,000 in 2002.
Cocaine abuse also fell, from about 640,000 new users in 2012 from over 1 million in 2002. Crack abuse fell from over 200,000 users in 2002 to about 84,000 in 2012 (a number that’s held steady for the last three years).
The statistics suggest that heroin has taken up the slack from fall offs among other major drugs (only marijuana and hallucinogens like ecstasy have held steady or slightly increased among new users over the last decade; not surprising since they’re the drugs of choice among the youngest users, and since pot has been angling toward legalization for the last few years).
Most surprising in this sea of stats is the drop in non-medical prescription opiate abuse overlapping with an increase in heroin abuse. The reason may come down to basic economics: illegally obtained prescription pain killers have become more expensive and harder to get, while the price and difficulty in obtaining heroin have decreased. An 80 mg OxyContin pill runs between $60 to $100 on the street. Heroin costs about $9 a dose. Even among heavy heroin abusers, a day’s worth of the drug is cheaper than a couple hits of Oxy.
Laws cracking down on non-medical prescription pain killers have also played a role. The amount of drugs like Oxy hitting the streets has decreased, but the steady flow of heroin hasn’t hiccupped. Many cities are reporting that previous non-medical abusers of prescription pain killers—who are often high income professionals—have turned to heroin as a cheaper, easier-to-buy alternative.
One conclusion that can be drawn from the stats is that prescription opiates are serving as a gateway drug for heroin, not so much by choice but by default. The market moves to fill holes in demand, and heroin is effectively filling fissures in demand opened by legal pressures and cost.
Another interesting stat is that among first-time drug users, the mean age of initiation for non-medical prescription pain killers and heroin is virtually identical: 22 to 23 years old. That would also support an argument that there’s a cross-over effect from drugs like Oxy to heroin (in contrast, the mean ages for first-time users of pot and ecstasy are 18 and 20, respectively).
Vermont’s heroin problem would seem a foretelling of things to come in the more affluent parts of the country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Vermont’s median household income, home ownership rate, and percentage of people with graduate and professional degrees are all higher than the national averages, and Vermont’s percentage of those living at or below poverty level is significantly lower than the national average.
The bottom line: Vermont’s stratospheric heroin increase is happening where the money is, and the national drug abuse trends suggest that the same thing is happening across the country.
You can find David DiSalvo on Twitter @neuronarrative and at his website, The Daily Brain. His latest book is Brain Changer: How Harnessing Your Brain’s Power To Adapt Can Change Your Life.
More on Forbes:This is a weekly article that covers a sneaky player from each of the skill positions in fantasy football for each week of the season. The goal is simple: to give you insight on players that would normally be bench warmers or reluctant starters, who have the potential to be game winners this week. This is meant for standard, non-PPR leagues. Note: these are players with high upside that you should play in a pinch, not preferred every week starts.
I was out of town last weekend without access to a computer and as such missed out on posting an article for week 3. I will still go over the results of my picks from week 2 and cover my new picks for week 4. So enough of the explaining and onward to the content!
QB
Andy Dalton — Sneaky Start of the Week —
The Red Rifle had about as bad of a start to his NFL season as a QB could pull off – throwing for zero touchdowns through the first two weeks with four total interceptions. Many players likely dropped him after the second poor performance, leaving him on the wavier wire. After a near mutiny from the Bengals in week 2, the offensive coordinator Ken Zampese was fired and replaced by Bill Lazor. The change in offensive play was encouraging. In week 3, Dalton finally connected with AJ Green for a TD and threw 2 total TDs throughout the game. Joe Mixon also began to be featured in a more consistent role and finally seemed to find a rhythm, which helped open up options for Dalton. Just two short seasons ago, Dalton looked primed to step into the ranks of the top-tier QBs before missing the end of the season with a hand injury. He is unlikely to reach such heights during this season, but that doesn’t stop him from being a high-value streamer in the right situation, like this week.
Dalton has the pleasure of facing the Browns in week 4. The Brown’s DB group has been lackluster at best. Weeks 1 and 2 they allowed multiple TDs to Ben Roethlisburger in an away game (Ben normally performs sub-par when away from home) and to Joe Flacco, who just got completely shut out by the Jaguars. Week 3, the Browns played against the Colts, who they were actually favored to win against in what projected as a low scoring game. Instead, they gave up a long bomb TD and a rushing TD to Jacoby Brissett in his second week ever starting for his new team. Give Dalton another shot in the right situation and start him this week over other QBs in rough matchup situations like Ben Roethlisburger playing away at Baltimore and Alex Smith at Washington.
Week 2 sneaky start recap: Jared Goff – 224 passing yards, 1 rush yard, 1 passing TD, 1 interception. Goff was fairly average this week. He looked solid overall but faced constant pressure and didn’t make much happen in those situations. However, he played very well week 3 and may turn into a regular 12-team starter by some point this season.
RB
Chris Carson
Similar to how the Bengals offense finally started to find their footing last week, the Seahawks offense also finally showed up with 27 points against the Titans in an away game. In that game, Carson caught a receiving TD from Russel Wilson but rushed for just 39 total yards. The final score was solid enough but the rushing production likely has fantasy players worried. These concerns are merited, as Seattle has arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL and it has been rendering |
"convicted of precisely of what she did," and under the state’ sentencing guidelines, life in prison was mandatory.
Woodbury says Taylor did not want to negotiate a plea deal because she did not want to have to register as a sex offender.
Woodbury says Taylor felt her life would be over if she had to register (as a sex offender) so it wouldn't matter what she was convicted of.
Woodbury says while it might be some adolescent male's fantasy to have sex with a woman, in this case it was a traumatic event. The child has needed, and continues to receive therapy.Facebook and the MLB announced a new partnership today that will see 20 regular season baseball games live-streamed on Facebook this season, according to TechCrunch.
Games will air weekly on the MLB Facebook page
The games will air weekly on the MLB Facebook page, starting tomorrow night with the Rockies vs. Reds game at 7:10PM ET. According to TechCrunch, the broadcast will be sourced from a local broadcaster from one of the participating teams, without local blackouts. Future Friday night games for streaming will be announced soon.
This is another big partnership for Facebook’s live streaming ambitions, after the company recently announced a partnership with the MLS to stream live soccer matches. And Facebook isn’t the only one trying to build out live sports streams. Twitter previously bought the rights to air Thursday Night Football games with the NFL last season, which Amazon has now picked for the coming season to offer to its Prime customers. Twitter still has some NFL rights too, for other, live content that isn’t streaming games, which still illustrates how important sports streaming rights are getting for social networks.This article is about the New Jersey ecosystem. For other uses, see Pine Barrens (disambiguation)
The Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands or simply the Pines, is a heavily forested area of coastal plain stretching across more than seven counties of New Jersey. The name "pine barrens" refers to the area's sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil. Although European settlers could not cultivate their familiar crops there, the unique ecology of the Pine Barrens supports a diverse spectrum of plant life, including orchids and carnivorous plants. The area is also notable for its populations of rare pygmy pitch pines and other plant species that depend on the frequent fires of the Pine Barrens to reproduce. The sand that composes much of the area's soil is referred to by the locals as sugar sand.
The Pine Barrens remains mostly rural and undisturbed despite its proximity to the sprawling metropolitan cities of Philadelphia and New York City, in the center of the very densely populated Boston-Washington Corridor on the Eastern Seaboard. The heavily travelled Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway traverse sections of the eastern and southern Pine Barrens, respectively. The Pine Barrens territory helps recharge the 17 trillion gallon Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer containing some of the purest water in the United States.[1][2] As a result of all these factors, in 1978 Congress passed legislation to designate 1.1 million acres (4,500 km2; 1,700 sq mi) of the Pine Barrens as the Pinelands National Reserve (the nation's first National Reserve) to preserve its ecology. A decade later, it was designated by the United Nations as an International Biosphere Reserve. Development in the Pinelands National Reserve is strictly controlled by an independent state/federal agency, the New Jersey Pinelands Commission.
The Pinelands Reserve contains the Wharton, Brendan T. Byrne (formerly Lebanon), Penn, and Bass River state forests. The reserve also includes two National Wild and Scenic Rivers: the Maurice[3] and the Great Egg Harbor.[4]
John McPhee's 1967 book The Pine Barrens focuses on the history and ecology of the region.
History [ edit ]
Between 170–200 million years ago, the Atlantic coastal plain began to form.
The Barrens formed in the southernmost, and last, area to be formed in New Jersey, 1.8 to 65 mya, the Tertiary era.
Over millions of years, the rising and falling of the coastline deposited minerals underground, culminating with the end of the last ice age about 12,000 years ago, when plants and trees began growing in what is now New Jersey.
Forest fires have been a common occurrence before habitation by humans. Fire has played a major ecological role in the Pinelands, and the ecotypes "suggest that short fire intervals may have been typical in the Pine Plains for many centuries, or millennia."[5]
Around 10,000 years ago, the ancestors of the Lenape people first inhabited the Pine Barrens.
The fire regime before European settlement is poorly understood.[5] Scholars know that the Lenape tribes burned the woods in the spring and fall to reduce underbrush, and improve plant yields and hunting conditions.[6] The Pine Barrens, with its sandy soil, did not attract a permanent agriculture population (whose main interest would have been to establish permanent boundaries and clear the forests for fields).[7] The area's sparse population encouraged a long-lasting attitude that forest fires should be set for local benefit—even on the lands of others. For instance, it was profitable for charcoal burners to set fires deliberately, in order to make the trees useless for any purpose other than charcoal making, then purchase the trees for a discount.[7]
European settlement [ edit ]
During the 17th century, the area that is now New Jersey was explored and settled by the Swedish and Dutch, who developed whaling and fishing settlements mainly along the Delaware River. The English claimed the area as of 1606 under their London Company, and the Dutch abandoned their claim to the English in 1664. The first shipbuilding operations began in the Pine Barrens in 1688, utilizing the cedar, oak, and pitch trees, as well as local tar and turpentine. The first sawmills and gristmills opened around 1700, leading to the first European settlements in the Pinelands.[8][9]
During the colonial era, the Pine Barrens was the location of various industries.[10] In 1740, charcoal operations began in the Pine Barrens, and the first iron furnace opened in 1765.[9] Bog iron was mined from bogs, streams, and waterways, and was worked in about 35 furnaces[11] including Batsto, Lake Atsion, Hampton Furnace in Shamong,[10] Hanover Furnace in Pemberton,[12] Ferrago in Lacey, and several other locations.[13] Iron from these early furnaces was instrumental in supplying the American military with weapons and camp tools during the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Second Barbary War. For example, Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr. sailed to Algiers armed with 24-pound cannons that had been cast at Hanover in 1814.[14]
The first Indian reservation in the Americas was founded Brotherton in 1758, in what is now Indian Mills in Shamong Township. In 1778 during the Revolutionary War, the British burned and pillaged the village of Chestnut Nuck in a failed attempt to destroy the ironworks at Batsto Village. In 1799 after the war, the first glassworks opened in Port Elizabeth, and by that time, whaling operations had stopped. The first cotton mill in the Pine Barrens opened in 1810 at Retreat. Cultivated cranberry bogs begin in the 1830s, and in 1832, the first paper mill opened in the region. In 1854, the first railroad across the Pinelands opened, connecting Camden and the newly-established Atlantic City. Railroads soon connected the various small towns that existed across the Pine Barrens.[9]
In 1869, the bog iron industry ended in the Pine Barrens,[9] after the discovery that iron ore could be mined more cheaply in Pennsylvania. Other industries such as paper mills, sawmills, and gristmills rose and fell throughout the years, catering chiefly to local markets. Smaller industries such as charcoal-making and glassmaking also were developed, meeting with varying degrees of success. Over time, however, the forest reclaimed almost all traces of the Pine Barrens' industrial past. Ghost towns—remnants of villages built around these former industries—can still be found at various locations. Batsto Village has been restored to its mid-19th century state as a state historic site.
The Kallikak study [ edit ]
The Pine Barrens were home to many rural, backwoods families. For years, residents of the rural area were called "Pineys" by outsiders, as a derogatory term. Today many Pinelands residents are proud of both the name and the land on which they live.[15] In the early 20th century, a family identified in a case study by the pseudonym, the Kallikaks, were presented as an example of genetic inferiority by eugenicists. Today, scholars understand that the facts in the Kallikaks study were misrepresented, including photographs altered to make the family members appear more backward.[16]
Aviation accidents [ edit ]
On July 12, 1928, the Mexican aviator and national hero Emilio Carranza crashed and was killed in Tabernacle, New Jersey, while returning from a historic goodwill flight from Mexico City to the United States. Flying back from Long Island, he encountered a thunderstorm and crashed in Burlington County. A 12 ft (3.6 m) monument identifies the location of the crash.
Efforts to preserve the Pine Barrens [ edit ]
Despite rapid urbanization of surrounding areas, the Pine Barrens remained largely untouched because its sandy soil was unsuitable for growing most crops. Its iron and charcoal deposits did not compete with more readily accessible deposits elsewhere. In 1969, the Pine Barrens averaged a density of 15 people per square mile, compared with 1000 people per square mile in the lands bordering it. With rising environmental concerns at the time, people became alerted to the possible destruction of the Pine Barrens and its aquifer by urban sprawl.
State authorities in the region discussed plans to construct a jetport and associated city in the Pine Barrens to alleviate congestion at other major regional airports of the mid-Atlantic. The low cost of land and lower incidence of fog in the area made the plan appealing.[17]
Congress created the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, the country's first National Reserve, to protect the area under the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978.
The reserve contains Wharton State Forest, Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, Bass River State Forest, and Penn State Forest.[18] The Pinelands was designated a U.S. Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1983 and an International Biosphere Reserve in 1988.[19]
Howard P. Boyd was instrumental in working to preserve the Pine Barrens and educate visitors. He died in December 2011, within the Protection Area of the Pinelands National Reserve.[20]
The Pine Barrens is associated with many legends and tales.
Jersey Devil [ edit ]
The Pine Barrens gave rise to the legend of the Jersey Devil, said to have been born in 1735 to a local woman named Mrs. Leeds in an area known as "Leeds Point".[21] It was said that he was her 13th child and, because of the unlucky number, he was cursed. Another story says that the mother gave birth to a hideous monster that attacked her and her nurses, before flying up and out of the chimney and disappearing into the Barrens. Most alleged sightings of the legendary Devil have occurred in or near the Pine Barrens.[citation needed]
Geography [ edit ]
The New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve contains approximately 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) of land, and occupies 22% of New Jersey's land area, including territory of much of seven counties. Counties affected by the act are Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Ocean. The Pine Barrens comprise a major part of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion.
The forest is at risk from increasing development in the area.
Although natural fires have occurred, evidence shows that most fires in the region are of human origin.[7]
Climate [ edit ]
Indian Mills, NJ[22] Climate chart (explanation) J F M A M J J A S O N D 3.7 42 23 3.2 44 23 4.1 53 31 3.7 63 39 3.6 75 49 3.9 83 58 4.5 87 63 5.2 85 61 3.7 79 54 3.5 68 43 3.4 57 34 3.9 45 26 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D 94 6 −5 82 7 −5 103 12 −1 94 17 4 92 24 9 100 28 14 114 30 17 131 29 16 93 26 12 90 20 6 86 14 1 100 7 −4 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm
The Pine Barrens of New Jersey are in the transition zone between humid subtropical and humid continental climates. The Pine Barrens, however, have a microclimate that allows for a shorter frost-free season, and colder nighttime temperatures compared to most of New Jersey. Because of sandy soil and very little development, clear and calm nights can get much colder in the Pine Barrens than in the surrounding areas. On an average night, a 6 to 8 °F (3.3 to 4.4 °C) difference is commonly seen, but the change can be as much as 10 °F (5.6 °C).[23]
The Pine Barrens receives annual snowfall, varying from 15 to 21 inches (380 to 530 mm) throughout the Pinelands (the northern pinelands receive the most snowfall, on average).[24] Summers are typically hot and humid, and winters are typically cold, and fall/spring are milder transition seasons. Frost can be seen in fall, spring, and winter. In the Pine Barrens, frost occurs earlier in the fall and later in the spring than the surrounding areas due to the sandy soil.[23]
The average annual precipitation in the Pinelands is from 42 to 46 inches (1,100 to 1,200 mm), but year-to-year precipitation varies greatly. Thunderstorms are frequent in the warmer months, along with strong winds and heavy rains from these storms.[25]
Flora [ edit ]
The Pine Barrens is home to at least 850 species of plants,[26] of which 92 are considered threatened and endangered.[27] Several species of orchids, including the Pink Lady's Slipper, are native to the Pine Barrens.[28]
The forest communities are strongly influenced by fire, varying from dwarf pine forests less than 4 feet (120 cm) tall where fires are frequent, to pine forests, to oak forests where fires are rare. Dark swamps of Atlantic white cedar grow along the waterways.
Forest fires play an important role in regulating the growth of plants in the Pine Barrens. Frequent light fires tend to reduce the amount of undergrowth and promote the growth of mature trees. Forest fires have contributed to the dominance of pitch pine in the Pine Barrens. They can resist and recover quickly from fire by resprouting directly through their bark (something very unusual for pines). Their serotinous pine cones open only after having been heated by a fire.[7][29] The prevalence of forest fire allows the pitch pines to dominate over oaks, which by comparison are usually killed outright by a moderate or intense fire. High air temperatures and dry plant undergrowth contribute to the intensity of the fire. While severe fires are uncommon, severe fires at fairly frequent intervals can eliminate species that do not bear seed at an early age. Frequent killing fires keep an area covered with small sprouts.[30]
Efforts to battle forest fire attract debate over how to best preserve the Pine Barrens. While fires constitute a danger to property and inhabitants, preservationists argue that eliminating forest fires would cause the Pine Barrens to become dominated by oak trees. A few areas which had previously consisted of scrub and pitch pine have become dominated by oak trees because of intervention after settlement to reduce the frequency of forest fires.[31]
Fauna [ edit ]
The Pine Barrens is home to at least 39 species of mammals, over 300 species of birds, 59 reptile and amphibian species, and 91 fish species.[32] At least 43 species are considered threatened and endangered by the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife,[33] including the rare eastern timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) and bald eagles.[34]
A threatened species of frog, the Pine Barrens tree frog, has a disjunct population there.[35] American black bears are finding their way back into the Pine Barrens after a history of hunting and trapping had driven them out.[36]
Believed to have been extirpated from the state by 1970 due to destruction of its territory and human encroachment, the bobcat gained legal protection in 1972. It is classified as a game species with a closed season; in 1991 it was added to the list of endangered species in New Jersey. Between 1978 and 1982, the state introduced 24 bobcats from Maine into the northern portion of the state. Since 1996, they have been monitored by biologists with the aid of GPS transmitters in order to determine habitat ranges and preferences.[37]
A scent-post survey in 1995 proved bobcat presence in four northern counties. There have been reliable sightings of the bobcat in nine additional (mostly southern) counties, including those encompassing large swathes of the Pine Barrens and others skirting it, namely: Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Ocean, and Salem counties.[38]
Economy [ edit ]
Industries in the Pine Barrens are primarily related to agriculture and tourism.
Agriculture [ edit ]
New Jersey produces the third-highest number of cranberries in the country, mostly cultivated in the areas around Chatsworth, including Whitesbog. The first cultivated blueberries were developed in the Pine Barrens in 1916 through the work of Elizabeth White of Whitesbog, and blueberry farms are nearly as common as cranberry bogs in the area. Most blueberry farms are found in and around the town of Hammonton.[35]
Infrastructure [ edit ]
Highways [ edit ]
In popular culture [ edit ]
The Pine Barrens is the setting and the name of a celebrated episode of TV program The Sopranos.[39] The episode was actually filmed in New York as the production was denied a permit to film in the Pine Barrens.[40]
Gallery [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Governance [ edit ]
History and ecology [ edit ]
Non-profit organizations [ edit ]
Coordinates:The patent encumbrance of large automotive NiMH batteries refers to allegations that corporate interests have used the patent system to prevent the commercialization of nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery technology. Nickel metal hydride battery technology is potentially important to the development of battery electric vehicles (BEVs or EVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Others hold that the commercial development of nickel metal hydride batteries is the result of the inability of the technology to compete with lighter weight lithium batteries.[1]
Background [ edit ]
The modern nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) electric vehicle battery was invented by Dr. Masahiko Oshitani, of the GS Yuasa Corporation, and Stanford Ovshinsky, the founder of the Ovonics Battery Company,[2] and granted a patent.[3] The current trend in the industry is towards the development of lithium-ion (Li-Ion) technology to replace NiMH in electric vehicles. In 2009, Toyota tested lithium batteries as a potential replacement for the nickel metal hydride batteries used in its Prius model gasoline-electric hybrid. The company said that it would continue to use NiMH batteries in the Prius, but would introduce an all-electric vehicle based on lithium technology. Li-Ion technology, while functionally superior due to its higher specific energy and specific power, it is more expensive and, as of 2009, relatively untested with regards to its long-term reliability.[4] In 2007, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory said that Li-Ion batteries may be subject to dangerous overheating and fire if cells are controlled incorrectly or damaged.[5] In 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigated the safety of lithium battery powered vehicles and concluded that they pose no more risk of fire than other vehicles.[6]
According to the United States Department of Energy. the primary advantages of lithium batteries include their high power-to-weight ratio, high energy efficiency, good high temperature performance, and low tendency to spontaneously discharge when left unused for extended periods of times. Nickel hydride batteries have higher self-discharge, tend to generate heat at high temperatures, and have problems with hydrogen loss.[7]
General Motors and the US Auto Battery Consortium [ edit ]
The Ovonics technology was acquired by General Motors for use in its EV1 electric car, but production was ended shortly after the NiMH batteries began to replace the lead-acid batteries of earlier models
In an interview in the 2006 documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, Ovshinsky stated that in the early 1990s, the auto industry created the US Auto Battery Consortium (USABC) to stifle the development of electric vehicle technology by preventing the dissemination of knowledge about Ovshinky's battery-related patents to the public through the California Air Resources Board (CARB).[8]
According to Ovshinsky, the auto industry falsely suggested that NiMH technology was not yet ready for widespread use in road cars.[9] Members of the USABC, including General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, threatened to take legal action against Ovshinsky if he continued to promote NiMH's potential for use in BEVs, and if he continued to lend test batteries to Solectria, a start-up electric vehicle maker that was not part of the USABC. The Big Three car companies argued that his behavior violated their exclusive rights to the battery technology, because they had matched a federal government grant given to Ovonics to develop NiMH technology.[dubious – discuss] Critics argue that the Big Three were more interested in convincing CARB members that electric vehicles were not technologically and commercially viable.[8]
In 1994, General Motors acquired a controlling interest in Ovonics's battery development and manufacture, including patents controlling the manufacture of large NiMH batteries. The original intent of the equity alliance was to develop NiMH batteries for GM's EV1 BEV. Sales of GM-Ovonics batteries were later taken over by GM manager and critic of CARB John Williams, leading Ovshinsky to wonder whether his decision to sell to GM had been naive.[8] The EV1 program was shut down by GM before the new NiMH battery could be commercialized, despite field tests that indicated the Ovonics battery extended the EV1's range to over 150 miles.[8]
Chevron and Cobasys [ edit ]
By 2001, the Ovonics technology was owned by the oil company Chevron.
In 2001, oil company Texaco purchased General Motors' share in GM Ovonics. Texaco was itself acquired by rival Chevron several months later. The same year, Ovonics filed a patent infringement suit against Toyota's battery supplier, Panasonic, that led to a negotiated settlement in 2004. The agreement included extensive cross-licensing of each company's patents, a joint research venture to improve nickel hydride battery technology, and restrictions on Panasonic's use of its large format NiMH batteries for certain transportation uses until 2007.[10][11] In 2003, Texaco Ovonics Battery Systems was restructured into Cobasys, a 50/50 joint venture between ChevronTexaco and Ovonics, now known as Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) Ovonics.[12] Energy Conversion Devices announced that they had exercised an option to purchase back 4,376,633 shares of stock from a Chevron subsidiary, and would cancel and return them to authorized-unissued status. This is the exact number of shares that was listed as owned by ChevronTexaco in the January 15, 2003 filing.
ChevronTexaco also maintained veto power over any sale or licensing of NiMH technology.[13] In addition, ChevronTexaco maintained the right to seize all of Cobasys' intellectual property rights in the event that ECD Ovonics did not fulfill its contractual obligations.[13] On September 10, 2007, ChevronTexaco (now known as simply "Chevron") filed suit claiming that ECD Ovonics had not fulfilled its obligations. ECD Ovonics disputed this claim.[14] The arbitration hearing has been repeatedly suspended while the parties negotiated with General Motors over the sale of Cobasys back to GM. As of March 2008, no agreement had been reached with GM.[15]
In her 2007 book Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars that Will Recharge America, Sherry Boschert argues that large-format NiMH batteries (i.e., 25 amp-hours or more) are commercially viable but that Cobasys would only accept very large orders (more than 10,000) for these batteries. The effect is that this policy precludes small companies and individuals from buying them. It also precludes larger auto manufacturers from developing test fleets of new PHEV and EV designs. Toyota employees complained about the difficulty in getting smaller orders of large format NiMH batteries to service the existing 825 RAV4 EVs. Since no other companies were willing to make large orders, Cobasys was not manufacturing nor licensing any large format NiMH battery technology for automotive purposes. Boschert quotes Dave Goldstein, president of the Electric Vehicle Association of Washington D.C., as saying this policy is necessary because the cost of setting up a multimillion-dollar battery assembly line could not be justified without guaranteed orders of 100,000 batteries (~12,000 EVs) per year for 3 years. Boschert concludes that, "it's possible that Cobasys (Chevron) is squelching all access to large NiMH batteries through its control of patent licenses in order to remove a competitor to gasoline. Or it's possible that Cobasys simply wants the market for itself and is waiting for a major automaker to start producing plug-in hybrids or electric vehicles."[16]
In an interview with The Economist, Ovshinsky subscribed to the former view. "I think we at ECD made a mistake of having a joint venture with an oil company, frankly speaking. And I think it's not a good idea to go into business with somebody whose strategies would put you out of business, rather than building the business."[17] In the same interview, however, when asked, "So it’s your opinion that Cobasys is preventing other people from making it for that reason?", he responded, "Cobasys is not preventing anybody. Cobasys just needs an infusion of cash."
In October 2007, International Acquisitions Services, Inc. and Innovative Transportation Systems AG filed suit against Cobasys and its parents for refusing to fill a large, previously agreed-upon, order for large-format NiMH batteries to be used in the Innovan electric vehicle.[15] In August 2008, Mercedes-Benz sued Cobasys for again refusing to fill a large, previously agreed-upon order for NiMH batteries.[18][19]
Timeline of legal status of the Ovonics battery technology [ edit ]
Multiple companies have tried to develop NiMH battery technology without making use of Ovonics' patents. Electro Energy Inc., working with CalCars, converted a Toyota Prius from a hybrid electric vehicle to a PHEV using its own bipolar NiMH batteries.[20] Plug-In Conversions uses Nilar NiMH batteries and the EAA-PHEV open source control system in its Prius PHEV conversions. These organizations maintain that these developments are allowable because their NiMH battery technologies are not covered by Cobasys' patents. These batteries became commercially available in late 2007.[21]
On July 28, 2009, Automotive News reported that Cobasys would be bought from Chevron and Energy Conversion Devices by battery maker SB LiMotive, a joint venture of Bosch and Samsung.[22] At the time of the 2009 Cobasys sale, control of NiMH battery technology transferred back to ECD Ovonics.[23] In October 2009, ECD Ovonics announced that their next-generation NiMH batteries will provide specific energy and power that are comparable to those of lithium-ion batteries at a cost that is significantly lower than the cost of lithium-ion batteries.[24]
On February 3, 2010, patent JP2003504507 was refused, hence removing any patent encumbrance in Japan.[25]
On July 2, 2010, patent US6413670, expired due to lack of fee payments for the 8th year from filing the patent, hence removing any patent encumbrance in the USA.[3]
On February 14, 2012, BASF announced that it had acquired Ovonic Battery Company from Energy Conversion Devices Inc. But Chevron Corp. held the patent US6969567 for the NiMH multi-cell battery pack for cars[26] until its expiration on August 23, 2018.[27] This particular patent's maintenance fees for the 4th (2008) and 8th (2012) years were paid.[28]
There may be other patents which are still current[citation needed] and may affect the production of NiMH multi-cell battery packs[citation needed].The White House said Tuesday that President Trump wants to make sure the health care bill being drafted in Congress has “heart” and improves the health care system for all Americans.
‘The president clearly wants a bill that has heart,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said at the daily press briefing.
Mr. Trump reportedly said at a closed-door meeting Monday with tech industry leaders that he wanted the Senate to come up with a bill that had “more heart” than the bill the House passed in May, which was criticized for cutbacks in the Medicaid program for the poor.
Mr. Spicer did not say where the president believed the House bill lacked heart.
Senate Republicans are working on a separate health care bill. The details remain under wraps.
The president welcomes any ideas “to strengthen it, to make it more affordable, more accessible and deliver the care it needs,” Mr. Spicer said.
“[Mr. Trump] believes that health care is something that is near and dear to so many families and individuals,” he said. “He made it clear from the beginning that that was one of his priorities. He want’s to make sure we do everything we can to provide the best option for them as Obamacare continues to fail.”
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.Q I have a tenant that has been occupying one of my apartments for about seven years now. Last month, a neighbor informed me that they appear to be a “hoarder.” When I went to visit my tenant at the apartment, I was shocked to see that I could barely step inside. There were boxes stacked to the ceilings, what appeared to be trash strewn all over the interior, blocked doorways, and a generally disgusting atmosphere. What can I do?
A An apartment in the condition you describe is likely the result of “hoarding,” a serious mental illness related to obsessive compulsive disorder. A tenant who hoards is not simply messy or disorganized, but suffers from a debilitating psychological disorder. As a tenant with a disability, a hoarding tenant has some protection under the fair housing laws, but that does not mean that you are powerless to take action to address the problem. Avoid judging the tenant; focus instead on the conditions that result from their actions that present legitimate health and safety concerns. Are they breaking any building or fire codes? Are there blocked emergency exits or other limited egress? What about interference with ventilation or sprinkler systems that could result in a fire or other dangerous condition? Any or all of these conditions represent potential lease violations and serious health and safety concerns, and you can take action to address them.
Your first step should be to document the conditions, put the tenant on notice, and give them an opportunity to cure the breach of any applicable lease conditions and code violations. Be forewarned, however, that your tenant may not be able to resolve this situation without a good deal of assistance, ranging from the need for professional counseling to cleaning and moving services. In the end, however, if the tenant cannot or will not bring the apartment back into compliance with the lease provisions and redress any serious health and safety concerns after ample time and opportunity to do so, you can and probably should consider evicting him.
* * *
For more information, contact Project Sentinel at 1 (888) 324-7468 or info@housing.org, visit housing.org, or contact your local fair housing agency.Police and the Automobile Association are supporting a proposal to fine motorists who run out of petrol on Auckland's motorways.
The New Zealand Transport Agency is proposing a bylaw that would make it an offence to get stuck without fuel on the 72km Auckland motorway network.
Police and the Automobile Association agree, but the AA says any such plan would need to apply to motorways in other main centres.
Police say in just one three-week period officers attended 148 callouts to vehicles broken down without petrol or diesel on motorways.
They say it coincided with petrol prices going up and is making already congested roads an even worse hazard.
At present, people who run out of fuel can be charged with careless driving, but police say issuing infringement notices would be quicker.
Police are suggesting a $250 fine, however the AA believes that is too steep.
The New Zealand Transport Agency says it is waiting for feedback from all local authorities before it makes any decisions.The Chicago Cubs agreed to a deal with free-agent outfielder Jason Heyward on Friday, according to sources. FOX Sports Insider Ken Rosenthal reports the deal is eight years for $184 million.
The agreement with the three-time Gold Glove winner is the latest in a series of big moves by the Cubs as they try to build on a breakthrough season and bring home their first World Series title since 1908. The Cubs won 97 games and reached the NL Championship Series before getting swept by the New York Mets.
Chicago also has added pitchers John Lackey and Adam Warren along with infielder Ben Zobrist. Lackey, like Heyward, left the rival Cardinals for the Cubs and figures to be Chicago’s No. 3 starter behind NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester.
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An All-Star in 2010, the 26-year-old Heyward hit.293 with 13 homers and 60 RBIs this year, helping St. Louis win the NL Central. He spent his first five seasons with Atlanta.
The Nationals and Cardinals also apparently made big offers to Heyward, Rosenthal reported:
Chicago also signed Zobrist to a $56 million, four-year contract and traded Starlin Castro to the New York Yankees for Warren.
Sources: #Nationals bid $200M for Heyward. Another team, believed to be #STLCards, also was at $200M. Heyward took less to play for #Cubs. — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2015
Heyward has a.268 career batting average and has hit more than 18 home runs just once. But the Cubs are counting on him to help strengthen a batting order that includes young sluggers Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber along with Addison Russell. All are 26 or younger, with Rizzo a two-time All-Star and Bryant a unanimous pick for NL Rookie of the Year.
The Cubs also are counting on Heyward to help solidify their outfield, whether they keep him in right field or move him to center. If Heyward plays right, they could try to trade Jorge Soler for a pitcher or center fielder.
The addition of Heyward will only further fuel expectations after the Cubs finished with both the third-best record in the majors and in their division. Even though they took two players from the Cardinals, beating St. Louis and Pittsburgh in the Central won’t be easy.
Still the moves they made reinforce just how serious the Cubs are about winning their first pennant since 1945. They won their last title 17 days after the Ford’s first Model T left the car factory in 1908.
Chairman Tom Ricketts was willing to open up the checkbook rather than wait for more revenue from the Wrigley Field renovation and potential TV deal to kick in.
While the Cubs might wind up having overpaid for Zobrist, who turns 35 in May, on the back end of his contract, Heyward should have plenty of prime seasons remaining. That’s a big difference from the $136 million, eight-year deal the Cubs gave Alfonso Soriano under previous ownership and management before the 2007 season. Soriano was 31 at the time, and while he helped Chicago win division titles the first two seasons, his deal became a burden as he started to decline.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.I am at this leadership camp for work and there was a wasp on my leg
Let me reiterate, a fucking wasp. The ones that are the white women of the bee world. They’re not cute and they are excessively harmful for no reason as well as they contribute nothing useful to society.
This bitch tells me not to do anything and to let it sting me because it’s endangered (it’s fucking not you dumb bitch. If you want to be an environmentalist, know what animals are which you fake bitch)
She’d rather let me get stung than help me and I think that just about sums up ww/bw relationships. White ppl and their empathy towards animals and none towards us.
And I mocked her after we got it off “save the bees! No, fuck the bees. No one helped me out while you just stood there.” And she just had this smug little look on her face. I wanted to punch it off.Hegel lived from 1770 to 1831 and Marx lived from 1818 to 1883. Marx was 13 years old when Hegel died. Hegelianism was dominant in Berlin when Marx, then nineteen years old, arrived there and began studying Hegel. Hegel influenced Marx but Marx had no influence on Hegel. In other words, Hegel is not a Marxist and Marx |
, and will we ever get to the truth about the events and subsequential cover-up that transpired on September 11th, 2001? Do you think that the ‘Truth Movement’, for all intents and purposes, has kinda been stuck at the exact same spot for the past 5 years? Do you see corporate and political manipulation at work here?
Paul: The 9/11 “Truth” movement is very taxing on my patience. It is so obvious to anyone with proper research methods that most of these guys are hacks. Instead of following people and money trails, these guys concoct and invent things to believe. For example, the demolitions in the building scenario. The buildings’ collapses registered on the Richter Scale. The collapses came in on the scale at 2.1 and 2.3. Having lived in southern California from the time I was in fifth grade to my second year of high school, I am quite familiar with the Richter scale. You have to be out there because of all the seismic activity. The Richter scale is used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake. Put this into perspective. The buildings became the epicenters for earthquakes when those planes struck. You don’t think that will cause a building’s structural integrity to be compromised?
Furthermore, if there were demos in those buildings, riddle me this: when did all the reverse architectural work occur? That would have been a massive undertaking. It would have called for pulling out beams and walls. That cannot be done without catching people’s attention. Nobody witnessed such activity in the days before 9/11.
The Pentagon theory is even more ridiculous. First of all, this theory began with Thierry Meyssan, a French man that didn’t even travel to the States to investigate the crime scene. Instead, he wrote his book in France. Second of all, 9/11 “truthers” contend that the lack of debris at the impact sight means there was no plane. This begs the question that Von Kleist and Meyssan feel they have no responsibility to explain: what happened to American Airlines flight 77?
Airliners such as flight 77 are made from aluminum. What happens when an aluminum aircraft smacks into a concrete structure at high speeds? It vaporizes. It is converted into aluminum oxide. Pure and simple.
Finally, activist Penny Schoner has collected 86 testimonies of people who actually saw the plane hit the Pentagon. Morning traffic on I-395 saw the plane hit. Are all these people part of the cover-up? Give me a break.
The 9/11 Truth movement is a disinformation machine meant to provide pseudo-intellectuals like Gerald Posner and Daniel Pipes with straw men to knock down. A major contributor to the movement is John Gray, writer of the Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. His whole schtick is owned part and parcel by the Iran/Contra arms dealer Adnan Kashoggi. Kashoggi is still very much tied to the CIA and some neocon elements.
This disinfo operation has worked like a charm. Responsible 9/11 researchers such as Daniel Hopsicker, Sander Hicks, the New American magazine staff, and Indira Singh have largely been ignored. Everyone is busy chasing an Ian Fleming fiction around and letting the trail go cold. And, normal people don’t want anything to do with the whole thing, because the 9/11 truthers present ideas that strain credulity.
9/11 was not an “inside job.” Having known people involved in intelligence and having studied the history and politics of intelligence at college, I can tell you that covert operations do not work that way. Covert ops involve surrogates. 9/11 was the work of what L. Fletcher Prouty called a “secret team.” A secret team is simply a group of people with top security clearances, both in the government and civilians. These people receive intel reports from the NSA, CIA, and other alphabet organizations in the intelligence community. These people are in key positions of influence that allow them to switch off a sizeable portion of the national security apparatus right when it is needed the most.
MAD: While we could “debate” whether or not there were in fact demolitions in the WTC, or what struck the Pentagon, I would absolutely agree with you that “Inside Job” isn’t even a proper term, and it really is more about a “secret team” or what Bush Jr. himself labeled as a “Shadow Government”.
And as per our discussion from previous emails, I would agree with you that demolitions and “no plane” theories are a bit of a diversion, yet there is still something that hasn’t been settled entirely with these debates. Although, I 100% agree with you, that some day down the short road, it may be proven that there were no demolitions, and that a plane did indeed strike the Pentagon, and those revelations would go a long way to discrediting the “911 Truth Movement”, a movement which for all intents and purposes cannot stop talking about Building 7. Rosie O’Donnell recently claimed that building 7 was brought down in order to cover-up information on the Enron scandal and other corporate corruption, and that goes to show you that any “celebrity” can say anything, and a lot of people will believe it just because they love bandwagons.
What people or groups do you think benefited most from the staged 911 disaster? Surely, as Bush Sr. and Jr. both stated, this was a tremendous opportunity to further the implementation of the ‘New World Order’.
Paul: Initially, all of the factions of the Western elite could have benefitted from the attacks. However, it was the neoconservatives that really capitalized on 9/11 and actually developed a virtual monopoly on the topic. This has caused serious divisions within the ranks of the global oligarhical establishment. Many Western elites have actually turned on the neocons. They rightly believe that the neocon model of world order is alienating the elites of China, Russia, and the EU. The neocon script for a new world order calls for the creation of a global American Empire prior to a full-blown world government. This means that Western oligarchs would be the dominant force when the Empire folds into world government. Russia, China, and the EU absolutely refuse to be subordinates or junior partners in the new world order. So they are pulling away and this makes political and economic merger extremely difficult, if not totally impossible.
Currently, Brzezinski seems to be the one leading the charge against the neocons. He is mad because the neocons have moved away from the blueprint he laid out in The Grand Chessboard. The invasion of Afghanistan met Brzezinski’s expectations because that country is part of Eurasia, a geographic area Brzezinski feels America must control if it is to become a global empire. But the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was a deviation from Brzezinski’s blueprint. Iraq is part of the Arabian Peninsula, not Eurasia. So we see some serious oligarchical warfare shaping up. Hopefully, none of us will be hurt in the process.
Actually, while these guys proceed to cannibalize one another, it would be a perfect time for the common people of the America and the world in general to begin a political revolt. That revolt can take many forms. What I want here in America is a peaceful one where the rule of law is reintroduced by forcing the people’s representatives to be receptive to their primary constituents, you and I, once more. The representatives in America’s political system have to learn make the Constitution and the Bill of Rights their standard again. We are the ones who have to tell them to honor the Freedom Documents again. If we did that en mass, imagine the effect it would have.
MAD: We’ve already mentioned the love that both of you have for theater and performing arts. Are their any specific plays or performances that you appreciate the most? Likewise, being musicians, who are some of your favorite bands and composers? Favorite movies? (Sorry if this is turning into a Myspace page.)
Paul: I like any play that allows me as an actor to do something interesting and gives me some real goals to work towards. That’s why David Mamet would probably be the best playwright for me… if it wasn’t for all the profanity. He provides actors with real, physical activities and tangible goals to achieve. He demystifies the whole thing. It was Mickey Rourke who made me want to act. Every performance he puts forward is perfect. I have yet to see him give a weak performance, even in his bad movies.
My favorite bands right now are Crimson Glory, TNT, and Dragonforce. I like progressive metal and power metal. That is the stuff I grew up on and what made me pick up the bass. The songs I have written really draw inspiration from that genre.
I love most of Michael Mann’s movies. I really anticipate Sin-Jin Smyth, if that one ever gets released. I love the Passion of the Christ because it was the first movie about Jesus that one could actually consider a work of art, not some campy schlock like Left Behind.
Phillip: Oh, wow! Where do I begin? Well, in terms of plays, I immensely enjoy the work of David Mamet. His prose is wonderfully idiosyncratic, replete with odd meters and slightly esoteric semiotic undercurrents. In particular, Oleana illustrates with vicious eloquence the function of political correctness in semiotic warfare. The entire play examines the complex interchange between a college professor and his student. As the discourse progresses, we see more and more of the professor’s modes of thought and behavior being criminalized. Allegations of sexual harassment are eventually hurled. Finally, the student demands the removal of the professor’s book from the university library and it becomes apparent that what’s truly at work is intellectual totalitarianism.
Mamet also radically changed my outlook on acting. Initially, I was a Stanislavsky “Method” actor. I followed the same rituals. Emotional memory. Sense memory. Oral interpretation. Substitution. The “Fourth Wall.” I used to employ all of these techniques and all that they would do is frustrate the living crap out of me. My performances were pretty decent, but I found that the Method techniques were actually hindering me. Then, I read Mamet’s ‘True and False’. Basically, Mamet took a battering ram to the Method.
His philosophy of acting is very pragmatic and practical. Instead of attempting to employ virtually worthless exercises in introspection, I started to apply Mamet’s simple and idealistic principles. I owe a debt of gratitude to Mamet because his work rekindled my passion for acting at a time when I was becoming disillusioned.
In terms of favorite actors, I am an enormous fan of Mickey Rourke’s work. Rourke is the modern incarnation of Steve McQueen and Marlon Brandon. His subtlety and vulnerability makes his performances all the more captivating to watch. He fell out of Hollywood’s good graces for a while there. But, thankfully, people are rediscovering Rourke’s talent. I also enjoy Lance Henrikson’s work, especially in the TV show Millennium. I have a sizable catalogue of other acting inspirations, most of which being underrated and slightly obscure talents. These include Brad Dourif, Ted Levine, and the late Donald Pleasance.
As for favorite bands, I have a ton. Enumerating all of them is a daunting task. However, I will name a couple of artists that particularly inspire me as a guitarist. One of the most influential players to shape my approach to the fretboard was Yngwie J. Malmsteem. Initially, my playing was restricted to box pentatonic scales. Then, I heard Yngwie and was blown away. He was so technical and, simultaneously, melodic. I immediately began learning the harmonic minor scale, alternate picking, alternative picking, and sweep picking. Since then, I have immensely enjoyed technical players. Chris Impellitteri, Paul Gilbert, Ronnie LeTekro, Rusty Cooley, Zakk Wylde, Michael Angelo, Doug Aldrich, Reb Beech, George Lynch, John Petrucci… the list goes on and on.
I also enjoy the music of Midnight Syndicate. Their material sounds more like horror film scores, particularly the pulsing compositions of John Carpenter. Midnight Syndicate’s work is like a cerebral theatre, stimulating the imagination with haunting and mysterious soundscapes. I used some of their work in a short horror film that I directed and edited a back in 2002. The film is called Harvest Moon and it stars Paul in the lead role. For anybody who would like to check it out, you can get a copy at www.dre5productions.com. The film has a few visceral highlights, namely an exploding and disappearing cornfield and one angry alien.
As for favorite movies, I have quite a few. I absolutely love The Passion. I don’t think any other film has move beautifully captured the enormity of Christ’s sacrifice for humanity. Many of the past depictions of Jesus’ crucifixion have been somewhat pedestrian and euphemistic. The Passion does not understate Jesus’ suffering in the least. Instead of protecting audiences from the true agony of Christ, this film presents it with brutal honesty. In so doing, Christ’s heroism as man’s redeemer is driven home with manifold force.
I also enjoy many of John Carpenter’s films. Ostensibly, his movies appear to be standard exercises in horror, suspense, and sci-fi storytelling. However, the thematic undercurrents of his films run much deeper. For instance, They Live succinctly captures the essence of semiotic warfare and media manipulation. Carpenter presents this subject in the sci-fi context of an alien invasion story. Carpenter employs the same metaphorical approach in The Thing. While the film ostensibly deals with an unseen alien invader, The Thing is actually an eschatological examination. It postulates that the end of the world will come from within, not from without. The creature that hides within human hosts is symbolic of the systemic corruption within man. As the monster moves from one host to another, a climate of paranoia begins to develop. It is this paranoia that ultimately leads the deaths of many of the movie’s characters. If you’ll notice, the film was released during the Cold War. Through The Thing, Carpenter basically satirized the Manichean paradigm of Cold War politics. Really smart filmmaking.
I also intensely enjoy films like The Thin Red Line, Heat, The Insider, Narc, Ordinary People, and other dramas that closely examine the human condition. I like some sci-fi, horror, and fantasy films, but only those that somehow bring the human condition into clearer focus. Occasional escapism is fine, but it can eventually leave audiences feeling detached. For me, something in a film must resonate with the human spirit.
As you can probably surmise from this rather lengthy response, I am very passionate about the arts. Like I said earlier, that was always my first love. For readers who would be interested in reading my more artistic work, they can check out Expansive Thoughts. This is a collection of short stories, poetry, and prose that I recently published with two other writers. The official Website for the book is expansivethoughts.com.
MAD: As for John Carpenter, I completely agree with you, he is a brilliant film maker, and there are always deeper layers to his work than what merely lies on the surface. Add the fact that he also does the musical scores for his films, and you’re dealing with a real dynamo of talent. I’d recommend a newer production from him if you’re interested, which recently aired on the Showtime Masters of Horror series, entitled Cigarette Burns. Regarding the Passion of the Christ, I would have to humbly disagree with you on this point, as I think Mel Gibson has turned into a rather pompous windbag, and if I want to know the “real story” of Jesus Chirst, I’d rather just read The Bible than to watch a two-hour torture scene. But, I respect your views on this film, it was well made if nothing else. But, like The Da Vinci Code, I think it received entirely too much attention, which took away from the impact these film adaptations might have otherwise produced.
Are there any specific non-fiction books that you’d recommend to those readers out there who would like to come to grips with, and get a better understanding of, the New World Order and the promotion of scientific elitism?
Phillip: Those who honestly want to understand conspiratorial history, elite criminality, and deep politics are going to have to exercise some serious discernment. They are going to have to seek out material that looks a bit deeper than the standard conspiracy literature. Many books dealing with this topic are intentionally designed to affirm sensationalistic presuppositions. Anyone seeking such affirmation should do this field a favor and give up. Their ilk belongs in comic book stores, not in the halls of scholarship and research. Sorry, but I had to say that. Endeth of sermon. Now, here are a few of my suggestions:
And, of course, I recommend that everyone read the Scriptures! I would also like to urge readers to check out Terry Melanson’s forthcoming release, Perfectibles [Perfectibilists]. Paul and I have had the privilege of taking a sneak peak at this monumental piece of work. I can assure serious researchers that this will be the real deal! Terry has assembled the definitive examination of the Illuminati! No sensationalism. No embellishment. This is the one, folks! Terry Melanson is an outstanding researcher and Perfectibles will raise the bar for this field!
Paul: When it comes to books you should study, trade youth for dignity. By that I mean stay away from the sensational junk that was written solely for the purpose of entertaining. Serious-minded people would be well-served by the following:
There are some books that I am anticipating that have not been released just yet. They are:
Perfectibilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati by Terry Melanson
by Terry Melanson Blueprint for Terror by Indira Singh
MAD: That should keep hearty readers busy for a long while to come. Phillip, being a fan of comic book and graphic novel literature myself, I’ll try not to take offense to that statement, but I understand the point you’re trying to make. Guys, it’s been an absolute pleasure and I’m looking forward to speaking again soon. You’ve got a tremendous wealth of information and perspective to provide, and I highly encourage everyone to spend some time with your many articles posted at Conspiracy Archive, as well as find a copy of your excellent book The Ascendancy Of The Scientific Dictatorship. Thank you again for taking the time with me today. Until our next discussion, is there anything you’d like to leave the readers with?
Phillip: Thank you so much for this opportunity. Hopefully, your readers will find the conversation elucidating. I just want to say that all of the glory goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He has led me down the right paths. It is because of Him that I have been able to understand all of this. On the macrocosmic level, this is a battle between good and evil.
For those of you who are truly seeking a love that never fails, ask Jesus into your heart. I did and have not regretted it ever since. You have nothing to lose. Yes, there is a conspiracy of darkness upon this world. But, Jesus said that He overcame the world. That is still the case today. Though the world passes away, the Word shall not.
Paul: These are dark times we live in. And, they are likely to grow darker before light breaks. But, there are ways of prospering in the midst of it all. That prosperity begins with your spirit. Turn it all over to the Creator and you will have tapped into the One who is the source of the spirit’s prosperity. You can do that through His Son Jesus Christ. I could tell you to get out of debt. I could tell you to start exploring precious metals. I could give you any number of survival tips I have picked up along the way. However, it is coming to the Father through His Son Jesus that is the key to it all. If you get right with the Lord, everything will fall into place.
About the Authors
MAD is the Administrator at www.nwowatcher.com and co-host of the Revolution Radio program found at www.revradio.org. Recent articles by MAD can be found HERE, and recent interviews can be viewed HERE.
Phillip D. Collins acted as the editor for The Hidden Face of Terrorism and co-authored the book The Ascendancy of the Scientific Dictatorship with his brother Paul Collins. Both books are available at www.amazon.com. Phillip has also written articles for News With Views, Conspiracy Archive, and the Vexilla Regis Journal.
In 1999, Phillip earned an Associate degree of Arts and Science from Clark State Community College. In 2006, he earned a bachelor’s degree with majors in communication studies and liberal studies along with a minor in philosophy from Wright State University.
Phillip worked as a staff writer for a weekly news publication, the Vandalia Drummer, between late 2007 and 2011. During his tenure with the paper, he earned several accolades.
In 2011, he was inducted into the Media Honor Roll by the Ohio School Board Association for his extensive coverage of the Vandalia-Butler School District. That very same year, the Ohio Newspaper Association bestowed an Osman C. Hooper Newspaper Award upon Phillip for Best Photo. In addition, the City of Vandalia officially proclaimed that November 7, 2011 would be known as “Phillip Collins Day.” This honor was bestowed upon Phillip for his tireless coverage of the City and community.
Shortly after bringing his journalism career to a close, Phillip received another Osman C. Hooper Newspaper Award in the category of In-depth Reporting. This award was given to Phillip for his investigative work over the death of U.S. Marine Maria Lauterbach and the resultant Department of Defense reforms concerning sexual assault and rape. The case drew national attention and received TV coverage by major media organs.
Phillip currently works for the Wyoming Department of Corrections, where he earned the distinction of Employee of the Quarter for the third quarter of 2013. Phillip still works as a freelance journalist and is currently collaborating with his brother on a follow-up to The Ascendancy of the Scientific DictatorshipIt was Charles Mackay, the 19th-century Scottish journalist, who observed that men go mad in herds but only come to their senses one by one.
We are only at the beginning of the financial world coming to its senses after the bursting of the biggest credit bubble the world has seen. Everyone seems to acknowledge now that there will be lots of mortgage foreclosures and that house prices will fall nationally for the first time since the Great Depression. Some lenders and hedge funds have failed, while some banks have taken painful write-offs and fired executives. There's even a growing recognition that a recession is over the horizon.
But let me assure you, you ain't seen nothing, yet.
What's important to understand is that, contrary to what you heard from President Bush yesterday, this isn't just a mortgage or housing crisis. The financial giants that originated, packaged, rated and insured all those subprime mortgages were the same ones, run by the same executives, with the same fee incentives, using the same financial technologies and risk-management systems, who originated, packaged, rated and insured home-equity loans, commercial real estate loans, credit card loans and loans to finance corporate buyouts.
It is highly unlikely that these organizations did a significantly better job with those other lines of business than they did with mortgages. But the extent of those misjudgments will be revealed only once the economy has slowed, as it surely will.
At the center of this still-unfolding disaster is the Collateralized Debt Obligation, or CDO. CDOs are not new -- they were at the center of a boom and bust in manufacturing housing loans in the early 2000s. But in the past several years, the CDO market has exploded, fueling not only a mortgage boom but expansion of all manner of credit. By one estimate, the face value of outstanding CDOs is nearly $2 trillion.
But let's begin with the mortgage-backed CDO.
By now, almost everyone knows that most mortgages are no longer held by banks until they are paid off: They are packaged with other mortgages and sold to investors much like a bond.
In the simple version, each investor owned a small percentage of the entire package and got the same yield as all the other investors. Then someone figured out that you could do a bigger business by selling them off in tranches corresponding to different levels of credit risk. Under this arrangement, if any of the mortgages in the pool defaulted, the riskiest tranche would absorb all the losses until its entire investment was wiped out, followed by the next riskiest and the next.
With these tranches, mortgage debt could be divided among classes of investors. The riskiest tranches -- those with the lowest credit ratings -- were sold to hedge funds and junk bond funds whose investors wanted the higher yields that went with the higher risk. The safest ones, offering lower yields and Treasury-like AAA ratings, were snapped up by risk-averse pension funds and money market funds. The least sought-after tranches were those in the middle, the "mezzanine" tranches, which offered middling yields for supposedly moderate risks.
Stick with me now, because this is where it gets interesting. For it is at this point that the banks got the bright idea of buying up a bunch of mezzanine tranches from various pools. Then, using fancy computer models, they convinced themselves and the rating agencies that by repeating the same "tranching" process, they could use these mezzanine-rated assets to create a new set of securities -- some of them junk, some mezzanine, but the bulk of them with the AAA ratings more investors desired.
It was a marvelous piece of financial alchemy, one that made Wall Street banks and the ratings agencies billions of dollars in fees. And because so much borrowed money was used -- in buying the original mortgages, buying the tranches for the CDOs and then in buying the tranches of the CDOs -- the whole thing was so highly leveraged that the returns, at least on paper, were very attractive. No wonder they were snatched up by British hedge funds, German savings banks, oil-rich Norwegian villages and Florida pension funds.Gov. Scott Walker backed a surprise move Friday by Republican legislators to quickly vote on making Wisconsin a right-to-work state, an action the likely 2016 presidential candidate initially said should be delayed to avoid re-igniting massive pro-union protests.
Unions already hate Scott Walker as much as they possibly could, so there is not that much downside in the governor of Wisconsin’s decision to sign legislation that will ensure workers the right to decline union membership. This was not something the governor wanted as a priority. Scott Bauer of the AP reports:
Walker had expressed concerns to leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature that rushing the divisive proposal could distract from his agenda, and in September — during the heat of his re-election campaign — he said he wouldn't support it this session. But after a series of private meetings with lawmakers, followed by an announcement that the bill would be voted on next week, Walker's spokeswoman said he would sign it.
Walker already took on and won a battle with the state’s public employee unions, ending the practice of forced collective bargaining, and allowing employees to opt out of union membership. That has proven a huge success, lowering the costs to taxpayers and allowing employees to escape the forced collection of dues they do not want to pay. A large share of those dues historically have been laundered and turned into political contributions to Democrats, regardless of the poltiicala sympathies of the members paying those dues.
The right-to-work legislation is likely to move forward quickly. Tim Jones of Bloomberg reports:
Senator Scott Fitzgerald, the chamber’s Republican leader, told a Milwaukee radio station today that he’ll push for a vote on a yet-to-be-introduced bill that says private-sector workers couldn’t be required to join unions or pay dues as a condition of employment. Republicans control both houses of the legislature. “We’re ready to go,” Fitzgerald told WTMJ-AM radio in Milwaukee. “Certainly we’ve had enough discussions that I’m confident the governor would sign it.”
Mark Peters of the Wall Street Journal adds this timeline:
The GOP-controlled legislature is calling for what’s known as an extraordinary session next week, helping leaders move the bill more easily through the Senate and Assembly. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation next week, followed by the assembly the first week in March. “My experience as leader is when you have the votes, you go to the floor — you don’t wait around,” said Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican.
I have long believed that the GOP should recognize that the movement is an adjunct of the Democratic Party, and go after it the way that Democrats go after their political adversaries. I have no problem at all with workers voluntarily joining unions – after all, that is part of the freedom of assembly guaranteed by the Constitution. But forced union membership and dues violate those rights.
The one potential downside here is that the remaining private sector unions are having second thoughts about the Obama administration, thanks mostly to Obama’s threat to veto the Keystone Pipeline, which would generate many union jobs. But that is a mere hope, and frankly private sector unions are already declining, and not much of a force for the future.
I think a presidential candidate who took on union abuses, and pointed out how the Democrats are in the pocket of unions – especially government employee unions – would have appeal to the vast majority of voters who are not government union members, but who have to pay for their inflated salaries and benefits, which far outpace what private sector employees earn.Philadelphia
When talking about abortion, Democratic politicians and activists usually prefer to speak euphemistically: The dismemberment or lethal poisoning of a baby who hasn't been born yet is almost always referred to as "reproductive health care" or "a woman's choice." The group NARAL, once known as the National Abortion Rights Action League, went so far as to change its name to NARAL Pro-Choice America so its supporters and allies could avoid saying the a-word.
But there's been a growing push on the left to not only defend abortion as a necessary evil that should be "safe, legal, and rare" but to celebrate it as a positive good. (See the #ShoutYourAbortion Twitter campaign of 2015.) And so on Wednesday evening, Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, took the stage at the Democratic National Convention and told the story of the time she aborted her first child because it was an inconvenient time to become a parent.
"To succeed in life, all we need are the tools, the trust, and the chance to chart our own path," Hogue said during her DNC speech. "I was fortunate enough to have these things when I found out I was pregnant years ago. I wanted a family, but it was the wrong time. I made the decision that was best for me—to have an abortion and get compassionate care at a clinic in my own community." At this point, applause and cheers could be heard in the crowd. "Now years later, my husband and I are parents to two incredible children," Hogue continued.
Prior to Hogue's speech, the 2016 Democratic convention was already shaping up to be the most pro-abortion political convention ever. The Democratic platform was changed this year to call for the repeal of the Hyde amendment in order to provide unlimited taxpayer-funding of elective abortions for Medicaid recipients. Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood made the case for that policy in her speech Tuesday night.
And Hillary Clinton's running mate Tim Kaine flip-flopped on the issue of taxpayer-funded abortion at some point in just the last few weeks as he joined the Democratic ticket. That's something Joe Biden, a supporter of the Hyde amendment, never had to do to become Obama's running mate in 2008.An 18-year cycle of real estate and land values has been the cause of every major recession, and without a radical shift in taxation structures, the U.S. economy will be in for another shock around 2026.
EarthSharing.org had the opportunity earlier this month to speak with Fred Foldvary, professor of economics at San Jose State University and board member of the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation. Foldvary predicted the last recession in his 2007 book ‘The Depression of 2008’, and said real estate bubbles in general can be predicted using an 18-year cycle model developed by early-20th-century economist Homer Hoyt.
“[Hoyt found that] in Chicago there was an 18-year real estate cycle with very astonishing regularity, and that also coincided with the general business cycle of the United States,” he said.
Foldvary used the same methodology as Hoyt, swapping in the most up-to-date numbers from today’s real estate sector.
“I brought it up to date with current data on both construction and land data… The data is out there for the last 50 years,” Foldvary said.
A combination of low interest rates and high land values was the key warning signal for recession, Foldvary said, a kind of hybrid between the Austrian and Georgist schools of economic thought.
“The major recessions have all been closely related to the real estate cycle,” he said. “In each case the real estate prices and construction peaked shortly before becoming a recession.”
Without any unprecedented changes in government policy, there was no immediate risk of another recession for the next decade, Foldvary said. But the other side of the coin is that, without new ways of thinking about land values and controlling speculation, the U.S. economy should be prepared for another recession in around 2026.
“The federal debt will be that much higher, and if the government is all tapped out and it can’t borrow any more money in the next financial crisis, it could be even worse than 2008,” he said. “The economy has the same structure as it’s had for the last 200 years. The basic problem is massive subsidies to real estate – both fiscal subsidies and monetary subsidies.”
Even newer financial regulations like Dodd-Frank would be ineffective, because they failed to address the core reason for the business cycle, Foldvary said.
“They don’t touch the fact that land values absorb the benefits of progress, and then speculation carries them to a height that makes real estate unaffordable, and then you have the collapse.”
The potential for a system of land value taxation to break this 18-year cycle is enormous. Taxing land and natural resources instead of incomes and investment would act to discourage real estate speculation, keep the market accessible for wage-earners, and stimulate the construction of centrally-located real estate that promised the best value for the public and the greatest amount of space in which to work and live.
There will come a time in the next ten years when we will begin to see the signs of another impending recession in the U.S., one with the potential to be the worst this country has ever seen. Knowing the precipitating factors of a future crisis, and as the economy experiences slow growth, now is the critical time for land value taxation to be seriously considered.
Fred Foldvary is on the board of the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation (RSF), a non-profit organization established in 1925 to spread the ideas of the social and economic philosopher Henry George (1839-1897). Foldvary received his B.A. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University. He has taught economics at the Latvian University of Agriculture, Virginia Tech, John F. Kennedy University, California State University East Bay, the University of California at Berkeley Extension, Santa Clara University, and currently teaches at San Jose State University. Foldvary is the author of The Soul of Liberty, Public Goods and Private Communities, and Dictionary of Free Market Economics. He edited and contributed to Beyond Neoclassical Economics and The Half-Life of Policy Rationales. Foldvary’s areas of research include public finance, governance, ethical philosophy, and land economics.The FBI is denying that it paid $1 million to Carnegie Mellon University to exploit a vulnerability in Tor.
"The allegation that we paid [Carnegie Mellon University] $1 million to hack into Tor is inaccurate," an FBI spokeswoman told Ars in a Friday morning phone call.
Two days ago, the head of the Tor Project accused the FBI of paying Carnegie Mellon computer security researchers at least $1 million to de-anonymize Tor users and reveal their IP addresses as part of a large criminal investigation.
The FBI spokeswoman Ars spoke with declined to respond to further questions, advising us to send a followup e-mail and to contact Carnegie Mellon, which we did. Neither Carnegie Mellon nor the FBI has immediately responded to our inquiries. For now, it's not clear from the FBI's statement which part is inaccurate: the specific payment amount or its involvement entirely.
The Tor Project has also not immediately responded to Ars’ question as to whether it stands by its accusations. The organization has yet to offer any proof or substantiation of its claims.
One of the revealed Tor-masked IP addresses belongs to Brian Farrell, an alleged Silk Road 2 lieutenant who is due to stand trial in federal court in Seattle later this month. A new filing in Farrell's case, which was first reported Wednesday by Vice's Motherboard, says that a "university-based research institute" aided government efforts to unmask Farrell.
The Tor Project has since patched this vulnerability.Share
The 58-year-old — who has chosen to remain anonymous — was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2008. Over the years, the disease destroyed her capacity to control most of her body and caused her to develop locked-in syndrome, an inability to move or communicate due to paralysis while still maintaining consciousness.
Up until recently, the patient communicated by spelling out words using an eye-tracking system. The solution was temporary, however, as a third of all ALS patients eventually lose control of their eye movements. Other methods — like the one used by physicist Stephen Hawking, who communicates through a smaller sensor controlled by his cheek muscles — also rely on capabilities that may not always be reliable.
New England Journal of Medicine
The at-home brain-computer interface (BCI) was developed by Nick Ramsey’s team at the Brain Center of University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands. Previous research has seen the development of probes that have enabled users to control artificial limbs through brain signals, but so far these devices have been impractical outside of the laboratory due to their constant need for calibration.
To mitigate this issue, Ramsey and his team focused on detecting just the brain signals that fire when the brain counts backwards and commands the body to click a mouse.
The new device connects electrodes to the brain through a small hole beneath the skull. The electrodes register brain signals and transmit them wirelessly to a tablet that translates the signals into “clicks,” which specialized software can use to help the patient spell words or select items.
“I want to contribute to possible improvements for people like me,” the patient told New Scientist.
In her first day of use, the patient was able to generate a brain |
of sexual assault.[2]
Abbott took the stand and testified for four days, testifying in a calm and poised manner. He spoke in a soft voice and was steadfast in his denials of any knowledge of the crime.[9] He said it was all a "monstrous frame-up". The jury was out seven days before it returned a verdict of guilty of first degree murder. The judge imposed the death sentence.[2]
As provided by California law, there was an automatic appeal to the Supreme Court of California. In a detailed opinion describing the facts of the case and reciting the evidence that had been presented at trial, the court affirmed the conviction and the sentence of death.[10]
Execution [ edit ]
Abbott was incarcerated at San Quentin to await execution. His lawyers tried to commute his sentence for over a year. On March 15, 1957, the day of the execution which was scheduled for 11:00 am, his attorney appealed to the United States Court of Appeals, and was denied. He then tried to contact the governor of California, Goodwin J. Knight, but the governor was on a naval ship, out at sea, and out of reach of the telephone. The attorney arranged with a TV station to broadcast a plea to the governor. At 9:02 Governor Knight granted one hour's stay by telephone. Within six minutes a writ of habeas corpus was presented to the Supreme Court of California but at 10:42 am the petition was denied. The attorney tried again with an appeal to the Federal District Court but the court refused a further postponement at 10:50 am. At 11:12 am Governor Knight was reached again and agreed to another stay. At 11:15 am Abbott was led to the gas chamber and strapped into the chair while the governor was contacting the warden by telephone. The executioner pulled the lever three minutes later and 16 pellets of sodium cyanide dropped into the sulfuric acid as Governor Knight reached the prison warden to stay the execution. The warden told him it was too late, and Abbott died, as the governor hung up the telephone.[11]
Significance [ edit ]
This case demonstrated the confusion of the set of legal procedures in place regarding appeals. The federal law allows an attorney 90 days to file for a writ of certiorari after a State Supreme Court's refusal of a rehearing. However, the State Court set the date for Abbott's execution for two weeks before the 90-day limit. Thus, Abbott was executed with the petition for writ still on file; and, therefore, the possibility still existed that Abbott might have won a new trial.[11] Nothing would have prevented Abbott's counsel from seeking a stay of the California proceedings.[12]
The case also renewed the debate over the death penalty, especially when it is based on circumstantial evidence alone, no matter how strong. Police had also investigated other family members, friends and acquaintances who had access to the basement and knew the location of the cabin, including: the Abbotts' landlord, Clyde Wood; Burton Abbott's older brother, Harold; the Abbotts' next-door neighbor and Georgia Abbott's close friend, Otto Dezman.[5]The domain nubiana.co.uk
has been registered for a client by Livetodot.
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Domains can include letters, numbers and hyphensMy Facebook page called me fat.
Maybe it's my age, my sex or the fact that it knew I was engaged, but the site decided I was a gal who needed to drop a few pounds. And it wasn't shy about its tactics.
This was not a close friend taking me aside, telling me in gentle tones that she'd noticed I'd put on some weight and was there anything going on in my personal life that I needed to talk about?
Oh, no. Every time I logged in to my home page, Facebook's ads screamed at me with all the subtlety of a drill sergeant: "MUFFIN TOP." This particular ad had a picture of someone with said affliction. For those blissfully unacquainted with the slur, it's when a woman wears too-tight jeans and a roll of flab hangs over her waistband.
I posted a status update that said, "Rachel doesn't appreciate her Facebook page telling her that she has a muffin top."
Facebook targets its advertising to users based on the information in their profiles. This is not a new concept, of course. Kids usually see toy ads while they watch Nickelodeon, and women get ads for birth control pills as they watch Lifetime.
But Facebook's data miners know much more about us because we tell them a whole lot more. Facebook knows my birthday, my relationship status and which book I'm reading, among other personal tidbits. The site started turning this information into dollar signs last November with the launch of Facebook Ads, which targets users' presumed areas of interest (or psychological soft spots).
Basically, the subliminal goal of product advertising is to make you feel inadequate and ashamed, because you're not perfect. Your teeth are yellow. Your armpits stink. You're fat. And hairy.
The targeting technology itself will be familiar to users of Google's Gmail, which generates ads based on what its users type in the body of an e-mail. TiVo and Netflix both suggest programming based on what you've been watching. (Remember the "My TiVo Thinks I'm Gay" episode of "The King of Queens"?)
Facebook spokesman Matt Hicks summed up the appeal to advertisers thus:
"If you're a wedding photographer, do you want to waste your money advertising to a general audience? Or do you want to reach those that are engaged?"
After my quaint status update about the muffin top ad, Facebook got even more vicious, like a schoolyard bully provoked by my initial reaction. With the knowledge that I was engaged to be married, the site splashed an ad across the left side of the screen playing into a presumed vulnerability. Do you want to be a fat bride? You'd better go to such-and-such Web site to learn how to lose weight before the big day.To all Curb Your Enthusiasm-watchers desperate for new episodes: good news. Sort of. Clear History—the new movie written by Larry David, starring David, Jon Hamm, Bill Hader, Danny McBride, Kate Hudson, Michael Keaton, and Eva Mendes—premieres on HBO Saturday. And it’s just as funny.
David plays a marketing ec at a start-up that makes it big. (Like, Apple-big.) Only problem: after a stupid argument with his boss, he gives up his shares right before the checks roll in. He’s broke, humiliated, and looks like this. A decade later, he’s enjoying a new life—and new identity—in Martha’s Vineyard. That is, until the past threatens to ruin all that. The past, and a totally unrecognizable Michael Keaton as the town’s local crazyguy.
The movie has everything we love about Curb: David’s obnoxious albeit spot-on obsessions with life’s teeny tiniest annoyances, quick dialogue that’s as hilarious as it is spontaneous—the film is almost entirely improv’d—and J. B. Smoove. J. B. SMOOVE.When the Brooklyn-based designers Pepin Gelardi and Teresa Herrmann entered a competition to design a bike accessory that would draw new cyclists, they began by examining the reasons people avoided riding. “The number one barrier to entry was that people felt unsafe and outnumbered by cars,” Gelardi says. “We wanted to create a device that proved to potential cyclists that a community exists.”Figuring that a simple way to extol that community was to literally chart its crisscrossing paths, the pair came up with, a receptacle filled with colorful chalking fluid that attaches to a bicycle’s frame and leaves a bright line in the rider’s wake. “It turns your bike into a paintbrush,” says Gelardi, explaining that the rear-wheel action powers the device’s pump. In the aggregate, the effect—which the pair recently showcased at Los Angeles’s Opportunity Green conference —is striking and sweet: a grosgrain of distinct but weaving lines that seems to point up the cycling (and the urban) experience. It is also low-impact. The fluid is nontoxic and washes off within a few days.
Gelardi and Herrmann are currently fundraising to make Contrail publicly available. For the pair, its conceptual purpose is augmented by practical possibilities: As a safety device for groups, as a way to stamp the road on fundraising rides, and more. “The path [at Opportunity Green] sparked a lot of creative discussion,” Herrmann says. “‘This would be great for my kid's tricycle ride’ or ‘This would be great to lead a marathon with!’”
An up-close look at the device.Here's the final product.Summary: Philosophy is always based on self-reflection. But in Hegel, self-reflection is liberated from introspection. He explains bourgeois society as the movements and conflicts of individuals satisfying their self-interest; but in doing so, they also satisfy the interests of others. In this, they come together to maintain the totality. This development happens independently of any individual consciousness: Reason itself cunningly uses individual interests to further develop itself. The purpose of reason is ultimately realised in world spirit, which develops in conflicts between nations and their national spirits. Whereas from an empirical perspective individual persons, or even whole peoples are slaughtered in the events of history, philosophy transfigures actuality into rationality, and thereby shows these events as being grounded in reason. The nature of humanity is not located in the individual, but realises itself in the movements of peoples and in the state. The state does not exist for its citizens; it is the end for which citizens are the means. When Hegel’s philosophy fell out of favour, life, suffering, and death came to be seen as brute facts, and thus ultimately meaningless. The final aim of social philosophy is interpreting the fate of humanity, of humans not as individuals, but as members of a community. In this, it can satisfy the yearning of individuals for meaning in a greater totality. We thus need a development of philosophical theory and scientific practice in constant mutual dialectical interpenetration: Philosophy should give general impulses to research, but stay open to research developments and their ability to change philosophy. We have to organise interdisciplinary research of philosophers, sociologists, economists, historians, and psychologists; all on the basis of philosophical questions. In this way, questions are not simply be answered, but their meaning is itself being transformed by research. The Institute for Social Research will look at the skilled labourers and employees in Germany today, and ask: What connections can be shown between the role of this group in economic processes, in changes in the psychological structure of group members, and the thoughts and institutions created by and effecting this group? Such a question demands empirical research, which is exactly what we want to do. Let our general impulse be the will to serve the truth without any other regards.
Source: Max Horkheimer (1931) Die gegenwärtige Lage der Sozialphilosophie und die Aufgaben eines Instituts für Sozialforschung. Inaugural lecture after taking the chair in Social Philosophy and the directorate of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt on 24th of January 1931. Translated by John Torpey as The Present Situation of Social Philosophy and the Tasks of an Institute for Social Research. Published in Horkheimer (1993) Between Philosophy and Social Science. Selected Early Writings. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1993.
(Full text at marxists.org, English) If you know of a free online version of the German original, please contact txteo on twitter.
This summary is licensed CC:BY-SA.
Detailed Summary
[This summary is mostly based on the German text, as published in “Gesammelte Schriften 3”, with the English text as backup. It is thus a hybrid of summary and translation.]In recent days, a parade of white power players has descended on Brooklyn to denounce the Black Lives Matter movement. In dueling press conferences and TV appearances, they have tied protests to riots, riots to criminality, and criminality to economic calamity. In so doing, they have shifted the onus from the police to the policed.
This is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Long before broken windows, the partisans of law and order claimed that protests are bound to cause riots, and that riots are bound to cause violent crime and neighborhood decline. In the decades since the urban uprisings of the 1960s and 1970s, the myth of the “riot effect” has been deployed to rationalize the massive expansion of urban police forces and with it, the escalation of policing to the level of low-intensity warfare.
Fifty years after the Watts Rebellion, and more than four months after the first shots were fired in Ferguson, we continue to hear the same refrain. Here is Time : “Can Ferguson Recover? The Lasting Economic Impact of Violent Unrest.” USA Today : “Some Fear Rioting May Seal Ferguson’s Fate for Decades.” And National Review : “Businesses and neighborhoods may never recover from the present anarchy.”
The recent revival of urban protest has prompted a revival of that hoary urban legend, in which property owners and officers of the peace are the hapless victims, while targets of state terror are the aggressors. The riot is made out to be the root of all evils, the rioter the source of all maladies. But the legend quickly unravels in the face of the facts.
In the 1960s, many white liberals responded to the riots in America’s urban centers with measured condemnation, mixed with equally measured denunciations of institutional racism. They held the white power structure to be “essentially responsible for the explosive mixture which has been accumulating in our cities,” in the words of the Kerner Commission.
Other white liberals professed that the trouble in the inner cities was the product of a “tangle of pathology,” one which was “capable of perpetuating itself without assistance from the white world.” These Great Society liberals would soon find themselves in the company of law-and-order conservatives, who seized upon the writings of Daniel Patrick Moynihan and other liberals to buttress their contention that black America was to blame for “urban decay” and ghetto poverty.
Along with the “culture of poverty” mythology, the riot effect gave white conservatives a convenient cudgel to wield against Black Power and the New Left. The alleged link between urban disorder, violent crime, and economic decline appeared early and often on the campaign trail, beginning with Barry Goldwater’s presidential campaign in 1964 and continuing with Ronald Reagan’s gubernatorial run in 1966, Nixon’s presidential bid in 1968, and the rise of the New Right in the 1970s.
Ten years ago, a pair of economists — one of whom was William J. Collins, later a senior economist in George W. Bush’s administration — finally came up with some findings to endow the riot effect with a veneer of scientific validity. In a series of studies for the National Bureau of Economic Research, Collins and his collaborator found that the cities that experienced the most severe riots from 1960 to 1970 saw the most significant declines in family income, employment prospects, and property values from 1960 to 1980.
On its face, the story they told seems plausible enough: a riot occurs in a northern city with a high concentration of black residents. Other things equal, the riot will have spillover effects in the riot zone and beyond. These effects will be especially bad for black property owners. Insurance premiums will rise, shops will shutter, businesses will relocate, and there will be trouble in the municipal bond markets. The authors conclude that riots can best be described as “shocks… propagated into ‘bad ghettos.’”
Some of the most celebrated writers on the Right later expanded on the theme by arguing it wasn’t structural racism, but rioters (read: black people) who were to blame for the growth of the racial wealth gap. More recently, the story has been trumpeted from the talk show circuit to the front pages of newspapers, the dismal scientists trotted out to dutifully explain to our reckless youth that “rioting is a terrible deal.”
But the “riot effect” narrative contains a fatal flaw betrayed in the terminology itself: it rests on the assumption that “riots” are essentially random occurrences. For those who blame black America for black poverty, riots are distinguished not by their contingency or their spontaneity or their political cast, but by their irrationality. On this misreading of history, civil resistance has nothing to do with the underlying conditions that make it rational to rebel, or with the relations of power that make other avenues of action unavailable to the urban poor.
To justify this assumption, the economists quote a forty-year old study purporting to show that “the severity of a disturbance, as well as its location, appears not to have been contingent upon Negro living conditions or their social or economic status.” And on the basis of this outdated observation, they see fit to eschew all alternative explanations for the condition of the black ghetto over the last several decades.
What, then, are those alternatives? The first is an economic one. Serious social scientists have long linked the crisis in the cities to the collapse of their industrial base — the result of which has been a decline in demand for less-skilled labor and the growth and ghettoization of a surplus population. The effects of job losses have everywhere been disproportionately concentrated among black workers and black communities. In many of the “riot cities,” it is worth noting that the process of industrial restructuring predated the eruption of mass unrest by a decade or more.
A second explanation centers on the role of institutionalized racism. Aptly labeled “American apartheid” by sociologists Doug Massey and Nancy Denton, the urban regime of residential segregation created a “federally sponsored ‘second ghetto’ in which blacks were isolated by class as well as by race.” Segregation went hand in hand with practices like redlining and blockbusting, driven by private developers, mortgage lenders, and the white elite. Such practices likely did more to depress property values than a riot possibly could. More importantly, they maintained a black ghetto wildly profitable for white capital.
A third alternative links the fate of the inner city to the dynamics of class struggle in the North. Rebellions have tended to occur in cities where black workers also engaged in other forms of disruptive power, such as strikes and demonstrations. Riot or no riot, under such conditions, it is reasonable to assume that white business owners might feel compelled to take their money and run. It is also reasonable to assume that white politicians would be inclined to punish the rebellious poor with policies of planned abandonment.
Scholars differ on the forces and factors that explain the scope and severity of urban rebellions. But beyond the looking-glass world of neoclassical economics, there is a growing body of evidence that the consequences of such structural forces were far more significant, persistent, and pernicious than those associated with the alleged riot effect.
What effect, then — if any — does this type of resistance actually have? One possible answer is that it gets the goods. Historically, there is some evidence to support this hypothesis: take Frances Fox Piven and Richard Cloward’s work on poor people’s movements, or Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson’s research on democratization. But in the age of austerity, cities and states with rebellion are more likely to see resources redirected toward security services than social services.
Another answer could be that a riot provides a pretext for elites to do what they were going to do anyway. Business owners can take the opportunity to move out of a neighborhood, but they can just as easily take the opportunity to move in. State managers can use rioting as an excuse for planned abandonment, or they can use it as an argument for redevelopment — as they have done to great effect in gentrifying areas of Oakland, Brooklyn, Cincinnati, and elsewhere. On this reading, the riot effect is not only a ruse, but also a rationalization of existing interests.
It is as rational for communities capitalism deems superfluous to rebel as it is profitable for capital to keep them in their place. But when the apologists for this state of affairs turn to social science for backup, it is worth remembering that their claims to truth remain as questionable as their claims to legitimacy.I peruse lots of blogs and forums online. I’ve found that I enjoy reading about others back country mistakes not so much out of schadenfreude but out of genuine interest so as not to make them on my own, even the obvious dumb ones like the one below. Now it’s time for me to write about my own mistakes as I make them.
My latest dumb mistake was on a trip to Indian Heaven Wilderness in SW Washington. I had planned a loop using some dead trails off of the PCT.
My first mistake was that I neglected to bring a large overview map of the whole area. I had a more detailed zoomed in map of only the area I would be hiking in with not much buffer around it. I had this same map loaded to my phone (GPS). Day 1 is in red and then I take the blue part the next morning to link back with the PCT, using the same route back to the south and then west to return to my car. Here it is:
The trail that runs E-W sucked balls on the way up. The trail was difficult to follow and involved a steep uphill section that I wasn’t keen on repeating. Hunters were also in the area and I wasn’t wearing blaze orange. I had plenty of energy and enough daylight (barely) so I made my second mistake by deviating from my original plan without proper navigational tools.
I erroneously believed that as the PCT continued south it would link right up with trail 171 just off my map, and that would take me on a NW track back to my car. I didn’t really know where it was or exactly how they link up.
I went off the map both on GPS and my paper map and really limited myself stupidly in what I could know about where I was. The two trails are connected by a cutoff trail which got me to Indian Racetrack, which is where I needed to catch the trail going back north. I wasn’t aware of the cutoff trail and it confused me, even as it got me in the right direction. I was met with a huge, flooded meadow.
Relieved, I found a trail sign which you can barely make out in that photo. However, because I didn’t have a damn overview map I didn’t know which direction to go. The trail signs made references to landmarks I couldn’t even see on my map. I got out my compass, because at the very least I knew I needed to head NNW. My compass did not work in this location.
At the time I thought that the compass was broken, but it wasn’t. I learned that volcanic rock can throw your compass off. This area is quite volcanic and there was enough interference that my compass was of no help.
However, in the fall and winter in the Northwest, the Sun is in the far southern sky. It was completely overcast, but you can usually make out where the Sun is at. I put the Sun at my back and took the trail that headed north, hoping it was the right one.
Eventually I reappeared on my GPS map and had some relief, while kicking myself for making such a dumb mistake. The rest of the wet hike was fine, but lesson learned.
Here’s the route I ended up taking:
My solution for every trip is to take the following no matter what:
Zoomed out overview map of the area that includes recognizable landscape features either with Caltopo or buying big overview maps from the bookstore. Zoomed in detail maps where all map details are nice and legible using Caltopo All of these maps loaded onto my phone GPS app. Compass Personal Locator Beacon
Dumb, preventable mistakes can lead to more serious problems. My inconsequential error of neglecting to bring an overview map combined with my impulsivity in the field resulted in me being briefly off map and lost. Things were fine, obviously, but could’ve resulted in an embarrassing situation at the very least.
Don’t rely too heavily on your phone GPS app, always take along some real maps. Make sure you don’t limit the scope of those maps however. If you make your own maps don’t paint yourself in a corner!What’s the deal with that video with the South Korean guy dancing on an invisible horse like he’s in Monty Python or something? Well, not to worry, Bill O’Reilly is on the case! This ‘Gangnam Style’ video has been the latest, greatest craze to hit the internet, and not only is it the most-watched YouTube video of all time, but it is on its way to getting a billion views. So it’s about time O’Reilly and Fox News resident psychiatrist Keith Ablow analyzed what the hell all of this is about.
Their first conclusion? The whole thing is madness! O’Reilly can’t figure out why a guy “doing the pony” is so popular with people. Ablow said Psy may be tapping into something. That something? Nothing. Yes, in Ablow’s opinion, people enjoy listening to something that doesn’t try to say anything or make a point about anything appeals to people. Plus, it is “without intelligible words, to some extent.”
Well, first of all, it’s in another language, so I think that might explain it. But second of all, even the most basic of research on the video reveals that it actually DOES have a message. The whole point of the video was for Psy to satirize the lifestyles of Gangnam residents, because Gangnam is quite a ritzy neighborhood in South Korea.
But yet, O’Reilly and Ablow continued along the “it means nothing” line. O’Reilly quipped that he knows at least sixteen people in Long Island named Sy, while Ablow compared Psy piggybacking on internet trends to how Elvis Presley capitalized on the sexual culture during his era.
O’Reilly declared Psy to be a “fat little guy… jumping up and down,” and admitted there’s not really anything wrong with the video since, “you might lose a few pounds jumping up and down like a pony.” But Ablow warned that a video like this might be a problem if people continue watching it in order to distance themselves from reality.
There are really no words to fully encapsulate how hysterical this segment is, so just watch it below, courtesy of Fox News.
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.comDemocratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails County GOP in Minnesota shares image comparing Sanders to Hitler Holder: 'Time to make the Electoral College a vestige of the past' MORE's expectation that debate moderators fact-check her opponent shows she is weak and scared of Donald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE, Newt Gingrich said Sunday.
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Gingrich, a Trump adviser and former Speaker of the House, said it's Clinton's job to fact-check Trump — not the media's.
"How weak is Clinton that her campaign wants moderators to fact check Trump? Isn't that her job? Are they that afraid of Trump?" Gingrich tweeted Sunday.
How weak is Clinton that her campaign wants moderators to fact check Trump?isn't that her job?are they that afraid of Trump. — Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) September 25, 2016
The Clinton campaign has said it expects moderators to fact-check Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, during Monday's first debate.
"She thinks moderators should play a role in making sure that the audience knows the truth," Clinton spokesperson Jennifer Palmieri said last week.
“My biggest concern is not a view of any moderator, but just that people [adjust] their questions … to suit the candidate in front of them,” Palmieri said.Design rendering of the hanging bridge. (Photo: Jiyuan government)
(ECNS) �C Macaque monkeys threatened by a reservoir in Henan will be able to take hanging bridge tours from October.
The Dahe Daily reports that Jiyuan, a city in Henan province, is spending 5 million yuan ($813,000) on two hanging bridges over a reservoir on the Qinhe River for migrating macaques. Experts said that it was the first of its kind for domestic wildlife protection.
Jiyuan has over 3,000 macaques, of which about 5 herds, or 500 macaques, migrate between forests along the river banks.
The reservoir, spanning over 600 hectares on the Qinhe River, a major tributary of the Yellow River, will submerge the four bridges currently in use and make it impossible for macaques to travel between the banks.
According to Wang Xiangdong, an official with the Taihang Mountain National Nature Reserve, each of the two hanging bridges will allow 150 macaques to cross each time.
Wang said animal keepers at the Wulongkou scenic area will invite the macaques for guided tours first to help them get familiar with the passages.
Professor Lu Jiqi, a macaque expert at Zhengzhou University in Henan, said China built a green passage for Tibetan antelopes during construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway (which started service in 2006), but that this is the first time for hanging bridges to be built for wildlife protection.James Freeman of the Wall Street Journal calls it "The February Surprise" – the increased paychecks that the vast majority of American workers will experience in February, when the tax reform bill is implemented by IRS issuance of withholding guidelines in January. The contrast between the positive personal results and the extreme rhetoric of Democrats opposing it will come home to voters in a very personal way.
The unquestioning media support that Democrats receive for their narratives – regardless of their truth or falsity – has led congressional Democrats out on a limb that President Trump is about to saw off, when he signs the tax reform bill. Unlike foreign policy or regulatory reform, people pay much more attention to their personal experience than to political rhetoric. In fact, voters care so much about the economy that they will see that the Democrats have been blowing smoke at them.
James Carville long ago coined a dictum that Democrats appear to have forgotten: "It's the economy, stupid." President Trump not only remembers, but can be counted upon to remind us of the Democrats' opposition to letting taxpayers keep more of their money. The nine months between the cuts taking hold and the midterm election is just long enough to give birth to renewed GOP congressional majorities if Republicans play their hand right.
So the vast majority of Americans will be receiving more pay, even before the economy booms – as it will certainly do barring disastrous events (a war in Korea, for example) – and raises wages. They will figure out that to Nancy and her pals, keeping more of the money you earn is a "moral obscenity."
But Pelosi was just getting started. She claimed the tax cut bill "does violence to the vision of our Founders" and "disrespects the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform. And it betrays the future and betrays the aspirations of our children."
"In this season, we celebrate the miraculous blessings of God. We reflect on the wondrous joy of children and our responsibility to them. We remember our duty to live justly," Pelosi added. "And for those of us blessed to serve in this Congress, we must remember our special responsibility to govern fairly, to meet the needs of all of God's children."
"Today we gather on this floor in the midst of a holy season," Pelosi said. "In this holy time, the moral obscenity and unrepentant greed of the GOP tax scam stands out even more clearly."
Pelosi warned the GOP to rethink the bill she claimed would benefit the country's richest citizens while engaging in "monumental, brazen theft from the American middle class and from every person who aspires to reach it."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) accused Republicans on Tuesday of embracing "moral obscenity and unrepentant greed" in the "holy season" by pushing sweeping tax-reform legislation to the finish line less than a week before Christmas.
Yesterday, on the House floor, Nancy Pelosi, in the words of Lifezette, went off the deep end, complete with goofy signs.
The unquestioning media support that Democrats receive for their narratives – regardless of their truth or falsity – has led congressional Democrats out on a limb that President Trump is about to saw off, when he signs the tax reform bill. Unlike foreign policy or regulatory reform, people pay much more attention to their personal experience than to political rhetoric. In fact, voters care so much about the economy that they will see that the Democrats have been blowing smoke at them.
James Freeman of the Wall Street Journal calls it "The February Surprise" – the increased paychecks that the vast majority of American workers will experience in February, when the tax reform bill is implemented by IRS issuance of withholding guidelines in January. The contrast between the positive personal results and the extreme rhetoric of Democrats opposing it will come home to voters in a very personal way.
Yesterday, on the House floor, Nancy Pelosi, in the words of Lifezette, went off the deep end, complete with goofy signs.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) accused Republicans on Tuesday of embracing "moral obscenity and unrepentant greed" in the "holy season" by pushing sweeping tax-reform legislation to the finish line less than a week before Christmas. Pelosi warned the GOP to rethink the bill she claimed would benefit the country's richest citizens while engaging in "monumental, brazen theft from the American middle class and from every person who aspires to reach it." "Today we gather on this floor in the midst of a holy season," Pelosi said. "In this holy time, the moral obscenity and unrepentant greed of the GOP tax scam stands out even more clearly." "In this season, we celebrate the miraculous blessings of God. We reflect on the wondrous joy of children and our responsibility to them. We remember our duty to live justly," Pelosi added. "And for those of us blessed to serve in this Congress, we must remember our special responsibility to govern fairly, to meet the needs of all of God's children." But Pelosi was just getting started. She claimed the tax cut bill "does violence to the vision of our Founders" and "disrespects the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform. And it betrays the future and betrays the aspirations of our children."
So the vast majority of Americans will be receiving more pay, even before the economy booms – as it will certainly do barring disastrous events (a war in Korea, for example) – and raises wages. They will figure out that to Nancy and her pals, keeping more of the money you earn is a "moral obscenity."
James Carville long ago coined a dictum that Democrats appear to have forgotten: "It's the economy, stupid." President Trump not only remembers, but can be counted upon to remind us of the Democrats' opposition to letting taxpayers keep more of their money. The nine months between the cuts taking hold and the midterm election is just long enough to give birth to renewed GOP congressional majorities if Republicans play their hand right.The United States government is holding a woman prisoner to keep her from obtaining an abortion.
Let that fact sink in for a moment. The core issue at the heart of Garza v. Hargan is whether the coercive power of the state can be used to hold someone prisoner to keep them from obtaining an abortion.
It’s important to remember this fact — again, that the most powerful nation on the planet has locked up a woman to stop her from terminating her pregnancy — because the Trump administration wants a panel of three federal judges to believe that Garza is about something else. They want you to think this is a case about whether the Constitution requires the government to “affirmatively facilitate” an “elective abortion.” But this isn’t just a bad legal argument, it’s a bad factual argument. It is an Orwellian argument.
The case revolves around a 17-year-old undocumented immigrant, referred to by the pseudonym “J.D.,” who is currently being held in a government facility. Pursuant to federal law, unaccompanied minors are held in a facility run by the Department of Health and Human Services, which holds them there until a relative in the United States steps forward as the minor’s “sponsor,” until the minor agrees to voluntarily depart the country, or until the minor is deported.
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According to the limited record in this case, the government rejected two of J.D.’s family members who offered themselves as sponsors (although it is unclear why). J.D., meanwhile, does not want to voluntarily depart — her attorney says that she may have a lawful reason to remain in the United States and would not want to give up her right to press that case.
Meanwhile, looming over this case is the possibility that J.D. was abused — perhaps sexually — in her home country. Though, again, the record is quite limited.
Everything in this case has happened very quickly. A federal trial court ordered the government to let J.D. obtain an abortion on Wednesday. An appeals court temporarily blocked that ruling on Thursday. It’s now Friday, |
Roman said. "But at the same time, just in the normal course of events to be able to throw up that kind of production, obviously we're doing something right."
Game notes
Buffalo allowed 500 yards in consecutive games for the first time in franchise history.... Bills DE Mario Williams wore a small stabilizer on his left wrist instead of the brace he had the first four weeks. He appeared to grimace after a few plays. "It's good one day, and bad the next day," said Williams, who had two tackles and no sacks.... Byrd injured a chest muscle, and Bills OL Chad Rinehart hurt his calf in the second half and did not return. Both are day to day.
Information from The Associated Press and ESPN.com's Mike Sando was used in this report.Please join us at Sydney Perl Mongers for our December/Christmas meeting and last meet for the 2015 year.
Date: Wednesday, 16th December 2015
Time: 6-9pm
Place: Ooyala and Telstra Software Group Office, Level 9, 175 Liverpool St, Sydney
One of the developer evangelists from the Ooyala API team at the TSG will present a short intro/talk. Mandy, who so generously organized this, hopes to also show off Ooyala features via perl code!
We will hopefully have the lifts open during that time, so people can freely come to level 9. Once there, they will see an Ooyala / TSG sign and can come over and knock/wave through the glass door.
If the lifts are not letting people up there will be at least one person from Ooyala/TSG to ferry people up the lift they will just need to call you or me or something like that.
Best train station: Museum seems best, followed by Town Hall
Speakers:
- (Lightning talk) Jim Donovan on "Skills required nowadays in the Perl5 environment".
- TBD Ooyala evangelist
- Myself on OpenWRT+perl
- Lloyd Fournier on getting started with perl 6
- Kieren Diment, (in)famous for his "Definitive Guide to Catalyst", topic TBD
Please join and share on Facebook
Naturally you can tell your friends and colleagues the old fashion way too!
Update: Why not print this poster and hang it around your place of work.why the accommodationists still don’t get it…
Michael Ruse once again shows us why accommodationists don't understand science and how it works, and don't want to understand it.
Illustration by Miguel Covarrubias
Few public spats seem to be more amiable than that of Jerry Coyne vs. Michael Ruse mostly because Coyne makes extensive use of the scientific method and natural facts to drive his arguments while Ruse has little to no command of them and acknowledges about as much. And this makes his latest post complaining about Coyne’s tin ear for philosophy, which is a condition of which I’ve been frequently accused also, hypocritical as he’s shown time and time again that he cares far more about being nice than about the facts.
Just as a typical accommodationist is expected to do, he sticks to vague platitudes in his critiques pays a tidbit of lip service to the mantra of compatibility between science and religion, and goes on to blather about every little material thing in which Coyne likes to indulge, presumably to distract from this lackluster argument…
Although I have little time for most religion, qua philosophy I still argue that science does not have all of the answers and it is at least legitimate for believers to try to offer their answers. I don’t think the answers are necessarily beyond criticism, but at the same time I don’t think that because they are not scientific answers this thereby makes them wrong or pernicious.
Repeat slowly after me. Science does not have all the answers and does not pretend to have them, otherwise there would be no point in any scientific profession since all the answers have been found. To quote the Irish comedian Dara O’Briain, if science knew everything it would’ve stopped. But science has a terrific way to get a factual, reproducible answer to a particular question. Like the GPS in your car, it doesn’t physically take you to the fancy new restaurant where you made reservations, but shows you how to get there turn by turn, and if you aren’t sure of what it’s telling you, you can check in with the satellites to track your actual position and maps of the area to confirm the route.
By contrast, religion is like the backseat driver just as new to the city as you are, giving you directions based on his personal opinions and preconceptions of how others got to a destination, along with threats that you’ll get lost and wander into a really rough neighborhood if you don’t listen. Why take that left on Elm? Because your backseat driver told you to after remembering that he read about some driver’s left turn on Elm to get somewhere and you should do that too if you don’t want to get carjacked or robbed.
Folks, this approach does not work because you’ll end up navigating a maze of streets and arrive where you’d like to go either by sheer luck or because one of you finally looks at a map, the tool designed especially for the purpose of getting you where you want to be. Likewise, this approach doesn’t work in anything else. You need to connect ideas, thoughts, and advice to something that is factual, something science is meant to do. It may not get you where you want to go by the easiest path, it may make mistakes along the way, it may end up that the place you want to go either doesn’t exist yet or won’t exist at all.
It’s not perfect. But it’ll get you much farther than wild guesses and wishful thinking. So when someone like Ruse says that non-scientific answers aren’t necessarily wrong by virtue of being non-scientific, he spectacularly misses the point. The problem with non- scientific answers is that they’re not grounded in facts we could falsify or situations we can replicate. They’re a guess or a parroting of someone’s guess. Were you to ask a stranger how to get to the Taipei 101 building in Taiwan and he proceed to give you a set of directions, this doesn’t mean that he’s necessarily wrong. But how do you know that he gave you the right directions? Wouldn’t you want to ask some questions to verify them?Well, yeah. What did you think would happen if you packed hundreds of NBA-All-Star-Game-Crazed Orlandians into a mall parking lot and offered only some of them the chance to buy a pair of exclusive kicks? They'd be crazy not to riot.
According to reports, crowds began to gather outside a Foot Locker Wednesday night ahead of the shoe's release but were initially kept a fair distance from the store entrance. At some point, however, one person ducked the cordon and broke for the store. Hundreds followed in a stampede of desperation and poor taste. "I saw hundreds of people running toward me. I thought I was going to get trampled," said witness Amanda Charles.
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Sheriff's deputies in full riot gear quickly arrived on the scene and restored order, pushing the mob back with shields and threats of pepper spray. There were no immediate reports of injuries, arrests, or mass pepper-sprayings.
The shoes that instigated this kerfuffle? The $220 Nike Foamposite One, part of the Nike All-Star collection. They feature a galactic design in honor of Florida's space industry and reportedly glow. Yeah, they totally sound worth being trampled for. [Orlando Sentinel]Win a 12 year old bottle of The Macallan signed by Neil Peart
The folks at RUSHfest Scotland are running a world wide raffle to win a 12 year old bottle of The Macallan signed by Neil Peart to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. The bottle comes with a certificate of authenticity and is no longer in production, so it is sure to go up in value. From the RUSHFest Scotland Just Giving page:
... It is a well known fact amongst RUSH fans that Neil Peart's favourite tipple after a show or a bike ride is a 'wee measure' of Macallan!... To become the owner of this unique signed bottle, RUSHfest Scotland ask that you make a minimum donation of £5 using the donation link on this page. For each £5 donation you will receive one entry to the prize draw. If you would like 2 entries then please donate £10 and for 3 entries, donate £15 and so on. The draw is open worldwide. 'The bottle' will be dispatched securely and insured to the winner's address. We have made a conservative target to raise £1000 but are hoping this will be exceeded. The ultimate target is infinite!!! The draw will be made on 18th April 2015...
For all the details and to enter the raffle, just visit www.justgiving.com/rushfest-Scotland. Thanks to Mike S for the heads up.The European Parliament has backed India’s surgical strike on terrorist training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). In a signed article that has been published in EP Today, the Vice President of European Parliament, Ryszard Czarnecki, said India’s cross border action against the terrorists should be “commended and supported by the international community.”
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Praising the Indian government and the Indian Army for its professional approach to a situation that was becoming graver by the day, EP Vice President Czarnecki said in his article published in the EP Today that, “The message that came out was loud and clear – that India would no longer allow Pakistan to fuel cross-border terrorism.”
WATCH VIDEO: Surgical Strikes: Eyewitnesses’ Accounts Validate India’s Claim Of A Lethal Strike
“This proactive operation, carried out on Pak-controlled territory, was probably a first by India, and was a response to the two attacks by terror groups on Indian defence establishments earlier this year – the Pathankot Air base in January and the Uri Army camp in September. Both these establishments are located near the Indian border with Pakistan, and the attacks were carried out by Pak-based terror groups who had sneaked across the border into India,” he added.
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“India has clearly indicated that these attacks were not against the Pakistani state, but focussed against terror groups that threatened peace and stability in the region. India deserves global support in its fight against terror emanating from Pakistan, for, if left unchecked, these individuals and groups would be attacking Europe and the West, soon,” Czarnecki said.
He said that it is also important for the European Union to maintain pressure on Pakistan to eliminate the terror networks that operate within its borders.
WATCH VIDEO: Surgical Strikes: Congress Spells Out Three Strikes Carried Out By UPA
“The time has come for the world to act decisively against terrorism and ensure that no terror group is assured of a secure haven in any part of the world,” he added.
Broad-basing his argument that no country should be allowed to give a safe haven to terrorists, Czarnecki claimed that the Europeran Union has been a major victim of terrorist strikes over the last few years, and warned that it could continue to face such threats from jihadist groups and individuals, in the near future in an increasing manner.
“This rising threat calls for an effective response by us, to groups and states that sponsor terror, and support to states that are dealing with such threats. The need of the hour, therefore, is for the international community to stand together and cooperate in the common fight against terrorism,” the European Parliament vice president said.
“We have witnessed the alarming growth of Pak-linked terror modules in Europe and other parts of the world. The close proximity between the Pak security establishment and extremist / terror groups has also given rise to a situation where organisations propagating Islamic militancy in Pakistan enjoy de-facto state patronage, including in their call to Pakistani youth to participate in the ‘global jihad,” he said in his article.
He cited the examples of the arrest of Mohammad Usman Ghani by the Austrian police for his links to the Paris terror attack in November 2015, the arrest of 18 Pakistani nationals by the Italian security agencies in 2015 for their association with international terrorism, and of three Pakistani nationals by the Spanish police in July 2016 for spreading jihadist ideology.
Czarnecki said the close association of the Pakistan defence establishment with the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network is also well known, and added that the European Union has listed some of these terror groups based in Pakistan, including the Hizbul Mujahideen, on its terror list.
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He was responding to the Indian Army’s surgical strikes on seven or eight terrorist launch pads operating in Pakistan occupied Kashmir on September 28.Pipi Fun Facts: Did you know?
6 out of every 10 people think that Yoga and Pilates are the “same thing” :O
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Pilates & Yoga may “look the same” to almost everyone who hasn’t done Pilates and/or Yoga before, but it certainly doesn’t come as a surprise – while they are in fact, NOT the same thing, they aren’t entirely different either. Let’s break both exercises down and take a closer look into how we can differentiate them a little better!
1) Shapes & Positions
How can one differentiate between a Pilates exercise and a Yoga pose? In Yoga, one generally holds each pose for a longer period of time, while Pilates exercises consists of continuous motions at a faster pace. Yoga exercises are static and involve the element of meditation – one stays in the position while enhancing the stretch of the body through breathing. On the other hand, Pilates involves a sequence of dynamic exercises which works the body through resistance, core awareness and breathing.
2) Props & Equipment
Both Pilates & Yoga exercises may incorporate the use of props to increase resistance, such as toning (weighted) balls or a resistance ring. Yoga exercises are performed on a mat, while Pilates has the option of Pilates Mat or Pilates Reformer. In comparison to Yoga, Pilates provides a wider variety of exercises by toning the body through natural resistance from one’s body weight, or through the use of equipment (straps & springs of a reformer machine).
3) Core Strength
In both Yoga & Pilates, the core is engaged during the exercises. The difference lies in the purpose of engaging the core – the core is engaged in Yoga exercises to allow one to move with fluidity and grace through the practice. Pilates is excellent for core strengthening as focus is placed on stability and strength of the core throughout the workout. Even during a leg or arm exercise, your core is always engaged and supporting everything you do. Every movement you make stems from core engagement.
4) Breathing
Both Yoga & Pilates uses breathing techniques in their exercises, which improves circulation and oxygenates the system. The difference lies in the type of breathing technique used:
In Yoga, a full belly breathing method is used – in each breath, one fully expands his/her belly on the inhale and deflate on the exhale. Belly breathing oxygenates the blood, lowers blood pressure and relaxes oneself. As Pilates has a strong focus on the core, belly breathing is not used as it discourages core engagement. Instead, Pilates uses a multidimensional breathing method where one inhales through the nose, filling up the lungs to their fullest capacity, hence expanding the ribs out and allowing engagement of the core. On the exhale breath, one exhales through pursed lips with a gentle contraction of the abdominal muscles to stay connected to the core.
The primary goal of Yoga is to stay connected to the breath – focus is placed on concentration on the breath first, before deepening a pose. In Pilates, priority is given to the precision of movement and starting position of an exercise, followed by the coordination of the movement with breathing.
5) Weight Loss Benefits
Both Yoga & Pilates are wonderful for strengthening the core and toning all the muscle groups in the body, but is it effective in achieving weight loss? Typically, a 50-min Power Yoga class will burn about 250 calories – while it is not significant enough to help you shed the kilos, a study found that people who practiced yoga regularly gained less weight during their midlife years than their nonpracticing peers. On the other hand, a 50-min Pilates workout can burn between 255 to 375 calories. For maximum weight loss results, you will need to do a 45-60min routine at least 4 days a week. Pilates Reformer exercises add the cardio and fitness element to Pilates poses, which burns additional calories and contributes to faster weight loss results when done correctly and regularly.
In summary, both Yoga & Pilates are beneficial to the body in terms of posture, flexibility and relaxation of the mind and body. However, Yoga is a practice, whereas Pilates is a workout. If you’re looking for faster and more effective results, give our Pilates Reformer class a shot today!If Supreme Court Lets States Define Marriage, Could Legalized Polygamy Make A Comeback?
The Supreme Court may allow states to decide individually on the legality of same-sex marriage. So if Washington were to defer to the states in defining marriage, could legalized polygamy make a comeback? Robert Siegel talks to Jonathan Turley, law professor at The George Washington University and lead counsel for the Brown family, featured on the TLC show Sister Wives.
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
This week, we heard two days of arguments at the Supreme Court over same-sex marriage. Yesterday, the court heard Edith Windsor's challenge to DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act. It defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
I wondered, aside from the man and woman part, what about the one and one part? Polygamy was practiced by the Mormons. Lawyer Paul Clement, in his defense of DOMA, said this yesterday - although first, we'll hear Justice Scalia sneezing.
(SOUNDBITE OF SUPREME COURT HEARING)
PAUL CLEMENT: If you look at historically, not only has the federal government defined marriage for its own purposes distinctly in the context of particular programs, it's also intervened in other areas, including in-state prerogatives. I mean, there's a reason that four state constitutions include a prohibition on polygamy. It's because the federal Congress insisted on them.
SIEGEL: Polygamy is still practiced in Africa and the Middle East, and there are immigrants here from societies that accept it. If Washington were to defer to the states in defining marriage, could legalized polygamy make a comeback? Well, Jonathan Turley is a law professor at George Washington University. Welcome to the program.
JONATHAN TURLEY: Thank you.
SIEGEL: And let's set out first, you are representing clients who are seeking to overturn a Utah law that effectively, bans polygamy.
TURLEY: That's correct. What the Brown family is doing is, they're challenging a law that criminalizes cohabitation, which is the law that governs plural families, including polygamists. And it is that law that says that even if you don't have multiple marriage licenses, if you simply live with someone - or multiple partners, you can be criminally charged.
SIEGEL: The Browns are known to some folks from television.
TURLEY: That's right. The Browns are the cast for a reality show called the "Sister Wives," who have a single husband and multiple wives. They are all consenting adults. They've been investigated for years; and the state agrees that there's no child abuse, no spousal abuse. What you have are people that prefer to live this way. This is a bona fide practice that goes back to the earliest days in multiple religions, including the Jewish, Protestant faiths as well as the Islamic faith. Many of the Old Testament figures were polygamists - some of the ones that are most revered by both Christians and Jews.
SIEGEL: But of course, that's - that could be an argument for slavery as well; that the people in the Old Testament held slaves. I mean, we can't judge by the mores of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
TURLEY: Well, the point is that it puts it in to sharp relief. It is a bona fide and long-standing religious belief.
SIEGEL: Is there anything germane in either of the arguments, either of the day's cases and same-sex marriage that relates to your case?
TURLEY: Really, what this case reflects is where the gay and lesbian community was almost exactly 10 years ago, before the ruling in Lawrence v. Texas. That was the ruling where the Supreme Court said you could not criminalize homosexuality. The polygamists are a decade behind that. And when we talk about polygamists, you have to remember that cohabitation statutes really apply to a vast array of plural families that are often ignored.
SIEGEL: Can you accept, though, a clear line that says same-sex marriage means equal access to a fundamental right; polygamy is about something completely different, and it might very often be in violation of the rights of, say, the women.
TURLEY: Well, it can be, but so can monogamy. I mean, I can show you a vast array of cases involving conventional marriage where women are abused; children are abused as well. And critics, they want this to be this image of compound polygamists wearing prairie dresses and living in isolation. That's not how most plural families live. Most are like the Brown family. They're very modern. The women believe in divorce. They live in cities. They have jobs. But they are treated as felons.
SIEGEL: I asked another court-watcher about the possible impact of same-sex marriage - at the court - on polygamy. And he said look, history has not shone kindly on polygamists. You say that the polygamists today are where the same-sex marriage was 10, 20 years ago. But is the answer here more simply that gay marriage expresses contemporary mores; polygamy doesn't?
TURLEY: Well, I think that there's something that but - and quite frankly, it's wrong. You cannot defend a new civil liberty by denying it to others. I think that there is a grander, more magnificent trend that you can see in the law, and that is this right to be left alone. People have a right to establish their families as long as they don't harm others.
SIEGEL: Professor Turley, thank you very much for talking with us.
TURLEY: It's my great pleasure.
SIEGEL: Jonathan Turley is a professor of law at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
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You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, from NPR News.
Copyright © 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a Nobel Prize-winning author, journalist, and screenwriter, died Thursday at age 87, according to a report citing a source close to Marquez’s family.
An Associated Press report did not include the cause of death, although Marquez’s family has said in recent days that the author’s health has been “very fragile.”
Born in Colombia, Marquez had been recuperating at his Mexico City home after he was hospitalized for nine days due to infections in his lungs and urinary tract.
“He is and will continue to recover at his home,” his family said in a statement earlier this week, adding that at 87-years-old “there are risk of complications.”
— Olga R. Rodriguez (@OlgaRRod) April 17, 2014
Marquez was widely considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century for his non-fiction pieces, short stories, and novels – which included “One Hundred Years of Solitude,”“Autumn of the Patriarch,” and “Love in the Time of Cholera.”
Better known as “Gabo,” Marquez was perhaps most beloved for “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” The book was first published in 1967 and chronicled multiple generations of the fictional Buendia family whose patriarch founds the town Macondo, Colombia.
The novel helped convince the Nobel committee to award Marquez the prize for literature in 1982. The committee praised the author for his “novels and short stories, in which the fantastic and realistic are combined in a richly composed universe of imagination.”
Marquez was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 1999 and, while battling the disease, contracted Alzheimer’s disease in 2006. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on Wednesday that Marquez was also treated for pneumonia, contrary to previous press reports.
“What they told me is that he had pneumonia, he has got over that, he remains in delicate health which is a reality of his age,” Santos told Reuters. “It is not true what was published in the Mexican newspaper that he is riddled with cancer, that’s not true.”
Marquez is survived by his wife, Mercedes Barcha, and sons Rodrigo and Gonzalo. Due to his health complications, Marquez retired from public life in 2009.
El coche fúnebre con el cuerpo de García Máquez abandona la casa rumbo al tanatorio. #garciamarquezpic.twitter.com/ZVI9PmqtxR — Juan Diego Quesada (@jdquesada) April 17, 2014
Not to be outdone by his own fiction, Marquez is perhaps equally praised for his journalism skills. Along with Norman Mailer, Tom Wolfe, and others he is seen today as one of the pioneers of the New Journalism movement, particularly because of his focus on the culture of Latin America.
He once wrote a profile of Hugo Chavez and depicted cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar’s destruction of Colombian society in vivid detail. Marquez was also an ally of Fidel Castro early in the Cuban revolutionary’s presidency and spoke out against US involvement in Vietnam.
Upon accepting the Nobel prize in 1982, Marquez said Latin America’s tribulations provided him with a “source of insatiable creativity, full of sorrow and beauty, all of which this roving and nostalgic Colombian is but one cipher more, singled out by fortune. Poets and beggars, musicians and prophets, warriors and scoundrels, all creatures of that unbridled reality, we have had to ask but little of imagination, for our crucial problem has been a lack of conventional means to render our lives believable,” as quoted by the AP.
Marquez's remains were to be cremated in a private ceremony in Mexico, reported EFE.
UPDATE: En earlier version of this story misattributed a quote to Mr. Marquez.A local Democratic official was caught on camera berating and cursing out a group of gay petitioners because they were clip-boarding for a conservative cause.
A group of gay volunteers were gathering signatures on Pride weekend to unseat a Democratic state senator who supported a gas tax hike, reports Fox News.
They were soon approached by Jeff LeTourneau, a Vice-Chair with the Democratic Party of Orange County. LaTourneau, who is also gay, accosted them for supporting conservative causes and the Republican Party.
“Which one of you assholes is the gay?” he demanded to know. “You fucking belong to a party that writes our destruction into our platform…get your shit out of here.”
“You’re a fucking disgrace to any gay person I know,” he continued.
The volunteers tried to explain to LeTourneau that they are opposing the gas tax because they are “sick and tired of throwing the working families under the bus.”
WATCH:
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com
“You do not belong to our community,” LaTourneau yelled. “You also do not belong to the LGBTQ community either.”
Carl DeMaio, who was helping collect signatures at the group’s table, said he found LaTourneau’s outburst “highly offensive.”
“LeTourneau clearly thinks that if you are gay, you can only be a Democrat which is both arrogant and highly offensive,” said DeMaio, a gay former San Diego city councilmember and former GOP congressional candidate. “The idea that Californians are sick of paying higher taxes cuts across party lines and sexual orientation.”
Fox News said LeTourneau did not respond to their requests for comment.
Follow Amber on TwitterMicroaggressions: the left wing’s social candy. Supposedly, it’s a massive list of phrases and words that the Left think might be culturally insensitive and obstacles to inclusion and diversity. I’ll be more blunt—the whole concept is pure crap. Anything can be a microaggression, and anything can be considered a triggering action as a result. In all, it’s just a way for the progressive left to stifle and smother speech that they don’t like. Of course, racist language is not what we’re talking about here. We all know those horrible words, but saying, “I believe the most qualified person should get the job” is now somehow offensive? Yeah—it’s come to this, folks. Yet, a new study on phrases like this has seemingly undercut the whole microaggression narrative that’s prevalent on college campuses (via The Atlantic) [emphasis mine]:
Consider a widely circulated educational sheet, derived from an academic text, that seems to have originated in the UC system before being circulated at UC Santa Cruz, the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin, the court system of Philadelphia, and beyond. It lists what it calls examples of “racial microaggressions” that “communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons.” The following statements are included: “You speak good English.”
“When I look at you I don’t see color.”
“America is a melting pot.”
“America is the land of opportunity.”
“Everyone can succeed in this society if they work hard enough.” […] The Cato/YouGov survey on free speech and tolerance that I reported on last week included questions about whether folks find the same sentiments expressed above offensive. Among the results? Telling a recent immigrant, “you speak good English” was deemed “not offensive” by 77 percent of Latinos; saying “I don’t notice people’s race” was deemed “not offensive” by 71 percent of African Americans and 80 percent of Latinos; saying “America is a melting pot” was deemed not offensive by 77 percent of African Americans and 70 percent of Latinos; saying “America is the land of opportunity” was deemed “not offensive” by 93 percent of African Americans and 89 percent of Latinos; and saying “everyone can succeed in this society if they work hard enough” was deemed “not offensive” by 89 percent of Latinos and 77 percent of African Americans.
None of this is offensive. Apparently, the Asians were a bit harder to poll; no data was available. Makes sense, as a member of the club, if I got a phone call about a study—I would simply hang up. The point is just saying things that are true are not offensive. Maybe the Left can actually embrace that this is a country that affords many opportunities to people instead of ways to destroy language to satisfy a political goal.Share
After all that’s going on and all that President Trump has been alleged to have done leading up to his victory over Hillary Clinton, an odd Moscow sex tape likely won’t have an impact on whether or not he remains President. With that said, the existence of such a tape would likely further legitimatize the rest of Christopher Steele’s dossier.
According to Steele, who wrote the salacious dossier which was released in January, Trump had paid prostitutes to urinate on each other on the bed that Barack and Michelle Obama had allegedly slept in. Steele also claimed that the whole incident was filmed and that the Kremlin is holding such material as ‘kompromat’ in order to convince Trump to toe their line.
Many critics of the dossier, who claim that it’s filled with lies and inaccuracies, use these nearly unbelievable allegations as a way to discredit the entire 35-page document. New information, however, coming from The Spectator, seems to further legitimize the existence of such a tape.
Paul Wood from The Spectator, has claimed to have heard from two separate sources that Russia does in fact have kompromat on the President. Wood also goes on to state:
“There are, though, reports of witnesses in the hotel who corroborate Steele’s reporting. These include an American who’s said to have seen a row with the hotel security over whether the hookers would be allowed up to Trump’s suite. The dossier’s account of hookers in a Moscow hotel room was the subject of gossip among politicians and intelligence people for months before it was published.”
Wood then goes on to claim that the urination tape that the Russians allegedly have of Trump and several prostitutes, is not the only or most extreme tape in existence.
“Now claims are circulating of more tapes showing more extreme behavior. Expect these allegations to emerge in due course,” Wood continued.
For those unfamiliar with Paul Wood, he’s an incredibly well respected and trusted international journalist. He has reported from some of the most war-torn areas on the planet, including Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Chechnya, Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan. He has won multiple awards and is respected around the world.
It will be interesting to see what eventually surfaces regarding these alleged tapes, and how it may have an effect on Trumps presidency. Let’s hear your thoughts on these allegations in the comments section below.Current federal law criminalizes the practice of FGM, but does not specifically require reporting on it, though health care providers are obligated to report instances of child abuse, a category in which FGM falls
Female genital mutilation is gratuitous violence against girls and women, and is a violation of human rights; failing to report it not only ensures its continuance but also perpetuates a two-tier legal system in America: one in which Islamic Sharia is permitted and another under the rule of secular law.
When one takes into consideration the shocking cover-up of the sexual assault by Muslim “grooming gangs” of up to a million girls in the U.K., as police and public welfare officials turned a blind eye for fear of being branded “Islamophobic” or racist, it is clear that some areas are already under a two-tier legal system of Sharia and democracy. The West continues to lose its values in the interests of appeasing Muslims and will continue to do so unless this double standard is seriously challenged. Let’s hope that American law will change in order to force reporting of this dreadful abuse of women in light of this first FGM case in America, in which two Michigan doctors, Dr. Jumana Nagarwala and Dr. Fakhruddin Attar, and Attar’s wife Farida (a medical office manager) were indicted this week by a Detroit grand jury. The prosecutor has rightly stated that “this brutal practice is conducted on girls for one reason, to control them as women. FGM will not be tolerated in the United States.”
The barbaric practise of female genital mutilation — a procedure made unlawful by the Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 — has been thrust to the fore of public debate in the United States following the arrests of Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, Dr. Fakhruddin Attar, and Attar’s wife Farida in Michigan this month.
According to reports, several young Somali girls were brought from Minnesota, one of twenty-four states that have passed legislation to make female genital mutilation (FGM) illegal according to state laws, to Michigan, one of twenty-six states in which FGM has not been made illegal in state law, where Dr. Nagarwala, with assistance from Mrs. Attar, performed the procedure outlawed by federal law in a medical office owned by Dr. Attar.
“Since 1996, there have been specific federal criminal penalties for performing FGM/C in the United States on anyone under 18 years old, including fines, up to 5 years in prison, or both. In 2013, Congress amended the federal statute related to FGM/C to criminalize the knowing transportation of a girl under 18 years old from the United States for the purpose of performing FGM/C abroad—often referred to as ‘vacation cutting,’ ” according to the June 2016 Government Accountability Office’s report Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting.
The current federal statute, which codifies both the 1996 law and the 2013 law can be seen here at U.S. Code Title 18 Part I Chapter 7 § 116 – Female genital mutilation.
Surprisingly, neither the 1996 federal law that outlawed FGM, nor the 2013 federal law that outlawed “vacation cutting” requires health care providers to report known or suspected instances of FGM to local, state, or federal health authorities or law enforcement. Current federal law criminalizes the practice of FGM, but does not specifically require reporting on it, though health care providers are obligated to report instances of child abuse, a category in which FGM falls.
With this paucity of reporting data, two recent studies, one by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), another by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), have used demographic analysis to estimate that the number of women who have “undergone” FGM or are “at risk of the procedure” in the United States exceeds 500,000.
“Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), involving partial or total removal of the external genitals of girls and women for religious, cultural, or other nonmedical reasons, has devastating immediate and long-term health and social effects, especially related to childbirth,” the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), a non-profit research organized funded in part by the Bill & Melissa Gates Foundation, reported in February 2016.
“In 2013, there were up to 507,000 U.S. women and girls who had undergone FGM/C or were at risk of the procedure, according to PRB’s data analysis. This figure is more than twice the number of women and girls estimated to be at risk in 2000 (228,000). The rapid increase in women and girls at risk reflects an increase in immigration to the United States, rather than an increase in the share of women and girls at risk of being cut. The estimated U.S. population at risk of FGM/C is calculated by applying country- and age-specific FGM/C prevalence rates to the number of U.S. women and girls with ties to those countries,” PRB reported.
PRB’s “at risk” estimates were based on demographic analysis, rather than actual reported incidents of |
swing and miss more than usual with the left hand. Maybe it was the fact that a fully hydrated career lightweight, not to mention one known for his durability, was able to withstand punches that would have rendered a wrung-out featherweight senseless. Or maybe Conor McGregor was too far along the puncher's path to turn back.
But there was also Nate Diaz, and his skill. Nate is not Nick, and never has been. Where Nick Diaz is known for his take-one-to-give one attitude, relentless forward pressure, and combination punching, Nate Diaz is a boxer in the classical sense. The cornerstone of his style is the jab, off of which every other attack is built. His feet are slow like those of a big man, not like the twinkle-toes of McGregor, but he moves them with careful precision.
And then there is the subtle art of taking a punch.
1. McGregor and Diaz square off at range.
2. Diaz tries to hand-fight but McGregor slides a jab under his left arm.
3. Diaz pulls back as the jab extends, but leaves himself open to an incoming overhand left.
4. As Conor's left connects, Diaz moves with the punch, pulling back and absorbing the shock with his legs, all while looking to counter with a wide right hook.
5. His hook misses the mark, but Diaz keeps his eyes on McGregor and looks to adjust.
6. As McGregor tries to follow up with a left, Diaz is already moving, shelling up and smothering him to avoid further punishment.
7. A quick pivot brings Diaz around to the left, away from McGregor's left hand.
Nick Diaz's ability to survive tough fights has always been, in part, a result of his durability and heart. Nick has a great chin, a Marciano-esque resistance to pain, and enough willpower for five average fighters. Nate certainly doesn't lack the will, but I've long suspected that his own resistance to knockouts has as much to do with skill as it does will.
Nate's defense and footwork are badly underrated, perhaps because of the awkward appearance of his movements. When it comes to boxing tactics, however, he very rarely puts a foot wrong. When McGregor connects with his left hand, Diaz is able to take almost all of the power away by moving with the punch. After McGregor's arm has fully extended, what little sting remains is dissipated by Nate's stance--note his rear leg, turned out and bent to serve as a shock-absorbing spring. Nate even anticipates the need for this absorption by widening his stance between frames 1 and 2, moving his left leg back to give his head more cushion room. And after rolling with the first blow, Diaz is far from stationary. Years of boxing training take over as he covers up, smothers his aggressor by closing the distance, and pivots to take away his angle of attack.
Often movements like this were enough for Diaz to avoid punishment entirely. Anyone watching surely noticed just how frequently McGregor missed--much more than usual. When McGregor proved too quick or too slick to be avoided, however, Diaz's ability to move with the punches helped him to retain his wits. Ultimately, McGregor's full-power punches hurt him far more than they hurt Nate, who patiently waited for the opportunity to strike.
FINDING THE OPENING
There is a moment in the footage of this fight that gives me chills no matter how many times I watch it. No doubt my analytical mind is reading patterns where there are none, and drawing meaning from nothing. But I watch anyway, again and again.
After the first round, the camera finds Nate Diaz in his corner. Where most fighters spend this time intently listening to their trainers, or sneaking furtive looks at the opponent far on the other side of the cage, Diaz simply stares. Not at his trainer, not at his cutman, and not at McGregor.
Nate Diaz stares directly into the camera; at us. The message in his eyes seems all too clear in retrospect: "I know what I'm doing. Wait and see."
Swinging away, McGregor had been sowing the seeds of his own comeuppance since the start of the first round. As he said himself in the post-fight interview, he was "inefficient with [his] shots," too eager to hit an opponent who was too tough, too good. At some point in the second round, McGregor realized his mistake. He began to grow tired, while Diaz's pace remained unchanged. Even his clean punches were no longer having an effect. Rather, they were having an effect, but not the desired one; Diaz seemed emboldened by the punishment rather than dissuaded.
And as the doubts were munching away at McGregor's mind, Nate Diaz was watching, and waiting, and planning.
1. Backed into the fence, Diaz looks to create a little space.
2. A teep connects. McGregor refuses to step back, but he must plant his feet to resist the impact.
3. Diaz capitalizes by immediately following up with a jab. McGregor slips to his left. Diaz notices.
4. McGregor has an uppercut in mind, but Diaz is already pulling away, tucking his chin behind his shoulder and pivoting to his right.
5. The two reset.
On first look, nothing much happens in this sequence. Diaz connects with a decent kick, but misses with his follow-up attack, and McGregor manages to keep him backed against the fence despite everything. For a boxer such as Nate, however, there is no such thing as a failure. There is only opportunity.
Diaz notices that, forced to make a quick reaction, McGregor slips to his left and looks for the uppercut. It is a counter that he had been preparing for Rafael Dos Anjos, and pre-fight training footage showed that he expected it to work against Diaz as well. Nate takes that information and files it away. It will come in handy in just a few moments.
1. Seconds after the last exchange, Diaz is backed into the fence again.
2. As McGregor comes forward, Nate opts to lead with a throwaway jab...
3.... followed by a half-beat left hand. McGregor slips it, this time to the other side.
4. McGregor counters with a right uppercut inside.
5. A left hand follows, but Diaz covers up.
6. Diaz blocks a right hook.
7. And McGregor can't find an opening for the left uppercut.
8. The featherweight champ tries for a left hook next, but he has to push to get it through Diaz's guard.
9. True to form, Diaz isn't a stationary target. He pivots away from McGregor's left hand and forces him to adjust.
10. McGregor is happy to keep attacking, but his jab falls short...
11.... and Diaz blocks his overhand left.
12. Nate even cuffs him with a slapping right hook on the way out.
At the start of this sequence, Diaz is looking to capitalize on the opening revealed by his previous jab. The jab he leads with now his a mere flicker, serving only to hide the left hand, which Nate throws according to the expected location of McGregor's head. McGregor has had time to think, however, and changes tack from the last exchange, slipping to the right instead of to the left.
Again, there is no such thing as failure. Diaz misses, but he learns.
In this case, there is something vulnerable about the way that McGregor jumps on the chance to counter. There is a certain urgency to his combination punching. He throws everything into every blow, as if this might be his last chance to get the job done.
It is a risky gambit, and it doesn't work. Those forced punches tell Nate everything he needs to know about his opponent's state. The power isn't there, and yet the punches come desperately, recklessly. Diaz senses the weakness, and knows that now is his time to strike. McGregor was poised enough to react smartly a few seconds ago; how will he react now after wasting the last of his power on a determined opponent?
1. Stumbling back, McGregor has the posture of a beaten man.
2. Diaz comes forward.
3. The jab again. This one is quick like the last one, but fully extended like the first. Diaz's fist touches McGregor's jaw as he slips to the left.
4. Diaz's left hand arcs down to find McGregor's chin just where he expected to find it.
5. McGregor can't even get his legs under him before Nate Diaz starts taunting. The end is near.
Mind under pressure, McGregor reacts the way Diaz wants him to. There is no choice in it for Conor. Despite his exhaustion the slip is automatic, as is the uppercut, signs of a well-schooled fighter. But McGregor is battling fatigue as well as Diaz, and the Stockton scrapper has hard-fought experience that no amount of innovative training can replicate. As McGregor springs into his uppercut, he ends up driving his chin straight into Diaz's fist, magnifying the impact and shaking the foundations of his weary body.
McGregor has been the quicker, more powerful fighter all night, but Diaz's patience pays off. Here is a man who bounced dozens of blows off of Donald Cerrone without a single knockdown, staggering the man who walked through Chad Mendes' counters without blinking. Then again, precision beats power, and timing beats speed.
This is where the momentum shifts, and the fight changes. As Diaz comes on, McGregor sneaks in a few more counters, but the power is gone, as is Diaz's apprehension. By the time Nate sinks in his choke, McGregor is more than ready to give up.
I'M NOT SURPRISED, MOTHERFUCKERS
Nate Diaz is a very different fighter from his brother. There is a depth to his boxing that defies expectations. As McGregor himself said before the bout, Diaz looks like his "skill doesn't match the will." He looks "predictable," and even "sloppy." Conor McGregor is not the first to fall prey to the awkward appearance of Diaz's style, nor will he be the last. He may very well, however, be the greatest.
Whatever divides them as technicians, Nate and Nick share the same mentality. The more I think about it, the more it seems that the Diaz mindset may in fact be the perfect mindset for a fighter. When a Diaz brother loses, it's bullshit, plain and simple. They don't agree with the judges' scorecards, or they were injured heading into the fight, or the opponent had a spy embedded in their training camp--the specific excuse doesn't matter. What matters is that the Diaz brothers refuse to accept defeat at face value.
When victory is in the cards, Nick and Nate are never surprised. Why would they be? They expected to win from the start, and they never really lose anyway. The right result happened, that's all.
For men like Conor McGregor, gifted with unbelievable athletic talents, this mentality can be poisonous. It leads to arrogance. You might say that the expectation of winning--even to the point of predicting the rounds in which he would land the knockout punch--was what led McGregor to this defeat.
But Nate Diaz and his brother aren't incredible athletes. They aren't gifted with superhuman speed, or crushing power. In Nate's case he may not even be particularly durable. In a division packed with athletic phenoms every other fight is a struggle for Nate, and that keeps his arrogance in check. He believes in himself above all, but he knows how much effort goes into a win nonetheless.
I hated the Diaz brothers when I first got into MMA. I found them obnoxious, and crass, and unsportsmanlike. The more time I spend with this sport, however, the more my affection for the Diaz brothers grows. Nate Diaz is a special fighter, skilled and tough in equal measure, with the perfect mentality encased in a body that demands diligence to yield results. He doesn't always win, but you can be damn sure he deserves it when he does.
We counted him out, but Nate Diaz got the win. He's not surprised.
For more fight analysis check out Heavy Hands, the only podcast dedicated to the finer points of face-punching. New episode this Wednesday!A majority of Republican voters believe that Donald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE will be their party’s presidential nominee, according to a Rasmussen poll released Friday.
The poll found that 57 percent of Republican voters think Trump is likely to win the nomination, up from 27 percent two months ago, when the billionaire businessman officially launched his campaign.
Only 15 percent of Republican voters see a Trump nomination as "not at all likely," down from 29 percent over the same span.
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Among all voters, 49 percent believe Trump will be the Republican candidate for president, up from 23 percent.
Voter confidence in Trump may be a reflection of national polls that have the businessman up by double-digits in the Republican primary.
A RealClearPolitics average of polls has Trump leading the primary field with 22 percent support, followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 10 percent and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 9 percent. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioWhite House pleads with Senate GOP on emergency declaration Sixteen years later, let's finally heed the call of the 9/11 Commission Schumer urges GOP to reject Trump's 'destructive' national emergency MORE (R-Fla.) and Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzCornyn less popular than Cruz in Texas: poll Trump unleashing digital juggernaut ahead of 2020 Inviting Kim Jong Un to Washington MORE (R-Texas) are tied for fourth with 7 percent each.
The Rasmussen poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters from Aug. 19-20 and has a 3-point margin of error.Democrat Charlie Crist has just won the Florida primary in his race to once again become the Governor of the Sunshine State. Watch his full victory speech here.
Promising to do better than Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott on education, health care, and jobs, Charlie Crist delivered a rousing and powerful victory speech tonight as he won the Democratic primary by a landslide.
"The only time my opponent isn't looking out for the special interests is when he's looking out for those who share his extreme out-of-touch tea-party ideology," said the former and possibly future Florida Governor. "In 70 days, we want to make Florida Scott-free."
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Chair of the Democratic National Committee, was on hand at his speech.
'When I was governor, serving the public was never about right versus left, it was about right versus wrong," Crist said. "Rick Scott has not been on our side."
Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au6hOl74W8s
See a mistake? Email corrections to: [email protected]We just went on a hunt for the chewiest, gooiest, fudgiest vegan brownies we could find, and we’re happy to report we found a lot of great recipes. It’s nearly impossible to look at this roundup of vegan brownie recipes without immediately craving chocolate, fudge, and nuts. Some of these brownies look like they could jump right off the page and land in your mouth. If you have a bad case of the munchies right now, you might want to proceed with caution.
23 of the Most Delectably Decadent Vegan Brownie Recipes
#1. Fudgy No-Bake Brownies with a Hint of Orange
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#2. Vegan Halva-Pistachio Cream Brownies
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#3. Dense & Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
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#4. Brownie Crisps
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#5. No-Bake Double Chocolate Brownie Bites
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#6. Nut Butter Brownies with Sea Salt
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#7. Vegan Mocha Walnut Brownies
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#8. Soft Baked Breakfast Brownies
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#9. Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
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#10. Black Bean Mocha Blender Brownies (Gluten Free & Sugar Free)
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#11. Vegan “Greek Yogurt” Brownies
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#12. Hemp Hazelnut Brownies
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#13. Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Almond Butter Brownies
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#14. Cherry Hazelnut Brownies
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#15. Mexican Hot Chocolate Double Fudge Brownies
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#16. Coffee Kissed Chocolate Walnut Brownies
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#17. Double Chocolate Sunflower Brownies
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#18. Sweet Potato-Date Brownies (Gluten Free)
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#19. Vegan Peanut Butter + Nutella Bourbon Blondies
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#20. Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcake Brownies
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#21. Super Fudgy Vegan Brownies (Gluten Free)
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#22. Lavender Chai Maple Tahini Swirl Brownies
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#23. Triple Layer Coconut Pecan Fudge Brownies
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Thanks for visiting Vegan Food Lover. We hope you enjoyed this roundup of vegan brownie recipes. Check out more of the site to find other great vegan recipe roundups just like this one.in Julia, an orange-haired Muppet with autism.Sesame Street is far too forward-thinking to do anything like this, but they flesh the concept out with surprising depth. Last week, Sesame Street got a new resident in Julia, an orange-haired Muppet with autism. Funny Or Die has envisioned a distressingly realistic possibility for another new Muppet in the form of Stan, a character that aims to educate children on the issues important to the eminently punchable “alt-right,” a subsection of society identifiable by their dislike of “political correctness” and admiration for national socialism. It’s all a gag, and the realis far too forward-thinking to do anything like this, but they flesh the concept out with surprising depth.
Stan would evoke Bert by way of Hitler Youth, what with his toothbrush mustache and greasy undercut. Stan’s fire-engine-red shirt proclaims, “LOCK HER UP!” while the character himself spouts infectious catchphrases like “Where are the emails?”; “So much winning”; and “Thinking your daughter is hot is fine.” His backstory, apparently, involves Stan having run away from home due to his “liberal snowflake parents.” He was drawn to Sesame Street “because its initials are SS, just like the Schutzstaffel, Hitler’s paramilitary organization in Nazi Germany.”
“Being alt-right means that Stan often flails his arms around when someone refutes his bullshit with facts,” hypothetical puppeteer Debra Thompson says in the article. “His back is often hunched also, as if even gravity hates him and wants to push him directly to hell where he belongs. It’s very interesting to control Stan and it also makes me hate myself.” You can get many more details on the speculative fiction of Stan’s trip to Sesame Street here, then spend the rest of the day envisioning how he would shame Cookie Monster, shitpost about Elmo, rail against the companionship of Bert and Ernie, and interrupt the Count’s number-counting segments to take his shirt off and drink milk
Submit your Great Job, Internet tips here.George Iloka has become a hot commodity.
Less than an hour after the legal tampering period began, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that four NFL clubs are interested in signing the 25-year-old safety.
Safety George Iloka has gotten serious interest from #Falcons #Giants #Lions & #Vikings & #Bengals - who want him back & door remains open — Jim Owczarski (@JimOwczarski) March 7, 2016
With the Bengals also expressing interest in re-signing Iloka, that makes five teams pursuing Iloka within an hour of the start of the legal tampering period. Seeing as how there are still two days until free agency officially begins, it would be safe to assume that a few more teams could also begin expressing interest in Iloka.
Despite showing a strong commitment to prioritize the re-signing of Marvin Jones and Adam Jones, the Bengals have made it clear that Iloka is another priority in free agency for the right price. That other teams will certainly try and overpay for the safety could pose a threat to the Bengals, but Cincinnati knows what it wants. If the Bengals really want to re-sign Iloka, they'll likely get the job done. If they're skeptical of overpaying, however, the Bengals will concede at the price they see being too high.
The Vikings could be the team with the strongest chance of pulling Iloka away from Cincinnati, as former Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is now the head coach in Minnesota. In addition, the chance to team up with superstar safety Harrison Smith in the defensive backfield could be enticing to Iloka. If it's money Iloka wants, however, Minnesota likely won't be able to offer enough. The team just recently re-signed safety Andrew Sendejo, and teams like the Giants and Lions have better financial means to snag Iloka away from Cincinnati.
Ultimately, where Iloka signs will bottle down to whether the safety is content in Cincinnati or if he wants to find a new home. The Bengals have been good to Iloka, and they'll send a more than reasonable offer his way when they see fit. But if Iloka wants a change of scenery, whether it be reuniting with a former coach or playing for a team who offers him a ludicrous salary Cincinnati isn't willing to match, the safety could be gone.Hear Grandaddy's Powerful New Synth Jam 'Evermore'
Courtesy of the artist
By now you should be pretty excited about the upcoming Grandaddy album, the group's first in more than a decade. Back in October, when the band announced it'd be releasing the long-awaited full-length Last Place, it shared the track "Way We Won't," a song so true to Grandaddy's sound it could have easily come from any of the group's earliest albums. Now the band is revealing another track, the feverishly pulsing, synth-heavy pop gem "Evermore."
Vevo
Like many of the band's classic story songs, "Evermore" paints a fractured, dystopian landscape pocked with sadness and broken hearts. "You grieve like a freeway tree," sings frontman Jason Lytle. "Old and grey, no love in your leaves."
In an email to NPR Music, Lytle explains that the whole track was built on the rhythmic, looping synth line that runs through most of the song. "From an early age, way before I ever dreamt of writing a song, I became fascinated by the idea of making a tune that revolves around a constant sound," he says. "My first memory of this was being a kid and trying to watch cartoons or Sesame Street or whatever while my mom was vacuuming in the room. Ever the restless multi-tasker, I would hum songs and come up with melodies that revolved around the sound of the vacuum while impatiently waiting for her to finish her noisy chore. I continued doing this with other appliances, motors, or things that made noise throughout the years. Eventually it found its way into my own compositions. The repeating synth sequence here was a good excuse to try and build a song around repetition."
Lytle says the synth line itself sat around unused for years — until he decided to start working on a new Grandaddy album and make something meaningful out of a relentless, mechanical sequence. "I have no idea what the song is about," Lytle says. "But I really like the imagery of sad dirty trees that live by the freeway and throwing stuff out of commercial airliners. Also the line 'When remembering is what forgetting's for.' It's kinda high-school-corny poetry, but I still like it a lot."
Last Place is due out March 3 on Danger Mouse's 30th Century Records.euthanizeallwhitepeople:
It is EXTREMELY early in the morning here, i’ve already been up for a bit and I have a meeting at 7am sooo.. I’m just going to stay up a while then nap later I guess, whatever.
I’ve always known that me and my face is all over the internet, and that people say gross shit about me all of the time. That’s fine. I expected it.
However, someone alerted me last night to the fact that these people who dislike me - the anti-sjw bloggers, the white supremacists, 4chan and reddit etc,. have decided to go further
By submitting pictures I post of my baby sister and cousin to pedophilic image boards. Boards sexualizing Asian children or “lolicon” manga. This was a blatant attack at me, as not long after I was alerted to the images, they were removed due to violation of the board’s rules (apparently even pedophiles have some).
In addition to that, a lot of my pictures (and pictures of me with my best friend) was being posted around in various places, asking people to attempt to doxx me, etc. Tumblr included. I also saw a person who decided to write a graphic “fanfiction” of how he wants to pull my eyes out of my socket and fuck me in the “empty bloody socket”.
Mhm.
So, I have decided that i’m not posting anymore selcas.
People calling me a tr*nny, etc. and spreading my pictures all over the place was never a concern of mine. I knew it’d happen and if nothing else, I welcomed it.
However, apparently I thought even the white supremest garbage that despised me would have common sense enough to not tamper with the CENSORED pictures I would post of my family.
But, I was wrong. These people who believe i’m a “racist”, that I promote “white genocide”, retaliate by doing the only thing that actually upsets me - sexualizing and promoting the rape of children.
I’m going to repeat that.
They think i’m racist against white people.
So they decide to sexually abuse children to get back at me.
I’m not dense; I know a big part of what got me my popularity and notoriety is my face. Like I said, being called slurs was fine. Being threatened with rape, etc. was fine. Those creepy Asian fetishizing blogs jacking off to my pictures, was fine. But they know the abuse of children is something that gets to me and naturally, to prove that i’m a BAD HITLER PERSON, that’s what they tried to do.
My pictures are still around, I will post more in the future perhaps, but i’m going to be more careful about what I do most. I just instinctively thought that even the worst racist garbage would leave babies alone but nope, Asian babies like Asian person are not human to them and are therefore open to abuse. A few of these images have been removed after being repeatedly reported for posting without consent. I don’t know if more are you there. I don’t want to know.
But anyway.
That’s it for now.If you roamed the floors of Denver Comic Con this past weekend, you probably saw Starfleet officers, Jedi, superheroes and warriors from Westeros. You might also have seen a space celebrity that normally hangs out in orbit above Earth. Engineer Dan Regan attended the convention dressed as the Hubble Space Telescope in a costume that is as epic as it is entertaining.
Regan spent more than 40 hours over the course of two weeks working on the costume, which he refers to as a "telescope dress." Regan knew he would need materials that would hold up to bumping into convention attendees (those Klingons can be rough). His solution was to use EVA foam, which can be shaped with a heat gun and glued with hot-melt glue. Nylon straps act as suspenders to hold the costume on his shoulders.
Regan formed the shiny silver surface of the costume from Mylar, which he notes "is not too far removed from the actual MLI (multi-layer insulation) used on spacecraft." Gold wrapping paper and blue aluminum foil help form other parts of the telescope structure, including the solar panels. Even more impressive is that the Hubble outfit is Regan's first attempt at cosplay.
It takes a special person to conceive of, build and wear a Hubble costume. Regan is a spacecraft systems engineer who has worked on optical navigation sensors and spacecraft payloads. "In my experience, more than half of the engineers in the space industry found their passion for space through sci-fi: Star Wars, Star Trek, 'Firefly,' and so on," he says.
Regan is passionate about the connection between the realm of science fiction and the real world of science. "It seems like every first and second grader knows space is awesome, but somewhere along the line a lot of that enthusiasm dies out," he says. He does educational outreach at schools and events to encourage children to stay passionate about science and technology as they grow up. He says a lot of the twentysomething convention-goers thought he was dressed as a satellite, but young kids immediately recognized him as Hubble.
Hubble was a hit, with Regan posing for hundreds of photos. "It was a very cool experience, one of the best days of my life. I felt like I really stood out, although it helped that my costume was tall and shiny," he says.
The only down side to dressing as a space telescope is that the costume got extremely hot, so hot some of the glue melted and required a couple "Hubble repair missions." It also rubbed the hair off the back of Regan's legs, but that's just the price you pay for being the telescope that helps us determine the age of the universe, sees into distant galaxies and sends back beautiful images of nebulae.PARIS – The mayor of Paris said Monday that a “clear solution” has been found with organizers of a festival for black feminists, an event that had aroused her ire because four-fifths of the festival space was to be open exclusively to black women.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo had strongly criticized and threatened to cancel the upcoming Nyansapo Festival a day earlier because it was “forbidden to white people.”
In a new series of tweets on the topic, Hidalgo said her “firm” discussion with organizers had yielded a satisfactory clarification: the parts of the festival held on property would be open to everyone and “non-mixed workshops will be held elsewhere, in a strictly private setting.”
MWASI, the Afro-feminist collective sponsoring the three-day event, responded to the mayor’s latest comments by saying it hadn’t changed the festival program “an inch.”
“That’s what was planned from the beginning,” the collective said of how the public and private spaces would be assigned.
Anti-racism associations and far-right politicians in France both had criticized the event over the weekend for scheduling workshops limited to a single gender and race.
France defines itself as a country united under one common national identity, with laws against racial discrimination and to promote secularism to safeguard an ideal that began with the French Revolution.
On Sunday, Hidalgo had said she would call on authorities to prohibit the cultural festival and might call for the prosecution of its organizers on grounds of discrimination.
“I firmly condemn the organization of this event in Paris (that’s) ‘forbidden to white people,'” Hidalgo had written.
Telephone calls to MWASIwere not immediately returned Monday.
The group describes itself on its website as “an Afro-feminist collective that is part of the revolutionary liberation struggles” and is open to black and mixed-race women.
The program for the first annual Nyansapo Festival, which is set to run July 28-30 partly at a Paris cultural centre, stated that 80 per cent of the event space only would be accessible to black women.
Other sessions were designed to be open to black men and women from minority groups that experience racial discrimination, and one space was scheduled to be open to everyone regardless of race or gender.
Organizers said on the event’s website that “for this first edition we have chosen to put the accent on how our resistance as an Afro-feminist movement is organized.”
Prominent French rights organization SOS Racism was among civil rights groups condemning the festival, calling it “a mistake, even an abomination, because it wallows in ethnic separation, whereas anti-racism is a movement which seeks to go beyond race.”
The International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA), meanwhile, called the festival a “regression” and said American civil rights icon “Rosa Parks must be turning in her grave.”
Identity politics remain a recurrent hot potato in a nation where collecting data based on religious and ethnic backgrounds is banned and the wearing of religious symbols — such as face-covering veils — in public is prohibited.
This approach, known to the French as “anti-communitarianism,” aims to celebrate all French citizens regardless of their community affiliations.
Last week, several women attempting to stage a “burkini party” were detained in Cannes after a ban against the full-body beachwear favoured by some Muslim women was upheld in a fresh decree.
___
Philippe Sotto contributed to this story. Thomas Adamson can be followed at Twitter.com/ThomasAdamson_KScience teacher here, love what I got. Made my day.
First, a DVD set I've been meaning to get but never did...It's called When We Left Earth. Love it.
ALSO a Curiosity Rover Hot Wheels which is already sitting on my desk in my classroom, far away from my cat's paws.
I got a sticker about my weiner dog...trying to figure out how that info was acquired. Lucky guess?
Two custom posters from NASA. No idea where they were purchased. Never mentioned it, but I worked with the Pan Cam team for NASA MER (Opportunity) and MSL (Curiosity) rovers when I was in university. So these prints are getting framed, might go in a shadow box with my other NASA gear.
The galaxy directory is above my fireplace. It's updated to include a galactic estimate of 50 billion planets in our own Milky Way. Pretty cool.
One of the best parts is the penny...I thought it was very clever to send me a penny from 1969, the year humans walked on the Moon.
You may know that there is a 1909 penny on the Curiosity Rover on Mars.
It's on a calibration target sort of as a tip of the hat to geologists' informal practice of placing a coin or other object of known scale in their photographs.
This was my first secret santa ever, and I'm going to do it every year now. Thanks, Secret Santa!Canada’s foreign minister Chrystia Freeland has provided lukewarm support for fresh sanctions on Russia for its continued support of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
While Ms Freeland said Canada would not be "hesitant" in applying new sanctions on individuals in Russia and Syria, she added it was important to go through the necessary legal steps “to assure ourselves we are targeting the right people for the right reasons”.
It comes after a meeting of the G7 allies – Canada, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, US, UK, and the EU – in Italy to discuss the possibility of sanctions on military figures in the two counties in the wake of nerve gas attack in the Idlib province of Syria last week.
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 $0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.
Asked whether sanctions will have a role in the effort to persuade Vladimir Putin to drop his support for Assad, the Canadian foreign minister replied: “The G7 countries separately have strong sanctions against Russia and strong sanctions against Syria. It’s something certainly we in Canada are looking at closely and I imagine our G7 allies will be as well.”
But pressed further on the issue on the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme Ms Freeland added: “Certainly the Canadian position is that we are looking very carefully at additional sanction.
“From Canada I don’t want to leave you with the impression that we are hesitant but it’s important for us in our sanctions process to go through all the necessary legal steps to assure ourselves we are targeting the right people for the right reasons.”
Describing the chemical attack in the Syrian village of Khan Sheikhoun last week as “war crime”, Ms Freeland added there was now a consensus among the G7 over the role of Assad.
“I think it is really clear now Assad has no role in the medium and long term, peaceful future of Syria – that’s an important message for Assad’s patrons in Moscow to hear,” she added.
Her comments come as the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson travels to Moscow later on Tuesday. He had hoped to take with him a definite statement of intent from the G7 nations and other partners, including Middle Eastern allies who are at the Lucca meeting.
But it now appears unclear how prominent new sanctions will feature in the meeting with Russian officials as Mr Tillerson attempts to persuade Mr Putin’s government to drop its support for the Syrian dictator.
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.
At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads.
Subscribe now.Naomi Watts plays the mother of a boy genius who convinces her to undertake an outrageous mission in Colin Trevorrow's genre-hybrid, which opened the Los Angeles Film Festival.
Complain all you want about Colin Trevorrow's The Book of Henry — one thing you can't say is that it's not enough movie. It begins as a kid-genius family picture, then abruptly becomes a terminal-illness melodrama; it winds up a bizarro thriller in which deeply unlikely crimes are plotted from beyond the grave, but not before some child-molestation action pitting a defenseless girl against her stepfather, the commissioner of police.
The preposterousness of Gregg Hurwitz's screenplay isn't enough to throw star Naomi Watts off her game, and the actor's sincere performance may suffice to keep a segment of the family-film demographic on board, barely. Another group, though, will find acceptance much harder: Those of us who've allowed ourselves to care about the latest Star Wars trilogy may be made fearful about the prospect of an Episode IX directed by Trevorrow. The garden-variety blockbuster lameness of his Jurassic World was one thing; after this near-catastrophe, can he really be trusted with the fate of the Jedi |
the existing ones under More Sources will be transitioned to a new mechanism for handling these that has been added that will allow more direct, simpler, and safer manipulation of repositories using a soon-to-be-revamped More Sources page.)”
Saurik’s closing comment,
“Thank you all, by the way, for your interest in Cydia: the fact that you care at all about what features are or are not in Cydia 1.1 means a lot to everyone working on the project.”
We want to sincerely thank saurik for his detailed and informative responses to our reader’s questions. We wish he and his team the very best in making Cydia the best it can be!
Hopefully you learned a few things from this lengthy discussion. Feel free to discuss or share opinions about what saurik had to say in the comments below.Since the season of love is right around the corner we thought we’d take the opportunity to Share the Love with you! In honor of Valentine’s Day we’ve joined forces to bring you another Awesome Giveaway.
The giveaway that just keeps growing!
We started with 16, now we’re up to..
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And even more prizes may be added before it’s over, you never know. 😉
OPI Liquid Sands mini set, Shimmer Polish- Alessandra and Kim,
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2 ILNP polishes – All Gold Everything and Purple Stuff
$15 Gift Card to the online etailer of your choice!
Valentine’s Day ‘Give Me’ Collection
6 Glitter Pots, solvent resist glitter ~ great for nail polish and nail art.
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Sally Hansen nail strips, GAP- Gold Rush, unnamed SOPI mini
Rimmel London- Celebrity Bash, Rimmel Nail Tip Whitener,
GlitterLand Baby Pink Heart Glitter
Pink & Polished
Orly minis- Monroe’s Red, Red Flare and Rose Radiance, China Glaze Transitions-
Metallic Metamorphisis, Split Perso-nail-ity and Altered Reality
Ambi’s Addictions
Orly- Angel Eyes, Neener Neener Nails- Butterfly Kisses, Sinful Colors- Cinderella
LA Colors- Pink A Boo
Gorgeous Glamour
Ceramic Flat Iron
Lucy’s Stash
Model’s Own- Snow White, Ibiza Mix and Purple Blue, Max Factor- Fantasy Fire,
GOSH- Holographic Hero
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Whimsical Ideas by Pam- My Friend Carol
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Hello Kitty Nail Decals, a nail buffer and Candy
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a Rafflecopter giveaway Just fill out the rafflecopter widget below and Good Luck! 🙂
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**This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with facebook **Certified Member Auditor and Group List Any independent on source practitioner of Ron's technology can apply for membership and certification in APIS! All that is required is that they apply for membership and certification. Also that they FULLY AFFIRM they are on source and adhering to Ron's Source Materials in their application of the technology and are not mixing practices. That they are applying the HCO PL Keeping Scientology Working to the best of their ability and continally seek to improve and enhance their abilities in this direction. Reference: APIS Standards. Independent practitioners may apply for membership in APIS at: Memberships and for certification at: Certification Application. Here we list the:
CERTIFIED AUDITORS & GROUPS This list of auditors and groups here have been ratified and certified as delivering On Source Standard Technology. These Auditors and groups have requested and gone through an exacting certification process that validates their abilities and expertise. See Certification for further details. They have passed stringent testing by senior technically qualified people as per the certification process. Non certified and pending auditors, groups and organizations can be found on the auditors page. APIS offers no guarantee as to the quality of delivery of services with uncertified auditors. The following independent practitioners or field auditors are alphabetically categorized by country and region for your convenience All organizations are shown in Bold Groups, Organisations & Individual Auditors International Country Region or State Name Contact
email/phone Tech Training Level Admin Training Level APIS Certified ] Scotland Can travel Kenneth Urquhart urq@verizon.net Class IV Advance
Courses Specialist.
Class IX To Be Advised Old-fashioned NOTs/Grades/Dianetics United States & Canada Country Region or State Name Contact
email/phone Tech Training Level Admin Training Level APIS Certified Canada Toronto Chris Black standardtechauditor@yahoo.ca Class IX Auditor and Vlll C/S, KOT DSEC Auditing and C/Sing the Original Bridge from Life Repair to NOTs; OT reviews, CCRDs, Debugs & more Canada Montreal Philippe D'Arcangeli philippedarcangeli@yahoo.ca Pro TRs Staff Status II, TTC I/C, Purif I/C, Pro TRs Book Auditing, Dianetics, Self-analysis, Objective Process and Dianetics 55. Six basics process, Rudiments USA Los Angeles, Cal Southern Cal Tech Team SCTT Contact Class VIII, NOTs To Be Advised Standard LRH Bridge
Training, Auditing
& C/Sing
Specializing in OT and NOTs levels USA Los Angeles Cal Ian Waxler info@adcian@yahoo.com Class VIII C/S With Honors To Be Advised Auditing and C/Sing all old LRH Bridge USA Los Angeles Cal Wolfgang Keller cognizantdragon@gmail.com Class VIII To Be Advised Certified to deliver Power & NOTs. Also delivers the Ls but not certified for them USA Western USA Greta Alexander alexanderthegreata@yahoo.com Class IX C/S To Be Advised C/Sing all LRHs Bridge including
Solo NOTs Please note: The Association of Professional Independent Scientologists (APIS) receives no commercial interest direct or otherwise from any of the people listed above. APIS does not recommend any particular auditor listed and this list is provided on an informative basis only. Each individual is responsible for their own integrity and case. Please note: The Association of Professional Independent Scientologists (APIS) receives no commercial interest direct or otherwise from any of the people listed above. APIS does not recommend any particular auditor listed and this list is provided on an informative basis only. Each individual is responsible for their own integrity and case. Also please note that this list does NOT include all those private individuals who have elected to support APIS by offering a donation and agreeing with the purposes and aims of APIS and do not wish to provide public details about themselves. To find out more about the process go to Certification Process
Information on how to be certified can be obtained here.How to be Certified
More about Technical Issues - Upper Levels Technical Issues
For Certification Terms go to Certification Terms & Conditions
The donations for certification are available here. Certification Donations
To apply for Certification go to Certification Application.Seattle's strategy for clearing roads relies on sand and de-icer, not salt, which is a more effective method of melting ice and snow.
To hear the city’s spin, Seattle’s road crews are making “great progress” in clearing the ice-caked streets.
But it turns out “plowed streets” in Seattle actually means “snow-packed,” as in there’s snow and ice left on major arterials by design.
“We’re trying to create a hard-packed surface,” said Alex Wiggins, chief of staff for the Seattle Department of Transportation. “It doesn’t look like anything you’d find in Chicago or New York.”
The city’s approach means crews clear the roads enough for all-wheel and four-wheel-drive vehicles, or those with front-wheel drive cars as long as they are using chains, Wiggins said.
The icy streets are the result of Seattle’s refusal to use salt, an effective ice-buster used by the state Department of Transportation and cities accustomed to dealing with heavy winter snows.
“If we were using salt, you’d see patches of bare road because salt is very effective,” Wiggins said. “We decided not to utilize salt because it’s not a healthy addition to Puget Sound.”
By ruling out salt and some of the chemicals routinely used by snowbound cities, Seattle has embraced a less-effective strategy for clearing roads, namely sand sprinkled on top of snowpack along major arterials, and a chemical de-icer that is effective when temperatures are below 32 degrees.
Seattle also equips its plows with rubber-edged blades. That minimizes the damage to roads and manhole covers, but it doesn’t scrape off the ice, Wiggins said.
That leaves many drivers, including Seattle police, pretty much on their own until nature does to the snow what the sand can’t: melt it.
The city’s patrol cars are rear-wheel drive. And even with tire chains, officers are avoiding hills and responding on foot, according to a West Precinct officer.
Between Thursday and Monday, the city spread about 6,000 tons of sand on 1,531 miles of streets it considers major arterials.
The tonnage, sprinkled atop the packed snow, amounts to 1.4 pounds of sand per linear foot of roadway, an amount one expert said might be too little to provide effective traction.
“Hmmm. Six thousand tons of sand for that length of road doesn’t seem like it’s enough,” said Diane Spector, a water-resources planner for Wenck Associates, which evaluated snow and ice clearance for nine cities in the Midwest.
Spector and snow-control experts in four cities said sand is typically mixed with salt and used for trouble spots.
“The occasional application of salt is probably not going to have a lasting effect” on the environment, Spector said. But she cautioned it’s highly dependent on where it’s used, how often and how much is applied.
Seattle’s stand against using salt is not shared by the state Department of Transportation, which has battled the latest storms in Western Washington with de-icer, 5,800 tons of salt and 11,500 cubic yards of salt and sand mix, said spokesman Travis Phelps.
Many cities are moving away from sand because it clogs the sewers, runs into waterways, creates air pollution and costs more to clean up.
Its main attraction is that it typically costs less than one-fifth the price of salt, according to Spector.
“We never use sand,” said Ann Williams, spokeswoman for Denver’s Department of Public Works. “Sand causes dust, and there’s also water-quality issues where it goes into streets and into our rivers.”
Instead, it sprays an “anti-icing” agent on dry roads before the snow falls and then a combination of chemicals to melt the ice.
Cheryl Kuck, spokeswoman for the Portland Bureau of Transportation, said her city prepared the streets last week with the “anti-icing” spray. Once the snow started, Portland used chemical de-icers, followed by plowing with 55 plows and treating trouble spots with sand and gravel.
Although the city had plowed 29 of its 36 major routes, “nothing is clear,” Kuck said late Monday afternoon. “This is a difficult and challenging situation that’s going to take us a long time to recover from.”
Wiggins, of Seattle’s transportation department, said the city’s 27 trucks had plowed and sanded 100 percent of Seattle’s main roads, and were going back for second and third passes.
“It’s tough going. I won’t argue with you on that,” he said. But here in Seattle, “we’re sensitive about everything we do that impacts the environment.”
Reporters Sara Jean Green and Christine Clarridge contributed to this report.
Susan Kelleher: 206-464-2508 or skelleher@seattletimes.comI recently reviewed the Lego Jurassic Park game that my family loves to play & I love to watch & experience their excitement & joy. They asked me to add this game to the family fun for the Holidays. As I had mentioned before, I'm not tech savvy, but tech phobic & I am hopeless learning to use game controllers, but that doesn't stop the joy I have watching my family of three generations all playing and laughing and helping each other with another wonderful mix of Legos with a movie, this time it is Star Wars. As I also mentioned with the last review, watching my family play all kinds of games together, with such enthusiasm, excitement & joy, reminds me greatly of days 40 yrs long gone playing cards with my family once a week on our family farm. The farm is gone, the cards are dusty except during family campouts, but the family remains & now video games are our modern equivalent. I can't explain the great graphics or other tech stuff you probably want to read about in a review, but I can tell you that your family will love the Lego Star Wars game, even those who just watch as I do. I am going to look for more Lego game titles & you should too. This is a great game for every generation in your family.
Read moreThere is an email discussion group at yahoo.com that you may subscribe to if you wish to discuss Latejami with other people. To subscribe, send an email message to: Latejami-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
The latest version of this document can be found at http://www.rickmor.x10.mx/lexical_semantics.html. A tutorial (including audio wav files) and dictionaries for the interlingua can be found at http://www.rickmor.x10.mx/Latejami/index.html. These files are also works in progress. As time goes by, the dictionaries will be expanded and more self-study lessons will be added.
This monograph is a reference manual for a machine translation interlingua. It is still in the draft stage, and will be undergoing continuous revision as the software based on it is developed and tested. If you have any helpful comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact me. If you do contact me, please quote sparingly from the monograph.
[ Table of Contents ]
In this monograph, I would like to discuss word design for an artificial language designed specifically for use as an interlingua in machine translation. Such a language must be designed to meet two primary goals: first, it must be easier to accurately translate from the source natural language into the interlingua than into another natural language; and, second, it must be almost trivially easy (i.e., requiring simple computer programming) to accurately translate from the interlingua into the target language. In other words, mapping between natural languages and the interlingua must be both accurate and made as easy as possible.
The interlingua achieves these goals by means of its simple but powerful derivational morphology which makes word design rigorous yet straight-forward, while at the same time greatly reducing the number of basic morphemes (i.e. primitives) required by the language.
Initially, I will not try to describe this method in abstract terms, since this discussion is intended for the non-linguist. Instead, I will present the reader with many examples of various kinds of linguistic constructions, discuss the semantics of these constructions, introduce linguistic terminology where and as needed, and finally, try to derive some useful generalizations.
[ Table of Contents ]
I'll start this exposition by looking first at verbs. Specifically, I will look at two of the most important criteria that go into defining a verb: its valency (i.e. the number of basic arguments that it requires) and its case requirements (i.e. the semantic roles played by the basic arguments). When combined, the valency and case requirements of a verb are usually referred to as the argument structure of the verb.
Before proceeding, though, let me give you a quick review of valency and case. Consider the following English sentence:
In this example, the verb "break" has a valency of two, since it requires two arguments: the subject "the chimpanzee" and the object "the window". The arguments are required because, if either were missing, the resulting sentence would be ungrammatical (or, in the case of some verbs, would have a different meaning):
[Please note that I am using the standard linguistic convention of indicating an unacceptable item by preceding it with an asterisk.]
But the following is okay:
For the verb "break", the case role of the subject is agent, and indicates the entity responsible for the event. The case role of the object is patient, and indicates the entity which experiences the state or change of state described by the verb. In other words, the argument structure of the English verb "break" requires two arguments: the first argument (i.e. the subject) must be a semantic agent, and the second argument (i.e. the object) must be a semantic patient.
Arguments required by a verb are called core arguments.
The phrase "with a coconut" is what is called an oblique argument since it is not essential for the sentence to be grammatical. It simply provides additional peripheral information about what happened. In this sentence, it indicates the instrument of the event. In other words, "a coconut" is the instrument used in carrying out the act indicated by the verb. If the sentence had been:
then "in Boston" would be a locative oblique argument, and "on Tuesday" would be a temporal oblique argument.
[The case terminology that I am using here is fairly common, but not universal. Linguists who work with case grammar and thematic relations have yet to agree on the number and nature of case roles needed to adequately describe natural language. As it turns out, this lack of agreement is irrelevant to what we are trying to accomplish here. We will, in effect, create our own internally consistent, semantically precise, and easily expandable implementation of a case system.]
In English, oblique arguments are usually marked by preceding them with a preposition. Thus, the preposition is the marker which tells us the case role of whatever follows it. Agent and patient are usually unmarked. The most common exception to this in English is in passive constructions, where the original subject is preceded by the preposition "by", as in "the window was broken BY the chimpanzee" or "the thieves were seen BY the children". Some verbs, such as English "put", have a third, required argument (i.e., it is part of the valency of the verb), which is marked by a preposition. For example:
Here, the preposition "on" marks a destination case role.
Incidentally, natural languages often allow a speaker to omit a core argument if it is obvious from context. For example, a Japanese speaker often omits the agent of a verb as a sign of politeness. This usage, however, performs a discourse function - not a grammatical function - and the omitted argument is still assumed to be present.
An additional case role that occurs within the valency of many verbs is what I will call focus. Linguists often call this case role theme, object, or topic, but there is no consensus, and their definitions often overlap other roles, especially patient. In all of the following examples, the direct object is the focus:
Note that in each of the above sentences, the direct object provides a reference point or focus for the event, without causing or being changed by the event. It does this by pinpointing, narrowing down, or providing a reference for (i.e. 'focusing') the state or change of state indicated by the verb. Note that a focus does not play an active role in the event described by the verb, and is not obviously changed by the event. Thus, a focus can be best described as one of the following:
Note that the concepts can overlap, as in "to need", "to avoid", "to know", and "to hate", since the object of such verbs can be considered the focus of a relationship or of a mental state. In fact, without stretching the second definition too much, one could say that it applies to all focused events, even those involving perception or elaboration. For example, the sentence "John sees the forest" describes a relationship between "John" and "the forest", and the sentence "Louise sang a little ditty" describes a relationship between "Louise" and "a little ditty".
Thus, we can say that the patient experiences a relationship whose referent is the focus. If the verb has an agent, then the agent is responsible for the relationship. The nature of the relationship is indicated by the meaning of the verb. It is important to keep in mind that the focus does not directly modify or interact with the patient. Perhaps the best and most useful generalization we can make is that the focus is the referent of a relationship with the patient, it is not affected by the event, and it is not responsible for the event. However, the precise meaning of the focus will ultimately depend on the meaning of the verb itself.
Thus, it would appear that focus is not really a pure case role. Both agent and patient can be defined with semantic precision, while focus seems somewhat vague or even 'out-of-focus'. The reason for the vagueness is that it is possible to differentiate among the various senses of focus; e.g. the perceived entity ("to see"), the missing/lacking entity ("to need"), the locative reference point ("to surround"), an elaboration of the event itself ("to sing"), etc. But these senses never overlap for a particular verbal concept, and we would end up making distinctions that are never made in natural languages. Thus, focus is a vague and general-purpose case role, but it is an essential one.
In summary, the three major case roles that are capable of being included within the valency of a verb are:
Thus, the agent is responsible for the event, the patient experiences the event, and the focus provides the referent for the state or change of state indicated by the event. [We will discuss the semantics of focus in more detail later on. First, though, we need to acquire a more substantial background in the semantics of verbs.]
Note that an argument does not have to be a physical entity. It can also be an event. In the following examples, the direct object is the patient:
There are other case roles in addition to the ones I just mentioned, but they are all oblique (i.e., they are never required by a verb). I will discuss them as the need arises. For now, though, we have enough background to proceed with the discussion.
In the following sections, I will discuss and classify a large number of English verbs, based on their semantics and their argument structures. While doing so, I will also introduce some of the terminology and the formal descriptive notation that I will be using throughout the remainder of this monograph.
[ Table of Contents ]
Probably the largest group of verbs in English (or any language, for that matter) are called state verbs, since they describe either an unchanging state of affairs or a change of state. Verbs which describe an unchanging or static situation are often called stative verbs (do not confuse "stative" verbs with "state" verbs). Verbs which describe a changing or dynamic situation are often called either process or accomplishment verbs. Because linguists do not agree on the precise meanings of these terms, I will immediately abandon them and use the more generic expressions "static state verbs" and "dynamic state verbs".
Let's start by looking at some static state verbs; i.e. verbs which describe a steady or ongoing state:
These verbs are all intransitive; i.e. they have a subject but no object. Also, each one describes the steady, ongoing state of the subject. Thus, the subject is the patient. From now on, I will refer to verbs of this type as "P-s", where "P" represents "patient" and "-s" indicates that the verb is a static verb.
Here are some more static state verbs with the form P-s:
English speakers may be surprised to see adjectives and past participles being treated as descriptive verbs. However, words which describe steady states have just as much of a verbal nature as words which describe changes of state. The English verbs "to sleep", "to stink", "to twinkle", etc. illustrate this very well. In fact, many natural languages (e.g. Japanese, Korean, several Sino-Tibetan languages such as Mandarin Chinese, some Siouan languages, several Austronesian languages, and many native languages of Africa, Central America and South America) do not have true adjectives. Instead, these languages use words that are essentially intransitive verbs, and which can be inflected or otherwise used in the same way as any other intransitive verbs.
Now, the above examples represent intransitive static state verbs. Here are some examples of intransitive dynamic state verbs:
The only difference between these and the previous examples is that the patient experiences a change of state rather than a steady state. Thus, these verbs are the dynamic counterparts of the intransitive static state verbs.
From now on, I will refer to these verbs as "P-d", where "-d" indicates that the verb is a dynamic verb.
Next, let's look at some verbs which describe events in which the subject causes something to happen to the object. These verbs are all transitive; i.e. they have both a subject and an object. Here are a few examples:
In all of the above, the subject "He" is responsible for the event described by the verb. Also, in all cases, the event causes a change of state to occur in the object. Thus, the subject is the agent and the object is the patient. In other words, these verbs are transitive dynamic state verbs.
For verbs like these, I will use the notation "A/P-d", where "A" represents "agent", "P" represents "patient", a slash "/" separates subject from object, and "-d" indicates that the verb is a dynamic verb.
Note that English, unlike almost all other languages, uses exactly the same word for some of its P-d and A/P-d verbs:
Note though, that this usage is highly idiosyncratic, and many words that you would expect to follow the pattern do not:
So far, we've seen P-s, P-d, and A/P-d verbs. Thus, an obvious question is: are there such things as A/P-s verbs?
Yes. And as the designation implies, these verbs always indicate that the agent maintains the patient in some kind of steady state. Thus, all of these verbs imply that the agent somehow "controls" the patient. Here are some examples:
Note that, although these verbs may imply both an entry into and an exit from the event or situation, the major emphasis is on the process BETWEEN the endpoints. For these reasons, these verbs are static rather than dynamic.
Now, for states that are normally rendered using adjectives, English uses the particle "keep" to distinguish between A/P-s and A/P-d verbs. Here are some examples:
All of the above are effectively A/P-s verbs. English simply uses the particle "keep" to achieve the desired effect. A good paraphrase of these'verbs' is "agent causes patient to remain in a steady state".
Next, let's look at some verbs that use the focus case role that we discussed earlier. Here are some examples:
In all of the above, the subject experiences a steady state relative to the object. Thus, the subject is a patient, the object is a focus, and the verb is a static state verb. For these verbs, I will use the notation "P/F-s", where "F" represents the focus.
It is also possible to have verbs like these which also have an agent. Here are some examples:
In the above examples, the subject not only experiences the steady state indicated by the verb, but is also responsible for the state; i.e., the subject is also in control. Thus, the subject is both the agent and the patient, and the object is the focus. I will refer to these verbs as AP/F-s.
Incidentally, notice how some of the above complex verbs become simple verbs when they are defocused:
Thus, the unfocused verbs would be described as AP-s.
It is also possible for AP/F verbs to indicate a change of state. Here are some examples:
These verbs describe a situation in which the agent causes himself to undergo a change of state relative to the focus. Thus, they are all AP/F-d.
Since all of this may be confusing, let me paraphrase the relationships in a way that illustrates the states and how they are focused:
Overall then, verbs in this group can be generalized as follows:
Note that in all of the above paraphrases, the words "focused on" could be replaced by the words "relative to", emphasizing that the focus is the referent of a relationship with the patient.
Now, some verbs involve the exchange of one item for another, usually between two people. Here are some examples:
In each case, two transfers of possession take place. John loses possession of one item while gaining possession of another, and the reverse change of possession occurs for Bill. Thus, we have, in effect, two patients and two foci, where the foci are the items being exchanged.
We can also regard these verbs as composites; i.e. useful abbreviated versions of two distinct verbs, as in "John gave me his apple and I gave him my orange".
Since both patients are equally responsible for the exchange, each one functions as both agent and patient. However, the subject in the above exchanges plays a more important or 'primary' role as agent than the other patient, and the first item plays a more important or 'primary' role as focus. Thus, for example, in the case of "sell", the seller is the primary agent-patient, while the buyer is the'secondary' agent-patient. The object sold is the primary focus, and the amount paid is the'secondary' focus.
[This is not the only possible analysis, but I feel that it is the most practical. It also eliminates the need for any special treatment of exchange verbs that do not need a secondary focus, such as "to lend/borrow".]
Finally, there are some cases where the subject is the only agent-patient, as in "John swapped his brown tie for a blue one". Here, John causes himself to undergo a change of relationship with two different items, without the involvement of anyone else. In this example, "a blue one" is the secondary focus.
There are also state verbs which are used to describe the weather and other environmental phenomena. Here are some examples:
In this group of verbs, the subject is the null place holder "it". English verbs always require a subject in the indicative, but this is not true of most languages.
Note that verbs in this class can be either static or dynamic. Also note that, since these verbs describe states or changes of state, they have an implied patient which is obvious from the context (i.e. the local environment or current situation). In effect, English uses the pronoun "it" to represent the implied patient.
I will not describe the argument structure of these verbs right now, because we do not yet have a sufficient background to treat them properly. Instead, I will postpone their discussion until after we discuss grammatical voice changes.
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So far, all of the verbs we have discussed are state verbs. That is, the basic concept represented by such a verb is some kind of state, and that this state applies only to the patient. The states can be focused or unfocused, and they can be brought about or maintained with or without an agent.
Also, the states themselves can be categorized by their dynamism; i.e. a state can be "energetic" (e.g. 'alive', 'twinkling','sleeping','smelly', etc.) or "non-energetic" (e.g. 'dead', 'green', 'tall', etc.). In general, an energetic state can be described using an English present participle, and a non-energetic state can be described using an English adjective or past participle, but there are many exceptions.
Verbs may also be categorized according to their telicity. Dynamic verbs that have a built-in endpoint are called telic, as in "The violinist played a dirge". Dynamic verbs that do not have a built-in endpoint are called atelic, as in "The violinist played with the local orchestra".
Unfortunately, distinctions in dynamism and telicity are not very useful, and I know of no natural languages that mark these distinctions. Whether a concept is energetic or not is a basic part of the nature of the concept and has nothing to do with how the concept is applied. In other words, it is an inherent part of meaning of the verb root, and there is no need to mark it or express it externally.
Also, the telicity of a verb often depends on the meaning of its arguments rather than on the form of the verb. Thus, in a derivational system such as I am presenting here, telic distinctions are useless.
[Incidentally, this entire section is 'for your information only'. I felt that it was important to mention dynamism and telicity only because linguists attribute so much importance to these concepts in their theoretical discussions about verbs. In my opinion, distinctions in dynamism and telicity are interesting but useless for our purposes. And, as I will illustrate below, there is a much more important and useful distinction: the distinction between agent-oriented concepts and patient-oriented concepts.]
[ Table of Contents ]
State verbs are not the only kind of verbs that languages employ. There is one other class of verbs, which I will refer to as action verbs, which differ significantly from state verbs. Let's look at a few examples and then see if we can deduce some useful generalizations:
In each of the above examples, the subject "Louise" is clearly the agent. Also, in the first example, the second object is clearly the focus. But what is the object "Bill"?
In each case, Louise is trying to have some kind of effect on Bill, but the final result is not clear. For example, when Louise kicks Bill, we know that something happens to Bill, but Bill's final state depends on many things that are left unstated, such as how hard she kicked, what kind of shoes she was wearing, where she kicked Bill, and so on. This is quite different from state verbs, where the final state is always clearly indicated by the meaning of the verb. For example, the sentence "He broke the window" makes it very clear what the final state of the window is; i.e. 'broken'. It doesn't tell us anything about the act itself or how it was accomplished. Now, we could say that Bill's final state is 'kicked', but this does not tell us about his condition - it simply tells us how it was accomplished.
The reason why the final outcome of the above examples is not clear is because these verbs tell us about the act itself rather than the outcome of the act. In other words, these verbs emphasize what the agent is doing rather than emphasizing what is happening to the patient. Another way of putting it is that an action verb tells us how a patient was affected, but does not tell us what the resulting state is. A state verb is exactly the opposite - it tells us the state of the patient without telling us how the state was achieved.
Thus, state verbs are patient-oriented, since they highlight what the patient experiences. Action verbs are agent-oriented, since they emphasize what the agent is doing.
If a root concept is patient-oriented, then the verb will indicate what the patient experiences. Patient-oriented verbs may or may not have agents. If the root concept is agent-oriented, then the verb will indicate what the agent is doing. An agent-oriented verb must have an agent. All patient-oriented verbs are state verbs. All agent-oriented verbs are action verbs.
The most common action verbs are speech acts. Here are some examples:
In all of the above the first object is the patient, since it is the entity which the agent is trying to affect. For the verbs which have two objects, the second object is the focus. Thus, in the sentence "He told me a joke", "He" is the agent, "me" is the patient, and "a joke" is the focus.
Verbs which have two objects are called ditransitive.
Finally, we mentioned earlier that the focus of a verb can be one of the following:
There is another group of action verbs that are typically referred to as activities. Here are some examples:
These verbs describe situations in which the agent maintains itself in an ongoing, energetic state. As a result, these verbs are all static AP/F-s verbs, and can be paraphrased as "Agent does something to maintain itself in a steady, active state". In effect, since the agent and the patient are the same, and since an action verb tells us what the agent is doing, it also tells us the state of the patient. In other words, the action and the state are essentially the same.
Now, many activity verbs can take an explicit patient that is not also the agent. Here are some examples:
In these examples, we are still saying what the agent is doing while placing more emphasis on what is being done to someone/something |
your shoulders over your head, above your shoulders. Between Reps. Exhale, raise your chest, put your forearms vertical, take a big breath, press again.
Free: download my Overhead Press checklist to get the above cues in a handy pdf. Signup to my daily email tips to get instant access to the checklist. Just download my Overhead Press checklist to get the above cues in a handy pdf. Signup to my daily email tips to get instant access to the checklist. Just click here
Muscles Worked
The Overhead Press works your whole body. Your shoulders and arms are the prime movers to press the weight over your head. But everything between the floor and your shoulders must stay tight to balance you and the bar. This makes the Overhead Press a full body exercise that works several muscles at the same time with heavy weights. Here are all the muscles the Overhead Press works:
Shoulders. You must raise your upper-arms to lift the bar when you Overhead Press. This works your shoulder muscles: your front, side and back deltoid. It develops these three muscle heads evenly with heavy weights so you build wide shoulders that fill up your shirts.
You must raise your upper-arms to lift the bar when you Overhead Press. This works your shoulder muscles: your front, side and back deltoid. It develops these three muscle heads evenly with heavy weights so you build wide shoulders that fill up your shirts. Arms. You must straighten your elbows to press the weight overhead. This works the muscles on the back of your arms, your triceps. Their muscle mass is much larger than your biceps. Bigger triceps build bigger arms. Your forearm muscles also work to hold the bar.
You must straighten your elbows to press the weight overhead. This works the muscles on the back of your arms, your triceps. Their muscle mass is much larger than your biceps. Bigger triceps build bigger arms. Your forearm muscles also work to hold the bar. Rotator Cuff. Balancing bar overhead works the small muscles that cover you shoulder-blades: surpraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis. These rotator cuff muscles stabilize your shoulders and prevent dislocations. Strengthening them protects your shoulders.
Balancing bar overhead works the small muscles that cover you shoulder-blades: surpraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis. These rotator cuff muscles stabilize your shoulders and prevent dislocations. Strengthening them protects your shoulders. Traps. You must shrug your shoulders at the top of each rep to avoid shoulder impingement. This tilts your shoulder-blade to the side. It creates space for your rotator cuff tendons. Shrugging works your trapezius muscles on the side of your neck. It build ski-slope traps.
You must shrug your shoulders at the top of each rep to avoid shoulder impingement. This tilts your shoulder-blade to the side. It creates space for your rotator cuff tendons. Shrugging works your trapezius muscles on the side of your neck. It build ski-slope traps. Abs. Your core muscles stabilize your body while your shoulders and arms press the weight overhead. They keep you from collapsing under the bar. This strengthens your abdominal muscles, obliques and lower back. Stronger abs are more muscular. Eat right so they show.
Your core muscles stabilize your body while your shoulders and arms press the weight overhead. They keep you from collapsing under the bar. This strengthens your abdominal muscles, obliques and lower back. Stronger abs are more muscular. Eat right so they show. Legs. Your legs balance your body while your shoulders and arms press. This works your hips, thighs, calves and ankles. The Overhead Press won’t work them like Squats because your legs don’t move. They stay straight. But they have to do isometric work.
You don’t need to do tons of isolation exercises for your shoulders. The Overhead Press works your whole shoulder girdle. It works it evenly and with heavier weights. Most guys can easily increase their Overhead Press to 50kg/110lb. Try to Front Raise that. That’s why the Overhead Press is more effective to build stronger and bigger shoulders. It also saves time by working your three shoulders heads at the same time.
The Overhead Press is also effective to prevent and fix shoulder injuries. It strengthens you rotator cuff muscles. It strengthens them with more weight than internal and external rotation exercises with pink dumbbells. And unlike the Bench Press, it strengthens the back of your shoulders. Not just the front. The key is to press with proper form. Shrug you shoulders at the top. And make sure you start light.
Failing Reps
The Overhead Press looks dangerous because you’re pressing weight over your head. But it’s safer than the Squat or Bench Press. You can never get stuck under the bar when you Overhead Press. If you fail to press the weight, you can simply lower it back your shoulders. You then rack it in your Power Rack or return it on the floor. You can even drop the bar if you use bumper plates. But you never get stuck under the bar.
Fear of dropping the bar on your head is common if you’ve never Overhead Pressed before. But it’s unfounded. Weight too heavy for you to press and control won’t leave your shoulders. You’ll usually fail at the bottom because it’s harder than the top. You therefore can’t drop the bar on your head because weight too heavy for you to control never gets that high. If you can press the bar past your head, you can finish and control it.
There’s only two ways to drop the bar on your head. One, you Overhead Press with a thumbless grip. The bar can slip out of your hands if you don’t wrap your thumbs around the bar. Press with a full grip. Two, you don’t lock your elbows at the top. This forces your muscles to support the weight over your head. If they’re tired, you can lose the bar and hurt yourself. Lock your elbows at the top so your skeleton can hold the weight.
You don’t need to Overhead Press inside the Power Rack for safety. You can simply lower the bar to your shoulders when you fail reps. If you feel more confident pressing in the Power Rack with the safety pins set, do it. I always Overhead Press outside my Power Rack because it’s too short to press inside. I’ve been pressing like this for over 10 years and not once did the bar drop on my head. It’s unlikely to ever happen.
Shoulder Safety
The Overhead Press is safe for your shoulders if you use proper form. It builds stronger, more muscular and healthier shoulders. It strengthens your rotator cuff muscles which hold you shoulder together and prevent dislocations. It also prevents muscle imbalances from the Bench Press by strengthening your rear shoulder muscles. But if you Overhead Press with bad form, you can hurt your shoulders.
Shrug your traps at the top of each rep. Don’t just hold the bar overhead. Start by standing with the bar on your shoulders. Use a narrow grip with your elbows 45° in. Don’t use a wider grip like on the Bench Press or your elbows will flare. Press the bar in a vertical line up. Straighten your arms at the top by locking your elbows. Balance the bar over your shoulder joint. Finish the rep by shrugging your shoulders towards the ceiling.
Shrugging at the top is crucial. This activates your trapezius muscles. It rotates your shoulder-blade out and puts its bony process more vertical. This creates space between the top of your upper-arm bone (humerus) and your acromion. It creates space for your rotator cuff tissues inbetween. If you don’t shrug, those tissues have no space. They get smashed on every rep. This causes inflammation and pain (shoulder impingement).
It’s not the hammer’s fault if you hit your thumb instead of the nail. But it’s easier to blame an exercise than bad form. The Overhead Press will kill your shoulders if you do it wrong. Just like Squatting half reps destroys your knees, Deadlifting rounded-back stresses your spine and Benching with flared elbows impinges your shoulders. Proper form matters. Shrug your shoulders at the top of your Overhead Press and you’ll be safe.
Overhead Press Videos
Here’s a video where you can see me Overhead Press with proper form as part of the StrongLifts 5×5 Workout B. You can also hear me answer common questions about the Overhead Press at the same time. Watch from 18:34 for the Overhead Press tips.
Overhead Press Technique
Stance
Hip-width Stance. Overhead Press with your heels under your hips. This means the narrower your hips are, the narrower your stance should be. But your heels shouldn’t touch. That’s a Military Press and it makes it harder to balance yourself to press heavy. Your heels shouldn’t be shoulder-width apart like on the Squat either. It won’t feel right. Stand narrower than when you Squat, similar to how you Deadlift.
Feet Flat on The Floor. You have better balance when your whole foot is flat on the floor. It increases the surface is in contact with the floor. Better balance is more safety, more bar control and better form. This increases how much you Overhead Press. Don’t raise your toes. Don’t lift your heels and tip-toe either. This is cheating. Keep your toes, forefoot and heels on the floor when you Overhead Press.
Feet Parallel. Don’t use a staggered stance by putting one foot forward. This might give you better balance and stability when you Overhead Press. But it puts uneven pressure on your lower spine and hips. It can cause lower back pain. Overhead Press with your feet parallel. You can turn them out 15°. But they should be aligned horizontally when you look down. Don’t let one foot be more forward than the other.
Legs
Knees Locked. Your shoulder and arm muscles press the weight overhead, not your legs. Any knee bending is cheating. It takes work away from your shoulder muscles. Keep your legs straight by locking your knees and squeezing your quads. If your knees hurt, you’re taking your joints past their normal range of motion. Don’t hyper-extend. Lock gently. If you can’t keep your knees locked, the weight is too heavy.
Hips Locked. Bending your hips is a Push Press. This is a different exercise that uses your stronger hip muscles to drive the bar off your shoulders. This allows you to press heavier weights. But it doesn’t work your shoulders like a strict Overhead Press does. Bending your hips on the Overhead Press is cheating. Keep your hips locked. Squeeze your glutes if you have to. Your legs should balance you but not move.
Grip
Full Grip. Wrap your thumbs around the bar. This makes the Overhead Press safer. The bar can’t slip out of your hands and drop on your head. It also makes you stronger because you can squeeze the bar harder. This engages your arms, shoulders and chest muscles more. And the bar can’t move in your hands and cause bad form. You can Overhead Press more weight, more safely, with a full grip than thumbless one.
Grip Low Palm. The bar must rest in the heel of your palm, close to your wrists. This allows your forearms to press directly into the bar using the force your shoulders, arms and chest muscles generate. Don’t grip the bar mid-palm or your wrists will bend back. This puts the bar behind your forearm bones instead of above it. It makes the weight harder to Overhead Press and hurts your wrists. Grip the bar low palm.
Bulldog Grip. Grip the bar like a Bulldog plants his paws. Put your hands on the bar just outside your shoulders. Then rotate your hands in to put the bar in the base of your palms. Close your hands and squeeze the bar so it can’t move. This Bulldog Grip will feel weird at first. It can feel less safe. But your thumbs are around the bar so it’s safe. And the bar rests lower in your palm so it’s more effective. Practice to get used to it.
Grip Width
Narrow Grip. Hold the bar just outside your shoulders. The exact grip width depends on how wide they are. The wider your shoulders, the wider your grip. The narrower, the narrower your grip. Your grip is optimal when your forearms are vertical to the floor at the bottom. If they’re incline, your grip is too wide and the weight will be harder to Overhead Press. Grip the bar narrow to put your forearms vertical.
Vertical Forearms. Each rep you Overhead Press must start with vertical forearms at the bottom. If they’re incline, the weight will be harder to press. You can’t grip the bar too narrow because your shoulders are in the way. But you can grip it too wide. Videotape yourself from the front while you Overhead Press. if you’re forearms are incline at the bottom, your grip is too wide. Narrow it so your forearms are vertical.
No Bench Grip. The wider grip you use on the Bench Press doesn’t work on the Overhead Press. One, it puts your forearms incline at the bottom. This makes the weight harder to Overhead Press. Two, it makes your elbows flare. This is bad for you shoulders. Narrow your grip so your forearms are vertical. Your elbows should be 45° in at the bottom. This is safer for your shoulders and makes the weight easier to Overhead Press.
Wrists
Straight Wrists. Overhead Press with your wrists almost straight. Your knuckles shouldn’t be vertical or the bar will drop out of your hands. They should be about 75° back with your wrists slightly bent. This puts the bar over your forearms bones. It prevents it from bending your wrists back. It makes the weight easier to Overhead Press and prevents wrist pain. Don’t press with bent wrists. It’s ineffective and will hurt.
Grip Low Palm. Keep your wrists straight using the Bulldog Grip. Grab the bar with open hands just outside your shoulders. Rotate your hands in like a bulldog plants his paws. This puts the bar on the heels of your palms. Close your hands and squeeze the bar so it can’t move. Rotate your elbows down and the bar will rest over your forearm bones. Your wrists won’t bend and hurt. The weight will be easier to Overhead Press.
Elbows
Under The Bar. The most effective way to Overhead Press is with vertical forearms. Most people press with their elbows back at the bottom. This puts your forearms incline and kills strength. Move your elbows forward before you press. Move them under the bar so your forearms are vertical looking from the side. Press from here and the bar will move in a vertical line up instead of away from your face. You’ll press more weight.
Elbows 45°. Keep your elbows close to your torso. They can’t flare to the side but shouldn’t point forward either. Tuck them 45° so they touch your lats at the bottom. You need a narrow grip to do this. Don’t grip the bar wide like when you Bench Press or your elbows will flare. Grip it narrow, just outside your shoulders. Hold your elbows close as you press the weight. This is safer for your shoulders and more effective.
Lock At The Top. The rep doesn’t count if you don’t lock your elbows at the top. Worse, if your muscles are tired you could lose the bar and drop it on your head. Lock your elbows at the top. Finish each rep by straightening your arms and shrugging you shoulders. You can hold the bar longer and more safely with locked elbows. And as long as you lock gently and don’t hyper-extend your arm, your elbow joint will be safe.
Forearms
Vertical From The Side. Put your forearms vertical to the floor at the start of each rep. They’ll usually be incline because your elbows are too far back. Move them forward before you press. Keep your wrists straight by holding the bar low hand using the Bulldog Grip. All of this will improve power transfer from your shoulders and triceps into your forearms to the bar. It increases how much you Overhead Press.
Vertical From The Front. Your forearms must also be vertical with the floor when looking from the front or back. Don’t Overhead Press with the wider grip you use on the Bench Press. Gripping the bar wide puts your forearms incline at the bottom which is ineffective. Narrow your grip so your hands are just outside your shoulders. The exact width depends on your shoulder width. But your forearms should be vertical.
Upper-arms
No Front Squats! The Overhead Press is not a Front Squat. Your upper-arms must be horizontal on the Front Squat to keep heavy weight on your shoulders and off your wrists. Your arms don’t move. They do on the Overhead Press. And horizontal upper-arms turn the bottom of the press into a triceps extension. This is hard and ineffective. Keep your upper-arms down at the bottom so you Overhead Press with vertical forearms.
Shoulders
Bar on Shoulders. Setup with the bar on your shoulders. Hold it on your muscles, in front of your throat. Raise you chest by arching your upper-back. Shrug you shoulders slightly but don’t touch your ears. Squeeze your armpits by pushing your lats against your triceps. Put your forearms vertical with your wrists almost straight. Your body will be tight. This gives the bar a better platform to Overhead Press from.
Shrug at The Top. Shrug your shoulders towards the ceiling at the top. This engages your trapezius muscles and prevents shoulder injuries. The rep doesn’t count if you didn’t finish it by shrugging your shoulders. Press the bar until your elbows are locked. Then keep pressing by raising your shoulders up. You’ll achieve a stronger lockout position, build bigger traps and avoid shoulder impingement from the Overhead Press.
Chest
Raise Your Chest. Lift your chest before you press the bar off your shoulders. This creates a tighter surface to press from. Make a big chest and try to touch your chin with your upper-chest. Do this by arching your upper-back. Keep your lower back neutral, don’t over-arch. Squeeze your armpits and take a big breath to lock your chest in position. Remember to raise your chest between reps before pressing the next one.
Upper-back
Arch Your Upper-Back. Pressing with your upper-back rounded is ineffective. It drops your shoulders and the bar. It increases the range of motion and puts your forearms incline. It makes the weight harder to Overhead Press. Arch your upper-back before you press the bar. Don’t squeeze your shoulder-blades together. Don’t over-arch your lower back. Just raise your chest to give the bar a tighter surface to press it from.
Traps
Shrug at The Top. Finish every rep by shrugging your traps. Press the bar from your shoulders over your head. Keep pressing until your arms are straight. Once your elbows are locked, shrug your shoulders towards the ceiling. Hold it for a second before lowering the bar. Shrugging your traps at the top makes the bar easier to hold over your head. It engages more muscles. And it also prevents shoulder impingement.
Head
Look Forward. Fix a point on the wall in front of you. If you face a mirror, look “through” it. Don’t look at the ceiling or the bar while you Overhead Press. This can cause excess lean back. Don’t look aside or tilt your head either. This can twist and hurt your neck. Keep your head neutral while you Overhead Press. Stare at a point level with your eyes in front of you. Keep staring until your set is over.
Lower Back
Stay Neutral. Keep the natural arch in your lower spine when you Overhead Press. Your lower back shouldn’t be flat but have a natural curve like when you stand. Don’t allow your lower back to hyper-extend by leaning back excessively when you struggle to press the weight. This will squeeze your spinal discs and can hurt your back. Keep your lower back neutral. Take a big breath before you press and squeeze your abs hard.
Torso
Move Forward. Lean slightly back before you press the weight off your shoulders. Do this by pushing your hips forward without over-arching your lower back or bending your knees. This keeps your head back and out of the way of the bar. Now press the weight in a vertical line up while moving your torso forward. Don’t stay back or the weight will be harder to press. Get closer by moving your torso forward while the bar goes up.
Way Up
Press in Vertical Line. You can Overhead Press more weight if you press in a vertical line rather than a curve. It’s a shorter distance. But your head is in the way of the bar at the bottom. You must create space for the bar to move in a vertical line up. Lean back at the bottom before you press the weight. Keep your lower back neutral while moving your hips forward. This will keep your head back and out of the way.
Stay Close. Keep the bar close to your face on the way up. The further it moves away from your face and shoulders, the harder to press it. It’s like doing front raises. Press the bar in a vertical line up, not a curve. Lean back at the bottom to get your head out of the way. Once the bar clears your head, move your torso forward to keep the bar close. The movement will feel shorter and the weight easier. You’ll Overhead Press more weight.
Straight Legs. Don’t let your knees or hips bend on the way up. Press the weight using your shoulders and arms muscles only. Do this by keeping your legs straight. Squeeze your butt (glutes) and the front of your thighs (quads). Any bending of your legs is cheating. It takes works away from your shoulder muscles. If you can’t keep your legs straight when you Overhead Press, the weight is too heavy. Lower it.
Elbows 45°. Don’t flare your elbows on the way up. Keep them close to your torso. Setup with a narrow grip just outside your shoulders. Raise your chest by arching your upper-back. Put your forearms vertical. Rest your triceps on your lats. Your elbows will be about 45° in at the bottom. Now press the weight while keeping your elbows close. They shouldn’t point straight forward. But they shouldn’t flare to the side either.
Lockout
Bar Over Shoulders. The bar is balanced when you lock it over your shoulders at the top. Holding it in front or behind them is ineffective. The bar will pull you forward or back. Your shoulders will waste energy trying to stop you from losing the bar. You might have to step forward or back to avoid losing balance. Lock the bar over your shoulders. This makes it easier easier to hold and Overhead Press.
Lock Your Elbows. Don’t keep your elbows bent at the top. One, the rep doesn’t count. Two, you could lose the bar and drop it on your head. Lock your elbows at the top of each rep so your skeleton can hold the weight. This is safe for your elbow joints as long as you don’t hyper-extend your arms. Lock your elbows gently without going past their normal range of motion. Don’t aim for more tension. Aim for more weight.
Shrug! You must shrug your traps at the top. If you don’t shrug, your upper-arm bones will mash your rotator cuff tissues against your AC joint on every rep. This will hurt and injure your shoulders. Finish each rep by shrugging your shoulders towards the ceiling. Press the bar over your head, lock your elbows and then shrug. The bar will be easier to hold because you’re using more muscles. And your shoulders will be safe.
Way Down
Mirror The Way Up. The way down must be a mirror of the way up. Lower the bar in a vertical line to your shoulders. Lean slightly back by moving your hips forward so the bar doesn’t hit your head. Keep your lower back neutral, don’t over-arch. Keep your elbows 45° in, no flaring. Keep the bar close to your face so you don’t waste effort on the way down. And keep your forearms vertical with your elbows almost under the bar.
Under Control, Not Slow. Lower the bar too slow and you’ll waste strength for the way up. Lower it too fast and you’ll struggle to maintain proper form. The optimal lifting tempo is one where you can maintain proper form and press the most amount of weight. Slow down if you’re new to the Overhead Press, go faster if you’re more experienced. Don’t go slow to feel the muscles more, add weight instead.
Breathing
Inhale At The Bottom. Setup with the bar on your shoulders. Raise your chest by arching your upper-back. Keep your lower back neutral, no over-arching. Put your forearms vertical and rest your triceps on your lats muscles. Now take a big breath, hold it and press. Breathing in increases the pressure in your torso. It locks your chest in position and creates a tighter surface to press the bar from. This boosts strength.
Hold At The Top. Hold your breath on the way up. Don’t exhale or your chest will deflate like a balloon and cave in. Your upper-back will round and the rep will be harder to Overhead Press. Don’t exhale at the top either. You’ll lose tightness again which makes the next rep harder to press. Take a big breath at the bottom, hold it on the way up and hold it at the top. Exhale once the bar is back on your shoulders.
Exhale At The Bottom. Exhale once the bar is back on your shoulders. Get tight by raising your chest and arching your upper-back. Then take a big breath, hold it and press your next rep. If the weight is heavy and moves slowly, you can exhale on the way up. But don’t empty your lungs. Exhale against your closed glottis (or grunt) to release some pressure. On most reps you can wait to exhale until the bar is on you shoulders.
Bar Path
Vertical Line. Press the bar in a vertical line. A perpendicular bar path is the shortest distance between your shoulders and the lockout. Moving the bar over a short distance is easier than a long one. It increases how much you Overhead Press. Videotape yourself from the side view to check your bar path. If it isn’t vertical, you’re leaving kg/lb on the bar. Press more vertical and you’ll Overhead Press more weight.
No Curve. Don’t press the bar in J-curve away from your face. This increases the range of motion and makes the weight harder to press. It moves the bar further away from your shoulders and wastes energy. Press in a vertical line. Keep the bar close to your face. Hold it over you shoulders at the top. Don’t lockout the bar behind your shoulders or you’ll increase the range of motion again. Go short and you’ll press more weight.
Move Your Torso. Your head blocks the bar when you Overhead Press. You can’t press it from your shoulders straight overhead without hitting your chin and nose. You must create space for the bar by leaning slightly back at the bottom. Move your hips forward while keeping your lower back neutral. This keeps your head out of the way. Now press. Once the bar passes your head, move your torso forward to stay close to it.
Between Reps
Get Tight. Rest at the bottom for a second before doing your next rep. Use this rest to get everything tight. Raise your chest by arching your upper-back. Put your forearms vertical to the floor. Take a big breath, hold it and then press your next rep. You’ll have better form which will increase how much weight you can Overhead Press. You’ll gain more strength and muscle while lowering the risk of injury.
Don’t Bounce. You can Overhead Press more reps if you bounce between reps. Lowering the bar stretches your muscles. They can contract harder if you quickly rebound the bar off your shoulders to do your next rep. But you must maintain proper form for this to work. If your chest collapses or you press the bar in a J-curve, you lose the advantage bouncing brings. Better is to pause a second at the bottom between reps.
Common Pains
Lower Back Pain
Bad form will cause lower back pain on the Overhead Press. Your lower back must stay neutral when you Overhead Press. Rounding won’t happen unless you clean the bar at the start of each set. But excess lower back arching can easily happen. Hyper-extending your lower back squeezes your spinal discs. Especially when it’s loaded during a heavy Overhead Press. This can cause back pain, or worse, injuries like herniated discs.
Do NOT lean back when you struggle by arching your lower back. You might get the rep but you risk hurting yourself. Keep your lower back neutral. Maintain a natural arch like when you stand. Your lower back shouldn’t be flat, but it shouldn’t over-arch either. If you can’t keep your lower back neutral, the weight is too heavy. Consider it a fail instead of leaning back to get your rep at all cost. This is safer for your lower back.
You can lean back at the bottom of each rep to get the bar in a better position and press in a vertical line. But this lean back must come from your hips. You lean back by moving your hips forward, not by arching your lower back. Squeeze your glutes, abs and quads to avoid lower back arching. If you’re new to the Overhead Press, this will be hard. Don’t move your hips at all for now to avoid lower back movement. Try it later.
Belts won’t prevent lower back pain from bad form. They can help you Overhead Press more weight by giving your abs something to push against. Your ab muscles can contract harder which gives your lower back support. But excess lower back arching can still happen, and it’s dangerous with or without belt. Don’t wear a belt to make up for bad form. Overhead Press with your lower back neutral.
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder impingement happens when you fail to shrug at the top. The top of your upper-arm bone will smash your rotator cuff tissues against your AC joint if you don’t shrug. These tissues will inflame and hurt. The easy fix is to create space for your rotator cuff. Rotate your shoulder-blades out to put its bony process more vertical. You do this by engaging your traps. Shrug your shoulders at the top of each rep. Shoulder pain gone.
Don’t Overhead Press with the wider grip you use on the Bench Press. You elbows will flare and your shoulders will hurt. Overhead Press using the narrow grip. Your hands should be just outside your shoulders with your forearms vertical to the floor at the bottom. Press the bar in a vertical line up and balance it over your shoulders at the top. Don’t hold it in front or behind your shoulders at the top or they’ll hurt.
Wrist Pain
Gripping the bar wrong causes wrist pain on the Overhead Press like it does on the Bench Press. Don’t hold the bar mid-palm. The weight will push your hands down and bend your wrists back. Heavy weight will stretch your wrists behind their normal range of motion. This will hurt. It also makes the weight harder to Overhead Press because the bar rests behind your wrists. Your forearms can’t apply force directly into the bar.
Wrist pain doesn’t mean your wrists are weak. You don’t need to strengthen your wrists by doing wrist curls or by wearing wrist wraps. You need to grip the bar properly. Hold it in the base of your palm, close to your wrists. Use the Bulldog Grip to hold the bar on top of your forearm bones. This keeps your wrists almost straight when you press. It stops wrist pain and makes the weight easier to Overhead Press.
Neck Pain
Neck pain can happen if you Overhead Press with bad form. Watch out with grinders. Don’t try to press the weight at all costs using bad form. Pain can shoot in your neck or traps mid-set. It will hurt for 2-3 days every time you turn your head or tilt it back. This can force you to skip the Overhead Press until your neck heals. Neck pain slows your progress. Worse, it will come back unless you stop doing what causes it.
Overhead press with your head neutral. Keep it inline with the rest of your spine. Look forward. Fix a point on the wall in front of you. If you face a mirror, look “through” it. Don’t look at the ceiling or the bar. Don’t tilt your head to one side to make room for the bar. Instead, lean back slightly at the bottom by moving your hips forward without over-arching you back. This keeps your head out of the way, neutral and level.
Keep your head under the bar at the top. Don’t lockout by moving your head forward like a chicken. Your torso should move forward to stay close to the bar. But your head must stay inline the rest of your spine. If you do it right, the bar will end over your shoulders and ears when you lockout the weight. If the bar is behind your ears, you’re pressing too far back or pushing your head too far forward. Both can cause neck pain.
Warmup properly. Don’t jump straight into your work weight. If you have to Overhead Press 5×5 50kg/110lb, do two sets with the empty bar first. Add 20kg/45lb and do three reps. Then do 5×5. You’re less likely to hurt yourself because your muscles and joints are warm, and you’ve practiced proper form. The weight will be easier to press too. Use the warmup calculator in the StrongLifts 5×5 app for iPhone and Android.
Sleeping and working in a bad position can also cause neck pain when you Overhead Press. Sleeping on your belly with your head twisted to one side is bad. Sleep on your side. Get a good pillow to support the arch in your neck. Working with your laptop on your lap is also bad. You’ll slouch over and bend your neck. The screen should be eye level. Put a bag or pillow under it to raise it. Same if you use a desktop.
Massage can speed up recovery from neck pain. A physiotherapist can do this for you or you can try it yourself. Stand with your back against the wall. Put a tennis or lacrosse ball between your trap and the wall. Lean against the ball and the wall to apply pressure. Do this back on the floor for more pressure. Roll around to massage the whole area. Your neck will loosen up if you do this 2-3x/day. But fix what caused the pain too.
Common Mistakes
Cheating
The easiest way to cheat the Overhead Press is to use your legs. You start StrongLifts 5×5 doing the Overhead Press by the book. Your knees and hips stay locked. Only your arms move to press the bar over your head. After a couple of weeks you’re Overhead Pressing double what you started with. But you’re struggling to get your reps with the heavier weights. So you use a bit of legs. And you get your reps. But it’s cheating.
Using your legs on the Overhead Press is a Push Press. The Push Press isn’t a bad exercise. It’s a great exercise. But it’s not the solution when you struggle to complete your reps on StrongLifts 5×5. You must use consistent technique on each exercise. Because if your technique is consistent but the weight on the bar increases, you know you’re gaining strength and muscle mass. Adding body language or doing half reps is cheating.
The Push Press involves more muscles by using your legs. They takes work away from your shoulder muscles in the bottom position. The bar gets from your shoulders to your nose or forehead using the momentum you create with your legs. This doesn’t mean your shoulders don’t work. But they work less than when you Overhead Press with straight legs. And your shoulders can’t get stronger if you always use your legs to press.
Keep your legs straight when you Overhead Press. Don’t let them bend. If you can’t keep your legs straight, the weight is too heavy. Don’t try to get your reps by doing a Push Press so you can keep adding weight. You don’t turn your Squats into half Squats when the weight gets heavy. You don’t raise your torso more on the Barbell Rows either. Consider it bad form and a fail. Repeat the weight next time and lower it if you have to.
Excess Arching
Your lower back must stay neutral when you Overhead Press. Keeping a natural arch like when you stand. Don’t lean back by when you struggle to press the weight. Extreme arching of your lower spine (hyper-extension) squeezes your spinal discs from the back. Add the loading of the bar, and you can suffer a bad lower back injury like a herniated disc. Don’t allow extreme arching of your lower back. Stay neutral.
Note that you should lean back when you Overhead Press. This moves your head out of the way of the bar. It allows you to press in a vertical line which is more effective. But this lean back must come from your hips. Keep your lower back neutral while moving your hips forward. Do this before the bar leaves your shoulders, not after or during. Once the bar moves, don’t lean back more. Move your torso forward to stay close to the bar.
If you can’t stop your lower back from arching, get tighter. Take a bigger breath before you press the weight. Squeeze your abs as if somebody was going to punch you in the stomach. Wearing a belt when you Overhead Press can cue you to squeeze your abs by giving them something to push against. if your lower back continues to hyper-extend, your abs are weak. Be patient and they’ll get stronger. Or add assistance for your abs.
Bent Wrists
Overhead Pressing with bent wrists hurts and is ineffective for lifting big weights. Your wrists must be almost straight with your knuckles about 75° back. The goal is to hold the bar close to your wrists, on top of your forearm bones. This stops the bar from hurting your wrists by stretching them beyond their normal range of motion. It also makes the weight easier to press because your vertical forearms can press directly into the bar.
Elbows Back
Most people Overhead Press with their elbows behind the bar. You’ll probably make this mistake. Elbows back puts your forearms incline instead of vertical. This creates bar path issues where you press it away from your face instead of straight up. Plus |
July.
Brazil v Germany will be live on BBC One on Tuesday, 8 July from 20:30 BST
Neymar was challenged by Napoli defender Juan Zuniga late in the game
The forward was in obvious pain after the incident
Brazil will be without top scorer Neymar and suspended captain Thiago Silva against GermanyPalantir Technologies, an ultra-secretive "big data" start-up in Silicon Valley, has raised a whopping $880 million, according to a filing from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday.
The funding round values the company at $20 billion, making it the fourth most highly-valued tech start-up in the world behind Uber, Xiaomi and Airbnb.
This is the latest part of a funding round that began in July and raised $679.8 million earlier this month, according to the filing. The Palo Alto, California-based firm has now raised to over $2 billion.
The 12-year-old start-up uses so-called big data – massive data sets that can be analyzed by computers to reveal trends and hopefully lead to better decision-making – and applies it to areas ranging from defense to fraud.The U.S. Justice Department has asked the Ferguson, Mo. Police
Department to order its officers to stop wearing bracelets in support of
Darren Wilson, the white officer who fatally shot an unarmed black
teenager last month.
The DOJ wrote Friday in a letter to Ferguson police Chief Tom Jackson that the bracelets “upset and agitated” people and “reinforce the very ‘us versus them’ mentality that many residents of Ferguson believe exists,” according to Reuters. The agency wrote that residents told its investigators on the ground in Ferguson that they saw officers who oversaw protest sites Tuesday wearing “I Am Darren Wilson” bracelets.
A letter sent to Ferguson police from the DOJ earlier this week also said investigators had noticed some officers either not wearing or obscuring the name tags on their uniform in violation of the police department’s own rules, according to Reuters.
A photo purporting to show a cop wearing the “I Am Darren Wilson” bracelet circulated widely this week on social media:Three bodies believed to be from North Korea were found in northern Japan on Monday — two days after coast guard officials said authorities discovered a damaged empty boat, according to CBS News and The Associated Press.
Japan’s coast guard said a Japanese fishing boat found a male body floating off the coast of Sakata in Yamagata prefecture and two additional bodies washed ashore near a beach an hour and a half later. The bodies were decomposed, however, one was found with a lapel pin believed to be North Korean, the report said.
Authorities are inquiring if the bodies were from the heavily damaged vessel discovered on Saturday, the report said.
Winds and water currents force dozens of boats onto Japan’s northern coasts every year, the report said. Weak North Korean fishing boats are especially exposed because they don’t have the sturdiness and equipment to return home.
However, the swift pace in the past few weeks forced Japanese officials to bolster patrols, the report said.
Twenty-eight of the boats — labeled “ghost ships” — were found in November which is an increase of four boats found last year during the same time period, the report said. Usually only boats or parts of boats wash ashore. It is extremely uncommon for survivors to be found and brought ashore by Japanese authorities.
This increase could possibly be associated with a campaign pushed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to bolster fish harvests in an attempt to increase sources of protein for the country — which is still falling short on food supply and remains vulnerable to health complications caused by a lack of a varied, balanced diet, the report said.
North Korea fishermen may be assuming additional risks and traveling further from their normal waters in an attempt to meet their quotas, the report said.
Japanese officials are currently holding up to 18 people from two other vessels, who they claimed were from North Korea, the report said.
The first group of 10 fishermen landed on a small uninhabited island off southern Hokkaido on a battered fishing boat and reportedly stole electronic appliances and other items from an unmanned shelter while taking short refuge, the report said. They were recovered by Japan’s coast guard last week.
Eight additional survivors were able to reach shore in Akita on a damaged boat and were taken into immigration custody, the report said.
Japanese authorities said the first 10 fishermen are being held for possible theft and the other eight are expected to be returned home through China, CBS News and The Associated Press reported.
— WN.com, Jubilee BaezYears of shifting and smoothing Georgia red clay paid off today, as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) voted to allow construction of two new nuclear reactors (pdf) at the Plant Vogtle nuclear power station near Augusta. Atlanta–based utility giant Southern Co. will soon have permission to complete construction and operate two AP1000 type nuclear reactors designed by Westinghouse.
But what were initially lauded as the first reactors of a nuclear renaissance when proposed are more likely to be the exceptions that prove the rule of no new nuclear construction in the U.S. Only this twin set of reactors in Georgia, another pair in South Carolina and the completion of an old reactor in Tennessee are likely to be built in the U.S. for at least the next decade. "We won't build large numbers of new nuclear plants in the U.S. in the near term," says Marvin Fertel, president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, a lobbying group for the nuclear industry.
The problem is twofold: electricity demand in the U.S. is not growing and natural gas, which can be burned to generate electricity, is cheap. As a result, utilities are building more natural gas–burning turbines rather than more expensive nuclear power plants.
"Today, you ought to build gas," Fertel admits. But "you don't want to build only gas."
That may become even truer as old coal-fired power plants are forced to retire by new pollution rules and/or natural gas prices rebound. Given the long lead times required to gain permits and actually build a nuclear power plant, however, five new reactors may be as many as the U.S. will see erected during this decade. "If they are built, I suspect all of them are post-2020," says Fertel of other reactor applications awaiting NRC review.
In fact, the only reason utilities in Georgia and South Carolina are building the new reactors is because the governments in those states have allowed them to pre-charge customers for their cost. Southern Co. is already charging customers $3.73 per month for the reactors' construction, expected to cost roughly $14 billion, and may receive a more than $8-billion loan guarantee from the federal government. In the absence of a national government policy that puts a premium on electricity generation that results in fewer emissions of greenhouse gases, there is little incentive to build nuclear power plants in the U.S. "If we get back to the carbon discussion, that will have an effect on new plants that are built," argues Bill Johnson, CEO of Progress Energy, one of the utilities filing for a construction license but with no plans to actually build a nuclear power plant in the near future. "Nuclear can't compete today.
Other than the Watts Bar unit No. 2 in Tennessee, which will simply be the completion of a reactor that started construction in the 1970s, the four new plants will all employ a novel design—the AP1000. They will be the first to employ so-called passive safety features, or technology that kicks in with or without human intervention. In the case of the AP1000 that means cooling water sits above the reactor core and, in the event of a meltdown like the ones at Fukushima Daiichi, will flow via gravity into the core to cool it with the automatic opening of a heat-sensitive valve.
Furthermore, although the thick steel vessel containing the nuclear reactor is encased in a shell of 1.2-meter-thick concrete, that shell is itself surrounded by a building that is open to the sky. Should the concrete containment vessel begin to heat up during a meltdown, natural convection would pull cooling air inside.
The NRC initially rejected that open-air building for a lack of structural strength. The U.S. regulator argued that it would not withstand a severe shock such as an earthquake or airplane impact because it was initially planned to be built from prefabricated concrete and steel modules to save money.
The NRC approved a modified design (pdf) in December that employs more steel reinforcement, among other changes. Nevertheless, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko voted against approving the license for the two reactors at Vogtle today unless they incorporated a "binding obligation that these plants will have implemented the lessons learned from the Fukushima accident before they operate." The commission also required more inspection and testing of the explosive-opened valves that would allow venting in case of an accident.
Already, the Shaw Group facility in Lake Charles, La., a nuclear equipment supplier, has begun churning out gear for the new nuclear power plants. A "mini skyscraper," in the words of Westinghouse CEO Aris Candris, has been built at Vogtle to allow for final assembly of the modules that will reach the site by truck or rail. "Both sites are as ready as you can be," he adds. "Rebar is sitting outside the hole ready to go."
A global revival of interest in nuclear power technology remains underway, despite the April 2011 meltdowns at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan. China is already building four AP1000s and more than 20 other reactors currently—and many other countries are considering new plant construction, from the Czech Republic to India.
But in the U.S., even just to maintain the current fleet of 104 reactors, which provide 20 percent of the nation's electricity supply, would require building as many replacement reactors by 2030. In fact, nuclear power production may shrink in the U.S. before it grows. Aging reactors, even with life extensions of another two decades, will begin to drop off the grid in coming years. "Twenty years is the blink of an eye for 100 gigawatts. The time is now to begin to deploy new nuclear," says David Christian, CEO of Virginia-based utility Dominion Generation, although his company has no plans to do so before the end of the decade. "We're in danger of missing that window."The spring snow pack in the Arctic is disappearing at a much faster rate than anticipated even by climate change models, says a new study by Environment Canada researchers.
That has implications for wildlife, vegetation and ground temperatures, say the scientists, who looked at four decades of snow data for the Canadian Arctic and beyond.
Combined with recent news that the Arctic sea ice retreated to an all-time low this summer, it suggests climate change may be happening much faster than expected, said Dr. Chris Derksen, a research scientist for Environment Canada and one of the study's authors.
"What we discovered was that there is a significant reduction in the amount of snow cover, particularly in May and June… and the rate of that decline is actually slightly faster than the loss of summer sea ice," Derksen said in an interview.
They studied 40 years of data from across the Arctic from April to June, and found the decline in spring snow cover was actually slightly faster than the decline in sea ice that made headlines around the world.
"It's important for a number of reasons," Derksen said.
Changes in past 5 years 'profound'
Not only does snow provide a pulse of fresh water when it melts, but it has a cooling effect that is felt throughout the Earth, he said.
"White snow is very bright. It reflects a high proportion of the incident solar energy back out to space and when you melt that snow and you expose the darker ground underneath it, then you begin to absorb a much higher fraction of that incident energy. And when you absorb that energy at the land surface, that contributes to further heating and warming."
Previous studies found that snow isn't arriving any earlier in the fall.
The article published in the latest Geophysical Research Letters, the journal of the American Geophysical Union, said the changes in the past five years were "profound."
The five lowest June snow cover values all occurred in the past five years, it said. In Eurasia, new records for the lowest spring snow cover extent have been set every year since 2008, and in North America, record lows have been set in three of the past five years.
The authors calculated the rate of decline of June snow cover extent between 1979 and 2011 is more than 17 per cent each decade.
"When considered alongside the documented changes to the cryosphere, including warming permafrost, reduction in summer sea ice extent, increased mass loss from glaciers, and thinning and break-up of the remaining Canadian ice shelves, there is increasing evidence of an accelerating cryospheric response to global warming," Derksen and co-author Ross Brown wrote.
The cryosphere refers to places on Earth so cold that water is solid — either ice or snow.
Sea ice the size of Alberta vanished, scientists say
Derksen cautioned that five to 10 years in terms of climate is a very short period of time, but the change in that time has been substantial.
"The climate models project that we'll be seeing these changes, but they project them further out into the future," he said.
"Certainly the past shows some very strong changes that when you compare them to the sea ice and you see the major changes in the summer sea ice as well, that does suggest this Arctic-wide change driven by warming surface temperatures."
Scientists from the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Centre said an area of sea ice bigger than Alberta disappeared this summer from the Arctic.
Previous studies by Environment Canada found less dramatic but similar reductions in snow cover further south in Canada in February, March and April.
Derksen said increasing CO2 and greenhouse gases are driving the change.
"I think it's just important that we realize what the impacts of increasing temperatures are across the Arctic and that these impacts on snow cover and sea ice then have follow-on impacts on the Arctic climate system and the global climate system."Cody's, landmark Berkeley bookstore, closes Poor sales blamed for Cody's demise
A pedestrian strolls past Cody's Books on Shattuck Ave. on Thursday, April 10, 2008 in Berkeley, Calif. Cody's has opened up its new store by the downtown Berkeley BART station. Photo by Mark Costantini / San Francisco Chronicle. less A pedestrian strolls past Cody's Books on Shattuck Ave. on Thursday, April 10, 2008 in Berkeley, Calif. Cody's has opened up its new store by the downtown Berkeley BART station. Photo by Mark Costantini /... more Photo: Mark Costantini, The Chronicle Photo: Mark Costantini, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Cody's, landmark Berkeley bookstore, closes 1 / 4 Back to Gallery
Cody's Books, the legendary Berkeley bookstore that catered to literati nationwide for more than half a century and was firebombed in the 1980s because of its support of the First Amendment, has closed its doors, the victim of lagging sales.
The bookstore, which in recent years had closed its flagship store on Telegraph Avenue and its branches in San Francisco and on Berkeley's Fourth Street, finally settling in early April in one store on Shattuck Avenue, shuttered that store Friday.
Calling it "a heartbreaking moment," Cody's owner, Hiroshi Kagawa of the Japanese firm IBC Publishing, said in a statement, "unfortunately, my current business is not strong enough or rich enough to support Cody's."
"Cody's is my treasure and more than that, Cody's is a real friend of (the) Berkeley community and will be missed," Kagawa said.
Pat Cody, one of the store's co-founders, said the closing "makes me very sad. We worked so hard and we put so much into it, and it meant a lot to the community. It's a big loss."
The death knell was sounded a few months ago, when the rent on Cody's store on Fourth Street was nearly tripled, according to general manager Mindy Galoob, "so we moved really fast over to Shattuck. We were hopeful it would work out. We had downsized our staff and had a smaller inventory." But sales "were not anywhere near what was needed."
Andy Ross, who owned the store from 1977 until mid-2006, when he sold it to Kagawa, said Sunday about the closing, "It's no mystery - what's happened to Cody's is what has happened to independent stores for many years. People are going somewhere else (for books). A lot of people like the allure of the Internet or chain stores. And a lot of people don't read."
Ross said that "when Cody's was doing quite well, independent stores had 40 to 50 percent of the market. Now they're down to about 3 percent of the market. In the late 1980s and into 1990, on a good Saturday Cody's on Telegraph Avenue would do $30,000 in business. More recently, a typical Saturday would bring $10,000 worth. The business declined by two-thirds. Costs were up, and sales were down."
More than just dollars and cents, however, Cody's was something of a symbol in Berkeley, a witness to and supporter of the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s, a well-stocked cornerstone of literacy for the thousands of students and faculty patrons from nearby UC Berkeley and a practitioner, in its own right, of free-speech principles.
In February 1989, Cody's was firebombed, and an unexploded pipe bomb was later found inside the store. This all happened shortly after the store had prominently displayed Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" at a time when many in the Muslim world were outraged by Rushdie's novel, and the author had to go into hiding because of threats on his life.
It was never conclusively proven that Cody's was bombed specifically because of its display of Rushdie's book, but Ross said Sunday that threats to Rushdie and to bookstores that stocked it were taken so seriously that he had to call a meeting of his staff to discuss whether to display the book.
"The whole staff voted unanimously to sell the book," Ross said. "The workers were not getting rich off this store, but were willing to risk their lives for an idea. It was the moment I was most proud of."
It was also a store that brought authors from around the world, including Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners, to read their works to audiences who gathered at the Telegraph Avenue store.
One local Pulitzer Prize winner, Berkeley author Michael Chabon, said of Cody's closing, "I think it's a terrible shame. It was a wonderful bookstore. It's painful, sort of like watching someone suffering from a chronic illness painfully and slowly die. (Cody's was) part of the fabric of Berkeley, the social fabric and commercial fabric."
Asked if Cody's might some day reopen, in the same manner as Kepler's, the Menlo Park bookstore that abruptly closed in August 2005, and then was resurrected two months later with help from the local community, Galoob said, "We're open to miracles happening, but I don't think there are plans to find a buyer. Of course, if somebody has an extra million, please send it along. I'll be sure to take them to lunch."
She paused for a moment, then said, "it's pretty much done."The cost of tolls on some motorways around the country is expected to rise by 10c in the new year.
However private motorists on the two main tolled routes in the capital are to be spared price hikes.
The National Roads Authority (NRA) has confirmed that tolls on the M50 and Dublin Port Tunnel are to remain the same, but are expected to rise on parts of the M1, M8, M6 and N25.
However goods vehicles using the M50 face a 10c hike per journey from January 1.
The NRA said that other private toll operators will be able to increase their tariffs in line with the Consumer Price Index, a move which will affect certain classes of vehicle using the M1, M6, M4 and M7 among others.
The Department of Transport is also looking at introducing distance tolling on the M50.Female government officials defend the President and ask fellow women to 'have a forgiving heart' when it comes to the Chief Executive's sexist remarks
Published 6:20 PM, March 31, 2017
MANILA, Philippines – High-ranking female officials of the Duterte administration came to the defense of President Rodrigo Duterte, who is accused of being sexist in some of his remarks and actions.
One undersecretary even said Duterte can make jokes about extramarital affairs of government officials, a crime under Philippine law and grounds for suspension of government officials, since he himself is not married at the moment.
“When we say extramarital affair, the President is not married so kaya niya gumawa ng ganitong remarks kasi, ‘di ba, hindi naman siya kasal eh?” said Interior Undersecretary Emily Padilla on Friday, March 31, during the “Digong’s Day for Women” event in Palace grounds.
(When we say extramarital affair, the President is not married so he can make these kinds of remarks because, he isn’t married, right?)
She and other officials were holding a press conference before Duterte’s arrival at the event.
Women empowerment advocates have criticized Duterte for his sexist remarks about women, especially his controversial joke that he should have been the first to rape a “beautiful” Australian missionary during a prison riot in Davao City in the 1980s. (READ: Duterte the 'benevolent sexist'?)
He also often makes remarks about the prevalence of officials who have affairs.
On Thursday, March 30, Duterte told a room full of new government appointees: “‘Sus siguro dito sa lahat ng lalaki – I’ll peg you at about mga 300 – magsabi sino mabait diyan na walang kabit? Dalawa, tatlo lang siguro.”
(Probably among all the men here – I’ll peg you at about 300 – who is behaved here who has no girlfriend? Probably just two, 3.)
'Forgiving heart'
Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Marie Banaag admitted Duterte’s words may turn off some people, but she appealed to women to be “forgiving.”
“We are not saying everything a person says is perfect or right and for that again, I ask, as women, let’s have a forgiving heart,” she said.
Asked about what she thought of the time Duterte’s catcalled a reporter during a press conference, Banaag said not all women will regard catcalling as insulting or sexist.
“On my part, as a woman, catcalling is relative, it depends on the person if they get hurt,” she said.
Justice Assistant Secretary Aimee Neri, meanwhile, said she would rather not comment on Duterte’s specific remarks. She preferred to highlight the pro-women programs in Davao City where Duterte served as mayor for over two decades.
“It’s only in Davao City where he created special council for violence against women and me personally, I handled more than 300 abused women cases. And [President Duterte] doesn’t tolerate any form of abuses,” said Neri.
She also spoke of how Duterte, as mayor, would show his displeasure when he hears a policeman is cheating on their wife.
Davao City is praised for being the first to have a Women’s Development Code, providing free legal assistance to abused women, and for implementing reproductive health programs. – Rappler.comMIT and Quaker Oats have agreed to pay $1.85 million to former residents of the Fernald State School in Waltham, Mass., who were fed radiation-spiked breakfast cereal in nutrition experiments during the 1940s and 1950s.
The settlement "is a recognition that these actions were improper and a violation of the civil rights of helpless children," said Alexander Bok, an attorney for the 15 plaintiffs who filed the class action suit in December 1995.
Those children -- some of whom were mentally handicapped and some from troubled families -- were frequently used for medical and nutritional experiments without the informed consent of their parents.
"Anytime they put a drug out on the market, they went in and fed things to people -- birth-control pills, high-blood pressure pills," said Fred Boyce, 57, a real estate agent who spent his childhood at Fernald. "It was very convenient for the drug companies."
The case involved nutritional studies. Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers, working with a grant from Quaker Oats, exposed children to radioactive materials in research intended to give Quaker Oats a competitive advantage over its rivals.
In 1994, after accounts of the radiation experiments were made public, MIT's president, Charles M. Vest, apologized for his institution's part in the research.
Most of the funds for the settlement will come from MIT, the school said in a statement yesterday. Because this is a class action settlement, however, the final amount and final approval depends on all parties agreeing to the plan.
The suit against MIT charged that researchers tricked the children into participating in hazardous experiments by telling them they were part of a science club. The suit alleged that the researchers exceeded federal limits on radiation exposure for some of the children.
MIT said the studies used "minute amounts" of radioactive iron and calcium tracers.
Pub Date: 12/31/97Village of Cadzow in South Lanarkshire dating back 1000 years found at edge of M74.
Cadzow: Workers discover 1000 year old lost Scots village. Transport Scotland
A "lost" Scottish village dating back 1000 years has been unearthed during motorway construction works.
Archaeologists found coins and other artefacts along with what is believed to be 14th-century medieval pottery, gaming pieces and fragments of a clay smoking-pipe on the site of the former village of Cadzow in South Lanarkshire.
Construction workers made the initial discovery while expanding the M74 motorway and called in a team of archaeologists to advise them on how to preserve the site.
The medieval village of Cadzow was renamed Hamilton in the 15th century in honour of the lord of the area and the settlement moved south to the current location of the town.
The remains of two ancient stone structures were also found during the excavation, which experts believe could have been a religious shrine more than 1000 years ago.
Cadzow: Stone marking Netherton Cross on site of ancient village. Transport Scotland
While Cadzow was left behind and deteriorated over time, Netherton Cross - a major religious monument erected in the village in the 10th or 11th century - remained and was relocated in 1925 to the grounds of Hamilton Parish Church to preserve it.
The two structures unearthed lie adjacent to a memorial stone marking the original position of the Netherton Cross.
Kevin Mooney, project director for Guard Archaeology, which oversaw the excavation, said: "It is believed one of the structures was literally on the position of the Netherton Cross and there is a possibility that one or other of these buildings may have had some religious connection, although further analysis of the artefacts may shed some light on this.
"We are not sure of the age of these structures just yet, however the Netherton Cross dates from the 10th or 11th century, therefore it is possible that the surrounding buildings could date from the same period - so we could be looking at a site and artefacts that are 1000 years old."
Cadzow: Architect finds jug on medieval site.
Nine medieval coins were found during the excavation. Mr Mooney added: "It is very unusual to find so many coins in one place. We think it's possible that people thought it lucky to leave a coin at the religious shrine."
The discovery was made on the verge of the M74 motorway near junction 6 Hamilton, where the carriageway is being widened as part of a £500m project.
Infrastructure minister Keith Brown viewed the findings on a visit to the site. He said: "The discoveries on the M74 near Hamilton, which could have remained uncovered had works not started, are truly remarkable and underline the importance of the value we place on meeting our environmental obligations as we plan and construct essential new infrastructure."Guiding Instability
Solar energy is revolutionizing how we power houses, cities, and even cars. The energy we get from the Sun, however, is just a tiny fraction of what actually powers the solar system’s star. Enter nuclear fusion, which for the longest time now, has been rather difficult to stabilize. A nuclear fusion startup based in New Jersey called LPP Fusion thinks we might have been going about this process the wrong way, and they suggest a different approach.
To harness nuclear fusion energy, one needs to stabilize the reaction, which in itself is already difficult to produce. Fusion relies on hot plasma, which requires huge amounts of pressure and very high temperatures. On method scientists have devised is called “magnetic confinement” — where hot plasma is contained using magnetic fields.
Still, the method isn’t without great difficulties. “Guide the plasma’s instability; don’t fight it,” LPP Fusion president and CEO Eric Lerner told the Digital Journal. To do this, their scientists are developing a Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) device.
The Quest for Clean Energy
Encased in a ring of cathodes, the DPF’s hollow central anodes use electromagnetic acceleration and compression to produce short-lived plasma that’s hot and dense enough to produce nuclear fusion. Simply put, the DPF produces a reaction that’s enough to generate a tiny dense plasma ball called plasmoids, which sustain nuclear fusion using self-generated electron beams. The concept works in theory, and LPP Fusion scientists have submitted their research to the journal Physics of Plasmas for peer review.When Bajaj stopped the production of Pulsar 200 with the introduction of 220 Dts-SI every Pulsar fan thought that why did Bajaj Make such a decision when the 200 Pulsar is well received? Some people speculated that it was to boost the sales of the new Pulsar 220 Dts-Si the fastest Indian.But no one had never expected that Pulsar 200 will be brought back again in a raw and naked form in the New 2012 Pulsar 200 Naked Sport form.The bike also gets an increase in power the previous bike used to generate around 18 horsepower and the new 2012 Pulsar 200 NS will be producing a massive 23 bhp and a healthy 18 Nm torque.What is more interesting is the price of the new bike it is said it would be priced below one lakh.This bike has a new Dts-i (Digital Triple Spark Ignition) engine.
Design:
This next Generation pulsar has a lot of changes and is planned for export to European countries.In Europe people prefer expensive and quality products.To match up with European standards of styling and technology Bajaj has teamed up with Austrian Bike maker KTM in which Bajaj holds 40 % percent stake.The design of the next-generation Pulsar is shared between Bajaj and KTM.while the KTM Duke 200 is a perfect off roader this bike is for city commuting and as well as highway riding.The design of the bike is done keeping this things in mind.The new Pulsar Gets a compete redesign which was much-needed as the previous pulsars have shown of age when compared to other sports bikes like Yamaha YZF R15.The front headlight which was present on the pulsars for more than 7 years gets a Redesign although the old headlamp looks good it shows its age and the replacement it comes in the smaller pulsar 135 LS and Bajaj had thought that the Pulsar headlight does not do the job on this bike and redesigned the Headlight and the new one looks awesome and adds to the naked style of the bike.There is a small covering over the headlight for speedometer and tachometer.the tank size is reduced to 12 Litres to accompany the engine.On the tank Pulsar and Bajaj Logo are present same like the ongoing pulsars.The fairings on the side of tank are designed in a way such that they look they come from the tank itself.Under the tank there is air intake.The bike has a Steel Perimeter frame which is seen in sports bikes and first of its kind in India.The engine is in back color and the down part of the engine in which we fill the engine oil is in Gold color.The disc brake calipers are gold in color as well.The bike ahs front and rear Disc brakes both brakes are on the right side of the wheel.The front forks and alloy wheels are in Black color.Rear Mud guard is provided for the rear tyre also which is also seen on the Pulsar 135 LS.The Split seat design which is first seen in India in the Previous Generation Pulsar 200 is continued on this bike.The triple tree clip-on handle bar is raised and the seating position is more sporty.The tail part resembles the Pulsar 135 (the grab rail and the number plate holder looks the same).The pulsar does not get a much reduction in weight in its new form it weighs 145 kgs the previous pulsar 200 used to weigh around 148 kgs.The speedo console looks sporty.The bike has a muscular appeal than the likes of Yamaha FZ-16.The bike feels like a big sports bike from the front and a bit disappointing at the rear.The wheel base of the bike is 1363 mm.The bike has a ground clearance of 167 mm and the dimensions of the bike are Length X Height X width are 2017 mm X 1195 mm X 804 mm respectively.
Engine;
The engine is a single Cylinder four stroke engine with an SOHC (Single Over Head Cam shaft) configuration and integral Crankshaft with a displacement of 199.5 cc.The engine has four valves.The bore and stroke ratios are 72 mm X 49 mm.The engine is liquid cooled which is also the first Pulsar to be offered with liquid cooled system.The engine has a 33 mm UCD carburettor.The bike has three spark plugs and it is the first bike that uses three sparks a normal bike uses a single spark.The engine produces a massive 23.5 Bhp at 9,500 rpm and a torque of 18 Nm at 8,000 rpm.The fuel tank is reduced in size to 12 litres to accommodate the bigger engine of this bike.The bike is not fuel Injected but the bike has a new ECU (Electronic Control Unit) which controls the sparks independently.The gear box is six speed where as the previous is five speed.The bike has a claimed top speed of 136 Kilometres per hour.The bike can reach 0-60 in 3.6 seconds 0-100 in 9.83 seconds.The mileage of the bike is expected at around 50-55 while riding at 55 Kmph.Bajaj Patented Exhaust TEC silencer is used and is present under the engine like the new KTM Duke 200 to enhance the Centre of gravity of the bike.Paper element type air filter is used.
Wheels,Tyres and Brakes:
The bike has 2.5 X 17″ Black alloy wheels on the front and 3.5 X 17″ on the rear with 10 spokes and it is a new and different design.
The tyres are speculated to be supplied by MRF and the bike features tubeless tyres at the front 100/80-17 inch 52 P and at the rear 130/70 61 P both are tubeless tyres the bike can travel a certain distance before the tyre losses the air.
The bike has brakes on the front and rear both the disc brakes are Petal disc brakes with floating calipers both of which are fitted on the right hand side of the wheel.The front disc brake is 280 mm and the rear is 230 mm.The bike has a braking distance of 16.33 meter when both brakes are applied and from a speed of 60-0 km/h.
Chassis and Suspension:
The chassis employed on this bike is Pressed steel perimeter frame which offers nice handling and comfort.The front is accompained by 37 mm telescopic forks with Anti friction bush.And the rear gets a new comer in the form of Nitrox Mono Shock suspension with gas canister..The bike has a Aluminium swing arm which is seen on high end bikes.
Handling:
The previous edition pulsars were criticized by media and bikers as the previous pulsars are not well handled.The new under belly exhaust had helped bike handling and now it handles better than the previous Pulsar’s with the new low centralized Centre of Gravity and the addition of mono shock suspension and the raised position of the triple tree clip on handle bars ensure a sporty riding position and as well as better handling in curves.
Ride Comfort:
It is a small sport bike and the riding posture is also sporty to reduce aerodynamic drag.So one needs to adjust to the new seating position on this bike.The pillion foot pegs are also positioned high.The seat height is at 805 mm so it is best suitable for taller persons.
Price and Availability:
The exact price of the bike is not specified and it is said that it will cost less than a lakh show room price and the New Pulsar 200 NS will be available from April 2012.
Related Posts:
1.KTM Duke 200
2. Bajaj and KTM to launch bikes up to 700 cc in India
3. Upcoming KTM bikes in India
AdvertisementsTo understand what the web has done for free speech, it’s necessary to think about how Natalya Gorbanevskaya and her fellow dissidents produced 65 issues of the samizdat publication Chronicle Of Current Events in the Soviet Union between 1968 and 1983.
Censoring the web poses a significant challenge to authoritarian rulers everywhere, and often involves fine-grained judgment calls.The Soviet state controlled access to printing presses and photocopiers. So when it was time to publish, Gorbanebskaya would tap out six identical copies of Chronicle on a contraband typewriter. Next, she distributed these editions to six friends, who would, in turn, type out further copies before distributing them to additional readers.
Distribution was slow and extremely risky. Like dozens of others involved in the production of Chronicle, Gorbanevskaya was arrested by the 9th Division of the Fifth Chief Directorate of the KGB, which was specifically charged with rooting out samizdat. In 1969, she was diagnosed as a schizophrenic and confined to a mental hospital for three years.
Today, there are only two countries in the world where censorship-induced paralysis exists on anything like a comparable scale: Burma and North Korea. Everywhere else, the terms of trade between free speech and censorship have improved since the Cold War.
Technology has been responsible for most, perhaps all, of this improvement. Behaving like water, information on the web always seeks the largest possible audience. In doing so, it continues to exert pressure on the adamantine |
the (bond) money in addition to also getting a lawyer,” she said.
New Haven however has some experience with this, having raised bail for many of the nearly 30 immigrants detained by ICE back in 2007, a raid viewed as retaliation for the city introducing an identification card available to everyone.
A legal clinic at Yale Law School provided much of the representation and won an unprecedented $350,000 as part of a settlement over constitutional violations.
Rivera-Forastieri said their goal is to raise $100,000 by the end of the year and so far they have helped three individuals. She said as important as getting them the resources they need, is to build a movement that they will help foster.
She said the steering committee for the fund will be looking at setting guidelines as they review each case that comes before them. She said they have gotten multiple offers of fund-raising.
Rivera-Forastieri said another difficulty in raising bail for this group is the time it takes to resolve a case. Something may be closed administratively, but the bond is not released until there is final closure. In the meantime the funds are tied up and cannot be used for the next person.
The surge of women and children who crossed the border from Central America starting in 2014, has swelled the backlog of cases waiting to have their cases heard.
As of the end of April 2017, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, said the number of cases waiting to be adjudicated was at an all-time high of 585,930. The average wait is 670 days, with some individuals in San Francisco, where there are 42,000 backlogged filings, not assigned a court date for more than five years.
TRAC is a data gathering, data research and data distribution organization at Syracuse University.
The $420 a month lease fee charged by Libre by Nexus, breaks down to $14 a day for the bracelet.
The Tycko & Zavareei lawsuit, citing court documents in a Georgia case, says Libre rents the trackers for $3 a day.
Valdes-Fauli said “the actual daily cost to monitor for Libre is more than $10 a day.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which has greatly increased its Alternatives to Detention Program, pays $4.41 daily to BI Inc., a private company, to monitor immigrants with the tracking devices required by ICE, according to a 2015 report by its Office of Inspector General.
This compares to a cost of $124 a day for an adult who is detained by ICE and $343 for a family detention, according to Detention Watch Network. It reported the detention budget for fiscal 2016 was $2.3 billion.
BI is a subsidiary of the GEO Group, the second largest operator of private prisons and immigration detention centers across the country. The immigrants monitored by BI are not required to pay for their use. The ACLU said ICE renewed its contract with BI through 2019 “under which GEO expects to generate $47 million in annualized revenues.”
The use of private prisons was scheduled to be cut back under the previous administration, but that is no longer is the case.
Smith of Junta said her Spanish-speaking clients have to depend on an intermediary at Libre to explain its program to them and they “do not entirely understand what they are signing.”
“The promise of ‘freedom’ in Libre by Nexus’ name is freedom that comes at a pretty high price,” she said.The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary. -H.L. Mencken
Like a lot of people, I’m increasingly concerned about an expanding waistline and lifestyle-related illnesses. I want my kids to live long, happy, healthy lives, and I want them to develop good eating habits. Is regulating sugar the way we regulate alcohol and tobacco the right way to go about it? Some say yes. I say no. Read on to find out why.
It isn’t like we live in a perfect world. In a recent Comment that appeared in Nature, Robert H. Lustig, Laura A. Schmidt, and Claire D. Brindis of the University of California, San Francisco commented on how “the United Nations declared that, for the first time in human history, chronic non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes pose a greater health burden worldwide than do infectious diseases.” In their words,
The UN announcement targets tobacco, alcohol, and diet as the central risk factors in non-communicable disease. Two of these three--tobacco and alcohol--are regulated by governments to protect public health, leaving one of the primary culprits behind this worldwide health crisis unchecked.
The authors then went on to claim that governments should consider controlling sweeteners with taxes and regulations just like they control alcohol and tobacco. There are several reasons why this probably isn’t a very good idea.
First, the non-communicable “lifestyle” diseases they discuss are generally diseases of affluence. Lustig, Schmidt, and Brindis correctly note that increasing incomes in poor countries increases access to western-style diets, but this isn’t a bad thing per se. The fact that mortality from non-communicable diseases is now higher than mortality from communicable diseases is a testimony to our increasing ability to treat infectious diseases and the fact that people are living long enough to get diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
I’m not the first to point out that, perhaps perversely, a rising cancer rate can be an indicator of greater social well-being because it indicates that a greater share of the population is living long enough for cancer to be an issue. Medical advances and higher incomes mean that fewer people are dying of dysentery today. Some of those people might die of cancer eventually. Rising cancer rates can mask positive trends in public health, and we have to be very careful about how we interpret the data.
Second, the authors’ claim that alcohol and tobacco are regulated and taxed because of “public health” considerations is plausible but incomplete. Bruce Yandle coined the now-classic term “Bootleggers and Baptists” to describe the odd political coalitions that form around different regulations. It is true that many non-drinking “Baptists” supported alcohol prohibition, but prohibition had another effect: it enriched bootleggers. When we give a government the power to act in the name of public health, we also give them the power to act in the name of special interests. I won’t be surprised if such taxes and regulations are bent in such a way as to protect powerful, entrenched interests at the expense of consumers and at the expense of smaller producers.
Third, the authors cite productivity losses from sugar-related illnesses, writing that “(t)he United States spends $65 billion in lost productivity and $150 billion on health-care resources annually for morbities associated with metabolic syndrome.” This only becomes a plausible case for government action if these are spillover costs. If sugar lowers my productivity, then this will be reflected in lower earnings. I will bear the full cost of my eating habits.
Fourth, if there are negative spillovers, then it is an illustration of the law of unintended consequences. People who die of alcohol-, tobacco-, or sugar-related illnesses might burden government health resources, but this is an artifact of the ways government health resources subsidize bad health choices and socialize individual risks.
Suppose I’m deciding whether I should have a can of Coca-Cola. If I can expect others to bear the costs of my bad health decisions, then that can of Coke is less costly for me. If other people will pay my medical bills for me, I have weaker incentives to make good health decisions.
Fifth, the authors point to a number of different reasons why sugar might have some of the same habit-forming (or even addictive) properties of alcohol and tobacco. The reasons they offer for why sugar should be regulated and taxed are the same reasons why sugar regulation is likely to create more costs than benefits. People consume less alcohol and fewer cigarettes than they would without government controls, but lowering consumption is expensive.
Enforcing taxes and regulations on alcohol and tobacco requires real resources. The police officer trying to bust a convenience store for selling tobacco to minors isn’t trying to solve a murder or a robbery. The metal that goes into the guns being toted by ATF agents is metal that isn’t being used to make cars or build bridges. And so on. Do we really want grocery store employees and police officers wasting time and energy making sure that everyone is carded for buying Pepsi?
Finally, we have to consider the law of unintended consequences. Underage alcohol drinkers may not use vodka-soaked tampons, but people have come up with all sorts of ingenious ways to evade restrictions on alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs (I learned what “purple drank” is on Tuesday). People respond to incentives, and they find ways to circumvent restrictions. Just as they have done with alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, I’m sure they will find ways around restrictions on sugar.
I thank Julia Clapper and Cuyler Hines for their help and Linda Gibson for proof-reading. There’s an episode of American Dad! that illustrates the unintended consequences of a trans-fat ban. South Park, as usual, nails it in this episode about smoking and this NSF-anywhere episode titled “Medicinal Fried Chicken.” Here’s The Daily Show on the San Francisco Happy Meal ban. I discuss trans-fats here. Update, 5:11 PM: I thank Jenny-Lyn Carden for pointing out a couple of typos. I also changed the set of links that accompany this article.MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The crowd was buzzing in Minnesota for Bartolo Colon's debut, a decent start by the burly 44-year-old that drew him a standing ovation despite a departure with no outs in the fifth inning after a breakthrough by New York.
Having overcome Colon, the Yankees found even more to celebrate afterward.
Gary Sanchez's two-run double ended Colon's night and sent the Yankees on their way to a 6-3 victory Tuesday over the Twins, who gave Colon his 514th major league start and became his 10th team.
''I feel happy. I want to thank the team and the fans for welcoming me with open arms like they did today,'' Colon said through an interpreter.
Colon (2-9) allowed eight hits and four runs with no walks and three strikeouts. He threw 82 pitches, including a called third strike on major league home run leader Aaron Judge with an 86 mph fastball that sent the rookie sensation back to the dugout to finish the first inning. He sprung off the mound to deftly field a slow roller and tag Garrett Cooper for the first out of the third.
Once the heart of the order came up a second time, though, balls were being hit a lot harder.
''When you don't put the pitches where they're supposed to be, they hit you hard,'' Colon said.
Colon, the 28th pitcher and 11th starter used by the Twins in 2017, started the season with the Atlanta Braves before being released.
''A lot of our guys have never seen him,'' said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who faced Colon as a player. ''I think that the movement that he has is still really good, so it took our guys a little time to figure him out.''
Twins manager Paul Molitor once batted against Colon, too.
''I liked how he changed speeds on his fastball, and I thought he got in on the guys he was supposed to get in on and back-doored the guys he was supposed to,'' Molitor said. ''But like I said, it could've turned out better, that's for sure.''
Judge added an RBI single and Didi Gregorius hit a two-run home run off Ryan Pressly in the fifth after Colon was removed, as the Yankees woke up their slumbering offense. Their sputtering bullpen stepped up with 5 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Luis Cessa, with Aroldis Chapman pitching a scoreless ninth for his 10th save. Chasen Shreve (3-1) picked up the win.
Then came the biggest boost of all.
The Yankees got third baseman Todd Frazier and relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the Chicago White Sox for reliever Tyler Clippard and three prospects in a trade that was announced after the game.
''We're in a tough stretch where we're not playing great and we go out there and make a move still, that makes you feel like the front office and the team believes in us,'' third baseman Chase Headley said. ''So hopefully we can play the way that we have most of the season now.''
Miguel Sano homered and Brian Dozier hit an RBI triple for the Twins, but they left 12 men on base.
MUSIC MEMORIES
With the Backstreet Boys blaring on the stadium speakers just before the home team took the field, and other pop hits from 1997 when Colon cracked the major leagues spinning throughout the night, the Twins had a good time welcoming their newest pitcher who's the oldest active player in baseball. LMFAO's irreverent "Sexy and I Know It" thumped during Colon's warmups at Target Field, the 45th major league ballpark at which he's taken the mound.
WILD START
On the day Michael Pineda had Tommy John surgery, Cessa's performance underscored the need for another pitcher to stabilize the rotation. The 25-year-old native of Mexico was recalled from Triple-A to fill in, his fourth start of the season for the Yankees, with Monday starter Bryan Mitchell sent down to make room.
Cessa hit Sano with a pitch and walked three in a laborious first inning to quickly fall behind, and he was pulled with two outs in the fourth and a 3-1 deficit.
''It was pretty amazing. He walked three guys in the first inning and hit one and only gave up a run?'' Girardi said. ''He did a good job of controlling damage, but he just didn't have command.''
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: With 2B Starlin Castro on the bench to rest, Girardi said he will do the same Wednesday with Judge.
Twins: LHP Craig Breslow (rib soreness) returned from his rehab assignment, with 1B/DH Kennys Vargas going down to Triple-A with Molitor's preference to carry an eight-man bullpen for the time being.
UP NEXT
Yankees: Rookie LHP Jordan Montgomery (6-4, 3.78 ERA) will take the mound in the series finale. He's 4-0 in his last eight starts, but the Yankees lost all four no-decisions and he completed six innings in only three of those turns.
Twins: RHP Jose Berrios (8-3, 3.70 ERA) will pitch Wednesday. He has allowed 28 hits and 20 runs, with 14 earned runs, in 19 innings over his last four starts.
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More AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseballIllustration by Cei Willis
The internet may be great for you, what with its Movshare links and fascinating "Which Game of Thrones character are you?" quizzes, but please spare a moment to think about those poor souls in the corporate PR and lobbying game, the flacks who get paid fat wads of cash by some of the worst people in the world to make sure that governments see things their way. In the old days, these champions of murderous dictators and big polluters were able to talk politicians round to their way of thinking over boozy lunches in opulent private members' clubs. Nowadays, they're forced to do the devil's work in the harsh glow of a laptop screen rather than the more persuasive atmospheres created by soothing candlelight and expensive whiskey.
In recent years, the lobbying game has changed thanks to social media websites, citizen journalism (described by one lobbyist as “a major irritant”), and online petitions capable of getting millions of signatures in a matter of hours. Among the lobbyists affected by this shift is James Bethell, whose firm, Westbourne Communications, is in the business of fighting back against what it calls the “insurgency tactics” of online campaigners ("insurgency" here meaning "having a negative opinion and a blog/Twitter account" rather than actual guerrilla warfare). Their current clients include the oil and gas company Cuadrilla, the frackers who have been trying to convince people in Lancashire and Sussex to get behind the idea of pumping a load of poisonous water under their houses. Westbourne also led the campaign to defend HS2, a propsed high-speed rail line, from English communities who'd rather there weren't trains roaring past their homes at 125 MPH. When you're trying to get a $60 billion railway expansion, you need approval from the UK government—which means hiring a firm like Westbourne to keep a lid on protests.
Unfortunately for lobbyists, “Now almost everyone in the country has become a self-appointed campaigner,” as Bethell said in a 2011 interview. “Everybody's seen The West Wing and has a Google account, and therefore has both the intelligence and the strategy, plus the technology, to put together a kitchen-table campaign."
So how do you go about fighting this scourge of democratic, grassroots activism?
“You’ve got to fight them on every street corner,” advised Bethell. “You can’t just sit and watch your opponents run around doing what they like. You’ve got to get out into the bush, using their tactics and being in their face.”
If we’re sticking with the over-the-top military analogies, it's obvious that the internet is a crucial battleground. It's also a useful tool for lobbyists when it comes to them finding out who they're up against. While their surveillance techniques might not be in the league of the NSA, corporate monitoring of citizen-activists has become a common tactic, and there's been a significant amount of investment in this area. Today, commercial lobbyists operate sophisticated monitoring systems designed to spot online threats. It you bad-mouth a large corporation in 140 characters, chances are the corporation's social media people will find it. Their job, then, is to sift through the sea of online malcontents and find the "influencers."
“The person making a lot of noise is probably not the influential one,” Mike Seymour, the former head of crisis management at PR and lobbying giant Edelman, told fellow flacks attending a conference across the road from UK Parliament in November 2011. “You’ve got to find the influential one, especially if they are gatherers of people against us.” His point was eloquently made by events happening across town—as he spoke, Occupy protests were creating headlines around the world. Seymour explained that once these influencers are identified, "listening posts" should be put out there, to “pick up the first warning signals” of activist operations.
Once they have this intelligence, lobbyists can get to work. Part of Westbourne’s response to its HS2 critics was to “zero in” and counter “inconsistent” press reports, as Bethell explained to high-speed rail advocates in the US. More broadly, Westbourne advised US lobbyists of the need to “pick off” their critics with “sniper-scope accuracy”—to “shut them up,” as he explained to an audience of distinguished guests at a conference in 2012. Westbourne engages in aggressive rebuttal campaigns, which involves creating a feeling among opponents that everything they say will be picked apart. This is an “exhausting but crucial” part of successful lobbying, says Bethell.
That kind of nastiness is necessary, but it is also generally accepted in lobbyist circles that the only way to combat activists’ “negative information” online is with positive information. This is not as nice as it sounds.
Reputation Changer Demo from Simplifilm on Vimeo
There are now hundreds of companies offering to manipulate Google search results to make finding negative information about them all but impossible. A promotional video for one such company, Reputation Changer, promises to make criticism “disappear.” This is done by creating new, positive content that fools search engines into pushing the “dummy” content above the negative, driving the output of critics down the Google rankings (relying on the fact that few of us click beyond the first page of results).
BP, for example, was found to have been manipulating Google in the wake of the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico—the company appears to have been attempting to get its message (“Learn more about how BP is helping”) at the top of Google searches relating to the spill. NGOs and affected communities without the resources of the oil giant were therefore blocked from getting their message (“Look how badly BP has fucked us”) across.
Lobbying firms are in the search engine optimization business too. They will create phony blogs for clients that are made to appear as if they've been created by outsiders. Press releases that no journalist will ever see are pumped out just so there’s something else to read on Google when a client faces hostility. “Online, you should constantly be coming up with new content that can help push negative information down,” a lobbyist from global agency Burson-Marsteller advised colleagues in 2013, during a debate on winning the “kitchen-table conversation.”
“Of course we do it as well,” said Tim Bell, the head of PR firm Bell Pottinger and a master at killing stories, in interview. “Everybody wants the best information to appear at the top of the page.”
Another favored technique of lobbyists is the doctoring of Wikipedia, a site that is widely loathed in the industry for its phenomenal reach and for the fact that a tiny community of editors is able to decide whether a corporation has a "controversies" section on their wiki or not. “A ridiculous organization... created by a bunch of nerds,” is Tim Bell’s take on the site. Accounts associated with Bell Pottinger were caught scrubbing the profiles of, among many others, the arms manufacturer and client the Paramount Group, at least two large financial firms, and the founder of libel specialists Carter-Ruck.
“It's important for Wikipedia to recognize we are a valuable source for accurate information,” Bell told PR Week. This someone whose company has famously spun the reputations of dictators, repressive governments, polluting oil firms, and arms companies facing bribery charges—it even won a contract from the US-supported government in Iraq to promote the concept of democracy.
Attempts by lobbyists to manage information like this are nothing new. What has changed is the sophistication of the technology, which has given PR firms and others a host of new tactics, like fake blogs and online "front" groups. The reach of so-called "astroturf" campaigns—where lobbyists manufacture fake grassroots support—is also magnified thanks to the web.
According to another of Britain’s leading lobbyists, Peter Gummer, lobbyists are on a quest to make the digital space their own. He assured delegates of the 20th Public Relations World Congress in Dubai in 2012: “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t. This is our moment.”
Tamasin Cave and Andy Rowell wrote a whole book about this kind of thing. It's called A Quiet Word: Lobbying, Crony Capitalism and Broken Politics in Britain. You can buy it here.At the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland, the remains of an 11th-century Viking settlement are evidence of the first European presence in North America. The excavated remains of wood-framed peat-turf buildings are similar to those found in Norse Greenland and Iceland.
Outstanding Universal Value
Brief synthesis
L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site contains the excavated remains of a complete 11th-century Viking settlement, the earliest evidence of Europeans in North America. Situated at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland, this exceptional archaeological site consists of eight timber-framed turf structures built in the same style as those found in Norse Greenland and Iceland from the same period. The buildings include three dwellings, one forge and four workshops, on a narrow terrace overlooking a peat bog and small brook near the shore of Epaves Bay in the Straight of Belle Isle.
Artifacts found at the site show evidence of activities including iron production and woodworking, likely used for ship repair, as well as indications that those who used the camp voyaged further south. The remnants correspond with the stories told in the Vinland Sagas, which document the voyages of Leif Erikson and other Norse explorers who ventured westward across the Atlantic Ocean from Iceland and Greenland to find and explore new territory, a significant achievement in the history of human migration and discovery.
Criterion (vi): L’Anse aux Meadows is the first and only known site established by Vikings in North America and the earliest evidence of European settlement in the New World. As such, it is a unique milestone in the history of human migration and discovery.
Integrity
Measuring 7991 ha, L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site is of sufficient size to ensure that the property is protected, remains intact, and takes in the full extent of the known Norse remains in the region. Its boundaries extend far beyond the areas that contain Norse archaeological remains, thus providing ample protection of the complete representation of the features and processes that convey the property’s Outstanding Universal Value.
L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site is in stable condition. The archaeological site has been reburied in such a way as to protect the remnants from deterioration. There are no known or anticipated threats to the property, it is not at risk of degradation and does not suffer from adverse effects of development or neglect, the totality being managed as a National Historic Site by Parks Canada Agency.
Authenticity
L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site is authentic in location and setting, forms and designs, and materials and substances. Ample archival evidence shows the property to correspond with the journeys described in the Norse sagas.
Extensive archaeological research after the site’s discovery in 1960 revealed that the timber-framed structures were constructed with a particular type of gabled roof and covered with turf taken from the surrounding peat bog. The layout of the rooms, fireplaces and openings followed the characteristics of Norse design. Excavation uncovered evidence of iron production at the site, as well as approximately 800 wooden, bronze, bone, and stone artefacts that confirm the Norse origins of the property and provide important information on the work and lifestyle of the site’s occupants.
Protection and management requirements
L’Anse aux Meadows was established as a National Historic Site in 1975 under a Federal-Provincial agreement between Canada and the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The property is legally protected under the Parks Canada Agency Act (1998) and the Canada National Parks Act (2000), and the site has a management plan in place, which is reviewed and renewed at regular intervals. The management plan requires that the resources directly related to the reasons for designation as a national historic site are not impaired or under threat; that the reasons for designation are effectively communicated to the public; and that heritage values, including Outstanding Universal Value, are respected in all decisions and actions affecting the property.
The agreement that established L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site states that the Government of Canada and the Government of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador shall consult together to ensure that the future development of the communities and areas adjacent to the property is planned jointly and is in keeping with their proximity to this internationally significant property.
Parks Canada manages visitation and conservation at the site, and the artefact collection associated with the Viking base camp is stable and is displayed and/or stored under appropriate conditions. Special attention shall be given over the long term to monitoring for issues that could impact the state of conservation in the future and taking appropriate actions to protect the site.Get the biggest Manchester United FC 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
Manchester United are stepping up their efforts to land Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte in the January transfer window.
Premier League rivals Chelsea and Arsenal are also in the hunt for the 20-year-old centre-back, regarded as one of Europe's most promising young defenders.
United are understood to have made enquiries about Laporte through an intermediary, with a view to securing a January deal to help solve their defensive woes.
The Old Trafford giants' executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is already working on January targets identified by manager Louis van Gaal, with Laporte one of the names at the top of the list.
Van Gaal sees rising France star Laporte as a shrewd investment, despite the player's £32million buy-out clause, given his age and huge potential.
Laporte has made 59 appearances for Bilbao and represented France at youth level.
He is tipped to break into the full France squad soon and seen as a potential star of Euro 2016.
Van Gaal is currently without three central defenders in Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo, as well as right-back Rafael, through injury and is desperate to recruit reinforcements in January.
Chris Smalling could be on his way to Arsenal, with Van Gaal also harbouring doubts over Evans and Jones, not least because of their inability to remain fit.
United are also keeping tabs on Zenit St Petersburg's Ezequiel Garay and Mats Hummels of Borussia Dortmund, but are aware they face an almost impossible task in landing the latter.'I Belonged Nowhere': A Story Of Displacement, From A Novelist Who Knows
Enlarge this image toggle caption Beowulf Sheehan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Beowulf Sheehan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
At the very start of Hala Alyan's novel Salt Houses, a woman buys a coffee set — a dozen cups, a coffee pot, a tray. It's a simple act that unexpectedly becomes painful. The woman is Palestinian — part of a family displaced after the founding of Israel — and the tray reminds her of an old one she lost in one of the family's many moves.
Alyan builds her story on little moments like that — a peek into the lives of several generations, forced to relocate and resettle. Her characters are lost and looking for a home.
The Palestinian-American author writes from experience. She says she imagined her fictional characters with her own displaced family members in mind.
"I definitely think there was an intergenerational trauma that went along with losing a homeland that you see trickle down through the different generations," she says.
Interview Highlights
On the importance of objects
I've always been really interested in the meaning we imbue [in] objects. I grew up kind of watching my mother's attachment to certain objects, my grandparents' attachment to certain objects.... It becomes especially valuable because the place... you attach it to is no longer — it doesn't exist anymore.
On not having heirlooms
When I wanted to get married, one of the things that I didn't really have the luxury of was... asking my mother if I could wear her wedding dress, or asking my grandmother if I could wear her wedding dress.... My grandmother lost hers when she moved to Kuwait. My mother lost hers in Kuwait after the invasion.... They're lost in the rubble of time and movement and displacement.... We don't have heirlooms....
My mother I've noticed... she'll buy pieces of jewelry and talk about how: "You'll give this to your children, and then your children will give it..." It's a little bit morbid, right? And it took me a while to kind of put it together, and be like: You're putting together a fractured history. You're trying to start over again.
On her own family's story
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan Hardcover, 312 pages | purchase close overlay Buy Featured Book Your purchase helps support NPR programming. How?
My parents met and married in Kuwait and then when my mother became pregnant with me — in the Middle East you get what your father has in terms of passport. My mother had a Lebanese passport my father had Palestinian travel documents.
And so she — sort of in the stroke of foresight and genius — she went to "visit" her brother who lived in Carbondale, Ill. She was this eight-month pregnant brown woman and they let her in, no problem... it was the '80s, it was a different time. And then she gave birth to me, and I was there for the first week or so of my life.
We returned to Kuwait and then after the invasion we were in Syria for a little bit and then they sought asylum in the States. So my passport in a lot of ways enabled us to then go to the States.... Of course, she couldn't have known that in anchoring me she was anchoring the entire family.
On whether her family discusses their past
It sort of depends on who you talk to. I definitely think it's a wound that never quite healed over, so we sort of talk around it. We'll talk about my father's restlessness and the fact that he likes to move every year or two. We'll talk about the fact that my mother really loves homes, and loves to think about decorating homes, and nesting, and settling.
You see this in other traumatized populations like Holocaust survivors. A lot of the times it's something that's really not brought up which then leaves it to the later generations to reimagine, reconceptualize, kind of recreate what it was that was lost.
On whether she feels like she has a home
I would say for a very long time I felt like I belonged nowhere. The last couple of years I've sort of been reconceptualizing it — like, I kind of belong everywhere. I belong wherever I am because I'm bringing with me whatever culture, whatever history, whatever love for food, and music, and memory, and photographs, that have been passed down to me. I've gotten a little bit less attached to the idea of a physical place needing to be big enough to hold me, and hold my culture, and hold everything that's important to me.
Radio producer Noor Wazwaz, radio editor Shannon Rhoades and Web producer Beth Novey contributed to this story.You would be well advised to look into the work of Gordon Welchman - during WW II he worked out just how valuable meta data really is. This is why I don't use PGP - that does f-all to protect end points.
Defending against meta data analysis requires looking at the sort of measures that have to be taken in-theather to prevent an enemy from analysing radio traffic for network density and thus identifying leaders and critical end points. Simply at a network level it's already a pain to prevent painting a target on your back.
The next challenge is your friends, because there are no laws against asking them about you - basically the thing that happens continuously on Facebook and LinkedIn.
This is why I laugh when I see yet another company promising that it will "protect you from the NSA" - I know what is needed, and it's a lot more than setting up secure communication. To be honest, these days I'm no longer sure that those asking loudly for crypto backdoors are as clueless as they appear - I'm starting to think that they know very well it's nonsense, but make all that noise to distract you from what they really want, your meta data. In some countries such as the US they have already won, if I'm not mistaken the FBI can now get that data without a warrant.
I'm OK with law enforcement having access to it, my problem is the lack of accountability that is supposed to accompany such powers, because that makes abuse certain. *That* is the real issue someone like Teresa May needs to address. Until then, fingers off.CALGARY, AB -- The Calgary Flames announced today they have signed goaltender Danny Taylor.
Taylor, who was born in Plymouth, England but raised in Ottawa, Ontario, has backstopped the Calgary Flames affiliate Abbotsford Heat for the past two seasons earning 30 wins in 59 games. He has played a total of 120 career AHL games registering 59 wins along with a 2.32 GAA and a.914 save percentage. This season, Taylor is second in the AHL with a 1.77 GAA and fourth in save percentage.930%.
Taylor was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 7th round (221st overall) of the 2004 NHL Draft. Taylor will join the Flames in Columbus on Wednesday evening.
Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff sustained a lower body injury in last night’s 4-1 win over Detroit and is listed as day-to-day.
Contract Term: a one year, two-way contract for $525,000/$80,000.
DANNY TAYLOR – GOALTENDER
BORN: Plymouth, England DATE: April 28, 1986
HEIGHT: 6’1” WEIGHT: 176 lbs.
CATCHES: Left
DRAFTED: LAK - 7th round, 221st overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft
HOW ACQUIRED: Signed as a free agent on February 6, 2013.The Democrats won a mandate to oppose Donald Trump’s extremist agenda. With Hillary Clinton’s historic popular vote lead quickly approaching 2.25 million, Trump has no mandate at all:
Trump's ratings lag behind those of other presidents-elect in large part because Democrats' views of him are much worse than the opposition party's supporters' ratings have been in the past. Whereas 10% of Democrats view Trump favorably, 25% of Republicans had a positive opinion of Clinton, 31% of Democrats had a positive opinion of Bush and 35% of Republicans viewed Obama favorably. Trump's favorable rating among independents, 39%, is also significantly worse than those of his predecessors. It is 15 points lower than Clinton's rating among independents and 31 points worse than Obama's. And Trump's 82% favorability among his party's supporters also is lower than that for prior presidents-elect, which range from 88% for Clinton to 95% for Obama.
The nation tends to rally behind presidents-elect, and even after the deeply divisive 2000 Rehnquist Court Florida debacle, George W. Bush by now had a net 23-point favorability rating. Trump’s numbers have improved, but likely mostly as a function of his voters wanting to feel good about their votes. Even so, his favorability rating remains below his popular vote percentage, and a net favorability of -13 is unheard of for a president-elect.
Despite President-elect Barack Obama’s soaring favorability ratings following his election, Republicans fought him every step of the way. Donald Trump is historically unpopular, and all who oppose him can take heart in knowing they are in the majority—and Democrats in Congress must represent that majority by fighting Trump’s extremist agenda.By Viktor Ustijanoski | 25 April 2009
For Ubuntu 9.10 follow this DetectorPRO tutorial.
The new Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope system comes with Nouveau display graphic driver by default and the advanced effects cannot be used with this drivers. If you already try to enable restricted Ubuntu drivers and Nvidia cannot be found on the list try installing this drivers with this tutorial:
Run Applications/Add/Remove From |
Analyses of death, rehospitalization with myocardial infarction, and the composite of death or rehospitalization with myocardial infarction are included in this report. Data on the end points of rehospitalization with heart failure and cardiovascular death are not available from SWEDEHEART and must be obtained from the Swedish National Inpatient and Outpatient Registries. Owing to a delay of up to 12 months from the date of database lock for the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare to make these data available, analyses of these end points are not included in this report.
Mortality data were obtained from the Swedish National Population Registry, which includes the vital status of all Swedish citizens. All other variables were obtained from SWEDEHEART, which is monitored on a regular basis.11 Diagnoses at discharge are listed according to codes from the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10).
The end of follow-up was December 30, 2016, which was 365 days after the last patient underwent randomization. To allow for any lag in registry reporting, the final database was extracted from SWEDEHEART on February 28, 2017, including data on any linked deaths that occurred through December 30, 2016, and reported in the population registry as of February 14, 2017. Five patients who were never included in SWEDEHEART were followed up manually for data on mortality by the investigators in January 2017. No central adjudication or trial-specific patient follow-up was performed.
Through restriction of access to the randomization list to authorized SWEDEHEART personnel, the trial team and steering committee were kept unaware of the study-group assignments until the locking of the database. Accumulated data without study-group information were available for the monitoring of progress throughout the trial.
Statistical Analysis
The sample size was calculated from published data14,15 and analyses from SWEDEHEART for the years 2005 through 2010. The 1-year total mortality among patients with myocardial infarction was estimated to be 14.4%. A clinically relevant effect of supplemental oxygen was defined as a 20% lower relative risk of death from any cause within 1 year in the oxygen group than in the ambient-air group. With the chi-square test, to be able to reject the null hypothesis at a significance level of 0.05 (two-sided) with a power of 0.90, a total of 2856 patients per group were needed. To control for patients crossing over or not completing the trial, the planned sample size was increased to 3300 patients per group, which resulted in a total of 6600 patients.
The results were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle.16 Randomization numbers assigned unintentionally, such as by clicking the wrong box or randomly assigning the wrong patient record in SWEDEHEART, were recorded in the clean file documentation and removed from the analysis database. A supplementary per-protocol analysis was conducted in which patients were excluded if they were reported as having not completed participation in the trial through the end of the treatment period, unless the noncompletion was due to hypoxemia.
The time-to-event analysis of death from any cause within 365 days after randomization is presented as Kaplan–Meier curves. Hazard ratios were calculated with the use of a Cox proportional-hazards model, with adjustment for age in years (as a linear covariate on the log-hazard scale) and sex.17 Estimates of differences between the study groups are presented with two-tailed 95% confidence intervals and associated P values. A two-tailed P value of less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Eleven prespecified subgroup analyses (as defined in the Supplementary Appendix) were performed with the use of proportional-hazards models with adjustment for age and sex and formal tests for interaction. All analyses were conducted with SAS software, version 9.4 (SAS Institute).Peter Davey, 35, a father of seven, gave up work in administration nine years ago because he realised he would be better off on state handouts.
He and his wife Claire, 29, who is seven months pregnant, believe they deserve their £815-a-week benefit cheque and are open about feeling no guilt that they live at the expense of the taxpayer.
Their home, a semi-detached house on the Isle of Anglesey, is complete with 42 inch flat screen television, Sky TV at £50 a month, a computer and three expensive games consoles, as well as four mobile phones.
The family also run a Mercedes people carrier and an 11 seater minibus.
However, they still feel there is little to be grateful for.
Mrs Davey, who has never had a full-time job, told Closer magazine: "It's hard. We can't afford holidays and I don't want my kids living on a council estate and struggling like I have.
"I don't feel bad about being subsidised by people who are working. I'm just working with the system that's there.
"If the government wants to give me money, I'm happy to take it. We get what we're entitled to. I don't put in anything because I don't pay taxes, but if I could work I would.
"We couldn't afford to care for our children without benefits, but as long as they have everything they need, I don't think I'm selfish."
Mr and Mrs Davey met 13 years ago in a pub and had their first child, Jessica, a year later.
They then went onto have Jade, ten, Jamie-Anne, eight, Harriet, six, Adele, four, the couple's only son Tie, three, and Mercedes, two.
The couple now receive weekly payments of £439 in income support, £87 in housing benefits, £99 child benefit, £18 council tax benefit.
That is on top of a carer's allowance of £53 and a disability living allowance of £119 to support their son who suffers with a skin disorder.
"It cost too much to carrying on working as we were actually better off unemployed," said Mr Davey.
The family still ensure they do not go without, splashing out on four presents for each child on their birthdays and £2,000 for family gifts at Christmas.
And they intend to expand their family by another seven children, bringing the total to 14.
"I've always wanted a big family – no one can tell me how many kids I can have whether I'm working or not," said Mrs Davey.
The full feature appears in Closer Magazine, out now.On the Dec. 6, 1973 "Nightly News," Carl Stern becomes the first reporter to expose COINTELPRO, a now-notorious FBI program that infiltrated and disrupted civil rights, anti-war and other political dissident groups.
The files stolen from an FBI office outside Philadelphia in 1971 were stunning, describing secret efforts to spy on student protestors and infiltrate civil rights groups.
But one document proved especially interesting to the NBC News correspondent who would later break the news of the FBI’s most notorious secret program of nationwide domestic surveillance. It discussed a proposal from bureau headquarters that agents send letters “anonymously” to college professors who had “shown a reluctance to take decisive action” against left-wing protestors. And it included a cryptic acronym he’d never seen before: “COINTELPRO.”
“The first question that popped in my mind was, ‘By what authority do FBI agents write anonymous letters?’” recalls Carl Stern, who covered the Justice Department for NBC News for nearly 30 years. He also wanted to know what “COINTELPRO” stood for. But when he pressed those questions with top DOJ officials, “nobody would talk to me about it.”
Stern recalled his efforts to learn more about the document—and the mysterious reference to “COINTELPRO” -- on Tuesday after the confession by three former peace activists that they had committed the unsolved burglary of the Media, Pa. office in order to document what they were convinced was “massive illegal surveillance” by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. The identities of the burglars are revealed in a new book, “The Burglary,” by former Washington Post reporter Betty Medsger, and were reported Tuesday on the “Today” show.
Read the NBC News report on the burglars who came forward.
In the bombshell book, "The Burglary," journalist Betty Medzger exposes the robbers behind the momentous theft from an FBI office outside Philadelphia over 40 years ago. The perpetrators have come forward in an interview with NBC News.
The burglars cracked open the door to exposing illicit FBI snooping by stealing the files and sending them to select journalists, but it was Stern who opened it all the way. Using a then-novel tool called the Freedom of Information Act to obtain documents from the government, Stern uncovered the long-running surveillance program known as COINTELPRO, a now-infamous effort at political intimidation and disruption that may have been Hoover's biggest secret.
As Stern recalled it, when his initial inquiries about COINTELPRO were rebuffed, he refused to take no for an answer and sought an explanation over lunch with L. Patrick Gray, who had become acting director of the FBI after Hoover died in 1972. He got back a terse letter in Sept. 1972. “This matter involved a highly sensitive operation,” it read. “It has now been discontinued” and any further disclosures “would definitely be harmful to the Bureau’s operations and to the national security.”
So Stern filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act. And with the help of a sympathetic judge, the late Barrington Parker, he finally got the first documents describing what COINTELPRO was, and broke the story on NBC’s “Nightly News” on Dec. 6, 1973. “Secret FBI memos made public today show the late J. Edgar Hoover ordered a nationwide campaign to disrupt the activities of the New Left,” said John Chancellor that night introducing Stern’s report. “He ordered his agents not only to expose New Left groups, but to take action against them to neutralize them.”
Those documents opened the floodgates to hundreds more over the years as Congressional investigations followed. They showed that Hoover had started COINTELPRO in 1956, first targeting the Communist Party and then expanding the program over the years to include the Socialist Workers Party, black nationalists, New Left groups and the Ku Klux Klan. Agents were directed to harass and intimidate leaders, plant false stories and write anonymous letters aimed at discrediting them. In one case, the bureau planted a false story that film star Jean Seberg, known to have financially supported the Black Panther Party, had been impregnated by one of its leaders. In another, it sent a tape to Coretta Scott King, wife of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. containing secretly made audio recordings of her husband’s extramarital affairs.
“It was a very abusive program, it had no law enforcement purpose,” said Athan Theoharis, a leading scholar of the FBI’s history and a professor emeritus at Marquette University. “Clearly, what the bureau was doing was trying to contain organizations whose politics the FBI viewed as abhorrent.”
Stern agrees. “They made a decision about which individuals and organizations were doing things that they regarded as un-American and harmful,” he said, “and that’ s not the bureau’s job.”
Ironically, Hoover quietly terminated COINTELPRO shortly after the Media, Pa. break-in, afraid details of the program would come to light. Within a few years, prodded by the bad publicity and the findings of a Senate committee headed by the late Sen. Frank Church of Idaho, the Justice Department issued new guidelines prohibiting the bureau from engaging in any such activities and barring investigations based on First Amendment-protected political activity.
By then, a later FBI director, Clarence Kelley, would do something Hoover is not known to have ever contemplated. He formally apologized for COINTELPRO. "We are truly sorry we were responsible for instances which are now subject to such criticism," Kelley said in a 1976 speech at Westminster College in Missouri. "Some of those activities were clearly wrong and quite indefensible."
Theoharis said those changes might never have taken place if the Media burglars had not stolen the FBI’s secret files -- and Stern had not followed up on what they did.
More from NBC News Investigations:
Follow NBC News Investigations on Twitter and FacebookIn November of last year on my last Europe tour, master pyrotechnician Andrey DAS and I got together in collaboration with award winning designer Virginie Marcerou to experiment and create some exciting and technically challenge images by combining a variety of pyrotechnics – from smoke, to sparklers, to firebreathing. Since I had just gotten back from speaking for Lovinpix at the Salon de la Photo and had met a bunch of people throughout the event, we decided to make it an open event and let people come watch us at work. The result was approximately 60 people showing up throughout the night, including a surprise visit from Udi from DIYPhotography!
<iframe width=”640″ height=”360″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/bEbdwEuNIF0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
Where it all began:
The concept began when DAS and I went out and about to look for the most epic and outrageous way to combine fashion and pyro. DAS came up with the idea of creating an angel in a ring of fire, and I connected him to Virginie. The result of a little brainstorming was this absolutely nutty concept.
As with most concepetual pyrotechnical ideas, the first step was to figure out what was realistically achievable and what was wishful thinking. We finally settled on seperating the image into a couple distinct parts. The bottom of the image would be created using the fire curtain, the ring would be created through a long exposure, and rather than build a seperate contraption to spread sparks around 8 feet in the air we settled for a column of flame from a fire breather. The entire scene would be lit from above using speedlights and an umbrella which I knew I would have with me. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the epic arch-angel wings we were hoping for so we had to settle for the baby angel wings. From there, the entire final image was going to be combined in camera using multiple exposures.
On shoot day, things turned out to be just as fun with a huge number of people that showed up to watch, help and contribute. Thanks to them, we were able to tie indivudal strands of the dress to pieces of string and have them wave it around as two people behind them spun fire, sparks and spat fire while in the foreground… assistants from DAS played with long ropes of flame.
The result? The beginning of an extremely exciting evening.
Since our first meeting in France, DAS and I have been trying to push the boundaries of what people had seen before. Mickael de Sinno, who was one of our models in a previous photoshoot 6 months back had decided to come back and play with us. He had been looking for imagery that would be capable of showing off his ridiculously cut body so we took him up on the offer and proceeded to stick him on a brick and spit fire on him…. and between his legs. DAS and his assistant Jerem Coté had a brilliant time spitting fire all over our brave model and the meticulously designed cape by Virginie Marcerou. Though it took a bunch of tries before we actually got things right… the final results were nothing short of amazing (IMHO!) Though the idea of simply having a fireball behind a subject is relatively simple, turns out that getting it perfect centered… x2 is actually quite hard!
Since we were messing around with consumable effects, each time we started a burn I had to be ready to constantly change up my camera settings to be able to compensate for the lighting conditions. Varying the shutter speed apeture and ISO combination would make the same effect look drastically different each time… add on the elements (wind) and the pyrotechnician himself (swinging faster, slower etc…) it was quite a feat to be able to find the perfect result and reproduceand retweak it. If you’ve never shot fire before… be sure to check out my 7 tips that will help you paint with fire before attempting anything on your own!
Checkout the outakes – longer/shorter shutter speeds and a variety of aperture values, as well as a combination of effect/lighting placement! Small changes making a huge difference!
Though it may look like nothing, getting that flash boomed from above and behind the model was an extremely challenging experience. It doesn’t show but directly behind the models was a pool of water. We had to sink a couple bricks behind the subjects and have one awesome assistant (Benjamin Lecomte FTW! precariously balanced behind two shivering models and two huge pools of water.) I took the shot from the complete opposite end of the pool with my Nikkor 70-200mm @ 200mm which happend to be just out of range of the Pixel Pawn triggers that I had causing massive misfires adding to our complications.
Despite the burning nature of the photoshoot, we were shooting continuously with models which meant that we had to be 100% certain that our models stayed as warm as they possibly could during the trial and error tweaking process of the photographs and this meant having blankets (or a cape) to keep our models warm. I think that this is something that many upcoming photographers forget when they work with models – they spend a lot of time tweaking settings while the models are stuck in an uncomfortable pose. (If you haven’t seen it, go check out some random tips and tricks that you should keep in mind as aphotographer… from a model’s perspective. Check out this article Dear Photographer. Kindest regards, Model).
What I recommend, especially when using such a variable element as fire is to get your effect right before even starting to ask your model to pose.
warmer models = more awesome poses in the long run.
And finally, the one thing to keep in mind and always remember is that fire is a dangerous element. It can have unpredictable effects so be sure to surround yourself with professionals that know how to deal with fire. Things can change in a heartbeat and can often become quite dangerous if you don’t control. As you can see in this effect, different tools can produce vastly different results so you need to be careful… literally… when playing with fire.
Hope you enjoyed this weeks video and blog post 🙂
Equipment used:
Lighting Gear:
1x Nikon SB-900: B&H
Shoot through umbrella
Pixel Pawn Triggers sponsored by LOVINPIX
Camera Gear:
Sirui Tripod T2205X sponsored by LOVINPIX
Nikon D800E: B&H | Amazon
Nikkor 14-24 f2.8: B&H
Nikkor 24-70 f2.8: B&H
Nikkor 70-200 f2.8: B&H
Bag:
ThinkTank Airport International V2.0 (best bag ever) B&H
Announcements:I needed a good cry.
It was all going wrong. I had told myself at the start of 2016 that I would break free of everything I’d done before – everything that was safe and comfortable and natural to me – and try to dominate. You know those Kelly Slater performances where he goes nuts and does things no one else in the world could even consider? That was going to be me. That was the plan.
But here I was, sitting in my hotel in Cascais, Portugal, in the middle of the most underwhelming season I’d ever had and looking at the prospect of having to re-qualify for the tour.
I felt stuck. The harder I tried, the further back I went. My eyes and my soul felt heavy. I just couldn’t see a way through. And that’s when the tears hit me.
It was a big moment, a cleansing moment. It was the realisation that I wasn’t ready to be the surfer I wanted so badly to be. I had put so much of my self worth and imagination into what I was doing. When you tell yourself, ‘This isn’t where I want to be’, you take a hit to the heart.
I finished 2016 in eighth place on the standings.
By the numbers, it was my worst year. I had been a top-five surfer since joining the tour, including three runner-up finishes.
But, in so many ways, it was my best.
BOXING MYSELF INTO A CORNER
I was a runner. The 800m and 1500m were my specialty. I won those events at the Australian Youth Championships, the Youth Olympics and qualified for the World Youth Track and Field championships. I felt really comfortable with the regimented nature of training and competing. There was a starting time. There was a defined distance. There was a gun. And there was a finish.
Surfing is so different. There’s an artistry to it and variables like time and surf conditions. Sometimes a judge doesn’t know what they’re seeing when they write down their score. It’s a feeling. They’ll think, ‘OK, so the manoeuvres were explosive and in the right place but how did you connect them, how was your body sitting, were you stiff and in survival mode?’. It’s like diving and gymnastics all rolled up into one.
I felt stuck. The harder I tried, the further back I went. My eyes and my soul felt heavy. I just couldn’t see a way through. And that’s when the tears hit me.
As a young athlete, I had this unwavering determination to get my sessions out, to work hard. You needed a rigid frame of mind and it resulted in my approach to surfing being a bit robotic. I wasn’t feeding my imagination. I was riding waves, but it was all calculated. I need this many waves, and this many turns, and that equates to about an eight-point ride. You think about the discipline as a runner. If you work harder you shave time off. But in surfing there’s no start, stop or reasoning. It doesn’t matter how hard the person next to you works, on some occasions that wave will come ten feet to the left and they’re going to catch it. Or you catch the first one of the set and they catch the second one and they get the score. It’s instinctive.
I felt I had boxed myself into a bit of a corner. I was a very one-dimensional surfer, a traditional carving surfer. I liked structure in my routine and would find myself a bit unnerved with changes to the schedule. And I would catch a lot of waves – throw spaghetti at the wall and hope one sticks. I would feel pressure quite quickly.
I had a decision to make: to continue spinning my wheels and maybe get close to a title again, or to throw myself right out of my comfort zone and reinvent myself. I changed my style and how I looked at the lines on the wave I wanted to draw. In hindsight, I was just trying to draw like everybody else – picking someone and saying, ‘I want to surf like that because that looks great’. There was never any thought of surfing like me because I think, deep down, I didn’t feel I was at the same level as these world champions. That was how I thought you had to get it done.
‘WHAT’S THE POINT? YOU CAN’T DO THIS’
Through the first part of 2016 I kept telling myself, ‘That result wasn’t so bad’. Or ‘I can come back from here’. Or ‘If I win the next three events I can still be world champion’. There was no conviction behind those words. It was that little voice inside you trying to pick you up.
I got to Europe and realised, wow, I was close to having to requalify for the tour next year. When you’re at your weakest you have no mental discipline. Everything gets exaggerated. I was setting up my business back home at the same time and it all felt too hard. You think, ‘What’s the point of trying? You can’t do this.’ It has a compounding effect and gets really heavy. It eventually got to a point where I felt like I was looking at a Rubik’s Cube I’d been struggling with and thinking, ‘I don’t know if I want to keep trying things the same way’. I was going harder for a lesser result. Your confidence and inner belief, once a bright light, was now a dim little flicker.
There’s a certain loneliness to the tour at times. My dad, Marty, is there and mum, Mary, travels with me sometimes, too. They’re really supportive but the reality is you’re a long way from home and most of your contemporaries are your competitors. You do have good mates on tour after ten years, but if you’re not having a top year and they’re having an excellent year, you’re not really going to talk too much and tell them you’re struggling. You’ll go up against them in a heat and they’ll be thinking, ‘I’ve got your number. You’re just having an awful time!’
I had a decision to make: to continue spinning my wheels and maybe get close to a title again, or to throw myself right out of my comfort zone and reinvent myself.
You have to work through it. It forces you back internally. You have to find the answers yourself. It’s a bit paralysing at times. But that’s what I love about my sport. I can’t really feel I can do anything else in the world that gives me these polarising emotions. That’s half the fun.
It was clear that I hadn’t put in the preparation work to become the surfer I wanted to be. I thought I could get there through sheer stubbornness and grit. I’d tell myself, ‘I’m going to dominate, I’m going to learn it all under pressure in these heats and even if I haven’t even landed an air reverse before, I’m doing it!’ But once those results don’t come and it starts to feel forced, you think, ‘Hang on a second, this isn’t really a sustainable practice. This isn’t the road to bettering myself or getting the mental stability you need as an athlete’.
I stripped it back. I came back to knowing that I was a strong and resilient and intelligent competitor. I had always seen that as a strength. My read on the ocean and my opponent and playing that chess match – I had let that fall by the wayside in pursuit of something I wasn’t ready for. I picked that back up, my strength, and then I started to peel back the layers of my surfing.
CLOSER TO A WORLD TITLE THAN EVER BEFORE
Click. Sometimes you have a moment where all the little things you’ve been working on in isolation come together as one. You can’t predict when it will happen – sometimes it never happens at all – but when it does you know it and it’s very satisfying.
My click happened in January. All those little individual things – working on your bottom-to-top turn, your arm here, your arm there, your style and your approach, your structure and your body formation – you wonder at times how it all fuses. While I was working on all these changes I took a break from watching vision of my performances and training and just went out there to express myself for a few months. Then I came back to see what it looked like. I really enjoyed that. I felt like I was on the right track.
I believed in the path I had taken in 2016, and now I had done the work to back it up. That’s why I think of 2016 as my best year. It led to the rebirth of my surfing this year. If I hadn’t gone through all of the angst and tears and doubt last year, I wouldn’t have been anywhere near where I am now. The floodgates have opened and the results and scores are there. I’m closer than ever to a world title because of where I’m taking my surfing. I feel like I have the menu of things that I can take into events. I’m not just sitting back thinking, ‘Please throw a result my way’. I believe I can win.
Before, if all the conditions were right my style of surfing could be the winner on the day. But it wasn’t outstanding: like I was the one to beat. It’s been a really cool change. It feels way better to ride a wave with that mindset. It’s had a flow on effect. People are saying, ‘Your surfing style has really changed – I like it, it’s better’. It’s not reliant on people’s perception or what the commentators are saying or what the judges scores are. When you feel it’s right, everything else follows.
THE LAYBACK AND THE BREAKTHROUGH
Margaret River was when everyone else found out what I already knew.
The next day was supposed to be six-to-eight foot, offshore and glassy. But on this day it was four-foot building swells, kind of messy. They decided they would run the women today and the men tomorrow. The men’s side of our sport gets the tip of the hat when the conditions are right. That’s the last area of inequality surfing needs to work on.
So the event went ahead. The ummm-ing and ahhh-ing over the start time didn’t faze me. I just went out and flowed with it. There were a few really close ones. The semi with Steph. She had a wave at the end and could’ve got the score, but she didn’t.
Then came the final against Tyler Wright, the defending world champion. I knew that I wasn’t as strong as I needed to be with my laybacks and it was a key focus to go there and work on them in all the laydays.
My shoulder was pretty much ripped out of its socket. When you try something new and you don’t get it right you’re using your body wrong, so I strapped up my shoulder and went out there.
The moment came in the final when I could’ve just gone the safe route and done a regular close-out turn on the reef. I remember telling myself, ‘Nope, you’re doing it’. I performed the layback. I surfed that wave up. The wave quality wasn’t there and I was able to make it a manoeuvre to make it a counting score.
I was inspired by my approach to go there. It was what I was trying to do last year, that risk factor, but this year I had the training and the know-how to back it up.
My shoulder was pretty much ripped out of its socket. When you try something new and you don’t get it right you’re using your body wrong, so I strapped up my shoulder and went out there.
When the final finished and the hooter went – I hadn’t won an event in a couple of years – I felt calm. ‘I felt like that was going to happen’. It’s a cool feeling when you know you’ve got the win in you but maybe the ones around you don’t have you picked. You’re not the horse everyone’s put their money on to win. I was out to sea pretty far and I laid back on my board thinking, ‘Huh, this is a great day’.
TO BE CONTINUED…
I am still writing my menu. I still have so much to learn. I feel like I’m just getting started. I’ve got ten years or more to keep learning. So it’s about knowing you’ve had the experience – you’ve been out there paddling in eight-to-ten foot swells just for the sake of doing it, getting comfortable, reading the ocean. Now I’m at that stage I am constantly in awe of all the energy around me. This ocean is so big and it can crush me, but I’m in it, I’m living it, I’m not thinking ahead.Australia wins World's Best Steak in first ever global challenge
Posted
The steaks were high, but the word is in: Australia has the best steak in the world.
Australia picked up four gold medals and the title for the World's Best Steak in the first ever World Steak Challenge, held in London's Hyde Park.
The competition judged 70 steaks from 10 different countries including England, United States, Canada and Japan.
The top prize was awarded to Frank Albers for a Jack's Creek Wagyu Angus cross that was 450 days grain fed.
There were 11 gold medal-winning steaks, with Australia claiming four medals; more than any other country.
The judges found that Australia's grain fed Angus and Wagyu steaks had the best quality of beef of all the contenders.
The chair of judges, George McCartney, told event organisers in a video that all entries were of a high quality.
"It was a difficult task to find one that was a level above the rest," Mr McCartney said.
"It's very important to show worldwide of the good eating quality of steak."
Another judge, Professor Jeff Wood, said all the judges had different perspectives in the decision-making process.
"But my perspective is I want flavour, and I want tenderness, and I want them in the right ratio. Those are the things I'm looking for," he said.
In the end, Australian beef was proved to be a cut above the rest, delivering on both flavour and tenderness — but is anyone really surprised?
Topics: beef-cattle, food-and-cooking, englandWhen May-Britt Moser accepted the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on December 10, she did so wearing a custom-designed gown that depicted grid cells: brain cells that she had discovered. Moser, who works at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, was being honored for the discovery alongside her husband, Edvard Moser, and their colleague, John O'Keefe. Grid cells were discovered by the trio in 2005. The grid cells are neurons which are responsible for helping humans to understand their physical space in the organism's environment.
Moser's gown for the award ceremony was designed by British designer Matthew Hubble, who is a self-admitted science enthusiast. The blue gown featured silver sequins and beads, arranged just like the grid cells.
Check out these pictures posted by the designer:TWO Irish brothers have escaped a jail in Venezuela where they were serving 11 years on foot of convictions for cocaine smuggling.
Leigh (25) and Dermot O'Neill (21) are back home in Athlone after walking out of the notorious San Juan prison where they were incarcerated last year.
An Irish priest in Caracas said he got a call from them.
"They usually rang me for money, but they said they'd escaped," said Fr John Jennings. It's believed they stayed with a Venezuelan man who had also escaped.
"It is likely they would've handed over a lot of money. You don't walk out the front door without help from officials," he added.
Leigh had pleaded guilty to the offences, while his younger brother Dermot protested his innocence.
The lads spent the past few weeks making their way home from South America.
Locals told the Herald that the pair have been seen with their sister in recent days.
"We never heard they were home so it was a bit surprising," said one resident. The family is originally from the town's Parnell Square estate.
In March last year the two had been travelling with Irishman Martin 'Butch' Beirne in Venezuela when Beirne, who had addresses in Sligo and Roscommon, died in a Caracas hotel after a cocaine-filled condom burst in his stomach.
Police arrested the O'Neill brothers and discovered Leigh had "foreign objects" in his body. He later passed 92 balloons filled with 725g of cocaine worth €50,000
But an X-ray of younger brother Dermot showed he hadn't swallowed any drugs.
"It's great they are back," an uncle named Tommy was quoted as saying today.
hnews@herald.ieClick image to zoom Prev Next Images Pin It Product Code #001025894 Add to Wishlist Add to Wishlist A Thousand Thankyous Rio Pullover Hoodie - Heather Grey £24.99 £44.99 £24.99 (Save £20.00) £24.99 - £24.99 (1) Customise size : S M L XL - + Add to basket Pre Order Out of stock For more information see our Please select a size option. Sorry, this item is currently unavailable Want to get notified when it's back in stock? Just enter your email below: Submit Delivery & Returns Q & A UK Next Working Day
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ricide attacks has continued this month in the wake of an alleged massacre of Afghan civilians by a U.S. soldier in southern Afghanistan.
On Monday, two British service members were killed by an Afghan soldier in front of the main gate of a joint civilian-military base in southern Afghanistan. A U.S. soldier was killed by an Afghan policeman, officials said.
On Tuesday, several Afghan soldiers were arrested after authorities found suicide vests inside the country's defense ministry. The vests were apparently intended to be used as part of an attack, though not one believed to be aimed at U.S soldiers, officials said.
The “tactical directive” issued by Allen that outlines the new security steps warns troops to be on guard against fratricide attacks and to watch Afghans they work with for signs that they are becoming radicalized, the officials said.
U.S. and Afghan troops work and live in close quarters in many bases across Afghanistan, and U.S. officials say they are sensitive about putting in place new security measures that suggest a lack of trust between allies,fearing that they will make cooperation and joint operations more difficult and tense.
But they say that Allen decided he had no other option except to order additional security measures as the number of fratricide attacks has continued to go up. Allen, who flew to Pakistan for talks with officials there Tuesday after two weeks in Washington, met with President Obama at the White House this month and discussed the fratricide problem in the course of their meeting, the officials said.
Allen alluded in passing to the requirement for troops to have a “guardian angel” at a Pentagon news conference Monday, but he did not go into detail about the new security steps.
“We have taken steps necessary on our side to protect ourselves with respect to, in fact, sleeping arrangements, internal defenses associated with those small bases in which we operate, the posture of our forces, to have someone always over-watching our forces,” Allen told reporters.
For years, U.S. officials have insisted that fratricide was a small problem and that the attacks were “isolated” and carried out generally by disaffected or unbalanced Afghans, not Taliban infiltrators. But Allen seemed to give a different assessment in his appearance with reporters.
Attacks by rogue Afghan troops and police on American soldiers are simply “a characteristic of counterinsurgency [operations],” Allen told reporters during a briefing at the Pentagon. U.S. and Afghan military leaders are taking steps to curb the incidents, but cannot prevent all of them, he said.
Still, he said the U.S. believes that the majority of the attacks are committed by Afghan troops who are “gradually self-radicalized,” not by Taliban infiltrators.
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-- David S. Cloud
Photo: U.S. Marine General John Allen, the chief U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, testifies during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week in Washington. Credit: Alex Wong / Getty ImagesHow to Make a Spooky Witch Lantern
October is just around the corner which means our annual shindig is only a few weeks away… Yikes, I need to get busy! Today I will share another cheap and easy project using a few things from the dollar store – how to make a spooky witch lantern!
Materials:
Four wood picture frames
Plywood to create the bottom of the lantern
Vellum
Witch silhouette clipart
Wire for handle
Glass knobs for feet
Tea light candle and holder or flameless candle
I began by removing the glass and backing from the picture frames. I set the glass aside to use later!
I used a computer program to position the witch to print on the vellum. I wanted to print at least two images per sheet of paper. I adjusted the size of the witch according to the size of the frames. I found this particular witch silhouette at Clipartof. (It was free!)
I created a box with the picture frames using glue and brad nails. The wood felt a little rough so I sanded with a fine sanding sponge.
I cut a piece of plywood to use as the bottom and secured it in place using glue and brad nails.
I spray painted the entire assembly with Satin Black paint.
Since I plan on using a regular tealight candle, I put the glass behind the paper in the frame. (If a flameless candle is being used, the paper can go behind the glass like a normal picture frame.)
I glued clear glass drawer knobs on the bottom to act as feet. Other options include cork, sewing bobbins, or decorative upholstery tacks, maybe even a candleholder or two!
I drilled small holes in the top of two of the frames to add a handle. The hole was drilled at an angle from the top into the side like a pocket hole. I cut three lengths of wire, each 18″ long, and twisted them together to form the handle.
I cut a piece of punched aluminum and spray painted it black to diffuse the light at the top. I folded the ends down to fit into the opening of the box, then added a twisted wire loop to the top. (The loop is not shown.)
Cute! Here she is all lit up!
When I make another lantern, I’ll orient the frames in the other direction for a different look! Have any other ideas on how to make a spooky witch lantern? Leave a comment below!Two years ago, Latavius Murray rushed for 1,026 yards for Oakland and made the Pro Bowl. He claims to be a better player now.
Murray got off to a slow start in his first season with the Vikings, but there have been few complaints about his play lately. Over the past five games, Murray has rushed for 399 of his 496 yards on the season, including 179 in the past two games.
“I think so,’’ Murray said Wednesday about being better than in 2015. “I think I’m continuing to get better each year. Each year I’ve been in the league, that’s my goal has been to try to get better even if it’s just a little bit, and I think I’ve been able to do that.’’
Murray, 27, said a key to his improvement has been in the mental part of the game.
“I think I’m getting smarter the older I get,’’ said Murray, averaging 3.8 yards per carry on the season. “I know as I get older, obviously my body gets older, and I think I just need to continue the mental part of it, and that allows me to go out and play fast.” Related Articles Charley Walters: Twins’ latest signing shows they’re serious about winning AL Central
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After having surgery in March on his right ankle, Murray missed all of spring drills, the first two weeks of training camp and the first two preseason games. He gained just 97 yards on 41 carries in the first six regular-season games for a meager average of 2.4 per carry.
Murray wasn’t used much until rookie Dalvin Cook suffered a torn ACL in the third quarter against Detroit in Week 4. After Cook was hurt, Murray had just 59 yards in the next two games before breaking loose with 113 in Week 7 against Baltimore.
In the past two games, Murray has 95 yards against the Los Angeles Rams and 84 at Detroit.
“Latavius is running the ball well,’’ said Vikings coach Mike Zimmer. “I think he is starting to feel a lot more healthy or comfortable, whatever it is. He’s continued to do a good job.’’
Murray shrugged off the notion his improvement is primarily due to improved health. He said his ankle is still not at 100 percent but that he is feeling much better and getting “back to normal.”
After his Pro Bowl season of 2015, Murray had ankle problems last year and rushed for just 788 yards with the Raiders. Murray, who signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Vikings last March, could end up surpassing that total this season despite his slow start.
“Trying just to stick to my routine with things that have been helping me get better, just trying to stay on top of it, regardless of whether I’m feeling good or not,’’ Murray said of his recent improvement. “Just keep doing it.’’
Murray has broken off long gains in each of the past two games, having a 34-yard run against the Rams and a 46-yard jaunt at Detroit. His recent play has helped open up the passing game for quarterback Case Keenum.
“He’s taken a handoff and he’s moving forward,’’ Keenum said. “It’s fun to hand the ball off to that. When he’s moving forward, he’s got all his momentum going forward, reading defenses and making good cuts.’’(CNN) House and Senate Republicans have reached a deal that is paving the way to send a bill to President Donald Trump's desk that slaps Russia with new sanctions and limits Trump's ability to remove them.
After a day of trading barbs, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker reached an agreement Wednesday evening on the legislation for new sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea, Corker's office announced.
"Following very productive discussions with Leader McCarthy, I am glad to announce that we have reached an agreement that will allow us to send sanctions legislation to the president's desk," Corker said in a statement.
A spokesman for McCarthy declined to comment on the conversation between the majority leader and Corker.
Corker and McCarthy had been feuding over the North Korean portion of the bill, which the House added when it passed the sanctions package 419-3 on Tuesday.
Corker did not want to approve the sanctions without giving the Senate a chance to make changes to the North Korean portion.
Under the deal, the Senate will pass the House's bill, sending it to the President's desk. In exchange, McCarthy pledged to take up future North Korean sanctions that come from the Senate.
Corker wants to add a congressional review on North Korea sanctions being eased, just as the current legislation does for Russian sanctions.
The bill, which is expected to be taken up at some point before the Senate leaves for recess, rebukes Trump by giving Congress newfound veto power over any administration attempt to remove sanctions on Moscow.
The White House pushed for changes to that provision, and Trump has not said if he will sign the bill.
The original bill, however, passed the Senate 98-2 last month, which means Congress will have a significant veto-proof majority.It's on!: Sarah Palin counter-spoofs Tina Fey
Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton, and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton during 'A Hillary Christmas' sketch on 'SNL' on Dec.19, 2015. (Photo: Dana Edelson,NBC)
Tina Fey's latest dead-on impersonation of Sarah Palin has the former governor-turned-failed-veep-candidate in a spoofing mood: Take a look at 31 Rock.
Instead of getting mad, Palin is getting even — in a lighthearted-but-pointed way — for Fey's reprise of her famous Palin persona on SNL last Saturday.
Palin is appearing in a parody video on a conservative website, Independent Journal Review, in which she plays TV writer "Lynn Melon," who looks remarkably like Fey's Liz Lemon of 30 Rock except she's the cultural polar opposite.
Check out the "trailer" for "Season One."
Melon, wearing Lemon-like togs, has come to the liberal big city but is trying to remain a staunch conservative, demanding snowflakes on her Starbucks cups and Big Gulps by the gallon, while dissing PC (unless it's her laptop) and "safe spaces."
Also appearing: Palin's 2008 GOP presidential running mate, John McCain, playing a version of the Alec Baldwin character, Jack Donaghy, and 2015 GOP ex-presidential candidate Lindsey Graham, spoofing goofball NBC page Kenneth Parcell. And Kevin Brown appears as his original character, Dot Com.
The parody promo was supposed to be a response to the SNL sketch on Saturday, which mostly spoofed Democrat Hillary Clinton, who gets "advice" on her 2015 campaign for president from Fey as Palin and Amy Poehler as Clinton in 2008.
(Sample: Hillary in '08: "I need to get back to 2008 and send a bunch of emails." Hillary in '15: "NO.")
"Tina Fey Mocks Sarah Palin on SNL Again —Then Palin Has the Perfect Comeback," reads the headline on the Independent Journal Review story.
“31 Rock is slated to'maybe' premiere next year," the website reported tongue-in-cheek.
We think.
Sarah Palin used a third email account, on top of her official government account and other personal account, to communicate with a group of her closest staffers during her tenure as governor. (Photo: Cliff Owen, AP)
Palin was mostly a good sport about all the SNL snark (even appearing on the show herself) during and after the 2008 campaign.
But even good sports can get fed up.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1Yxa7I5Harry is a Norwegian derogatory term used in slang, derived from the English name Harry.[1] The best English translation may be "cheesy" or "tacky". Norsk ordbok defines "harry" as "tasteless, vulgar".[2]
The term "harry" was first used by upper class youth in Oslo in the beginning of the 20th century, and was used to describe people who belonged to the working class. People in the lower social classes at the time often gave their children English first names such as Harry. The middle and upper classes mostly preferred Scandinavian or German (and occasionally French) names. English names (except English names that are also widely found in other European languages) had no tradition in Scandinavia and were generally considered bad taste and as a phenomenon of the working-class of the time in all the Scandinavian countries. The traditional elite of Norway mostly used conservative Danish names.
A person who is harry is often perceived as unsophisticated, vulgar or with bad taste.[1][2][3] The effect of bad taste is often characterized with the term harry, e.g. a harry dress or a harry car. Since the definition of good and bad taste is defined by fashion, there is no precise definition of harry. D.D.E., Sputnik, shopping in Sweden, Raggare culture and mullets are often mentioned today. In the 1970s it was the 1960s' hairwax or sharp shoes that were harry. In the 1980s the 1970s' flared pants or whiskers, and in the 1990s more or less everything that could be associated with the 1980s. Yesterday's fashion will often be interpreted as harry. Often what is harry in one period can be hip retro fashion the next year.
Harry may also be interpreted as something like macho. The feminine parallel is doris.
The term was repopularised by then minister of Agriculture Lars Sponheim in 2002 to describe Norwegians who drive (in some cases, for hours) to reach and cross the border to Sweden in order to purchase groceries, tobacco and alcohol at cheaper prices. Responses to this were retorts that seeking out bargains is smart shopping, and Swedish shops introduced humorous campaigns with one shopkeeper giving 1000 SEK to customers named "Harry".[3] The terms Harrytur ("Harry trip") or Harryhandel ("Harry trade") have since been popular descriptions of this trade.[4]
See also [ edit ]
Råner
Bogan, Australian term
References [ edit ]E Ink is already doing swift business in the growing e-reader market, but just like any technology company, it can’t sit still for fear of being overtaken or made redundant. With that in mind, the company has used IFA 2011 to show us some future products and the latest updates to its displays that are coming to market.
E Ink’s biggest success to date has to be the monochrome display found inside the best selling e-reader on the market: the Amazon Kindle. At IFA 2011 E Ink revealed some interesting facts about that monochrome display including how much potential it has for the future.
First of all, the displays are made in rolls of up to 1km in length and over a meter wide. Those rolls are then cut to specification, connectors attached to allow integration with a circuit board, before being shipped to partners like Amazon. In other words, E Ink has no trouble producing millions of these displays in short order, showing us why Amazon has been able to meet demand for the Kindle despite its huge popularity.
The resolution on the Kindle is SVGA, a mere 800 x 600 pixels and 167dpi. What you may not have known is that Kindle E Ink display is already capable of much higher resolutions, up to 12x SVGA in fact. The bottleneck isn’t the screen tech, but the underlying electronics capable of handling such a high resolution display.
Anyone wondering what comes next for the Kindle also got a hint from E Ink as to whet we can expect from the next iteration of the device. E Ink is working with Epson to produce a chip capable of controlling a 300dpi e-paper display. If the Kindle remains a monochrome device, that higher resolution display is sure to feature in the next generation.
If Amazon decides to create a Kindle Color instead, E Ink also has that covered with its latest Triton display. Triton uses the exact same monochrome E Ink screen, but overlays it with an RGBW color filter capable of 4,096 colors. That won’t challenge an iPad for color output, but then the Triton display retains the two month battery life, no power use when displaying a static image, and can be viewed easily in direct sunlight. We also can’t see any reason it wouldn’t also work with the forthcoming 300dpi screen.
The good news is that Triton display isn’t in development, it’s actually already in mass production and will feature in a number of new e-readers coming to market soon. Unfortunately, E Ink didn’t tell us when or who is producing them.
We can also look forward to E Ink’s displays getting thinner, lighter, and a lot more durable (shatterproof). The current generation display is laminated on to a glass substrate which has to be protected. That means devices need to be thicker to offer that protection, and that glass sheet makes them heavier. E Ink has come up with a plastic alternative to the glass which is thinner, lighter, and does not require the same level of protection while also not impacting the quality of the display output. In real terms, the existing E Ink displays are 200 microns thick where as the new ones are only 100 microns.
Moving from glass to plastic also means E Ink can put their displays in more products. One of the first examples is credit cards, which can now have a multi-digit display for added security while not being any thicker than a standard card. Of course, this latest gen screen also means we can look forward to thinner, lighter e-readers too, as well as some rather unique uses such as an E Ink watch:
E Ink also revealed their sales figures for the past few years purely for e-reader displays. In 2009 they shipped 3 million displays, in 2010 that increased to 10 million. This year they expect it to reach 25-30 million showing there’s certainly a growing market for low-power, highly-visible screens.
Check out the video below for a demonstration of the latest E Ink displays as well as a good explanation as to how the E Ink technology works. I think you’ll agree, e-readers have a bright and colorful future ahead of them.
via Charbax on YouTubeSeptember 11, 2012 Comments (1) Views: 2077 Industry, Internet, Nerds
Gaymer.org’s owner, Chris Vizzini, sent a cease and desist letter to the subreddit, /r/gaymers last night stating that the subreddit must not use the name “gaymer.” This does not come as a surprise because their trademark is on the verge of being incontestable. The law states that within 5 years of filing a trademark, the trademark is still contestable and can be held invalid if they fail to enforce their trademark or if they have failed to prove the two core components of a trademark.
On April 23, 2007, at the US Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”), Chris Vizzini filed for a trademark in the word “gaymer” (USPTO serial # 77162857 and Registration # 3400949) http://www.trademarkia.com/gaymer-77162857.html, which was subsequently granted on March 25, 2008. Simply stated, this trademark registered gaymer.org’s proprietary rights in being the only online social group to be able to use “gaymer” when referring to an online social group, website, or domain relating to games. March 25, 2013 is around the corner and they have to make sure they can keep the trademark.
Gaymer.org is claiming /r/gaymers violating the trademark by “[engaging] in social networking” and “hosting and maintaining an online website for others to discuss, receive and disseminate information concerning video games” and “hosting online facilities for others for organizing and conducting online meetings, gatherings, and interactive discussions” while using the name “gaymers.”Although the trademark is registered, it may not necessarily be valid.
There are two legal components to valid trademarks: priority and distinctiveness.
Priority just means they were the first to use the word in their area, in this case the internet. Unfortunately for Chris Vizzini, the word gaymer was used several years before gaymer.org ever came into existence. Gaymer.org was formed in 2003. The Yahoo Gaymer group existed in 2000 http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/gaymers/
Distinctiveness refers to two things, the word itself, and the secondary meaning it has among the targeted demographic. Secondary meaning is the strength of the association of the trademarked word to the source. If I say “CPU” you have no idea which company I’m referring to. However if I say “Pentium” you know I’m referring to Intel rather than AMD.
There are 5 types of trademark words: generic words, descriptive words, suggestive words, arbitrary words, and fanciful words.
Generic words are not likely to become trademarks because they are the actual names of what you are selling. For example, I cannot trademark the word “water” for selling bottles of water.
Descriptive words may become distinct and trademarkable if they build up enough secondary meaning. Descriptive words are literally describing what the product is. If I say a “quarter pounder with cheese” you think of a cheeseburger from McDonalds that has ¼ lbs of beef in that burger.
Suggestive words are a more creative that suggests something about the product’s function. For example, “Coppertone” sunscreen is suggestive because you get a copper tone to your skin when you get tanned. Suggestive words likely to be distinct.
Arbitrary words are random word that was normally not associated with the product but now is. An example is Apple. No one associated apples to a brand of computers until Apple came about. Arbitrary words are very likely to be distinct.
Fanciful words are made up words like Exxon or Kodak. They are presumed to be distinct due to their originality.
Over the years, “gaymer” has become a generic term for a gay guy who happens to be a gamer. It could be argued that it is descriptive at best since it is a fusion of gay and gamer.
To hold a trademark in a descriptive word, the word “gaymer” must have strong secondary meaning. This means, when heard by gays or gamers, “gaymer” must be strongly associated with www.gaymer.org.
If you look at Urban Dictionary, there is only a single mention of gaymer.org As of 9/10/2012 There are only three positive definitions
Additionally, if you look up in facebook, currently one of the largest social networking sites, there are 15 associated entities with the word “gaymer.”
There is also one more defense that /r/gaymers can use: genericide. When a trademark gets over used and no longer is unique to one entity, it has suffered genericide. For example, Bayer was the company that first marketed the compound acetylsalicylic acid as “aspirin.” This was a fanciful word that meant nothing before and was the name of their product. Bayer lost their trademark in “aspirin” over years of generic use of “aspirin” as a class of drugs that got rid of headaches rather than Bayer’s acetylsalicylic acid tablets. This is why you see CVS Aspirin instead of CVS Acetylsalicylic Acid.
It could be argued that even if there is a valid trademark in “gaymer,” it has been overly used to identify gay gamers for many online groups and no longer has any strict associations with gaymer.org, and therefore suffered genericide.
It does not look good for Chris Vizzini in priority because of the prior existing yahoo gaymer group, Gaymer may also lack secondary meaning linking it to gaymer.org, and if it did at one point have secondary meaning, it may have suffered genericide.
The issue may come down to all of you on the internet. Do you associate “gaymer” groups and “gaymer” networking sites with gaymer.org or is it a generic term used to describe gay gamers?
Discuss this in the forums
Tags: gaymers, lawsuit, reddit, trademark, vizziniAbbott Labs VP Suggests Having Mob Beat Up Columnist Who Exposed Shady Dealings
from the after-that,-he-might-need-a-heart-stent dept
Abbott feted Midei at Ruth's Chris Steak House. It paid $1,235 for an " Alabama Pig Pickin'" barbecue at his Monkton home two days after the 30-stent marathon. A month earlier it paid $690 for beer and crabs served during a meeting at his house to discuss Abbott's "business strategy."
"Don't you have connections in Baltimore?????" Pacitti e-mailed a subordinate regarding a January column I wrote on heart-artery stents. "Someone needs to take this writer outside and kick his ass! Do I need to send in the Philly mob?"
There's a rather incredible story over in the Baltimore Sun about the extent Abbott Laboratories' execs went to in their effort to sell more of their heart stents. This is not a unique story, but every time I see a similar story, it serves as a reminder of the problems of putting "healthcare" in the hands of companies who have every incentive to sell you snake oil -- especially when that snake oil is patented and they can charge ridiculous monopoly rents for it.The story involves a heart stent sold by Abbott. Apparently, Abbott cultivated a few doctors and plied them with all sorts of... well... most people would probably refer to them as bribes... to implant more stents. The article focuses on one Dr. Mark Midei, who "set a record" by implanting 30 stents in one day. That would be great if those stents saved lives. Problem is... a study earlier this year showed that stents were no better than drugs for many patients. Now, in some cases, they can certainly be helpful, but there was little indication that Midei made much of an effort to see if the over 2,000 stents he was implanting per year were really necessary. Perhaps this is why:Also, that 30 implants in one day was referred to as "Project Victory" within Abbott, and it was talked about how the company should continue to do more for Midei, such as "VIP trips." Oh, on top of that, after it came out that many of those stents never should have been installed, Abbott rewarded Midei by hiring him as a "consultant" to tell the world how wonderful Abbott's stents were.So when all this started coming out in the press, Abbott responded with some (one hopes, joking) emails about how they should go beat up the Baltimore Sun columnist who was reporting on the issue.Again, one hopes he's joking, but it again demonstrates the problems with letting these kinds of companies define healthcare in the US. I'm not against the ability to profit in healthcare, but shouldn't the profit be about
Filed Under: health care, journalism, profits, threats
Companies: abbott labsHe called for a return to limited government and free-market principles in a speech at the Iowa GOP’s Growth & Opportunity Party in Des Moines on Saturday.
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“Be careful of politicians who tell you how many jobs they created when they were a senator, when they were a mayor, when they were a governor,” Rubio said.
“Politicians don’t create jobs. The private sector creates jobs, and what we need are policies that help the private sector create jobs.”
The Florida senator advocated a constitutional amendment to ensure a balanced budget, emphasized the need for vocational training and called for the repeal of Obamacare.
Rubio recently won the support of billionaire GOP donor Paul Singer, following his performance at the Wednesday night GOP primary debate.
The hedge fund manager said in a letter to other donors that Rubio is the only candidate who can “navigate this complex primary process, and still be in a position to defeat” Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in a general election.Former Vice President Joe Biden Joseph (Joe) Robinette BidenBannon: 'Zero' doubt Trump will run for reelection Bernie is back with a bang — but can he hold on to his supporters? Klobuchar backs legalizing marijuana MORE tops a list of prospective Democratic candidates for the 2020 presidential race in a new survey.
Seventy-four percent of Democrats in the Morning Consult/Politico poll out Monday view Biden favorably. Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann WarrenSanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' House to push back at Trump on border GOP Sen. Tillis to vote for resolution blocking Trump's emergency declaration MORE (D-Mass), with a favorable rating from 51 percent of Democrats, follows Biden in second place.
"I have no intention of running for president, but I'm a great respecter of fate,” Biden told NPR last week.
"I don't have any plans to do it, but I'm not promising I wouldn't do it,” he continued.
Other contenders in the new poll included Democratic Sens. Al Franken Alan (Al) Stuart FrankenVirginia can be better than this Harris off to best start among Dems in race, say strategists, donors Virginia scandals pit Democrats against themselves and their message MORE (Minn.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Kamala Harris (Calif.).
The poll surveyed 895 Democratic voters from June 8 to 12 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.What are your predictions for Bitcoin in Canada for 2016?I'll go first. I think by the end of 2016, Bitcoin will be over $1,000. I feel Blockchain technology will be more mainstream to the point non-adopters will start using it. I also think potentially one or more banks may even start to use Bitcoin in some form (non business critical), like offer them as rewards with customers. I also see some exchange consolidation, and possibly growth in Bitcoin ATMs with mergers with those providers. Overall I see 2016 as a new phase in Bitcoin growth. Finally I see BitcoinXT not being an issue anymore and the block size issue finally getting resolved.I also think Litecoin may also be a surprise for us who are not as invested and their ecosystem becoming more mature. Maybe @Bossman can chime in with his thoughts.Now that I've given mine I'm calling on you guys to give your thoughtsLook toward to hear your take. Sorry if I missed you, please don't be shy. you are welcome to add your predictions too.Crews work on the Cumberland Avenue bridge over the Kennedy Expressway. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Heather Cherone
CHICAGO — Neighbors who voted for infrastructure improvements in the 41st ward got surprising news from Ald. Anthony Napolitano Tuesday: Every project listed on the ballot will be funded this year.
Of the more than 1,200 constituents who took part in participatory budgeting this winter, a plurality voted to spend just 60 percent of the Napolitano's discretionary spending budget — the minimum option listed — toward street resurfacing, which is enough to pave about nine city blocks.
That leaves the rest of the $1 million budget to split among all the other projects listed, which include landscaping, new street lights and traffic safety improvements.
"Feedback has been through the roof from people who are floored that our first participatory budget isn't going to exclude anybody's ideas," Napolitano said Tuesday. "We're excited that it's all going to get done."
Participatory budgeting has been increasingly used by city aldermen to give residents more input into which infrastructure projects should be put on the front burner.
Napolitano brought the process to his ward for the first time last November, hosting public meetings to draft ideas for possible projects.
The following infrastructure projects were listed on the ballot, and will be all be funded this year, according to Napolitano:
• "Community garden landscaping" at Harlem and Avondale avenues, along the 6600 block of North Oliphant Avenue, and at Caldwell and Estes avenues
• "Business district improvements of existing ornamental tree grates and landscaping" around the intersection of Devon and Central avenues in Edgebrook
• "Added landscaping and ornamental tree grates" along Northwest Highway between Raven Street and Harlem Avenue
• Repaired and repainted street light poles along Higgins Avenue between Sayre and Harlem avenues, along Harlem Avenue between Fitch Avenue and Howard Street, along Harlem Avenue between Foster and Bryn Mawr avenues, and along Touhy Avenue between Harlem and Ozanam avenues
• "Additional lighting for shared space" around the Oriole Park Public Library and Oriole Park Elementary School, 5424 N. Oketo Ave.
• A fence "for safety of kids utilizing [the] play lot" at Grandparents Park, 5445 N. Chester Ave.
• Diagonal parking along Ionia Avenue between Minnehaha and Central avenues for the "safety of residents utilizing the combined [Edgebrook Public School] and park space"
• A "pedestrian refuge island" at the intersection of Avondale and Devon avenues "to ensure safety of residents crossing the busy intersection near Olympia Park"
• A security camera at Balmoral and Oketo avenues to monitor Oriole Park, 5340 N. Olcott Ave.
A total of $440,000 is being budgeted for all the projects, including $40,000 from the ward's "reserve" discretionary fund not originally up for participatory budgeting, Napolitano said.The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Raw Charge writing staff. Four writers, plus a special guest, ranked players under the age of 25 as of September 1, 2017 in the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production against future projection to rank each player. Now, we’ll count down each of the 25 players ranked, plus Honorable Mentions.
Want to rank players yourself? Go for it!
Name: Matt Peca Position: Forward Age: 24 Likely 2017-2018 Team: Syracuse Crunch 2016-2017 Stats: Syracuse Crunch, regular season: 68 GP, 12 G, 29 A, 24 PIM Syracuse Crunch, playoffs: 22 GP, 4 G, 20 A, 4 PIM Tampa Bay Lightning, regular season: 10 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 PIM GeoFitz Rank: 6 Achariya Rank: 7 iActium Rank: 12 Allokago Rank: 5 Tom Rank: 15
Matt Peca is another skilled forward who the Lightning were able to grab late in the draft because of his small size. He was the 201st overall pick in the 7th round in 2011. Since then, he’s shown that his 5’9” height isn’t an issue that will keep him out of the NHL. He’ll head to camp looking to compete for a spot in Tampa Bay, but he’ll have plenty of competition from Adam Erne, Gabriel Dumont, Cory Conacher, and a few other players in similar situations.
In his second year as a pro, Peca took another step forward in Syracuse. He put up 41 points and was a reliable part of the team that went all the way to the Calder Cup Final. He slid up and down the lineup as the roster shifted due to injuries in Tampa, but was a consistent contributor. He also played ten games with the Lightning and scored his first career NHL goal.
Ten NHL games with very limited minutes isn’t much of a sample to judge play but he didn’t look overmatched. He was a break-even player in terms of his impact on shots and looked capable of playing at the speed of an NHL game. That experience will serve him well as he looks to take the next step this year and find some consistent minutes in Tampa.
The chart below shows some key statistical measures of his play in Syracuse this year. The data is all 5v5 only comes from prospect-stats.com. The numbers don’t look overly impressive especially compared to some of his competition to make the team this year like Adam Erne.
While Peca’s overall point totals this year look fine, when we dig in a little more specifically like this, we see some concerning trends. Just 22 of his 41 points occurred at 5v5. While power play production is good, it isn’t as consistent and doesn’t translate as well from the AHL to the NHL. Also an issue here is that 14 of his 29 assists are secondary assists. And we know that secondary assists are less reliable and again less likely to indicate future success in the NHL.
Compare this performance to someone like Adam Erne, who we featured two days ago, and you can see the difference. Erne has much better primary scoring rates at 5v5, which gives us more confidence that his success will translate to the NHL level.
But none of this is to say that Peca won’t make the team at some point this year. He showed in his opportunities last season that he can play in |
state of Israel has never possessed legitimacy, not by international standards, as it was founded on expulsion, land-theft and military occupation. The BDS movement approaches this abstract issue by offering practicable action for citizens in the West, while the official international community dithers away the decades, leaving Palestinians worse off than ever before.
That such leverage should be applied to Israel is entirely justified. After all, autocratic dictatorships with closed economies, lacking – in Halevi’s celebratory words – “an independent judiciary, a free press, universal healthcare and religious freedom” are not typically responsive targets to protest campaigns for justice, like that of the BDS movement.
Citizens in America don’t propose a boycott of North Korea – the US government does that for them, making it illegal to do business with that outlaw state: yes, the very same US government which blocks every effort by the United Nations and international courts to address the illegality of Israeli settlements, military occupation, collective punishment, economic enslavement, and wholesale destruction and murder of a captive population.
Advantages of civil society
If America’s obstruction of international law did not shield Israel from accountability, there would be no need for BDS.
Because Israel possesses all the institutions and advantages of civil society, then presumably its economy and citizens would therefore be responsive to an effective grassroots campaign of boycott and economic push-back.
And if the campaign were to succeed, this same society might be expected to search its collective soul over its choices – and challenge its government’s policies.
This obvious point seems to have escaped Halevi, and others, who brand the movement as “immoral, because it perpetuates the lie that Israel is solely or even primarily to blame” for the Palestinian condition. Yet if we look around the room, who else is there?
Who attacks Palestinians’ cities with warplanes and tanks, walls them in, isolates them from contact with the world, cuts off their electricity, destroys their infrastructure, takes their water, and builds on their land after evicting them?
Who puts their teenagers in jail, takes their farms, cuts down their olive trees? It isn’t North Korea; it isn’t Putin’s Russia; it isn’t a rapacious China. Israel is the author of the present Palestinian condition, as it has been for decades, with its American backers, and there isn’t much point rehashing the failure of Camp David, or Oslo, or the Palestinian leadership since 1936, or 1948, or 1967.
BDS leaves that debate to “think-tank” intellectuals like Halevi and others. Justice for the Palestinians will not be achieved through debating societies.
BDS offers to its supporters a nonviolent, crowd-sourced, material response to the intransigence of Israel and her rampant, continuing illegality. Israel’s apologists would call the campaign “immoral”, but the slander is laughably false.
The logic of justice
BDS compels no one to join it; it constrains no one but by force of reason, and the logic of justice.
In Halevi’s topsy-turvy morality, it is the BDS movement that sins against moral law, in persuading people, institutions and governments to vote with their wallets and their consciences on the rights of Palestinians – rather than Israel, which claims legitimacy to the world, even as it continues to build new settlements on Palestinian land, and subjugates its people to military occupation, dispossession and violence, in violation of international law.
The propagandists of Israeli power understand all too well that BDS is the first clear-eyed, internationalist movement of people – not governments, not Western “quartets”, not the UN Security Council – to look at Palestine with fresh eyes and accurate information. It demands that until Israel ceases its occupation and oppression of millions of Palestinians, there cannot, and should not, be any “business as usual” with the regime.
If Israeli critics want to smear BDS as “bigoted” – a dog-whistle for “anti-Semitic” – because of its endorsement of the Palestinian Right of Return, let them address the historical truth: at least 800,000 Palestinians were expelled en masse, in the creation of the Israeli state – that number has since grown to 7,000,000 stateless refugees with another 4 million internally displaced within their own nation.
No effort has ever been made by official Israeli society to acknowledge and address this simple reality – that many elderly Palestinians living in UN camps, or Gaza City slums, or the West Bank, remember their homes in places such as Jaffa, Yibna, or the numerous towns and villages erased from the map.
It serves no use to deny this fact – perhaps a good starting point for intellectuals like Halevi would be in saying, yes, it is not too late to admit those rights and seek redress, together with the Palestinians.
BDS is brave enough to put the Right of Return up front, as a moral position; if Israel were ready to move forward, it could do the same. Who knows – perhaps good things could come from starting from the truth.
And what of Israel’s boast of its progressive freedoms? They do not withstand scrutiny in the slightest – religious freedom, for example, is under clear attack for every Muslim who wishes to worship at al-Aqsa, or travel to Jerusalem, or leave Gaza and return again, with access routinely denied.
Through Israeli military travel bans on Palestinians, families are separated, unable to worship or observe religious rituals together, or attend the mosque of their choice.
Likewise, any progressive Reform Jew or Jewish American visiting will tell you that Orthodox Judaism does not welcome them, either – Israel’s Rabbinate monopolizes official control over the very legitimacy of being Jewish, and denies marriage rights to thousands of couples, even going so far as to jail couples marrying illegally, or rabbis conducting such ceremonies.
Orthodox cultural control
Under Orthodox cultural control in Jerusalem and elsewhere, women are subordinated literally to a “back of the bus” status, and segregated without access to full social freedom and the right to work.
As for an independent judiciary, Palestinians never see it, instead enduring the injustices of military courts and the state security apparatus leaving thousands of them including children as permanent political detainees denied the most fundamental rights, while its civil courts refuse jurisdiction over Palestinian complaints.
And Israel’s “free press” leaves much to be desired. Halevi appears to be ignorant of the targeting of Palestinian journalists in recent years for arrest and prosecution in military courts under “incitement” laws; or the Israeli Defence Forces’ censoring of social media in the Occupied Territories.
The absurd equivocation of Halevi and his colleagues in the “Love Israel” industry hits a shrill note, asking American readers to accept that the BDS movement “is itself a crime”.
But free and open debate of the true status of Israeli occupation in Palestine, and the organizing efforts to convince states, businesses and people to stop investing in Israel’s bloody enterprise, is hardly criminal. In America, it is known as “the marketplace of ideas”.
We are all free to argue for justice as we see it, and BDS has had more than a decade of mounting success because its arguments convince reasonable people of the truth – no one is buying any more the tired, old brand of “Israel, the Enlightened Democracy”.
BDS is the brave and steady labor of people of conscience to move the stalled, bogus “peace process” forward by applying economic pressure, plain and simple.
The old narrative of a blameless Israel, fighting off Palestinian “terrorists”, is a hard sell, and BDS will continue to build on its successes because Israel’s defenders can no longer suppress the truth, or sweep it under some wishful fantasy of a benevolent, progressive Israel that doesn’t exist, and never has.
Stanley L Cohen is a lawyer and human rights activist who has done extensive work in the Middle East and Africa.
Read more by Stanley L. CohenLXD is a modern container manager and REST API written by LXC upstream and built on top of the LXC library. Its goal is to offer the same features you would expect from a Virtual Machine hypervisor but using Linux Containers rather than VMs.
This makes it a very light and fast alternative to virtual machines and an ideal option when running Linux in both guest and host. Some of the main features include: - User friendly command line experience - Entirely built on top of a REST API (easy remote management) - Fine grained resource management for containers - Support for device passthrough (network, disk, unix char devices and unix block devices) - Helpers to ease GPU and USB passthrough - Network management API (create bridges, setup tunnels between hosts, …) - Storage management API (create storage pools for containers, use any of btrfs/lvm/zfs/directory backends) - Support for live migration (through CRIU)
The presentation will go over what LXD is in greater details, include a brief overview of its API and be followed by a demonstration of its various features.
LXD is available for Debian users through snapd with native packaging being worked on. A number of Debian images for LXD are built and published daily.As Alzheimer's disease progresses, it kills brain cells mainly in the hippocampus and cortex, leading to impairments in "neuroplasticity," the mechanism that affects learning, memory, and thinking. Targeting these areas of the brain, scientists hope to stop or slow the decline in brain plasticity, providing a novel way to treat Alzheimer's. Groundbreaking new research has discovered a new way to preserve the flexibility and resilience of the brain.
The study, led by Tel Aviv University's Prof. Illana Gozes and published in Molecular Psychiatry, reveals a nerve cell protective molecular target that is essential for brain plasticity. According to Prof. Gozes, "This discovery offers the world a new target for drug design and an understanding of mechanisms of cognitive enhancement."
Prof. Gozes is the incumbent of the Lily and Avraham Gildor Chair for the Investigation of Growth Factors and director of the Adams Super Center for Brain Studies at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine and a member of TAU's Sagol School of Neuroscience. Also contributing to the study were Dr. Saar Oz, Oxana Kapitansky, Yanina Ivashco-Pachima, Anna Malishkevich, Dr. Joel Hirsch, Dr. Rina Rosin-Arbersfeld, and their students, all from TAU. TAU staff scientists Dr. Eliezer Gildai and Dr. Leonid Mittelman provided the state-of-the-art molecular cloning and cellular protein imaging necessary for the study.
Building on past breakthroughs
The new finding is based on Prof. Gozes' discovery of NAP, a snippet of a protein essential for brain formation (activity-dependent neuroprotective protein [ADNP]). As a result of this discovery, a drug candidate that showed efficacy in mild cognitive impairment patients, a precursor to Alzheimer's disease, is being developed. NAP protects the brain by stabilizing microtubules - tiny cellular cylinders that provide "railways and scaffolding systems" to move biological material within cells and provide a cellular skeleton. Microtubules are of particular importance to nerve cells, which have long processes and would otherwise collapse. In neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, the microtubule network falls apart, hindering cellular communication and cognitive function.
"Clinical studies have shown that Davunetide (NAP) protects memory in patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment preceding Alzheimer's disease," said Prof. Gozes. "While the mechanism was understood in broad terms, the precise molecular target remained a mystery for years. Now, in light of our new research, we know why and we know how to proceed."
Stabilizing microtubules
The breakthrough was the discovery of the mechanism promoting microtubule growth at the tips of the tubes ("rails"). The researchers found that the NAP structure allows it to bind to the tip of the growing microtubule, the emerging "railway," through specific microtubule end-binding proteins, which adhere to microtubules a bit like locomotors to provide for growth and forward movement, while the other end of the microtubule may to be disintegrating. These growing tips enlist regulatory proteins that are essential for providing plasticity at the nerve cell connection points, the synapses.
"We have now revealed that ADNP through its NAP motif binds the microtubule end binding proteins and enhances nerve cell plasticity, providing for brain resilience. We then discovered that NAP further enhances ADNP microtubule binding," said Prof. Gozes.
Researchers hope their discovery will help move Davunetide (NAP) and related compounds into further clinical trials, increasing the potential of future clinical use. Prof. Gozes is continuing to investigate microtubule end-binding proteins to better understand their protective properties in the brain."Stockhausen" redirects here. For other uses, see Stockhausen (disambiguation)
Karlheinz Stockhausen ( German: [kaʁlˈhaɪnts ˈʃtɔkhaʊzn̩]; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important (Barrett 1988, 45; Harvey 1975b, 705; Hopkins 1972, 33; Klein 1968, 117) but also controversial (Power 1990, 30) composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. A critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music" (Hewett 2007). He is known for his groundbreaking work in electronic music, for introducing controlled chance (aleatory techniques or aleatoric musical techniques) into serial composition, and for musical spatialization.
He was educated at the Hochschule für Musik Köln and the University of Cologne, later studying with Olivier Messiaen in Paris and with Werner Meyer-Eppler at the University of Bonn. One of the leading figures of the Darmstadt School, his compositions and theories were and remain widely influential, not only on composers of art music, but also on jazz and popular music. His works, composed over a period of nearly sixty years, eschew traditional forms. In addition to electronic music—both with and without live performers—they range from miniatures for musical boxes through works for solo instruments, songs, chamber music, choral and orchestral music, to a cycle of seven full-length operas. His theoretical and other writings comprise ten large volumes. He received numerous prizes and distinctions for his compositions, recordings, and for the scores produced by his publishing company.
His notable compositions include the series of nineteen Klavierstücke (Piano Pieces), Kontra-Punkte for ten instruments, the electronic/musique-concrète Gesang der Jünglinge, Gruppen for three orchestras, the percussion solo Zyklus, Kontakte, the cantata Momente, the live-electronic Mikrophonie I, Hymnen, Stimmung for six vocalists, Aus den sieben Tagen, Mantra for two pianos and electronics, Tierkreis, Inori for soloists and orchestra, and the gigantic opera cycle Licht.
He died of sudden heart failure at the age of 79, on 5 December 2007 at his home in Kürten, Germany.
Biography [ edit ]
Childhood [ edit ]
Stockhausen was born in Burg Mödrath, the "castle" of the village of Mödrath. The village, located near Kerpen in the Cologne region, was displaced in 1956 to make way for lignite strip mining, but the castle itself still stands. Despite its name, the building is not actually a castle at all, but rather was a manor house built in 1830 by a local businessman named Arend. Because of its imposing size, locals began calling it Burg Mödrath (Mödrath Castle). From 1925 to 1932 it was the maternity home of the Bergheim district, and after the war it served for a time as a shelter for war refugees. In 1950, the owners, the Düsseldorf chapter of the Knights of Malta, turned it into an orphanage, but it was subsequently returned to private ownership and became a private residence again (Anon. n.d.; Anon. 1950). In 2017, an anonymous patron purchased the house and opened it in April 2017 as an exhibition space for modern art, with the first floor to be used as the permanent home of the museum of the WDR Electronic Music Studio, where Stockhausen had worked from 1953 until shortly before WDR closed the studio in 2000 (Bos 2017).
His father, Simon Stockhausen, was a schoolteacher, and his mother Gertrud (née Stupp) was the daughter of a prosperous family of farmers in Neurath in the Cologne Bight. A daughter, Katherina, was born the year after Karlheinz, and a second son, Hermann-Josef ("Hermännchen") followed in 1932. Gertrud played the piano and accompanied her own singing but, after three pregnancies in as many years, experienced a mental breakdown and was institutionalized in December 1932, followed a few months later by the death of her younger son, Hermann (Kurtz 1992, 8, 11, 13).
From the age of seven, Stockhausen lived in Altenberg, where he received his first piano lessons from the Protestant organist of the Altenberger Dom, Franz-Josef Kloth (Kurtz 1992, 14). In 1938 his father remarried. His new wife, Luzia, had been the family's housekeeper. The couple had two daughters (Kurtz 1992, 18). Because his relationship with his new stepmother was less than happy, in January 1942 Karlheinz became a boarder at the teachers' training college in Xanten, where he continued his piano training and also studied oboe and violin (Kurtz 1992, 18). In 1941 he learned that his mother had died, ostensibly from leukemia, although everyone at the same hospital had supposedly died of the same disease. It was generally understood that she had been a victim of the Nazi policy of killing "useless eaters" (Stockhausen 1989a, 20–21; Kurtz 1992, 19). The official letter to the family falsely claimed she had died 16 June 1941, but recent research by Lisa Quernes, a student at the Landesmusikgymnasium in Montabaur, has determined that she was gassed along with 89 other people at the Hadamar Euthanasia Centre in Hesse-Nassau on 27 May 1941 (Anon. 2014). Stockhausen dramatized his mother's death in hospital by lethal injection, in Act 1 scene 2 ("Mondeva") of the opera Donnerstag aus Licht (Kurtz 1992, 213). In the autumn of 1944, he was conscripted to serve as a stretcher bearer in Bedburg (Kurtz 1992, 18). In February 1945, he met his father for the last time in Altenberg. Simon, who was on leave from the front, told his son, "I'm not coming back. Look after things". By the end of the war, his father was regarded as missing in action, and may have been killed in Hungary (Kurtz 1992, 19). A comrade later reported to Karlheinz that he saw his father wounded in action (Maconie 2005, 19). Fifty-five years after the fact, a journalist writing for the Guardian newspaper stated unequivocally, though without offering any fresh evidence, that Simon Stockhausen was killed in Hungary in 1945 (O'Mahony 2001).
Education [ edit ]
From 1947 to 1951, Stockhausen studied music pedagogy and piano at the Hochschule für Musik Köln (Cologne Conservatory of Music) and musicology, philosophy, and Germanics at the University of Cologne. He had training in harmony and counterpoint, the latter with Hermann Schroeder, but he did not develop a real interest in composition until 1950. He was admitted at the end of that year to the class of Swiss composer Frank Martin, who had just begun a seven-year tenure in Cologne (Kurtz 1992, 28). At the Darmstädter Ferienkurse in 1951, Stockhausen met Belgian composer Karel Goeyvaerts, who had just completed studies with Olivier Messiaen (analysis) and Darius Milhaud (composition) in Paris, and Stockhausen resolved to do likewise (Kurtz 1992, 34–36). He arrived in Paris on 8 January 1952 and began attending Messiaen's courses in aesthetics and analysis, as well as Milhaud's composition classes. He continued with Messiaen for a year, but he was disappointed with Milhaud and abandoned his lessons after a few weeks (Kurtz 1992, 45–48). In March 1953, he left Paris to take up a position as assistant to Herbert Eimert at the newly established Electronic Music Studio of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR) (from 1 January 1955, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, or WDR) in Cologne (Kurtz 1992, 56–57). In 1963, he succeeded Eimert as director of the studio (Morawska-Büngeler 1988, 19). From 1954 to 1956, he studied phonetics, acoustics, and information theory with Werner Meyer-Eppler at the University of Bonn (Kurtz 1992, 68–72). Together with Eimert, Stockhausen edited the journal Die Reihe from 1955 to 1962 (Grant 2001, 1–2).
Career and adult life [ edit ]
Family and home [ edit ]
Karlheinz Stockhausen in the garden of his home in Kürten, 2005
On 29 December 1951, in Hamburg, Stockhausen married Doris Andreae (Kurtz 1992, 45; Maconie 2005, 47). Together they had four children: Suja (b. 1953), Christel (b. 1956), Markus (b. 1957), and Majella (b. 1961) (Kurtz 1992, 90; Tannenbaum 1987, 94). They were divorced in 1965 (Rathert 2013). On 3 April 1967, in San Francisco, he married Mary Bauermeister, with whom he had two children: Julika (b. 22 January 1966) and Simon (b. 1967) (Kurtz 1992, 141, 149; Tannenbaum 1987, 95). They were divorced in 1972 (Rathert 2013; Stockhausen-Stiftung & [2013]).
Four of Stockhausen's children became professional musicians (Kurtz 1992, 202), and he composed some of his works specifically for them. A large number of pieces for the trumpet—from Sirius (1975–77) to the trumpet version of In Freundschaft (1997)—were composed for and premièred by his son Markus (Kurtz 1992, 208; M. Stockhausen 1998, 13–16; Tannenbaum 1987, 61). Markus, at the age of 4 years, had performed the part of The Child in the Cologne première of Originale, alternating performances with his sister Christel (Maconie 2005, 220). Klavierstück XII and Klavierstück XIII (and their versions as scenes from the operas Donnerstag aus Licht and Samstag aus Licht) were written for his daughter Majella, and were first performed by her at the ages of 16 and 20, respectively (Maconie 2005, 430, 443; Stockhausen Texte, 5:190, 255, 274; Stockhausen Texte, 6:64, 373). The saxophone duet in the second act of Donnerstag aus Licht, and a number of synthesizer parts in the Licht operas, including Klavierstück XV ("Synthi-Fou") from Dienstag, were composed for his son Simon (Kurtz 1992, 222; Maconie 2005, 480, 489; Stockhausen Texte, 5:186, 529), who also assisted his father in the production of the electronic music from Freitag aus Licht. His daughter Christel is a flautist who performed and gave a course on interpretation of Tierkreis in 1977 (Stockhausen Texte, 5:105), later published as an article (C. Stockhausen 1978).
In 1961, Stockhausen acquired a parcel of land in the vicinity of Kürten, a village east of Cologne, near Bergisch Gladbach in the Bergisches Land. He had a house built there, which was designed to his specifications by the architect Erich Schneider-Wessling, and he resided there from its completion in the autumn of 1965 (Kurtz 1992, 116–17, 137–38).
Teaching [ edit ]
After lecturing at the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik at Darmstadt (first in 1953), Stockhausen gave lectures and concerts in Europe, North America, and Asia (Stockhausen-Verlag 2010, 2, 14–15). He was guest professor of composition at the University of Pennsylvania in 1965 and at the University of California, Davis in 1966–67 (Kramer 1998; Stockhausen-Verlag 2010, 2–3). He founded and directed the Cologne Courses for New Music from 1963 to 1968, and was appointed Professor of Composition at the Hochschule für Musik Köln in 1971, where he taught until 1977 (Kurtz 1992, 126–28, 194; Stockhausen-Verlag 2010, 3). In 1998, he founded the Stockhausen Courses, which are held annually in Kürten (Stockhausen-Verlag 2010, 6–9, 15).
Publishing activities [ edit ]
From the mid-1950s onward, Stockhausen designed (and in some cases arranged to have printed) his own musical scores for his publisher, Universal Edition, which often involved unconventional devices. The score for his piece Refrain, for instance, includes a rotatable (refrain) on a transparent plastic strip. Early in the 1970s, he ended his agreement with Universal Edition and began publishing his own scores under the Stockhausen-Verlag imprint (Kurtz 1992, 184). This arrangement allowed him to extend his notational innovations (for example, dynamics in Weltparlament [the first scene of Mittwoch aus Licht] are coded in colour) and resulted in eight German Music Publishers Society Awards between 1992 (Luzifers Tanz) and 2005 (Hoch-Zeiten, from Sonntag aus Licht) (Stockhausen-Verlag 2010, 12–13). The Momente score, published just before Stockhausen's death in 2007, won this prize for the ninth time (Deutscher Musikeditionspreis 2009).
In the early 1990s, Stockhausen reacquired the licenses to most of the recordings of his music he had made to that point, and started his own record company to make this music permanently available on Compact Disc (Maconie 2005, 477–78).
Death [ edit ]
Grave monument (rear view)
Stockhausen died of sudden heart failure on the morning of 5 December 2007 in Kürten, North Rhine-Westphalia. Just the night before, he had finished a work (then recently commissioned) for performance by the Mozart Orchestra of Bologna (Bäumer 2007). He was 79 years old.
Compositions [ edit ]
Stockhausen wrote 370 individual works. He often departs radically from musical tradition and his work is influenced by Olivier Messiaen, Edgard Varèse, and Anton Webern, as well as by film (Stockhausen 1996b) and by painters such as Piet Mondrian (Stockhausen 1996a, 94; Stockhausen Texte, 3:92–93; Toop 1998) and Paul Klee (Maconie 2005, 187).
1950s [ edit ]
Stockhausen began to compose in earnest only during his third year at the conservatory (Kurtz 1992, 26–27). His early student compositions remained out of the public eye until, in 1971, he published Chöre für Doris, Drei Lieder for alto voice and chamber orchestra, Choral for a cappella choir (all three from 1950), and a Sonatine for Violin and Piano (1951) (Maconie 1990, 5–6, 11).
In August 1951, just after his first Darmstadt visit, Stockhausen began working with a form of athematic serial composition that rejected the twelve-tone technique of Schoenberg (Felder 1977, 92). He characterized many of these earliest compositions (together with the music of other, like-minded composers of the period) as punktuelle ("punctual" or "pointist" music, commonly mistranslated as "pointillist") Musik, though one critic concluded after analysing several of these early works that Stockhausen "never really composed punctually" (Sabbe 1981). Compositions from this phase include Kreuzspiel (1951), the Klavierstücke I–IV (1952—the fourth of this first set of four Klavierstücke, titled Klavierstück IV, is specifically cited by Stockhausen as an example of "punctual music" (Stockhausen Texte, 2:19)), and the first (unpublished) versions of Punkte and Kontra-Punkte (1952) (Stockhausen Texte, 2:20). However, several works from these same years show Stockhausen formulating his "first really ground-breaking contribution to the theory and, above all, practice of composition", that of "group composition", found in Stockhausen's works as early as 1952 and continuing throughout his compositional career (Toop 2005, 3). This principle was first publicly described by Stockhausen in a radio talk from December 1955, titled "Gruppenkomposition: Klavierstück I" (Stockhausen Texte, 1:63–74).
In December 1952, he composed a Konkrete Etüde, realized in Pierre Schaeffer's Paris musique concrète studio. In March 1953, he moved to the NWDR studio in Cologne and turned to electronic music with two Electronic Studies (1953 and 1954), and then introducing spatial placements of sound sources with his mixed concrète and electronic work Gesang der Jünglinge (1955–56). Experiences gained from the Studies made plain that it was an unacceptable oversimplification to regard timbres as stable entities (Stockhausen Texte, 1:56). Reinforced by his studies with Meyer-Eppler, beginning in 1955, Stockhausen formulated new "statistical" criteria for composition, focussing attention on the aleatoric, directional tendencies of sound movement, "the change from one state to another, with or without returning motion, as opposed to a fixed state" (Decroupet and Ungeheuer 1998, 98–99). Stockhausen later wrote, describing this period in his compositional work, "The first revolution occurred from 1952/53 as musique concrète, electronic tape music, and space music, entailing composition with transformers, generators, modulators, magnetophones, etc; the integration of all concrete and abstract (synthetic) sound possibilities (also all noises), and the controlled projection of sound in space" (Stockhausen 1989b, 127, reprinted in Schwartz, Childs, and Fox 1998, 374). His position as "the leading German composer of his generation" (Toop 2001) was established with Gesang der Jünglinge and three concurrently composed pieces in different media: Zeitmaße for five woodwinds, Gruppen for three orchestras, and Klavierstück XI (Kohl 1998a, 61). The principles underlying the latter three compositions are presented in Stockhausen's best-known theoretical article, "... wie die Zeit vergeht..." ("... How Time Passes..."), first published in 1957 in vol. 3 of Die Reihe (Stockhausen Texte, 1:99–139).
His work with electronic music and its utter fixity led him to explore modes of instrumental and vocal music in which performers' individual capabilities and the circumstances of a particular performance (e.g., hall acoustics) may determine certain aspects of a composition. He called this "variable form" (Wörner 1973, 101–105). In other cases, a work may be presented from a number of different perspectives. In Zyklus (1959), for example, he began using graphic notation for instrumental music. The score is written so that the performance can start on any page, and it may be read upside down, or from right to left, as the performer chooses (Stockhausen Texte, 2, 73–100). Still other works permit different routes through the constituent parts. Stockhausen called both of these possibilities "polyvalent form" (Stockhausen Texte, 1:241–51), which may be either open form (essentially incomplete, pointing beyond its frame), as with Klavierstück XI (1956), or "closed form" (complete and self-contained) as with Momente (1962–64/69) (Kaletha 2004, 97–98).
In many of his works, elements are played off against one another, simultaneously and successively: in Kontra-Punkte ("Against Points", 1952–53), which, in its revised form became his official "opus 1", a process leading from an initial "point" texture of isolated notes toward a florid, ornamental ending is opposed by a tendency from diversity (six timbres, dynamics, and durations) toward uniformity (timbre of solo piano, a nearly constant soft dynamic, and fairly even durations) (Stockhausen Texte, 2, 20–21). In Gruppen (1955–57), fanfares and passages of varying speed (superimposed durations based on the harmonic series) are occasionally flung between three full orchestras, giving the impression of movement in space (Maconie 2005, 486).
In his Kontakte for electronic sounds (optionally with piano and percussion) (1958–60), he achieved for the first time an isomorphism of the four parameters of pitch, duration, dynamics, and timbre (Stockhausen 1962, 40).
1960s [ edit ]
In 1960, Stockhausen returned to the composition of vocal music (for the first time since Gesang der Jünglinge) with Carré for four orchestras and four choirs (Stockhausen-Verlag 2010, 18). Two years later, he began an expansive cantata titled Momente (1962–64/69), for solo soprano, four choir groups and thirteen instrumentalists (Stockhausen-Verlag 2010, 18). In 1963, Stockhausen created Plus-Minus, "2 × 7 pages for realisation" containing basic note materials and a complex system of transformations to which those materials are to be subjected in order to produce an unlimited number of different compositions (Stockhausen-Verlag 2010, 20; Toop 2005, 175–78). Through the rest of the 1960s, he continued to explore such possibilities of "process composition" in works for live performance, such as Prozession (1967), Kurzwellen, and Spiral (both 1968), culminating in the verbally described "intuitive music" compositions of Aus den sieben Tagen (1968) and Für kommende Zeiten (1968–70) (Fritsch 1979; Kohl 1981, 192–93, 227–51; Kohl 1998b, 7; (Toop 2005, 191–92)). Some of his later works, such as Ylem (1972) and the first three parts of Herbstmusik (1974), also fall under this rubric (Maconie 2005, 254, 366–68). Several of these process compositions were featured in the all-day programmes presented at Expo 70, for which Stockhausen composed two more similar pieces, Pole for two players, and Expo for three (Kohl 1981, 192–93; Maconie 2005, 323–24). In other compositions, such as Stop for orchestra (1965), Adieu for wind quintet (1966), and the Dr. K Sextett, which was written in 1968–69 in honour of Alfred Kalmus of Universal Edition, he presented his performers with more restricted improvisational possibilities (Maconie 2005, 262, 267–68, 319–20).
He pioneered live electronics in Mixtur (1964/67/2003) for orchestra and electronics (Kohl 1981, 51–163), Mikrophonie I (1964) for tam-tam, two microphones, two filters with potentiometers (6 players) (Maconie 1972; Maconie 2005, 255–57), Mikrophonie II (1965) for choir, Hammond organ, and four ring modulators (Peters 1992), and Solo for a melody instrument with feedback (1966) (Maconie 2005, 262–65). Improvisation also plays a part in all of these works, but especially in Solo (Maconie 2005, 264). He also composed two electronic works for tape, Telemusik (1966) and Hymnen (1966–67) (Kohl 2002; Stockhausen-Verlag |
some of which will become more clear in the coming months as we learn more about each tablet. (That Dell Mini 5 is especially inscrutable right now.)
The iPad has the most storage, cheap 3G, the time-tested iPhone OS and its mountain of apps, and a serious amount of Apple marketing juice behind it. But it's also famously lacking features common to the other tablets, such as webcam and multitasking (only first party apps like music and email can multitask). The Notion Ink Adam is perhaps the most interesting of the bunch, with its dual-function transflective screen from Pixel Qi: It can be either a normal LCD or, with the flick of a switch, an easy-on-the-eyes reflective LCD that resembles e-ink. Its hardware is also surprisingly impressive—but it remains to be seen if Android is really the right OS for a 10-inch tablet.
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The Dell Mini 5 and forthcoming Android edition of the Archos 7 tablet are two of a kind, almost oversized smartphones in their feature sets. Is an extra two or three inches of screen real estate worth the consequent decrease in pocketability? Perhaps not. And finally, there's the maligned JooJoo, formerly the CrunchPad, a bit of an oddball as the only web-only device in the bunch. It doesn't really have apps, can't multitask, and pretty much confines you to an albeit fancy browser, sort of like Chrome OS will. The JooJoo is also the only tablet here to have no demonstrated way to read ebooks.
Update: The two new additions in v.2 of this chart, the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 and Archos 9, are both unusual. The Windows 7-powered Archos 9 has been available since September, is the only slate here that lacks multitouch, and is the only one with a HDD instead of solid state memory of some kind. It's more related to the older tablets, but there's no keyboard, just a 9-inch touchscreen. It doesn't even have specific apps like the HP Slate's TouchSmart, it's just a Windows computer.
The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 is even weirder, in that it's actually two computers—the specs listed in the chart are for the tablet detached, but when it's attached to its base, it switches both hardware and software. In its attached form, it's a Windows 7 laptop with a full keyboard and trackpad, Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of memory, eSATA, VGA- and HDMI-out, and all the other amenities you'd expect from a modern thin-and-light. We just have see what it's like when it ships in June.
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Data Sources:
Apple iPad: [Gizmodo]
HP Slate: [Gizmodo, GDGT; Tipster]
Fusion Garage JooJoo: [Gizmodo]
Notion Ink Adam: [Slashgear]
Dell Mini 5: [Gizmodo, Gizmodo]
Archos 7 Android: [DanceWithShadows, Gizmodo]
Lenovo IdeaPad U1: [Lenovo, Gizmodo, Gizmodo]
Archos 9: [UMPCPortal, Archos]
A quick word about "slates" vs. "tablets": These are tablets, and it's a word we prefer. The sad fact is, it's overused. There's no way to say "tablet" without including every godawful stylus-based convertible laptop built since 2002. (Thank you, Bill Gates!) And even the new touchscreen tablets come in single-pane and keyboard-equipped laptop styles. So "slate," good or bad, is the more apt term.The Free State Project, described by Brian Doherty in these pages two years ago as "an interesting experiment to get 20,000 libertarians to all relocate to New Hampshire to reshape local and state politics in a place where those numbers are politically powerful," has been successful enough to make at least some New Hampshire Democrats declare this ragtag group of fill-in-the-blank-archists as Enemy Number One.
At the progressive site Blue Hampshire last week, a diarist named The Money Magician warned that the 20,000 signature moment (at which point, in theory, those who signed up for the pledge to move to the Live Free or Die State would make good on their promise) could come as early as 2015. "I wish there was some way to repel these people," the Magician lamented.
The interesting comments section ("A libertarian is an Anarchist that is too lazy or too scared to move to Somilia," writes tchair) included this bit from cyndychase, later identified by the Free Keene kids as "District 8 State Representative Cynthia Chase of Keene." Excerpt:
In the opinion of this Democrat, Free Staters are the single biggest threat the state is facing today. There is, legally, nothing we can do to prevent them from moving here to take over the state, which is their openly stated goal. In this country you can move anywhere you choose and they have that same right. What we can do is to make the environment here so unwelcoming that some will choose not to come, and some may actually leave. One way is to pass measures that will restrict the "freedoms" that they think they will find here. Another is to shine the bright light of publicity on who they are and why they are coming. [...] Here in Keene we had a couple show up on Central Square to take part in our weekly Saturday morning peace demonstration. In the course of the conversation they allowed that they were Free Staters considering moving to Keene. The folks on the Square told them in no uncertain terms not to do that because Free Staters are not welcome here. Cheshire County is a welcoming community but not to those whose stated goal is to move in enough ideologues to steal our state, and our way of life.
Charming! Commenter Lucy Edwards, who appears to be a recently failed Democratic candidate for the New Hampshire House of Representatives, replied with even more tolerance:
A friend had a young man from Texas contact her to rent a room she had available. She got in touch with me to ask what to do when he told her he was coming to NH as part of the Free State Project. Here's what she decided to tell him: "I told him that I already rented the room, and that I didn't appreciate him coming here to change our state government, it was an insult to me. That if he wanted to make change to start self examining his own life in a mindful way and stay in Texas to make the changes he wants not come here. And not contact me again."
In what nefarious ways are the Free Staters changing New Hampshire? Getting marijuana growers out of jail by using the rare tactic of jury nullification, among other things.
Link via Instapundit. Reason on the Free State Project here, including Brian Doherty's great December 2004 piece "Revolt of the Porcupines." I interviewed Free State Project President Carla Gericke for Reason.tv in 2011:Abstract
Democratic societies are built around the principle of free and fair elections, and that each citizen’s vote should count equally. National elections can be regarded as large-scale social experiments, where people are grouped into usually large numbers of electoral districts and vote according to their preferences. The large number of samples implies statistical consequences for the polling results, which can be used to identify election irregularities. Using a suitable data representation, we find that vote distributions of elections with alleged fraud show a kurtosis substantially exceeding the kurtosis of normal elections, depending on the level of data aggregation. As an example, we show that reported irregularities in recent Russian elections are, indeed, well-explained by systematic ballot stuffing. We develop a parametric model quantifying the extent to which fraudulent mechanisms are present. We formulate a parametric test detecting these statistical properties in election results. Remarkably, this technique produces robust outcomes with respect to the resolution of the data and therefore, allows for cross-country comparisons.The flagship Apple Store in Manhattan was brought to a standstill Friday as a man entered the Fifth Avenue complex brandishing a Samurai sword and terrorizing customers.
The incident occurred as New York remained on high alert after the Paris terror attacks and ahead of the holiday season that formally kicks off with the Thanksgiving parade next Thursday.
The man made his way down the glass-enclosed spiral staircase - the only entrance to the below-ground store from the street - at 3.55 pm, with customers quickly retreating when they saw his sword.
Police said the man was threatening to kill himself, CBS reported.
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Terrifying: This is the moment the male suspect whipped out the Samurai sword and started descending the staircase into the subterranean store at 767 Fifth Avenue in New York
As the man made his way down the stairs - the only street entrance - customers fled back into the store and security prepared to stop him
The man was wearing a mask and waving the sword as he descended the stairs. Two off-duty cops restrained him and he was taken to hospital
The man was waving the sword as he descended the stairs, which was caught on video by several customers in the store.
In one video, uploaded to Banjo, the man appears to drop the sword, only to pick it back up and keep swinging.
Police say that security guards stopped the man from properly entering the store, and that two off-duty police officers were able to subdue him before backup arrived.
Pictures surfaced on social media showing the man pinned face down at the store, surrounded by police.
The store is located on the ground floor of the General Motors Building at 767 Fifth Avenue (pictured)
The man, who has not been identified, was transported by medics to Bellevue Hospital for evaluation.
There are no injuries or charges at this time, police said. The incident was also not terror-related, they added.
The store is located on the ground floor of the General Motors Building at 767 Fifth Avenue.Image copyright Reuters
The election may be over, with Donald Trump's presidency more than 100 days old, but Hillary Clinton isn't ready to let go.
In a brief but frank interview with foreign affairs reporter Christiane Amanpour at the Women for Women International event in New York City on Tuesday, Mrs Clinton said that she has conducted an "excruciating analysis" of her failed presidential campaign as part of a book she is writing.
What has she learned? While admitting that she made mistakes and that her campaign had "challenges", "problems" and "shortfalls", she pointed the finger at two men - FBI Director James Comey and Russian President Vladimir Putin - as the proximate cause of her defeat.
"I was on the way to winning until the combination of Jim Comey's letter on October 28 and Russian Wikileaks raised doubts in the minds of people who were inclined to vote for me but got scared off," she said. "The evidence for that intervening event is, I think, compelling."
Mrs Clinton also noted that as the first woman to run for president as a major party candidate, misogyny may have also been a factor in her loss.
"It is real," Mrs Clinton said of discrimination against women. "It is very much a part of the landscape politically, socially and economically."
She said her election would have been "a really big deal" for women's rights, sending a message around the world.
At one point, Amanpour joked that the president would likely take to social media to respond to the former candidate's remarks.
"If he wants to tweet about me then I am happy to be the diversion because we have lot of things to worry about," Mrs Clinton said.
By that evening, Mr Trump indeed offered his Twitter response, again saying the Russia allegations were a Democratic attempt to avoid blame for their defeat.
Image copyright Twitter
Image copyright Twitter
Other opponents of the former secretary of state will be quick to point out that explaining away her campaign missteps as mere challenges, problems and shortfalls gives short shrift to strategic lapses that left her vulnerable to Mr Trump's economic populism, allowing him to prevail in the decisive Rust Belt states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Mrs Clinton's apparent response, however, is that she had to defend Mr Obama's presidential accomplishments and sell her pragmatic approach as the way to improve American lives.
"That was not as exciting as saying throw it all out and start over again, but it's how you make change in America - and lasting change that would improve people's lives," she said.
When it came to foreign policy, Mrs Clinton shared some thoughts on the "wicked problems" currently confronting Mr Trump.
She said the effort to end North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes requires a regional effort, with US positions presented in critical negotiations and "not just thrown off in a tweet some morning".
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption WATCH: What is Trump's plan in Syria?
She also said she supported the recent US missile strike to punish the Syrian government for its use of chemical weapons, although she says she is not convinced it has made much of a difference.
"If all it was was a one-off effort," she said, "it's not going to have much of a lasting effect."
Instead, Mrs Clinton is left trying to find her footing as an ex-candidate with no electoral prizes on the horizon for the first time since she emerged from her husband's political shadow. As her numerous swipes at the current president reveal, however, she may find an identity in opposition.
"I'm now back to being an activist citizen and part of the resistance," she said toward the end of her interview, referencing the label many of Mr Trump's liberal opponents have adopted.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The grassroots movement aiming to topple President Trump
Playing backseat driver to the Trump presidency isn't where Mrs Clinton wanted to be, of course. It's not where, 10 days before last November's election, she thought she'd be. And dealing with it, she said, has been a "painful process".
If Mrs Clinton's psychological wounds never truly heal, she will hardly be the first to endure such lasting damage, as an anecdote recounted by political reporter Roger Simon reveals.
Shortly after his presidential defeat in 1984, Democratic nominee Walter Mondale called George McGovern, who was beaten by Republican Richard Nixon in 1972.
When does the pain stop, he asked. When did you wake up in the morning and not feel like throwing up?
"I'll tell you when I get there," McGovern replied.Angus R Shamal is a photographer in Amsterdam who recently put together a stellar collection of behind-the-scenes movie photography in the blog portion of his website. In fact it’s so stellar and got so popular so fast his server crashed before I finished putting this together the other day.
I encourage everyone who appreciates film to check out the full collection because it’s a real testament to the time and effort that used to go into movie making before you could just CGI the hell out of Optimus Prime or Jar Jar Binks. The whole thing really reinforces why I think 90% of 21st century movie making sucks. Eat that fat one everyone who’s ever called me overly critical!
Director haterade aside (not you Nolan, xoxo) the other super cool thing about the collection is how eye-opening some of the behind-the-scenes photography is when put in context with the scenes/movies they were filming. With that in mind I’ve handpicked my favorite eye-openers and sprinkled in mildly amusing one-liners for your surfing pleasure.
Source: Amgur ShamalThen Greece joined the euro, and a terrible thing happened: people started believing that it was a safe place to invest. Foreign money poured into Greece, some but not all of it financing government deficits; the economy boomed; inflation rose; and Greece became increasingly uncompetitive. To be sure, the Greeks squandered much if not most of the money that came flooding in, but then so did everyone else who got caught up in the euro bubble.
Photo
And then the bubble burst, at which point the fundamental flaws in the whole euro system became all too apparent.
Ask yourself, why does the dollar area — also known as the United States of America — more or less work, without the kind of severe regional crises now afflicting Europe? The answer is that we have a strong central government, and the activities of this government in effect provide automatic bailouts to states that get in trouble.
Consider, for example, what would be happening to Florida right now, in the aftermath of its huge housing bubble, if the state had to come up with the money for Social Security and Medicare out of its own suddenly reduced revenues. Luckily for Florida, Washington rather than Tallahassee is picking up the tab, which means that Florida is in effect receiving a bailout on a scale no European nation could dream of.
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Or consider an older example, the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s, which was largely a Texas affair. Taxpayers ended up paying a huge sum to clean up the mess — but the vast majority of those taxpayers were in states other than Texas. Again, the state received an automatic bailout on a scale inconceivable in modern Europe.
So Greece, although not without sin, is mainly in trouble thanks to the arrogance of European officials, mostly from richer countries, who convinced themselves that they could make a single currency work without a single government. And these same officials have made the situation even worse by insisting, in the teeth of the evidence, that all the currency’s troubles were caused by irresponsible behavior on the part of those Southern Europeans, and that everything would work out if only people were willing to suffer some more.
Which brings us to Sunday’s Greek election, which ended up settling nothing. The governing coalition may have managed to stay in power, although even that’s not clear (the junior partner in the coalition is threatening to defect). But the Greeks can’t solve this crisis anyway.The remains of prominent Ukrainian poet and writer Oleksandr Oles and his wife Vira Kandyba were reburied at Lukianivske cemetery in Kyiv on Jan. 29 after a sudden exhumation in Prague almost four weeks ago.
Oles (birth name Oleksandr Kandyba) was a highly-acclaimed Ukrainian writer and poet born near Sumy, Ukraine in 1878. He emigrated from Ukraine a few months after the Bolshevik revolution in 1917. Despite living abroad, he continued to write about Ukraine until his death in Prague in 1944.
Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko and his wife Maryna Poroshenko were among those who attended the memorial service preceding the reburial, at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral.
“Oleksandr Oles, possibly like no one else, thoroughly expressed in his poetry the pain of a human being forced to emigrate after losing one’s home country,” Poroshenko said at the service.
“His poetry shows how one must love Ukraine.”
The memorial service was led by the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, Patriarch Filaret.
The reburial comes weeks after the exhumation of Oles’s remains and those of his wife in Prague on Jan. 3. According to Czech laws, the renting of a funeral spot, which costs 20,000 Czech korunas ($792) per year, needs to be paid by relatives or friends of the deceased.
Ukrainian emigrant and Czech Republic resident Volodymyr Myhailyshyn paid Oles’s rent. Myhailyshyn died recently and his son wanted to use the funeral spot to bury Myhailyshyn, therefore forcing the exhumation of Oles’s and Kandyba’s remains.
Poroshenko quickly reacted to the incident by contacting the great grandchildren of Oles living in Canada, who agreed to the reburial. The money for the transportation of Oles’s and his wife’s ashes via an airplane was provided by the Ukrainian government.
The reburial symbolically took place on Jan. 29, the Day of Kruty Heroes. The Kruty heroes were 400 Ukrainians (300 of them – students) who heroically faced the 4,000-man Bolshevik army near the village of Kruty, about 130 km northeast of Kyiv on Jan. 29, 1918. Over half of the 400 Ukrainians were killed during the five-hour long battle.
According to the press service of Poroshenko this reburial is significant because the poet always dreamt about returning to Ukraine.
“Not only a Ukrainian reburial, but also studying and popularizing Oles’s works will be a great way to commemorate the poet,” the website of Poroshenko’s press service quoted the president as saying.More than two and a half months after Swedish authorities leaked rape accusations against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange no charges have been filed and the cyberhacker plans to file a lawsuit against prosecutors.
A request for comment from the government was referred to another official. There was no immediate reply.
Although the original allegations, which were leaked to Swedish police in violation of the country's law, were dropped within 24 hours the investigation was resumed.
Questions have been raised about the background of the two women involved and the association of at least one of them with a U.S.-backed right-wing organization; Assange allegedly raped one and sexually molested another.
Week after week the Swedish prosecutor said the investigation was continuing. On Oct. 19 a reporter was told there was no need to continue asking that if anyone happens the media would be advised.
Still, the case managed to distract attention from the work of Assange's organization, which has released thousands of documents indicating civilian casualties were underestimated in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Assange told the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet that he will sue for damages suffered as a result of "legal mistakes" that has damaged his reputation. "I am very disappointed at the Swedish authorities," Assange said.
Despite the "on-going" investigation, Assange was allowed to leave Sweden. In most Western nations a person under investigation for rape would have his/her passport confiscated and would be ordered to remain available to police.Even the government is now admitting that the health care bill is a tax. As the New York Times pointed out on July 16th:
When Congress required most Americans to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty, Democrats denied that they were creating a new tax. But in court, the Obama administration and its allies now defend the requirement as an exercise of the government’s “power to lay and collect taxes.”
And that power, they say, is even more sweeping than the federal power to regulate interstate commerce.
Administration officials say the tax argument is a linchpin of their legal case in defense of the health care overhaul and its individual mandate, now being challenged in court by more than 20 states and several private organizations.
Under the legislation signed by President Obama in March, most Americans will have to maintain “minimum essential coverage” starting in 2014. Many people will be eligible for federal subsidies to help them pay premiums.
In a brief defending the law, the Justice Department says the requirement for people to carry insurance or pay the penalty is “a valid exercise” of Congress’s power to impose taxes.
Congress can use its taxing power “even for purposes that would exceed its powers under other provisions” of the Constitution, the department said. For more than a century, it added, the Supreme Court has held that Congress can tax activities that it could not reach by using its power to regulate commerce.Administration officials and lawmakers of both parties on April 23 discussed funding for President Trump's project to build a border wall as the deadline for passing a government funding bill approaches. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)
With a looming budgetary tug-o-war — White House officials demanding funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall on one side and Democrats flatly resisting it on the other — President Trump and his aides renewed calls for the need to fulfill his key campaign promise.
In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Trump said: “People want the border. My base really wants the border. My base really wants it.”
Yet polls have consistently shown that a majority of Americans, including those who live near the border and the lawmakers who represent them, don't want it. Many also don't think a wall would have a significant effect on illegal immigration.
[Showdown looms as Trump demands funding for wall on U.S.-Mexico border]
Here are the numbers:
Washington Post-ABC News poll: Sixty percent of adults oppose building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, while 37 percent support it. Of these respondents, 47 percent are strongly against it. It is worth noting that 76 percent of Trump voters support it, while 91 percent of Hillary Clinton voters don't. But what the January poll also found is that even among those who supported neither of the candidates, the consensus (69 percent vs. 27 percent) is against building the wall.
Pew Research Center: The nonpartisan organization's findings from a survey in February had almost similar results: 62 percent oppose the wall, while 35 are in favor of it. The poll also found that only 29 percent think a wall would lead to a “major reduction” in illegal immigration. An additional 25 percent think it would lead to a “minor reduction,” while 43 percent don't think it would have much effect. Another key finding: A huge majority of Americans, 70 percent, think the United States would ultimately foot the bill, even though Trump had insisted that Mexico would pay “for the badly needed” wall “at a later date.” In the survey, 16 percent said they think Mexico will pay for the wall, although Mexico's president has said his country won't.
Gallup: This poll from January found that a majority of Americans would rather see other campaign promises fulfilled. Sixty-nine percent think Trump should renew the country's infrastructure. More than half want him to reduce income taxes, establish tariffs on imports and deport illegal immigrants with criminal records. Forty-six percent want Obamacare repealed and replaced. Only 26 percent say a wall should be a priority.
Quinnipiac University: Five polls conducted over the past months show that an increasing number of voters oppose building a wall, and that support for a wall has been waning. In November, 55 percent were opposed, while 42 percent were in support. By March and April, 64 percent said they were opposed, while 33 percent said they were in favor. The shifting numbers were the results of surveys conducted on more than 1,000 registered voters nationwide.
The Wall is a very important tool in stopping drugs from pouring into our country and poisoning our youth (and many others)! If — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 24, 2017
[Downside to holding Obamacare hostage to pay for Trump’s wall? Obamacare is more popular.]
Polls among those who live near the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as interviews with lawmakers who represent border states, have shown similar results.
Texas Lyceum: An April survey by the nonprofit organization found that a majority of Texans, 61 percent, oppose Trump's wall proposal, while 35 percent support it. And although Texans think immigration is the main issue affecting the state, many of them, 62 percent, also say that immigration helps the country more than it hurts it. Also, 62 percent of respondents said they don't want Trump to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Furthermore, 58 percent said they disapprove of the way the president is handling immigration and border security. Sixty percent say they disapprove of the way congressional Republicans are handling the same issues.
An April survey by the nonprofit organization found that a majority of Texans, 61 percent, oppose Trump's wall proposal, while 35 percent support it. And although Texans think immigration is the main issue affecting the state, many of them, 62 percent, also say that immigration helps the country more than it hurts it. Also, 62 percent of respondents said they don't want Trump to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Furthermore, 58 percent said they disapprove of the way the president is handling immigration and border security. Sixty percent say they disapprove of the way congressional Republicans are handling the same issues. Wall Street Journal: A recent survey by the paper found that not one member of the House or the Senate — Democrat or Republican — has expressed support for Trump's funding request of $1.4 billion to starting building a wall. The Wall Street Journal spoke with nine House members and eight senators representing Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Most were opposed; others have unanswered questions. A few gave no clear indication of whether they support it.
Trump and his aides spent the past weekend pressuring congressional Republicans to win funding for a wall. But Democrats have long rejected the idea and insisted that they won't vote for any spending bill that allots money for it. Meanwhile, Mick Mulvaney, Trump's budget director, had suggested that the president might not sign a spending bill that does not have what he wants.
That leaves GOP leaders, as The Washington Post's Amber Phillips wrote, in a no-win situation. Whether they yield to Trump's demands, a government shutdown could be unavoidable.
READ MORE:
Trump’s over-the-top, boastful AP interview, annotated
The first brick hasn’t been set, and Trump’s border wall is already going south on him
Trump’s wall is already making some House Republicans uncomfortableUber is proud of its Advanced Technology Center in Pittsburgh, where members of the public can take its self-driving cabs for a ride. The ATC also has outposts in San Francisco and Palo Alto. However, the company has been silent about a new autonomous-vehicle research facility currently taking shape in a suburb of Las Vegas. The facility will be run by Otto, a self-driving-truck startup owned by Uber.
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In early October, an Otto subsidiary was issued the first license to run an Autonomous Technology Certification Facility (ATCF) in Nevada. No self-driving vehicle can be sold or registered in Nevada without a certificate from an ATCF showing it complies with the state’s laws and safety requirements.
“As we move forward, we are excited to get our trucks certified in the world’s first ATCF in Las Vegas and get our technology on the roads in Nevada,” wrote Lucie Zikova, Otto’s head of government relations and strategy, in an email to the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). This email, and many more, were obtained in a public-records request.
Despite repeated requests from the Nevada DMV to publicize the historic venture, Uber and Otto have so far shared little about the ATCF. That might be because planning documents suggest the facility will be testing plug-in electric cars rather than trucks, raising the possibility that Uber will use the facility to launch the world’s first commercial driverless ride-hailing service.
“ “When they decide to sell their technology, they will already be licensed to do so.” — Jude Hurin, Nevada DMV
”
Otto has always been interested in self-driving cabs. Before the company focused on trucking and was acquired by Uber, its original business plan was to have autonomous vehicles provide taxi rides from the Las Vegas airport to hotels and casinos on the city’s famous Strip. Otto’s founder, Anthony Levandowski, had built Google’s first self-driving car and spent four years developing the company’s autonomous vehicles.
This included helping to draft legislation in Nevada to allow testing of self-driving cars and seeing Google’s early vehicles through the world’s first “self-driving test” there.
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Following its acquisition by Uber this August, Otto set up a company called Nevada ATCF to run the state’s first certification facility. Nevada ATCF would be managed by Levandowski, Otto’s CEO and now Uber’s head of autonomous technologies. In its application, the new company wrote: “Otto and the Company are committed to working with state and federal regulators to help establish and follow safety and AV regulations.”
But in May, Otto carried out an unlicensed public demonstration of a driverless semi in Nevada, despite being warned by the DMV that it would contravene the state’s rules regarding autonomous testing. The truck drove on Interstate 80 near Reno for several miles with a human driver in the front seats. A DMV official called the stunt illegal and threatened to shut down the agency’s AV program, but under Nevada’s current regulations, there are currently no legal or financial penalties for breaking the rules.
Uber, Otto
Otto’s runaround of the regulations could have come back to haunt the company.
One of the DMV’s regulation documents says, “Evidence of the unfitness of an applicant to operate an ATCF includes... willfully failing to comply with any regulation adopted by the Department.” Another says, “The Department may... deny a license to an applicant, upon the grounds of willful failure of the applicant... to comply with the provisions of... any of the traffic laws [or regulations] of this State.”
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Instead, the DMV granted Otto an ATCF license within days of receiving its application. The only company to have flouted Nevada’s autonomous vehicle rules is now the only company licensed to certify itself and other companies wishing to test autonomous technologies.
Jude Hurin, the DMV administrator who had termed Otto’s drive illegal, confirmed that Uber can now certify its own vehicles for public use. “When they decide to sell their technology, they will already be licensed to do so,” he told Car and Driver. “The Department made the decision to not deny Otto’s ATCF license since the issue was resolved. We look forward to continuing to form strong working connections with companies in the field of autonomous technology.”
“ The only company to have flouted Nevada’s autonomous vehicle rules is now the only company licensed to certify
itself and others. ”
That strong working connection could soon include fully driverless ride-sharing. While Otto was preparing its ATCF application in July, the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) filed a draft bill with the state legislature that would permit taxis and TNCs—”transportation network companies” like Uber—to transport paying passengers using automated vehicles.
Emails show that GOED officials acted as a liaison between Otto and the DMV since the spring, and had met with Uber as early as January. Uber’s head of policy development, Ashwini Chhabra, wrote at the time: “Uber’s research [in self-driving vehicles] is taking shape and we’re next starting to explore future opportunities for testing and operating, and understanding the rules of the road is an important next step.”
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GOED’s draft bill, A.B. 69, explicitly permits autonomous vehicles, with or without human safety drivers on board, to carry paying passengers. However, those vehicles must be certified by an ATCF.
Uber, Otto
ATCFs will check that self-driving cars can capture and store sensor data from at least 30 seconds before a collision, have switches and indicators for autonomous driving, and cope with technology failures and all the rules of the road. Specific rules for autonomous taxis and ride-sharing vehicles in A.B. 69 include not loading or unloading passengers at crosswalks, and “discouraging” passengers from entering or leaving on the left side of vehicles.
While Nevada ATCF is the company licensed to operate the testing facility, planning documents name the tenant as UATC, a.k.a. Uber’s Advanced Technology Center. The $1.2 million remodel of the building in the Spring Valley suburb of Las Vegas also goes under the project names Uber ATC1 and Uber ATG—a reference to the Advanced Technology Group, another R&D team dedicated to self-driving technology.
A permit detailing the refit of the 70,000-square-foot space mentions eight “car-charging systems” and “car equipment for testing” in the interior space. This suggests Uber might use the center to develop and test its self-driving plug-in-hybrid Volvo XC90s, currently slated for the Pittsburgh pilot.
Application documents state that the ATCF will be staffed by more than a dozen self-driving experts, many of whom previously worked with autonomous vehicles at Google. Otto officials confirmed the facility would certify Uber and Otto vehicles exclusively, and that the company expects to have a big presence in Nevada going forward.
When the ATCF is up and running, Uber will have somewhere to build and certify its self-driving vehicles, expert staff on hand to troubleshoot, and regulators who have proven accommodating. The final piece of the puzzle would be those new rules to allow fully autonomous taxis and ride-sharing. Nevada’s legislative session begins on February 6.NEW DELHI: The Centre on Saturday petitioned the Supreme Court challenging the Andhra Pradesh high court verdict quashing the 4.5% minority sub-quota within the 27% reservation for other backward classes (OBC) in central educational institutions. Its argument: Muslims in the OBC category are often artisans and craftsmen, who, vis-a-vis peasant communities in the category are the more backward among the backward classes.The HRD ministry’s special leave petition, which will be argued by attorney general G E Vahanvati before a two-judge vacation bench on Monday, sought an ex parte stay of the HC order to enable implementation of the minority sub-quota in admissions to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in this academic session.The petition said the HC had got the core facts wrong about the government’s December 22, 2011 notification for a sub-quota. In a curious justification, the ministry argued that the 4.5% sub-quota for Muslims was essential as they were the more backward among those identified in the central OBC List.The general consensus for WildStar has been that the game is running on borrowed time for several reasons. That’s a sad conclusion, but an understandable one. And so that probably also means curtains for Carbine Studios, and… wait, the studio is hiring people? For a new team to work on a new project of some sort? They’re not just sitting around and waiting for things to come crashing down?
All right, if one of you wished for this on a monkey’s paw, you need to tell someone now before the consequences shock and horrify everyone.
The listed positions are for Concept Art, Graphics Engineering, Tools Engineering, and Combat Design, which… could mean lots of things. If not for the fact that the listings state this is part of a new team for a new project, it’d be easy to assume this was an attempt to shore up WildStar, but the fact that it is for a new project is enough to light one’s imagination on fire. What happens next? We don’t know, but we sure are excited to find out.WATCH: Two senior staff members at a Burnaby care home have been fired for allegedly running a pyramid scheme. Rumina Day |
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\u003cstrong\u003e5.0\u003c\/strong\u003e
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\u003cstrong\u003e54\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cspan\u003e Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e
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\u003cp class=\"article-pw-description\"\u003eA natural alternative to skin disinfectants, antibiotics and anti-fungals - skin rashes, irritation or inflammation.
Our Dr. Dobias Skin Spray is crafted of the finest all-natural, herbs and can be used by people and animals.\u003ca href=\"\/products\/skin-spray\" class=\"no-underline\"\u003eLearn more\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e
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\u003cspan\u003eDr. Dobias Original\u003c\/span\u003e
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\u003cspan\u003eGMO Free\u003c\/span\u003e
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\u003cli class=\"single-product-cat-ico product-single-tagg \"\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"spcii\"\u003e
\u003cimg class=\"col-cat-img\" data-col-hov-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/Made-in-Canada.png?v=2\" data-off-screen-loader=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/Made-in-Canada.png?v=2\" data-tooltip-targeter=\"0\"\u003e
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\u003cli class=\"single-product-cat-ico product-single-tagg d-flex flex-wrap\"\u003e
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\u003cimg class=\"col-cat-img\" data-col-hov-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/product-tag-icon-Natural.png\" data-off-screen-loader=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/product-tag-icon-Natural.png\" data-tooltip-targeter=\"0\"\u003e
\u003cspan\u003eNatural\u003c\/span\u003e
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\u003c\/li\u003e
\u003c\/ul\u003e
\u003c\/div\u003e
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\u003ca href=\"\/products\/skin-spray\" class=\"no-underline\" style=\"background-color:#bfd500;\"\u003e\u003ch4 style=\"color:#fff;\"\u003eView Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#45300b;\"\u003eor get it today\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e
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\u003cimg class=\"article-product-pw-img\" data-off-screen-loader=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/hair_cfb0ddb2-5cfa-4c18-b3e3-3789ffeab890_large.jpg?v=1518793240\" style=\"max-width:89%;height:auto;\"\u003e
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\u003ch2\u003eHairQ Test\u003c\/h2\u003e
\u003ch3\u003eThe secrets in your dog's hair\u003c\/h3\u003e
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\u003cp class=\"article-pw-description\"\u003eA HairQ test provides you with a sensitive indicator of the long-term effects of diet and toxic metal exposure. Our tests results are obtained through a clinical, government approved lab.\u003ca href=\"\/products\/hairq-test\" class=\"no-underline\"\u003eLearn more\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e
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\u003cul class=\"single-product-cat-icos\" \u003e
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\u003c\/div\u003e
\u003c\/div\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"article-pw-cta\"\u003e
\u003ca href=\"\/products\/hairq-test\" class=\"no-underline\" style=\"background-color:#bfd500;\"\u003e\u003ch4 style=\"color:#fff;\"\u003eView Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#45300b;\"\u003eor get it for your dog\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e
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" }, { "apw_handle": "cleanse-ad", "apw_html": "
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\u003cp class=\"article-pw-description\"\u003eLearn how to run our twice annual cleanse and detox program for your dog.\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/dog-cleanse\" class=\"no-underline\"\u003eLearn more\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"article-pw-cat-wrap\" id=\"article-pw-cat-wrap-10\"\u003e\t\t\t
\u003cul class=\"single-product-cat-icos\" \u003e
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\u003cimg class=\"col-cat-img\" data-col-hov-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/product-tag-icon-Dobias.png\" data-off-screen-loader=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/product-tag-icon-Dobias.png\" data-tooltip-targeter=\"0\"\u003e
\u003cspan\u003eDr. Dobias Original\u003c\/span\u003e
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\u003cli class=\"single-product-cat-ico product-single-tagg d-flex flex-wrap\"\u003e
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\u003cimg class=\"col-cat-img\" data-col-hov-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/product-tag-icon-Natural.png\" data-off-screen-loader=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/product-tag-icon-Natural.png\" data-tooltip-targeter=\"0\"\u003e
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\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/dog-cleanse\" class=\"no-underline\" style=\"background-color:#bfd500;\"\u003e\u003ch4 style=\"color:#fff;\"\u003eView Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#45300b;\"\u003estart the cleanse now\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e
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" }, { "apw_handle": "harness-ad", "apw_html": "
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\u003ch2\u003ePerfect Fit Harness\u003c\/h2\u003e
\u003ch3\u003eBuild your own\u003c\/h3\u003e
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\u003cstrong\u003e4.6\u003c\/strong\u003e
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\u003cstrong\u003e14\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cspan\u003e Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e
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\u003c\/div\u003e\t\t\t\t
\u003cp class=\"article-pw-description\"\u003eMade in England, the Perfect Fit Harness is a modular system that allows you to create a fleece-lined harness perfectly fitted to your dog.\u003ca href=\"\/products\/perfect-fit-harness-builder\" class=\"no-underline\"\u003eLearn more\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"article-pw-cat-wrap\" id=\"article-pw-cat-wrap-11\"\u003e\t\t\t
\u003cul class=\"single-product-cat-icos\" \u003e
\u003cli class=\"single-product-cat-ico product-single-tagg \"\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"spcii\"\u003e
\u003cimg class=\"col-cat-img\" data-col-hov-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/Made-in-UK.png?v=2\" data-off-screen-loader=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/Made-in-UK.png?v=2\" data-tooltip-targeter=\"0\"\u003e
\u003cspan\u003eMade in UK\u003c\/span\u003e
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\u003c\/ul\u003e
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\u003cdiv class=\"article-pw-cta\"\u003e
\u003ca href=\"\/products\/perfect-fit-harness-builder\" class=\"no-underline\" style=\"background-color:#bfd500;\"\u003e\u003ch4 style=\"color:#fff;\"\u003eView Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#45300b;\"\u003eor get it for your dog\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e
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" }, { "apw_handle": "leash-ad", "apw_html": "
\u003cdiv class=\"article-product-widget\" data-pw-id=\"196227237\" data-pw-url=\"\/products\/featherlight-leash\" data-off-screen-loader=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/article-sc-bg.jpg\" data-ofl-bg=\"true\"\u003e
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\u003cdiv class=\"appwimg-wrap aadt-pad\"\u003e
\u003cimg class=\"article-product-pw-img\" data-off-screen-loader=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/products\/soft-durable-woolen-handmade-leash_large.png?v=1518797921\" \u003e
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\u003ch2\u003eGentle\u003c\/h2\u003e
\u003ch3\u003eSoft handmade leashes\u003c\/h3\u003e
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\u003cstrong\u003e4.9\u003c\/strong\u003e
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\u003cstrong\u003e47\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cspan\u003e Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e
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\u003c\/div\u003e\t\t\t\t
\u003cp class=\"article-pw-description\"\u003eOur best selling leash, environmentally friendly, 100% natural wool, strong and lightweight, shock absorbing for your dogs safety. Handmade in Canada.\u003ca href=\"\/products\/featherlight-leash\" class=\"no-underline\"\u003eLearn more\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"article-pw-cat-wrap\" id=\"article-pw-cat-wrap-12\"\u003e\t\t\t
\u003cul class=\"single-product-cat-icos\" \u003e
\u003cli class=\"single-product-cat-ico product-single-tagg \"\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"spcii\"\u003e
\u003cimg class=\"col-cat-img\" data-col-hov-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/Made-in-Canada.png?v=2\" data-off-screen-loader=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/Made-in-Canada.png?v=2\" data-tooltip-targeter=\"0\"\u003e
\u003cspan\u003eMade in Canada\u003c\/span\u003e
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\u003c\/li\u003e
\u003cli class=\"single-product-cat-ico product-single-tagg d-flex flex-wrap\"\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"spcii\"\u003e
\u003cimg class=\"col-cat-img\" data-col-hov-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/product-tag-icon-Natural.png\" data-off-screen-loader=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/product-tag-icon-Natural.png\" data-tooltip-targeter=\"0\"\u003e
\u003cspan\u003eNatural\u003c\/span\u003e
\u003c\/div\u003e
\u003c\/li\u003e
\u003c\/ul\u003e
\u003c\/div\u003e
\u003c\/div\u003e
\u003c\/div\u003e
\u003c\/div\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"article-pw-cta\"\u003e
\u003ca href=\"\/products\/featherlight-leash\" class=\"no-underline\" style=\"background-color:#bfd500;\"\u003e\u003ch4 style=\"color:#fff;\"\u003eView Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:#45300b;\"\u003eor get it for your dog\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e
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\u003c\/div\u003e
\u003c\/div\u003e
" }, { "apw_handle": "fleahex-ad", "apw_html": "
\u003cdiv class=\"article-product-widget\" data-pw-id=\"1132052677\" data-pw-url=\"\/products\/fleahex\" data-off-screen-loader=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/article-sc-bg.jpg\" data-ofl-bg=\"true\"\u003e
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\u003cdiv class=\"appwimg-wrap aadt-pad\"\u003e
\u003cimg class=\"article-product-pw-img\" data-off-screen-loader=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/products\/Main_Product_Image_seal_large.jpg?v=1463713559\" \u003e
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\u003cdiv class=\"article-product-widget-inner\"\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"article-product-widget-content \"\u003e
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\u003ch2\u003eFleaHex\u003c\/h2\u003e
\u003ch3\u003eAll natural flea control\u003c\/h3\u003e
\u003c\/div\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"article-pw-ratings\"\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"product-reviews-meta\"\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"single-product-rating\"\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"star-ratings-sprite\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"width:99.1304347826087%\" class=\"star-ratings-sprite-rating\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e
\u003cstrong\u003e5.0\u003c\/strong\u003e
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\u003cdiv class=\"article-pw-review-wrap\"\u003e
\u003cstrong\u003e23\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cspan\u003e Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e
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\u003c\/div\u003e\t\t\t\t
\u003cp class=\"article-pw-description\"\u003eOur new generation, plant-based flea control for dogs comes in two steps - FleaHex and FleaHex Household Spray. We guarantee that you will get rid of fleas and keep them from coming back!\u003ca href=\"\/products\/fleahex\" class=\"no-underline\"\u003eLearn more\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"article-pw-cat-wrap\" id=\"article-pw-cat-wrap-13\"\u003e\t\t\t
\u003cul class=\"single-product-cat-icos\" \u003e
\u003cli class=\"single-product-cat-ico product-single-tagg d-flex flex-wrap\"\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"spcii\"\u003e
\u003cimg class=\"col-cat-img\" data-col-hov-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/product-tag-icon-Dobias.png\" data-off-screen-loader=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/product-tag-icon-Dobias.png\" data-tooltip-targeter=\"0\"\u003e
\u003cspan\u003eDr. Dobias Original\u003c\/span\u003e
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\u003cli class=\"single-product-cat-ico product-single-tagg d-flex flex-wrap\"\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"spcii\"\u003e
\u003cimg class=\"col-cat-img\" data-col-hov-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/product-tag-icon-GMO-Free.png\" data-off-screen-loader=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/product-tag-icon-GMO-Free.png\" data-tooltip-targeter=\"0\"\u003e
\u003cspan\u003eGMO Free\u003c\/span\u003e
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\u003cli class=\"single-product-cat-ico product-single-tagg canadian-notes\"\u003e
\u003cdiv class=\"spcii\"\u003e
\u003cimg class=\"col-cat-img\" data-col-hov-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/Made-in-Canada.png?v=2\" data-off-screen-loader=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0316\/8657\/files\/Made-in-Canada.png?v=2\" data-tooltip-targeter=\"0\"\u003e
\u003cspan\u003eMade in Canada\u003c\/span\u003e
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\u003c |
from deaths of people in custody and lead to the answers these mothers deserve.
Sign the petition: The Department of Justice must enforce DCRA and ARD to the full extent of the law.Cpt Patrick Archer – 06/05/2017 im not this isnt about hurting hades at all it’s about getting rid of useless blues like drones and igc
Over the last few weeks Eve News 24 has been following and investigating the diplomatic tensions surrounding Triumvirate. <TRI> and it’s allies. Rumors surfaced, through the leaks obtained by kugutsumen.org and, written about by Seraph IX Basarab, detailing embarrassing command chat logs within Triumvirate/Vanguard’s directorship that seemed to indicate their (Tri’s) desire to set their allies blue and potentially attack DRF/Gemico or FCON. This article was followed up by one by one of mine detailing some of the history, political layout, and specific situations that continued to destabilize the south and spark a war between allied alliances. I also covered the ejection of Manifesto. from Vanguard Coalition. Shortly after the article was published, streamer Manny Bothans hosted several major null-sec players on his show and the situation surrounding Triumvirate was one of the major topics discussed. The panel included UaXDeath (Exec of DRF/Gemico) and Tarkinius (Exec of FCON) and confirmed the bulk of the articles and reached a consensus that Triumvirate. was taking these actions to get ‘content’, and a win, after their failed deployment north against Guardians of the Galaxy. While no one faulted them for looking for content the heavy handed treatment of not only allies but coalition members by Triumvirate./Vanguard High Command, repeated violation of Non-Invasion or Non-Aggression Pacts (NIP/NAP), as well as their (Tri’s) desire to launch an attack against DRF or FCON led most to feel that they were burning bridges and breaking trusts that would likely impede future diplomatic negotiations from ever being reached with Triumvirate.
After our initial articles, Triumvirate. leaders denied any desire or plans to attack the Drone Region Federation/Gemico and that the logs had been faked. However, multiple parties involved and present in the channels have since verified the information. Furthermore, the direct messages between Cpt Patrick Archer and Marrowbone (see below) further confirm the discussion of these plans. The desire to, or even consideration, by Triumvirate. to even consider attacking DRF/Gemico is significant. Triumvirate. holds its current space through agreements with and at the invitation of DRF/Gemico.
Eve News 24 interviewed a former long time member of Vanguard Coalition Leadership and were provided with direct chats between Hell’s Pirates Alliance leader Marrowbone and Cpt Patrick Archer (Vanguard Coalition XO/Acting Coalition Leader during Garst’s absence). Now it should be noted that Marrowbone came to us after her alliance was ejected from Vanguard Coalition for ‘low participation’. We realize this could bias her as a source and maybe not present a full picture of both sides of the story. However, EN24 was provided with multiple verified logs and independent sources that have confirmed and validated Marrowbone’s information.
Marrowbone said she planned to “stay quiet” until several incidents occurred. Triumvirate. Exec Garst Tyrell posted a secretly recorded conversation between him and Manifesto co-executor Piotr Engels to Reddit in a heavy handed attempt to control the narrative. I won’t rehash that but if you want to read about it you can do it here. While Marrowbone holds no hard feelings towards Garst, she did feel the attempt to use the recording to falsely slant the narrative with Manifesto. and comments made by Triumvirate. leadership about HADES pushed Marrowbone to come forward and make sure that Hell’s Pirates’ side of the story was public, before similar methods were utilized by Triumvirate. leadership. She holds no hard feelings but, since her previous steadfast and deep support for Vanguard, she found her motives moving her alliance were doubted. She felt it was important to make sure accurate facts were public about what happened both with her, her alliance, and the breakdown of trust within Vanguard as a whole. Hell’s Pirates had a long relationship with both as a ally of Triumvirate. and a founding member of the Vanguard Coalition. Much like the diplomatic drama surrounding Manifesto., FCON, and other allies, things seemed to ratchet up when Garst went AFK for real life reasons and left Cpt Patrick Archer in charge of both Triumvirate and the coalition. When he (Patrick) announced a deployment north to attack the Guardians of the Galaxy Coalition he only took Triumvirate and left the rest of the coalition. Marrowbone as a alliance exec and informal leader inside of Vanguard picked up the reigns and worked with the coalition and FCON to protect Triumvirate.’s sovereignty and keep the remaining coalition members active and defending their space. Multiple line members from all the involved credit Marrowbone with taking a bad situation and keeping the coalition together while Triumvirate was off in the north.
Due to Triumvirate.’s absence and lack of concern at what was happening ‘back home’ Marrowbone had to create an infrastructure and communication system to coordinate between the remaining Vanguard members and other blues (FCON, TBC, ect). This became handy as Marrowbone also had to spend considerable time patching up diplomatic incidents caused by Patrick, his heavy handed approach, and violating multiple diplomatic agreements, with FCON and other allies. After Triumvirate.’s deployment failed and they returned home Cpt Patrick Archer recalled the entire coalition to a central location to “make ISK and ‘krab’ to support an upcoming war’. He also called a coalition leadership meeting with the following:
That all alliances were to rat to support a ‘upcoming war’ (No specifics were given on who the war was with)
It was at this point, that command chats and private messages show that Triumvirate was eyeing a reset of the Drone Region Federation/Gemico allies in the north and considered them ‘Useless blues’.
Below is a series of DMs between Marrowbone and Patrick discussing the reset. We have not edited any of them except to add a few words in parenthesis for clarification:
Cpt Patrick Archer – 05/24/2017: hi, you here? there’s been a massive push from basically every1 in TRI to remove droneland standings, announcing those 4 groups joining VG triggered it again I’m of the same opinion and I think we should move forward That will 75% sure mean lose our droneland holdings Thoughts? DON’T SHARE WITH FAFER until i talk to him ——————————————————————– Marrowbone – 06/05/2017 Look pat I have had your back since garst left because I promised I would and even when I don’t agree with you and my own ppl are leaving I’m doing it anyway. So all I’m asking is what’s the plan here we go fight of Gemico and drf at one Were good but not that good Marrowbone – 06/05/2017 You said we were resetting all of them Cpt Patrick Archer – 06/05/2017 yea i hate useless blues they give us nothing havent for months Marrowbone – 06/05/2017 Umm so if we lose er (Etherium Reach) How do we get supplies in except gwls (Great Wild Lands) Where we will die Cpt Patrick Archer – 06/05/2017 gw we’ve been using gw since forever we used to jump to poses and now astras Marrowbone – 06/05/2017 All I’m asking is for u to slow down and think abt this. Like why not take on one thing at a time Cpt Patrick Archer – 06/05/2017 we are thing one is reset drones Marrowbone – 06/05/2017 Ok so how do I get the money back and all our shit moved We aren’t you pat We lived outta there for ages We don’t have money or time to move fast Cpt Patrick Archer – 06/05/2017 i mean you can stall till july if you want but garst is gonna be of the same opinion Marrowbone – 06/05/2017 I know what he says I talk to him every night But I’m going to lose ppl over this It is going to knock Hades down alor Alot Cpt Patrick Archer – 06/05/2017 why do you keep saying that if it’s compensated? Marrowbone – 06/05/2017 With bloody what We have to good sec systems U literally gave every one in vanguard better sov and moons then us And yeah you gave us some sov in er but most we took Like if its me u don’t like fine ill walk away but don’t punish hades Cpt Patrick Archer – 06/05/2017 im not this isnt about hurting hades at all it’s about getting rid of useless blues like drones and igc
There appears to be two interesting things going on in this exchange. Cpt Patrick Archer is building a narrative that due to the four new members of Vanguard, that Triumvirate. members are demanding a reset of DRF due to lack of content and a glut of blues. On its surface, this would be a reasonable statement but, remember, that some of those new members were forced into Vanguard under threat of join us or be invaded. If your members are unhappy with having so many blues and a lack of content then why would you then create more blues by threat of violence? The second interesting thing is Triumvirate considers DRF/Gemico a ‘useless blue’ and that ‘they give us nothing haven’t for months’. I find this interesting, because it was the agreements with and efforts by DRF that allowed Triumvirate. to hold the space they have had. No matter how you read this, the obvious disdain for DRF/Gemico on the part of Triumvirate. is quite telling. Having the highest level of leadership refer to their long time allies as ‘useless’ and ‘giving us nothing’ speaks volumes. When Marrowbone attempts to slow down the conversation and advocate for a different course Patrick shows a singular focus on his goals. She states “All I’m asking is for u to slow down and think about this [resetting DRF]. Like why not take on one thing at a time?” The response from Patrick is straightforward, and can not be misinterpreted:
Cpt Patrick Archer – 06/05/2017 we are thing one is reset dronesHealth Library: Aortic dissection
Washington (CNN) -- U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke has died, a senior administration official told CNN Monday evening.
Holbrooke had undergone surgery in the past three days to repair a tear in his aorta, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday.
"He had a very serious medical emergency on Friday," Clinton said at a news conference in Quebec, Canada, with foreign ministers from Canada and Mexico. "He has received excellent care including many hours of surgery in the last three days."
Earlier, a State Department official said Holbrooke was "absolutely fighting in an unbelievable way." Holbrooke remains unconscious after an additional procedure to aid circulation following the initial surgery on his aorta, the main artery of the body, the State Department said.
At a holiday reception for U.S. diplomats later Monday, President Barack Obama praised Holbrooke as "simply one of the giants of American foreign policy" who has served the nation "with distinction for nearly 50 years," including his work in negotiating the 1995 Dayton Accords that ended the Bosnian war in the former Yugoslavia.
"As anyone who has ever worked with him knows -- or had the clear disadvantage of negotiating across the table from him -- Richard is relentless," Obama said. "He never stops. He never quits. Because he's always believed that if we stay focused, if we act on our mutual interests, that progress is possible. Wars can end. Peace can be forged."
The president said he and his family were praying for Holbrooke's recovery, "and I know that everyone here joins me when I say that America is more secure -- and the world is a safer place -- because of" his work.
"And he is a tough son of a gun, so we are confident that, as hard as this is, that he is going to be putting up a tremendous fight," Obama said.
Holbrooke, the special U.S. representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan, was getting "fantastic care" at George Washington University Hospital, the State Department official said.
It is the same hospital where Ronald Reagan was taken after being shot in 1981. Holbrooke was taken there Friday after feeling ill at the State Department.
Clinton expressed appreciation for what she called an outpouring of concern and support from "presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers" who have called the State Department since news of Holbrooke's illness broke.
His surgeon continues to meet with the family to gives frequent updates, and Holbrooke "is receiving great support from a broad and growing community of family and friends," the State Department official said.
"It's remarkable how many messages of support (his wife, Kati Marton) and the family keep receiving from all corners: foreign ministers and ambassadors from around the world, President (Bill) Clinton, senators and congressmen, colleagues from this Af/Pak job, from Vietnam, from the Balkans, from the U.N., from the private sector," the official said.
Clinton and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen have visited the hospital numerous times, according to the State Department source, who said: "They've each come three times, informally chatting with family members, friends and staffers, and really helping to buoy the assembled."
The State Department also said Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari called Holbrooke's wife Sunday morning.
Zardari told CNN's Reza Sayah that Holbrooke is a "fighter." He said he told Holbrooke's wife to be "brave."
"I'm sure he will fight for his life, and he will come out of it," Zardari said.
Asked to reflect on Holbrooke's impact on the Pakistani region, Zardari called him an "extremely hard-working man" who can "get things done which would otherwise take weeks to get through."PHILADELPHIA -- Despite making an encouraging return from devastating knee injuries, Andrew Bynum is still pondering whether to continue to play and battle ongoing knee pain or retire.
On Friday, Bynum hopes to do something he wasn't able to do all of last season -- play in Philadelphia. He missed the 2012-13 season with knee issues after the 76ers executed a major trade for him and planned to make him a franchise cornerstone.
But even as he's defied the odds by returning to play with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bynum is still in discomfort following surgeries to both knees earlier this year.
"Retirement was a thought, it was a serious thought. It still is," Bynum, 26, said after Cavs' practice at Temple University. "It's tough to enjoy the game because of how limited I am physically. I'm working through that. Every now and again I do [think about retirement]. … It's still career-threatening. I'm a shell of myself on the court right now. I'm just struggling mentally."
Bynum is expecting to get a rough reception Friday night. There was a perception that he didn't make his rehab a priority while he was with the 76ers, especially after he admitted he reinjured his knee while bowling during the season. Several times he was on the verge of returning to play only to have a setback.
"If I could've played I would have," Bynum said. "I don't really care [how the fans will treat him]. It is what it is. I was hurt and I'm still hurt but I'm trying. … Nothing went bad, nothing went wrong. I think people just need to accept the facts that my knees are the way they are."If you're one of those people who feel the urge to document each and every breathing moment of your life, but think it's annoying to have to get out your smartphone to snap pictures and upload them every time, you're in luck.
Thanks to startup Always Innovating, you'll soon be able to have a mini-drone hover over your shoulder and do that job for you.
It's called MeCam and it's essentially a small quadrocopter flying robot that will be able to continuously follow you, snap pictures or videos with its built-in digital camera, stream them to an Android or iOS phone or tablet, and upload them to social networks like Facebook or YouTube.
SEE ALSO: Watch the World's Highest Resolution Drone-Mounted Camera in Action
The drone is equipped with 14 sensors "for perfect and safe hovering," the website states. It's controllable with voice commands, and when it comes out in early 2014, the price will be around $50.
Maybe the dad who tried to build a drone to follow his kid on the walk from the house to the school bus could use this one instead.
To find out more about the MeCam, check out the video above.
Would you buy one of these mini-drones? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Photo courtesy of Always InnovatingZoe Saldana’s husband took her last name so now the world is going to end.
The July issue of InStyle magazine features Zoe Saldana on the cover, and in the accompanying interview, we find out her husband, Italian artist Marco Saldana nee Parego, took her last name instead of the other way around.
We have squirrels in our courtyard, and this time of year they get bold as hell, leaping from the trees to windowsills, trying to chew holes in screens and whatnot. It’s not uncommon to hear them scampering about, dropping nuts or whatever it is they eat. Sunday night when I heard a little pitter patter, I assumed it was the squirrels, but in actuality, it was the sound of billions of testicles around the world spontaneously detaching from their owners over the news of a man taking his wife’s last name.
“I tried to talk him out of it. I told him, ‘If you use my name, you’re going to be emasculated by your community of artists, by your Latin community of men, by the world’,“ the star The “Guardians of The Galaxy” star sits beaming on the cover of the July issue of InStyle magazine, in which she reveals how Italian artist Marco Perego took her name after the two secretly married in the summer of 2013. Perego, it turns out, made the progressive decision in spite of his wife’s doubts.“I tried to talk him out of it. I told him, ‘If you use my name, you’re going to be emasculated by your community of artists, by your Latin community of men, by the world’,“ the star told InStyle. “But Marco looks up at me and says [she puts on a cute Italian accent], ‘Ah, Zoe, I don’t give a sheet.’” (source)
Small aside: It annoys me that the article refers to him as "Marco Perego” instead of “Marco Saldana nee Perego.” Beyonce is the most famous woman in the world, and she’s been Beyonce Knowles-Carter since she tied the knot.
Marco’s last name is Saldana. Refer to him as such.
Anyway, question for the married ladies: Why did you take your husband’s last name? I think I asked this a few years ago, but there are a lot more people visiting this corner of the internet these days, so I want to hear what y'all have to say. If you took your husband’s last name, why? Was there even a discussion or was it just assumed that you would? If it was just assumed, how do you feel about that? Why didn’t you have to urge to keep your last name? If you had wanted to, what would he have said? If you had asked him to take your last name because of family pride or something, would he have agreed?
None of that is meant to imply that women who take their husband’s last name are wrong, but I’m genuinely curious. It’s not something I think you should be taking a stand over if it doesn’t matter to you, but I’d like to know why it doesn’t matter to you, because more often than not, it definitely matters to him. The only time I’ve met guys who have said they wouldn’t mind taking their wife’s last name, they were already married and there was no risk of having to appease the feminist sensibilities all late and after the fact.
I just think it’s so weird that we still automatically assume the woman will take his last name because it’s rooted in ownership. You are literally being passed like a burlap sap of goods from one man (your father) to another man (your husband) and the name change finalizes it. Yes women can conduct their own business transactions now and own property in their own right today, but the last name ownership to me is a reminder that it hasn’t always been that way and the last name was necessary as a means to prove you belonged to a man and not acting of your own autonomy. (To be fair though, even seeing “Mrs.” in print bugs the hell out of me because that little “r” is another archaic reminder that you belong to someone. Men are “Mr.” with or without the ring.)
Zoe’s husband taking her last name is refreshing, and sensible. I’m not sure what I’m going to do when I get married – either pick a new name as a couple, combine our names, or just keep mine – but if my husband is Jussie Smollett, then I promise you I’m about to be Rafi D'Angelo Smollett because that name has capital attached to it. I wouldn’t even expect him to change his name because that’s part of his visibility. The same with Zoe. Why change her last name to that of a nobody when the entire planet knows her as Zoe Saldana? Her name carries a lot more social capital than his does, so it honestly just makes sense, if in fact they were set on having the same last name in the first place.
If you’re still not seeing where I’m coming from, read this.
My husband and I do not share a last name. We might joke about being the Flongs, but his last name is Fleck, and mine is Long. When Dan told me he didn’t plan on taking my last name, I felt like less of a woman. My femininity is completely wrapped up in his last name. When we’re out with friends and family, and someone calls him Mr. Long, he corrects them, and I feel embarrassed. Do they think he wears the skirt in our marriage because he didn’t take my last name? I know Dan loves me, but sometimes I worry he’s not committed to our marriage. Since he didn’t change his name when we got married, it will be easier for him to resume his bachelor status if he decided to divorce me. (keep going, it gets even better)
I guess it just comes down to why and does anyone care. If your last name sounds weird and his sounds amazing, if neither of you really cares either way but his family will probably throw a hissy fit and you don’t want to be the “difficult” daughter-in-law, if he’s a famous movie star and you work at Panera, go for it. Change your name. But if he’s just saying “this is really important to me because I’m a man” then you probably have more issues in your relationship aside from a little name change.
PS: It’s cute that he took her last name, but I’m 87% sure he’s taking her conditioner too.
My dude has a Caesar and a wave brush when all I want in life is a boy to share hair products with. #RelationshipGoals.
11:25 am • 9 June 2015 •
| marco perego| marco saldana| zoe saldana| guys with long hair| feminism| marriage| celebs| celebrities|For the film based on this term, see The Spanish Prisoner
The Spanish Prisoner is a confidence trick originating in the late 19th century.[1] In its original form, the confidence trickster tells his victim (the mark) that he is (or is in correspondence with) a wealthy person of high estate who has been imprisoned in Spain under a false identity. Some versions had the imprisoned person being an unknown or remote relative of the mark.[2] Supposedly the prisoner cannot reveal his identity without serious repercussions, and is relying on a friend (the confidence trickster) to raise money to secure his release.[2] In this classic pigeon drop game archetype, the confidence trickster offers to let the mark put up some of the funds, with a promise of a greater monetary reward upon release of the prisoner plus a non-pecuniary incentive, gaining the hand of a beautiful woman represented to be the prisoner's daughter. After the mark has turned over the funds, he is informed further difficulties have arisen, and more money is needed. With such explanations, the trickster continues to press for more money until the victim is cleaned out, or declines to put up more funds.
Characteristics [ edit ]
Key features of the Spanish Prisoner trick are the emphasis on secrecy and the trust the confidence trickster apparently places in the mark not to reveal the prisoner's identity or situation. The confidence trickster will typically claim to have chosen the mark carefully, based on his reputation for honesty and straight dealing, and may appear to structure the deal so that the confidence trickster's ultimate share of the reward will be distributed voluntarily by the mark.
Modern variants [ edit ]
Modern variants of the Spanish Prisoner fraud include the advance-fee scam, in particular the Nigerian money transfer (or 419) scam.[2] In the advance-fee fraud, a valuable item must be ransomed from a warehouse, crooked customs agent, or lost-baggage facility before the authorities or thieves recognize its value. In the Nigerian variation, a self-proclaimed relative of a deposed African dictator offers to transfer millions of ill-gotten dollars into the bank account of the victim in return for small initial payments to cover bribes and other expenses. More recent examples feature people sharing the same surname as the intended victim, with the scammer guessing the surname from observing patterns in e-mail addresses, or obtaining full names from harvested email headers. Another variation spreads via hijacked Facebook accounts, where a message is sent to all the Facebook friends of the victim, claiming that the victim is in a foreign country, has been robbed, and needs one of the Facebook friends to "send money" via Western Union to pay hotel and travel bills.[citation needed]
References [ edit ]
Sneaky Pete, Season 1, Episode 6. This specific con is discussed as Marius and two other crooks hatch a particular scam.City in Texas, United States
Mobeetie is a city in northwestern Wheeler County, Texas, United States, located on Sweetwater Creek and State Highway 152. The population was 101 at the 2010 census, six below the 2000 figure.[3]
History [ edit ]
Mobeetie (formerly known as "Cantonment Sweetwater") was a trading post for hunters and trappers for nearby United States Army outpost Fort Elliott. It was first a buffalo hunter's camp unofficially called "Hidetown." Connected to the major cattle-drive town of Dodge City, Kansas by the Jones-Plummer Trail, Mobeetie was a destination for stagecoach freight and buffalo skinners. As it grew, the town supported the development of cattle ranches within a hundred-mile radius by supplying the staple crops.1
The first formal name for the town was "Sweetwater." It was located on the North Fork of the Red River. Nearby Fort Elliott, developed to protect the buffalo trade from Indian raiders, stimulated further growth of the town. On January 24, 1876 occurred the "Sweetwater Shootout". Anthony Cook (aka Corporal "Sergeant" Melvin A. King; of the then-4th Cavalry Company H, stationed at Fort Elliot) shot and killed Mollie Brennan (a dance hall girl and former prostitute). Sgt. King then wounded Bat Masterson, who in turn killed him (King may have shot Masterson first and then killed Brennan; accounts vary).[4][5] Texas cattleman Charles Goodnight said about the town: "I think it was the hardest place I ever saw on the frontier except Cheyenne, Wyoming."
When the town applied for a post office in 1879, the name "Sweetwater" was already in use. The town took the new name of "Mobeetie," believed to be a Native American word for "Sweetwater."
Because of the presence of Fort Elliott and Mobeetie's importance as a commercial center, Wheeler County became the first politically organized county in the Texas Panhandle, in 1879, followed by Oldham County at Tascosa, now a ghost town. Mobeetie became the first county seat for Wheeler County. From 1880 to 1883, the notorious Robert Clay Allison ranched with his two brothers, John William and Jeremiah Monroe, twelve miles northeast of town, at the junction of the Washita River and Gageby Creek. One day, Allison rode through Mobeetie drunk and naked.[6][7] Allison married America Medora "Dora" McCulloch in Mobeetie on February 15, 1881.[8]
Lester Fields Sheffy, in The Life and Times of Timothy Dwight Hobart, 1855-1935: Colonization of West Texas (1950), describes Mobeetie as follows:
Mobeetie was perhaps the most typical frontier town in the American Southwest on account of its background and the cosmopolitan character of its people. It was never a large town as early plains towns went, but it was a busy and a thriving center. When [land surveyor] Timothy Dwight Hobart arrived at Mobeetie in 1886, the town was in the heyday of its existence. Its several merchandise stores and other business firms, its blacksmith shops and livery stables, its law offices and real estate agencies, its nine saloons, and its fort, its substantial rock school building and its church organizations were a splendid index to the varied interest and character of the people. Mobeetie had all the elements of people that it took to make a typical frontier village. It had its buffalo hunters and its bull whackers, its soldiers and its scouts, its indolents and its prostitutes, its substantial businessmen, and its legal fraternity....
One of the most stabilizing influences among the citizenry of Mobeetie was its soldiers. While most of the soldiers themselves were transient and never became permanent citizens of the community, yet they exercised a restraining influence over the town and surrounding country because of the feeling of security which their presence gave to the region.... At times there was dissension between the soldiers and the civilians, but the most cordial relationships existed at all times between the officers at the fort and the more substantial business leaders of the town. The presence of several hundred soldiers at the fort increased the profits of the merchants, the saloon keepers, the dance halls, and brought considerable ready cash into the community...[9]
When Army Lieutenant Colonel John Porter Hatch was reassigned from Fort Elliott in 1881, the Wheeler County Commissioners Court authorized a resolution honoring Hatch for his service: "He has proven himself at all times agreeable to the citizens of this section and willing to aid them as a community or as individuals whenever such aid has been required, and to the fullest extent of his power."[9]
Fort Elliot, home of the Tenth Cavalry, display at Pioneer West Museum
In the 1880s, Temple Lea Houston, the youngest son of Sam Houston, was the district attorney of the 35th Judicial District of Texas, when then encompassed fifteen counties in the Texas Panhandle. The district was based at the time in the courthouse at Mobeetie. Houston was also a member of the Texas State Senate from 1885 to 1889 and later moved to Oklahoma, where he worked for statehood. An NBC television series, Temple Houston, which aired from 1963 to 1964, is loosely based on his life, with Jeffrey Hunter in the starring role.[10]
At its peak in 1890, the town had over four hundred people, but Mobeetie's boom days ended when Fort Elliott closed that same year. Further decline came with the tornado of May 1, 1898, and then the loss of the county seat, in 1907, to Wheeler. In 1929, Wheeler moved two miles when the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway built nearby tracks. The town steadily grew again until the start of World War II brought a peak of about five hundred.
Little remains of the Old Mobeetie. Sheffy, in The Life and Times of Timothy Dwight Hobart writes:
The new Mobeetie stands almost within gun shot of the old town in the midst of a great agricultural and stock raising region. The worn and unkept buildings of the old town speak eloquently of its hard struggle to survive. They should be preserved as a lasting monument to the struggle and achievement of a people who wrought well in laying the foundations of Anglo-American civilization in the Southwest."[9]
The Pioneer West Museum in Shamrock, Texas, preserves the heritage of the Old Mobeetie region. Its contains an exhibit on Fort Elliott.
Geography [ edit ]
Mobeetie is located in the Texas Panhandle northeast of Sweetwater Creek along Texas Highways 152, 48 and 1046. Pampa lies about 30 miles to the west and Wheeler is about ten miles to the east along route 152. The Fort Elliot historical site is about one mile west along route 152.[11][12]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all land.
Demographics [ edit ]
Historical population Census Pop. %± 1980 291 — 1990 154 −47.1% 2000 107 −30.5% 2010 101 −5.6% Est. 2016 104 [13] 3.0% U.S. Decennial Census[14]
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 107 people, 48 households, and 28 families residing in the city. The population density was 175.3 people per square mile (67.7/km²). There were 68 housing units at an average density of 111.4/sq mi (43.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.07% White and 0.93% Native American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.54% of the population.
There were 48 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city, the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $39,583. Males had a median income of $35,417 versus $23,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,059. There were no families and 2.9% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.
Education [ edit ]
The City of Mobeetie is served by the Fort Elliott Consolidated Independent School District.
Climate [ edit ]
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Mobeetie has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[15]
References [ edit ]
1The Texas Panhandle Frontier; Rathjen, Frederick W; (1973); Texas Tech University Press. ISBN 0-89672-399-2.“The more people learn about the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, the less they like it. Tar sands crude means a dirtier, more dangerous future for our children all so that the oil industry can reach the higher prices of overseas markets. That's right, overseas markets, which is where the majority of this processed oil will end up. This dirty energy project is all risk and no reward for the American people.” – Robert Redford, Reader Supported News, February 4, 2014
What is the Keystone XL Pipeline project?
The Keystone project is a controversial proposal for a nearly 1,700 mile pipeline to send 830,000 barrels 875 miles across the U.S. every day of one of the world’s dirtiest fuels, tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada to Gulf Coast refineries in Texas. It would double imports of tar sands oil into the U.S. and facilitate its export to international ports. Major oil and other fossil fuel corporations in the U.S. and Canada, joined by other Wall Street interests and the federal and state politicians they influence are promoting the plan.
Opponents include every prominent environmental organization, other climate change activists, many farmers, ranchers and community leaders along the path of the proposed pipeline, First Nations leaders, most Canadian unions, and some U.S. unions, including NNU and the Amalgamated Transit Union.
The State Department January 31 issued a mixed final environmental assessment report generally viewed as giving a green light for the project. Since the project crosses international borders, the State Department and Secretary of State John Kerry are required to make a recommendation to President Obama, who has the final decision, as to whether the pipeline is in the U.S. national interest.
Why |
ians were already nearing the neck of land described as the ‘Jetty.’ This occurred at daybreak on Sunday the 29th of July in the six thousand four hundred and twelfth year of the Creation of the World (AD 904). The report spread like wildfire through the city and there was turmoil, din and confusion on all sides, as people shouted out now one thing now another, trying to decide what to do about the immediate situation, and everybody armed himself as best he could and hastened to man the walls. And they were not yet properly deployed along the battlements, when the barbarian fleet appeared in view from the previously mentioned promontory, in full sail. And it so happened at the time that the ships were driven by a tailwind in such a way as to create the impression that they were not gliding over the surface of the water but floating through the air. It was, as has been remarked, the month of July, a time of year when the wind that blows across the Gulf (of Thessaloniki) is at its most sustained, blowing from the foothills of Mt. Olympus in Greece, and each summer day from daybreak to the ninth hour falling upon the city and causing a breeze. And so, with the wind abetting them in the first moments of daylight, the enemy swooped down from close by. First of all, they lowered the sails, having positioned themselves alongside the wall, and began to take careful note of the layout of the city. They did not, in fact, offer battle as soon as they had dropped anchor but left some time in order to probe our strength and the extent of our preparedness and to equip themselves for combat. They stood for a while filled with apprehension, unable to compare the spectacle that now confronted them with anything they had seen before: what they saw was a city of considerable dimensions with the entire course of its wall manned by great numbers of people. Consequently, they were even more dismayed and held back for a short time from giving battle. We, for our part, began to pluck up courage and in the short ensuing respite to restore our morale.
Chapter 24: While we were in this situation, the leader of the barbarian forces decided to patrol the entire section of the wall that is washed by the sea. He was a sinister and thoroughly evil person, who flaunted a style of behaviour singularly appropriate to the wild animal after which he was named and for whose ferocious ways and ungovernable temper he was more than a match. Assuredly, you yourself also know the man by reputation, a reputation which celebrates his wickedness with the claim that he has outshone all previous paragons of impiety by descending to such depths of madness as to gaze insatiably upon the spilling of human blood and to love nothing better than the slaughter of Christians. He too was once a Christian, was reborn in the saving grace of baptism and taught the precepts of our religion. But when he was taken prisoner by the barbarians, he embraced their impiety in exchange for the true piety of the faith and there is no way in which he more eagerly seeks to ingratiate himself with them than by making his deeds conform to his name and by taking a particular pride in flaunting the actions of a felon and a brigand. And so Leo, this untamable beast, this felon, sailed around the wall gazing intently and searching out with studied malice a possible point from which to launch his attack. The other ships dropped anchor at a single point on the eastern shoreline and began to make their preparations. Our citizens also donned their armour, manned the battlements and braced themselves for the ensuing contest. And truly it was a contest – the great contest which had been so loudly proclaimed, not the mere trial of strength of a wrestler competing against his opponent for the applause of the spectators, not a contest that offers a material reward and holds out a fleeting moment of enjoyment for the winner or the simple stigma of defeat for the loser; what was at stake was whether so great a city would win the unparalleled distinction of surviving so great a danger or suffer the inconsolable grief of in some way succumbing to the fate that menaced her.
Chapter 25: But when that wild beast had surveyed the entire extent of the wall and had noticed that the entrance to the harbour was barred by an iron chain and obstructed by the sunken hulks of a number of ships, he decided to launch his attack just at those points which he perceived to be free of those blocks of stone which, lurking on the seabed where they had earlier been placed, impeded the access of his ships and where his fleet would not be under heavier fire from that part of the wall which had already been built up to some considerable height. He chose a location, in fact, where a great depth of sea water beat against a particularly low stretch of wall, made a careful note of his position, and then, returning to his men, gave the signal for battle. They swooped down with their ships towards those points which had been described to them, letting out harsh and savage cries and rowing furiously in the direction of the wall. And banging on rawhide drums, they raised a fearful din, and they tried with many other kinds of bluff to frighten the defenders on the battlements. But those who were manning the wall shouted back even louder and invoked the aid of the saving weapon of the cross against the enemy forces. And they did this to such an effect that the barbarians, at the sound of so many people uttering a cry more fearsome than any they had previously heard, were dazed for a while and did not expect to achieve anything. Estimating the numbers of the citizens from the loudness of their shouts, they concluded that it would be no easy matter to enter the fray against such odds and to sack so great a city, the like of which they had never seen. Nevertheless, in order not to create the impression of having lost their nerve at the start of their offensive, they advanced neither fearlessly, nor with the rage which they later displayed, but with a certain blend of frenzy and fear, protecting themselves against their opponents by means of a barrage of missiles. Then their approach became more reckless and they strove to bring the fighting nearer, rousing themselves to fury like barking dogs and thoroughly enraged by the weapons that were hurled down at them from the wall. The citizens, in fact, were anything but remiss in their use of archery, and used it to great and conspicuous effect by stationing all the Sklavenes [a southern Slav peoples] gathered from the neighbouring regions at those points from which it was easiest to shoot accurately and where there was nothing to deflect the momentum of their missiles.
Chapter 26: But while both parties were shooting and being shot at, and neither side was gaining the upper hand, a detachment of barbarians, consisting no doubt of individuals bolder and more daring than the rest, leaped overboard. They took with them a wooden ladder, which they propelled through the water and with which they attempted to scale the wall, paying no heed to the weapons discharged against them from that quarter. In fact, they kept their bodies underwater until they got close up and swam in holding their shields over their heads. Once they got near, however, left without the protection afforded by the water and using their shields to cover their heads, they struggled manfully against a rain of missiles. Then, rapidly drawing up the ladder against the rampart, they tried to scale the wall. But death forestalled their plan and before they could form a clear idea of how to carry out their scheme they lost their lives. No sooner, in fact, had their feet touched the rungs of the ladder than a volley of stones as thick as hail was unleashed against them, toppling them off and sending them headlong to a watery grave. Whereupon the ships all drew back quickly, not daring for the time being to venture anything further of the kind. They resorted, instead, to discharging from a distance a hail of missiles that darkened the air, but they too came equally under fire from well-aimed shafts that rarely missed their mark and from shot from the stone-throwing engines, the mere sound of which as it whistled through the air struck terror into the hearts of the barbarians.
Chapter 27: Already Niketas, who has been mentioned before, the one who had been sent by the emperor, was hurrying up and down the entire length of the wall, encouraging the people in the following words: ‘Men of Thessaloniki, I held a different opinion of you before this moment and would not have considered you to be so gallant and daring in action, since you had neither been put to the test nor had you proved yourselves in this sphere in the past. But now the present crisis has afforded an occasion for entertaining high hopes of you. I see that you all have strong bodies and stout hearts, that you are wholly committed to the present action, that you scorn the enemy and that you gallantly brush aside their ruses. You are quite right to do so. For the struggle concerns you yourselves, men of substance and of principle, and it concerns the rest of the city, whose title to fame has no serious contender. If you prove superior to the present peril you will become a fitting object of praise in the estimation of all men. But should you suffer some reverse and succumb to the threats of the barbarians, there will be nothing to which one can liken the extent of your misfortune and the depth of your shame. Therefore, stand your ground courageously and endeavour to secure victory for your native city and for yourselves and do not turn and flee from the enemy, lest, having for the sake of one small moment of weakness placed yourselves in such terrible danger, you leave behind you a novel tale for posterity to tell.’ With these fighting words he encouraged the people and went the rounds, instilling no small degree of confidence into the hearts of all. And the strategos [Leo Chitzilakes], as though oblivious of his own affliction, though it was grievous (resulting as it did from the fall that we related earlier) and unbearably painful, also went around, mounted on a mule, not sitting astride it but sidesaddle, to the extent that the pains in his shattered limbs permitted. He posted the more stalwart members of the imperial guard at certain vital points along the wall, so that for their part they might also spur on those near them to imitate their actions, and thus dispose them to battle.
Chapter 28: The barbarians attacked not once but several times in the course of that day, but they suffered more casualties than before and withdrew. At a preconcerted signal they suspended operations at sea, retired with their ships and dropped anchor beside a stretch of coast to the east of the city. Then they disembarked and began to shoot at those who were positioned on the high section of wall where the so called ‘Rome Gate’ stands, close to the sea. They fought there until late into the night and then, apparently fatigued by their exertions, rested on board their ships; though perhaps they were exercising their minds how best to attack us on the following day and were intent on preparing a further series of treacherous and deceitful moves. No sooner, therefore, had we paused a moment from the heat of battle than we were thrown into a further state of anxiety over the level of vigilance maintained by the troops manning the fortifications that ringed the city and the suspicious movements of the barbarians, movements which might be the prelude to a successful ambush carried out under cover of darkness that would allow them to penetrate our defences undetected and thus encompass our destruction. They are in fact extremely clever in this area, and once they have decided to act, they act decisively. Moreover, they are ready to brave any danger as long as they can make a start of putting their plans into action. And even if their plans miscarry, they consider it a glorious achievement to struggle boldly to accomplish what for the time being proves incapable of fulfilment. Accordingly, we stayed awake all that night, even though we had every reason to be proud of our exploits to date. In fact we had displayed a degree of raw courage that had astonished even the leader of the barbarians, who subsequently made a point of learning the reason why we had resisted each attack so valiantly and of ascertaining how things had turned out to be the reverse of what he had heard about us, so that his own expectations had been completely overturned.
Chapter 29: But when daybreak came and announced the second day of fighting, the strategoi [Leo Chitzilakes and Niketas] once more went to great lengths to put us on our mettle and prepare us for action. As the sun’s rays spread daylight over the air, the barbarians disembarked and launched a further attack against the wall. They deployed, distributing themselves along certain points in battle formation. And concentrating their greatest numbers on the openings in the wall where the gates stood, they brought the full weight of their weapons to bear against us. Some used bows and arrows, others the handmade thunder of stones. Others applied themselves to stone-throwing engines and sent giant hailstones of rock hurtling through the air. Death threatened us in many shapes, and since it came from all directions, it lent a further dimension of terror to the experience of those who happened to be nearby. Against the already-mentioned gate alone they placed seven stone-throwing engines heavily protected on all sides, which they had previously equipped specially for this purpose during their progress by way of Thasos.
In front of these they brought up wooden ladders, which they placed against the wall and tried to climb up, providing themselves with cover by means of a barrage of stones from the stone-throwing engines, whose relentless fire made it impossible for anyone to venture forth with impunity on to the wall. And already they had attached a ladder to the battlements of the outwork and their plan would have been realized, had not a heavenly power given certain daring men the strength to leap down on to the spot. They wounded the barbarians with their spears and sent them pitching backwards together with the ladder. When they saw that this strategem too had failed, they fled and even left the ladder behind. We were so far emboldened as to mock them and to hurl missiles at them and stones from the stone-throwing engines even more eagerly than on the day before. And we no longer allowed them to get anywhere near the wall for even a short time, even though they were kindled to greater fury and sharpened their tusks like wild boars and would have torn us up alive with them, had it been possible. How terrifying it was to hear them raving like maniacs against us! What towering fits of anger they displayed, when they gnashed their teeth furiously and their demonic nature was revealed by the way they continually foamed at the mouth! Nor would they take any food throughout the entire course of that day but were insatiable for battle in spite of the tremendous heat. Indeed they were not even vaguely aware of the fact that their own bodies were broken with fatigue and scorched by the sun which was beating down on their heads. Their one preoccupation was either to sack the city and vent their rage upon us or, in the event of failure, to despair of life and to dispatch themselves with their own weapons. For once the wrath of the barbarians has been kindled, it is borne along by an unreasoning impulse, and will not desist until it witnesses the shedding of its own or its opponent’s blood.
Chapter 30: But since it was highly dangerous for them to approach the wall, they relied exclusively on missiles and on stone-throwing engines. Drawing themselves up in rows, they took their stand some distance away yet near enough for their shots to fall upon the city with undiminished force. Protecting themselves with their shields and throwing their entire being into the struggle, they stood like statues with bodies of bronze or some other hard material and displayed limitless qualities of endurance and a fighting spirit that defied description. And in fact, when the sun was in its noonday course, when more than any other time of day it heats the air up like a furnace, they kindled their inborn fury with that last extreme of heat and goading their irrational frenzy still further with the stimulus of despair, they threw all their energies into a different (and particularly deadly) kind of siege. There were four gates in the wall on the east side of the city. Two of these, the previously mentioned Rome Gate, and the so-called Kassandreiotic Gate, they planned to burn down. The idea was that, if they could penetrate the outwork when the outer gates were burnt down and creep up to the high wall, they could wreck the inner gates without having anything to fear and pen everyone up in the city by posting expert archers opposite the wall to shoot their arrows continually and prevent anyone inside from venturing out.
Chapter 31: They set about their cunning plan in the following way: They found carts on which they placed upside down very small boats of the kind our fishermen use to fish with, adding a great quantity of firewood and a pile of brushwood. Then they sprinkled it all with pitch and sulphur, put their shoulders to the carts, set their wheels in motion and guided them with their hands until they reached the gates. Then they lit the wood from underneath and covering themselves with their shields, went back to the archers, having carried out their plan unnoticed. The fire took hold of the wood, feeding its flame until it flared up and caused the outer surface of the gates, which were iron-plated, to turn white-hot. Then the white heat, spreading inwards, reduced the gates to a sheet of flame, so that in a short time they collapsed, which threw everyone into a state of abject fear. No sooner was the news reported throughout the city that the gates had been burnt down than the effect was as though everyone had been stabbed through the heart; such was the state of terror and dejection to which people were reduced, as the colour drained from their cheeks, and as they abandoned abruptly every confident expectation. And those who a short while ago had been leaping down from the walls and keeping the enemy at bay and exhorting others to join in the fray were showing themselves in actual fact to be feebler than hares. The mere fact that that cunning expedient had succeeded gave more than a hint to everyone of what might be the end. Nevertheless, now that the outer gates had been destroyed by fire, we quickly protected the inner ones with a new wall. And we put water in containers on the battlements and kept a close watch in case the enemy should by any chance launch an attack against these gates too, so that when they tried to cause further damage, we might have some means of contending with the flames and preserving the gates from their treacherous designs. When they realized this, however, they no longer resorted to these particular evil tactics. Yet by resorting to other tactics still more cunning and more violent, they were destined to bring about our destruction by a means so effective and so far surpassing all contrivance that it was henceforth in no wise possible to stave it off. They employed this pause in their incendiarism by shooting at us with stone-throwers and with bows during the rest of the day until darkness succeeded daylight and put an obligatory stop to their exertions.
Chapter 32: Then, when they had stopped fighting, they went aboard their ships and after a brief spell of inaction, they began to carry out the plan of attack they had cunningly contrived beforehand. The plan involved a peculiar kind of gamble. If, thanks to it, they should be able to sack the city, they would have an easy success since there is no more effective siege tactic in existence, especially when the offensive is conducted from the water with no intervening dry land to cramp one’s style. But if, along with their previous ventures, this too were to fail, they would first dispatch with their weapons those who had put the idea into their heads and had made them sail so far to no purpose, and then would return home. Having agreed, therefore, upon this plan, they began early in the night to put into effect their complicated scheme. Lighting lamps everywhere, they coupled the ships together in adjacent pairs and lashed their sides together with stout cables and iron chains so that they would not easily drift apart. Then they hoisted by means of the rigging at the fore the pieces of wood that stand up in the middle, which sailors call masts, and attaching by their handles to these the steering-paddles of each ship, they slung them high up in the air across the ropes leading to the prow so that their blades projected beyond the side of the ship. The result was a remarkable and novel contraption. For when the steering paddles had been suspended aloft by their handles in the manner described, they placed long strips of wood over them in rows, one next to the other, flooring in by this ingenious method the intervening space. They then fenced in the edges on all sides with boards, and secured the ends of the steering-paddle handles by making them fast to very strong cables at the stern end of the ships. In this manner they devised towers that were more effective than those surmounting walls on dry land. In them they posted armed barbarians, an elite force mounted aloft on account of their physical strength and natural daring and destined to deal us the coup de grace. They ordered some to shoot arrows, others to fling large stones (big enough to fill a man’s hand) at those manning the inner circuit of the fortification. Others were equipped with fire (it too artificially contrived) which had been prepared in advance in earthenware vessels and which they were instructed to hurl at those advancing to confront them. All these expedients were effective and appropriate because they no longer had to operate on land but, thanks to the devilish invention already described, had been placed on a higher level than the structure of the fortification and they were thus provided with a useful vantage point for the accomplishment of their evil designs.
Chapter 33: But when on that same night these impious men had brought all their preparations into effect and no detail of what was being done escaped our notice because, as has been pointed out, they had plentiful illumination and the beach on which they had forged ahead with their plans was nearby, all of us were overcome by fear and consternation, not knowing how to preserve our safety for the future. One could see that the entire population was in a state of utter confusion and helplessness, unable to make up their minds from one moment to the next, and that their very lives were in jeopardy. There was indeed no concern to ward off impending disaster, only a morbid obsession with the question of how soon and how painfully death would occur. Flight was no longer an available or a safe option with the barbarians occupying positions all around the wall and keeping a close watch on the gates. Yet the danger that met the eye made waiting out of the question. Abandoning all hope of safety, they walked as though dazed up and down the wall, completely overwhelmed by the magnitude of their misfortune. But some, in whose hearts the flame of courage had not been entirely extinguished, decided while waiting for the enemy to make some preparations to defend the wall and repel their advance. These consisted of pitch, firebrands, quicklime and other flammable substances got ready in earthenware vessels for possible use against ships riding at anchor, the idea being to hurl these objects in their midst and put them out of action.
Chapter 34: Nevertheless, these were the actions and decisions of bewildered men. Already the light of day was dissolving the darkness of night, when to and behold! The ships, distributed at several points according to their equipment, crashed against the wall, presenting to the eyes of all a novel and extraordinary spectacle. Each pair of ships brought along its own ingeniously constructed wooden turret, which hugely overtopped the structure of the fortification and held aloft its freight of barbarians leaping up like frenzied bulls and threatening everybody with destruction. Whereupon, all that part of the population of the city that had come to think nothing of death, since it was both inevitable and staring them, so to speak, in the face, threw themselves unreservedly into the struggle. Making of the moment of maximum danger an occasion for displaying their courage, they stood their ground and fought like heroes; every man did his utmost. In fact, they did not allow the ships to get anywhere near, but by showering them with missiles and firebrands, they prevented them from approaching the wall and putting their plans into effect. But those who were smitten with cowardice and in their utter helplessness lacked the strength to even consider the experience of misfortune let themselves down gradually from the wall and fled to the mountainous part of the city, giving further encouragement thereby to the enemy. When, in fact, the latter saw that the structure of the wall was in a more serious state of disrepair in one place than anywhere else (it was the spot where we had earlier erected wooden breastworks), and noticed also that the sea was deeper just at that point, they propelled in that direction one of the pairs of ships that had been lashed together, rowing gently until they got near and had brought the bows of the ships right up to the battlement. Then, when the men on the wooden fortifications tried to hurl stones at them, the barbarians who were standing on top of the contraptions previously described uttered a loud and raucous cry, let fly with huge stones (which were not just big enough to fill a man’s hand this time but were absolutely enormous) whose impact none could withstand, blew fire by means of air through tubes, hurled other receptacles also filled with fire into the fortifications and struck such terror into the hearts of the defenders that they leaped down swiftly and took to their heels, leaving the entire stretch of wall deserted. When the enemy saw that they had achieved their end (the defenders had all fallen to earth like leaves in the wind, not alighting by means of ladders but crashing down in terror) they sent against the fortifications a particularly daring barbarian with the complexion of an Ethiopian, who was apparently more frenzied than the others. He had a sword in his hand, which he brandished as he leaped down from the wall. Then he waited for the crowd to surge forward, trying to discover whether they had made off in feigned or in genuine flight. For they suspected that the inhabitants might have laid some hidden ambush for them in the streets, in order to waylay them once they had split up into separate groups. Consequently, they were reluctant to enter the city, and set about their task without first taking precautions. But then (it was the third hour of the day) the glint of swords brandished by barbarian hands flashed like lightning through the air and revealed at every point the entry of the enemy. Beholding that disaster had well and truly struck, people all began to mill about in different directions, herded together by death, which loomed over them and left no further loophole for escape.
Chapter 35: Then, when the barbarians saw that the entire wall had been cleared and that the mass desertion of its defenders now guaranteed their safety, they sallied forth eagerly from the ships, leaped down on to the battlements and set fire to the gates, thus signalling to the other ships that their mission had been accomplished. These too hove swiftly into sight and dispatched against the city their contingents of barbarians, naked except for a small loincloth, and armed with swords. Once these barbarians were inside, they slew all those whom they found writhing about on the ground in the vicinity of the wall, regardless of whether they found them prostrated and paralysed with fear and so unable to move or languishing without any hope of flight owing to the injuries they had sustained during their earlier falls. After that they split up, and moved down the main thoroughfares.
This section comes from John Kaminiates: The Capture of Thessaloniki, edited and translated by David Frendo and Athanasios Fotiou (Australian Association for Byzantine Studies, 2000). We thank the Australian Association for Byzantine Studies for allowing us to republish this section.Boulder, Colo., USA – New Geology studies include a mid-Cretaceous greenhouse world; the Vredefort meteoric impact event and the Vredefort dome, South Africa; shallow creeping faults in Italy; a global sink for immense amounts of water on Mars; the Funeral Mountains, USA; insect-mediated skeletonization of fern leaves in China; first-ever tectonic geomorphology study in Bhutan; the Ethiopian Large Igneous Province; the Central Andean Plateau; the Scandinavian Ice Sheet; the India-Asia collision zone; the Snake River Plain; and northeast Brazil.
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High sea-surface temperatures during the early Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a in the Boreal RealmJörg Mutterlose et al., Institute for Geology, Mineralogy and Geophysics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany. Published online 21 Mar. 2014; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/G35394.1.
Paleotemperature changes, based on molecular and calcareous fossils, are reconstructed for a paleolatitude of about 39 degrees north for the onset of the mid-Cretaceous greenhouse world (about 122 million years ago). This period coincides with the Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a. So far reliable paleotemperature data are missing for the interval under discussion. (1) The integrated dataset indicates that "super greenhouse" conditions prevailed during this period at northern latitudes. It is for the first time that a distinctive warming peak is documented for about 39 degrees north. (2) Sea-surface temperatures of about 31 to 34 degrees Celsius are only slightly lower than those estimated for coeval low latitudinal sites. The data suggest that an equable warm climate, with reduced latitudinal gradients, characterized this period. (3) The high temperatures detected are explained by a major oceanic perturbation in the Pacific causing the huge Ontong Java volcanic province. The increased production of oceanic crust caused an increase of the CO2 emissions, giving way to the onset of the mid-Cretaceous greenhouse phase. At the same time an increase in humidity resulted in a high nutrient supply causing relative high productivity conditions as suggested by our calcareous fossil findings.
Impact spherules from Karelia, Russia: Possible ejecta from the 2.02 Ga Vredefort impact eventMatthew S. Huber et al., Department of Lithospheric Research, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Published online 21 Mar. 2014; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/G35231.1.
Meteorite impact craters are an important part of the geological record. However, prior to 2020 million years ago, when the Vredefort impact structure formed, the terrestrial record of impact craters is nonexistent. For the older impact cratering record, it is necessary to find materials that were ejected from the craters, such as impact spherules, which are mm-scale droplets of melted material. Many estimates of the size of impact craters have been made based on the size of impact spherules, but there has been little evidence to test the models. This paper by Matthew S. Huber and colleagues describes a previously unknown occurrence of impact spherules that have the same age as the Vredefort impact event, and describes the likelihood that the ejecta is derived from the event. This extends our understanding of the cratering record on Earth and provides an additional constraint on models of the relationship between impact craters and the impact spherules, which can be applied in the future to resolve outstanding questions in the field of impact crater research.
The signature and mechanics of earthquake ruptures along shallow creeping faults in poorly lithified sedimentsFabrizio Balsamo et al., NEXT -- Natural and Experimental Tectonics Research Group, Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Parma University, Parco Area delle Scienze 157A, 43124 Parma, Italy. Published online 21 Mar. 2014; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/G35272.1.
Earthquakes occur episodically along shallow, creeping faults in poorly lithified sediments. This represents an unsolved paradox, largely due to (1) our poor understanding of the mechanics governing creeping faults and (2) the lack of documented geological evidence showing how coseismic rupturing overprints creeping, stable faults in near-surface conditions. In this paper, Fabrizio Balsamo and colleagues describe the signature of seismic ruptures propagating along shallow creeping faults affecting unconsolidated sediments in the forearc Crotone Basin (south Italy). Field observations of deformation band-dominated fault zones show widespread foliated cataclasites in fault cores, locally overprinted by sharp slip surfaces decorated by thin black gouge layers. Compared to foliated cataclasites, black gouges possess much lower grain size/porosity/permeability and are characterized by distinct mineralogical assemblages, compatible with high temperatures (180 to 200 degrees Celsius) due to frictional heating during seismic slip. Foliated cataclasites and black gouges were also produced by laboratory friction experiments performed on host sediments at sub-seismic and seismic slip rates, respectively. The results of the study show that black gouges represent a potential diagnostic marker for seismic faulting in shallow creeping faults, thus helping to understand the time-space partitioning between aseismic and seismic behavior of faults at shallow crustal levels.
Evidence for widespread aqueous sedimentation in the northern plains of MarsMark R. Salvatore and Philip R. Christensen, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 876305, Moeur Building, Room 131, 201 E. Orange Mall, Tempe, Arizona 85287-6305, USA. Published online 21 Mar. 2014; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/G35319.1.
The massive networks of outflow channels are some of the most prominent fluvial features on Mars. However, the sedimentary deposits associated with these features have never been definitively identified due overprinting by subsequent geologic processes. This study by Mark R. Salvatore and Philip R. Christensen identifies a widespread sedimentary unit through a large portion of the martian northern lowlands by interrogating exposures in the walls of impact craters, which expose the subsurface stratigraphy. This unit, whose observed extent covers an area greater than that of Greenland, exhibits unique morphologies, spectral signatures, and associations with regional topography that all support an origin from the martian outflow channels. This is the first identification of such sedimentary deposits and the first to characterize their outcrop-scale properties. These properties all suggest that the northern lowlands of Mars served as a global sink for immense amounts of water and sediment resulting from outflow channel activity.
Jurassic Barrovian metamorphism in a western U.S. Cordilleran metamorphic core complex, Funeral Mountains, CaliforniaThomas D. Hoisch et al., School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011, USA. Published online 21 Mar. 2014; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/G35352.1.
This study by Thomas D. Hoisch and colleagues establishes that major crustal shortening in the Sevier orogenic belt began earlier than previously thought. Large-magnitude shortening of Cretaceous age is well documented, but evidence for major Late Jurassic shortening has been lacking. This study combines two different dating methods with pressure-temperature paths from metamorphic rocks to document substantial burial of Late Jurassic age in the Funeral Mountains in eastern California. The Funeral Mountains are located in the hinterland of the Sevier orogenic belt and constitute a classic Barrovian metamorphic terrain. Pressure-temperature paths derived from chemical zoning in garnet indicate steep increases in pressure at temperatures of about 525 to 535 degrees Celsius, and are consistent with thrust loading. The age of the thrust loading was determined to be 158.2 plus or minus 2.6 million years old by dating the garnet using the Lu-Hf method. Cooling related to uplift and exhumation 146 to 153 million years ago, determined by dating muscovite using the 40Ar/39Ar method, shortly followed garnet growth. This study finds that the period of large-magnitude crustal shortening extends into the Late Jurassic, and may have closely followed the onset of east-dipping Franciscan subduction along the western margin of North America.
Proterozoic onset of crustal reworking and collisional tectonics: Reappraisal of the zircon oxygen isotope recordChristopher J. Spencer et al., NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK. Published online 21 Mar. 2014; http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/G35363.1.
Geologist Tatiana Gonçalves Dias rests upon the normal flank of an inclined horizontal northwest verging similar fold, in an external fold and thrust belt of the Neoproterozoic Borborema Province, northeast Brazil. Further northeast, in the continuation of this fold belt, oceanic crust remnants are described in this issue. The photo was taken by geologists Fabrício Caxito, Mônica Mendes, and Julio Sanglard during a field trip in July 2008. See related article by Caxito et al., here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/G35479.1.
(Photo Credit: Fabrício Caxito, Mônica Mendes, and Julio Sanglard)
A newly compiled global database of uranium, lead, and oxygen isotopic analyses of zircon shows temporal changes in the magmatic record related to changes in the degree of crustal reworking. The delta-18O composition of bulk sediment remains relatively constant through geologic time. In contrast, the delta-18O values in magmatic zircons go from relatively low values in the Archean to increasingly higher and scattered values defining a series of peaks and troughs in post-Archean data wherein peaks of crust |
ukasyan Arseniy Fadeev Arseniy Gordeev Artem Dolgonosov Artem Drobyshev Artem Dryagin Artem Ganzha Artem Melikyan Artem Popov Artem Tsibizov Artem Tsikunov Artem Yashkov Artem Yugay Artemiy Fadeev Artur Bogomolov Artur Gukasyan Boris Akivaev Boris Falkov Borislav Aleshko Borislav Golosov Daniel Ena Daniil Arkhipov Daniil Emchenko Daniil Kushchev Daniil Lee Daniil Okladnikov Daniil Pokhachevskiy Daniil Prytkov Danil' Khafizov Danila Chudinov Danis Gubaydulin Deni Mintsaev Denis Rapoport Denis Tsukanov Denis Volkov Diana Murnik Digi Digiev Dmitriy Firsov Dmitriy Manin Dmitry Aniskin Dmitry Dergunov Dmitry Dobrjakov Dmitry Galkin Dmitry Korolev Dmitry Kryuzban Dmitry Lavrov Dmitry Levakov Dmitry Sysoev Dmitry Zhuravlev Edward Berezin Egor Dubrovskiy Egor Koshkin Egor Savchenko Egor Smirnov Egor Starodubtsev Egor Zakharov Ekaterina Kudrova Ekaterina Tarasenko Emir Umerov Erzhan Dzhaumutbaev Evgeniy Polyakov Evgeny Akivis Evgeny Blinov Evgeny Parkhomenko Evgeny Skachkov Fyodor Ivanov Georgiy Marshalko Georgy Vershinin Gleb Bogdanov Gleb Bystrov Gleb Khrapov Grigoriy Dyatlov Grigory Kylosov Ibragim Tursunov Igor Balov Igor Khokhlov Ildar Salakhetdinov Ilgiz Yakhin Ilya Finaev Ilya Ksenofontov Ilya Nazarov Ilya Tereshko Ilya Varenov Ilyas Sadykov Irina Drobitjko Islam Ibragimgadzhiev Ivan Belov Ivan Katkov Ivan Kogtikov Ivan Makachev Ivan Prut Ivan Putilov Ivan Torgashov Ivan Zabrodin Kirill Fedorenkov Kirill Kharitonov Kirill Leonov Kirill Litvinov Kirill Mukhanov Kirill Pavlov Kirill Shalashov Konstantin Solovyov Konstantin Ushakov Kyyarkhan Nikolaev Larisa Zhuravleva Lê Công Minh Lev Baskin Lev Burnazov Lidia Buchukova Lyubov Denisova Maksim Vorobyev Maria Timoshchenko Maria Zadorozhnaya Mark Tsoy Maxim Chechnev Maxim Mekhonoshin Maxim Meshcheryakov Maxim Raevskiy Mikhail Baklanov Mikhail Burkov Mikhail Govgolenko Mikhail Kalitsky Mikhail Kuzin Mikhail Mukhin Mikhail Murzin Mikhail Shtepa Milena Son Nikita Kupriyanov Nikita Kuznetsov Nikita Kuznetsov Nikita Zavadskiy Nikolay Evdokimov Nikolay Golovenko Nikolay Masson Nikolay Mityakin Nikolay Ostroukhov Nikolay Pshenichnikov Nikolay Surikov Odissey Yagubov Oleg Fedichkin Olesya Sadikova Olga Efremova Pavel Egorov Pavel Galaktionov Pavel Grigoryev Pavel Kornev Pavel Kovezin Petr Alekseev Petr Komov Petr Samodelkin Phạm Xuân Thanh Nam Polina Komova Polina Zhirnova Prokhor Gibadullin Rasul Gamzabekov Rishith Shyamkumar Nellippillil Roman Eshmetov Roman Markin Roman Strakhov Roman Svyatov Ruslan Galiev Rustam Valeev Samir Godzhaev Serafim Vinogrodskiy Sergey Chirin Sergey Chushkin Sergey Getun Sergey Golovanov Sergey Gvozdev Sergey Popov Sergey Ryabko Sergey Savinyat Sergey Shitov Sergey Zhukov Seva Valeev Spartak Rudenko Stanislav Starovoytov Stanislav Svistun Stepan Rudoi Stepan Tsarev Tigran Orbelyan Timofey Egorov Timurs Kuricins Vadim Isakov Valentin Samsonov Valentina Solovyova Valeriy Sluchek Valeriy Tkachenko Valeriy Volodin Vasily Stasyev Vasily Yurkov Victor Bogatov Viktor Karasyov Viktor Shipitsin Viktor Stepanovich Viktoria Toptun Vladimir Korovin Vladimir Kostin Vladimir Lapin Vladimir Zhuravlev Vladislav Botvinko Vladislav Kozhin Vladislav Potapenko Vladislav Shavelskiy Vladislava Bondarenko Vsevolod Pokhachevskiy Vyacheslav Sizov Yana Gribacheva Yaroslav Ivanashev Yaroslav Senchihin Yuriy Blagoveshchenskiy Yury Andreev Schedule [refresh]The phrase “ghost train” conjures up eerie, fantastical images: a spectral locomotive barreling through the night, passengers doomed to ride the rails forever.
In Britain, ghost trains are real — but they’re more of a bureaucratic curiosity than a Halloween nightmare.
They are scheduled passenger trains that hardly anyone actually rides, running infrequently at obscure hours and stopping at stations that almost no one uses. They might operate only once a week or in only one direction. Other than a lonely crew member or two, they are often completely empty.
Why do they even operate? Believe it or not, to save money.
Railway companies would rather not serve these routes at all, because they generate too little traffic. But if the companies discontinued the routes completely, they would be obliged under British law to formally abandon the lines, and that’s a very costly, time-consuming and legally complex business.MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A judge must consider whether Wisconsin’s voter photo identification law applies to people who face daunting obstacles in obtaining identification, a three-judge federal appellate panel ruled Tuesday.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the National Law Center for Homelessness and Poverty filed a federal lawsuit in 2011 challenging the law. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman struck the law down in April 2014, saying it unfairly burdens poor and minority voters who may lack such identification.
But a three-judge panel from the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ultimately reversed him and upheld the law that October, ruling Wisconsin’s law is substantially similar to one in Indiana that the U.S. Supreme Court declared constitutional. The law was in effect for last week’s presidential primary.
The ACLU and the national homeless center have continued to argue, however, that voters who face stiff hurdles in getting a photo ID should be allowed to vote by affidavit. They say those voters include people who can’t obtain IDs because of name mismatches or other errors in birth certificates or other necessary documents; those who need a credential from another agency such as the Social Security Administration that they can’t get without a state photo ID; or those who need a document that no longer exists.
Judges Michael Kanne, Frank Easterbrook and Diane Sykes wrote Tuesday that Adelman must consider those arguments and sent the case back to him.
The panel noted that Indiana’s law allows people who can’t obtain a photo ID for financial or religious reasons to file an affidavit to that effect and have their vote provisionally counted.
Wisconsin’s law allows voters who lack IDs to vote provisionally as well, but they must produce an ID for election officials by the end of the week.
“Indeed, one may understand plaintiffs as seeking for Wisconsin the sort of safety net that Indiana has had from the outset,” the appellate judges wrote Tuesday.
The ruling didn’t disturb the voter ID law as a whole; it remains in full effect. But ACLU Voting Rights Project attorney Sean Young said the group was thrilled with the ruling.
“Today the appeals court ruled that courthouse doors cannot be shut to those who are most impacted by the voter ID law,” Young said.
The state Justice Department is defending the law. Agency spokesman Johnny Koremenos said in an email to The Associated Press that the panel ordered Adelman to consider only a narrow issue in the case and agency attorneys were confident they would prevail.
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Follow Bryna Godar on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bgodar.
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Follow Todd Richmond on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trichmond1.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.At today’s oral argument in Hernández v. Mesa, the latest chapter in a Mexican family’s effort to hold a U.S. Border Patrol agent liable for the fatal shooting, on Mexican soil, of their 15-year-old son, some of the justices appeared “sympathetic,” as Justice Stephen Breyer put it, to the family’s plight. But at the same time, even the justices who might be predisposed to support the family struggled to articulate a rule that would allow the family’s lawsuit to go forward without also permitting a wide variety of other – perhaps less sympathetic – cases, and they seemed frustrated by the family’s inability to identify such a rule. In the end, though, it’s not clear that the rule will matter, if the justices don’t agree that the Border Patrol agent can be sued in federal court at all.
Before the oral argument began, Acting Solicitor General Noel Francisco presented the new U.S. attorney general, Jefferson B. Sessions, to the court. On behalf of the justices, Chief Justice John Roberts wished Sessions “well in the discharge of the duties of your new office.” Sessions acknowledged the good wishes, but did not stay for the oral argument.
Representing the parents of Sergio Hernández, who contend that their son was playing in the culvert along the U.S.-Mexico border when he was shot, on the Mexican side of the border, by Jesus Mesa, a Border Patrol agent who was on the U.S. side, attorney Robert Hilliard argued that the dispute now before the court was “one of the simplest” cases involving the application of U.S. law outside the United States. Mesa, a civilian law enforcement officer, fired the bullet in the United States, striking Hernández, also a civilian, and depriving Hernández of his fundamental right to life. For that reason, Hilliard argued, the Fourth Amendment’s bar on the unjustified use of deadly force applied to Hernández, even if he was outside the United States when the shooting occurred.
But Chief Justice John Roberts was skeptical. He suggested that, although Hilliard’s proposed rule would “fit the exact facts” of the family’s case, it could not actually be defined so narrowly. What about a drone strike launched across the border from Nevada, for example?
Justice Stephen Breyer, whose vote the family would likely need to prevail, also repeatedly pressed Hilliard to define the family’s suggested rule more precisely. What are the words, he asked pointedly, that allow the family to win but avoid confusion and uncertainty in other cases – so that the court’s opinion in this case does not give life to lawsuits arising out of drone strikes?
Justice Samuel Alito echoed these concerns. Would it matter, he queried, if Hernández had been 19 instead of 15, if he had been armed but had his hands up, or had been 200 yards away in Mexico rather than in the culvert? “I don’t know what rule you want us to adopt,” Alito concluded, “other than you win.”
Justice Elena Kagan saw it slightly differently, but appeared similarly troubled. In her view, Hilliard had a rule: Border Patrol agents who shoot from the United States in the border area can be held liable. The harder and more salient question, she suggested, was the rationale for that rule. What makes the confluence of those factors different from other cases, she asked?
Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor were more supportive of the family. Ginsburg observed that, as a general matter, when an act outside one jurisdiction causes an injury inside another jurisdiction, the rules governing the ensuing lawsuit can come from either jurisdiction. Discussing this case specifically, she described the dispute as having the “United States written all over it.” And when attorney Randolph Ortega, representing Mesa, emphasized that the United States could prosecute Mesa in the United States for violating his orders, Sotomayor retorted that such a prosecution wouldn’t provide any compensation to Hernández’s family for the emotional distress that they had suffered.
Despite the earlier concerns voiced by Breyer and Kagan about the family’s inability to identify a clear and rational rule, the two justices seemed equally (if not more) reluctant to rule that the Fourth Amendment did not protect Hernández, at least in this scenario. Breyer repeatedly stressed that the culvert on the U.S.-Mexico border where Hernández was shot is maintained jointly by the two countries, which also have a commission to draw the border. Throw in the nearly half-million people who cross the U.S.-Mexico border each day, Mexico’s support for the application of the Fourth Amendment to cross-border shootings of its citizens by U.S. Border Patrol agents, and the general principle (noted by Ginsburg) that the law of both jurisdictions should apply, he concluded, and perhaps the Fourth Amendment should cover this case. Kagan appeared receptive to this argument, describing the case as “sui generis” and the border area where the shooting occurred as “something very different from most areas where we know whose jurisdiction it is.”
But even if Hernández’s parents can convince at least five justices that Hernández was protected by the Fourth Amendment, they still face another, potentially larger, hurdle: convincing the justices that they can bring their lawsuit at all. In 1971, in a case called Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents, the justices ruled that a plaintiff can bring a private federal action for damages against federal officials who allegedly violated his constitutional rights. The family did not raise this issue in their petition for review, but the justices specifically directed both sides to address the question when they agreed to take on the case.
The court’s four more liberal justices seemed inclined to rule that the family could rely on Bivens to bring their lawsuit. When Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler, arguing on behalf of the federal government, emphasized that the court had steadfastly declined in recent decades to extend Bivens to new contexts, Kagan led the charge against that argument. Those cases were different, she countered, because the court could point to some remedy that would be available to the plaintiffs, even if it wasn’t exactly what they were seeking. “Here there really is nothing,” she stressed.
Breyer questioned even the premise of the government’s argument that the court should be reluctant to “extend” Bivens. Why, he asked, are we using words like “create” or “extend”? “Extend,” he contended, assumes the answer to the question. Rather, he argued, the court in Bivens made clear that when a federal agent violates the Fourth Amendment and thereby injures someone, that person will have a remedy unless “special factors” – for example, the federal agent is in the military – are present.
But perhaps most critically for the family, Justice Anthony Kennedy seemed to be a tough sell. Issues like cross-border shootings, which involve the “most sensitive areas of foreign affairs,” he posited, should be resolved by governments, rather than by courts. And responding to Hilliard’s suggestion that families like Hernández’s should be allowed to sue Border Patrol agents because of the high number of cross-border shootings that have taken place, Kennedy drew the opposite inference. The frequency with which such shootings occur, in Kennedy’s view, simply reinforces that this is a “critical area” of foreign affairs that should be left to the executive branch.
Normally, if the court deadlocks 4-4, it leaves the lower court’s ruling (here, in favor of Mesa and against the family) in place. But with confirmation hearings for Judge Neil Gorsuch, the president’s nominee to fill the vacancy created by the 2016 death of Justice Antonin Scalia, now scheduled for mid-March, a 4-4 deadlock could prompt the justices to order new arguments if Gorsuch is confirmed. If so, we could be back here in the fall or winter to hear the newly reconstituted court debate these issues all over again.
Recommended Citation: Amy Howe, Argument analysis: A search for a rule, but is there even a remedy?, SCOTUSblog (Feb. 21, 2017, 2:27 PM), https://www.scotusblog.com/2017/02/argument-analysis-search-rule-even-remedy/Windows Azure: Announcing Major Improvements for Dev/Test in the Cloud Monday, June 3, 2013
Windows Azure provides a great environment for dev/test. This is true both for scenarios where you want to dev/test in the cloud and then run the production app in the cloud, as well as for scenarios where you want to dev/test in the cloud and then run the production app using an existing on-premises Windows Server environment.
Windows Azure’s new IaaS and Virtual Networking capabilities make it really easy to enable enterprise development teams to use the cloud to do this. Using the cloud for dev/test enables development teams to work in a flexible, agile, way without ever being bottlenecked waiting for resources from the IT department. Development teams can instead use the cloud in a self-service way to spin up or down resources in minutes. And then when they are ready to deploy their apps they can choose to do so using their existing on-premises servers. This makes it really easy to start leveraging the cloud even without having to fully bet on it yet for production scenarios.
Today we are announcing a number of enhancements to Windows Azure that make it an even better environment in which to do dev/test:
No Charge for Stopped VMs
Pay by the Minute Billing
MSDN Use Rights now supported on Windows Azure
Heavily Discounted MSDN Dev/Test Rates
MSDN Monetary Credits
Portal Support for Better Tracking MSDN Monetary Credit Usage
Below are details on each of the above improvements. The combination enables an amazing Dev/Test cloud solution, and an unbeatable offer for all MSDN customers.
No Charge for Stopped VMs
Prior to today, when you stopped a VM on Windows Azure we kept a reserved deployment spot for it inside one of our compute clusters, and continued to bill you for the VM compute unless you explicitly deleted the deployment. Now, with today’s update, when you stop a VM we no longer charge you any compute time for it while it is stopped – yet we still preserve the deployment state and configuration. This makes it incredibly easy to stop VMs when you aren’t actively using them to avoid billing charges, and then restart them when you want to use them again.
This is great for a variety of scenarios (including production app scenarios). It is especially useful for Dev/Test scenarios, though, where you often want to cycle down environments in the evenings or on weekends if they aren’t actively being used. Now you can do so and not incur any hourly billing fees.
Pay by the Minute Billing
Prior to today, our pricing model for compute resources on Windows Azure billed at the per-hour granularity. This meant if you ran a VM for 6 minutes in an hour and then turned it off, we would still charge you for a full hour of usage. Now, with today’s update, we are billing at a per-minute granularity. So if you run a VM (or Cloud Service, or Web Site, or Mobile Service) for only 6 minutes in an hour, we now only charge you for the actual 6 minutes of compute usage (we pro-rate the hourly price – so the billed price is num_minutes * (hr rate)/60).
This is great for a variety of scenarios (including production app scenarios). It is especially useful for Dev/Test scenario where you are often cycling up/down resources in a very elastic way. Now you can do so and save more money.
MSDN Use Rights now Supported on Windows Azure
Prior to today, it wasn’t (legally) possible to use the dev/test server licenses provided with MSDN subscriptions in a hosted cloud environment. The product usage rights of the MSDN server licenses didn’t allow them to be used in either our cloud nor anyone else's cloud environment.
Today we are announcing that we are changing the MSDN use-rights so that you can now use your MSDN dev/test software licenses on Windows Azure. This allows you to install and use your MSDN dev/test server images for SQL Server, SharePoint, BizTalk, etc at no extra charge within Windows Azure VMs.
Heavily Discounted MSDN Dev/Test Rates
In addition to extending MSDN Use-Rights to Windows Azure, we are also today announcing a fantastic new billing rate for customers who have MSDN subscriptions. You can now spin up any number of Windows Server, SQL Server, SharePoint Server, and BizTalk Server VMs for Dev/Test scenarios using Windows Azure and pay only 6 cents/hr when running them (or if you run them less than an hour the pro-rated per-minute equivalent).
This enables you to yield massive cost savings for Dev/Test scenarios compared to any other cloud option in the market:
The above savings are available to all MSDN customers – and can applied to any number of Windows Server VMs being used for Dev/Test purposes. We will automatically apply these savings when you create a VM using one of the standard VM images in the Windows Azure VM Gallery (either through the portal or command-line options like PowerShell) and run it using a new Windows Azure MSDN Subscription.
MSDN Monthly Monetary Credits
We are making the above discounted rates even more compelling by also giving every MSDN subscriber up to $150 per month of monetary credits that can be used to run any Windows Azure resource for Dev/Test purposes. MSDN Professional Subscribers will be provided with $50/month, MSDN Premium Subscribers with $100/month, and MSDN Ultimate Subscribers with $150/month.
These monetary credits can be applied towards any Windows Azure resource being used for Dev/Test purposes. This includes: Virtual Machines (both Windows and Linux), SQL Databases, Cloud Services, Web Sites, Mobile Services, Hadoop Clusters, BizTalk Services, Storage, Media and more. The previous per-unit restrictions in place with the old MSDN offer are also being removed – instead you now have a monetary credit that can be applied and mixed/matched on resources however you want.
Below are just a few examples of how a MSDN Premium customer (who will now gets $100/month of credits with their MSDN subscription) could use the monetary credit:
1) A MSDN Premium subscriber can now run 3 Windows Server VMs for 16 hours a day (at 6 cents/hr) every day of the month. And he or she can run SQL Server Enterprise, BizTalk Server, or SharePoint Server in them using their MSDN use-rights at no additional charge. And if they ran these 3 VMs for 16 hours a day for 31 days in the month they’d still have $10.32 in credit left over to spend on something else! :-)
2) Alternatively the $100/month credit could be applied towards spinning up 80 Windows Server VMs (with SQL, BizTalk, SharePoint, etc) to use in a load-test for 20 hours:
3) Or the $100 credit could be used to spin up 50 Hadoop cluster nodes for 10 hours of a dev/test MapReduce run:
4) Or the $100 credit could be used to dev/test 100 web-sites with a SQL Database:
The above examples provide just a flavor of the different options now available with this program. The great thing about the monetary credits is that you can use them with any Windows Azure resource – so you have the flexibility to apply them in whatever combination you want. The credits themselves reset every month (meaning if you are a MSDN Premium customer the credits will reset to $100/month every month). So every month you also have the opportunity to change how you allocate them however you want.
You can optionally choose to pay additional money on top of the monetary credit (meaning if you need $200 of resources in a month, the MSDN Premium Monetary Credit will cover the first $100 of usage and then you can pay the rest). Note that any overages will still take advantage of the MSDN Discount Rate (meaning the VMs will only be charged at 6 cents/hr) so you still benefit from a major price discount on that as well.
By default we enable a “spending limit of $0” on MSDN based subscriptions to ensure that customers are never accidentally billed for usage above their MSDN credits. You can turn this of if you want to use more resources than the built-in credits support and pay for overages.
Portal Support for Better Tracking MSDN Monetary Credit Usage
One of the asks we’ve had in the past from Windows Azure Free Trial and MSDN customers has been for us to enable integrated UI support within the Windows Azure Management Portal that makes it easy for customers to better track where they are with their free credit usage.
Today’s release now makes it easy for Windows Azure customers to track their monetary credit usage. The top of the Windows Azure Management Portal now includes “Credit Status UI” that enables customers to quickly check their current status:
Clicking the Credit Status UI will display a summary status within the portal that shows how much credit remains (and how many days until the credit will expire):
Clicking the “View More Details” link in the UI above will then take you to a detailed usage page that shows the usage so far during the month, as well as estimated remaining credit based on current usage patterns:
The above support is now available to both MSDN subscription customers as well as those signing up with our Free Trial, and should make it much easier to track free benefit resources.
Summary
The above enhancements make Windows Azure a fantastic environment in which to do dev/test, and an unbeatable option for all MSDN customers. All of these improvements are now available to start using immediately.
If you don’t already have a Windows Azure account, you can sign-up for a free trial and start using all of the above features today. If you are a MSDN subscriber make sure to sign-up using the same Microsoft ID (formerly LiveID) that is registered with your MSDN subscription. The Windows Azure sign-up wizard will then detect that you are a MSDN subscriber and automatically setup a subscription with the above improvements for you to use.
If you already have an existing MSDN Subscription on Windows Azure you will be automatically migrated to the new benefits above in August. If you wish to opt-into using the new benefits before August you can visit the accounts center on the www.windowsazure.com web-site, and next to your subscription you’ll find the option to transfer to it earlier. If you’d prefer to continue using the existing MSDN benefits offer, you can also optionally opt-out of the automatic conversion and elect to continue to use that for the next 12 months.
Hope this helps,
Scott
P.S. In addition to blogging, I am also now using Twitter for quick updates and to share links. Follow me at: twitter.com/scottguThis LT work should be editions containing the complete text of Jules Verne's 1869 novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Please do not combine it with any abridgements, adaptations, young readers' versions (see working list, below), pop-up books, Chick-fil-A editions, graphic novels, annotated editions, multi-title compendiums, single volumes of a multi-volume edition, or other, similar works based on the original.
Thank you.
Working list of abridged editions not to be combined with the standard editions - Best Loved Books for Young Children, Children's Classics, Great Illustrated Classics, Treasury of Illustrated Classics, Classics Illustrated, Classic Starts Series, Saddleback Illustrated, Stepping Stone Books, Now Age Classics, Young Collectors, (believe it or not) American Short Stories, Deans Children's Classics, anything by Malvina Vogel, Van Gool Adventure Series, Bring the Classics to Life,
Note:
The 1990 ed. of the Great Illustrated Classics contains the complete text (per L of C), ISBN 0895773473. Please do not combine this work with either the film adaptations or with Jules Verne's original book. If you have a copy of this work, please consider supplying the name of the director (if it is a film adaptation) or the name of the author (if it is a book). A chimera of crappy Amazon third-party reseller data that has "20,000 leagues under the sea
by Jules Verne" as the apparent author/title but the ISBN and associated cover of the Denoël/Présence du Futur french translation of "A Canticle for Leibowitz". Annotated editions of works may include substantially more material than the original work. Thus, annotated editions generally should not be combined with un-annotated editions.Have you ever wanted to allow your users to select colours in your Shiny apps? Have you ever wanted to select a few colours to use in your R code, but found it tedious to search for the right colours? If you answered yes to any of those questions, or if you’re just curious, then colourpicker is the package for you!
The new colourpicker package gives you a colour picker widget that can be used in different contexts in R. Most of the functionality has existed in the shinyjs package for the past year and this package is simply a way to graduate all the colour picker functions into their own package.
Demos
Click here to view a live interactive demo of the colour picker input available for Shiny apps.
Click here to see the colour picker addin that lets you select colours interactively.
Table of contents
Installation
colourpicker is available through both CRAN and GitHub:
To install the stable CRAN version:
install.packages("colourpicker")
To install the latest development version from GitHub:
install.packages("devtools") devtools::install_github("daattali/colourpicker")
Overview of main functions
colourpicker exposes three functions: colourInput() (for Shiny apps), colourPicker() (RStudio addin), and colourWidget() (an htmlwidget).
In Shiny apps (or R markdown): colourInput()
You can use colourInput() to include a colour picker input in Shiny apps (or in R markdown documents). It works just like any other native Shiny input, here is an example:
library(shiny) shinyApp( ui = fluidPage( colourInput("col", "Select colour", "purple"), plotOutput("plot") ), server = function(input, output) { output$plot <- renderPlot({ set.seed(1) plot(rnorm(50), bg = input$col, col = input$col, pch = 21) }) } )
To select colours to use in your R code: colourPicker()
colourpicker also provides an RStudio addin that can be used to easily select colours and save them as a variable in R. This can be useful if, for example, you want to pick some colours for a plot and you want an easy way to visualize and select a few colours. Here is a screenshot of the colour picker addin (you can either access this tool using the Addins menu or with colourPicker() ). You can also watch a short GIF of it an action.
As an ‘htmlwidgets’ widget
The colour picker input is also available as an ‘htmlwidgets’ widget using the colourWidget() function. This may not be terribly useful right now since you can use the more powerful colourInput in Shiny apps and Rmarkdown documents, but it may come in handy if you need a widget.
Features of colourInput()
Simple and familiar
Using colourInput is extremely trivial if you’ve used Shiny, and it’s as easy to use as any other input control. It was implemented to very closely mimic all other Shiny inputs so that using it will feel very familiar. You can add a simple colour input to your Shiny app with colourInput("col", "Select colour", value = "red"). The return value from a colourInput is an uppercase HEX colour, so in the previous example the value of input$col would be #FF0000 (#FF0000 is the HEX value of the colour red). The default value at initialization is white (#FFFFFF).
Allowing “transparent”
Since most functions in R that accept colours can also accept the value “transparent”, colourInput has an option to allow selecting the “transparent” colour. By default, only real colours can be selected, so you need to use the allowTransparent = TRUE parameter. When this feature is turned on, a checkbox appears inside the input box.
If the user checks the checkbox for “transparent”, then the colour input is grayed out and the returned value of the input is transparent. This is the only case when the value returned from a colourInput is not a HEX value. When the checkbox is unchecked, the value of the input will be the last selected colour prior to selecting “transparent”.
By default, the text of the checkbox reads “Transparent”, but you can change that with the transparentText parameter. For example, it might be more clear to a user to use the word “None” instead of “Transparent”. Note that even if you change the checkbox text, the return value will still be transparent since that’s the actual colour name in R.
This is what a colour input with transparency enabled looks like
How the chosen colour is shown inside the input
By default, the colour input’s background will match the selected colour and the text inside the input field will be the colour’s HEX value. If that’s too much for you, you can customize the input with the showColour parameter to either only show the text or only show the background colour.
Here is what a colour input with each of the possible values for showColour looks like
Limited colour selection
If you want to only allow the user to select a colour from a specific list of colours, rather than any possible HEX colour, you can use the palette = "limited" parameter. By default, the limited palette will contain 40 common colours, but you can supply your own list of colours using the allowedCols parameter. Here is an image of the default limited colour palette.
As with all other Shiny inputs, colourInput can be updated with the updateColourInput function. Any parameter that can be used in colourInput can be used in updateColourInput. This means that you can start with a basic colour input such as colourInput("col", "Select colour") and completely redesign it with
updateColourInput(session, "col", label = "COLOUR:", value = "orange", showColour = "background", allowTransparent = TRUE, transparentText = "None")
Flexible colour specification
Specifying a colour to the colour input is made very flexible to allow for easier use. When giving a colour as the value parameter of either colourInput or updateColourInput, there are a few ways to specify a colour:
Using a name of an R colour, such as red, gold, blue3, or any other name that R supports (for a full list of R colours, type colours() )
,,, or any other name that R supports (for a full list of R colours, type ) If transparency is allowed in the colourInput, the value transparent (lowercase) can be used. This will update the UI to check the checkbox.
, the value (lowercase) can be used. This will update the UI to check the checkbox. Using a 6-character HEX value, either with or without the leading #. For example, initializing a colourInput with any of the following values will all result in the colour red: ff0000, FF0000, #ff0000.
. For example, initializing a with any of the following values will all result in the colour red:,,. Using a 3-character HEX value, either with or without the leading #. These values will be converted to full HEX values by automatically doubling every character. For example, all the following values would result in the same colour: 1ac, #1Ac, 11aacc.
Works on any device
If you’re worried that maybe someone viewing your Shiny app on a phone won’t be able to use this input properly - don’t you worry. I haven’t quite checked every single device out there, but I did spend extra time making sure the colour selection JavaScript works in most devices I could think of. colourInput will work fine in Shiny apps that are viewed on Android cell phones, iPhones, iPads, and even Internet Explorer 8+.
As usual, if you have any comments, feel free to contact me.Have a Happy STO Winter!
Hello everyone. Content Designer, Tiff Chu, here. I jump start my holiday spirit by thinking about holiday eats. Sometimes, replicated food isn’t quite right for all your holiday festivities. If you’re feeling adventurous in the kitchen, try making some of these recipes from scratch!
It’s been a year since I last found this recipe during the Winter Invasion, and handed it to Neelix. He hasn’t ever made it for me though! This year, I found the recipe again, and I’m keeping it to myself. Well, I suppose I’m also sharing it with you. Take that, Neelix!
Serves 2.
Hardware:
Small whisk
2-cup measuring cup or medium mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
2 small glasses for serving
Small spatula or spoon
Ingredients:
1 egg, separated (I do not suggest using the egg shell method to separate because... germs)
2 teaspoons sugar
1+ drop of vanilla (not to exceed ¼ teaspoon)
1 cup Targ milk (or skimmed Milk of Cow)
3 tablespoons of Rum (or Brandy, Bourbon, Scotch, or none of the above)
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of orange zest (optional)
Directions:
Whisk sugar and egg yolk together until light yellow. Stir in vanilla, milk, rum, and zest. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until fluffy (but not stiff). Fold the egg whites into the milk mixture. Separate into 2 serving glasses. Toast your friend and enjoy!
Warning: If you are squeamish about raw egg, you can cook half the milk first with a teaspoon of cornstarch, then quickly whisk the egg mixture into it, turning off the heat, and pouring the cold milk in right after – while constantly stirring. Or drink the replicated version.
I found the recipe to resuscitate Last Year’s Fruitcake but it was so awful, I decided to find a new, better fruitcake. You’d think it’d be possible after hundreds of years for humans to perfect this, but I had to travel to the future to get this recipe! I’m pretty sure the timeline is intact after my brief incursion. Serves 3 dozen.
Oven: 300°F
Hardware & Bake times:
Choose one:
Pan Bake Time
3 dozen individual (muffin pan) cakes 60 min 16 mini loaves (about 3 3/4" x 2 1/2") 65~70 min 6 to 8 |
series of escalating demands for money in return for not airing the company's dirty laundry.
"Absolute bullshit and nonsense," Robertson said of Levant's counter-accusations when contacted by BuzzFeed News. "He has lied, made all this up and has released no evidence."
Robertson said it was up to Levant to release any documents that bolstered his claim, and suggested his former boss was trying to discredit him in order to keep Rebel viewers from learning the truth about the website's operations.
"What he has said in response is absolutely the definition of defamation and slander," he said. "Of course now we will be taking legal action against him to prove this nonsense."
Levant did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The tit for tat between Levant and Robertson is the latest in a string of setbacks for The Rebel.
In its two years of existence, the website has grown from a small blog devoted to Canadian news to become one of the leading online platforms for far-right voices across the English speaking internet. Its coverage — which is hostile to political correctness, undocumented immigrants, and Muslims — has made it an important part of the online right-wing media ecosystem, joining the likes of Breitbart and Infowars.
Following its sympathetic coverage of the white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, however, a number of contributors, including cofounder Brian Lilley, stepped away from the site, citing its lack of editorial judgment. Gavin McInnes, one of the biggest names left on the roster, is also reportedly leaving, according to CanadaLand.
The Rebel has also been subject to a sustained boycott campaign by activists pressuring advertisers to cut ties with the site, and many conservative Canadian politicians who once eagerly flocked to Levant's site are now weighing whether it's become too toxic to associate with.
And just when things seemed like they couldn't get any worse for The Rebel, it came to light late Thursday that one of the first and best-known correspondents for the site, Faith Goldy, had appeared on a podcast affiliated with the neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer, where she spoke in glowing terms about the white nationalist protests in Charlottesville and traded jokes with the hosts about her Jewish boss. She was fired as a result.
Levant had attempted to distance The Rebel from the alt-right after Charlottesville, writing a public memo that disavowed the open racism of Richard Spencer and others identified with the movement. But after years of flirting with extremism on the far-right and giving a platform to some of its most odious figures, it remains to be seen if Levant and The Rebel can outrun that legacy.Companies whose CEOs spend too much time on the golf course often end up in the rough.
So goes the conclusion of a study from researchers at the University of Tennessee and University of Alabama that could send shivers through C-suites across the U.S.
The team looked at four years' worth of data from the United States Golf Association, which logs member rounds and scores as part of its official handicapping system for hard-core links lovers. Using the records from 363 chief executives in the S&P 1500, the study drew some conclusions sure to scare more than a few of them off the course.
For one, it found that executives who use their time to lower their handicaps also often lower their firms' returns. ( Tweet This ) The study also concluded, not surprisingly, that these same executives who play more often than their peers are more likely to lose their jobs.
"Top traders want to know everything they can about a company before they get involved in a name—down to where its C-level executives dined the night before a big day of investor meetings, for example. You never know how an overdone steak or disagreeable conversation will affect their mood after all, and inadvertently the stock price," New York brokerage Convergex said in a note that unearthed the study from August 2014.This decade has not only brought us the file-sharing technology BitTorrent, but also social networks and social news sites that have really flourished in recent years. This Christmas, users of Reddit, one of the largest social news sites, decided to start their own BitTorrent tracker.
Social news sites like Reddit carry great influence and the capacity to mobilize thousands of people for causes deemed important by the masses. A perfect example of the efficiency and speed of Reddit users became apparent a few days ago when a group of Redditors decided that the community should have a private BitTorrent tracker, exclusive to respected Reddit users.
On Christmas day the idea was born and just a few hours later the tracker named ‘BaconBits‘ was already up and running, with the first torrents being uploaded by an enthusiastic crowd. The day after Christmas the number of users who signed up at BaconBits had already exceeded 2000, and more were coming in nearly every minute.
When the tracker’s founding member deemed that BaconBits was stable enough, an announcement was made on Reddit under the title “Sharing is caring: Late Christmas Present, Fresh BitTorrent Tracker For Redditors,” which was upvoted by nearly a thousand Redditors.
In the announcement the tracker staffers explained that BaconBits is meant to be a private BitTorrent tracker for established Reddit users only. “The site will only accept Reddit users who have been signed up for at least 3 months, have at least 100 comment karma, and have at least 1 link Karma,” they explain.
Reddit users who meet these requirements can send a private message to the user baconbitsinvites on Reddit, and if deemed eligible, will then be invited to join the tracker.
Unlike most other trackers, BaconBits does not have any ratio requirements, instead trusting that the Reddit-sourced community will be sufficiently self-motivated to share. “The site does not require a minimum ratio, we trust that most Reddit users will upload as much as possible,” they say.
Currently the site has more than 1300 torrents being shared by nearly 3500 peers, 3000 of which are seeding.
The swift emergence of the tracker and its democratic nature are not the only surprises. Ironically, a vote among the site’s users has resulted in a ban on adult content. In contrast with the “no censorship” stories that often surface on the Reddit frontpage, the community decided to censor itself, much like the Australian democracy did.
The enthusiasm of the people involved in the project is skyrocketing and appears to be highly contagious, with dozens of people contributing to the site’s overnight success. That said, the emergence of the tracker came about so rapidly that it may cause problems in the long run.
Talking to some of the staff members, TorrentFreak learned that not all of the people involved fully understand the risks involved with running a BitTorrent tracker. Some staff members are openly uploading copyrighted files under the same name they use on Reddit, and hosting and payment issues weren’t thought through beforehand.
With operators of other BitTorrent trackers being arrested left and right, a bit more caution might be appropriate here or the ‘fun’ will end prematurely.
Nitpicking aside, BaconBits may have set a new trend where social networks and communities form the basis of private BitTorrent trackers. Niche BitTorrent trackers that specialize in specific types of movies, TV-shows or musical genres have grown significantly throughout 2009, and community based trackers may become a new niche.VANCOUVER — Google is a company finely tuned to make money – lots and lots of money. But CEO Larry Page doesn't talk a lot about that side of the web search giant he co-founded 15 years ago, at least not in public. Instead, Page likes to imagine how the resources of the world's third-largest company can help realize his techno-optimistic vision of the future.
In an onstage interview with veteran TV newsman Charlie Rose at the TED ideas conference today, Page outlined a Google-built version of the coming decades that could wind up becoming everyday reality for all, if the company's earlier successes are any indication.
>'Companies are doing the same incremental thing that they did 50 years ago, 20 years ago. That's not really what we need'—Larry Page
It was rare public appearance for the 40-year-old billionaire, who suffers from a chronic condition that impairs his speaking voice. During the 25-minute interview, his voice was soft but steady as he opined on the multi-faceted future he sees for Google. Most of what he said was a recap of projects Google already has under way. But watching the CEO tie them all together gave the impression of a company that really does intend to follow through on his idealistic vision. It's a vision that includes everything from widespread artificial intelligence to self-driving cars to high-altitude balloons that bring internet access to the far reaches of the world.
The New Search ————–
But it all starts with search, the thing that Google does best. Still, despite Google's success cataloging the web, Page said that using computers is still a "clunky" experience. "Computing is kind of a mess," he said. "Your computer doesn't know where you are. It doesn't know what you're doing. It doesn't know what you know." To change that, we need better search.
Under Page, Google has been moving in this direction with tools like Google Now that try to anticipate what you need to know before you ask. Google Glass, the company's wearable heads-up display, addresses those same problems by layering digital information directly over what users are seeing in the real world. Though Page didn't say so, those efforts also represent Google's effort to harness the momentum that's moving away from desktop search and directing it into other products the company can use as platforms for its advertising business.
Balloons and Cars —————–
At the core of fixing search is Google's aggressive pursuit of artificial intelligence. Page described setting machine-learning algorithms loose on YouTube's immense video catalog and watching the computer "learn," without any prior awareness, not only that this thing called a "cat" was important to people, but how to create a composite image of one. He showed a video of similar self-teaching machines set loose on old Atari video games like RiverRaid and Enduro with no pre-programmed knowledge of the rules and learning over time how to master them.
Then Page moved beyond search, into physical world, describing Google's ambition to create a "worldwide mesh" of internet connectivity by using huge balloons as wireless hot spots. Rose also asked him about his fascination with transportation systems, which Page said started while waiting in the snow for the bus at his alma mater, the University of Michigan. That fixation has led to Google's self-driving cars project, which Page hopes will someday transform the world's cities.
He believes that systematizing transportation will make it possible to use urban real estate for better things than parking lots and roads. "It's just crazy that that's what we use our space for," he said.
Betting on Business for a Better Future —————————————
Running through Page's plans for Google was theme picked up on by Rose: a faith that business is the best way to build his version of a better future. Rose asked him about a sentiment that Page had apparently voiced before that rather than leave his fortune to a cause, that he might just give it to Elon Musk. Page agreed, calling Musk's aspiration to send humans to Mars "to back up humanity" a worthy goal. "That's a company, and that's philanthropical," he said.
But Page had words that sounded harsh even in his soft voice for businesses that lacked the same lofty goals of an Elon Musk or a Google. "Most people think companies are basically evil. They get a bad rap. And I think that's somewhat correct," Page said. "Companies are doing the same incremental thing that they did 50 years ago, 20 years ago. That's not really what we need. Especially in technology, we need revolutionary change, not incremental change."
That may be an easy thing to say when your company's stock is trading near $1,200 per share and your main business of selling ads makes tens of billions a year. But Page certainly seems like someone for whom those ads are only a means to an end, and that end is not making himself rich. Page wants to build the future that we all may very well end up living in.‘Hello, is this planet Earth?’ asks an astronaut after calling a wrong number from ISS
Britain’s first astronaut, Tim Peake, currently serving aboard the International Space Station (ISS), when tried calling home from space accidentally dialled the wrong number.
However, he quickly took to Twitter to insist that the incident was not a prank call, “just a wrong number!”
“I’d like to apologise to the lady I just called by mistake saying ‘Hello, is this planet earth?’ — not a prank call… just a wrong number,” he tweeted from the ISS on Christmas day.
I'd like to apologise to the lady I just called by mistake saying 'Hello, is this planet Earth?' – not a prank call…just a wrong number! — Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) December 24, 2015
Father of two, Peake, 43, of Chichester, has been unlucky with calls to earth and had earlier got his parents’ answering machine when he tried to wish them a Merry Christmas.
The astronaut’s father, Nigel Peake, told ITV News that the experience felt amazing.
“It was quite surreal. We’d popped out for about an hour to see our daughter who lives nearby, came home to an answerphone message, ‘hello, this is your son from the International Space Station’. We’re out when he calls! That message is going to stay there in perpetuity, I can assure you.”
Peake also tweeted an illustration created by Lupus Films of the astronaut with The Snowman and The Snowdog.
Peake is expected to help conduct about 265 science and medical experiments to help scientist understand the toll of space flight on the human body, which will help in future missions to Mars.
He is sharing the space station with five astronauts from Russia and the United States: Scott Kelly, Tim Kopra, Mikhail Kornienko, Yuri Malenchenko and Sergey Volkov.
Earlier in the week, Peake helped two fellow crew members to conduct a space walk outside the ISS. Astronauts Tim Kopra and Scott Kelly, from the US space agency NASA, went outside the ISS to fix a broken component.
Hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas eve down there. You're looking good from up here! #Principia pic.twitter.com/8O50l7ZWzL — Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) December 24, 2015
‘Peake Fever’ had swept Britain with millions of school children abandoning lessons to watch him leave the Earth for outer space on December 15.
Peake is the first UK national in last 25 years, chosen to join the ISS team in 2009 and is employed by the European Space Agency. He beat over 8,000 applicants to the job.
Before he embarks on his return journey scheduled on June 5, 2016, the six-month stay on the space station will see Peake go around the Earth 2,700 times, traveling at 17,500mph (28,200kph). The 173 days mission aboard the ISS by Peake will be the sixth longest space mission undertaken by an ESA astronaut.Support Funtoo and help us grow! Donate $15 per month and get a free SSD-based Funtoo Virtual Container.
Before You Start
About this tutorial
Welcome to "Intermediate administration," the third of four tutorials designed to prepare you for the Linux Professional Institute's 101 (release 2) exam. This tutorial (Part 3) is ideal for those who want to improve their knowledge of fundamental Linux administration skills. We'll cover a variety of topics, including system and Internet documentation, the Linux permissions model, user account management, and login environment tuning.
If you are new to Linux, we recommend that you start with Part 1 and Part 2. For some, much of this material will be new, but more experienced Linux users may find this tutorial to be a great way of "rounding out" their foundational Linux system administration skills.
By the end of this series of tutorials (eight in all covering the LPI 101 and 102 exams), you will have the knowledge you need to become a Linux Systems Administrator and will be ready to attain an LPIC Level 1 certification from the Linux Professional Institute if you so choose.
System and network documentation
Types of Linux system documentation
There are essentially three sources of documentation on a Linux system: manual pages, info pages, and application-bundled documentation in /usr/share/doc. In this section, we'll explore each of these sources before looking "outside the box" for more information.
Manual pages
Manual pages, or "man pages", are the classic form of UNIX and Linux reference documentation. Ideally, you can look up the man page for any command, configuration file, or library routine. In practice, Linux is free software, and some pages haven't been written or are showing their age. Nonetheless, man pages are the first place to look when you need help.
To access a man page, simply type man followed by your topic of inquiry. A pager will be started, so you will need to press q when you're done reading. For example, to look up information about the ls command, you would type:
$ man ls
Knowing the layout of a man page can be helpful to jump quickly to the information you need. In general, you will find the following sections in a man page:
NAME Name and one-line description of the command SYNOPSIS How to use the command DESCRIPTION In-depth discussion on the functionality of the command EXAMPLES Suggestions for how to use the command SEE ALSO Related topics (usually man pages)
man page sections
The files that comprise manual pages are stored in /usr/share/man (or in /usr/man on some older systems). Inside that directory, you will find that the manual pages are organized into the following sections:
man1 User programs man2 System calls man3 Library functions man4 Special files man5 File formats man6 Games man7 Miscellaneous
Multiple man pages
Some topics exist in more than one section. To demonstrate this, let's use the whatis command, which shows all the available man pages for a topic:
$ whatis printf printf (1) - format and print data printf (3) - formatted output conversion
In this case, man printf would default to the page in section 1 ("User Programs"). If we were writing a C program, we might be more interested in the page from section 3 ("Library functions"). You can call up a man page from a certain section by specifying it on the command line, so to ask for printf(3), we would type:
$ man 3 printf
Finding the right man page
Sometimes it's hard to find the right man page for a given topic. In that case, you might try using man -k to search the NAME section of the man pages. Be warned that it's a substring search, so running something like man -k ls will give you a lot of output! Here's an example using a more specific query:
$ man -k whatis apropos (1) - search the whatis database for strings makewhatis (8) - Create the whatis database whatis (1) - search the whatis database for complete words
All about apropos
The example on the previous panel brings up a few more points. First, the apropos command is exactly equivalent to man -k. (In fact, I'll let you in on a little secret. When you run man -k, it actually runs apropos behind the scenes.) The second point is the makewhatis command, which scans all the man pages on your Linux system and builds the database for whatis and apropos. Usually this is run periodically by root to keep the database updated:
# makewhatis
For more information on "man" and friends, you should start with its man page:
$ man man
The MANPATH
By default, the man program will look for man pages in /usr/share/man, /usr/local/man, /usr/X11R6/man, and possibly /opt/man. Sometimes, you may find that you need to add an additional item to this search path. If so, simply edit /etc/man.conf in a text editor and add a line that looks like this:
MANPATH /opt/man
From that point forward, any man pages in the /opt/man/man* directories will be found. Remember that you'll need to rerun makewhatis to add these new man pages to the whatis database.
GNU info
One shortcoming of man pages is that they don't support hypertext, so you can't jump easily from one to another. The GNU folks recognized this shortcoming, so they invented another documentation format: "info" pages. Many of the GNU programs come with extensive documentation in the form of info pages. You can start reading info pages with the info command:
$ info
Calling info in this way will bring up an index of the available pages on the system. You can move around with the arrow keys, follow links (indicated with a star) using the Enter key, and quit by pressing q. The keys are based on Emacs, so you should be able to navigate easily if you're familiar with that editor. For an intro to the Emacs editor, see the developerWorks tutorial, Living in Emacs.
You can also specify an info page on the command line:
$ info diff
For more information on using the info reader, try reading its info page. You should be able to navigate primitively using the few keys I've already mentioned:
$ info info
/usr/share/doc
There is a final source for help within your Linux system. Many programs are shipped with additional documentation in other formats: text, PDF, PostScript, HTML, to name a few. Take a look in usr/share/doc (or /usr/doc on older systems). You'll find a long list of directories, each of which came with a certain application on your system. Searching through this documentation can often reveal some gems that aren't available as man pages or info pages, such as tutorials or additional technical documentation. A quick check reveals there's a lot of reading material available:
$ cd /usr/share/doc $ find. -type f | wc -l 7582
Whew! Your homework this evening is to read just half (3791) of those documents. Expect a quiz tomorrow. ;-)
The Linux Documentation Project
In addition to system documentation, there are a number of excellent Linux resources on the Internet. The Linux Documentation Project is a group of volunteers who are working on putting together the complete set of free Linux documentation. This project exists to consolidate various pieces of Linux documentation into a location that is easy to search and use.
An LDP overview
The LDP is made up of the following areas:
Guides - longer, more in-depth books, such as The Linux Programmer's Guide
HOWTOs - subject-specific help, such as the DSL HOWTO
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions with answers, such as the Brief Linux FAQ
Man pages - help on individual commands (these are the same manual pages you get on your Linux system when you use the man command).
If you aren't sure which section to peruse, you can take advantage of the search box, which allows you to find things by topic.
The LDP additionally provides a list of Links and Resources such as Linux Gazette (see links in Resources) and Linux Weekly News, as well links to mailing lists and news archives.
Mailing lists
Mailing lists provide probably the most important point of collaboration for Linux developers. Often projects are developed by contributors who live far apart, possibly even on opposite sides of the globe. Mailing lists provide a method for each developer on a project to contact all the others, and to hold group discussions via e-mail. One of the most famous development mailing lists is the Linux Kernel Mailing List.
More about mailing lists
In addition to development, mailing lists can provide a method for asking questions and receiving answers from knowledgeable developers, or even other users. For example, individual distributions often provide mailing lists for newcomers. You can check your distribution's Web site for information on the mailing lists it provides.
If you took the time to read the LKML FAQ at the link on the previous panel, you might have noticed that mailing list subscribers often don't take kindly to questions being asked repeatedly. It's always wise to search the archives for a given mailing list before writing your question. Chances are, it will save you time, too!
Newsgroups
Internet "newsgroups" are similar to mailing lists, but are based on a protocol called NNTP ("Network News Transfer Protocol") instead of e-mail. To participate, you need to use an NNTP client such as slrn or pan. The primary advantage is that you only take part in the discussion when you want, instead of having it continually arrive in your inbox. :-)
The newsgroups of primary interest start with comp.os.linux. You can browse the list on the LDP site.
Vendor and third-party Web sites
Web sites for the various Linux distributions often provide updated documentation, installation instructions, hardware compatibility/incompatibility statements, and other support such as a knowledge base search tool. For example:
Hardware and software vendors
Many hardware and software vendors have added Linux support to their products in recent years. At their sites, you can find information about which hardware supports Linux, software development tools, released sources, downloads of Linux drivers for specific hardware, and other special Linux projects. For example:
The Linux permissions model
One user, one group
In this section, we'll take a look at the Linux permissions and ownership model. We've already seen that every file is owned by one user and one group. This is the very core of the permissions model in Linux. You can view the user and group of a file in a ls -l listing:
$ ls -l /bin/bash -rwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 430540 Dec 23 18:27 /bin/bash
In this particular example, the /bin/bash executable is owned by root and is in the wheel group. The Linux permissions model works by allowing three independent levels of permission to be set for each filesystem object -- those for the file's owner, the file's group, and all other users.
Understanding "ls -l"
Let's take a look at our ls -l output and inspect the first column of the listing:
$ ls -l /bin/bash -rwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 430540 Dec 23 18:27 /bin/bash
This first field -rwxr-xr- contains a symbolic representation of this particular files' permissions. The first character (-) in this field specifies the type of this file, which in this case is a regular file. Other possible first characters:
'd' directory 'l' symbolic link 'c' character special device 'b' block special device 'p' fifo's' socket
Three triplets
$ ls -l /bin/bash -rwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 430540 Dec 23 18:27 /bin/bash
The rest of the field consists of three character triplets. The first triplet represents permissions for the owner of the file, the second represents permissions for the file's group, and the third represents permissions for all other users:
"rwx" "r-x" "r-x"
Above, the r means that reading (looking at the data in the file) is allowed, the w means that writing (modifying the file, as well as deletion) is allowed, and the x means that "execute" (running the program) is allowed. Putting together all this information, we can see that everyone is able to read the contents of and execute this file, but only the owner (root) is allowed to modify this file in any way. So, while normal users can copy this file, only root is allowed to update it or delete it.
Who am I?
Before we take a look at how to change the user and group ownership of a file, let's first take a look at how to learn your current user id and group membership. Unless you've used the su command recently, your current user id is the one you used to log in to the system. If you use su frequently, however, you may not remember your current effective user id. To view it, type whoami:
# whoami root # su drobbins $ whoami drobbins
What groups am I in?
To see what groups you belong to, use the groups command:
$ groups drobbins wheel audio
In the above example, I'm a member of the drobbins, wheel, and audio groups. If you want to see what groups other user(s) are in, specify their usernames as arguments:
$ groups root daemon root : root bin daemon sys adm disk wheel floppy dialout tape video daemon : daemon bin adm
Changing user and group ownership
To change the owner or group of a file or other filesystem object, use chown or chgrp, respectively. Each of these commands takes a name followed by one or more filenames.
# chown root /etc/passwd # chgrp wheel /etc/passwd
You can also set the owner and group simultaneously with an alternate form of the chown command:
# chown root:wheel /etc/passwd
You may not use chown unless you are the superuser, but chgrp can be used by anyone to change the group ownership of a file to a group to which they belong.
Recursive ownership changes
Both chown and chgrp have a -R option that can be used to tell them to recursively apply ownership and group changes to an entire directory tree. For example:
# chown -R drobbins /home/drobbins
Introducing chmod
chown and chgrp can be used to change the owner and group of a filesystem object, but another program, called chmod, is used to change the rwx permissions that we can see in an ls -l listing. chmod takes two or more arguments: a "mode", describing how the permissions should be changed, followed by a file or list of files that should be affected:
$ chmod +x scriptfile.sh
In the above example, our "mode" is +x. As you might guess, a +x mode tells chmod to make this particular file executable for both the user and group and for anyone else.
If we wanted to remove all execute permissions of a file, we'd do this:
$ chmod -x scriptfile.sh
User/group/other granularity
So far, our chmod examples have affected permissions for all three triplets -- the user, the group, and all others. Often, it's handy to modify only one or two triplets at a time. To do this, simply specify the symbolic character for the particular triplets you'd like to modify before the + or - sign. Use u for the "user" triplet, g for the "group" triplet, and o for the "other/everyone" triplet:
$ chmod go-w scriptfile.sh
We just removed write permissions for the group and all other users, but left "owner" permissions untouched.
Resetting permissions
In addition to flipping permission bits on and off, we can also reset them altogether. By using the = operator, we can tell chmod that we want the specified permissions and no others:
$ chmod =rx scriptfile.sh
Above, we just set all "read" and "execute" bits, and unset all "write" bits. If you just want to reset a particular triplet, you can specify the symbolic name for the triplet before the = as follows:
$ chmod u=rx scriptfile.sh
Numeric modes
Up until now, we've used what are called symbolic modes to specify permission changes to chmod. However, there's another common way of specifying permissions: using a 4-digit octal number. Using this syntax, called numeric permissions syntax, each digit represents a permissions triplet. For example, in 1777, the 777 sets the "owner", "group", and "other" flags that we've been discussing in this section. The 1 is used to set the special permissions bits, which we'll cover later (see " The elusive first digit" at the end of this section). This chart shows how the second through fourth digits (777) are interpreted:
Mode Digit rwx 7 rw− 6 r−x 5 r−− 4 −wx 3 −w− 2 −−x 1 −−− 0
Numeric permission syntax
Numeric permission syntax is especially useful when you need to specify all permissions for a file, such as in the following example:
$ chmod 0755 scriptfile.sh $ ls -l scriptfile.sh -rwxr-xr-x 1 drobbins drobbins 0 Jan 9 17:44 scriptfile.sh
In this example, we used a mode of 0755, which expands to a complete permissions setting of -rwxr-xr-x.
The umask
When a process creates a new file, it specifies the permissions that it would like the new file to have. Often, the mode requested is 0666 (readable and writable by everyone), which is more permissive that we would like. Fortunately, Linux consults something called a "umask" whenever a new file is created. The system uses the umask value to reduce the originally specified permissions to something more reasonable and secure. You can view your current umask setting by typing umask at the command line:
$ umask 0022
On Linux systems, the umask normally defaults to 0022, which allows others to read your new files (if they can get to them) but not modify them.
To make new files more secure by default, you can change the umask setting:
$ umask 0077
This umask will make sure that the group and others will have absolutely no permissions for any newly created files. So, how does the umask work? Unlike "regular" permissions on files, the umask specifies which permissions should be turned off. Let's consult our mode-to-digit mapping table so that we can understand what a umask of 0077 means:
Mode Digit rwx 7 rw− 6 r−x 5 r−− 4 −wx 3 −w− 2 −−x 1 −−− 0
Using our table, the last three digits of 0077 expand to ---rwxrwx. Now, remember that the umask tells the system which permissions to disable. Putting two and two together, we can see that all "group" and "other" permissions will be turned off, while "user" permissions will remain untouched.
Introducing suid and sgid
When you initially log in, a new shell process is started. You already know that, but you may not know that this new shell process (typically bash) runs using your user id. As such, the bash program can access all files and directories that you own. In fact, we as users are totally dependent on other programs to perform operations on our behalf. Because the programs you start inherit your user id, they cannot access any filesystem objects for which you haven't been granted access.
For example, the passwd file cannot be changed by normal users directly, because the "write" flag is off for every user except root:
$ ls -l /etc/passwd -rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 1355 Nov 1 21:16 /etc/passwd
However, normal users do need to be able to modify /etc/passwd (at least indirectly) whenever they need to change their password. But, if the user is unable to modify this file, how exactly does this work?
suid
Thankfully, the Linux permissions model has two special bits called suid and sgid. When an executable program has the suid bit set, it will run on behalf of the owner of the executable, rather than on behalf of the person who started the program.
Now, back to the /etc/passwd problem. If we take a look at the passwd executable, we can see that it's owned by root:
$ ls -l /usr/bin/passwd -rwsr-xr-x 1 root wheel 17588 Sep 24 00:53 /usr/bin/passwd
You'll also note that in place of an x in the user's permission triplet, there's an s. This indicates that, for this particular program, the suid and executable bits are set. Because of this, when passwd runs, it will execute on behalf of the root user (with full superuser access) rather than that of the user who ran it. And because passwd runs with root access, it's able to modify the /etc/passwd file with no problem.
suid/sgid caveats
We've seen how suid works, and sgid works in a similar way. It allows programs to inherit the group ownership of the program rather than that of the current user.
Important Here's some miscellaneous yet important information about suid and sgid. First, suid and sgid bits occupy the same space as the x bits in a ls -l listing. If the x bit is also set, the respective bits will show up as s (lowercase). However, if the x bit is not set, it will show up as a S (uppercase).
Important Another important note: suid and sgid come in handy in many circumstances, but improper use of these bits can allow the security of a system to be breached. It's best to have as few suid programs as possible. The passwd command is one of the few that must be suid.
Changing suid and sgid
Setting and removing the suid and sgid bits is fairly straightforward. Here, we set the suid bit:
# chmod u+s /usr/bin/myapp
And here, we remove the sgid bit from a directory. We'll see how the sgid bit affects directories in just a few panels:
# chmod g-s /home/drobbins
Permissions and directories
So far, we've been looking at permissions from the perspective of regular files. When it comes to directories, things are a bit different. Directories use the same permissions flags, but they are interpreted to mean slightly different things.
For a directory, if the "read" flag is set, you may list the contents of the directory; "write" means you may create files in the directory; and "execute" means you may enter the directory and access any sub-directories inside. Without the "execute" flag, the filesystem objects inside a directory aren't accessible. Without a "read" flag, the filesystem objects inside a directory aren't viewable, but objects inside the directory can still be accessed as long as someone knows the full path to the object on disk.
Directories and sgid
And, if a directory has the "sgid" flag enabled, any filesystem objects created inside it will inherit the group of the directory. This particular feature comes in handy when you need to create a directory tree to be used by a group of people that all belong to the same group. Simply do this:
# mkdir /home/groupspace # chgrp mygroup /home/groupspace # chmod g+s /home/groupspace
Now, any users in the group mygroup can create files or directories inside /home/groupspace, and they will be automatically assigned a |
a presence in America to help shape these movements, generating so much street heat in so many congressional districts that Democrats were compelled to look leftward as they crafted their response to the Depression." In LBJ's time, the civil rights movement "provided a new generation of street heat that both compelled and abetted the president and Congress to enact fundamental reforms."The most exciting political development of recent times has been the emergence of the progressive blogosphere. We know there's a lot of support out there for progressive principles, with a lot of heat behind it. The question then is, how do we translate that passion to the kind of force that moves the likes of Rahm Emanuel and Steny Hoyer and Harry Reid?
Labels: Bush Regime incompetence, Bush Regime law-breaking, Hilda Solis, Labor Dept.First there was Draymond Green’s suspension for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals that sparked the Golden State Warriors’ collapse from a 3-1 lead to eventually falling to the champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Next Green reached a plea agreement that allowed him to avoid jail time after he allegedly slapped a Michigan State football player. And then for the encore, the forward apologized for posting a picture of his private parts on social media.
Fame, and his rise as a worldwide NBA star both hated and loved, became too heavy for Green to bear. So, in August 2016, Green quietly established “Team Draymond” with a long list of influencers to help get his life in order.
“What is most important is just really understanding where you were, where you are headed and where you are growing. For a minute, I didn’t grow with it,” the two-time NBA All-Star told The Undefeated. “My career and my life grew. It started to outgrow me, and I had to catch up. And some things took place in my life. Things like getting arrested. The Snapchat incident. Last summer taught me so much and made me really catch up with where my life was.
“I was still approaching it like I’m just a second-round pick playing basketball, having a good career. And I was someone who people were checking on. I became a household name. I became an All-Star. I became an Olympian. So, it just wasn’t that anymore. And I don’t say that in a cocky way. I say that in the humblest way as possible. But, your life grows, your career grows. It reaches different stages. And I wasn’t ready for the stage.”
To truly understand why the 27-year-old Green needed “Team Draymond,” you have to go back to where it all started in Saginaw, Michigan, to hear his rags-to-riches story.
Green was born in Saginaw on March 4, 1990, and was raised by his mother, Mary Babers, who worked as many as three jobs to make ends meet. Green recalled his mom having a house foreclosed when he was in the seventh grade. For the next two years, Green, his brother and mom moved into a two-bedroom duplex with his aunt and her son. His grandfather eventually bought Babers a home that needed a lot of remodeling. Green recalls his mom using her tax refund check to fix up the home and never allowing her children to feel like they were poor.
“Sometimes we slept on the floor with my mom on the couch,” Green said. “My little cousin had a bunk bed, so sometimes we’d sleep on the top bunk. We just made it work however we had to make it work for two years.
“From one job, I think my mom made $16,000. Working three jobs she probably brought in less than $30,000 a year, if that, and that’s probably pushing it. But you figure out what you’ve got, and that’s all you know, that’s all you know. You make it work.”
Green said the lack of money growing up made him “grind” as a basketball player.
Green’s mother told him growing up that he’d better figure out a way to make it big financially because he spent money quickly and wasn’t good at blue-collar jobs. Green wasn’t a heralded McDonald’s All-American selection or some prep school star. The former Saginaw High School standout was a fourth-team Parade All-American selection who ranked 36th in the ESPN Top 150.
Green said his aggressive and tough mentality on the floor is a product of his poor upbringing. Whether he is playing basketball or online dominoes with friends, he is playing to win “by any means necessary.”
“What are you going to do to survive?” said Green, a father of a newborn son. “It gave you that hunger and mentality that is hard to teach. It’s kind of something that you picked up usually from your circumstances. Usually, kids that grow up with a lot don’t have that survivor’s mentality by any means. They don’t have it because they’ve always had it.
“It’s something I honestly look at with my son and my daughter like, ‘They don’t have a clue.’ You try to simulate it as much as you can, but how much can you really simulate it?”
Green initially committed to play at the University of Kentucky for then-head coach Tubby Smith, but Smith left Kentucky to coach at Minnesota in March 2007. Green reopened his recruiting and decided to stay close to Saginaw by signing with Michigan State under coach Tom Izzo. Green ended his successful college career as one of three players in Michigan State history with more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
The 2012 Big Ten Conference Player of the Year wasn’t an elite NBA prospect despite being a well-rounded and tough player. His age, being viewed as undersized at his position and weight concerns hurt his draft stock. The Warriors selected Green with the 35th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, and he can still recite every prospect selected ahead of him. Green signed a three-year, $3.2 million rookie contract with the Warriors paying less than $1 million in each season. While the contract was mammoth by Saginaw standards, it was minimum wage by NBA standards. With his past in mind, Green had reason to be very proud of his first contract.
“Hell, yeah, I was excited when I signed that contract,” Green said. “I was at my apartment in East Lansing called Beaumont. I got it through FedEx. And, I open it up and I’m just looking at the numbers. And even then, I’m looking like, man, I’m about to make like $850,000. I think my contract totaled up to like $3.2 million or something like that. Three years, $3.2 million.
“I took a picture and put it in the group chat. I sent it to my boys like, ‘Yo, this is crazy. I ain’t never seen no money like that.’ I sent it to my mom. Like this is nuts, $850,000 a year? I couldn’t believe it.”
Green had the NBA contract, but he wasn’t supposed to receive a penny until the season arrived. In need of money, Green said, he asked for and was granted a $60,000 advance on his contract from the Warriors.
Green was welcomed to the real world of finances once his first check arrived, as taxes made their presence known immediately.
“What people didn’t understand was once I signed that contract I was still broke as hell,” Green said. “People think you get that money right away. You got to wait for the NBA to approve the contract. Then you got to wait for an advance. You don’t get your first check until Nov. 15th. I remember I took an advance for $60,000 on my first-year salary. I got that. And that was like the most bittersweet day when I got the wire to my account. I was so broke still, dog.
“It was $31,000 [after taxes]. And it was like the most bittersweet day of my life because I was like, ‘Man, I got $31,000 in my bank account? Man, where did the other 29,000 go?’ But, I was happy as hell to have that $31,000. Then I had to use a lot of that to move out here to the Bay. I still didn’t have any credit, so I had to put money up to get an apartment, get furniture and all this stuff. I was renting a car that the Warriors were paying for until I got my first check. And then all that s— came out of my check. So, I was still really broke when I got the first check.
“People don’t understand this. Out of your first check, you’ve got rookie dues coming out. You got escrow coming out. People think like you just balling from the jump. If you ain’t one of these top guys, getting endorsement deals and stuff out the gate, you still broke, man. But, you know, it’s still more than I’ve ever had.”
Green came off the bench for the Warriors during the Vegas Summer League in 2012. Golden State also had two first-round picks before selecting Green: forward Harrison Barnes, the seventh overall pick, and center Festus Ezeli, the 30th overall pick.
Green became a solid role player who made occasional starts and several notable plays during his first two NBA seasons. The 6-foot-7, 230-pounder hit gold in the 2014-15 season as he dropped 20 pounds, kept a starting forward job from an injured David Lee and helped the Warriors win their first NBA championship since 1975. Suddenly, Green went from second-round pick to household NBA name.
From a financial standpoint, Green’s timing could not have been any better, as he was a free agent during the summer of 2015. After an initial stalemate, he and the Warriors agreed to terms on a five-year, $85 million fully guaranteed contract extension.
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Green went from making $915,243 in his third NBA season to $14.3 million the next.
“Once I signed that deal, it made the $850,000 look like pennies,” Green said. “So, I’m looking through that contract. My mom was here. That’s when we did the press conference and stuff, and I went up and signed it right before. And, I’m looking at that f—— contract like, ‘What the f—?’
“Five years. The first year I’m making 15-something, then 16-, then 17-. What in the world is going on here? My goodness, I couldn’t even fathom the numbers. That was amazing. I was just ecstatic.”
Even with the incredibly deeper pockets, Green’s former personal manager Jacquail “Juice” Jacox said the Warriors forward was responsible with his money after the mammoth pay hike. Green said his “financial people” wouldn’t allow him to buy anything outrageous, and he finally rewarded himself and bought an expensive watch this year. Jacox said Green once considered getting a private jet after a last-minute decision to take a trip with four other friends to Los Angeles from Oakland, California, but Green ultimately listened to him and bought Southwest Airlines tickets to Burbank instead.
“Still, to this day, he’s still the type of guy who says, ‘I’m not spending that type of money on that,’ ” Jacox told The Undefeated. “I would call it, I’m not going to say cheap because he’s not a cheap person. But he spends within his budget. His financial team does a great job of giving him a budget.”
Green did quickly spend $3 million in his new contract, but that was for a donation to Michigan State.
“He called me before he signed the contract to figure out how much money he wanted to give back to Michigan State. I mean, who does that? Nobody does that, that’s bugging them. Guy’s a unique guy, in a lot of ways. Not only his game but his whole personality,” Izzo told The Undefeated.
Green had money beyond his childhood dreams, became an NBA All-Star for the first time in 2016, had the ear of the media, landed commercials and became a love-him-or-hate-him player because of his no-chaser words and wayward on-court kicks that he professes have always been accidental. USA Basketball also named him a member of its 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games team.
But after the Warriors’ collapse in the 2016 NBA Finals sparked by his Game 5 suspension, his arrest and his sexting snafu, Green realized he needed to get his life in order and couldn’t do it alone.
“It was like the Finals and then the arrest, and then [Snapchat]. And it’s like, ‘f—.’ It was just so many things, and that was like the last of it all. [Warriors general manager] Bob Myers called, and he was like, ‘Are you done? If not, just tell me. We’ll figure it out. But are you done?’ I said, ‘Bob, I’m done. I got to get my s— together. I’m good. I’m done. I’m on the right track. I’m headed in the right direction.’ And that was it. The Snapchat thing was where it was like, ‘All right, it’s catching up to me,’ ” Green said.
Green believed he needed to get a diverse group together that he trusted and that loved him, had his best interest at heart and wanted to help. This collective group of men and women from diverse backgrounds all serve an important role to Green. And he refers to them as “Team Draymond.”
“To define it in one instance is tough because when I say, ‘Team Draymond,’ it’s covering basketball, it’s covering endorsements, it’s covering everything I do public relationswise,” Green said. “Everything I do community relationswise. It’s covering everything I do in business. That team covers all those things. Someone in this team covers all those things. And it covers my day-to-day life.”
Team Draymond already had several members, but the complete formation of it fell into place in August 2016. The members of the team:
Agent B.J. Armstrong: The 1994 NBA All-Star won three titles with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The former Bulls front office member joined Wasserman Media Group in 2007 as a player agent and was elevated to co-manage Wasserman’s basketball department in 2010. Armstrong also represents New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose and former Kansas guard Josh Jackson, a top-five draft prospect.
“B.J. educates you so much. Business itself, how to grow business. B.J. is a sounding board for anything I do,” Green said.
Tom Izzo: A Naismith Hall of Famer who has coached Michigan State for 22 seasons and has 544 wins. Izzo is very close to Green and typically attends several of his Warriors games a season.
“We have a unique bond. And the unique bond is, I’m a little crazy and he’s a little crazy. And I have a great appreciation for who and what he is,” said Izzo, who added that he speaks to Green regularly.
Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium principal owner Stephen Ross: One of Green’s most beloved mentors, Ross is a Michigan native who Forbes magazine says is worth $15 billion. Ross is also the founder and chairman of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the unifying power of sports to improve race relations and drive social progress. Green is a member of the advisory board.
One of Green’s most beloved mentors, Ross is a Michigan native who Forbes magazine says is worth $15 billion. Ross is also the founder and chairman of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the unifying power of sports to improve race relations and drive social progress. Green is a member of the advisory board. Warriors co-executive chairman Peter Guber: Another one of Green’s beloved mentors, Guber is also chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment and Mandalay Sports Media and owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Green and Guber regularly have deep powwows over foodie meals.
On Ross and Guber, Green said: “They are advisers and people who I trust who I know understands business. When I look for business decisions I may ask, ‘What do you think of this? If you were in this situation, what would you do? How did you handle this when you were starting out investing?’ I like having people like that in the corner.”
Jacox (who is now the CEO of All in One Sports): The former Middle Tennessee State guard spearheaded Green’s Christmas charity event at an Oakland YMCA. Former NFL lineman LaMarr Woodley, who is from Saginaw, introduced them.
“Juice is like a jack of all trades. He’s all things community. He’s sometimes meeting people and bringing dudes to the table,” Green said. “But yet he stays in his lane. If there is someone he meets and it’s about marketing, he takes it to the marketing team. One of the most important things I’ve learned is having everyone stay in their lane. One thing about Juice is he’s an amazing people person. And so he just meets people that bring different opportunities to the table.”
Jacox started working for Green in 2015, managing his schedule and building relationships with potential business partners. But Green encouraged Jacox to depart to start his own business, All in One Sports, last year. Jacox is also still employed by Wasserman Group, a side job he landed through his connection to Green.
“We talked about it and he said, ‘If you want to grow, you can’t be up under me on a day-to-day basis,’ ” Jacox said. “ ‘I have to give you an opportunity to grow, and this next move will help you get to where I’m trying to get to.’ ”
Marell Evans: A regional executive for Okta, a Silicon Valley company that provides secure identity management. Green’s closest personal friend keeps him abreast of what is going on in the business world and Silicon Valley.
“Marell is a sounding board,” Green said. “I like to surround myself with people, and everyone that I’ve named to you, that will tell me, ‘You’re wrong.’ Marell is the biggest, ‘Day, I love you, but you are wrong. Day, I love you, but you were on bulls—.’
“We hang out and vacation together. He has his own things going on. But I can call and talk about the tech space, too.”
Jordan Dumars: A former Michigan guard who is the son of former Detroit Pistons guard and general manager Joe Dumars. Jordan is one of Green’s longtime and closest friends who has connected him to Evans and several other notable people. Hall of Famer Joe Dumars also mentored Green as a teenager.
“Draymond and I spent a lot of late nights with my dad in his office talking about basketball, women, anything,” Jordan Dumars told The Undefeated.
Former Michigan State guard Travis Walton: The former D-League Salt Lake City Stars assistant coach trains Green during the offseason and works with him during playoff workouts. Green’s former Michigan State teammate also breaks down his film with him and worked him out during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
“Whenever Travis is around, I feel like I am at the top of my game and my sharpness,” Green said. “He is there when I come into training camp. Travis and I worked out for the entire summer, and then when he comes back right before the playoffs … he just gets me into a groove and a rhythm and a confidence level that no one else can really get me to. He’s all things basketball.”
Maverick Carter: Famed marketing mogul, businessman and Cleveland Cavalier forward LeBron James’ business partner.
“Mav has a relationship with everyone,” Green said. “Being able to have Mav as a soundboard, it’s important. Man doesn’t have what you would call an everyday role in Team Draymond. But he plays an important role because all big decisions I’m going to ask his opinion.”
Other Team Draymond members include: Focus Financial partner Daniel Sillman, Nike basketball representative Adrian Stelly, crisis public relations expert Adam Mendelsohn, Wasserman senior director of client services Lindsey Fitzgerald, newcomer personal assistant Nicholas Matthews, Denver Bronco and former Michigan State wide receiver Bennie Fowler, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment partner Jill Smoller and commercial agent Rob Koslowsky, Manteca Ford owner Phil Waterford, and businessman Gary Shiffman.
Adjusting from having nothing as an unknown kid in Saginaw to having millions as an NBA star with the Warriors wasn’t easy for Green. Izzo believes Green is finally on the right path with Team Draymond behind him.
“He had a lot of things that happened in a short period of time,” Izzo said. “He had to re-look at everything. And what I told him is, ‘You’re not the guy that’s hidden anymore. You know?’ And they need him to be the spokesperson. That’s his personality, and that’s part of his talent, but with that goes a responsibility. Like all of us, he’s learning, he’s growing, he’s better than he was. I mean he has his moments, so I kept telling him, ‘Don’t even waste the technicals in the regular season. They’re needless.’
“I talk to some of them [the Team Draymond members], that I know are really good people, too. He’s smart enough to realize that we need some people around us. He’s got some people around to help him with different things, and I think it’s worked out very well. I mean there are problems. I get to be part of that, I’m just not on the payroll.”
Green and the Warriors are now one win away from their second championship in three years entering Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the host Cavaliers on Friday night. Members of Team Draymond who are expected to be at the game include Izzo, Jacox, Armstrong, Walton and Sillman, with hopes of celebrating another championship with their work-in-progress Warrior.
“The most important thing is just being an organized group that’s about our business,” Green said. “Being organized and trying to make the best business decisions possible to put ourselves in the best position we can to take advantage of where we are and the platform that we have.”The cabinet has decided to increase its latest rice subsidy to 13,000 baht per tonne for Hom Mali paddy in a bid to stem potential protests from rice farmers who were dissatisfied with a proposed subsidy of 11,525 baht.
The decision followed a special meeting by the National Rice Policy Committee which agreed to increase the subsidy a day after initially proposing it.
Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said the measure, which took effect Tuesday and runs to Feb 28 next year, will cost about 20 billion baht, an increase of 8.6 billion baht, with about 2 million rice farmers expected to take part in the scheme.
Newly harvested rice is set out for treatment and drying at this northeastern mill. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's government now is offering up to 13,000 baht per tonne as a'subsidy' to farmers. (Post Today photo)
Of the 13,000 baht, 9,500 baht will be paid to farmers to store their paddy in barns for a certain period of time, while the remainder of the subsidy covers other costs, including quality maintenance and storage.
For participating farmers without rice barns, they will receive 9,500 baht per tonne plus 2,000 baht for harvesting and improvement costs, and another 1,500 baht for storage costs.
However, farmers who have no barns to store the paddy will not receive the 1,500-baht storage cost payment.
Ms Apiradi said participating farmers are then expected to redeem their rice within five months of joining the scheme.
Commentary: Empower the rice farmers
She said the rice committee decided to revise the figure after officials concerned including those from the Interior Ministry gathered more information about paddy rice prices.
She also said that the price is expected to change in the future, along with the subsidy rate to compensate for such price fluctuations.
The subsidy increase came after farmer groups disagreed with the original sum of 11,525 baht per tonne.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the subsidy programme should alleviate hardship for farmers, and pleaded with them for their understanding.
He said the government has a limited budget and needs to strictly adhere to the law. "I hope the measure can more or less help farmers," he said.
He insisted that the subsidy measure is not against the law and is different from the rice-pledging scheme implemented by the Yingluck administration.
Gen Prayut said he has ordered the Agricultural Cooperatives Ministry, the Commerce Ministry and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to the implement the measure and monitor warehouses for signs of irregularities.
He said the NCPO is investigating reports that politicians and rice millers are manipulating paddy rice prices in a bid to provoke rice farmers to protest against the government.
Gen Prayut insisted a subsidy programme is not a sustainable solution and stressed that all stake holders in the rice production industry will need to make changes and adhere to the rules to help each other.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said the NCPO, provincial governors and police will monitor the situation for signs of defiance among farmers.
He expressed confidence that the rice situation rice will not be politicised.
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the prime minister has asked security authorities to investigate whether there are people trying to manipulate rice prices.
He said initial findings suggest there are irregular activities in Phichit, with attempts to discredit the government and convince farmers there that the government is mishandling the situation.
About 90% of Hom Mali paddy is due to hit the market this month.
Army chief Chalermchai Sitthisart, also the NCPO's secretary-general, said troops have been dispatched to investigate any instances of price manipulation before the paddy hits the market
He said the army is considering buying rice from farmer cooperatives to help them with distribution, and is sending troops to help farmers with the harvest to save labour costs.
"We are trying to do what we can. Ending the price slump is the government's job," he said.
Meanwhile, Democrat member Wirat Kallayasiri said the rice price is being manipulated by supporters of ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra to distort information about the rice-pledging scheme.
"They want to mislead the public into thinking the government is turning a blind eye to their plight. Those who benefited from the rice-pledging scheme are working to discredit the government and provoking farmers," he said.
He called on the government to send local officials to explain the matter to farmers, and to strictly enforce the law against those allegedly trying to distort the market for political gains.
Rawee Rungruang, a rice farmer representative, said farmer groups are concerned about reports that the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives is refusing to take rice from farmers in the lower part of the North because they grow different grains.As launch years go, 2017 has been the most packed of any in recent history. The constant back-and-forth between Intel and AMD has largely taken the spotlight from the rest of the industry, as each company moves to ship directly competing products in rapid-fire fashion.
As we continue to push through the busiest week of the year, we’re ramping into more end-of-year recap coverage pieces, pooling a year’s worth of testing into central locations. The first Awards Show was for the best cases of the year, and our next is for the best CPUs of 2017. This covers multiple categories, including gaming, hobbyist / small business production, overall value, and adds some special categories, like “Biggest Upset” and “Biggest Disappointment.”
Some Reminders
Data isn’t our focus for today. This is a coverage recap, which means we’ll be pulling charts sparingly and as needed from our CPU reviews. As you dig through older coverage pieces, keep in mind that CPU testing, unlike case testing, must be updated regularly. Windows and game updates have had numerous non-trivial impacts to performance throughout the year, so we’d advise referencing our latest three reviews (listed in order of newest to oldest) for the updated charts:
These reviews included the most up-to-date numbers for AMD Ryzen and Threadripper, too, which both saw somewhat noteworthy uplift when compared to older versions of Windows and older tests. Our testing methodology has also significantly changed, as we’ve updated software solutions, Windows, drivers, and test patterns.
We’ll still be linking individual reviews for each product as we go, as many of the closing thoughts are similar, even if numbers are updated in the above reviews.
Our first award, “Best Overall Value,” teetered between the R5 1600 and i5-8400 – but the R5 1600 ultimately won the award. Back when the R5 CPUs launched, we declared the Kaby Lake i5s as approaching obsolescence, and awarded the R5 1600X with our Editor’s Choice award. The 8th-Gen launch strongly challenged the R5s in many instances, but lacking B/H motherboards and paper supply further fuels the R5 1600’s receipt of our Best Overall Value assignment. The rest of the fuel stems from competitive performance across the whole suite of tests.
The CPU manages to keep within a couple percentage points of the i5-8400 in most games tested, aside from a select few titles that don’t play well with Ryzen, like Destiny 2 and GTA V. If those are going to be your years-long obsessions, maybe look at other options, but for all-around performance, the R5 1600 offers overclocking headroom upwards of 3.9 to 4.1GHz, has plenty of affordable motherboard options, and maintains a strong lead in rendering workloads. Of course, comparatively few users actually leverage the production capabilities of the R5 CPUs versus those who boast multitasking capabilities, but the R5 CPUs give mobility for exploring beginner professional workloads.
And that’s the main reason we like this CPU: It’s an option that gives excellent beginner avenues to learn overclocking – ones which yield very direct gains in performance – while also offering beginner or intermediate options for workstation tasks. Gaming performance never chart-tops in our tests, but it’s also not that far behind the 8400, and even closer when accounting for 2666MHz memory with a hypothetical B- or H motherboard. The R5 1600 receives our highest praise for its whole value proposition, and we find the CPU to be a genuinely exciting gateway for inbound enthusiasts.
Buy the R5 1600 on Amazon
Initial R5 1600X review
Ignoring the value side of things, we see Intel’s i7-8700K as the most well-rounded CPU launch in the sub-$500 class for the year. The 8700K and its Z370 platform have wide-reaching memory support, high overclocking potential – even on our potato chip, we hit 4.9GHz – and pushes chart-topping performance in gaming workloads. Short of going for Threadripper or Skylake-X, the 8700K is also able to keep up with 4GHz R7 CPUs. Intel’s usage of the HCC TIM on the 8700K also significantly helped with its thermals, making the CPU completely reasonable to operate without a delid, though delidding does still grant tremendous gains that aid in power leakage reduction, something we showed in our review.
Overall, the 8700K is a strong showing from Intel, and was the company’s return to form after years of small increments. Intel’s move to 6C/12T is just as important for AMD as it is for Intel, as the transition will help secure development focus on multi-core optimization for years to come. The 8700K also improves in key areas where Intel has fallen behind, like the improvement to thermal performance by way of die area increases and HCC TIM. The CPU also exhibits strong performance in H264 livestream encoding, an area where the 7700K was heavily outmatched by the 1700. It’s just a matter of whether you can find one in stock, unfortunately, and whether that retailer is selling close to the $370 suggested price.
Buy the Intel i7-8700K on Amazon
Initial i7-8700K review
Maybe you don’t care at all about gaming, though, and need something that’s a bit more money-efficient. The R7 1700 takes our award for Best Value (Production) CPU. Since its launch, we have held the R7 1700 high over the heads of its 1700X and 1800X neighbors, time-and-again demonstrating how easily the R7 1700 is overclocked to achieve similar, if not better, performance to the more expensive alternatives. With pricing regularly seeing sales as low as $270, but commonly sitting around $300, the R7 1700 easily takes this award. We see the 1700 as a good fit for small businesses and hobbyist or freelance workstation users – people who do 3D animation, for instance, or other render-centric tasks that can benefit from core count. The R7 1700 stands alone in its value offering for such users. The 1700 is AMD’s best launch in the R7 family: It’s power efficient, it has overclocking headroom, it handles multithreaded render loads readily, and it’s affordable.
Buy the AMD R7 1700 on Amazon
Initial R7 1700 review
(Note: The above is from older data earlier in the year; we have not rerun the G4560 with our new test methods or the CU)
The next award is for the Best Ultra-Budget Gaming CPU, going to the Intel Pentium G4560. The G4560 has lived a troubled life: Like the G3258 before it, the G4560 saw instant success in low-budget markets, and quickly sold-out. The CPU also shot-up in price, has gone through supply shortages, and has been difficult to get ahold of. Now, finally, the G4560 is readily available; even at its slightly higher-than-desired price of $70-80, the G4560 remains one of the best options for a dirt-cheap desktop gaming PC.
Note: This one is updated for our modern testing & CU!
The CPU performs reasonably in most games we’ve tested. We even performed a G4560 GPU bottlenecking test earlier this year, finding that the CPU didn’t significantly choke GPUs until stretching into GTX 1070 territory. The G4560 is well-suited for RX 570s and 470s, GTX 1050 Tis, and GTX 1060s. Now, for purposes of balancing system cost, we’d probably recommend staying in the sub-$200 GPU range – but you’ve got room to go a little beyond that. Not much, but it’s there.
For when cost is the heaviest restriction and $120 CPUs aren’t an option, the G4560 remains competitive.
Buy the Intel G4560 on Amazon
Initial Pentium G4560 review
Although it was largely overshadowed by other coverage, we had the most fun overclocking the i9-7960X this year. It required a lot of prep work – delidding and some Conductonaut set the stage, with big radiators and high-end fans doing the rest. This award is shared equally by the ASUS X299 Rampage board for its limitless, nigh-overwhelming overclocking options and sub-options. With a direct fan on the VRM and a delid, we were able to push the 7960X into the range of 4.7GHz with just a 360mm radiator. We were nearly stable at 4.8GHz, too, and some further tuning may have achieved it. Pushing 4.7GHz on a 16C CPU, although its 500W power consumption made it impractical for long-term use, was a fun day of testing that reinvigorated our enthusiast spirits.
Buy the Intel i9-7960X on Amazon
Initial i9-7960X review
This next category is for the Biggest Upset of 2017. Before the launch of Threadripper, we thought this would go to the R5 CPUs – but Threadripper and X299 completely changed the HEDT landscape. Threadripper’s launch upset the high-end market in a way that has had wide-reaching impact. At the price, the $1000 Threadripper 1950X (note: currently on sale for $800) has some of the best performance in heavily multithreaded workloads, and is challenged most heavily by significantly more expensive Intel CPUs. Additional PCIe lanes become highly valuable in use cases that are left otherwise unserved, and Threadripper manages to serve both traditional HEDT and fringe HEDT users exceptionally well. For this category, we favor the 1950X.
Oh, and before someone begins typing a gigantic tirade, please note that “Biggest Upset” is not a bad thing – we’re saying it upset the incumbent in the market, not that it’s upsetting. That’d go to the next category.
Buy the AMD Threadripper 1950X on Amazon
Initial AMD TR 1950X review
Biggest Disappointment – KBL X
And that brings us to the Biggest Disappointment. Across all the products launched this year, there are many contenders for Biggest Disappointment, but the absolute, hands-down winner of this dunce cap is the Kaby Lake-X CPU line. We were clear in our dislike of this lineup when it launched – some of you took issue with our disrespectful tossing of the 7740X CPU – but that’s a minor grievance when compared to how Intel tossed Kaby Lake-X users aside with Coffee Lake. Mere months after its nearly pointless launch, the languishing Kaby Lake-X CPU argument became more belabored in the face of Coffee Lake. The Kaby Lake-X launch is the single biggest CPU disappointment since Bulldozer. It’s not horribly performing, but it also has no wide-reaching, mainstream defense to its existence. The product line was a bullshit segmentation attempt from the start, and has remained such.
Initial Intel i7-7740X review
Worst Trend
The final award is for Worst Trend. We’re using this one to call-out commenters: AMD and Intel have both put out some good CPUs this year, and when we look at head-to-head matchups at the same price, there tend to be victories on both sides of the fence. The Worst Trend award goes to everyone who felt it necessary to forge new truths – also known as “making things up” – to try and defend their preferred CPU in every possible use case. News flash: No one CPU will be the best at everything and, when something like Ryzen or Coffee Lake are as good as they are |
"Having watched the horrifying video of the car deliberately crashing into a crowd of protesters, I urge the Department of Justice to immediately investigate and prosecute this grotesque act domestic terrorism."
James Fields, 20 of Maumee, Ohio, is being held in a local jail on charges related to the incident. Those charges include second-degree murder.
A 32-year-old woman was killed in the crash, which took place after police broke up the white supremacist rally Saturday morning.
The woman and other leftist protesters were milling about a downtown street in Charlottesville blocking traffic when a man police identified as Fields drove his silver Dodge Charger into the crowd.
The Charger collided with one vehicle that then slammed into another vehicle. The street was filled with pedestrians, 19 of whom were treated for injuries that ranged from minor to life threatening.
Police have not released the identity of the 32-year-old woman killed in the incident.
Cruz said his prayers are with her family and the family of two people killed when a Virginia State Police helicopter crashed following the rally.
"These bigots want to tear our country apart, but they will fail," Cruz said. "America is far better than this. Our nation was built on fundamental truths, none more central than the proposition ‘that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'"Violence Spurs Calls To Rein In The Repo Man
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jay Reeves/AP Jay Reeves/AP
If you don't make your car payments, someone can be hired to repossess it. They might tow it from your driveway or a parking lot. But sometimes repo men go further, breaking into people's garages or homes. Fights can break out. People get hurt, and some have even been killed, prompting some groups to call for greater regulation.
Officer James Beraldi remembers a repossession attempt near Windsor, Vt., that didn't go very well.
"It was totally out of control," he says. "Totally out of control."
Earlier this winter, a repo man jumped on a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle. He was repossessing it and decided to drive it over a railroad bridge. The bridge is long and crosses high over the deep water of the Connecticut River.
"It's very high," Beraldi says. "I don't know the exact feet, but his plan was definitely not to meet an Amtrak train coming at him."
Beraldi says the repo man was thumping over the narrow trestle when he saw the train. But he kept driving, sort of a game of chicken, trying to beat the train to the edge of the bridge.
"He was literally staring death — and he had some time to think about it — right in the eye." Then, at the last second, Beraldi says, "he barely jumped off, within, like, 2 seconds. He would have been killed."
The ATV was crushed, but the repo man survived with minor injuries.
Repossessions Gone Wrong
Beraldi's story isn't an unusual case. Repossessions go awry all over the country.
"It is all too common," says John Van Alst, an attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. He has just released a report on the repossession industry. Van Alst says in almost all states, repo men don't have to be licensed. Some are ex-convicts. Some carry weapons, and sometimes violence can break out between the property owner and the repo man.
Some repo men act like vigilantes, using tricks or intimidation, Van Alst says. "Of course it's going to lead to this confrontation," he says.
Just by reviewing recent news articles, Van Alst turned up 54 cases where fights broke out, people were injured or children were inadvertently hauled off inside repossessed cars. Firearms were often involved. He'd like to require that the courts and police get involved in repossessions, but repo men say that's unrealistic.
"There's probably 3, 4 million pieces that are repossessed every year," repo man Joe Taylor says. "You would totally disrupt our court system in this country."
Repo Men Gone Wrong
Taylor also runs a school to train people how to repossess property safely and responsibly. He agrees with the NCLC that repo men should have to get background checks and be licensed and trained.
"Suppose the bank sends the repo man out to pick up your car," he says. "Suppose that repo man just happens to be a convicted felon, drug addict or just a guy with a real anger-management problem. They are hiring him strictly on a contingency basis — meaning that if he doesn't repossess your car, he doesn't get paid."
Taylor says that's a recipe for trouble.
"This is a serious public safety issue," he says. "I've been called as an expert witness on five different death cases."
One thing that is not helping right now, he says, is a reality-style TV show called Operation Repo.
"These guys are huge, 300-pound people," Taylor says. "You'll see them fighting the debtors, pulling guns on each other — it's all staged. But you'd be amazed the number of people that watch the show, and they're ego-driven, and they call me so they can get in the repossession business."
Taylor has helped to draft legislation in a few states that would require background checks and training, but he says most legislators are not paying much attention.Cinema owners in Pakistan will again allow screening of Bollywood films nearly four months after imposing a ban on movies from across the border over military tensions linked to the disputed Kashmir region.
"It is step for peace and harmony," Nadeem Mandviwala, head of Karachi-based Atrium Cinemas, told Al Jazeera.
The suspension of Bollywood screenings was part of a series of tit-for-tat measures after an attack on an army post in Indian-administered Kashmir in September left 19 Indian soldiers dead.
The measure came after Bollywood producers banned Pakistani artists in Indian films.
"If you ask people in both countries, they will say 'yes' to trade despite hostilities. We need to defeat the agenda of extremists in both the countries," Mandviwala said.
We need to defeat the agenda of extremists in both the countries Nadeem Mandviwala, head of Atrium cinemas
He admitted that financial considerations also motivated the lifting of the ban as cinema owners made losses.
"The Bollywood films were anyway being watched illegitimately through DVDs and internet," he said.
Prior to the ban, Indian films were screened in a majority of cinemas in Pakistan. Bollywood films and actors are hugely popular and household names in Pakistan, while Pakistani singing and acting talent are widely appreciated in India.
Following the attack, Indian filmmakers banned Pakistani artists from starring in Bollywood films.
New Delhi and Islamabad have fought three wars since they gained independence from Britain seven decades ago, two of them over Kashmir. Following the 1965 war, Indian films were banned in Pakistan for 43 years until the ban was lifted in 2008.
Nationalistic fervour
New Delhi carried out retaliatory strikes after the September attack on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control - the de-facto border - that runs through Kashmir. The raids against alleged "terrorist units" prompted anger in Pakistan and an upsurge in cross-border shootings.
Pakistani series, which are very popular in India, also became the casualty of the nationalistic fervour gripping the subcontinent as they were taken off air across the border.
Bollywood filmmakers have faced protests from Hindu nationalists, who have vowed not to allow films with Pakistani artists to be screened amid military tensions.
A leading filmmaker, Karan Johar, was forced to pledge that he would not work with Pakistani artists in the future before his film, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, was allowed to run.Image copyright Science Photo Library Image caption The hepatitis C virus is transmitted through blood-to-blood contact
More than 8,000 people who were treated by a surgeon diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2008 are being offered blood screening for the infection.
Health officials ordered the move after finding it was probable that two former patients had been infected during a procedure carried out by the medic.
Of the 8,383 patients being contacted, 8,031 are in Scotland, with 7,311 of those from Lanarkshire.
There are 336 in England, 11 patients in Wales and five in Northern Ireland.
NHS Lanarkshire said the former surgeon, who has not been identified, did not return to clinical practice after testing positive in 2008.
Scottish health board areas affected
Ayrshire and Arran - 95
Borders - 21
Dumfries and Galloway - 19
Fife - 45
Forth Valley - 47
Greater Glasgow and Clyde - 208
Grampian - 49
Highland - 64
Lanarkshire - 7,311
Lothian - 110
Island Boards (Shetland, Orkney and Western Isles) - 6
Tayside - 53
The health board said that following diagnosis a "detailed investigation" had been carried out and the findings submitted to the UK Advisory Panel for Healthcare Workers Infected with Blood Borne Viruses (UKAP).
NHS Lanarkshire said that "based on the evidence available at that time, the UK Advisory Panel advised that a patient notification exercise was not indicated".
That position changed when NHS Lanarkshire was made aware in 2015 of a patient referred for treatment for hepatitis C who had a surgical procedure carried out by the healthcare worker.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the patient, and one other, were probably infected during a surgical procedure carried out by the medic.
Image copyright NHS Lanarkshire Image caption The medic spent time at Wishaw General Hospital
After NHS Lanarkshire submitted its findings to UKAP, the national body endorsed the health board's proposal to carry out a patient notification exercise.
UKAP chairman Professor David Goldberg defended the decision not to notify patients in 2008, saying there was no evidence then that any patient had been infected by the doctor.
He said: "I think it's a very reasonable decision. It wasn't the wrong decision based on the evidence we had at the time."
The surgeon concerned was based at hospitals across Lanarkshire but was primarily at Wishaw General Hospital and the former Law Hospital.
The medic also spent time at the William Harvey Hospital in East Kent between January and April 2006 and was working predominantly in England before 1982.
Low risk
NHS Lanarkshire said it was now working with health boards across the UK to notify former patients who had undergone surgical procedures in which the medic was involved.
It said they would be offered screening for hepatitis but the risk was very low.
Dr Iain Wallace, medical director at NHS Lanarkshire, said: "We know that some people receiving the letter may be anxious about what this means for them. We have apologised to patients for any concern that may be caused by this situation.
"We are committed to supporting patients and are ensuring they have every opportunity to get information about hepatitis C, the testing process and the situation in general.
"We are also putting on additional clinics locally to make it as straightforward and convenient as possible for people to get tested."
Leon Wylie, lead officer of Hepatitis Scotland, said it was "very unfortunate" that the current situation had arisen.
"It is understandable many patients who are contacted to come forward for testing will be very worried by this as, although the risk is low, some transmissions from worker to patients have probably occurred," he said.
"The key point we want to highlight for those affected is that hepatitis C is now easily treatable and that there is an over 90% cure rate in most cases.
"To get treated first you need to know if you have the virus so accepting the offer of a test is vitally important."
What is hepatitis C?
It is a virus which can lead to inflammation of the liver.
In most cases, it does not have any symptoms and so most people do not realise they have it.
If untreated, the infection can cause chronic liver disease and, very rarely, cancer of the liver.
Hepatitis C virus is transmitted through blood-to-blood contact, and very rarely through sexual intercourse.
The most common route of transmission in the UK is intravenous drug use. It cannot be transmitted through social contact, kissing or sharing food and drink.The troubled Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles is going to try surviving on its own after apparently rejecting an offer from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to merge into a kind of super-museum. It's a risky move for an organization that has long been in financial straits. Per the Los Angeles Times a MOCA spokesperson issued the following statement:
The Board is in agreement that the best future for MOCA would be as an independent institution. The Board understands that this will require a significant increase in MOCA’s endowment to ensure its strong financial standing. We are working quickly toward that goal, while at the same time exploring all strategic options, to honor the best interest of the institution and the artistic community we serve
LACMA wasn't the only organization that MOCA appeared to be fraternizing with. Earlier this month Patricia Cohen of the New York Times reported that MOCA was in talks with the National Gallery of Art in Washington to work together on "programming, research and exhibitions." Cohen noted that this apparently was the idea of benefactor billionaire Eli Broad, and that the partnership "would not include financial or fund-raising assistance." There was also the possibility of a MOCA merger with the University of Southern California.Kiss in the rain. Fly to Spain. Save a life.
Those were the items Rebecca Townsend put on her bucket list for a high school assignment in December 2012.
Over the next two-and-a-half years, she checked the first two off her list.
And on July 2, the 17-year-old from Connecticut fulfilled the final item by pushing her friend, Ben Arne, out of the way of an oncoming car.
But it came at a terrible price – her own life.
Police say the two friends were struck by a car while crossing a street near the campus of Western Connecticut State University, according to WTIC. Rebecca died and Ben, 17, was seriously injured.
When he was released from the hospital, Ben visited Rebecca’s family and told them about her heroic act.
“He said, ‘The last thing I remember is Rebecca pushing me and telling me to hurry up,’ ” Rebecca’s sister, Victoria, said.
After Rebecca’s death, her sisters and cousins said they were sitting in her bedroom sharing stories when they found a note lying on her bed, “as if laid out” for them.
It read simply: “For Future Rebecca Townsend,” according to the eulogy they posted on a Facebook page they created.
“Apparently, this was a high school assignment that was returned to the kids at the end of their senior year so that the students could remember who they were at the beginning of their high school days,” her sisters Monica and Victoria said in their eulogy.
They read the letter at her funeral and posted the eulogy online. The note also included her dreams of attending Fordham or Boston College, even though she was going to be a freshman at the University of Notre Dame this fall.
The sisters referred to the bucket list in their eulogy.
“To my parents, thank you for taking her to Spain,” they said. “To Niko, thank you for being the cute boyfriend she could kiss in the rain. And to Ben, thank you for letting her save a life.”
The sisters also encouraged others to share an act of kindness in Rebecca’s memory on the “Remembering Rebecca” Facebook page and Instagram account.
Printable cards were made to distribute and remind friends and strangers alike to do a good deed, as well.
“Rebecca was passionate about service work and charities, constantly working to better the lives of others,” the online post said.
“Whether paying a meal, volunteering time, or donating to a cause, we all have the opportunity to pay it forward everyday, just as Rebecca strived to do.”
Police say a 23-year-old woman from Brookfield, Connecticut, was driving the car that hit the teenagers, according to Fox8. No charges have been announced, and the accident remains under investigation.
This article originally appeared on People.com
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Contact us at editors@time.com.Ousmane Dembele has given Barcelona fans reasons to be optimistic after suggesting that he could be back from his recent muscle injury in two months – although he has failed to specify whether the new timeline includes a period of training before his comeback.
The 20-year-old winger moved to the Nou Camp from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth €105m (£93.2m, $125m) plus €40m in add-ons in the summer with hopes of filling the gap left by the departure of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain.
However, his move to the La Liga giants suffered a massive blow after the Frenchman ruptured the "tendon in his femoral bicep in his left thigh" during Barcelona's 2-1 victory over Getafe on 16 September.
Scans initially ruled him out for up to four months but earlier this week Barcelona said that he could be back in three-and-a-half months after the player underwent surgery to correct the problem in Finland.
"FC Barcelona striker Ousmane Dembélé was successfully operated on Tuesday to repair a ruptured biceps femoris in his left leg. Dr. Sakari Orava performed the surgery. Dembélé remains under the supervision of Dr. Ricard Pruna. He is expected to be out for three and a half months Barcelona confirmed on Tuesday though an official statement.
That meant that Dembele was expecting to be out of action until next year, missing around 20 games, including the first El Clasico of La Liga at Real Madrid on 23 December.
But Dembele has provided a surprising positive update on his Instagram account after claiming that he hopes to be back in only two months.
The Frenchman posted a picture of his teammates wearing a t-shirt with the message "Courage Ousmane" before their Tuesday's 6-1 victory over Eibar. The image added several hashtags with one of them implying he will return in "two months".
Dembele failed to specify whether he expects to be then ready to play in two months, or if the new date represents when he will return to training.
One way or another the news provides some encouragement for Barcelona fans as it suggests that their record signing could return ahead of schedule, and may even ready to play when the Catalans visit Real Madrid on 23 December.Rearrange the following words to tell a coherent life story: A man dies, later he gets married, and finally he is born. Thanks to our built-in temporal sense, it’s pretty straightforward: Tomb always follows womb, it’s never the other way around.
Yet at a fundamental level, time’s origin remains a mystery. “It’s one of the deepest questions at the forefront of science, but when we ask, ‘What is time? Where does it come from?’ it’s not even clear the words make any sense,” says Nima Arkani Hamed, a physicist at the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) in Princeton, N.J. “We can barely articulate what a world without time, or physics without time, means.”
Confusing as the absence of time would be, there is mounting evidence that at the most basic level of reality, time is an illusion. Stranger still, laboratory tests with laser lights and advances in our understanding of string theory—the proposed framework positing that particles are composed of small threads of energy—independently point to the idea that time doesn’t really exist.
Little more than a century ago, our picture of time and space was far less complicated. Physicists happily tracked objects across a fixed background set by our three spatial dimensions and marked how fast they moved against a single clock—God’s proverbial stopwatch, that they believed ticked at the same rate no matter where you were in the cosmos. But in the early 20th century, two revolutions in physics disrupted this view.
In the first revolution, Einstein’s theory of relativity wove together time and space into a flexible four-dimensional fabric. That fabric, which Einstein called “spacetime,” could mold itself around massive objects, creating a curvature. Smaller objects could roll down those curves toward the larger masses, investing the universe with a force called gravity. In this new theory of the universe, time was no longer an immutable bystander, but an interconnected dimension enmeshed with space itself. Instead of being that unambiguous dimension against which others could be measured, time was now relative. Einstein’s relativity showed that clocks would tick at different rates depending on their motion through space and their proximity to massive objects that pulled them in with gravitational force.
Also in Physics Beyond the Horizon of the Universe By Laura Mersini-Houghton For two weeks every summer, my parents rented a holiday apartment by the beach in Vlora, an old coastal town along the Adriatic. It was known as Aulona in Greek and Roman times, and was a special place to visit...READ MORE
The second development disrupting our view of time was quantum mechanics, the physics of the subatomic realm. Quantum mechanics revealed that on the smallest scales, reality was strange indeed. For instance, two particles can become “entangled” in such a way that they always act in tandem. An experiment carried out on one will immediately influence its partner, no matter how distant it may be. In other words, the distant particles communicate instantly, apparently defying the rule that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light and the very concept of time itself.
Mounting evidence shows that at the most basic level of reality, time is an illusion, and stranger still, that time doesn’t really exist.
But the real “problem of time,” as it has become known, arose in the 1960s as physicists struggled to combine these two frameworks—each successful at describing its own realm of the universe, either the very tiny or the large. The search for an overarching “theory of everything,” a set of rules that governed objects of all sizes, was on. One of the most famous but controversial hypotheses came from two New Jersey physicists: John Wheeler of Princeton University and Bryce DeWitt of the IAS. Wheeler and DeWitt tried to describe the whole universe through quantum mechanics—that is, they attempted to apply the physics of the very small to planets, galaxies, and other cosmic structures on a mass scale. Many questioned whether their tactics would work, because there had been no evidence to suggest that quantum laws held sway over cosmic distances, notes Marco Genovese, a quantum physicist at Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRIM) in Turin, Italy. But it seemed reasonable to at least try to unite the mathematics of the two theories and see what would happen.
When the two physicists tried to combine Einstein’s equations of relativity with quantum physics, they came up with a surprise. Both sets of laws independently featured time as a variable against which events evolved. But when the theories were combined into one, the time variable was literally cancelled out of the mathematical equation. The duo had derived a new equation for how the universe behaved, yet there was no longer a quantity in their mathematical description that could be used to mark out change or the passage of time. “The Wheeler-DeWitt equation says that the universe is stationary and that nothing evolves,” says Genovese. “But, of course, we all experience time and change.”
The conclusion that the universe never changes was clearly wrong. Yet physicists could not find anything wrong with the mathematical steps that Wheeler and DeWitt had taken. At first, it seemed that the pair must have been mistaken to think that the whole cosmos could be described in quantum terms. But there was another intriguing possibility, proposed in the 1980s by physicists Don Page, now at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada, and William Wooters, at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass.
Page and Wooters decided to apply the controversial concept that the universe as a whole could be treated as a giant quantum object—subject to the same physical laws as electrons, protons, and other tiny particles of the subatomic world. They imagined splicing the contents of the cosmos into two pieces. Because quantum laws prevailed, the pieces would be entangled. Scientists have found that two entangled particles measured in the lab can have equal but opposite values. If one is spinning clockwise, for instance, the other will be spinning counter-clockwise so that, when summed together, the properties cancel each other out. Page and Wooters argued that in similar fashion, each section of their divided cosmos could independently evolve, but because they were entangled, the changes in one would be counter-balanced by the changes in the other. To someone inside one of the sections, time would appear to pass. But to the outside observer, the overall universe would appear static.
While Page and Wooters had offered a theoretical sketch, based on quantum entanglement, for how the cosmos might appear to be stationary to someone peering in from the outside, there seemed to be no way to confirm or rule out their idea. But, in 2013, Genovese and his colleagues performed an experiment to test whether—at least in the lab—it is possible to create a model of the universe in miniature, with just two particles of light, or photons, generated from a laser. The aim of the experiment was to prove that it is possible to create a situation in which a quantum system, when viewed from outside, appeared unchanging, but when observed from within appeared to evolve.
To do the experiment, Genovese set out to monitor the photons’ polarizations—the directions in which they vibrated. If a polarized particle could be made to rotate at a constant rate, then its position at any moment could be used to mark out intervals in time, just like a second-hand on a clock. The team entangled the two photons together, in such a way that their polarizations took on opposing traits. For instance, if the polarization of one was measured to move up and down, the other would vibrate from side-to-side.
“What we are seeing is that at the start of the universe, the notion of time ceases to make sense.”
In order to set their photons’ “second-hands” in motion, the team passed both particles through quartz plates, causing their polarizations to rotate. The amount of rotation was related to the actual time spent within the plates, giving physicists a means of measuring the passage of time. They carried out their experiment repeatedly and in each run they stopped at a different moment and measured the polarization of one of the photons. “By measuring the first clock photon, we became entangled with it,” says Genovese. “That means we became part of that universe and can register the evolution of the second photon against our clock photon.” Vested with this ability, the team confirmed that one photon appeared to change when measured against its partner, in the same way that Wooters and Page believed one part of the universe could be seen to evolve if measured against another portion of the cosmos.
However, Genovese still had to confirm the second part of the hypothesis: that when the entire entangled system was monitored as a whole, from the outside, it would appear static. In this part of the experiment, the team took the point of view of a “super observer” standing outside the universe. This external watcher could never look at the individual state of either photon because by doing so he would become entangled with them, becoming an internal observer. Instead, the observer could only measure the joint state of the pair of photons. The team ran the test many times, stopping at different points. They looked at the two photons as a combined whole and measured their joint polarization. Each time, they ascertained that the two entangled photons were polarized in equal but opposite ways. No matter how much time passed, the two photons were always poised in exactly the same “embrace.” The mini-universe appeared to be static from the outside and completely unchanged. It turns out the so-called “problem of time,” discovered by Wheeler and DeWitt, can be resolved if time is an artifact of quantum entanglement.
Over the past few decades, support for the illusory nature of time has also emerged from string theory, developed in the 1960s to help describe the strong nuclear force that binds elementary particles together within atoms. As they studied the strong force, physicists came up with the idea that subatomic particles, then thought to be the smallest objects in the universe, were in fact themselves composed of tiny vibrating strings.
This new way of perceiving the basic objects in nature had far-reaching consequences. It turned out that string theory was extremely helpful for those like Wheeler and DeWitt, who wanted to unite general relativity with quantum mechanics. Such a unifying framework is needed to explain what the universe was like soon after the Big Bang, when all cosmic matter was squashed into a tiny volume. A unified theory could also reveal what happens at the cores of black holes—the corpses of stars that have collapsed under the force of gravity, compressing matter into a small central point.
Before the discovery of string theory, physicists ran into trouble whenever they tried to combine the equations of general relativity with those of quantum mechanics. The combined mathematics appeared to tell them that infinitely small points in space all around us should contain infinitely large amounts of energy—essentially predicting that we are surrounded by black holes everywhere we turn, which is not true. String theory sidestepped this problem, however, by positing that nothing can be smaller than the size of a string. That meant that its equations never had to worry about regions of space that were smaller than this fundamental limit, eliminating the messy math with its predictions of infinite energies and other impossible results. With string theory, the physics of the very large and the very small appeared as if they could coexist—at least once string theory was finessed.
Yet string size raised new questions about the reality of space, and, in turn, of time itself. This is because string theory says that no experiment, no matter how elaborate, will ever be able to show us what happens at distances smaller than the size of a single string. “What happens at short distances,” explains IAS string theorist Nathan Seiberg, “is an ill-defined concept—maybe space exists, but we can’t measure it, or perhaps there is nothing there to measure at all.” That meant that space may simply not exist below a certain limit. Since Einstein had already shown with his theory of relativity that time is just another dimension, like space, then “if space becomes ambiguous, time must do so too,” says Seiberg. “People often ask: ‘What happened before the Big Bang?’ But what we are seeing is that at the start of the universe, the notion of time ceases to make sense.”
When it comes to cosmic ingredients, quantum entanglement is more fundamental than space and time.
This ambiguity gave string theorists their first inkling that time might not exist at a fundamental level, notes Seiberg. Instead, our experience of time might be constructed from underlying building blocks, much like temperature, which arises from the motion of a collection of atoms. An individual atom does not have a temperature; the concept of hot or cold only has meaning when you measure the average speed of a large number of atoms: Fast moving particles have a higher temperature than slow atoms. In a similar way, there may be fundamental grains that together generate our experience of time. But just what those grains may be, well, “that’s the $64,000 question,” says Seiberg.
Stranger still, later advances in string theory suggest that time’s seeds are sown at the very edges of reality. This idea has its roots in an odd model of a hypothetical universe devised in the late 1990s by string theorist Juan Maldacena, then at Harvard University, who was searching for a mathematical relationship that might connect quantum mechanics and general relativity. He decided that he could get there by using strings.
Maldacena’s imaginary cosmos was shaped like a soup can, but with walls that are infinitely far away. Inside his can, he placed strings and black holes, whose behavior was governed by gravity. On the surface of the can he placed normal subatomic particles that interacted through the laws of quantum mechanics. Although Maldacena’s soup-can universe did not sound much like ours, it helped him visualize how the deepest laws of nature could be connected.
In the model, general relativity held sway in the vast three-dimensional space within the can, while quantum mechanics ruled the particles lining the two-dimensional surface. Maldacena’s hunch was that the two sets of laws were somehow equivalent, and that gravitational events unfolding inside the can would correspond to quantum processes on the surface, like a shadow projected onto the can’s walls. Using this mathematical model, Maldacena indeed found that for every quantum process on the surface, an equivalent event unfolded within the can. Theoretical models developed by Maldacena and others indicate that quantum particles entangled on the surface of the soup can rewrite their patterns by creating tunnels, or “wormholes,” within the inner realm. This suggests that entanglement itself is the fundamental cosmic process generating the emergent properties of space and time.
The idea that both space and time are created by quantum entanglement has been independently bolstered by string theorist Mark van Raamsdonk at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, who also investigated Maldacena’s soup can model. Using a mathematical model, he found that by gradually eroding particle entanglement on the can’s surface, the spacetime fabric within the can starts to disintegrate as well. This implies that quantum entanglement somehow plays a role in tying the threads of space and time together; without it, the fabric of spacetime itself could not exist.
Maldacena’s model provides more support than ever for the claim that, when it comes to cosmic ingredients, entanglement is more fundamental than space and time. Time, it turns out, is not present at the most basic layer of reality; it springs from fundamental seeds. But while emerging physics suggests time is an illusion, the forces that conjure it remain at large. “My intuition is that it will take more than just a re-working of quantum physics, it will require a breakthrough that will come totally out of left field,” Seiberg says. “Only time will tell what that revolution will be.”
Zeeya Merali is a freelance science writer based in London, and editor for the Foundational Questions Institute, based in the U.S.A familiar face at recent comics conventions, Rob Granito recently appeared at Wizard World Toronto. Here is his appearance bio, listing credits including Batman, Teen Titans and working on an upcoming Batman arc. And these are reflected on his website. And he has appeared at a number of shows over the years, such as Jacen 2009, He is appearing at Megacon this weekend and will be appearing at Chiller Theatre at the end of the month, listed as a cover artist for Marvel and DC.
But some people aren’t so sure, and I’ve been sent a number of allegations saying that Rob is basically nothing but a chancer, faking a biography in order to sell his work, a number of pieces of which look rather familiar. And people like Jan Duursema seem to think it’s been going on quite some time.
So I find his contact e-mail and asked him. What exactly were these credits? He told me;
Yes I am currently working iwth Jay Diddilo on a batman title that has not yet been released. I’ve worked on dozens of books the shaddow of the bat being the batman title I was on for about 4 weeks. Most of my work has been covers though. The current took deals with a bit more of the history of the “batman” then his current exploits though.
Okay, so I asked which issues in particular – and who the hell Jay Diddilo was. He told me;
Jay is one of the big Writters for DC I probbibaly spelled his name rite, covers range from the Shaddow of the bat issues 12-25, teen titans 1-7, Spiderman I did a butt load I dont know the numbers, for Iron Man the same. For the Animated batman series 1092-1995.
Those Shadow Of The Bat covers were by Brian Stelfreeze, those Teen Titans 1-7 in the same timeframe were by Dan Jurgens and George Perez. I pointed this out.
I did mix work, fill in work and was a ghost artist for most of the projects I did, Iron man was for Marvel Multi Media as was Spiderman, Batman the Animated was under the WB Studio.
Well I asked and both Dan Jurgen and George Perez had never heard of this guy and certainly didn’t have any assistants or ghost artists on those covers.
I pointed this out too and… nothing. No response. That was a day ago.
He also claims to have drawn the US Postal Service Batman stamp. The one credited to Jim Lee and Scott Williams.
So. Here’s the question. Does anyone know Rob, and can confirm any of his other credits? Because right now there are some angry people looking to confront him at the next show he goes to.
UPDATE: Oh this is rich. In the commenst section of another blog rereporting this story, there’s this response;
No he is legitomite i was a DC Assistant Editor until a year ago and we used Rob as a ghost artist on a number of books we used he is well known on the “insiders” level of the industry and did alot of promotion art for DC and Marvel dont believbe rumors i worked at DC as an art director for 6-7 years and we used Rob alot he is legit
A familiar writing style there from this supposed DC Assisant Editor and/or art director?
About Rich Johnston Chief writer and founder of Bleeding Cool. Father of two. Comic book clairvoyant. Political cartoonist.
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None foundSince mobile phones became an indispensable part of our lives, rumors and claims have been prevalent that the radio waves from mobile phones cause adverse health affects.
Since mobile phones became an indispensable part of our lives, rumors and claims have been prevalent that the radio waves from mobile phones cause adverse health effects and are possibly causative agents behind cancers.
A long-drawn-out research conducted at one of the UK’s largest program of research, Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research programme, found no such evidence of biological or adverse health effects.
David Coggon, Chairman of MTHR, said – “When the MTHR programme was first set up, there were many scientific uncertainties about possible health risks from mobile phones and related technology. This independent programme is now complete, and despite exhaustive research, we have found no evidence of risks to health from the radio waves produced by mobile phones or their base stations.”
The research took £13.6 million jointly funded by the UK government and the telecommunications industry and 11 long years. The research included number of processes which they segregated into different groups |
transformed into backdoor immigration programs that are manipulated by the lobbying of foreign governments, ethnic lobbies and our own political leadership alike. Each special program that provides short-term relief has been followed by persistent demands for similar treatment by other groups and nationalities, not necessarily made up of persons in the same circumstances. It has now been politicized beyond recognition, and certainly no longer deserves the support of the general public.”
“Temporary” amnesties never die. They just keep rolling and rolling along, producing new waves of cheap votes for Democrats and cheap labor for Big Business. American sovereignty, RIP.In the third edition of our Top 10 Mobile App UI series, we’re excited to present some of our favorite mobile app designs that we’ve come across recently. From music player apps to utility apps, these mobile apps made it to the list for their amazing and well-designed user interface.
The mobile app experience is not only a result of how well the app works but also how well it’s been designed for visual and emotional pleasure. We love to celebrate great app UI that serve user needs as well as contribute to the growing field of mobile app design. Here are the top 10 mobile app UI for August, listed in no particular order.
It’s not common to find beautiful Android-only apps, given that many designers often prioritise iOS for designing mobile app. That’s why Phonograph app for Android got me pretty excited and given that I’m also a big fan of Google’s Material Design, this app’s gorgeous UI contributes positively to the argument that Material Design has a future in the design space of the future.
With a simple layout, bold colors, and subtle, clean animations, the Phonograph music player app is a real pleasure to look at and also to use. Although not as popular as their major competitors in the music reproduction industry, Phonograph shows through their well-designed app UI that a good music player app works wonderfully with controls that are easily understood and amazing color combinations.Peter Wood, president of the National Association of Scholars, has an insightful piece here on Obama’s mania for putting more and more young Americans through college.
Currently, the U.S. is 16th in that regard (although the numbers are rather fuzzy) and Obama declares that being 16th is not acceptable — we’ve got to be first! But Wood demonstrates that there is no connection between where a nation stands in that regard and its economic success; some countries with higher percentages than ours are economically feeble (e.g. Russia) and others with lower percentages than ours are strong (e.g. Switzerland).
What truly correlates with economic success is not how many people get college credentials, but the degree of economic freedom in a country. Hong Kong isn’t prosperous because a large percentage of its citizens get college degrees. It’s prosperous because the government doesn’t meddle in the economy. In the Index of Economic Freedom, Hong Kong has been No. 1 for a long time. In that same index, the U.S. has been falling for years, and is now No. 10.
Too bad that Obama isn’t determined to elevate the U.S. to No. 1 in that respect.
The way things are going, we will end up like Russia, with a very high percentage of the population holding college credentials, but working in a nation that is hobbled by countless rules, favoritism (crony capitalism), and high taxes on successThe cast of 24: Live Another Day including Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Raver and Ross McCall took to Twitter to show their support for the Scottish football club Celtic.
Members of the cast and crew of 24 were treated to personalised Celtic football strips including the new Nike away kit which hasn’t yet been released. Actor Ross McCall, who is a lifelong Celtic fan and self-appointed ambassador for the club, Tweeted a series of pictures with the cast wearing their new Celtic tops.
McCall added:
Worn with pride. Causing a stir.
In a recent interview with Celtic TV, McCall stated:
“I have convinced quite a few people across the pond to be Celtic fans – you’d be shocked… There have been some big names who I’ve worked with who, the next time they’re in Glasgow, I’ll be calling up trying to get tickets so I can make myself look good. Tom Hanks is going our way, I’ve convinced him. I’ve told him that when he comes to Glasgow I’ll bring him to Celtic Park because he takes me to see the LA Dodgers.”
Other famous Celtic supporters include: Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lana Del Rey, Ashley Judd, Jay Baruchel, Sean Bean, Adam Richman, Rod Stuart, Billy Connelly, James McAvoy, Bono and many more.
Celtic FC Official Football Gift Mens Crest T-Shirt Black XLThere is perhaps no group of mammals as collectively hated as those that fall into the rodent category. Most of us regard them as vermin and would rather have them poisoned than see them on our property. While their beady eyes and habit of darting around in the dark are undeniably disconcerting, they are sometimes unfairly blamed for things—and have some major achievements that deserve our respect.
10 Amazing At Self-Defense
While ferociousness might not be the first quality people associate with rodents, they are actually highly skilled at defending themselves and can be quite deadly (need we remind you of the man-killing beaver or the baby-eating giant rats?).
While most rodents use evasion (and, if necessary, their super-strong jaws and teeth) to stay safe, there is one type of rat capable of unleashing poison on its attackers—and looking stylish in the process. It’s known as the African crested or maned rat, so called because it stores poison in the hollow hairs of its mohawk.
For years, scientist didn’t know what made this large, porcupine-like rat toxic, but they recently discovered that it chews the “poison-arrow plant” and then licks the poison into the unique hollow hairs that run along its back. When the rat feels threatened, it arches its back, slicks down its ordinary hair, and shoots up its lethal mohawk. Any predator bold enough to try and take a bite out of the hairy creature ends up with a mouthful of poison and faces serious illness or death.
For thousands of years, African tribesmen have used the same plant to poison their arrows to take down game as big as elephants. Yet, amazingly, the maned rat can slather the heart attack–inducing toxin all over its body with no ill effects.
9 May Not Have Caused The Black Plague
Most of us were taught by well-meaning history teachers that flea-ridden rats were the carriers of the bubonic plague which killed 20 million people in medieval Europe. Thus, we learned to regard rats as four-legged death squads with built-in biological weaponry. However, while rodents can carry a host of diseases, some of the newest research into the plague suggests flea-toting rats weren’t the guilty party after all.
The black plague spread fastest during the winter months, and it is this fact which has archaeologist Barney Sloane and others challenging the traditional theory. Sloane argues rats and fleas couldn’t have spread the plague, because they are largely dormant in the winter, which means the infection rate should have dropped during those months, not increased.
Secondly, while millions of people died and their skeletons were piled up in mass graves, there is no evidence of widespread death among rats. Rodents are not immune to the plague, so it stands to reason that if they were carriers, then we should have found mounds of rat bones as well.
Sloane’s final argument is that modern bubonic plague spreads somewhat differently than what was reported in the 1300s. For instance, today’s plague usually only spreads directly from rat (or flea) to human. On the other hand, the black plague of the Middle Ages seemed to move rapidly from person to person.
8 Might Help Us Understand The Afterlife
If there’s one question that has haunted humankind, it’s what happens to us after we die. Those who believe in an afterlife sometimes cite the many cases of near-death experiences as proof that our consciousness lives on without our bodies. And based on the very similar claims (seeing bright light, feelings of levitation, etc.) made by those who were at one point clinically dead, even scientists agree some type of unusual brain activity happens near the time of death. Yet, whether it’s paranormal or physiological has long been a subject of debate.
However, thanks to some lab rats, scientists are now a little closer to understanding near-death experiences. In one particularly revealing study, a team of researchers monitored the brain activity of nine rats as the animals were being euthanized. Amazingly, they discovered the rats’ brains did far more than just continue to work after their hearts had stopped—they actually went into overdrive or a state of “hyperconsciousness.”
Still, the researchers don’t think their findings prove there’s an afterlife. Instead, they theorize the increased activity is merely the brain trying to “save” itself and is the cause of the supposed near-death experiences.
7 May Hold Cure For Baldness
Sure, it would be great if rodents could help us find the cure for cancer (they just might) and other serious diseases, but we also have some vanity issues, such as baldness, we’d like them to help us sort out. Apparently we could be in luck, since Japanese scientists have successfully regrown hair on a bald mouse and are hoping to transfer the technology to hair-challenged people.
The scientists were able to give the otherwise fleshy mouse its new hairdo by implanting it with cultivated hair follicles and human stem cells. After three weeks, 74 percent of the follicles grew and sprouted into black, human hair. In addition to just growing, the hair also fell out and grew back according to normal hair growth cycles.
6 Most Successful Mammals
No matter how we feel about rodents, there’s no denying they’ve survived pretty well on this planet. So well, in fact, scientists have dubbed their lineage the most successful and long-lived group of mammals of all time.
Confirming that notion is the recent discovery of a 160-million-year-old rodent fossil. The prehistoric animal (a type of multituberculate) was similar to the modern African dormouse and lived alongside dinosaurs for 100 million years. It then existed for 30 million more years after the dinosaur extinction. It was an omnivore, about the size of a rat, and scurried around in pretty much the same way as modern rodents.
No other mammal group, including humans, has existed so long. Do we have what it takes to break the record?
5 Have Their Own Island
There is no shortage of islands that have suffered from a rat infestation. And while many places have successfully rid their land of the furry scourge, there are still plenty where rodents are winning the turf war.
Take, for example, the Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco. These islands are home to all sorts of animals, including exotic seabirds and sea lions, yet it’s the area’s most common resident, the ordinary house mouse, that is turning this wildlife refuge into a nightmare island. As it turns out, the Farallon Islands are believed to have the densest population of mice in the world, and the government isn’t sure what to do about it.
The mice arrived on the island about 100 years ago via ship and have since proliferated to the point where they’re having a negative impact on the native flora and fauna. Poisoning the pests is not the ideal option, since it would also result in other animal deaths. Officials are currently tossing around ideas for how to exterminate the rodents without decimating the natural wildlife. In the meantime, the mice have free run of the place and are happily depleting the island’s supply of salamanders and natural vegetation.
4 We Wear Their Fur
Although wearing a coat made out of rat pelts sounds totally repulsive and borderline psychopathic, there is one type of rodent many of the rich and famous love to wear: the chinchilla.
Yes, what some don’t realize is that chinchillas are in fact members of the order Rodentia, which means they’re related to moles, mice, rats, and similarly reviled creatures. So, no matter how special someone feels for wearing expensive chinchilla, they’re ultimately just wearing rodent fur.
This actually might soon come in vogue itself, as some alternative fashion designers have created clothing lines featuring swamp rat fur. Most of these designers are based in Louisiana, where the swamp rat is considered an invasive species that’s wreaking havoc on the environment. The clothing is advertised as a “guilt-free” way to wear fur, since it helps control the swamp rat population.
3 Inspired At Least Two Holidays
Thanks to ancient European tradition, there’s one rodent beloved by humans—well, at least once a year. Of course, we’re referring to the groundhog, which is celebrated every February 2 in the US and Canada, when superstitious onlookers wait to see if Punxsutawney Phil (dare we say, the king of all rodents) sees his shadow, signaling six more weeks of winter. Although groundhogs are largely considered a nuisance animal the other 364 days of the year, we have to hand it to them for weaseling their way into the hearts of man, at least for a single day.
The other holiday with a vermin element is Rat Catcher’s Day, which was inspired by the folk-tale of the legendary rat-wrangler, the Pied Piper. Rat Catcher’s Day is celebrated on June 26 or July 22 and, despite it having roots in stories of child abduction, it’s now a fun holiday. True, it’s more of a tribute to rat exterminators than to rats themselves, but what other critter is so hardy we have to honor those who kill it?
2 Primate-Level Intelligence
Metacognition, the ability to think about thinking, is a skill long thought to belong only to primates. However, in 2007 scientists discovered that, like humans, rats can consider their own learning and then make decisions based on what they do or do not know.
The researchers found this out by putting the rats through a series of tests where the animals could get a large treat for choosing a correct answer, get no treat for selecting a wrong answer, or get a small treat if they declined to take the test. Remarkably, the rats tended to decline difficult tests (preferring to get a small treat instead of possibly nothing) but would take the risk on easier tests in the hope of getting a big reward. This showed that rats have some level of understanding of their own cognition and can make strategic decisions based on that knowledge.
So we shouldn’t underestimate the cunning of these creatures, especially since, as researcher Nate Kornell said, “The mental processes of rats are more similar to ours than we thought.”
1 Rodents Of Unusual Size
Rodents of unusual size may seem the stuff of movies, yet there is a real life ROUS—the capybara, which, thankfully, is much more docile than its theatrical counterparts. The enormous animal (sometimes called a water hog) can grow as large as 154 lbs and 130 centimeters (51 in) long.
Even so, the capybara isn’t the largest rodent to have ever existed, as biologists in South America discovered a fossil from an ancient, 1,000-kilogram (2,204 lb) rat. Although it’s probably not a creature you’d want to meet in the woods, the gargantuan beast wasn’t carnivorous and subsisted mostly on vegetation.
Content and copy writer by day and list writer by night, S. Grant enjoys exploring the bizarre, unusual, and topics that hide in plain sight. Contact S. Grant here.1. Hop on Pop
In an early draft of the book, Theodor S. Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) wanted to make sure his publisher, Bennett Cerf, was reading the manuscripts he was turning in, so instead of this line: “My father / can read / big words, too. / Like... / Constantinople / and / Timbuktu” the manuscript read as follows: “When I read I am smart / I always cut whole words apart. / Con Stan Tin O Ple, Tim Buk Too / Con Tra Cep Tive, Kan Ga Roo."
2. Green Eggs and Ham
Again, we have a story here involving Cerf. This time it’s a wager. “I’ll bet you $50 that you can’t write a book using only 50 words,” said Cerf. He knew that Seuss had used a whopping 225 words in The Cat in the Hat, which had recently been published, and he knew how Seuss had struggled with that one, so the $50 seemed like easy money. Yeah... easy money for Seuss!
3. The Cat In The Hat
This neat tidbit involves another challenge, though not from Cerf, from a Life Magazine article about illiteracy rates. The article argued, “Why should [school primers] not have pictures that widen rather than narrow the associative richness the children give to the words they illustrate — drawings like those of the wonderfully imaginative geniuses among children’s illustrators, Tenniel, Howard Pyle, Theodor S. Geisel.”
Seuss read the piece and immediately began working on The Cat In The Hat, which took him nine months to write! A 236-word book, that rhymes, and entertains, is darn hard to write!
4. Horton Hears A Who
This book has been the subject of much brouhaha. Turns out that the recurring phrase uttered by Horton "a person's a person, no matter how small" has been commandeered by several pro-life groups who use it in support of their views, something Seuss strongly disapproved of.
5. And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
Published in 1937, this was Seuss’ first children's book. His original title for the book was “A Story That No One Can Beat.” Maybe this was the reason it was rejected by 27 publishers before eventually being picked up by Vanguard Press. Yes, it seems nearly 30 publishers couldn’t figure out a way to make money off a silly Dr. Seuss book.
6. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
Published in 1958, Yertle is full of metaphors and allusions that deal with fascism. This, of course, has been well documented and is fairly well-known. What is less-known, however, is the fact that the editorial committee involved in publishing the book hemmed and hawed about publishing it in the first place. NOT because of the fascism, but—are you ready for this?—because of the word “burp!” Yep, it seems burp was something like a vulgar expletive in the children’s book universe. According to Seuss, the publishers at Random House, including the president, had to meet to decide whether or not they could use "burp" because "nobody had ever burped before on the pages of a children's book!
7. The Sneetches and Other Stories
Of all Seuss’ characters the Sneetches have ound its way into more popular songs than the others.
a) From the Dead Kennedys' song "Holiday in Cambodia"
You're a star-belly sneech
You suck like a leach
You want everyone to act like you
b) Bikini Kill's song "Star Bellied Boy",
He said he wanted to
JUST touch YOU
Star Bellied Boy
Different from the rest
Yr soooo different from the rest
The Star-belly sneeches are mentioned as well in Flobots' song "Simulacra", from their album Onamatopoeia and in Ben Cooper's song "The Sneetches", in which he sings "we are nothing only Sneetches, thinking that our stars are brighter than on thars."Last night, a very strange thing happened.
I was lying in my Los Angeles bed when the earth moved in a way I haven’t experienced since a large quake knocked me onto the floor five years ago.
Only this time not literally, more virtually.
I was the unwitting victim of a televisual, cyberspace phenomenon; the single most exciting thing many Americans appeared to have witnessed since the lunar landing in 1969.
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Showdown: A new trailer for the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released on Monday night
Grief: Princess Leia, played by Carrie Fisher, was seen reprising her role for the first time in 32 years for only a brief second in the trailer as she was being consoled by Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford
A news event so vast in its magnitude that grown men wept, women shrieked and kids bounced around howling like banshees.
Journalists whom I otherwise respect began tweeting photos of their newsrooms in a state of collective paralyzation, hordes of frozen figures standing open-mouthed, ashen-faced and quivering around their monitors.
Twitter exploded.
Facebook erupted.
And a national whooping delirium filled the air.
‘Oh my GOD!’
‘WOW!’
‘That’s INSANE, man!’
‘AWESOME!’
‘THAT. IS. THE. COOLEST. THING. LIKE. EVER!’
There’s just one problem: it wasn’t.
I didn’t get it.
Any of it.
I watched the exact same ‘thing’ as everyone else, and it left me feeling less enthused than a Jeb Bush rally.
Frightening: Kylo Ren is a member of of a dark side cult that idolizes Darth Vader is seen with what is believed to be other devotees to his evil following
The trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which aired for the first time during ESPN’s Monday Night Football show, lasted just two minutes and 23 seconds.
Time that I will never now get back.
At the start, a weird-headed creature appeared and a voice asked: “Who are you?’
To which my answer was: ‘I’m Piers, and I’m already bemused.’
It got worse.
A random person walking in the desert, another weird-headed creature, a second random person walking in the desert, more weird-headed creatures, myriad flashing lights, swords and flying saucers, and then the weirdest-headed creature of them all: Harrison Ford (the great man is so facially brown and craggy now I’m only surprised Matt Damon hasn’t tried to land on him.)
‘THE FORCE! IT’S CALLING YOU!’ commanded the announcer.
Well, I’m not in, sorry.
In fact, I’ve never been in when The Force has called.
Action: Boyega and the character Rey, played by relative newcomer Daisy Ridley, appear to be two of the film's main protagonists
It's back! The full trailer also featured new images of Han Solo's Millennium Falcon, which was a mainstay of the first Star Wars trilogy
I’m 50 years old and I’ve not watched a single one of the six Star Wars movies.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve tried.
Many times.
But I’ve never got further than five minutes with any of them before hitting the STOP button, shaking the cascading cheese out of my TV set and going for a recuperative neck massage.
As the decades have passed by, my distaste for all things Star Wars has developed into an oddly visceral loathing.
I only have to hear that dreaded theme music to feel the skin begin to peel itself off my flesh.
And don’t even get me started with the ghastly merchandise, which seems to pervade every store in the United States.
So I wouldn’t, frankly, know one end of a Yoda from a Jedi.
The only Chewbacca I’ve experienced is the kind that I perform when someone treats me to a Monte Cristo No2.
And Hans Solo sounds like something best reserved for the kind of Vegas bordellos we’ve been reading rather too much about in the last few days.
This, I realise, parks me firmly in the minority.
Online ticket sales of this 7th Star Wars epic crashed huge movie-goer websites like Fandango.
It’s probably going to be a massive hit, regardless of what I think.
But, as with that pseudo-intellectual load of old thespian codswallop, Birdman, that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.
Star Wars sucks.
Chae: The spaceship can also be seen battling an Imperial TIE fighter through canyons on a desert planet
A battalion of stormtroopers stand in formation before an unknown leader on stage in this sinister scene from the film
Don’t take my word for it, take the words of almost everyone involved in its very first incarnation back in 1977.
Legend has it that when producer George Lucas first showed a rough cut of the original Star Wars to Hollywood associates and chums, hardly any of them liked it.
They thought the plot was preposterous, the characters’ names utterly absurd, and as for the writing, this is what Sir Alec Guinness wrote to a friend from the set during filming: ‘New rubbish dialogue reaches me every day and none of it makes my character clear or even bearable.’
The critics, when it was released, agreed.
‘What’s stunning about it is simply how bad it is,’ wrote Salon’s Charles Taylor.
Others damned it as lazy, cliché-d and tortured.
At least that first movie had the benefit of novelty.
The sequels have got increasingly worse (according to those who’ve actually endured them).
Now, as we brace ourselves for the 7th instalment, the whole Star Wars genre has become synonymous with one gloriously British word: ‘Naff’.
Naff, for my American friends, is a derogatory term deployed by rich, privileged people (think those who live upstairs at Downton Abbey) when they wish to convey a sense of something being stupid, lame, unpalatable, and quite shudderingly uncool.
Let’s be honest here: did anyone watch that Star Wars trailer last night and genuinely think it was fantastic?
Or were you all just caught up in a very clever, very cynical piece of marketing brilliance by Disney?
Copycat: Like Vader, Ren is seen wearing a helmet that masks his face. The villain is played by Adam Driver, most famous for his appearances on HBO's Girls
Newcomer: Finn, played by John Boyega (pictured), is seen wielding a lightsaber at one point, while in another, he is seen pulling off a stormtrooper outfit
One based on the old Tinsel Town maxim of: ‘If it worked 40 years ago, let’s just repackage it, pretend it’s brand new, and do it all over again.’
I, peering through my dispassionate, uncontaminated eyes, laughed out loud during the trailer and not for any good reasons.
The only Force it reawakened in me is one of even firmer resolution not to go and see this latest diabolical affront to my sophisticated celluloid senses.
You can stick this over-rated, over-hyped, fantastically silly nonsense up your R2-D2.
See the latest news and updates on Star Wars: The Force Awakens at www.dailymail.co.uk/starwars
The trailer's release comes after a poster for the upcoming movie featured Han Solo, Princess Leia and Ren as well as a planet-like sphere similar to the Death Star - but again, no Luke SkywalkerA police car sits in front of One World Trade at ground zero in Manhattan on March 20, 2017 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
The gruesome, racially motivated murder of a 66-year-old black man, Timothy Caughman, in New York City a week ago by white supremacist James Harris Jackson was terrifying. It was also an act of terror, a grand jury decided on Monday, as it voted to upgrade the charges against the 28-year-old Jackson. Jackson, an Army veteran who is white, was charged with murder as an act of terror in the first- and second-degree and second-degree murder as a hate crime for stabbing Caughman to death with a sword on a crowded street corner.
Jackson admitted killing Caughman to police and outlined his racist beliefs and intent when he got in his car and drove from his home in Baltimore to New York City. “[Jackson] acted on his plan, randomly selecting a beloved New Yorker solely on the basis of his skin color, and stabbing him repeatedly and publicly on a midtown street corner,” Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the district attorney for Manhattan, said Monday in a statement. “James Jackson prowled the streets of New York for three days in search of a black person to assassinate in order to launch a campaign of terrorism against our Manhattan community and the values we celebrate.” “Jackson regarded the killing as practice prior to going to Times Square to kill additional black men,” a complaint filed last week said.
“Mr. Caughman, an ebullient man who described himself on Twitter as a can and bottle recycler, was rummaging through the trash on 9th Avenue near the corner of 36th Street around 11:15 p.m. on March 20 when Mr. Jackson pounced on him from behind and plunged the 18-inch blade into his chest, according to the police,” according to the New York Times. “’What are you doing?’ a woman told the police she heard Mr. Caughman say, according to a police complaint filed in court.”Stardock updated its Ashes of the Singularity strategy game with support for the Vulkan graphics-rendering API in August, and that introduced some serious performance improvements — especially for players who aren’t using Windows 10. Ashes of the Singularity was one of the first games to support DirectX 12, which is Microsoft latest graphics API. And now the publisher and studio has patched Vulkan into the game, and it made the choice to do that because of its experience making Ashes of the Singularity and its need for efficient visual tech.
“In 2012, Stardock was at a point where we wanted to make games that couldn’t be made with current engines,” Ashes of the Singularity designer Derek Paxton told GamesBeat. “When I first came to Stardock, I said, ‘Hey, listen, let’s quit making a game engine and concentrate on making games. We’re a small company. We don’t have a huge staff. Let’s focus on the part that we’re really passionate about. Let’s make the games.’ [CEO and founder] Brad Wardell said, ‘good luck, go find that engine.'”
But when Paxton went searching for that engine, nothing was capable of providing the combination of performance and simultaneous onscreen units that he wanted to do with its new large-scale strategy game. Ashes of the Singularity is known for having 10-to-20,000 units on screen at once. A lot of engines can’t handle the bandwidth of loading that onto the screen on demand.
“When you’re in Skyrim, for example, it’s absolutely beautiful, but they’re dedicating 500 megs of texture memory to that dragon you’re fighting,” said Paxton. “Of course it looks fantastic. What’s different in our games is that the player needs to be able to jump anywhere on the map that [they want] at any time. If [they want] to look at one corner of the universe or one corner of a world, and they click on the minimap to go to another corner, he can’t see a loading screen like in Skyrim when you do the quick travel. It has to be instantaneous.”
So for a game like Ashes, every texture, animation, and model needs to exist in memory at all times. It wasn’t until Stardock found game company Oxide and its Nitrous development engine that it found what it was looking for.
“This is a new-age engine that is 64-bit only, that’s processor-agnostic so it uses all the kernels in your processor, and uses next-gen APIs [like DirectX 12] because the existing graphics APIs were throttled,” said Paxton. “You couldn’t get all the performance you needed when you were moving lots of textures around. It’s the reason, when you’re playing Mass Effect Andromeda, which is a beautiful game, but when you go up and go from one area to another, you see the doors there that you have to open.”
Nitrous engine doesn’t have those limitations, but it does heavily depend on the bandwidth that something like DirectX 12 affords. But now Vulkan enables the same thing but with potential to also run on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 machines.
“Vulkan is a big deal for us today,” said Paxton. “Players that have these big, expensive, powerful computers can make the most of them.”
Here is an edited transcript of our full interview with Paxon.
GamesBeat: What prompted Stardock to add Vulkan support?
Derek Paxton: Ashes has always been, like you said, a tech leader. It was the first game out that supported DirectX 12. We’re glad to add Vulkan to it to help support them. Vulkan, for us, is a troubleshooting tool, really. This is a place where players can go if they don’t have Windows 10, if they don’t have DirectX 12, but they still want to get great performance and use the latest graphics APIs out there. Vulkan is that next step for them. Putting it in allows players to begin using it, as well as giving our partners, AMD and Nvidia, the opportunity to see a game that has Vulkan in it so they can begin to do the work on their drivers to support it, improve performance, and go through those stages. We want Vulkan to succeed. Players want to use the latest graphics APIs. They want to get the most performance from their systems. One step to doing that is have games start using those new drivers so that the developers can begin to optimize for it and improve performance.
GamesBeat: Has this improved performance?
Derek Paxton: We really put it out there so everyone can begin testing on it. It is really early. Like I say, we put it out there. We’re giving it to the community at the same time we’re giving it to our partners. It’s just the first step in that process. We’re seeing good performance, but we don’t spend a lot of time measuring on a lot of devices. We see that our community will do that. Journalists like you will do that. AMD and Nvidia and our partners will spend a lot of time doing that. It’s important that we get it out there not just as a reporting tool, to say, listen, this is how the different cards perform, but also for troubleshooting to say, hey, if there’s bad performance here, what’s causing that? How can we fix it? How can we improve?
GamesBeat: What are the benefits to Stardock?
Derek Paxton: In 2012, Stardock was at a point where we wanted to make games that couldn’t be made with current engines. When I first came to Stardock I said, hey, listen, let’s quit making game engine and concentrate on making games. We’re a small company. We don’t have a huge staff. Let’s focus on the part that we’re really passionate about. Let’s make the games. Brad Wardell said, good luck, go find that engine. I went out and looked at all the engines there and I couldn’t find one that did what we needed it to do.
There’s a big difference in what’s required of an engine for a large-scale strategy game that has 10,000, 20,000 units playing in a large universe, like Galactic Civilizations does, than there is for a game that’s doing a relatively small environment in high detail. When you’re in Skyrim, for example, it’s absolutely beautiful, but they’re dedicating 500 megs of texture memory to that dragon you’re fighting. Of course it looks fantastic. What’s different in our games is, the player needs to be able to jump anywhere on the map that he wants to at any time. If he wants to look at one corner of the universe or one corner of a world, and he clicks on the mini-map to go to another corner, he can’t see a loading screen like in Skyrim when you do the quick travel. It has to be instantaneous, which means every texture in the game needs to be loaded into memory – every sound effect, every animation, every model, the entire game needs to be loaded up into memory at one time.
We didn’t have engines that could do that, which is why it was such a big deal when we met up and helped Oxide get founded and they created Nitrous, this new-age engine that is 64-bit only, that’s processor-agnostic so it uses all the kernels in your processor, and uses next-age APIs, because the existing graphics APIs were throttled. You couldn’t get all the performance you needed when you were moving lots of textures around. It’s the reason, when you’re playing Mass Effect Andromeda, which is a beautiful game, but—when you go up and go from one area to another, you see the doors there that you have to open. It takes a second for it to open, because it’s loading that next area, putting all those textures into memory. We don’t have that luxury for large-scale strategy games. We needed an engine that could take care of that, and that engine needed a really good pipeline for getting resources on and off the video card. That’s why DirectX 12 was such a big deal for us. Mantle, when AMD came out with Mantle early on, was a big deal for us, and Vulkan is a big deal for us today. Players that have these big, expensive, powerful computers can make the most of them.
GamesBeat: How do you want to see other developers approach Vulkan?
Derek Paxton: We hope that other developers continue to support these APIs, because the system will get better, performance will get better the more people are using them. That’s really what we want, to give players the best game possible. That means everyone focusing on making the most of the hardware that’s out there. We’ve worked with AMD and Nvidia. They’re great partners. They’re working hard on improving their drivers and making their cards the best. We fully expect they’re going to continue doing good work. But the more game developers continue to use these APIs, the better it’s going to get for everyone.
Nathan Hanish: One thing that’s great about Vulkan is the ecosystem. Although it is somewhat embryonic, the tool chain available – the validation tools available, the set of other developers working out in the open, essentially—the Khronos Group has been putting out some fantastic presentations from GDC and other events. There’s a high level of sharing within the community, and a fantastic specification that’s constantly being updated, a fantastic SDK that’s constantly being updated, that will only improve as more developers get into that ecosystem. By all accounts it’s very good now. I |
by ascension of this ego based 3D reality thing. Ascended masters may be souls (or whatever) that have succeeded in destroying their egos through Choronzon. During the psychotic episode, voices in my head were mercilessly tearing into my ego and I felt like I was fighting for my life. This is what happens during DMT ego death. Massive fear kicks in and the body and mind desperately struggle to survive, and you think its you thats about to die, when in reality its just the ego that dies (well I suppose that does mean you die because the ego is the self). I came across this a while ago:
http://runelogix.typepad.com/my_webl...ia_monde_.html
If this was Choronzon that I encountered during this "psychotic episode", I'd rather not run into it again any time soon. I was in no way prepared for that. Something tells me I don't have a choice though. Those of us who see 333, the paths already been paved for us. The path to God is a harsh one. Suffering seems to serve as the catalyst for this spiritual evolution.
I read that the number 3 symbolises the overcoming of duality by union of the polarities. In these psychotic episodes I've had, duality was a massive theme. Voices in my head kept playing these opposite games with my ego. For example, they would call me a hero repeatedly and talk about why I was heroic, that was a huge ego booster so I'd accept what they're saying as truth, then when my guard was down they'd switch and start calling me a villain and ripping into me about it. This happened for the whole night, they'd cycle between calling me good/evil, brave/cowardly, smart/stupid etc. I eventually caught onto the pattern and decided that I'm neither of these polarities, but rather I am both and can express either one. These evil voices mercilessly ripped into my ego, I actually lost my internal dialogue in the process (I no longer speak with words inside my head) because the voices were listening to everything I was saying inside my head and using it against me so I realised that I could patch up that vulnerability by shutting off the internal dialogue. I never started it again because I realised afterwards what a burden it was. Verbalising your thoughts is like putting a ball and chain on your thinking ability because words take time to sound out so your thinking can only be as fast as the time it takes to sound out the words. This experience caused me to take a spiritual quantum leap.
I get phases where I'm seeing 33 instead of 333. I'm surrounded by the number 33 as it is, the 33 bus goes by my house. Someone decided to paint 33 on most of the slots in a carpark outside my house. When I add up the numbers of my birthdate, they add up to 33. I've made threads about this in the past, it comes and goes in phases. Its back again, now its 333 not 33. Been seeing it for the past few days. Just saw it there a couple of minutes ago so took a screenshot:^^ Coincidentally, when I stopped to take the screenshot, it was 3:34 minutes into the video.I first started seeing it in a psychotic episode. I thought it was a negative omen at the time. I heard from a numerologist that its the number of spiritual awakening, which would make sense in my case since thats what that psychotic episode did to me. I was bombarded by the number during the psychotic episode, and the next day I tried to convince myself that it was just hallucinations/distorted perception but I kept seeing the number. I woke up in sleep paralysis and when I pulled myself out of it, it was exactly 3:33. I woke up needing to take a piss at 3:33 a few nights. I went to the shop at one point (think it was a couple of days after the psychosis) and the change was exactly $3.33. Unlike you, I actually did think there were dark forces at work. The psychotic episode was an unsettling experience to say the least.I've come across other meanings. Its the number of Choronzon, an occult demon described by Aleister Crowley:If you think about it, they coincide. Choronzons function is to destroy the ego which would be followed by ascension of this ego based 3D reality thing. Ascended masters may be souls (or whatever) that have succeeded in destroying their egos through Choronzon. During the psychotic episode, voices in my head were mercilessly tearing into my ego and I felt like I was fighting for my life. This is what happens during DMT ego death. Massive fear kicks in and the body and mind desperately struggle to survive, and you think its you thats about to die, when in reality its just the ego that dies (well I suppose that does mean you die because the ego is the self). I came across this a while ago:If this was Choronzon that I encountered during this "psychotic episode", I'd rather not run into it again any time soon. I was in no way prepared for that. Something tells me I don't have a choice though. Those of us who see 333, the paths already been paved for us. The path to God is a harsh one. Suffering seems to serve as the catalyst for this spiritual evolution.I read that the number 3 symbolises the overcoming of duality by union of the polarities. In these psychotic episodes I've had, duality was a massive theme. Voices in my head kept playing these opposite games with my ego. For example, they would call me a hero repeatedly and talk about why I was heroic, that was a huge ego booster so I'd accept what they're saying as truth, then when my guard was down they'd switch and start calling me a villain and ripping into me about it. This happened for the whole night, they'd cycle between calling me good/evil, brave/cowardly, smart/stupid etc. I eventually caught onto the pattern and decided that I'm neither of these polarities, but rather I am both and can express either one. These evil voices mercilessly ripped into my ego, I actually lost my internal dialogue in the process (I no longer speak with words inside my head) because the voices were listening to everything I was saying inside my head and using it against me so I realised that I could patch up that vulnerability by shutting off the internal dialogue. I never started it again because I realised afterwards what a burden it was. Verbalising your thoughts is like putting a ball and chain on your thinking ability because words take time to sound out so your thinking can only be as fast as the time it takes to sound out the words. This experience caused me to take a spiritual quantum leap.I get phases where I'm seeing 33 instead of 333. I'm surrounded by the number 33 as it is, the 33 bus goes by my house. Someone decided to paint 33 on most of the slots in a carpark outside my house. When I add up the numbers of my birthdate, they add up to 33. Last edited by h0rsie; 07-03-2013 at 02:33 PM.European Commissioner For Human Rights And Key EU Privacy Committee Strongly Condemn Mass Surveillance And Bulk Data Retention
from the neither-lawful-nor-ethically-acceptable dept
The "secret, massive and indiscriminate" surveillance conducted by intelligence services and disclosed by the former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden cannot be justified by the fight against terrorism, the most senior human rights official in Europe has warned.
In a direct challenge to the United Kingdom and other states, Nils Muižnieks, the commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe, calls for greater transparency and stronger democratic oversight of the way security agencies monitor the internet. He also said that so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing treaty between the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada should be published.
"Suspicionless mass retention of communications data is fundamentally contrary to the rule of law … and ineffective," the Latvian official argues in a 120-page report, The Rule of Law on the Internet in the Wider Digital World. "Member states should not resort to it or impose compulsory retention of data by third parties."
1. The protection of personal data is a fundamental right. Personal data (which includes metadata) may not be treated solely as an object of trade, an economic asset or a common good.
...
6. Secret, massive and indiscriminate surveillance of individuals in Europe, whether by public or private players acting in an EU Member State or from elsewhere, is neither lawful with regard to the EU Treaties and legislations nor ethically acceptable.
...
8. Unrestricted bulk retention of personal data for security purposes is not acceptable in a democratic society. Retention, access and use of data by national competent authorities should be limited to what is strictly necessary and proportionate in a democratic society, and be subject to effective substantive and procedural safeguards.
...
10. None of the provisions of the European instruments designed to frame international data transfers between private parties provide a legal basis for the transfer of data to a third country authority for the purpose of massive and indiscriminate surveillance (whether Safe Harbor, binding corporate rules or standard contractual clauses).
...
13. The European level of protection of personal data should not be eroded, wholly or in part, by bilateral or international agreements, including agreements on trade in goods or services with third countries.
As we wrote recently, the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal ruled that GCHQ surveillance doesn't violate human rights. That's hardly surprising, given IPT's track record in approving pretty much everything that GCHQ does. But the global reach of the spying carried out by GCHQ and the NSA means that there are plenty of other bodies that are prepared to condemn what they have been doing. Here, for example, is an important report from the commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe, entitled " The Rule of Law on the Internet in the Wider Digital World ". It's an extremely thorough exploration of this complex area, touching on key issues that have often been discussed here on Techdirt: privatized law enforcement, suspicionless mass data retention, cross-border exchange of data by law enforcement agencies, and global surveillance by national security agencies. The Guardian summarizes the commissioner's views as follows:As the article notes, the commissioner has the power to intervene at the European Court of Human Rights; given the tenor of his report, Muižnieks may well choose to do that in the important case involving GCHQ's spying activities. The commissioner's report is also likely to bolster recent recommendations from the slightly obscure "Article 29 Working Party", an independent advisory body for the European Union on data protection and privacy. The recommendations have been issued in the form of a " joint statement ", and, like Muižnieks, the Working Party has no hesitation in criticizing every aspect of the mass surveillance currently being conducted by the UK, US and the other Five Eyes nations, aided and abetted by Internet and telecoms companies. Here are some of its key points:As those points make clear, the group not only rejects mass surveillance, but also bulk data retention, the Safe Harbor agreement with the US, and the inclusion of chapters harmful to privacy in trade agreements such as TAFTA/TTIP and TISA. Like the commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe, the Article 29 Working Party has no power to implement any of its recommendations directly, but its strongly-worded condemnation of just about every aspect of the widespread surveillance and data retention in place today adds to growing pressure for both to be drastically reduced.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and +glynmoody on Google+
Filed Under: human rights, mass surveillance, privacy, surveillanceAgreement includes independent evaluation of CPD practices and procedures, additional data collection by CPD, heightened training for officers, and increased transparency; Independent consultant will report to public twice annually on stops and searches by CPD
CHICAGO – In a landmark agreement between the Chicago Police Department (CPD), the City of Chicago, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois (ACLU), there will be an independent evaluation of the practices and procedures, and increased transparency and public disclosure regarding Chicago police investigatory stops. These stops (which may be accompanied by pat downs or searches) have been the focus of public discussion since March of 2015, when the ACLU issued a report raising concerns about the legality and constitutionality of the practice on Chicago streets.
Today’s agreement is the result of months of negotiation between the City, CPD and ACLU, which began after the ACLU issued its report in March. Rather than engage in expensive, time-consuming, and burdensome litigation, the parties agreed to discuss the outlines of a legally enforceable agreement, without the prior filing of a formal lawsuit. After careful discussions about the subject, the City, CPD and the ACLU were able to agree on a series of concrete steps designed to ensure (and confirm) that CPD policies and practices related to “investigatory stops and protective pat downs” comply with all laws, as well as the U.S. Constitution.
“When we issued our report a few months ago, it included a series of recommendations for change by the Chicago police,” said Harvey Grossman, legal director for the ACLU in announcing the agreement. “This agreement incorporates the bulk of those recommendations, and reflects the types of agreements that have been reached in other communities only after a long, protracted period of investigation and litigation. What we have done here is move past the litigation process and advanced directly to a collaborative process, to insure that stops on Chicago streets meet constitutional and legal standards.”
"As the men and women of the Chicago Police Department work to make our city safer and identify the small subset of individuals who torment our neighborhoods with violence, it is imperative that we use every tool and resource in a way that is not only lawful but respectful of the residents we serve,” said Chicago Police Superintendent Garry F. McCarthy. “We believe policing in Chicago must be strictly based on crime data, patterns, statistics and community intelligence, and this unprecedented agreement with the ACLU is a demonstration of CPD’s commitment to fairness, respect, transparency, and underscores our willingness to work side by side with everyone as we work toward our shared goal of keeping our neighborhoods safe."
A key part of the agreement is the engagement of former U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys to evaluate the City’s practices and procedures regarding investigatory stops and to oversee the agreements implementation. Judge Keys will produce public reports twice each year on investigatory stops and pat downs by Chicago police, assessing whether the CPD is complying with its legal requirements, including the Fourth Amendment requirement that there be reasonable suspicion of criminal conduct as a basis for a stop or search and that the stops do not have an impermissible racially-disparate impact prohibited by the Illinois Civil Rights Act. Judge Keys also is authorized to make recommendations for changes to CPD policies.
Under the agreement, the City and CPD will collect additional data about all investigatory stops in the City of Chicago. Judge Keys will use this data to determine if the City’s practices are lawful. The data to be collected will include name and badge number of the officer, the race/ethnicity of the person stopped, the gender of the person stopped, all the reasons for the stop, the location, date and time of the stop, whether or not a pat down resulted from the stop (along with the reason for the pat down), whether contraband was discovered and what happened as a result of the stop (including an arrest, warning, or no action at all).
The agreement also calls for heightened training of officers, designed to ensure that investigatory stops in Chicago are conducted only where there is reasonable suspicion of criminal activity and that protective pat downs are performed only when legally justified. The training will be followed up by quarterly or semi-annual audits by CPD and can lead to re-training, enhanced supervision or discipline of officers who engage in unlawful stops and pat downs or who violate CPD procedures.
All of the data collected by CPD is to be shared with the ACLU and with the outside Consultant, Judge Keys. Beginning in 2016, Judge Keys and his staff will review the data collected by CPD, conduct a thorough analysis of the data, along with policies, procedures and training practices of CPD. Public reports will be issued twice a year that assess the practices of investigatory stops in Chicago. Judge Keys can then make recommendations for changes in CPD policy and training. Judge Key’s independent reports will provide transparency and an assessment of the effectiveness of policy changes in the CPD
“This agreement relies not only on promises but also on specific verification of how CPD officers are interacting with the public on neighborhood streets all across the City,” said Karen Sheley, senior staff counsel at the ACLU. “Judge Keys will provide a clear, concise picture twice each year that police supervisors and advocates can use to make appropriate steps to improve this situation in Chicago. We also hope that the transparency and improved training will increase trust and understanding between the CPD and communities.”
The agreement announced today goes into effect immediately.
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Media CoverageWhen I heard early reports about the new Tecsun PL-680, I was already wondering how it would stack up alongside other Tecsun portables. An early photo of the Tecsun PL-680 revealed how very similar it is, indeed, to the Tecsun PL-600, which has been on the market for many years. Moreover, the features of PL-680, which I heard about only a few weeks ago, sounded to me like a carbon copy of the venerable PL-660. I investigated further, and spoke with Anna at Anon-Co; she was given to understand that the Tecsun PL-680 was essentially a re-packaged PL-660 with improved sensitivity. I was curious enough about the PL-680 that I ordered one from Anna as soon as they were available, even paying for expedited shipping in order to have it in hand a bit sooner.
The Tecsun PL-660 has been on the market for several years now; it’s one of the most popular shortwave portables on the market. And for good reason: the PL-660 is relatively inexpensive, simple to use, packs all of the most vital and desirable functions/modes, and is available from a variety of retailers that ship worldwide. I have reviewed it numerous times and often used it as the basis for comparison with other shortwave portables. It’s China-based manufacturer, Tecsun, has emerged over the past few years as the dominant manufacturer of shortwave radios.
First impressions
I posted a few unboxing photos the day I received the PL-680.
The Tecsun PL-680 looks like the Tecsun PL-600 body, with the Tecsun PL-660 features and layout. Indeed, the full complement of buttons, switches and dials are identically positioned to those of the PL-660.
Let’s cut to the chase…
Question: So, does the PL-680 have more functions than the PL-660?
Answer: No. It appears to be, and likely is, identical in every (functional) respect to the Tecsun PL-660. No surprises here, unless there are hidden features I haven’t discovered…!
Check out the following comparison photos–the PL-600 on the right, PL-660 in the middle, PL-680 on the right (click to enlarge):
The similarity is so striking, in fact, that I believe the PL-680 is the first radio I’ve ever turned on for the first time, only to find I immediately knew every function. I’m so familiar with the PL-660 that I could even use the PL-680 in the dark the first night I used it.
It also helps, of course, that the PL-680 is nearly identical to the PL-600, too, which I’ve owned for many years.
Here’s how I see the PL-680 product development equation:
In truth, I was quite disappointed that Tecsun did not add a line-out jack to the PL-680.
The PL-660, alas, lacks line-out, and though my Tecsun PL-880 has a line-out, its default shortwave volume is simply too high to be used by most digital recorders. I had hoped that the PL-680 might have a proper line-out jack, potentially making it a replacement for my trusty Sony ICF-SW7600GR. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
But other than missing a line-out jack, I really have few complaints. I’ve always been a fan of simple radio design and I believe Tecsun has done a good thing by keeping the user experience so similar in their PL-6XX line of portable shortwave radios. Apparently, a good thing is a good thing.
But here’s what everyone wants to know…
Question: Does the PL-680 have any performance advantages over the PL-660?
Short Answer: Yes! (But keep your PL-660.)
I should add here that I’m about to get rather technical and radio-geeky, so if you’re only interested in a summary, please skip to the bottom of the page.
Otherwise, help yourself to a cup of coffee, and let’s talk radio…
Shortwave performance
Since I spend 95% of my listening time on shortwave, I’ll begin with shortwave performance. Again, we’ll compare the PL-680’s performance with that of the PL-660.
Reader survey results
Having had such great results from radio comparison shoot-outs in the past (check out our shoot-out between top portables and ultra-compact radios), I decided it would make sense to invite our informed readership to evaluate the PL-680’s performance in a series of blind, informal tests. (For information about these surveys, please read through the first of the three surveys.)
Shortwave AM broadcast listening
In most circumstances, you’ll find that the PL-680 has better sensitivity than the PL-660. It’s a marginal improvement, but one I certainly notice on the shortwave bands–and so did the majority of readers who participated in the shortwave AM reception survey.
The survey had recordings from a total of three broadcasters: Radio Prague, WWV, and Radio France International.
The PL-680 was “Radio A,” and the PL-660 was “Radio B.”
The Radio Prague recording was quite strong and was the only broadcast in our survey in which the PL-660 and PL-680 ran neck-and-neck.
Radio Prague on the PL-680
Radio Prague on the PL-660
In truth, I believe strong signal reception on both these radios is excellent and nearly indistinguishable from each other.
Survey results from the WWV and Radio France International recordings showed a strong preference for the Tecsun PL-680. Again, here are the original recordings:
PL-680 – 1st WWV recording
PL-660 – 1st WWV recording
PL-680 – 2nd WWV recording
PL-660 – 2nd WWV recording
Based on comments from those who participated, the PL-680 came out ahead of the PL-660 in two respects: better sensitivity, and more stable AGC. In both sets of recordings, the signal was weaker than the Radio Prague recording, and QSB (fading) more pronounced. Herein lies a well-known weakness of the PL-660: soft muting and a sometimes over-active AGC equates to more listening fatigue.
Here is a chart with the full survey results based on 194 listener reports. The number of responses are represented on the vertical axis.
Obviously, the engineers at Tecun addressed the soft muting/AGC problem of the PL-660. In all of my time with the PL-680 on the air, I haven’t noticed any soft muting; the audio has been smooth and the AGC copes with fading much better than the PL-660. No doubt, these two improvements alone make the PL-680 a worthy portable for shortwave radio listening.
There is a downside to the improved sensitivity, however: the PL-680 has a slightly higher noise floor than the PL-660. This is mostly noticeable during weak-signal listening. Though I haven’t compared it yet, I’m willing to bet that the noise floor is comparable to that of the Sony ICF-SW7600GR. Personally, if increased sensitivity and stability means a slightly higher noise floor, I’m okay with that. I find that I listen better when the signal is stable and not fluttering/muting with every QSB trough.
Synchronous detection
The second survey focused on synchronous detection, which is a very useful receiver tool that mitigates adjacent signal interference and improves a signal’s stability. Perhaps it was my good fortune that the same day I tested synchronous detection, fading on even strong stations was pronounced at times. Perfect!
The first recording set was from Radio Australia, a relatively strong signal here in North America. Still, QSB was pronounced–making for an unstable signal–and there was hetrodyne interference in the upper sideband of the broadcast. When I switched the radios into lower sideband sync, halfway through, it effectively mitigated the hetrodyne in all of the recordings.
PL-680 – 1st recording Radio Australia
PL-660 – 1st recording Radio Australia
PL-680 – 2nd recording Radio Australia
PL-660 – 2nd recording Radio Australia
The second set of recordings were of Radio Riyadh–a much weaker station–also affected by QSB:
PL-680 – 1st recording Radio Riyadh (wide band filter)
PL-660 – 1st recording Radio Riyadh (wide band filter)
PL-680 – 2nd recording Radio Riyadh (narrow band filter)
PL-660 – 2nd recording Radio Riyadh (narrow band filter)
While I have always considered the PL-660 to sport one of the stronger sync locks in current production portables, it did truly struggle to maintain a lock in both the Radio Australia and Radio Riyadh recordings. Indeed, I was so surprised by how comparatively feeble the sync lock was on Radio Australia, that I disconnected the PL-660 from the recorder and moved to a different location to verify that something nearby wasn’t causing the sync lock instability. It was not; it was solely due to unstable band conditions.
It came as no surprise that survey respondents took note of the PL-680’s stronger sync lock: the PL-680 beat the PL-660 by a wide margin in both sample recordings. I chart the results, below, from a total of 85 responses:
Very good, PL-680! Someday I’d like to compare the PL-680 with the Sony ICF-SW7600GR, which I’ve always considered to have, among current portables, the strongest sync lock.
Single Sideband
I wasn’t able to provide an audio survey of SSB performance since the PL-680 picked up too much noise from my digital recorder to make for a fair contest.
Meanwhile, I’ve spent time listening to both radios in SSB mode and comparing the models. To my ear, both are very close in SSB performance, but again the PL-680 does have a slight edge on the PL-660 in terms of sensitivity and AGC performance.
SSB audio fidelity is very similar in both radios.
FM Performance
While I haven’t spent more than, let’s say, an hour with the PL-680 on the FM band, I have concluded that it is very sensitive–able to receive all of my benchmark local and regional FM stations.
An informal comparison between thePL-680 and the PL-660 also leads me to believe that they are both excellent FM performers and seemed to compare favorably. I would certainly welcome FM DXers to comment with their own evaluations of the PL-680.
Medium Wave Performance
I’ve also posted a medium-wave listener survey since many of you asked that I provide an evaluation of the medium-wave band.
In short, here is where the PL-680 loses to the PL-660: whereas, on the shortwave bands, the PL-680 is more sensitive, it lacks the same sensitivity on the medium-wave bands.
Though I believe the PL-680 does a marginally better job than the PL-660 of handling the choppy conditions of nighttime MW DX, the PL-660 still pulled voices and music out of the static and made them noticeably more intelligible.
The survey result swung very hard in favor of the PL-660, which has long been one of the more notable medium-wave performers among shortwave portables.
I provided a total of four sample broadcast recordings for comparison. Below, I have embedded one of them–a recording of 940 AM in Macon, Georgia, for your reference.
PL-680 – 940 AM
PL-660 – 940 AM
You can listen to all four recordings in the original survey (again, note that Radio A is the PL-680, B is the PL-660).
Survey results were definitive, with a total of 116 responses:
In all but the strong station sample (750 AM – WBS Atlanta), the PL-660 was preferred by a wide margin.
Summary
Invariably, all radios have strengths and weaknesses; here is a list of my notes from the moment I put the Tecsun PL-680 on the air:
Pros:
Excellent sensitivity and selectivity on the shortwave bands
Improved weak signal stability over the PL-660
Stable sync lock
Proven PL-600 form factor with good overall ergonomics
Great internal speaker–an improvement over the PL-660 (but not as good as the PL-880 or Sangean ATS-909X)
Other than medium-wave performance (see con), a worthy replacement for the PL-660
Excellent audio from the PL-680 internal speaker (improved over the PL-660, but not matching the fidelity of the PL-880)
Cons:
Medium-wave performance for is a step backwards from the PL-680’s predecessor, the PL-660. Okay on strong and moderate-signal reception, somewhat poor for weak signals
Marginal noise floor increase on the shortwave bands
Like the PL-660, lacks a line-out jack (Please note this, Tecsun!)
SSB frequency display on my unit is + 1 kHz, slight BFO adjustment is needed (details in this update)
Conclusion
If you’re a shortwave radio listener, you’ll be pleased with the Tecsun PL-680. In all of my comparison tests between the Tecun PL-660 and Tecsun PL-680, the PL-680 tends to edge out the PL-660, performance-wise. This coincides with the user surveys, too.
If you’re a medium-wave DXer, you might skip over the PL-680. That is, unless Tecsun makes a good iterative design improvement. If you’re a casual medium-wave listener, on the other hand, you’ll probably be pleased with the PL-680.
All in all, I like the Tecsun PL-680 and I see myself using it more than the PL-660 when I’m on the go. If you’re primarily a shortwave radio listener, the PL-680 may very well be worth the upgrade. At $95 US plus shipping, it is certainly a good value. Note that Anon-Co plans to post the Tecsun PL-680 for sale on eBay in March 2015.
Click here to find the PL-680 on eBay.
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A demonstration has been organised in support of Bristol man Josh Walker who is due to appear at the Old Bailey next week accused of terrorism offences.
Josh was arrested by counter-terrorism officers after returning from Syria where he was fighting with Kurdish forces against ISIS.
The group Kurdistan Solidarity Campaign has arranged the demonstration, called “Solidarity with Josh Walker”, for May 19 – the date of Josh’s pre-trial hearing at the Old Bailey in London.
Josh was arrested at Gatwick Airport in December as he returned from fighting alongside Kurdish YPG forces in the Rojava region of northern Syria.
(Image: Kurdish Solidarity Campaign)
He was released on bail and returned to Bristol where he gave interviews to the Bristol Post and the BBC about his experiences fighting against terrorists.
Josh was released the following day and returned to Bristol, where he gave several interviews to the media about his experiences fighting against ISIS in Syria.
He answered bail at a police station in Wales on April 28 where he was charged with possessing materials which could be useful to someone preparing an act of terrorism under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act.
(Image: Josh Walker)
He was ordered to appear at Westminster Magistrates court on May 5.
Now the 26-year-old must appear at London’s Old Bailey where a date will be set for his upcoming trial. If convicted he faces up to 14 years in prison.
Josh has also enjoyed support from friends and well-wishers outside London. Friends from Bristol will be traveling to London to attend the demonstration and graffiti reading “Free Josh Walker” has appeared on walls at his university in Wales.
Josh travelled to Syria in June last year, to join the Kurdish YPG forces fighting against ISIS in the Rojava region.
He spent time on the front lines fighting against ISIS with the left-wing militia.
His unit was hit by an airstrike while on an operation, which killed many of his friends.
Kurdish forces have been a key ally to the West in the fight against ISIS, receiving military and intelligence support from US and allied forces.
There are dozens of reported cases of westerners going to fight alongside the Kurds.
While these western volunteers are often arrested as a precaution upon returning to their home countries, most have been released without charge.John W Henry, the principal owner of Liverpool, has acknowledged he knew "virtually nothing" of English football or the football club before his Fenway Sports Group took over at Anfield a year ago this Saturday. Tom Werner, the chairman of Fenway and now of Liverpool, said he too had barely heard of the club, but was aware of the "EPL" – English Premier League – and its popularity, and "certainly knew about Manchester United".
During three days of exclusive access in the United States with Henry, Werner and key executives of Fenway, which also owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team, they explained the prime attraction of buying Liverpool lay in the financial potential of the club's global following.
Lifelong fans of baseball, whose support is mostly restricted to the US, they began to take an interest in Liverpool after comprehending the scale of international interest in the Premier League on television and via the internet – and the prospects of being able to make money from it.
Asked what he knew about English football, and Liverpool, before an email from a Fenway Park employee alerted him to the Merseyside club's financial difficulties last August, Henry replied: "Very little. We knew virtually nothing about Liverpool Football Club nor EPL."
Henry said as Liverpool's difficult financial predicament was outlined to him last year, he saw parallels with the Red Sox, the MLB team Fenway bought in 2002. Before the takeover, the Red Sox had not won a World Series for 84 years, and the team's stadium, Fenway Park, was showing its age. Liverpool offered Henry a new challenge, to revitalise a football club as Fenway has with the Red Sox – although a spectacular September collapse this season has plunged the team into turmoil. He saw Liverpool as an opportunity to apply a similar strategy, but in an international sport with a following that hugely outstrips that of baseball.
Following that email, Henry and Werner attended a presentation given by Philip Hall, an executive at Inner Circle Sports, the New York‑based merchant bankers which specialises in the takeovers of English football clubs. Inner Circle acted for Tom Hicks and George Gillett when they bought Liverpool in 2007, and for Ellis Short when he took over at Sunderland. Werner said before that meeting with Inner Circle, who would become Fenway's financial advisers on buying Liverpool, he knew very little of the club: "I had been in sports so I was aware of the EPL and its strength globally," said Werner, an Emmy award-winning Los Angeles‑based television producer. "But I didn't know the inner workings of it. I certainly knew about Manchester United."
The Liverpool chairman said that he did not at the time believe buying the football club held any appeal for Fenway, which owns the Nascar motor racing team Roush. Of the meeting with Inner Circle, Werner recalled: "I wasn't paying too much attention. Frankly I was on my BlackBerry, dealing with more pressing issues. I thought there was no way John was going to drag us into that one."
Henry, however, found Liverpool compelling, particularly the club's supporter base in east Asia. This week Ian Ayre, whom Fenway appointed managing director at Liverpool, said he wanted the overseas TV rights sales, which the 20 Premier League clubs currently share equally, to be broken up so that clubs could fix their own deals individually.
Werner explained that baseball teams share a proportion of income from tickets, merchandising and broadcasting, to ensure more level competition between big and small teams. The Liverpool chairman said the amount of money they are forced to share, however, is a source of resentment: "We realise we are part of a league, but we feel the burden on the top is higher than appropriate. We feel we deserve the fruits of our labour. That is the difference with the EPL. If we can generate interest in Liverpool here and around the world, we will benefit from that."
Part one of David Conn's series with the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool owners can be read hereBlack Diamond Racer Mouse Vacant Lot
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box score, Athlon Sports brings the most intriguing, important, historic and bizarre stats from around the weekend of college football action:
10 Amazing College Football Stats from Week 2
132: Michigan State’s Yards on Final Six Drives Against Oregon
After taking a 27-18 lead against Oregon early in the third quarter, Michigan State’s offense was stuck in neutral for the rest of the game. The Ducks’ defense put the clamps on coach Mark Dantonio’s offense, holding the Spartans to just 132 yards on the final six drives. Oregon forced two three-and-outs in the second half after recording just one in the first two quarters. The Ducks also made a key stop on fourth down and picked off quarterback Connor Cook to rally for a 46-27 victory. Oregon’s defense has been criticized for its struggles against physical rushing attacks, but Don Pellum’s unit held the Spartans to just 123 yards on the ground.
Listen to the Week 2 recap podcast:
58.2: Average Length of Baylor’s TD Passes in Week 2
No Bryce Petty? No problem. Baylor’s offense maintained its big-play ability with Seth Russell at the controls, as the sophomore completed 16 of 25 passes for 438 yards and five scores. Russell’s five touchdown tosses averaged 58.2 yards per completion, with three of those going to freshman standout KD Cannon. Fellow freshman standout Davion Hall also caught one of Russell’s passes for a score. Cannon averaged 37.2 yards per catch (six receptions), as Baylor’s offense had no trouble putting points on the board against Northwestern State.
5: Broken Tackles by Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah on Winning TD
It’s only Week 2, but did the 58-yard touchdown reception by running back Ameer Abdullah with less than a minute to play save Nebraska’s season? Maybe so. Abdullah caught quarterback Tommy Armstrong’s pass and broke five tackles en route to scoring the game-winning touchdown. The Cornhuskers were not expected to have much trouble with McNeese State, but the FCS opponent nearly pulled a shocking upset in Lincoln. Abdullah is one of the top players in the Big Ten, and his big-play ability saved Nebraska from a disappointing loss.
27.1: UAB’s Per Completion Average Against Miss. State
UAB fell short in its upset bid against Mississippi State (47-34), but first-year coach Bill Clark’s team may have exposed a flaw in the Bulldogs’ defense. The Blazers completed only 16 passes and finished the game with 435 yards. UAB’s quarterbacks averaged 27.1 yards per completion, and all three touchdown tosses traveled at least 75 yards. Was this a one-time flaw or is pass defense a huge concern for Mississippi State?
9: Stanford Drives That Went Into USC Territory
If you didn’t see the game and read the box score, it would be easy to assume Stanford defeated USC just by this stat. After all, the Cardinal took all nine of their drives to at least the USC 32-yard line. But there’s just one problem. On those nine drives, Stanford scored only 10 points, missed two field goals and lost two fumbles. The Cardinal outgained USC 413 to 291 and held the Trojans’ passing attack to just 135 yards. However, with an inability to score or avoid turnovers on USC’s side of the field, Stanford couldn’t close out a key Pac-12 game.
596: Pitt RB James Conner’s Rushing Yards in Last 3 Games
Behind an improving offensive line and rushing attack, Pittsburgh is quietly on the rise in the Coastal Division. Sophomore James Conner has emerged as the Panthers’ workhorse, recording 596 yards over his last three games. Conner started this run by rushing for 229 yards in the bowl win over Bowling Green last season, recorded 153 in the opener against Delaware and gashed Boston College for 213 on Friday night. While the yardage is nice, Conner’s yards per carry is even better. The sophomore is averaging 7.5 yards per attempt and has five rushing scores through two games in 2014.
48.5: LSU WR Travin Dural’s YPC Through Two Games
It seems Anthony Jennings has edged Brandon Harris for LSU’s starting quarterback job – for now – and Dural has developed quite a rapport with Jennings. The sophomore has caught six passes for 291 yards and four scores this year, averaging a whopping 48.5 yards per catch. Dural has been the offense’s top big-play threat, averaging 55 yards on his four touchdown catches.
655: Florida’s Total Offense Against Eastern Michigan
Yes, total offense stats are misleading, but Florida’s offense had a solid debut. Under the direction of new coordinator Kurt Roper, the Gators recorded 655 yards – the most by a Florida team since beating Cincinnati 51-24 in the Sugar Bowl during the 2009 season. Florida also had six plays of 30 yards or more, which is nearly half of its total from 2013 (14).
6: Players That Scored a Rushing TD for Army
Army held off a furious rally by Buffalo to win 47-39 in new coach Todd Monken’s debut. The Black Knights executed the option almost to perfection against the Bulls, averaging 6.3 yards per carry and recording seven rushing touchdowns. Six of the seven rushing scores came via different players, including Larry Dixon, Terry Baggett, Raymond Maples and quarterback Angel Santiago.
73.7: Average Length of Ole Miss’ Scoring Drives in Week 2
Big plays are always preferred, but Ole Miss’ offense had a methodical (but impressive) showing in Week 2. The Rebels averaged 73.7 yards per touchdown drive in Week 2. Ole Miss recorded four offensive scores against Vanderbilt, with six of its 10 drives lasting at least 10 plays. Despite the methodical drives, Ole Miss still averaged a healthy 6.2 yards per play and never punted against the Commodores.
Other Stats to Know
* Pittsburgh quarterback Chad Voytik completed 10 passes in Friday night’s win over Boston College. Five of those 10 passes went to sophomore receiver Tyler Boyd. The sophomore has caught three of Voytik’s four touchdown tosses in 2014.
* Alabama tight end O.J. Howard (picked by most outlets as a preseason All-American) has zero catches through two games. Meanwhile, Amari Cooper has 25 receptions through two games – more than half of his 2013 total (45).
* SMU has scored only six points in two games. Only two times from 2012-13 were the Mustangs held under 10 points in a single contest.
* Utah quarterback Travis Wilson threw five touchdowns in Saturday’s win over Fresno State. The last time the Utes had five passing scores in game was 2008 (Brian Johnson).
* Oklahoma averaged 8.4 yards per play against Tulsa in Week 2. That’s the first time since Nov. 17, 2012 the Sooners have averaged eight yards per play in a contest.
* Northwestern has lost nine out of its last 10 games.
* Nebraska receiver Jordan Westerkamp has caught 11 passes through the first two games of the season. That’s more than half of the total he recorded all of last season (20 catches).
* Iowa State receiver Jarvis West had a standout all-around performance against Kansas State. He threw a 29-yard touchdown, caught eight passes for 77 yards and one score and returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown. According to STATS LCC, he’s only the fourth player since 1996 to score on a pass, catch and punt return in a single game.
* West Virginia recorded its first shutout since Sept. 4, 2010 by blanking Towson 54-0.
* Michigan’s zero points against Notre Dame represented the first time the program has been shut out since a loss versus Iowa in 1984.
* Washington quarterback Cyler Miles accounted for four touchdowns in his 2014 debut. Miles threw for 180 yards and rushed for 58 in the Huskies’ wild 59-52 victory over Eastern Washington.
* Washington and Eastern Washington combined for 1,109 total yards on Saturday.
* North Carolina has scored a special teams or defensive touchdown in three consecutive games.
* UMass threw only nine touchdown passes last year. Marshall transfer Blake Frohnapfel has tossed four scores for the Minutemen in two games this season.
* Colorado receiver Nelson Spruce has recorded 100 yards receiving in back-to-back games.
* Daxx Garman averaged 15.3 yards per completion (16 of 26) in Oklahoma State’s 40-23 win over Missouri State. Garman replaced an injured J.W. Walsh.
* Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock threw for a career-high 322 yards in Saturday’s 17-13 win over Ball State.
* Despite being outgained 419 to 280 and converting only one third-down attempt, Eastern Kentucky defeated Miami (Ohio). The RedHawks have lost 18 consecutive games.
* Northern Illinois is 5-3 against the Big Ten since 2009.
* Eight of Ohio’s 12 drives went for 10 yards or less against Kentucky. The Bobcats lost 20-3.
* Minnesota running back David Cobb recorded 220 in Saturday’s win over MTSU. That’s the first 200-yard effort from a Gophers’ running back since 2005.
* Maryland had six turnovers, yet still managed to beat USF. The Terrapins outgained the Bulls 317 to 257.
* Arkansas averaged 12.7 yards per play against Nicholls State. All four of quarterback Brandon Allen’s throws went for scores.
* Georgia Southern averaged a whopping 11.7 yards per play in a 83-9 victory over Savannah State.
* Kansas receiver Nick Harwell (Miami, Ohio transfer) caught two touchdown passes in his debut with the Jayhawks.
* Louisiana Tech averaged 7.8 yards per play against UL Lafayette. That’s the highest per game total during Skip Holtz’s tenure.
* Through two games, Vanderbilt’s offense has managed only 22 first downs.
* Auburn has rushed for 300 yards in back-to-back games.
* Arizona State averaged nine yards per play against New Mexico.
* Boise State recorded 676 yards in Saturday’s win over Colorado State. That’s the first time the Broncos went over 600 yards of offense since Oct. 15, 2011.
* After going 52 yards on eight plays in the third quarter against Hawaii, Oregon State’s final seven drives went only 49 yards.
* Clemson held FCS opponent South Carolina State to a miniscule 0.8 yards per play.
* LSU quarterback Anthony Jennings is averaging 26.7 yards per completion.
* Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk scored six times in Saturday’s win over Toledo. His five touchdown tosses tied a school record.The explanation of changes in Perl 5.12 includes an innocent looking entry. In its entirety, it reads:
each, keys, values are now more flexible The each, keys, values function can now operate on arrays.
While there's often little use to using keys and values on arrays, each has one fantastic use: managed iteration over an array which provides access both to the index of the iteration and the current iterator value:
my @chapters = get_chapters(... ); while (my ($number, $chapter) = each @chapters) { say "Chapter $number: ", $chapter->title; }
This feature is great, especially when walking over multiple arrays in parallel, or any time you want to let Perl handle the little details it already tracks for you (instead of having to write unnecessary structural code).
Repurposing each (and keys and values ) to work on arrays as well as hashes has benefits and drawbacks. There are no conflicts with user-defined functions, as these keywords have existed for longer than I've been using Perl. Semantically they perform somewhat similar functions, even though the aggregates on which they work are different.
The main drawback is that the operators themselves have to become polymorphic, in the sense that their behavior depends on the type of data provided.
We take it for granted that Perl does the right thing when we use == to compare numbers for equality and eq to compare strings for equality. That's why we use. to concatenate strings in Perl 5 and + to add numbers; we make our intent unambiguous.
(If you've never understood monomorphic operators and the degree to which they prevent errors and express programmer intent in Perl, the Modern Perl book includes an explanation of type contexts intended to make these ideas clear. It's free to download and to redistribute.)
Is this change in operator philosophy a problem? Not by itself.
Next time: Perl 5.14 adds a feature.Watch out, Snoop Dogg — the feds have their eye on you.
A representative for the U.S. Secret Service told TheWrap on Tuesday that the agency, which is responsible for the safety of President Trump, is “aware of” the video “Lavender,” which features Snoop Dogg shooting a clown-faced Trump stand-in with a toy gun.
It is unclear whether the agency is investigating or planning to investigate the video, as the Secret Service spokesman said that the agency had no further public comment on the matter at this time.
Also Read: 10 Women Who Have Left Fox News Shows, From Megyn Kelly to Laurie Dhue (Photos)
In the video, directors Jesse Wellens and James DeFina depict an America where everyone’s a clown, including president “Ronald Klump.”
After Klump holds a press conference to announce the deportation of all dogs, Snoop chains up the Clown-in-Chief and shoots him with a toy gun.
Since the video was released, it has drawn criticism from U.S. senator and hip-hop fan Marco Rubio, who said that the rapper should be “very careful” about such depictions.
Also Read: 11 Times Fox News Hosts Criticized Donald Trump (Photos)
“Snoop shouldn’t have done that … You know, we’ve had presidents assassinated before in this country, so anything like that is really something that you should be very careful about,” Rubio told TMZ.
The senator continued, “I think people can disagree … [but] you’ve got to be very careful about that kind of thing, because the wrong person sees that and gets the wrong idea, you can have a real problem. So I’m not sure what Snoop was thinking, he should think about that a little bit.”
Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, also registered his displeasure with the “Lavender” video, telling TMZ, “It’s totally disgraceful, Snoop owes the president an apology. There’s absolutely nothing funny about an assassination attempt on a president.”
Also Read: All 18 Movies and Shows Steve Bannon Wrote, Directed or Produced (Photos)
“I’m really shocked at him, because I thought he was better than that. I’m not really sure I understand the artistic value to having somebody dressed up as Trump and firing a weapon at him,” Cohen continued. “In all fairness, it’s not funny. It’s not artistic. If you have a protest, that’s fine. Make your point.”Almost like a couple that went on a few dates to gauge compatibility, TCL has made its courtship with BlackBerry official at CES 2017, with the two announcing a partnership to utilize their respective resources.
In some respects, it appears to be a marriage of convenience, if only because each side has something the other wants. Granted, every corporate collaboration is generally a quid pro quo designed to benefit both sides, and this one is no different. While neither an acquisition nor a merger, the level of cooperation will be substantial.
Steve Cistulli, president and general manager of TCL in North America, spoke to a group of reporters in Las Vegas, including MobileSyrup, flanked by BlackBerry executives, to outline why such a step was taken, and how it will work.
The short of it is that TCL gets BlackBerry’s enterprise knowledge and resources, while BlackBerry gets a dedicated partner willing to design and manufacture new devices with its branding. This move flies in the face of BlackBerry CEO John Chen’s move to get out of the hardware business and fully pivot to a leaner software and services company, except it also conforms to his interest in developing licensing deals with other vendors.
While BlackBerry hardware appeared dead in the water not so long ago, this arrangement breathes new life into it for a couple of reasons. First, rebadging hardware will apparently never happen again. The DTEK50 was a rebadged version of TCL’s Alcatel Idol 4, and the DTEK60 strongly resembled the Idol 4S.
Moving forward, any BlackBerry-branded hardware will have its own design. Alcatel will continue on with its own devices, and the Idol line isn’t going to be scrapped as a result of this deal, according to Cistulli.
The second is that BlackBerry won’t cede security software development to TCL. All the Android apps and security updates it rolls out will continue in-house in Canada, albeit with closer cooperation. The intricacies of this new arrangement may not have fully been determined, and Cistulli forecasts 2018 to be the year where the partnership bears fruit for both sides. What is unclear is whether BlackBerry will play any real role in developing software security for Alcatel-branded devices, something that would be “open for discussion,” according to Cistulli.
TCL has no real presence in the enterprise space, and it’s a market he believes has room to grow. Rather than hone in on specs, the focus should be on value proposition as it relates to features, user experience and security, he said. TCL has made a foray into smart home devices and other Internet of Things (IoT) projects, yet has no foothold in that area, either. BlackBerry’s emphasis on those things is supposed to bridge the gap.
Financial considerations for the partnership weren’t mentioned, but money was undoubtedly a big part of this. TCL’s deeper pockets may not only cover manufacturing and distribution, but funds for marketing BlackBerry devices to enterprise customers are likely part of the deal. BlackBerry’s marketing strategy, or lack thereof, has long been a source of criticism for the company, even before Chen took the reins.
A key challenge in making this work will be doing business with the carriers, who can more easily sell to businesses. It’s actually one of the end-of-year goals for 2017. A consumer strategy for BlackBerry appears to be non-existent, since TCL devices will be positioned for the masses instead.
A new BlackBerry device called “Mercury,” previously teased by Cistulli, was unveiled at the event. Resembling BlackBerrys of years past with new twists, this still unnamed Android-based handset sports a physical QWERTY keyboard with the spacebar doubling as a fingerprint sensor. The keyboard itself is capacitive, where swiping and scrolling a la the Priv or Passport is built-in as well.
No specs were provided, but it is confirmed to have a 4.5-inch display with a 3:2 aspect ratio. It is about the same height as the Priv, with an aluminum frame and soft textured rubberized back for easy gripping. The rear camera lens is fairly sizeable. Stereo speakers are lined on the bottom edge, flanking a USB-C port. The headphone jack is on the top. The convenience key used in the DTEK devices will also be included in this new phone as well.
The hardware design is final, whereas the software was in alpha and not even close to finished. Playing around a little with the device showed that too, but I did find it responsive and quick. There was no way to confirm the processor, camera, internal storage or other key specs. It will have a single slot for a nano SIM and microSD card for memory expansion.
Availability and pricing weren’t mentioned, as those details will be revealed, along with the spec list, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 27th to March 2nd.
Though BlackBerry says it’s “committed to BB10,” there will be no new hardware devices released running the operating system. BlackBerry’s current commitment is to keep updating the operating system in order to support the hardware devices that are out in the wild or still sitting in retail inventory. BlackBerry says it has topped manufacturing these devices anyway.
Somewhat surprisingly, Alex Thurber, BlackBerry’s senior vice president of global device sales, stated that the company is “very happy with DTEK50 sales,” noting interest from large corporate customers. The DTEK60 is also “meeting sales targets.” It never reveals sales figures by device, nor what the projections were, so it’s unclear how modest the goals might be.
“More than a licensing deal, it’s a strong partnership” is how Cistulli described the details of the announcement, but only time will tell how mutually lucrative the deal turns out be.
Update 4:45 01/04/16: BlackBerry reached out to MobileSyrup to reiterate its commitment to BB10, citing the recent release of BB10.3.3 as an example. Furthermore, a representative of the company says, “Regarding new BlackBerry 10 hardware, the company hasn’t commented on the future roadmap.”As I was watching the largest moral panic regarding goths we've seen in several years unfold across the web; I was making mental notes as to what I would say on this blog. When it comes to a breakdown of the flaws in the study, sociologist Paul Hodkinson did a better job than I could. I suggest you read his article, but here is an excerpt:
"While its indication of a prevalence significantly higher than in other groups should be taken seriously, it is worth emphasising that the study does not show that most goths are either depressed or prone to self-harm – quite the contrary. This may be an obvious point but it is sometimes awfully easy to jump from one inference to another. Furthermore, in the case of those classified in the self-harm category, the study does not differentiate between types or levels of seriousness, nor does it show the regularity of such behaviour or whether it was recent. This is because this classification was based on answers to a single question: ‘have you ever hurt yourself on purpose in any way (eg, by taking an overdose of pills or by cutting yourself)’. Without underestimating the potential significance of minor or one-off forms of self-harming behaviour, this is not, it might be argued, a particularly high threshold and, crucially, it does not tell us whether the behaviour occurred within or before the aged 15-18 period focused on by the study."
I tried to switch gears at this point, and I went on to put together some of my other thoughts. Well, The Blogging Goth beat me to the punch, and put to words most of what I wanted to express, I recommend you give him a read, here's an excerpt:
"Mainstream society is suspicious and dismissive of problems like depression, whereas Goth is more familiar, more accepting of each other’s flaws. As a result, many people suffering will find themselves drawn to a more open society that actively disputes and rebels against mainstream opinions."
Finally there's this article, which details what we all already know, that being goth in fact, makes us happier:
"Whatever it was that united us, it wasn’t depression. Anecdotal evidence is the enemy of good science, but all I can tell you is that I and my gang of flamboyant romantic dandies spent every night of the week partying like the last days of Sodom, Gomorrah and Constantinople combined. If anyone was self-harming, we didn’t know about it, and if there was any standing on the edge of the dancefloor looking lonely, that was just commonplace shyness, and nothing a cheap pint of snakebite and black couldn’t cure."
Rather than regurgitating what has already been so eloquently said, I'll instead present my responses to a writer from the Daily Beast, who reached out for some advice on the goth subreddit.An organizer of Metro Moncton's annual Santa Claus parade says a policy barring politics from the festive event is under consideration after receiving comments about the participation of the People's Alliance of New Brunswick this year.
"We're going to look at a policy of no political parties in the parade or political messaging," said Robert Gallant, president of the Royale Greater Moncton Santa Claus Parade organizing committee. "It's all about families and kids and that's not the message we're looking to send to our kids - we're a little lighter than that."
Gallant said he received several comments about the People's Alliance taking part in last Saturday's parade. About a dozen people marched in the parade behind a party banner, some carrying placards that read "Bring back common sense to government."
People's Alliance leader Kris Austin said on Friday, as he prepared for a parade in Minto, that the party has participated in Santa Claus parades elsewhere in the province without an issue.
"Generally we go in to support the local community and be part of the local community," Austin said. It was the first time the party was in the Moncton parade, he said.
"Whatever is decided we'll respect as long as it is equally applied to all," Austin said.
Gallant said that having Premier Brian Gallant helping collect food donations at the front of the parade was "very different" from the People's Alliance float because the Liberal leader wasn't promoting a political message.
"We're not a place for political messaging, it's a place for kids," the parade organizer said. "The message they were portraying wasn't Merry Christmas."
The party was one of more than 90 floats from schools, service organizations and cadet groups.
Organizers of the Santa Claus parade in Saint John and Fredericton also said the placards would be problematic but said they don't have formal rules against political parties or political messaging.
"I’d have some concerns about that too," Nancy Tissington, executive director of Uptown Saint John, said when they were told of the People's Alliance float in Moncton. “That’s not the place."
"We definitely would have that out of our parade," said Arden Doak, who has served as the organizer of the parade for the Kins Club in Fredericton for several years.
He said Fredericton's rules generally only apply to things like handing out candy versus tossing it, and generators for powering lights.
Doak said he didn't hear any concerns after Fredericton's parade on Nov. 25.
"There's never been any issues that I can think of," Doak said.
Tissington said the parade welcomes any entries that adhere to the parade theme and other rules such as the numbers of lights, not handing things out and no placards. There were almost 70 entries in Saint John's Nov. 18 parade, she said.The video will start in 8 Cancel
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A mother-of-six who was left homeless and blind in one eye after an acid attack on a night out has been fined for stealing groceries.
Carla Whitlock, 37, and her partner Matthew Wedgner were caught trying to push a trolley filled with £150 worth of food out of a Tesco store, a court heard.
When security guards stopped Wedgner, 39, he unleashed a tirade of'religious or racially aggravated' verbal insults on the staff.
Whitlock, from Southampton, was blinded in one eye and suffered extensive burn injuries after acid was thrown in her face on a night out in September last year.
She and Wedgner later became homeless when they left police provided accommodation in Portsmouth, and began sleeping in a tent in a multi-story car park in a bid not to be separated.
(Image: Daily Echo/Solent News & Photo Agency)
Read more:
Then on November 16, they were caught trying to steal £149.43 worth of groceries from Tesco in Southampton, Hants.
The jobless pair both admitted theft and Wedgner also accepted several harassment charges at Southampton Magistrates Court.
Dan O'Neil, prosecuting, said: "The offence is theft of a shopping trolley full of groceries from Tesco.
"Pushing the trolley out the store Mr Wedgner was stopped and as he tried to leave and was brought back by a security guard."
(Image: Solent News)
Magistrates heard how he then verbally abused two Tesco security guards, making comments of a religious or racially aggravated nature.
But Julie Macey, defending, told the court the pair had 'trouble with their benefits' and had stolen the items in an attempt raise funds.
She said: "You may recognise Ms Whitlock from the press.
"She was the victim of an acid attack back on September 18 last year.
"Both her and her partner were put in police protection and they were moved to a bed and breakfast in Portsmouth for their own safety.
(Image: Daily Echo/Solent News & Photo Agency)
Read more:
"Ms Whitlock was receiving treatment for her injuries and that was being done in Southampton.
"Neither of them work and they were having trouble with their benefits. After some treatment their police liaison officer was not able to take them back to their accommodation in Portsmouth.
"They decided in desperation they would go to Tesco and sell the goods from Tesco to raise the funds to go back to Portsmouth and their accommodation."
Whitlock was fined £15, and Magistrates reduced outstanding fines she already had to £300.
Chairman of the bench David Hunter said: "We accept that you have had a really bad run of luck but you don't always help yourself.
"You have an enormous back log of fines and given your current financial situation there is no way you are going to be able to pay them off.
"We are going to take a pragmatic approach and you will pay back what we think is a fair amount."
(Image: Hampshire Police/PA)
(Image: Hampshire Police/PA)
Read more:
Since the incident, the pair have been able to secure accommodation.
Wedgner was released on unconditional bail and will be sentenced in April.
Two brothers have been charged with the acid attack on Whitlock in September 2015.
In November last year Geoffrey Midmore, 26, admitted the attack on Carla when he appeared at Southampton Crown Court.
His brother Billy, 22, has denied involvement in the incident and is due to begin trial on Tuesday.Infrequent but long-lived zero-bound episodes and the optimal rate of inflation
Marc Dordal i Carreras, Olivier Coibion, Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Johannes Wieland
Models that estimate optimal inflation rates struggle to accurately account for interest rates reaching the zero lower bound, due to the lack of historical data available. This column suggests periods of hitting the zero lower bound are longer than previously thought, and models the optimal inflation rate target on this. Given the uncertainty associated with measuring the historical frequency and duration of such episodes, the wide range of plausible optimal inflation rates implies that any inflation targets should be treated with caution.
When the US Federal Reserve finally raised its target for the Federal Funds Rate in December 2015, this likely marked the end of the zero lower bound (ZLB) on short-term nominal interest rates for the US after a staggering seven years. Japan’s ZLB period will most likely exceed this duration under ‘Abenomics’, while the Bank of England similarly has had near-zero interest rates since March of 2009. The ECB is also not expected to raise interest rates for years. Combined with the previous experiences of the ZLB on interest rates that occurred during the Great Depression and in Japan during the 1990s-2000s, this suggests that the two most prominent empirical features of ZLB episodes are that they are rare but long-lived.
The ZLB on interest rates raises a number of profound problems for monetary policymakers, one of which is the traditional question of what the optimal inflation rate should be. While it is well-understood that even stable inflation has costs (such as those arising from price dispersion), higher average inflation is also associated with higher nominal interest rates, which can benefit policymakers by giving them extra room to avoid running into the ZLB. Quantifying the optimal rate of inflation then requires balancing the costs of inflation against its benefits, such as minimising the frequency and severity of ZLB episodes.
But quantifying this potential benefit of higher inflation is difficult because the paucity of ZLB episodes makes their frequency and duration hard to gauge. For example, Schmidt-Grohe and Uribe (2010) calibrated their model prior to the start of the Great Recession and had no post-WWII ZLB episodes in the US to guide their choice over the frequency of hitting the ZLB. The resulting ZLB episodes from their calibration were very rare and short-lived, since violating the zero bound required the nominal interest rate to fall more than 4 standard deviations below its target level. They concluded that the optimal rate of inflation was close to zero. Other pre-Great Recession studies also discussed the ZLB on nominal interest rates as a potential reason for positive inflation but generally considered the ZLB to be such an improbable event as to have little quantitative impact on optimal inflation rates.
The pervasiveness of the ZLB during and since the Great Recession has provided new, but changing, evidence on ZLB durations and frequencies. Coibion et al. (2012) used the fact that the US had spent three years at the ZLB at the time of their writing out of the post-WWII period to fix their frequency, yielding more frequent but still mostly short-lived episodes. These authors conclude that the optimal rate of inflation is unlikely to be much above 2% despite the ZLB on interest rates. But given that actual durations of the most recent ZLB experienced by developed economies continued to rise for several years, previous studies likely underestimated the average duration of ZLB episodes, and therefore the potential benefits of higher levels of target inflation on the part of central banks.
In a recent paper, we revisit the question of the optimal inflation rate in light of longer-lived ZLB episodes (Dordal-i-Carreras et al. 2016). To generate an empirically realistic distribution of ZLB episodes, we integrate an alternative modelling strategy for the shocks that drive the economy into the ZLB (the typical approach generates an excessive proportion of very short-lived episodes) into an otherwise standard New Keynesian model. Each period risk premiums, a shock used to push a model economy into the ZLB, follow a regime-switching process. When the economy is not at the ZLB, there is a fixed probability that the risk premium will rise for a set number of periods. If the increase in the premium is large enough, this shock can generate a very long-lived ZLB episode, although offsetting shocks can end ZLB periods even when risk premiums remain high. Using this framework, we can assess whether (or how much) raising the rate of inflation is optimal, in a welfare sense, to offset the presence of the zero bound on interest rates, since long-lived ZLB episodes generate particularly large welfare costs, which higher levels of steady state inflation can help avoid by reducing their frequency.
Figure 1 plots the optimal inflation rates (vertical axis) from the model associated with different average durations of ZLB episodes (horizontal axis) and unconditional frequencies of the ZLB (captured by isoquants), where the latter two are measured at a 3.5% steady state inflation rate (historical average for the US). As the average duration of ZLB episodes increases, for a given frequency of being at the ZLB, the optimal inflation rate rises, approximately 1% for every extra year in the average duration of ZLB episodes. The optimal inflation rate is also increasing in the frequency of ZLB episodes, approximately 0.25-0.5% for every additional 5% of time spent at the ZLB. Taking a stand on the optimal rate of inflation therefore requires a good sense of what the historical frequencies and durations of the ZLB are.
Figure 1. Optimal inflation for different frequencies and durations of ZLB episodes
Note: The figure plots the optimal annualised inflation rate (y-axis) associated with different levels of average ZLB durations (x-axis) and unconditional frequencies of the ZLB (indicated by isoquants) for regime switching risk premiums (probability of entering ZLB and duration of elevated risk are varied to change the average durations of ZLB episodes).
Using data from all advanced economies since 1950, we estimate an average frequency of being at the ZLB to be 7.5% and an average duration of ZLB episodes to be three and a half years. Given Figure 1, these magnitudes imply an optimal inflation rate of 2.5-3% per year. However, the estimated frequencies and durations are quite sensitive to individual country experiences. For example, excluding Japan reduces the frequency and duration to 6% and just under three years respectively, lowering the optimal rate of inflation to 2% per year. Excluding the period 1968-1984 when inflation and nominal interest rates were too high for the ZLB to be practically reached, on the other hand, raises the estimated frequency and duration of ZLB episodes to 10% and four and half years respectively, thereby raising the optimal inflation rate to almost 4% per year, the level advocated by economists like Olivier Blanchard and Paul Krugman.
In summary, the specific optimal rate of inflation implied by the model remains very sensitive to one’s beliefs about the frequency and duration of ZLB episodes, values for which history provides only limited guidance. Given the uncertainty associated with measuring historical frequencies and durations of ZLB episodes, the wide range of plausible outcomes that can be reached for the optimal inflation rate implies that profound humility is called for by anyone advocating a specific inflation target.
References
Coibion, O, Y Gorodnichenko, and J Wieland (2012), "The optimal inflation rate in New Keynesian models", Review of Economic Studies 79, 1371-1406.
Dordal-i-Carreras, M, O Coibion, Y Gorodnichenko, and J Wieland (2016), “Infrequent but Long-Lived Zero-Bound Episodes and the Optimal Rate of Inflation”, Annual Review of Economics 8(1).
Schmitt-Grohé, S, and M Uribe (2010), "The Optimal Rate of Inflation", in B M Friedman and M Woodford (eds.), Handbook of Monetary Economics, 1 (3), chapter 13, 653-722, Elsevier.Ride Quality & Brakes 4 out of 5 Ride quality is good provided its used correctly. 70mph cruises on the motorway are very do-able but not too comfortable. Vibes aren't bad but an hour or so of that and you will feel it. its very nimble. People complain a lot about the brakes but they are more than adequate to lock the front wheel in dry conditions (I know for a fact!) so how much better do they need to be? They are what you expect - good enough! Now that the clutch is sorted the gear change is slick and reassuring (makes |
systems costs money. This is partly what drives officials not to report problems when they arise, or to try and employ one of the many different ways to game the system when testing for lead. The Guardian found practices like running the water slowly while collecting sample, or flushing out taps before tests—methods that conceal lead content—were all too common in 33 major cities east of the Mississippi.
Ultimately, a lack of public understanding of lead regulation, coupled with ragged water systems infrastructure, has created a dangerous scenario whereby corroding pipes are putting communities at risk, and the residents of those communities are unaware that chemical treatment of the water doesn't necessarily ensure protection.
Read More: Congress Has Reached a Deal to Send $170 Million to Flint
Battles over environmental regulation could become particularly pointed in the coming years, however, if President-elect Donald J. Trump's pick for EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, is approved by the Senate. Pruitt, an attorney general out of Oklahoma, close ally of the oil and gas industries, and climate change denier, has spent a career battling clean air and water regulations.
For thousands of communities in the country, that doesn't bode well for change.
Get six of our favorite Motherboard stories every day by signing up for our newsletter.Clip description
Gina Riley and Brian Dawe are immersed in the logistics of the plan for the Opening Ceremony that has been put forward by Mrs Dundas (Linda Hagger) and her friend Joyce (Fahey Younger), apparently having completely forgotten that the contract has already been awarded. John Clarke returns to join the fray, still pumped after having solved the question of the hole in the ozone layer.
Curator’s notes
This scene is the last of several involving the ladies of the Federation for Rural Progress and might seem a tad over-the-top viewed out of context. It is a fitting end, however, to a very funny sequence during which the comedy duo of Linda Hagger and Fahey Younger tread a fine line between keen satire and just plain silliness. How the others managed to keep a straight face playing opposite them is anyone’s guess.
Hagger and Younger share writing credits in this episode with John Clarke, Ross Stevenson and Tim Harris for their contribution as Mrs Dundas and Joyce. They would not have been faces generally well known to the public although they already had a strong personal following, having won awards at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 1997 and 1998 for their dual act 'Miss Itchy’, which featured characters rather more outrageous than the respectable yet robust couple we see here.
It is interesting to observe in this clip how costume can denote hierarchy even among equals. Simone Albert and Kitty Stuckey, in charge of make-up, hair and wardrobe and no doubt amply advised by the two ladies themselves, have chosen pearls, beige polyester and evidence of a recent trip to the hairdresser to inform us that Mrs Dundas is at least a rung or two higher on the FRP ladder than her friend Joyce, whose inferior position is reflected in the more casual print dress and alice band. Joyce however, in true Australian fashion, is no 'handbag’ and pulls her own weight when it comes to spruiking the special qualities of their proposal for the Opening Ceremony.
Was Ric Birch, the actual Executive Producer and Director of Ceremonies for the Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, watching? No, that is not a made-up title. The hay bales, Victa mowers, Hills hoists and corrugated iron that formed part of the real Opening Ceremony, which so delighted Australians and baffled the rest of the world, certainly reflect the same culturally distinctive sense of humour.
As can be detected in this clip, the show sometimes trembles on the edge of hysteria, although to be fair this is the climax of a particularly wacky episode. Nevertheless, director Bruce Permezel manages somehow to keep it all under control. He also ensures that the hand-held camera plays its role as a character in the mockumentary when required but is otherwise not too intrusive. It is, after all, a sign of good documentary making that the camera should not be so obvious as to distract from the subject of the film, a discipline some drama directors could well learn.Apple’s stock Photos app has a lot of nicely implemented features and it gets used a lot on my iPhone 6s, but I’m still yearning for the ability to zoom on photos unlimitedly, using the pinch-zoom gesture.
Zooming in Photos isn’t possible beyond a certain threshold and that’s been ticking me off for quite some time now. Curiously, there appears to be a bug in iOS which overrides this behavior and lets you zoom unlimitedly on a photo.
Exploiting iOS bug to zoom photos unlimitedly
1) Launch the Photos app on your iOS device and tap on any photo.
2) Hit Edit, then tap the Crop tool and after that rotate the photo by 90 degrees by tapping the Rotate button.
4) Tap Done to save the changes.
You should be now able to zoom unlimitedly, but only on that particular photo. Exiting Photos or switching to another image will stop it from working.
It’s clearly a bug in iOS: you must rotate every photo that you wish to zoom unlimitedly on so it’s not going to be very practical in daily use. We’ve posted it anyway for your convenience and the sake of discussion.
Here’s a video of the bug in action (it’s in Spanish).
I was able to get it work on my iPhone 6s with iOS 9.3.2.
That iOS still has plenty of low-priority bugs which haven’t been squashed doesn’t come as a shocking surprise: no software is free of bugs and issues.
A good example of some of the longest-standing issues in iOS is an image caching bug. Dating back to iOS 5, it permits thumbnails of deleted pictures to be resurrected by saving a transparent PNG file to an album.
I get it why Apple does not allow people to zoom on images unlimitedly in Photos given the blurring and pixelation that occurs at a certain threshold.
Still, I would’ve appreciated a toggle to enable unlimited zooming in Photos for those who needed it. It would make it a lot easier to examine the tinies of details on my photos which I cannot do today due to an iOS-imposed limit on zooming.
Hat tip to iDownloadBlog reader Miguel C.CLEVELAND, Ohio - Hey yo. Get ready to say hello to the bad guy. WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall is set to headline a special holiday event for local promotion Absolute Intense Wrestling.
The event, titled "Keep the Change, You Filthy Animal," will take place 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on West 70th Street. Hall will headline the night's card, the rest of which is yet to be announced.
Hardcore wrestling fans, and even those who stopped watching over the years, will remember Hall as both WWE superstar Razor Roman and co-founder of the groundbreaking N.W.O. Hall played a big part in the late 1990s/early 2000s Monday Night Wars that saw professional wrestling ratings skyrocket.
Hall has spent the past several years on the independent wrestling circuit, while making a few appearances during WWE telecasts. He most recently appeared during WrestleMania 31 this past April. Hall was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014.
His stop in Cleveland will include a meet and greet events with fans. Tickets for the Dec. 18 holiday show on sale now at AIW's website. General admission is $20.JANESVILLE, WI — What's with Joseph Jakubowski's criminal record?
Jakubowski, 32, is suspected of stealing about a dozen handguns, rifles and possibly an automatic weapon from a local gun shop and sending a threatening, 161-page manifesto to President Trump. The FBI said at a news conference that it is offering a $10,000 reward for the capture of him.
Lengthy Criminal Record
According to Wisconsin circuit court records, Jakubowski has a lengthy criminal record including a mind-boggling list of minor traffic violations.
In 2008, Jakubowski was convicted of disarming a peace officer and misdemeanor bail jumping. A media report indicated that the criminal complaint in that case stated that "Jakubowski repeatedly pulled on an officer's holstered sidearm during a fight," according to The Janesville Gazette.
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Gun Theft Suspect May Have Been Spotted Near Wisconsin Church; New Photos Released
He was convicted of misdemeanor battery in 2008 and 2004. He was also charged with intent to distribute marijuana and maintaining a drug trafficking place. That charge was dismissed but read in at sentencing, court records show.
In 2001, he was convicted of resisting an officer and battery.
Jakubowski's Charge List
This list shows all charges that Joseph Jakubowski has been convicted of. Charges that were dismissed, but read into the official record are duly noted here.
05-23-2016 Operating While Suspended 09-28-2015 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 09-28-2015 Operating While Suspended 09-28-2015 Vehicle Operator Fail/Wear Seat Belt 08-03-2015 Vehicle Operator Fail/Wear Seat Belt 08-03-2015 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 08-03-2015 Operating While Suspended 06-22-2015 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 06-22-2015Operating While Suspended 06-22-2015Vehicle Operator Fail/Wear Seat Belt 06-02-2015 Operating motor vehicle w/o proof of insurance 06-02-2015 Operating While Suspended 10-23-2014 Operating While Suspended 09-01-2014 Operating While Suspended 09-02-2014 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 09-02-2014 Vehicle Operator Fail/Wear Seat Belt 09-08-2014 Disorderly Conduct 05-31-2013 Operating While Suspended (4th+) 05-31-2013 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 05-31-2013 Speeding in 55 MPH Zone (20-24 MPH) 05-15-2013 Inattentive Driving 05-15-2013 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 05-15-2013 Operating While Suspended (4th+) 12-05-2012 Operating While Suspended 12-05-2012 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 10-11-2012 Operating While Suspended 10-11-2012 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 10-11-2012 Vehicle Operator Fail/Wear Seat Belt 07-24-2012 Operating While Suspended 07-24-2012 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 07-18-2012 Operating While Suspended 07-18-2012 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 07-18-2012 Vehicle Operator Fail/Wear Seat Belt 04-09-2012 Operating While Suspended 04-09-2012 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 04-09-2012 Vehicle Operator Fail/Wear Seat Belt 03-13-2012 Operating While Suspended 03-13-2012 Vehicle Operator Fail/Wear Seat Belt 02-21-2012 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 02-21-2012 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 02-21-2012 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 02-21-2012 Operating While Suspended 01-18-2012 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 01-18-2012 Operating While Suspended 09-26-2011 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 09-26-2011 Vehicle Operator Fail/Wear Seat Belt 09-26-2011 Operating While Suspended 09-08-2011 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 09-08-2011 Operating While Suspended 07-15-2011 Operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance 07-15-2011 Vehicle Operator Fail/Wear Seat Belt 07-15-2011 Operating While Suspended 07-07-2010 Operating While Suspended 07-07-2010 Vehicle Operator Fail/Wear Seat Belt 05-17-2010 Operating While Suspended 01-25-2010 Failure to Yield Right of Way 04-03-2008 Operating While Revoked (3rd) 01-14-2008 Battery 01-14-2008 Battery (Charge Dismissed but Read In) 01-14-2008 Battery (Charge Dismissed but Read In) 01-14-2008 Disorderly Conduct (Charge Dismissed but Read In) 01-14-2008 Contact after Domestic Abuse Arrest (Charge Dismissed but Read In) 03-03-2008 Resisting a Peace Officer (Charge Dismissed but Read In) 03-03-2008 Disarming a Peace Officer 03-03-2008 Bail Jumping 11-28-2007 Operating While Revoked (2nd) 09-16-2003 Battery 04-01-2003 Possess w/Intent-THC (<=200 grams) 04-01-2003 Maintain Drug Trafficking Place (Charge Dismissed but Read In) 08-24-2001 Resisting an Officer 08-24-2001 Battery
image via rock county sheriff's officeLawrence Lessig wants to reduce the power of money in politics. And to do that, he says, he's going to need a "god awful amount of money."
The irony is not lost on Lessig, a Harvard Law School professor and political activist. But he believes that the only way to defeat Big Money is with Big Money, and so, on stage at WIRED's BizCon conference in New York City on Tuesday, he urged the crowd of business leaders in front of him to "embrace the irony."
Lessig is the founder of the May One PAC, which he refers to as "the Super PAC to end all Super PACs." Launched on May Day – a clever nod to the state of emergency Lessig says our government is in – May One's goal is to raise enough money to win several key Congressional races in 2014 and parlay those victories into a bigger fight to win a majority in Congress by 2016. That, Lessig says, would allow the government to "pass fundamental reforms, the first step to reducing the influence of money in politics."
The Root of All Evil
The way Lessig sees it, money in politics is the root of all evil. He says that too often, the American public is led to believe that it's the big corporations, in their constant quest for profits, that are truly to blame for our societal woes. And yet, Lessig explains, that's the intended nature of corporations. "We made them to make money," he said on stage. "That's a fantastic thing for the economy. But left free they want to make money however they can."
Corporations should not be blamed, Lessig argues, for behaving the way they were engineered to behave. Instead of blaming the corporations for doing what they do best–making money–Lessig says the government needs to "recognize what they can't do well and regulate."
Core to Lessig's argument is the recent debate over network neutrality, the idea that internet service providers shouldn't be allowed to play favorites with the applications run over their networks. But lately, that guarantee has been in jeopardy, after the Federal Communications Commission proposed new rules that would allow content providers to buy their way to faster delivery speeds, a move that would benefit larger companies with the ability to pay.
The Fear of Big Business
The uproar from the tech community has been mighty, and the FCC is now revisiting that proposal. But for Lessig, the fact that it was proposed at all proves that the government is scared to regulate big business for fear of jeopardizing the vote. After all, Lessig demonstrated with video clips, President Obama was a full-throated supporter of net neutrality throughout his presidential campaign.
"Does anyone really believe the Obama administration wants to alienate the telecom sector going into the 2014 elections when millions of dollars can be spent to displace the Democratic party, and therefore achieve the majority the Democrats fear?" Lessig asked.
And yet, Lessig believes, unraveling net neutrality would give these telecom providers a gross amount of power to pick and choose how content flows over the internet. That means, he says, that these companies could decide which political ads we see and don't see, only exacerbating the problem of money ruling politics. Allowing net neutrality to come undone, he says, "would produce a power which has literally never been seen in America to date, a power to control access to our culture and politics, unchecked and incapable of being checked by the government and a disaster for the diversity the Internet said it would give us."
Mayday, Mayday
Which is why he's launched May One. As of Tuesday, the PAC had already surpassed its funding goal, crowdsourcing more than $1 million in just 13 days. Now, Lessig will find backers to match that amount, and once he does, the PAC will put out a call for another $5 million round of crowdfunding and try to match that, too. May One will use that funding to back several Congressional races in 2014. The goal, Lessig says, is to learn from those campaigns and use what they've learned to raise even more money to win a House majority in 2016.
Of course, it will take more than money to achieve the future Lessig envisions. What this plan seems to overlook is the fact that politics are not just crippled by money, but by gerrymandering between districts and states. In most parts of this country, political lines have been drawn in indelible ink. Rewriting those lines will likely require a lot more than money – even a god awful amount of it.Michigan State's Week 2 bye this season no doubt put the Spartans in a tough spot, forcing them to play 11 straight weeks to end the year.
Next year, the current schedule is even worse, as MSU is set to have its bye in Week 1. Earlier this season, head coach Mark Dantonio said athletic director Mark Hollis and his staff were working on changing that, and he was asked Tuesday if there's been any progress in that regard.
"I think that's been accomplished," Dantonio said. "But I'll let them (announce it). I think they should be the ones that recognize that."
As it currently stands, Michigan State is scheduled to open its season on Sept. 9 against Bowling Green before hosting Western Michigan and Notre Dame and then starting Big Ten play against Iowa on Sept. 30. Bowling Green is set to play South Dakota in Week 1, Western Michigan is scheduled to head to USC and Notre Dame is opening the season against Temple.
Dantonio and his team learned just how tough it is to have such an early bye this week, so avoiding playing 12 straight games without a break in 2017 would be big for the Spartans.
"We've gone 11 straight weeks as coaches and as a program grinding," Dantonio said. "It takes a toll on people mentally, physically, emotionally. There are guys that have done a great job handling that, but it's tough."
(Want to stay up to date on all the latest with the Spartans? Make sure you're in the loop by signing up for our FREE Michigan State newsletter)If you've been in the Tri-Cities for even a few weeks, you will have heard about Boat Races. That magical weekend at the end of July where Pasco and Kennewick become host to a river-side montage of beer, sunburns, partying, and oh yeah, hydro-boat races! The Water Follies have been going on for YEARS and has become on of the best things about living in the Tri-Cities.
Well, this year, Richland isn't going to be left out of the game. June 3-5 the Northwest Powerboat Association will host to the Richland Regatta! 3 days of boat racing activities and, vendors, and family fun. The event at Howard Amon Park is free, but you can buy Pit Passes for $10 to get up close and personal. Do you think it's a good idea to have two events that are so similar in Tri-Cities, or do you think maybe this isn't the best idea? Take the poll and see what the rest of TC thinks, then check out the promo video below to get a sneak peek! I don't know about you, but I'm down with two weekends of fun! Just not sure if my liver can handle it! ;)I first heard of Edsger W Dijkstra in the context of agile programming.I was having a discussion regarding agile programming with some friends and explaining Test Driven Development and the concept of first creating tests that can prove show the correctness of the code before writing the code, when a friend mentioned that this sounded a lot like some of the arguments put forward by Prof. Dijkstra in his Turing award lecture in 1972. I found that hard to believe, after all, if this was known in 1972 then why is it only becoming popular now?
So I started looking up Edsger W Dijkstra and realized that this man was one of the pioneering giants of software programming. He is the father of structured programming and one of the guiding heads responsible for much of the way we program computers today. There is a lot written about him all over the place – I shall focus on his Turing award lecture, that was titled “The Humble Programmer“. In this lecture, Prof. Dijkstra puts forth six arguments on the way software programming should be done. On reading these six arguments I cannot help but feel that this lecture was one of the main inspirations used by the authors of the agile programming movement and design patterns community.
The six arguments put forward in the lecture are as follows –
“A study of program structure had revealed that programs —even alternative programs for the same task and with the same mathematical content— can differ tremendously in their intellectual manageability. A number of rules have been discovered, violation of which will either seriously impair or totally destroy the intellectual manageability of the program.I now suggest that we confine ourselves to the design and implementation of intellectually manageable programs. The programmer only needs to consider intellectually manageable programs, the alternative alternatives he is choosing from are much, much easier to cope with.” “As soon as we have decided to restrict ourselves to the subject of intellectually manageable programs, we have achieved once and for all a drastic reduction of the solution space to be considered. This argument is distinct from argument 1.” “If one first asks oneself what the structure of a convincing proof would be and having found this, then construct a program satisfying this proofs requirements, the these correctness concerns turn out to be a very effective heuristic guidance. By definition this approach is only applicable if restrict ourselves to intellectually manageable programs.” “The only mental tool by which a very finite piece of reasoning can cover a myriad of cases is called an “abstraction”. There are number of patterns of abstraction that play a vital role in the construction of programs. Knowledge of these patterns of abstraction are essential.” “A programmer is fully aware of the limited size of his own skull; so he approaches the task of programming in full humility and avoids clever tricks.” “The only solution problems we can solve in a satisfactory manner are those that finally admit a nicely factored solution.”
When you go through these arguments you see the seeds for the various movements in programming software today –
I really enjoyed reading his lecture – I have the lecture here (The_Humble_Programmer) if you want to read it. He must have been an extremely engaging speaker – a lot of his quotes are available here.
Till next time – Happy Programming!
Update: I have made a couple of corrections based of some of the comments here. When I wrote that argument 3 is the basis for TDD I meant that in the lecture Dijkstra talks about first finding the structure of a proof and then constructing the program satisfying the proofs requirement. This is similar to the TDD approach of first writing a test and then writing code that satisfies the test.
8.532389 76.955846
AdvertisementsLOS ANGELES -- In response to reports that Chris Paul was unhappy with being linked to the firing of former coach Vinny Del Negro, Los Angeles Clippers management on Friday publicly claimed responsibility for the decision.
"The decision not to extend a contract to Vinny Del Negro was an organizational decision from the top down," Clippers vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks said. "Our front office evaluated the season and Vinny's three years here before making this move, and our conclusion and feeling was that we needed a change."
ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard reported on Friday that Paul was upset with public comments made by Clippers owner Donald T. Sterling to the Los Angeles Times suggesting the Clippers dismissed Del Negro to appease star players on the team.
Sterling was not available for comment.
Paul becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and the Clippers have been widely considered the favorite to retain his services. As Paul's existing team, the Clippers can offer the All-Star point guard a five-year, $108 million contract, a longer and more lucrative deal than any other suitor.
Paul also has consistently expressed a general level of comfort in Los Angeles with the Clippers, where he's compiled a 96-52 regular-season record. The Clippers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals in 2012, but bowed out in the first round this postseason, soon after which the Clippers decided to part ways with Del Negro.
"Our goal is to compete for a championship and I felt that in order for us to keep improving, we needed to make this move to help us achieve that goal," Sacks said. "With the talent we have on our roster, it's not our goal just to make the playoffs. It's our goal to compete for a championship, and we need to find the right person who can lead us there."
According to various reports, candidates to succeed Del Negro as Clippers head coach include former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott, Indiana Pacers assistant coach Brian Shaw, former Phoenix Suns head coach Alvin Gentry, ESPN broadcast analyst Jeff Van Gundy and former Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan.
Sources familiar with the Clippers' hiring process say that if given permission to contact Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins and Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl, the Clippers would place those two names on their short list, as well. Both Hollins and Karl are still under contract with their respective teams.Untitled a guest Nov 12th, 2013 5,694 Never a guest5,694Never
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rawdownloadcloneembedreportprint text 86.30 KB rocket2guns entered chat. a SKOLLIE: ill try send some invites :3 Bene: nooo Ridders!: or not haah Femuto: The LEGEND! Beat: i'm inn and will stay here till the ALPHER is released Bene: Hey Dean :o DonnyTrump: lol Conductor of the Poop Train: Yeah, but we got no mods and such. a SKOLLIE: hello rocket thus_styles: dammit hicks unlock it for a sec? <3 connection | Bill Kilgore: hi rocket! -OSP-Lorenzo0852: I can't join this chat on my phone :( dickvanboneman: hes hereeeeeee Conductor of the Poop Train: :O a SKOLLIE: im pretty sure we can keep it civil without mods Gabria[FR]: Rocket is here a SKOLLIE: just dont spam and we'll be fine :P rocket2guns (4): did i miss the anarchy!?!?!?! Femuto: Shhh!! the rocket is among us. Daambi: yo rocket man thus_styles: hey rocket Conductor of the Poop Train: Yes. Beat: roooooocket im a child of yours <3 connection | Bill Kilgore: we are safe now Roxyn: Greetings rocket! Ridders!: oh the anarchy! Conductor of the Poop Train: It was spam. Conductor of the Poop Train: And some more spam. DREISTER_ZERFEISTER: not yet :D Sir Frone: so much anarchy thus_styles: spam galore Bene: Anarchy is over, we can give you an example though Conductor of the Poop Train: Topped with spam, withe xtra spam. KingofMosvik: this chat has been my entertainment for 2 hours now :D Sir Frone: its like an apocolypse in here Sir Frone: no order Bene: But hicks will ban us :( PwnDailY: hi you just missed the spammers... sorry RedRumy3: hey rocket LeErOy NeWmAn: ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ GIVE SA ryaaanz: Is this the real rocket this time? GŞЩN -R- waiting 4 DayZ: ROCKET in the HOUSE ☻ LeErOy NeWmAn: ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ GIVE SA KingofMosvik: hey rocket :D -OSP-Lorenzo0852: hahahaha mine too I just spent 2 hours here RedRumy3: to bad other people have your name now RedRumy3: and u show a 1 Trevor: Please Rocket, kick these people. Ridders!: this is the real rocket lol Florx: Hello Rocket Jimb0oO: hi Rocket :) Conductor of the Poop Train: Trevor plz no Hicks_206: Only one got guy banned, for being rocket2guns impersonator =P Gabria[FR]: Rocket you just explode this tchat Rathalos: Oh look he made it in Conductor of the Poop Train: We want to fanboy. DREISTER_ZERFEISTER: eventually the steam chat system crashes because of this group chat, so dont unlock it again xD rocket2guns (4): brian says I missed the ASCII dicks rocket2guns (4): shame seinsin disconnected. <3 connection | Bill Kilgore: why, isn't this fun? RedRumy3: lmao KingofMosvik: kick the impersonators Red Fox Dead Fox: they were large Red Fox Dead Fox: and veiny Zambrano: lol Sir Frone: rocket we have a group called /grouphug and i will invite you too it, it is where we all hug and wait for SA Radioactive_Badgr:........................_,,-~'''¯¯¯''~-,,....................,-'' ; ; ;_,,---,,_ ; ;''-,..................................._,,,---,,_...................,' ; ; ;,-',,,,, '-, ; ;'-,,,,---~~''''''~--,,,_.....,,-~'' ; ; ; ;__;'-,...................| ; ; ;,',,, _,,-~'' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ¯''~'-,,_,,-~'',, ', ;',...................', ; ; '-,,-~'' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;''-,,,,,,' ; |.....................', ; ;,'' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;'-,,,-' ;,-'......................,'-' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;''-' ;,,-'....................,' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;__ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; '-,'..................,-' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;,-''¯: : ''-, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; _ ; ; ; ; ;',.................,' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;| : : : : : ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;;;;; ; ; ;,-''¯: ¯''-, ; '................,' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; '-,_: : _,-' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; | : : : : : ; ; ; |...............,' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ¯¯ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;'-,,_ : :,-' ; ; ; ;|..............,-' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;,,-~'',,,,,,,-~~-,,,, _ ; ; ;¯¯ ; ; ; ; ;|..............,-' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;,',,,,,,,( : : : :,,,,''-, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;|..........,-' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;',,,,,,,,,'~---~'',,,,,,' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;',.......,-'' ; _, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ''~-,,,,--~~'''¯'''~-,,_,,_,-' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ',....,-''-~'',-' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; | ; ; |......,';,''¯ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;,_ ; '-,..........,' ; ;,-, ; ;, ; ; ;, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ', ; ;',.....,' ;,' ; ; ; ;, ; ; ;,'-, ; ;,' ''~--'''.........,'-~',-'-~'' ',,-' ',,,- ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ', ; ; '~-,,,-'' ;,' ; ; ; ; ', ;,-'' ; ',,-',..........,-'' ; ; ; ; ; '' ; ; ;'' ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ''-,,_ ; ; ; _,-' ; ; ; ; ; ;'-'' ; ; ; '' ; ;'-, thus_styles: yeah there was a lot of ASCII RedRumy3: thats really him. rocket2guns (4): the best kind! Femuto: o jeses Conductor of the Poop Train: There were also alpher centauri rockets. a SKOLLIE: lol thus_styles: here we go haha <3 connection | Bill Kilgore: lal Bene: I reported him via Steam Hicks, do Group mods get a notification or is this handled by the Steam people? Hicks_206: Yes, this is really rocket. RedRumy3: ^ Hicks_206: Steam PwnDailY: ^ Sir Frone: /grouphug with us Red Fox Dead Fox: woo! ryaaanz: Who's going crazy in voice chat :D seinsin entered chat. a SKOLLIE: hey dean, can i ask you a quick question? RedRumy3: u can tell by his star. rocket2guns (4): sure Beat: hug Conductor of the Poop Train: Oh yes. Grouphugs. Red Fox Dead Fox: i think im going to faint Conductor of the Poop Train: That's a thing. Radioactive_Badgr: dean you sir are a boss Conductor of the Poop Train: To help prevent rampant KOS. Majoras_Mask: I am eating pizza. Conductor of the Poop Train: /grouphug PwnDailY: we should have a quick Q&A Cetic [ General Duchee.]: top right corner Tucker: ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ Alive Rocket SA Rebandヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ Charles: Is it yummy majoras? Majoras_Mask: It is. Ridders!: Q&A will consist of "GIEF SA" Trevor: If someone were to produce a good quality model that includes all it's counter-parts, would you add it into the real game if permissions were given, or is there to much legality in doing so? a SKOLLIE: ive read about the possibility of making the lowered weapon animation the default one, anything new about that? thus_styles: hows the onPlayerConnecting bug going? rocket2guns (4): not much legality involved. its possible. but im super fussy Trevor: If it were rigged correctly and such. rocket2guns (4): the optimizations got reverted and are in their own branch being fixed now. will be merged back once done DonnyTrump: lol Sir Frone: so many quesiotn jfc, its like 1 in the morning Sir Frone: give him a break Trevor: Fussy as in the stye of the model or the rig? Bene: [Question] Are the DayZ servers going to support IPv6 natively? KingofMosvik: have you fixed the friday bug? Red Fox Dead Fox: dean what should i eat for dinner, mexican or chinese? rocket2guns (4): rigged models would be hard to do, you need a very specific layout and mesgh PwnDailY: Will there be a way to track people? ie. footprints, opened cans, firepits, other means of tracking? rocket2guns (4): we actually have only one artist doing most of the rigged stuff Hicks_206: Always mexican Jesus Christ: Funny how once I get into a chat with Rocket, I forget all my questions Ridders!: Rocket have you ever considered giving us a bit more update on whats going on as often as possible as far as bugs / optimisation goes. While I understand youre trying to keep quiet i think it would shut a lot of people up with just a bit of an update on how things are going.. Daambi: has the price structure been announced yet? Conductor of the Poop Train: Pwn, you can see footprints in latest devblog. rocket2guns (4): again, I'd just be happy with it not crashing and good server FPS Cetic [ General Duchee.]: soundboard bugged :( GŞЩN -R- waiting 4 DayZ: GIVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE SA x a SKOLLIE: ive been toying with the idea of some sort of stamina system for your weapons, the longer you keep your weapon raised the |
for the benefit of the Muslim countries (from the ninth to the nineteenth).... Four million enslaved people exported via the Red Sea, another four million through the Swahili ports of the Indian Ocean, perhaps as many as nine million along the trans-Saharan caravan route, and eleven to twenty million (depending on the author) across the Atlantic Ocean.[142]
The trans-Atlantic slave trade peaked in the late 18th century, when the largest number of slaves were captured on raiding expeditions into the interior of West Africa. These expeditions were typically carried out by African kingdoms, such as the Oyo empire (Yoruba), the Ashanti Empire,[143] the kingdom of Dahomey,[144] and the Aro Confederacy.[145] It is estimated that about 15 percent of slaves died during the voyage, with mortality rates considerably higher in Africa itself in the process of capturing and transporting indigenous peoples to the ships.[146][147]
Americas
Slavery in America remains a contentious issue and played a major role in the history and evolution of some countries, triggering a revolution, a civil war, and numerous rebellions.
In order to establish itself as an American empire, Spain had to fight against the relatively powerful civilizations of the New World. The Spanish conquest of the indigenous peoples in the Americas included using the Natives as forced labour. The Spanish colonies were the first Europeans to use African slaves in the New World on islands such as Cuba and Hispaniola (see Atlantic slave trade.)[148] Bartolomé de las Casas, a 16th-century Dominican friar and Spanish historian, participated in campaigns in Cuba (at Bayamo and Camagüey) and was present at the massacre of Hatuey; his observation of that massacre led him to fight for a social movement away from the use of natives as slaves. Also, the alarming decline in the native population had spurred the first royal laws protecting the native population (Laws of Burgos, 1512–1513).
The first African slaves arrived in Hispaniola in 1501.[149] England played a prominent role in the Atlantic slave trade. The "slave triangle" was pioneered by Francis Drake and his associates.
Many Europeans who arrived in North America during the 17th and 18th centuries came under contract as indentured servants.[150] The transformation from indentured servitude to slavery was a gradual process in Virginia. The earliest legal documentation of such a shift was in 1640 where a negro, John Punch, was sentenced to lifetime slavery, forcing him to serve his master, Hugh Gwyn, for the remainder of his life, for attempting to run away. This case was significant because it established the disparity between his sentence as a black man, and that of the two white indentured servants who escaped with him (one described as Dutch and one as a Scotchman). It is the first documented case of a black man sentenced to lifetime servitude, and is considered one of the first legal cases to make a racial distinction between black and white indentured servants.[151][152][153][154][155]
After 1640, planters started to ignore the expiration of indentured contracts and kept their servants as slaves for life. This was demonstrated by the 1655 case Johnson v. Parker, where the court ruled that a black man, Anthony Johnson of Virginia, was granted ownership of another black man, John Casor, as the result of a civil case.[156] This was the first instance of a judicial determination in the Thirteen Colonies holding that a person who had committed no crime could be held in servitude for life.[157][158][159][160][161][162][163]
Barbados
In the very early years (1620–1640s) the majority of the labour was provided by European indentured servants, mainly English, Irish and Scottish, with enslaved Africans and enslaved Amerindian providing little of the workforce.
The introduction of sugar cane from Dutch Brazil in 1640 completely transformed society and the economy. Barbados eventually had one of the world's biggest sugar industries.[164]
As the effects of the new crop increased, so did the shift in the ethnic composition of Barbados and surrounding islands. The workable sugar plantation required a large investment and a great deal of heavy labour. At first, Dutch traders supplied the equipment, financing, and enslaved Africans, in addition to transporting most of the sugar to Europe. In 1644 the population of Barbados was estimated at 30,000, of which about 800 were of African descent, with the remainder mainly of English descent. These English smallholders were eventually bought out and the island filled up with large sugar plantations worked by enlslaved Africans. By 1660 there was near parity with 27,000 blacks and 26,000 whites. By 1666 at least 12,000 white smallholders had been bought out, died, or left the island. Many of the remaining whites were increasingly poor. By 1680 there were 17 slaves for every indentured servant. By 1700, there were 15,000 free whites and 50,000 enslaved Africans.
Due to the increased implementation of slave codes, which created differential treatment between Africans and the white workers and ruling planter class, the island became increasingly unattractive to poor whites. Black or slave codes were implemented in 1661, 1676, 1682, and 1688. In response to these codes, several slave rebellions were attempted or planned during this time, but none succeeded. Nevertheless, poor whites who had or acquired the means to emigrate often did so. Planters expanded their importation of enslaved Africans to cultivate sugar cane.
Brazil
Slavery in Brazil began long before the first Portuguese settlement was established in 1532, as members of one tribe would enslave captured members of another.[165]
Later, Portuguese colonists were heavily dependent on indigenous labor during the initial phases of settlement to maintain the subsistence economy, and natives were often captured by expeditions called bandeiras. The importation of African slaves began midway through the 16th century, but the enslavement of indigenous peoples continued well into the 17th and 18th centuries.
During the Atlantic slave trade era, Brazil imported more African slaves than any other country. Nearly 5 million slaves were brought from Africa to Brazil during the period from 1501 to 1866.[166] Until the early 1850s, most enslaved Africans who arrived on Brazilian shores were forced to embark at West Central African ports, especially in Luanda (present-day Angola). Today, with the exception of Nigeria, the largest population of people of African descent is in Brazil.[167]
Slave labor was the driving force behind the growth of the sugar economy in Brazil, and sugar was the primary export of the colony from 1600 to 1650. Gold and diamond deposits were discovered in Brazil in 1690, which sparked an increase in the importation of African slaves to power this newly profitable market. Transportation systems were developed for the mining infrastructure, and population boomed from immigrants seeking to take part in gold and diamond mining.
The largest number of slaves were shipped to Brazil.[168]
Demand for African slaves did not wane after the decline of the mining industry in the second half of the 18th century. Cattle ranching and foodstuff production proliferated after the population growth, both of which relied heavily on slave labor. 1.7 million slaves were imported to Brazil from Africa from 1700 to 1800, and the rise of coffee in the 1830s further enticed expansion of the slave trade.
Brazil was the last country in the Western world to abolish slavery. By the time it was abolished, in 1888, an estimated four million slaves had been imported from Africa to Brazil, 40% of the total number of slaves brought to the Americas. For reference, the United States received 10 percent.
Despite being abolished, there are still people working in slavery-like conditions in Brazil in the 21st century.
Cuba
In 1789 the Spanish Crown led an effort to reform slavery, as the demand for slave labor in Cuba was growing. The Crown issued a decree, Código Negro Español (Spanish Black Codex), that specified food and clothing provisions, put limits on the number of work hours, limited punishments, required religious instruction, and protected marriages, forbidding the sale of young children away from their mothers.[169] The British made other changes to the institution of slavery in Cuba.[169] But, planters often flouted the laws and protested against them, considering them a threat to their authority[169] and an intrusion into their personal lives.[169]
The slaveowners did not protest against all the measures of the codex, many of which they argued were already common practices. They objected to efforts to set limits on their ability to apply physical punishment. For instance, the Black Codex limited whippings to 25 and required the whippings "not to cause serious bruises or bleeding".[169] The slave-owners thought that the slaves would interpret these limits as weaknesses, ultimately leading to resistance.[169] Another contested issue was the work hours that were restricted "from sunrise to sunset"; plantation owners responded by explaining that cutting and processing of cane needed 20-hour days during the harvest season.[169]
Those slaves who worked on sugar plantations and in sugar mills were often subject to the harshest of conditions. The field work was rigorous manual labor which the slaves began at an early age. The work days lasted close to 20 hours during harvest and processing, including cultivating and cutting the crops, hauling wagons, and processing sugarcane with dangerous machinery. The slaves were forced to reside in barracoons, where they were crammed in and locked in by a padlock at night, getting about three and four hours of sleep. The conditions of the barracoons were harsh; they were highly unsanitary and extremely hot. Typically there was no ventilation; the only window was a small barred hole in the wall.[170]
Slaves in Cuba unloading ice from Maine, 1832
Cuba's slavery system was gendered in a way that some duties were performed only by male slaves, some only by female slaves. Female slaves in the city of Havana, from the sixteenth century onwards, performed duties such as operating the town taverns, eating houses, and lodges, as well as being laundresses and domestic laborers and servants. Female slaves also served as the town prostitutes.
Some Cuban women could gain freedom by having children with white men. As in other Latin cultures, there were looser borders with the mulatto or mixed-race population. Sometimes men who took slaves as wives or concubines freed both them and their children. As in New Orleans and Saint-Domingue, mulattos began to be classified as a third group between the European colonists and African slaves. Freedmen, generally of mixed race, came to represent 20% of the total Cuban population and 41% of the non-white Cuban population.[171]
But, planters encouraged Afro-Cuban slaves to have children in order to reproduce their work force. The masters wanted to pair strong and large-built black men with healthy black women. They were placed in the barracoons and forced to have sex and create offspring of “breed stock” children, who would sell for around 500 pesos. The planters needed children to be born to replace slaves who died under the harsh regime. Sometimes if the overseers did not like the quality of children, they separate the parents and sent the mother back to working in the fields.[172]
Both women and men were subject to the punishments of violence and humiliating abuse. Slaves who misbehaved or disobeyed their masters were often placed in stocks in the depths of the boiler houses where they were abandoned for days at a time, and oftentimes two to three months. These wooden stocks were made in two types: lying-down or stand-up types. women were punished, even when pregnant. They were subjected to whippings: they had to lay "face down over a scooped-out piece of round [earth] to protect their bellies." [173] Some masters reportedly whipped pregnant women in the belly, often causing miscarriages. The wounds were treated with “compresses of tobacco leaves, urine and salt." [174]
Haiti
Slavery in Haiti started with the arrival of Christopher Columbus on the island in 1492. The practice was devastating to the native population. Following the indigenous Taino's near decimation from forced labour, disease and war, the Spanish, under advisement of the Catholic priest Bartolomeu de las Casas, and with the blessing of the Catholic church began engaging in earnest in the kidnapped and forced labour of enslaved Africans. During the French colonial period beginning in 1625, the economy of Haiti (then known as Saint-Domingue) was based on slavery, and the practice there was regarded as the most brutal in the world.
Following the Treaty of Ryswick of 1697, Hispaniola was divided between France and Spain. France received the western third and subsequently named it Saint-Domingue. To develop it into sugarcane plantations, the French imported thousands of slaves from Africa. Sugar was a lucrative commodity crop throughout the 18th century. By 1789, approximately 40,000 white colonists lived in Saint-Domingue. In contrast, by 1763 the white population of French Canada, a vast territory, had numbered 65,000.[175] The whites were vastly outnumbered by the tens of thousands of African slaves they had imported to work on their plantations, which were primarily devoted to the production of sugarcane. In the north of the island, slaves were able to retain many ties to African cultures, religion and language; these ties were continually being renewed by newly imported Africans. Blacks outnumbered whites by about ten to one.
The French-enacted Code Noir ("Black Code"), prepared by Jean-Baptiste Colbert and ratified by Louis XIV, had established rules on slave treatment and permissible freedoms. Saint-Domingue has been described as one of the most brutally efficient slave colonies; one-third of newly imported Africans died within a few years.[176] Many slaves died from diseases such as smallpox and typhoid fever.[177] They had birth rates around 3 percent, and there is evidence that some women aborted fetuses, or committed infanticide, rather allow their children to live within the bonds of slavery.[178][179]
As in its Louisiana colony, the French colonial government allowed some rights to free people of color: the mixed-race descendants of white male colonists and black female slaves (and later, mixed-race women). Over time, many were released from slavery. They established a separate social class. White French Creole fathers frequently sent their mixed-race sons to France for their education. Some men of color were admitted into the military. More of the free people of color lived in the south of the island, near Port-au-Prince, and many intermarried within their community. They frequently worked as artisans and tradesmen, and began to own some property. Some became slave holders. The free people of color petitioned the colonial government to expand their rights.
Slaves that made it to Haiti from the trans-Atlantic journey and slaves born in Haiti were first documented in Haiti's archives and transferred to France's Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As of 2015, these records are in The National Archives of France. According to the 1788 Census, Haiti's population consisted of nearly 40,000 whites, 30,000 free coloureds and 450,000 slaves.[180]
The Haitian Revolution of 1804, the only successful slave revolt in human history, precipitated the end of slavery in all French colonies.
Jamaica
The Caribbean island of Jamaica was colonized by the Taino tribes prior to the arrival of Columbus in 1494.
The Spanish enslaved many of the Taino; some escaped, but most died from European diseases and overwork. The Spaniards also introduced the first African slaves.[181]
The Spanish colonists did not bring women in the first expeditions and took Taíno women for their common-law wives, resulting in mestizo children.[182] Sexual violence with the Taíno women by the Spanish was also common.
Although the African slave population in the 1670s and 1680s never exceeded 10,000, by 1800 it had increased to over 300,000.
Mexico
In 1519, Hernán Cortés brought the first modern slave to the area.[185]
In the mid-16th century, the second viceroy to Mexico, Luis de Velasco, prohibited slavery of the Aztecs. A labor shortage resulted as the Aztecs were either killed or died due to disease. This led to the African slaves being imported, as they were not susceptible to smallpox. In exchange, many Africans were afforded the opportunity to buy their freedom, while eventually, others were granted their freedom by their masters.[185]
Puerto Rico
When Ponce de León and the Spaniards arrived on the island of Borikén (Puerto Rico), they Taíno tribes on the island, forcing them to work in the gold mines and in the construction of forts. Many Taíno died, particularly due to smallpox, of which they had no immunity. Other Taínos committed suicide or left the island after the failed Taíno revolt of 1511.[186] The Spanish colonists, fearing the loss of their labor force, complained the courts that they needed manpower to work in the mines, build forts, and work sugar cane plantations. As an alternative, Las Casas suggested the importation and use of African slaves. In 1517, the Spanish Crown permitted its subjects to import twelve slaves each, thereby beginning the slave trade on the colonies.[187]
African slaves were legally branded with a hot iron on the forehead, prevented their "theft" or lawsuits that challenged their captivity.[188] The colonist continued this branding practice for more than 250 years.[189] They were sent to work in the gold mines, or in the island's ginger and sugar fields. They were allowed to live with their families in a hut on the master's land, and given a patch of land where they could farm, but otherwise were subjected to harsh treatment; including sexual abuse as the majority of colonists had arrived without women; many of them intermarried with the Africans or Taínos. Their mixed-race descendants formed the first generations of the early Puerto Rican population.[188]
The slaves faced heavy discrimination, and had no opportunity for advancement, though they were educated by their masters. The Spaniards considered the Africans superior to the Taíno, since the latter were unwilling to assimilate. The slaves, in contrast, had little choice but to adapt. Many converted to Christianity and were given their masters' surnames.[188]
By 1570, the colonists found that the gold mines were depleted, relegating the island to a garrison for passing ships. The cultivation of crops such as tobacco, cotton, cocoa, and ginger became the cornerstone of the economy.[190] With rising demand for sugar on the international market, major planters increased their labor-intensive cultivation and processing of sugar cane. Sugar plantations supplanted mining as Puerto Rico's main industry and kept demand high for African slavery.[190]
After 1784, Spain provided five ways by which slaves could obtain freedom.[189] Five years later, the Spanish Crown issued the "Royal Decree of Graces of 1789", which set new rules related to the slave trade and added restrictions to the granting of freedman status. The decree granted its subjects the right to purchase slaves and to participate in the flourishing slave trade in the Caribbean. Later that year a new slave code, also known as El Código Negro (The Black Code), was introduced.[191]
Under "El Código Negro", a slave could buy his freedom, in the event that his master was willing to sell, by paying the price sought in installments. Slaves were allowed to earn money during their spare time by working as shoemakers, cleaning clothes, or selling the produce they grew on their own plots of land. For the freedom of their newborn child, not yet baptized, they paid at half the going price for a baptized child.[191] Many of these freedmen started settlements in the areas which became known as Cangrejos (Santurce), Carolina, Canóvanas, Loíza, and Luquillo. Some became slave owners themselves.[188]
Despite these paths to freedom, from 1790 onwards, the number of slaves more than doubled in Puerto Rico as a result of the dramatic expansion of the sugar industry in the island.[190]
On March 22, 1873, slavery was legally abolished in Puerto Rico. However, slaves were not emancipated but rather had to buy their own freedom, at whatever price was set by their last masters. They were also required to work for another three years for their former masters, for other colonists interested in their services, or for the state in order to pay some compensation.[192]
Between 1527 and 1873, slaves in Puerto Rico had carried out more than twenty revolts.[193][194]
Suriname
The planters of the Dutch colony relied heavily on African slaves to cultivate, harvest and process the commodity crops of coffee, cocoa, sugar cane and cotton plantations along the rivers. Planters' treatment of the slaves was notoriously bad.[195] Historian C. R. Boxer wrote that "man's inhumanity to man just about reached its limits in Surinam."[196]
Many slaves escaped the plantations. With the help of the native South Americans living in the adjoining rain forests, these runaway slaves established a new and unique culture in the interior that was highly successful in its own right. They were known collectively in English as Maroons, in French as Nèg'Marrons (literally meaning "brown negroes", that is "pale-skinned negroes"), and in Dutch as Marrons. The Maroons gradually developed several independent tribes through a process of ethnogenesis, as they were made up of slaves from different African ethnicities. These tribes include the Saramaka, Paramaka, Ndyuka or Aukan, Kwinti, Aluku or Boni, and Matawai.
The Maroons often raided plantations to recruit new members from the slaves and capture women, as well as to acquire weapons, food and supplies. They sometimes killed planters and their families in the raids.[197] The colonists also mounted armed campaigns against the Maroons, who generally escaped through the rain forest, which they knew much better than did the colonists.
To end hostilities, in the 18th century the European colonial authorities signed several peace treaties with different tribes. They granted the Maroons sovereign status and trade rights in their inland territories, giving them autonomy.
In 1861-63, President Abraham Lincoln of the United States and his administration looked abroad for places to relocate freed slaves who wanted to leave the United States. It opened negotiations with the Dutch government regarding African-American emigration to and colonization of the Dutch colony of Suriname in South America. Nothing came of the idea and, after 1864, the idea was dropped.[198]
The Netherlands abolished slavery in Suriname, in 1863, under a gradual process that required slaves to work on plantations for 10 transition years for minimal pay, which was considered as partial compensation for their masters. After 1873, most freedmen largely abandoned the plantations where they had worked for several generations in favor of the capital city, Paramaribo.
United States
A coffle of slaves being driven on foot from Staunton, Virginia to Tennessee in 1850.
Slavery in the United States was the legal institution of human chattel enslavement, primarily of Africans and African Americans, that existed in the United States of America in the 18th and 19th centuries after it gained independence and before the end of the American Civil War. Slavery had been practiced in British America from early colonial days, and was legal in all Thirteen Colonies at the time of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
By the time of the American Revolution (1775–1783), the status of slave had been institutionalized as a racial caste associated with African ancestry.[199] The United States became polarized over the issue of slavery, represented by the slave and free states divided by the Mason–Dixon line, which separated free Pennsylvania from slave Maryland and Delaware.
Congress, during the Jefferson administration prohibited the importation of slaves, effective 1808, although smuggling (illegal importing) was not unusual.[200] Domestic slave trading, however, continued at a rapid pace, driven by labor demands from the development of cotton plantations in the Deep South. Those states attempted to extend slavery into the new Western territories to keep their share of political power in the nation.
The treatment of slaves in the United States varied widely depending on conditions, times and places. The power relationships of slavery corrupted many whites who had authority over slaves, with children showing their own cruelty. Masters and overseers resorted to physical punishments to impose their wills. Slaves were punished by whipping, shackling, hanging, beating, burning, mutilation, branding and imprisonment. Punishment was most often meted out in response to disobedience or perceived infractions, but sometimes abuse was carried out to re-assert the dominance of the master or overseer of the slave.[201] Treatment was usually harsher on large plantations, which were often managed by overseers and owned by absentee slaveholders, conditions permitting abuses.
William Wells Brown, who escaped to freedom, reported that on one plantation, slave men were required to pick 80 pounds per day of cotton, while women were required to pick 70 pounds; if any slave failed in his or her quota, they were subject to whip lashes for each pound they were short. The whipping post stood next to the cotton scales.[203] A New York man who attended a slave auction in the mid-19th century reported that at least three-quarters of the male slaves he saw at sale had scars on their backs from whipping.[204] By contrast, small slave-owning families had closer relationships between the owners and slaves; this sometimes resulted in a more humane environment but was not a given.[201]
More than one million slaves were sold from the Upper South, which had a surplus of labor, and taken to the Deep South in a forced migration, splitting up many families. New communities of African-American culture were developed in the Deep South, and the total slave population in the South eventually reached 4 million before liberation.[205][206]
In the 19th century, proponents of slavery often defended the institution as a "necessary evil". White people of that time feared that emancipation of black slaves would have more harmful social and economic consequences than the continuation of slavery. The French writer and traveler Alexis de Tocqueville, in Democracy in America (1835), expressed opposition to slavery while observing its effects on American society. He felt that a multiracial society without slavery was untenable, as he believed that prejudice against blacks increased as they were granted more rights. Others, like James Henry Hammond argued that slavery was a "positive good" stating: "Such a class you must have, or you would not have that other class which leads progress, civilization, and refinement."
The Southern state governments wanted to keep a balance between the number of slave and free states to maintain a political balance of power in Congress. The new territories acquired from Britain, France, and Mexico were the subject of major political compromises. By 1850, the newly rich cotton-growing South was threatening to secede from the Union, and tensions continued to rise. Many white Southern Christians, including church ministers, attempted to justify their support for slavery as modified by Christian paternalism.[207] The largest denominations, the Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches, split over the slavery issue into regional organizations of the North and South.
When Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 election on a platform of halting the expansion of slavery, according to the 1860 U.S. census, roughly 400,000 individuals, representing 8 percent of all US families, owned nearly 4,000,000 slaves.[208] One-third of Southern families owned slaves.[209] The south was heavily invested in slavery. As such, upon Lincoln's election, seven states broke away to form the Confederacy. The first six states to secede held the greatest number of slaves in the South. Shortly after, over the issue of slavery, the United States erupted into an all out Civil War, with slavery not legally ceasing as an institution, until December 1865.
In 2018, the Orlando Sentinel reported some private Christian schools in Florida as teaching students a Creationist curriculum which includes assertions such as, “most black and white southerners had long lived together in harmony” and that “power-hungry individuals stirred up the people” leading to the Civil Rights Movement.[210]
Asia
Slavery has existed all throughout Asia, and forms of slavery still exist today.
China
A contract from the Tang dynasty recording the purchase of a 15-year-old slave for six bolts of plain silk and five coins
Slavery has taken various forms throughout China's history. It was reportedly abolished as a legally recognized institution, including in a 1909 law[211][212] fully enacted in 1910,[213] although the practice continued until at least 1949.[214]
The Tang dynasty purchased Western slaves from the Radanite Jews.[215] Tang Chinese soldiers and pirates enslaved Koreans, Turks, Persians, Indonesians, and people from Inner Mongolia, central Asia, and northern India.[216][217][218][219] The greatest source of slaves came from southern tribes, including Thais and aboriginals from the southern provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Guizhou. Malays, Khmers, Indians, and black Africans were also purchased as slaves in the Tang dynasty.[220]
In the 17th century Qing Dynasty, there was a hereditarily servile people called Booi Aha (Manchu:booi niyalma; Chinese transliteration: 包衣阿哈), which is a Manchu word literally translated as "household person" and sometimes rendered as "nucai." The Manchu was establishing close personal and paternalist relationship between masters and their slaves, as Nurhachi said, "The Master should love the slaves and eat the same food as him".[221] However, booi aha "did not correspond exactly to the Chinese category of "bond-servant slave" (Chinese:奴僕); instead, it was a relationship of personal dependency on a master which in theory guaranteed close personal relationships and equal treatment, even though many western scholars would directly translate "booi" as "bond-servant" (some of the "booi" even had their own servant).[222][223]
Chinese Muslim (Tungans) Sufis who were charged with practicing xiejiao (heterodox religion), were punished by exile to Xinjiang and being sold as a slave to other Muslims, such as the Sufi begs.[224]
Han Chinese who committed crimes such as those dealing with opium became slaves to the begs, this practice was administered by Qing law.[225] Most Chinese in Altishahr were exile slaves to Turkestani Begs.[226] Ironically, while free Chinese merchants generally did not engage in relationships with East Turkestani women, some of the Chinese slaves belonging to begs, along with Green Standard soldiers, Bannermen, and Manchus, engaged in affairs with the East Turkestani women that were serious in nature.[227]
India
Slavery in India intensified during the Muslim domination of northern India after the 11th-century, however, Muslim rulers did not introduce slavery to the subcontinent.[228] Slavery existed in Portuguese India after the 16th century. The Dutch, too, largely dealt in Abyssian slaves, known in India as Habshis or Sheedes.[229]
Arakan/Bengal, Malabar, and Coromandel remained the most important source of forced labour until the 1660s. Between 1626 and 1662, the Dutch exported on an average 150–400 slaves annually from the Arakan-Bengal coast. During the first thirty years of Batavia's existence, Indian and Arakanese slaves provided the main labour force of the Dutch East India Company, Asian headquarters.
An increase in Coromandel slaves occurred during a famine following the revolt of the Nayaka Indian rulers of South India (Tanjavur, Senji, and Madurai) against Bijapur overlordship (1645) and the subsequent devastation of the Tanjavur countryside by the Bijapur army. Reportedly, more than 150,000 people were taken by the invading Deccani Muslim armies to Bijapur and Golconda. In 1646, 2,118 slaves were exported to Batavia, the overwhelming majority from southern Coromandel. Some slaves were also acquired further south at Tondi, Adirampatnam, and Kayalpatnam. Another increase in slaving took place between 1659 and 1661 from Tanjavur as a result of a series of successive Bijapuri raids. At Nagapatnam, Pulicat, and elsewhere, the company purchased 8,000–10,000 slaves, the bulk of whom were sent to Ceylon while a small portion were exported to Batavia and Malacca. Finally, following a long drought in Madurai and southern Coromandel, in 1673, which intensified the prolonged Madurai-Maratha struggle over Tanjavur and punitive fiscal practices, thousands of people from Tanjavur, mostly girls and little boys, were sold into slavery and exported by Asian traders from Nagapattinam to Aceh, Johor, and other slave markets.
In September 1687, 665 slaves were exported by the English from Fort St. George, Madras. And, in 1694–96, when warfare once more ravaged South India, a total of 3,859 slaves were imported from Coromandel by private individuals into Ceylon.[230][231][232][233]
The volume of the total Dutch Indian Ocean slave trade has been estimated to be about 15–30 percent of the Atlantic slave trade, slightly smaller than the trans-Saharan slave trade, and one-and-a-half to three times the size of the Swahili and Red Sea coast and the Dutch West India Company slave trades.[234]
According to Sir Henry Bartle Frere (who sat on the Viceroy's Council), there were an estimated 8 or 9 million slaves in India in 1841. About 15 percent of the population of Malabar were slaves. Slavery was legally abolished in the possessions of the East India Company by the Indian Slavery Act, 1843.[3]
Indochina
The hill tribe people in Indochina were "hunted incessantly and carried off as slaves by the Siamese (Thai), the Anamites (Vietnamese), and the Cambodians".[235] A Siamese military campaign in Laos in 1876 was described by a British observer as having been "transformed into slave-hunting raids on a large scale".[236] The census, taken in 1879, showed that 6% of the population in the Malay sultanate of Perak were slaves.[237] Enslaved people made up about two-thirds of the population in part of North Borneo in the 1880s.[237]
Japan
After the Portuguese first made contact with Japan in 1543, a large scale slave trade developed in which Portuguese purchased Japanese as slaves in Japan and sold them to various locations overseas, including Portugal itself, throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.[238][239] Many documents mention the large slave trade along with protests against the enslavement of Japanese. Japanese slaves are believed to be the first of their nation to end up in Europe, and the Portuguese purchased large numbers of Japanese slave girls to bring to Portugal for sexual purposes, as noted by the Church[240] in 1555. Sebastian of Portugal feared that this was having a negative effect on Catholic proselytization since the slave trade in Japanese was growing to massive proportions, so he commanded that it be banned in 1571.[241][242]
Japanese slave women were even sold as concubines to Asian lascar and African crewmembers, along with their European counterparts serving on Portuguese ships trading in Japan, mentioned by Luis Cerqueira, a Portuguese Jesuit, in a 1598 document.[243] Japanese slaves were brought by the Portuguese to Macau, where some of them not only ended up being enslaved to Portuguese, but as slaves to other slaves, with the Portuguese owning Malay and African slaves, who in turn owned Japanese slaves of their own.[244][245]
Hideyoshi was so disgusted that his own Japanese people were being sold en masse into slavery on Kyushu, that he wrote a letter to Jesuit Vice-Provincial Gaspar Coelho on July 24, 1587, to demand the Portuguese, Siamese (Thai), and Cambodians stop purchasing and enslaving Japanese and return Japanese slaves who ended up as far as India.[246][247][248] Hideyoshi blamed the Portuguese and Jesuits for this slave trade and banned Christian proselytizing as a result.[249][250]
Some Korean slaves were bought by the Portuguese and brought back to Portugal from Japan, where they had been among the tens of thousands of Korean prisoners of war transported to Japan during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98).[251][252] Historians pointed out that at the same time Hideyoshi expressed his indignation and outrage at the Portuguese trade in Japanese slaves, he himself was engaging in a mass slave trade of Korean prisoners of war in Japan.[253][254]
Fillippo Sassetti saw some Chinese and Japanese slaves in Lisbon among the large slave community in 1578, although most of the slaves were black.[255][256][257][258][259]
The Portuguese "highly regarded" Asian slaves like Chinese and Japanese, much more "than slaves from sub-Saharan Africa".[260] The Portuguese attributed qualities like intelligence and industriousness to Chinese and Japanese slaves which is why they favoured them.[261][262][263][264]
In 1595 a law was passed by Portugal banning the selling and buying of Chinese and Japanese slaves.[265]
Korea
During the Joseon period, the nobi population could fluctuate up to about one-third of the population, but on average the nobi made up about 10% of the total population.[69] The nobi system declined beginning in the 18th century.[266] Since the outset of the Joseon dynasty and especially beginning in the 17th century, there was harsh criticism among prominent thinkers in Korea about the nobi system. Even within the Joseon government, there were indications of a shift in attitude toward the nobi.[267] King Yeongjo implemented a policy of gradual emancipation in 1775,[70] and he and his successor King Jeongjo made many proposals and developments that lessened the burden on nobi, which led to the emancipation of the vast majority of |
band A House For Lions.[74][75] In November 2014, Agron, among many other international artists, was featured in United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)'s charity single "Imagine" which was originally performed by John Lennon.[76]
In July 2015, Agron performed The Star-Spangled Banner for the 239th Anniversary of Independence at the Winfield House in London.[77] In September 2017, she made her singing debut at the Café Carlyle, performing "some of finest male-fronted acts of the '70s".[78]
Music videos [ edit ]
In 2010, Agron directed the music video for "Body" by Thao & The Get Down Stay Down.[79] On November 25, 2013, the music video of "Just Another Girl" by The Killers was released, in which Agron portrays the lead singer.[80][81] Agron starred as a scorned bride in Sam Smith's "I'm Not the Only One" music video which was released on August 1, 2014.[82] In 2014, Agron directed the music video for "Till Sunrise" by Goldroom. Her brother, Jason, and actress Gabby Haugh star as a romantic couple.[83]
Other work [ edit ]
Glee Hot Topic Tour, August 17, 2009 AtHot Topic Tour, August 17, 2009
In 2009, Agron wrote, starred in, directed, and executive-produced an unreleased short comedy film called A Fuchsia Elephant. The plot revolves around Agron's character. On the day before her eighteenth birthday, Charlotte Hill makes a decision to change. Not wanting to follow in the footsteps of her alcoholic mother, she enlists a sober partner named Michael (Dave Franco) to help guide her. It was shot during the Glee hiatus in the summer of 2009.[84] That same year, Agron hosted a mini music festival for 826LA called Chickens in Love.[85] Agron hosted the GLAAD Media Awards on June 2, 2012, in San Francisco.[86] In 2012 and 2013, Agron appeared in the "Play As You Are" Nintendo campaign, ads for Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone!, and in spots for the puzzle-solving adventure Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask.[87]
Agron spoke at the 18th San Francisco Power of Choice Luncheon to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Roe V. Wade – 40 years of Choice! on March 7, 2013, in San Francisco,[88][89] and attended The Hollywood Reporter and Jimmy Choo 2nd Annual 25 Most Powerful Stylists Luncheon on March 13, 2013 in West Hollywood.[90] For the February 2014 issue of the Galore magazine, Dianna worked as the photographer. Her brother, Jason Agron, also helped for the shoot.[91] After directing Thao & The Get Down Stay Down's music video "Body", and her independent unreleased film A Fuchsia Elephant, Agron stated that she would like to continue directing different projects.[92] In May 2015, she directed a video for Tory Burch's Paris collection that will come out later in the year and she was later selected by Burch to represent the brand at the 2015 Met Gala.[93]
Personal life [ edit ]
Agron underwent nose surgery twice to repair her deviated septum, once the result of a blow to the nose when she was fourteen in a party, and once in an accident while on tour for Glee.[94][95]
In late 2015, she became engaged to Winston Marshall, from the band Mumford & Sons.[96] They were married on October 15, 2016, in Morocco.[97][98]
Activism [ edit ]
Agron has supported PETA and LGBT rights.[99] Using her Tumblr account as a starting point, Agron released her website You, Me and Charlie on December 12, 2011. Along with help from several other contributors, she writes and collects posts, which subjects vary from music, art, fashion, and daily inspiration.[100]
The site serves as inspiration for many young artists. Vanity Fair has complimented the site, stating that the site is "full of sunshine, optimism, and pretty people."[101] Agron hosted the GLAAD Media Awards on June 2, 2012 in San Francisco. Her co-stars of Glee, Naya Rivera and Cory Monteith hosted them on March 24, 2012 in New York City. Following Rivera's tradition of auctioning off kisses to an audience member, she raised $5,500 for the campaign. Agron worked with The Trevor Project in 2012 to raise money in honor of her birthday.[102] Also in 2012, Agron visited the Kampong Cham Center, where she met children and teenage residents.[103] On April 20, 2013, Agron's fans honored her by raising $10,200 for her birthday, benefiting the Somaly Mam Foundation in effort to fight human trafficking.[104]
Agron donated possessions to the Vietnam Veterans of America in Los Angeles during August 2013.[105] Agron also supports the initiative between Camp Wonder and Cetaphil, which is about children with chronic and life-threatening skin diseases to enjoy being a kid.[106] On February 22, 2014, Agron participated along with other Glee stars in the Young Storytellers Foundation biggest show, Glee Big Show, which featured live performances of five scripts written by 5th Grade Young Storytellers to support art programs in public schools.[107]
In June 2014, Agron joined with other celebrities and the Big Slick Foundation weekend charity event to help raise funds for Children's Mercy Hospital of Kansas City, Missouri. Among the events Agron was involved in was a celebrity softball game, a private get-together for patients and celebrities, a bowling tournament, and a celebrity party and auction.[108]
In December 2014, Agron provided services and live entertainment to United States troops and their families as part of the United Service Organizations tour at Bagram air field, Afghanistan.[109] Later that month, she attended to the 10th anniversary gala of a ASmallWorld and sold a kiss for more than $20,000. She donated the money to the War Child charity.[110]
In May 2016, she traveled with the UN to visit resettled Syrian refugees in Europe.[111] She has stated, in response to questions about her intent, that she "came here to help tell the stories of specific individuals because when you meet one of the 60 million forced to flee their home, and you put a name and a face to a number, the global refugee crisis becomes impossible to ignore."[112]
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Tweet Email In 2005, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, began an experiment that would last five years. One by one, they brought 164 study participants to a sleep lab at the U.C. San Diego Medical Center, a room with a sweeping view of the city and the surrounding valley. There, participants underwent polysomnography, the most comprehensive sleep test known to science. A polysomnography machine is an octopus of a medical device: It has scalp sensors to record brain-wave patterns; eye trackers to assess rapid eye movements; breathing sensors that are placed on the nose, mouth, and around the chest; a blood-oxygen sensor for the fingers; and sensors on the legs to track movement. The machine produces a chart—resembling a cross between a musical composition and a seismogram—that traces the brain and body minute by minute through the night. “I think it’s quite beautiful personally,” says Lianne Tomfohr, who was the lead author on the study and is now a psychology professor at the University of Calgary. “We can put [sensors] on their head and, through the electricity in their brains, see how deeply they are sleeping. It’s a little bit mystical to me that it is even possible.” The San Diego researchers planned to use the polysomnography machine to document slow-wave sleep—the phase of sleep “when it’s really hard to wake you up,” as Tomfohr describes it. Slow-wave sleep is thought to be the most restorative period of sleep, and it’s important to good health: Experiments where people are denied slow-wave sleep on purpose have shown that bodies quickly change for the worse. (One paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2007, found that study participants who were denied slow-wave sleep for three nights—researchers would sound an alarm in their ears when they entered this sleep phase—became less sensitive to insulin, a precursor to diabetes.) But it wasn’t just slow-wave sleep in general that interested the researchers; they specifically hoped to compare how blacks and whites experienced slow-wave sleep. And what they found was disturbing. Generally, people are thought to spend 20 percent of their night in slow-wave sleep, and the study’s white participants hit this mark. Black participants, however, spent only about 15 percent of the night in slow-wave sleep.
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The study was just one data point in a mounting pile of evidence that black Americans aren’t sleeping as well as whites. This past June, the journal Sleep published a study on the sleep quality of black, white, Chinese, and Hispanic adults in six cities across the United States. The participants were pooled from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), a cohort of more than 6,000 people who, for the last 15 years, have been intermittently pricked, prodded, and assessed to discover how geography and race influence health over time. (More than 950 papers have been published on this cohort. It’s from them that researchers have found evidence that the farther people live from a wealthier area, the more likely they are to develop insulin resistance—or that blacks appear to have higher levels of the substances that cause blood to clot.)
For a week, participants in the MESA study wore actigraphy bands, Fitbit-like bracelets that can estimate the amount of time a person is asleep. In a separate test, they underwent polysomnography. The results? “The insufficient amount of sleep, the short sleep duration of the African-Americans really stood out,” says Susan Redline, a Harvard professor of sleep medicine and one of the study’s co-authors. “It really emphasized that African-Americans, as a group, are getting the least amount of sleep compared, at least, to the three other groups.” Whites in the study slept an average of 6.85 hours; blacks slept an average of 6.05 hours.
Compared with white participants in the study, black participants—most epidemiologists prefer “black” to African-American; it encompasses more people—were five times more likely to get short sleep, defined as less than six hours a night. (Hispanic participants were 1.8 times more likely to get short sleep; Chinese participants were 2.3 times more likely.) Blacks were also more likely to report feeling sleepy in the daytime, and they woke up more often in the middle of the night. “Notably,” the study reads, “these associations remained evident after adjustment for sex, age, study site, and [body mass index].” Fifteen years ago, the intersection of sleep and race wasn’t studied much at all. Researchers in the sleep field “hadn’t really thought about this idea—by race, by economic status—that people had different amounts of sleep,” says Diane Lauderdale, an epidemiologist at the University of Chicago. In the early 2000s, Lauderdale was part of an effort that was one of the first to find racial differences in sleep using objective measurements, as opposed to self-reports. Studying a 669-person cohort in Chicago—44 percent were black; the rest were white—she and her colleagues found, on average, an hour difference between blacks’ and whites’ sleep. What’s more, the sleep discrepancy persisted even when the researchers tried to control for economic factors: As blacks got wealthier, the gap in sleep narrowed, but did not go away entirely. “The race gap is decreased if you take into account some indicator of economics,” says Lauderdale, “but it’s not eliminated in the data that I have looked at.” Indeed, in the San Diego study, researchers also concluded that there were racial differences in sleep regardless of income. (It should be noted, however, that researchers concede their attempts to control for economic indicators are far from perfect. “We know our measures for adjusting for socioeconomic status are still somewhat limited,” says Redline. “Sometimes the variation isn’t great enough.”)
So what explains the gap? It’s an intriguing and still somewhat open-ended scientific mystery. (And one that is that gradually getting more and more attention: In July, the radio program Freakonomics dedicated a segment to documenting the discrepancy and trying to explain why it might exist.) But the black-white sleep gap isn’t just a question for science; it also has implications for the policy world. Sleep, after all, may be a key factor in a tragic spiral: It appears to be both a symptom of health problems that disproportionately affect black communities and also a cause of those same problems. Which is why it seems worth asking: Are there policy interventions that could, realistically, help to improve how black Americans sleep?
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FOR MOST OF human history, the question “why do we sleep” has been an absolute unknown. Before William C. Dement conducted the first overnight sleep recordings of brain activity in the early 1950s, our knowledge of sleep was “prehistoric,” he wrote in a 1998 essay, “The Study of Human Sleep: A Historical Perspective.” Prior to that point, the prevailing theory was that sleep was simply when the brain went dormant, recovering its energy to begin a new day. Sigmund Freud himself dismissed sleep’s significance. “I have had little occasion to concern myself with the problem of sleep, as this is essentially a physiological problem,” he wrote. To him, sleep was subservient to dreams, which were the mind’s way of channeling away anxieties and perversions.
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In 1953, the discovery of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep set off a rush of research into what was happening inside the brain at night. Scientists found the sleeping mind wasn’t dormant at all, but engaged in a flurry of structured activity. We progress through the night in a choreographed order: from light sleep, to deep sleep, to REM, and then back again. We dream in REM—the most active phase of sleep—but the brain is busy throughout the night. In the quieter stages, the brain is still 80 percent activated, “and thus capable of robust and elaborate information-processing,” a 2005 article in the journal Nature explains. Sleep is when the brain reorganizes itself and consolidates memories; it’s essential for learning and concentration. (Multiple studies have, for instance, found that after daylight savings time begins in the spring—a day when people are likely to have their sleep disrupted—the number of traffic fatalities increases.) While sleep is crucial for day-to-day functioning, it’s also crucial for health. As psychologists were discovering the architecture of sleep, epidemiologists were beginning to assess its impact on our bodies. “In the 1960s, there were a number of large community-based studies that sought to figure out what the real causes of death were in the community,” says Michael Grandner, director of sleep and health research at the University of Arizona. Large-scale epidemiological projects like the Framingham heart study (begun in 1948) and the Alameda County study (begun in 1965) helped to create the maxims that dominate public health to this day—smoking kills, diet and exercise factor into heart disease, alcohol is dangerous—but hidden in all that data was another finding: In meta-analyses of these large-scale studies, “you get this u-shape for mortality,” Grandner says. Both too much sleep (longer than eight hours) and too little sleep (shorter than six hours) put people at higher odds for early death. (According to Grandner, there’s a clearer consensus around the idea that too little sleep is bad for health; the effects of too much sleep remain an open and debated question.)
In 2002, Grandner’s mentor, Daniel Kripke, a psychiatrist at the University of California, San Diego, published a report compiling data from more than 1 million men and women aged 30 to 102. “The best survival was found among those who slept seven hours per night,” the study found. Says Grandner: “This was, and still is, the largest study ever on this topic and arguably the most clear.” To understand why scientists hypothesize that poor sleep causes poor health, we need to dive into the smallest components of the human body. It is here scientists have made the biggest leaps in connecting sleep with overall health. Over the last two decades, there has been a shift in the way scientists understand sleep, explains Allan Pack, who researches sleep and genomics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. “The idea was you go to sleep, the brain shuts down, something happens that’s helpful to” your brain, Pack says. Now, however, “one of the things we know is there’s not only a clock in your brain controlling the sleep-wake pattern, there are clocks in every tissue, essentially.” Scientists have discovered “clock genes,” tiny bits of DNA that act like a biological metronome: By regularly flipping on and off, they help the body maintain its sense of time. And not only are these clocks in every tissue in every human, or in every tissue in every mammal, but they can be found in “virtually every organism on the surface of the planet,” says Michael Twery, director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Center on Sleep Disorders Research. Cycles in activity and rest are fundamental in the architecture of life. Messing with these cycles—essentially throwing the body’s metronome off beat—throws the whole body off beat. “When you have situations like the mistiming of sleep, or not enough sleep, you can conceivably alter clock [gene] function and then alter the expression of all these important genes that are regulating things like metabolism, or skeletal muscle function, pancreatic function,” says John Hogenesch, a chronobiologist at the University of Pennsylvania who studies clock genes in mammals. Like toxins in the food chain, the effects accumulate upward from there: Cells that have their clock genes disrupted don’t produce the right proteins, those proteins then don’t regulate tissues well, and organ systems show strain.
“I have never seen a study that hasn’t shown a direct association between neighborhood quality and sleep quality,” one expert says.
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In the late 1990s, an invention called the microarray—a computer chip that allows researchers to study how many genes are turned on in a given cell—burst open this research. Now, scientists could watch, in near-real time, what was happening to cells in animals that had been denied sleep. They didn’t look healthy. “When you keep animals awake, you get this phenomenon called the unfolded protein response,” Pack explains. Proteins are the building blocks of the cell. If the proteins are poorly constructed, or, in science speak, unfolded—like a Lego block with a misshapen connector—they won’t work. “Then you either have got to destroy them or what happens is they aggregate into lumps,” Pack says. “And you get these protein aggregates, which are very toxic to the cell.” How those disruptions in the cell come to affect entire organ systems isn’t entirely understood. But evidence from molecular biology, epidemiology, and psychology points to the idea that poor sleep is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, and obesity—which are all ailments that disproportionately affect black communities. In America, blacks are 33 percent more likely to die from heart disease than the population at large, 1.7 times more likely to have diabetes, and 1.5 times more likely to be obese. For every 100,000 blacks, it’s estimated that heart disease takes away 1,691.1 years of potential life in a given year. For whites, that figure is 900.9 years. Overall, if we factor out deaths caused by aging, the mortality rate for black men—from all causes—in the United States is 1,104 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For white men, the mortality rate is 878.5 deaths per 100,000. For white women, that figure is 630.8 per 100,000; for black women, it’s 752.5. Could sleep explain part of the difference between blacks and whites? The best scientists are always skeptical, and the sleep researchers I spoke to were no exception. “It’s plausible to suggest racial differences in sleep, whatever the cause, might potentially be one, maybe a small piece,” Grandner says. “It’s probably not explaining the whole thing or a large fraction of it, but could be playing a role in some of these health disparities.” One thing, however, is certain: Sleep disparities do exist. “I think we can say there’s a great deal of evidence that there are race differences,” Lauderdale says. And given the link between sleep and well-being, it seems clear that those differences are worth taking seriously as a matter of public health. ON THE QUESTION of how to explain the black-white sleep gap itself, researchers have a number of related theories. (There is a consensus that innate biological differences between blacks and whites are not a factor.) The stress caused by discrimination is one strong possibility. In the San Diego sleep study, Tomfohr’s team knew, going in, that slow-wave sleep is very sensitive to stress—which is, in turn, our body’s signal to remain vigilant against perceived threats, including discrimination. “That was our thought: If people are feeling really discriminated against, then of course they are not going to want to get into a really deep stage of sleep,” she says. After the participants’ stays in the San Diego lab, researchers had them take a survey, designed to assess the level of discrimination they felt on any given day. (Participants were asked to agree or disagree with statements, including “In my life, I have experienced prejudice because of my ethnicity” and “My ethnic group is often criticized in this country.”) Armed with this information, Tomfohr and her colleagues could then determine a correlation between discrimination and sleep. And it turned out that there was, in fact, a correlation: More discrimination meant less slow-wave sleep. “If you can take out that discrimination piece, the average African-American and the average Caucasian look at lot more similar,” she says. “It’s not perfect, but in terms of sleep, a lot of the disparity goes away.” Danielle L. Beatty Moody, a psychologist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, conducted a similar test while working as a post-doctoral scholar in the psychiatry department of the University of Pittsburgh in the late 2000s. People who are discriminated against, she believes, carry worry throughout the day. And that worry literally keeps them up at night. “It’s uncomfortable for them to sleep because they are thinking back over mistreatment, thinking back over maltreatment, thinking back over bias they experienced,” she says. “In thinking about those experiences, they are getting more aroused, more cognitive arousal, which does the opposite of what you need it to do to go to sleep.” Lauren Hale, a professor of preventive medicine at Stony Brook University and the founding editor-in-chief of the journal Sleep Health, makes a similar but slightly different point: She argues that sleep is a reflection of a person’s agency. The more control you have over your life—the more freedom you have financially, the more freedom you have to live where you choose, the more control you have over what you eat and when you eat it, the more you have the luxury of possessing the time and equipment to exercise—the more likely you are able to create an environment that fosters good sleep. “[S]keptics cannot argue that people with poor sleep habits simply ‘choose’ to sleep poorly,” Hale and a co-author wrote in 2010. “Sleep should be viewed as a consequence of something other than choice.”
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Neighborhoods also appear to matter when it comes to sleep health. “I have never seen a study that hasn’t shown a direct association between neighborhood quality and sleep quality,” Hale tells me. “Those two are linked.” And black families are more likely to live in poorer neighborhoods, even if they are middle-income. (“Even among white and black families with similar incomes, white families are much more likely to live in good neighborhoods—with high-quality schools, day-care options, parks, playgrounds and transportation options,” wrote David Leonhardt recently in The New York Times, summarizing the results of a Stanford study by Professor Sean Reardon.) Feelings of safety are key here. Hale theorizes that—as with discrimination—noisy, unsafe, disorderly neighborhoods increase stress and the need for vigilance. “If you know somebody in your neighborhood who has had a break-in, you might feel pretty uncomfortable shutting your eyes falling asleep while your two or three children are sleeping in the room next door and no one else is there to protect them,” she says. “And that type of insecurity, whether it’s financial or physical safety, is more common among people who don’t have control over their environment, because if you did have control over your environment, you’d say, ‘I’m getting out of here.’ ” Hale has been involved in several studies that compare levels of disorder in a neighborhood—as measured by cleanliness, crime, presence of graffiti, and so on—with sleep and health. Overall, she finds, poor sleep can explain 20 percent of the difference between the good health found in rich neighborhoods and the bad health found in poor ones. “Based on these results, targeted interventions designed to promote sleep quality in disadvantaged neighborhoods (e.g., community-based sleep promotion and noise level ordinances) could help to improve the physical health of residents in the short-term,” Hale writes in one of her co-authored papers in the journal Preventive Medicine. And while “community-based sleep promotion” may sound like an impossibly vague intervention, there are, in fact, programs underway that show how it might be done. SOME OF THE more practical research aimed at helping black Americans to sleep better is being conducted by Girardin Jean-Louis, a charismatic Haitian-born psychologist who runs a lab dedicated to sleep and health disparities at New York University’s Center for Healthful Behavior Change. When I first started |
sters could receive a cash reward of up to $2,500.Brazil is a leading exporter of soybeans, a primary source of animal protein feed around the world and the second largest source of vegetable oil. Demand for soybeans has been growing for several decades, leading to the expansion of production in and around the Amazon rainforest. In an effort to “reconcile environmental preservation with the region's economic development,” growers and traders signed a moratorium in July 2006 to avoid production of soybeans on newly deforested Amazon rainforest. (Purchases of soy grown on land cleared before 2006 remain permissible.)
New research by university and NASA scientists suggests that deforestation of the Amazon for soy production has declined under the moratorium. However, as the moratorium was only applicable to the Brazilian Amazon, a very different scenario has been playing out in neighboring savanna-woodland areas known as Brazil’s Cerrado.
The map above, based on data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite, shows the expansion of soy production across the Cerrado. Green represents areas cleared before the Amazon moratorium (2001-2006), and purple represents areas cleared while the moratorium was in effect (2007-2013).
Soy expansion between 2001 and 2006 largely occurred as infilling around farms that already existed in 2001 (light green). After 2006, the new frontiers for soy production appeared in Mapitoba—an eastern subregion within the Cerrado and a recent hotspot for agriculture—as well as in the Araguaia River basin and portions of Mato Grosso do Sul.
“Looking at the dynamics of soy expansion in the Cerrado region provides a more complete picture of changes before and after the Amazon’s moratorium,” said Doug Morton, NASA scientist and co-author of the recent paper published in Science. “Although Cerrado regions are not covered by the moratorium, environmental laws still require set-aside areas of native vegetation. Forest cover losses in the Cerrado partially offset declining deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon.”
The magnitude of the change is apparent in the bar chart above. At the start of the moratorium, about 30 percent of soy expansion in the Amazon (green bars) was achieved by cutting down Amazon forests. By 2013, that number dropped to about 1 percent as farmers transitioned to growing soy on previously cleared land.
Without a corresponding moratorium, 11 to 23 percent of new farmland cleared each year for soy in the Cerrado (blue bars) was carved out of natively vegetated land. The expansion was even more widespread in Mapitoba (red bars), where that number hovered around 40 percent.
The map above shows a close-up of Mapitoba, an acronym for the confluence of four states: Maranhão, Piauí, Tocantins, and Bahia. The data reveal the field-by-field clearing of land for soy in the region. Morton says that more research is needed to determine whether the moratorium in the Amazon contributed to clearing of land in the neighboring Cerrado—a so-called “leakage effect.”
Morton believes growers in the Cerrado could replicate the success of the Amazon moratorium. The line graph above shows that the Amazon’s soy-farming areas actually increased by 1.3 million hectares during the moratorium period—growth that was achieved by growing the crop on existing pasture or already cleared land.
“Intensifying agricultural production on existing cleared areas is seen as a win-win strategy,” said Morton, “increasing outputs while safeguarding habitat and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions from land cover change.”
Yet soy expansion is part of a complicated regional development puzzle. “To be effective, the soy moratorium must be replicated in other sectors, such as beef and leather, and in neighboring biomes,” Morton said. “Otherwise, soy may simply displace other land uses further into the forest.”
NASA Earth Observatory images by Jesse Allen, using data provide by Douglas Morton and Praveen Noojipady (NASA/GSFC). Caption by Kathryn HansenA former Nixon adviser, a conspiracy theorist radio host, two African-American singing sisters, a group of bikers and a self-proclaimed “Second Amendment advocate”will join forces in Cleveland on July 18 to hold a rally for a former reality television star.
This motley crew is going to assemble for what they’re calling “The America First Unity Rally,” an opening salvo for what is already going to be the most unconventional Republican National Convention in history.
The event, according to the host’s site, Citizens for Trump, was initially billed as “Our Votes Matter,” when it first appeared that a brokered convention could prevent Donald Trump from becoming the party’s nominee. It was going to be a solidarity gathering of sorts—a warning to the Republican establishment about trying to tear the nomination away from their man’s stubby fingers.
“Citizens for Trump changed the focus and name of the event to ‘America First Unity Rally’ in anticipation of celebrating Mr. Trump’s nomination after it was very clear that he had clinched the GOP mantle from a field of 17 other candidates,” the website now declares.
“I am very excited to be part of this grassroots demonstration of support for the Donald,” longtime Trump ally and former campaign adviser Roger Stone told The Daily Beast in an email. “Ours is a peaceful demonstration and an important counter-point to the violence perpetrated by Move-on and BLM crowd. We hope to build a record crowd to make a statement to the country.”
The former Nixon protege and famous dirty trickster who’s also previously advised the likes of unlikely presidential hopefuls Al Sharpton and Gary Johnson will speak at the Trump event alongside Diamond & Silk, a singing sister warm-up act for the candidate, and InfoWars host and false-flag fanatic Alex Jones.
Jones and Stone are frequent collaborators; like the Thelma and Louise for Trump’s campaign, they’re ready to drive the car off the cliff if need be. Jones, sun-bleached and often teeth-gnashing with a mile-long forehead, has provided both Stone and Trump himself with plenty of airtime throughout the campaign, even as the host himself has pushed theories about Hillary Clinton and Huma Abedin’s supposed lesbian relationship and ties to terror.
While InfoWars is listed as a sponsor of the event, Jones did not respond to a text message or a voicemail from The Daily Beast about his involvement in it.
Another sponsor listed for the event is Eternal Sentry, a self-proclaimed Alt-Right website which was created to “refute the tenants (sic) of critical theory and cultural Marxist offshoots such as the social justice movement that encompasses atheism, multiculturalism, feminism, homosexuality, transgenderism, and abortion,” among many, many, many other things.
The site’s producer, Paul Chambers, who is also listed as the Content Creation Team Director for Citizens for Trump, has written about the potential fall of the white race in America.
“Ladies and gentleman, the fall of western societies will usher in the return of tribalism and barbarism,” he wrote in a Facebook post in April. “It is time for the white man to protect his interest and ONLY his interests. Whites cannot afford to continue to fund their own genocide! ‘Democracy’ has failed whites. The age of ‘enlightenment’ has failed humanity, it is impossible to raise another race into western civilization, culture creates community, and community creates civilization—whites can no longer afford to support a culture that only values tribalism and barbarism.”
Chambers did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast about his involvement in the event.
One person who will be addressing the crowd there is Second Amendment advocate and firearms instructor Jan Morgan, who burst onto the conservative scene with a 2014 article called “Why I Want My Range to be a Muslim Free Zone.”
“Since I published this article over a year ago, Islamic jihadists who committed the last two terrorist attacks on American soil, were trained and practiced at their area gun ranges,” she wrote in a recent updated to that article. “This, once again, validates my decision. I refuse to train the next islamic terrorist.”
If that wasn’t enough to put fear in the hearts of any Trump-opposed Republicans, the group Bikers for Trump is also set to be in attendance.
The 20,000-person strong leather-wearing Trump fan organization previously told The Daily Beast that they “are not looking for a fight, but at the same time, if someone starts one, we won’t back down.”
Or, as one biker put it in a video on beefing up security shared by the group: “If that means us having to protect ourselves by taking someone else’s life, that’s what we’re going to have to do.”
But Stone, who previously threatened to send Trump supporters to the hotel rooms of delegates who opposed his nomination, no longer seems worried about a fight.
“What if [it] snows in Cleveland in August,” he replied, when The Daily Beast asked if the #NeverTrump movement could steal his guy’s nomination. “Zero chance of both.”
As for what he’s looking forward to at the convention, after the America First rally kicks things off on day one?
“Cleveland in August?” Stone mused. “It being over.”Normal is Nothin’
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Learn more about and find Abita near you over at https://abita.com and be sure to connect on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!There are documents dating from at least 2008 to 2016. In June, the Open Society Foundations also had several documents leaked by DCLeaks. Bloomberg reported that the foundation notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation to the hacking.
As Zero Hedge reported 3 days ago, this is not the first we have known of the hack of Soros files. And the conventional wisdom that the DCLeaks site is a Russian operation may be harder to believe now:
...it appears that the "Trump as a Kremlin pawn" news cycle is over, and is being replaced with one that prepares the world for a George Soros email dump; needless to say that particular news cycle will be far more complex to frame as benefiting Putin. (snip)
To be sure, that Soros had been hacked is nothing new to our readers. We first reported about it last June, in an article which revealed Soros as the mastermind behind the 2014 Ukraine presidential coup, titled "Hacked Emails Expose George Soros As Ukraine Puppet-Master." However that particular hack got no coverage in the broader press. The fact that it is finally coming to light suggests that something far bigger is expected to be disclosed by the hacker group.
What is perhaps more notable is that the Soros hack was actually conducted over a year ago, by a group calling itself cyber-berkut as we showed last summer, something which will not make it to the official narrative because this particular group is a bunch of disgruntled hacktivists operating out of Ukraine, who have been for the past two years protesting the CIA-produced 2014 coup in their country. Which is how they stumbled upon Soros.
Considering that the original Soros hackers were Ukrainians, something which wouldn't play too well in this scripted attempt to start another scandal with Russia, it is very likely that DCLeaks is simply a mere aggregator of previously leaked information, in an attempt to become a smaller version of Wikileaks. That possibility, however, will also hardly be touched. After all, the experts have already made up their mind.
Identity of the hackers notwithstanding, the real question then becomes what will be the fallout from the Soros hack:
In the case of Soros’s Open Society, hackers stole a trove of documents after accessing the foundation’s internal intranet, a system called Karl, according to a person familiar with its internal investigation. On August 3, the DCLeaks.com Twitter account tweeted “Check George Soros’s OSF plans to counter Russian policy and traditional values,” attaching a screenshot of a $500,000 budget request for an Open Society program designed to counter Russian influence among European democracies.
The hackers may have had access the foundations’ network for nearly a year, according to another person familiar with the investigation. Although Open Society has about 800 full-time staff, as many as 7,000 people have access to Karl, which is used to circulate draft program proposals, budgets and other internal documents.
Of course a far simpler explanation than accusing Putin, is that actual "leaker" or "hacker" is a disgruntled current or former Soros employee, among these 7,000 people with full access. Alas, the wheels of the narrative are already in motion, and with Russia accused of hacking not only the DNC, but a NATO general and now, Soros too, it is only a matter of time before the diplomatic fallout escalates to a new and dangerous level, an escalation which takes place just as Turkey is pivoting fully toward Russia, and is prepared to enter into both monetary and defensive ties with the Kremlin, in what would be the biggest humiliation for NATO in its history.For cord cutters out there uninterested in buying a TV and the set-top box to go with it (or even those who just want a TV screen they can take on their travels), ZTE has the projector for you. ZTE just announced the Spro 2 at CES today, a mini projector that runs on Android 4.4.2 Kit Kat and can project 1080p video onto any nearby wall you need. And while projecting movies, it can be used as an LTE hotspot for nearby devices or to queue up new content.
Project 1080p video onto any nearby wall
Aside from including an LTE connection, what makes the Spro 2 more interesting than the average projector is that it's running a customized version of Android that's meant to let you easily find movies, TV shows, or presentations that you want to show. Spro's Android has been customized, and while that's usually a bad thing, it's fairly stylish here and actually makes a lot of sense: you probably don't want to use standard Kit Kat on a projector. On the Spro 2, the touch buttons are big and colorful, and it's pretty easy to quickly access projection settings.
The Spro 2 is a step up from last year's Spro projector, which debuted at CES 2014 and didn't have Android customizations or act as a hot spot. This model also comes with a remote. The Spro 2 is small enough to fit in most overnight bags, measuring 5.1 by 5.2 by 1.5 inches. Within that, it has a 5-inch touchscreen for controlling Android — you can even access the Play Store and download apps, games, and communication tools. The Spro 2 can project images up to 120 inches — though, with a native resolution of 1280 x 720, we're not sure how clear the picture will be at that size. At the smaller projection sizes that we saw, it looked good (just don't bump the table, or it'll start autofocusing again). As a mobile hotspot, it can support up to eight devices over 4G LTE, and features carrier aggregation for faster speeds.
The Spro 2 should be available this winter on two major US carriers. Though ZTE declined to say which, The Verge can confirm that it AT&T will provide service. That also means that it's going to be sold on contract because of its LTE connection, which means that this is probably going to be a bit of an office investment. ZTE says that it will be priced in the "affordable premium" range, clarifying that as over $600 and maybe close to $1,000. That price will likely be subsidized, however, because it's being sold on contract.Red Hat, Canonical and GNOME Contributions
Earlier this week at GUADEC, the always affable Dave Neary presented his GNOME Census work. Unfortunately, I was not there to see it, but I read his excellent post on the topic.
One of the reactions from the survey was that Red Hat are responsible for 16% of the contributions to GNOME whereas Canonical are responsible for a measly 1%.
Of course, this has generated some flame, such as a particularly angry post from Greg DeKoenigsberg and the rather pithy response from Jeffrey Stedfast. Greg is clearly pissed, and Jeffrey is clearly pissed at Greg being pissed, and I suspect Greg is going to get even more pissed at Jeffrey being pissed. The worse thing is that they are both going to be pissed at me for this blog post.
First I want to put these figures in perspective and then I want to talk about how we read the figures we do have.
I think the GNOME Census report is excellent, and it provides some excellent visibility into contributions in GNOME, but it only takes into account upstream contributions to GNOME itself. What the report doesn’t take into account are upstream contributions that are built on the GNOME platform but (a) not part of official GNOME modules, and (b) hosted and developed elsewhere, such as Launchpad. As such, while the report is accurate for showing code and contributions accepted into GNOME, there are also many projects built on GNOME technology that are not taken into account due to non-inclusion in GNOME modules or being developed outside of GNOME infrastructure.
As a general rule, Canonical staff develop inside Launchpad. The reason is simple; Launchpad and Bazaar provide a powerful development environment that was also built by Canonical and we therefore have lots of internal skills and best practice based on these tools. Launchpad is also a fundamental component in Ubuntu development and all the software we develop ultimately ships in Ubuntu, so using the same development forge makes sense. Finally, the site is a Free Software and Open Source project, so there really no philosophical reason to move, testified by the 18,000+ Free Software projects happily using Launchpad already.
Canonical is actively developing upstream desktop software, but doing it in Launchpad. Some examples include:
This is by no means the full list, and is other work such as Simple Scan, the Hardware Drivers tool, Computer Janitor, and more. Many of these contributions (such as Application Indicators and Simple Scan) could bring real value to GNOME, but they have not been accepted. I know that the Canonical engineers who work on them would be delighted if they were included in GNOME.
The above list also doesn’t include significant upstream investment in other areas such as Upstart, Bazaar, Launchpad, and a full team building Ubuntu. I don’t want to turn this into a “who contributed more” competition, but I think for some to suggest Canonical is a bad citizen who is not contributing upstream code is unreasonable. To suggest that Canonical has limited code inside approved GNOME modules is fair.
So that was the first thing I wanted to clarify; Canonical does invest heavily in upstream work, but GNOME is not the only home for upstream contributions.
If there is one thing that the GNOME Census has really outlined is that we should all be proud of Red Hat and their contributions to GNOME. You only have to take a look at all the red items on this image to get a feeling for the wonderful work that Red Hat is doing inside GNOME. Novell too. Look the green items in there; Novell has done a wonderful job maintaining many modules inside GNOME. In fact, there are many companies investing inside GNOME modules and inside GNOME infrastructure. I don’t believe it would be fair to undermine these contributions in any way; they are testament to the ethos of those companies and their commitment to GNOME. All of the people working at those companies are doing good work within the spirit of Free Software.
Likewise, I don’t think it is fair to undermine Canonical’s contributions just because many of them exist outside of GNOME. Our engineers are also doing good work within the spirit of Free Software. I have never claimed for a second that Canonical are equal to Red Hat and Novell in terms of our accepted contributions in GNOME; it is clear that there are far few contributions from Canonical staff inside accepted GNOME modules, but this does not for a second mean that Canonical is not (a) producing upstream contributions and (b) heavily invested in the GNOME platform. Ubuntu, our primary product is a GNOME desktop, and the vast majority of our engineers are GNOME users and developers and they work every day on a GNOME based product.
So in a nutshell, this is my take: both Red Hat and Canonical invest heavily in Open Source development, but they do it in different ways and different places. The GNOME Census clearly outlines that within GNOME modules, Red Hat are doing far more, but that doesn’t mean that Canonical are sitting on their thumbs and doing nothing, far from it.A space-based solar power system that uses lasers to transmit power could meet near-term energy needs for the Defense Department and serve as the stepping stone to larger microwave systems. (credit: LLNL) A new level of urgency for space-based solar power
Historically, energy use has been an enabler and a strong indicator of both wealth and the quality of life in a society. According to Steven Radelet of Foreign Affairs Magazine, “Global poverty, defined by the World Bank as living on less than $1.90 per day, is falling faster today than at any time in human history.” 1 The industrialization of China and India is a big part of the story, but even excluding those countries, the number of extreme poor has fallen by more than 400 million people. Since the 1980s, more than 60 countries have reduced the number of citizens who are impoverished, even as their overall populations have grown. 2 Along with the improvement of global wealth and prosperity, fossil fuel energy consumption will continue to increase. Since 1997, global annual consumption of petroleum and other liquids has steadily risen from 73.58 million to 96.61 million barrels a day in 2015. 3 The end of 2015 marks the first time since 2004 that global petroleum inventories increased (1.9 million barrels per day) greater than consumption (1.4 million barrels per day). 4 One could imagine satellites powering forward operating bases (FOBs) or overseas bases for US joint military operations in both permissive and non-permissive environments. But do not let today’s low gas prices fool you. The US Energy Information Administration projects the global oil market to balance in 2017, as global demand for oil will continue to grow at an average rate of 1.7 million barrels per day. As the Earth’s growing population gains access to electricity and demand for energy increases, the appetite for fossil fuels will maintain its steady climb and cost will rise with limited availability. For example, the Middle East now uses nearly 33 percent of the oil that it produces, compared to just 20 percent in 2000. 5 With the largest reserves in the world equaling 25 percent of the global total, the world still continues to rely on the Middle East to supply its petroleum demands in the foreseeable future. At the current rate of consumption, global supplies will only last another 36 years. 6 On his 2016 State of the Union address, President Obama called for increased investment into clean energy that would make American businesses a leader for selling the energy of the future. With growing global populations and a surging demand for energy, concerns regarding long-term accumulation of fossil fuel-derived greenhouse gases coupled with a decline in world fossil-fuel reserves over the next thirty-five years will dominate world interest. 7 According to former NASA official John Mankins, the “green” technologies that President Obama speaks of like photovoltaic arrays, high energy and low mass fuel cells, and wind turbines have made substantial contributions to meeting long-term energy demands, but they are unlikely to provide the amounts of continuous base-load power that will be needed in the coming decades. Space-based solar power (SBSP) could provide virtually limitless energy from the sun in a safe and cost-effective manner. SBSP is the collection of energy from the Sun by space-based assets, and its wireless transmission from space to other space assets or to Earth. 8 But as yet, the United States has no official SBSP program. One could imagine satellites powering forward operating bases (FOBs) or overseas bases for US joint military operations in both permissive and non-permissive environments. One could also envision entire cities or regions completely fueled by limitless, affordable energy from space. Despite these possibilities, it is unlikely that Americans or others will notice the significant impact of this new technology over the next 10 years. The military, humanitarian, and infrastructure capabilities are beyond the imagination of most, but fortunately they are not beyond reality from a technical perspective. The United States has demonstrated a history of innovation and leadership in aerospace development that began with the Wright Brothers and the establishment of the space program at NASA. As the world’s premier aerospace developer, the US is well positioned to lead the development of space-based solar power. Doing so could establish new industry for the US and decrease our military’s annual $20 billion energy bill. 9 The urgency of this matter should drive Congress to require the Air Force Space Command to develop both laser and microwave wireless point transfer (WPT) SBSP. Laser SBSP should be considered because of the immediate impact that it can bring to space-based assets and potential for terrestrial military operations. By demonstrating laser SBSP capabilities, the US will ignite the appetite for microwave SBSP systems capable of significantly more power distribution tailored for permanent power grid infrastructure support. With current proposals provided by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), laser SBSP could be implemented in five years. It is imperative that the US develop and collaborate new policies, both domestically and internationally, that support the demonstration of WPT SBSP not with the aim of weaponizing space, but to build a more prosperous world for future generations. Laser versus microwave SBSP When developing a design for SBSP, four interrelated characteristics matter the most: the wavelength/frequency of the electromagnetic (EM) wave sued for transmission of the energy; the distance over which the energy is to be transmitted; the size of the transmitting aperture; and the size of the receiving aperture. 10 The laser design uses a beam at visible or near-visible wavelengths, whereas the microwave design uses radio frequency (RF) energy transmitted at microwave wavelengths of about 2 to 20 centimeters. 11 Each design has significant advantages and disadvantages. An initial laser-based system could be placed in low Earth orbit (LEO) with a single Falcon 9 launch, as compared to the multiple space launches and on-orbit robotics assembly required for a microwave-based system. As the wavelengths used in lasers are very small, on the order of hundreds of nanometers, you can achieve effective transmission of energy with small transmitting and receiving apertures. When it comes to lasers, distance is largely insignificant. At a geosynchronous orbit (GEO), a 3.65-meter-aperture laser is potentially capable of providing a spot on the Earth’s surface 36.5 feet across. 12 That laser width, which impacts the size of the spot on Earth, can theoretically be adjusted by changing the size of the transmitting aperture. Lasers operate at frequencies multiple orders of magnitude higher than microwaves, and can result in the use of a smaller transmit aperture in space. An initial laser-based system could be placed in low Earth orbit (LEO) with a single Falcon 9 launch, as compared to the multiple space launches and on-orbit robotics assembly required for a microwave-based system. 13 After testing the system, a laser SBSP satellite would be deployable directly from Earth’s surface to GEO on just one Falcon Heavy rocket. In addition, the latest designs of laser SBSP have now made use of high efficiency components so that more of the Sun’s energy collected in space can be converted to energy transmitted to Earth. The extremely poor transfer efficiencies from solar energy to electric DC power have improved significantly in recent years to efficiencies greater than 50 percent. 14 Lasers, though, produce a visible beam that cannot pass readily through haze or cloud cover, reducing its average efficiency of transmission and potentially necessitating the use of adaptive optics on the ground. Even with the improvement in efficiency, there will be a concern for heat buildup in the transfer of solar energy to laser energy because heat does not naturally dissipate in space. The satellite’s design must incorporate a cooling function utilizing radiation instead of conduction and convection, 15 as heat buildup in a high power laser will be an issue and development of a good cooling system will be essential. It will also be imperative no objects travel through the laser. With countless satellites between GEO and the Earth’s surface, a shutoff mechanism will be required to recognize beam interference from another space based system. 16 User and pedestrian safety on the ground will be a significant concern. Laser transfer’s high visibility (you will easily able to see it, especially at night),will also be a potential concern if supporting covert military operations. Microwave WPT SBSP, on the other hand, provides a steady, uninterrupted transmission of power through rain, clouds, and other atmospheric conditions, depending on the operational frequency chosen. It will safely transmit power through air at intensities no greater than the sun’s most intense rays. It will be capable of providing from one to tens of gigawatts of energy to terrestrial receivers, enough to power a large city. Laser SBSP could be deployed today to help build an energy infrastructure for increased space industrialization. The significant challenges of the microwave design stem from its relative size of a system compared to the laser SBSP design. This is primarily related to the fact that apertures for longer wavelengths are significantly larger than the equivalent apertures needed for operation at the wavelengths associated with lasers. The microwave design would therefore require multiple launches into space from earth. Further, due its size, it would require on orbit robotic assembly in GEO or assembly in LEO with a required space tug application to move it from LEO to GEO. Such a robotic on-orbit assembly capability will require significant technological development that may not be available yet. John Mankins estimates a six-year roadmap required to field and test his SPS-ALPHA design from an initial operating capability in LEO to a full operating capability in GEO. Latest designs and feasibility of SBSP systems LLNL has been developing a laser SBSP design since 2002 that today will only weigh roughly 10 metric tons, a fraction of the weight of the microwave design. 17 Its researchers predict a cost of $500 million to create and deploy it into space with only one Falcon 9 rocket, which drastically reduces the cost and time of production. The laser beam would only be about two meters in diameter. The LLNL design utilizes microgravity to permit a low-mass, inflatable, non-rigid structure. 18 This laser WPT design reduces the required size of the receiving aperture on Earth by more than a thousand times and relaxes the focusing requirements of the transmission system. Diode-pumped, electrical lasers with efficiencies of more than 50 percent, with the ability to output many kilowatts of power, are commercially available now. Today, it would be quite possible to deploy the LLNL design on a Falcon Heavy and have a SBSP satellite ready for use. In order to justify its $500 million price tag, this essay will examine laser SBSP applications best suited for space-based and terrestrial military applications in future development. Successful demonstrations of the laser SBSP will help spark momentum for microwave designs, which have even bigger strategic impacts for future power application in a potentially resources constrained environment. The latest designs of microwave SBSP feature more practical structures than in the past, which extended for kilometers and were estimated to cost somewhere between $1 and $3 trillion to create. John Mankins’ microwave design would use a terrestrial receiving aperture several kilometers in diameter, require fewer launches, and take advantage of today’s latest concepts in on-orbit servicing using robotics. Right now, he estimates a required cost for the project to be between $1 and $10 billion, a significant reduction in cost compared to past designs. The significant improvements in technology to field a SBSP system from the 1970s to right now demonstrate the potential for SBSP in the future. From a more strategic outlook, the microwave design of SBSP provides tremendous potential for powering future societies on earth using a rectifying antenna referred to as a “rectenna.” The size of the rectenna would be equivalent to the size of a football field, receiving the SBSP microwave signal, and plugging into a power grid with appropriate DC-to-AC converters. With on-orbit construction requirements, microwave SBSP designs could utilize the energy provided from an already deployed laser SBSP satellite. Due to the lack of atmosphere and challenges seen with terrestrial type usages, the laser application of SBSP energy to space based operations promotes an environment of innovation and diffusion of perceived reality. Laser SBSP applications for space-based assets Laser SBSP could be deployed today to help build an energy infrastructure for increased space industrialization. The advantages of using the laser design would be tremendous for space assets. It would enable spacecraft using electric propulsion to carry out a mission with relatively little propellant. 19 Royce Jones, CEO of Solar Maximum LLC, a company specializing in Concentrated Photovoltaic and Thermal (CPV-T) combined systems, proposes a hybrid space tug design that use both a 0.5-megawatt laser rectenna and a 0.25-megawatt on-board direct drive solar cell. He states that vehicles powered by lasers from SBSP systems would enable vehicles to reduce mass by a factor of twenty to thirty times than solar, chemical, or nuclear powered vehicles. The ability to beam energy to the space tug decreases mass because the energy production system would not be located in its design. This development could enable a low cost cislunar transportation system. Jones believes his hybrid space tug design could be used for a wide range of space mission types, including retiring communication satellites in GEO, moving cargo and people to space stations, cleaning up space debris, and conducting on-orbit assembly, something that could assist John Mankins’ SPS-ALPHA design in GEO. Laser SBSP could support both missions that we are currently thinking of today and ones we are not. 20 From an innovative perspective, a multi-megawatt or even gigawatt laser-powered space tug could one day outperform even chemical rockets in thrust. 21 Developing a laser SBSP capability to test space tug operations could open the doors to further capabilities long desired by space advocates. Laser SBSP could be a game changer for building a transportation network and logistics infrastructure in space and potentially be that missing link that propels the human race into becoming a spacefaring society. A beamed energy in-space transportation system could be considered a precursor or even a technology demonstrator for SBSP terrestrial military functions. Terrestrial military applications for laser SBSP Out of the $20 billion a year that the Defense Department spends on energy, roughly 35 percent of delivered fuel goes toward powering forward operating bases. 22 23 For the FOB, a SBSP satellite that produces one megawatt of power would support a maximum power output of 500 kilowatts assuming a wireless transfer efficiency of 50 percent. 24 With the average person requiring 1.5 to 2 kilowatts of power, the maximum capacity utilizing the LLNL design would be around 250 service members. In this scenario, the laser rectenna receiving aperture would be situated a distance away from the tent site and operations area of the FOB. 25 This is similar to today’s operations, which are conducted with portable ground generators rated at 40 to 60 kilowatts and use the same concept for both thermal and noise abatement issues. If the LLNL design is implemented, it could produce a laser SBSP satellite and deploy it on a Falcon Heavy to GEO for $135 million. Support would only include the necessary security perimeter and space-based asset de-confliction. A laser SBSP satellite could play a significant role in supporting such an operation in a combat environment with its inherent flexibility. Further, a laser SBSP satellite could power multiple FOBs, giving a backup power source when logistical lines run thin or there is a sudden increased demand for power. When 100 airmen of Air Mobility Command’s Contingency Response Group (CRG) deploy to establish airfields in other parts of the world, they take four generators to power each location, three to power seven tents and one to power their operations structure. On a 45-day deployment, they will consume 250 liters of fuel and 30 liters of oil every eight hours for just these four generators. After 45 days, the organization will have consumed a total of 34,000 liters of fuel and about 4,000 liters of oil. 26 Their initial capacity for deployment only allows them to carry about 3,800 liters of fuel. Depending on the mission, these warfighters could operate in permissive, semi-permissive, or even combat environments and experience situations where replenishables must be re-supplied, putting those that provide those supplies in in harm’s way. According to Martin LaMonica of IEEE Spectrum, fuel can cost $2.64 to $3.96 per liter by the time fuel is delivered to outposts. 27 After the initial five days and 3,800 liters of gasoline, the price to run the generators will jump from $36 an hour to $285 an hour just for diesel. At these prices, CRG operations for the next 40 days of deployment would cost $273,000 in just fuel costs alone. If the LLNL design is implemented, it could produce a laser SBSP satellite and deploy it on a Falcon Heavy to GEO for $135 million. It would take 12.5 generators to conservatively create the output of 500 kilowatts of energy. At a comparison cost of $4 a liter for fuel alone, it would take only 17 years of continuous 500 kilowatts of energy production to recoup the $135 million launch cost. Fuel delivery convoys to deployed forces add cost to logistical chains and create targets for improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The flexibility provided by SBSP will reduce the frequency of logistical resupply for our joint warfighters and will lower Defense Department energy costs to sustain its expeditionary footprint over the long run. The ability to keep our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen out of harm’s way carries a lot of weight in supporting the idea of SBSP. Once the case for SBSP gains traction within the Defense Department, the significant gains of this new energy resource will be harnessed by powering joint military installations that exist in areas where energy is high cost. Terrestrial military and commercial application for microwave SBSP The USAF has based outside the continental US, especially in the Pacific Command region, that present phenomenal cases for a microwave SBSP market, not just to provide electricity to the military but also for supporting the entire community. Kadena Air Force Base in Ok |
have space and time to repair its design flaws.
If only it were so easy. Protests and strikes against austerity have restarted in debtor states, and secessionism is stirring in Spain. Just as worrying, creditor states are showing every sign of going slow, and even reneging, on their promises to strengthen the euro zone. Rückfall, the German word for backsliding, is one reason the euro zone is being pushed back into an acute phase of the crisis.
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Start with the conditional promise of intervention by the ECB’s president, Mario Draghi. This is designed to hold down a country’s borrowing costs, especially for short-dated bonds, and dispel “unfounded fears” about the future of the euro. In his campaign to delegitimise the policy, Jens Weidmann, the Bundesbank chief, has resorted to drawing a parallel between Mr Draghi and Mephisto in Goethe’s “Faust”. The German government, though in favour of the ECB’s scheme, is uncomfortable. It has told Spain not to ask for more help—the essential first step that would allow the ECB to act.
Worse, the Rückfall over banking union seems almost designed to rekindle the crisis. At a summit in June euro-zone leaders declared that it was “imperative to break the vicious circle between banks and sovereigns”. To do so, they would create a single banking supervisor “as a matter of urgency”. And once established, euro-zone rescue funds could be used directly to recapitalise troubled banks. It is no secret that the plan was meant to help Spain, by shifting some of the burden of supporting crippled banks to the euro zone—retroactively if necessary. Ireland was told it could expect similar assistance.
This bargain was done on terms that Germany has always advocated: more central control in exchange for more solidarity. But even before the European Commission this month rushed out its proposals for a banking supervisor (an offshoot of the ECB), Germany was undermining the deal. Drafts of the commission’s plan included a commitment to complement the new supervisor with a euro-zone resolution authority to wind up failed banks (known as Edira), and a European bank-deposit guarantee scheme (aka, Edgar). Under German pressure, these were removed from the final version.
Many worry that, with the abortion of Edira and Edgar, the ECB will be responsible for overseeing banks but lack the means to deal with the bad ones. At the same time, Germany is fighting the commission’s plan for the ECB to have authority to supervise all 6,000-plus banks in the euro zone. Berlin wants to exclude smaller banks, including its own often-troubled regional lenders.
And Germany has tried to slow down the timetable for the supervisor to start work on January 1st 2013, on the grounds that such an important task should not be rushed. Thereafter, direct bank recapitalisation should only take place once the system has shown itself to be effective. This week, Wolfgang Schäuble, the German finance minister, and his über-hawkish colleagues from the Netherlands and Finland, sought greatly to limit the scope of the commitment: direct bank recapitalisation should apply only to new problems, not “legacy assets” and should only be a “last resort”, after using private capital and then national funds.
Germany knows it has to look after its own banks, so it wants to limit its liability for those of other countries. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has already staked much treasure on helping others. At some point, Germany may have to write off part of the loans it made to Greece. Mrs Merkel already lost her “chancellor’s majority” in this summer’s vote to lend Spain up to €100 billion ($129 billion) to restructure its banks. She is not rushing back to the Bundestag to ask for more money, not least because any debate would turn to the ECB and Mephisto.
Economics and morality
Mario Monti, Italy’s prime minister, quips that, for Germany, “economics is a branch of moral philosophy”. Countries must pay for sins of commission (budget deficits) and omission (poor bank supervision). Only then can there perhaps be more European integration to avert problems in the future.
Yet there is little point in worrying about tomorrow’s woes when today’s crisis is unresolved. Germany is right to fret that relieving market pressure on debtors could create moral hazard and slow down badly needed reforms. Equally, though, moral hazard applies to creditors. When the pressure is off, Germany shows too little urgency about repairing the euro.
There is a cost to delay and prevarication. It is harder for countries to reform without hope that their agony will end. Germany’s unwillingness to act except in the most dire moments condemns the euro zone to one acute crisis after another. In the short term Mrs Merkel may thus find herself fighting for re-election next year with the euro zone back in flames. In the longer term a chronic crisis is already creating permanent damage: prolonged economic stagnation and depression in deficit countries, loss of confidence in the credibility of governments and the future of the euro, and increasingly poisonous politics. Germany may fear the “legacy” costs of past mistakes. But it should also worry about the legacy of its hesitation and inaction.Voice acting agency Aoni Production announced on Monday that voice actor Tsuyoshi Takishita had passed away on Sunday. The cause of death was injuries due to slipping and falling when he was on his way home. Born in the Japanese prefecture of Ibaraki, Takishita was 37 years old. Aoni Production thanked all those who had been kind to him in the time before his passing. Game maker Tecmo Koei also commented, saying, "We pray for the happiness in the next world for a great actor and man with honorable character."
Producer Akihiro Suzuki also posted a comment on Shin Sangoku Musō 7's official Facebook page, saying, “I've been told that voice of our Shin Sangoku Musō series' Sima Yi, Tsuyoshi Takishita, has passed away. Our entire team is just extremely shocked. We hope for his happiness in the next world."
Takishita is perhaps best known for his role as Sima Yi in Tecmo Koei's Shin Sangoku Musō ( Dynasty Warriors ) video game series, as well as Carlos Vallertes/Black Ranger in the Japanese dub of Power Rangers. He had taken part in the game adaptation of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms since the very first game was released in 2000. Shin Sangoku Musō 7 ( Dynasty Warriors 8 ) was released in Japan on February 28.
Source: Sponichi Annex via 0takomu
Update: Tecmo Koei's comment added.Formwerks Architects have designed the POD Hotel in Singapore.
Hotel description
The POD is Singapore’s latest boutique capsule hotel catering to discerning travellers who desire fuss-free and convenient living.
With 83 cosy capsules inspired by modern and minimalistic living, you can look forward to convenience at your fingertips without compromising on comfort, quality or style.
At The POD, personalised concierge services are on hand to satisfy your every need so that you can focus on the things that truly matter.
Enjoy complimentary laundry service, hot buffet breakfast and Nespresso coffee, high-speed Wi-Fi access and more. A complete set of amenities ensures effortless living right at the centre of Singapore.
Located at the fringe of the Singapore Central Business District, The POD offers quick accessibility to the heart of the financial centre or immersion in the warmth of bustling Haji Lane – rated as one of the top shopping places in SingaporeCLOSE The bad news: A solar flare could mean disturbances in satellites and radio transmissions. The good news: A flare could also mean an expansion of the aurora borealis! Host Carly Mallenbaum talks about the impact of the strong solar storm. (USA TODAY, USA NOW)
A false-color image of the sun shows the solar flare erupting in the center of the sun on Wednesday. (Photo: Solar Dynamics Observatory)
A "strong" solar flare that launched off the sun Wednesday afternoon could cause some fluctuations in Earth's power grid and slight disturbances in satellites and radio transmissions on Friday and Saturday.
Major disruptions are not expected, even though the flare was classified as an "X-class" flare, which is at the high end of the solar flare scale. Wednesday's flare followed a weaker flare late Monday.
"We expect geomagnetic storm levels in the G2 (moderate) and G3 (strong) range," said Bill Murtagh, space weather forecaster for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"G2-G3 geomagnetic storms can cause some problems for the (power) grid but are typically very manageable," Murtagh said in an e-mail Thursday morning. "We may also see some anomalies with satellites so satellite operators around the world have been notified. And problems with the accuracy of GPS have been observed with this level of storming."
Forecasters with NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colo., said the flare "caused impacts to high-frequency radio communications on Earth" Wednesday afternoon.
Intense flares such as the one that erupted Wednesday are often associated with coronal mass ejections, or "CME"s. A coronal mass ejection contains billions of tons of energetic hydrogen and helium ions as well as magnetic fields ejected from the sun's surface.
Though this CME will hit the Earth, this CME isn't big enough or impressive enough to cause a more disruptive geomagnetic storm. But "any additional eruptions in the next few days will likely produce more disturbances in our geomagnetic field," Murtagh added.
It was "fairly rare" for the two CMEs (Monday evening and midday Wednesday) to come so close in succession, said Thomas Berger, the director of the Space Weather Prediction Center
SPACE CENTRAL
At the Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado, phones ring constantly, as scientists consult with their colleagues around the world, and with their Defense Department counterparts in Nebraska, who monitor the effects on spy satellites and other classified equipment.
Screens display images of the sun in a variety of formats, from the familiar orange-yellow we're used to seeing to otherwise invisible radiation steaming toward us. The Earth's magnetic field protects us from the worst of the impacts, but the particles also affect the field, and thus our electronics.
Forecaster Chris Smith takes a call from a Civil Air Patrol group in the Midwest wondering whether the flare will affect their planned weather balloon launch.
"You'll still be within the protection of the Earth's atmosphere, so you should be OK," Smith advises. "But if you can hold off a day, that's not a bad idea."
Depending on how strongly it hits the earth, the flare's impacts could interfere with some radio signals and slightly alter GPS readings. "Folks driving down the road wouldn't notice much difference," said Murtagh.
NIGHT LIGHTS
One nice side effect of the solar storm is an expansion of the photogenic aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, across Canada and the northern U.S.
People in northern New England, the far northern Plains, and the Pacific Northwest should have the best views of the aurora. The best views should be Friday night, but some auroras could be visible Thursday night.
YOUR TAKE: Share your aurora photos
The Northern Lights appear when atoms in the Earth's high-altitude atmosphere collide with energetic charged particles from the sun. They usually appear as shimmering green waves of light in the nighttime sky in polar latitudes. Much more rarely, they can be red and even blue.
Contributing: Trevor Hughes, Elizabeth Weise; and Associated Press
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1rX5vjJThis 1964 Hanomag AL28 is an interesting 4×4 2.8 liter diesel-powered pick-up that looks like it may have been restored in the recent past. Most of these trucks were sold to state agencies, and we can’t imagine many survive in any condition, let alone as nice as this one looks to be. Many European trucks of this era bear more of a resemblance to their contemporary US counterparts than the COE style rigs that would come to dominate the segment, yet there’s still lots to compare and contrast here. Find it here on mobile.de in Berlin, Germany for 12k euros (-$13,400 USD today).
The truck wears dark teal paint of an unknown age, but finish seems to be in pretty good condition. Body panels don’t show any large dents or alignment issues, and a couple undercarriage photos are promising as well. The wood planked, drop-side bed appears to be in nice shape, and wears correct badging on the tailgate, while a spare tire resides between the bed and cab.
The interior is pretty utilitarian, but features a number of fun looking switchgear on the dash alongside interestingly laid out instruments. Bucket seats are mismatched in color and shape, and are split by the various levers and controls. Glass seems to be in good shape, and the split windshield appears to be ventable.
There are no engine shots included, but a 2.8 liter diesel four-cylinder should be lurking under the hood. Its ~70 HP is routed through a 4-speed main gearbox and transfer case, the latter of which seems to offer high, low, and neutral (rear drive) gears.Wonder Stick is rated 3.9 out of 5 by 429.
Rated 4 out of 5 by Chickpea47 from Easy Peasy! I bought this product after much deliberation between powders, creams, pallets, both the pricey and cheap. I'm new to contouring, and wanted something straightforward and easy to use. I am happy with this product because it gets the job done, it's buildable, and it's not too intense. I have extremely sensitive bumpy skin with redness and chronic dryness, and I'm happy to say this product didn't highlight any of the negative qualities of my skin! The only problem is that the highlight portion of this product isn't quite opaque and so produces more of a "dewy" finish. I ordered the Universal stick, so the others may be different.
Rated 3 out of 5 by DiamondP from The contour isn't dark enough I don't know why I expected anything different. There is no love for us darkskin girls. I bought the wonderstick in deep after reading some positive reviews. It's a great quality product and the highlight is fine but if you're darkskinned ranging from Gabrielle Union to Lupita Nyongo I wouldn't necessarily buy it. I ended up having to mix the contour with a dark matte eyeshadow (only thing I could find) to make it work. As you can see from the photo below my nose is not contoured very well and also I do not wear any foundation or any type of powder so that may also have an effect. I can only imagine my disappointment if I had decided to buy the universal shades. My question is universal for whom? Everyone is not light or fair skinned. The deep contour should be darker....
Rated 2 out of 5 by The Dank Miss from Greasy, oily, gross I *love* NYX products with a passion that borders on obsession. But this product is the worst of theirs I've tried to date. It has an absolutely disgusting texture, remniscent of cheap pop up store Halloween grease paint. I chose the shade "light" bc the universal shades highlighter is super shimmery which may be what some are looking for but not I. The highlighter shade on the light wonder stick would be a good color but it provided streaky sheer color that when blended with a beauty blender still looked streaky, transparent and oily. Both ends of the stick have an oily texture that doesn't really go away. My face continued to feel sticky in the areas applied for hours. I love the concept, love NYX, HATE this product.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Surrrah from Great for paler skin tones!!! I struggle with finding contour shades that aren't too orangey on my pale skin. As soon as I searched this I fell in love, it's super easy to apply and the shade is more grey based which is perfect if your paler. Also the highlight shade actually brightens up my face which a lot of highlights/concealers fail to do. Also the shape of the contour side makes it super easy to contour your nose! Love this product, to set the contour I use NYX's blush in taupe
Rated 4 out of 5 by dab1738 from Good Starter Product! I purchased the wonder stick a month or so ago when I wanted to try-out contouring. I'm fairly new to I guess more "complicated" makeup, if you will. It's a lovely product, and it glides on smoothly. Beware!! I have olive skin, and I purchased Medium/Tan. The highlight is really nice and blends smoothly into my skin. However, too much of the contour creates a muddy appearance! But if you blend too much, the pigmentation is overpowered and the contour doesn't have a huge effect. But all in all, it's a really awesome product to start out with if you're unfamiliar with contour. I suggest using a brush to blend rather than a beauty blender for this contour stick :)
Rated 4 out of 5 by Jennm2109 from Easy to use I love how this product is easy to use if you have never tried to contour before. I bought the medium shade, I felt that the contour color wasn't dark enough. After using it multiple times it is better for a more natural look.
Rated 4 out of 5 by swtrosebud7 from sup far, so good This was my first cream contour abd highlight product so i don't have anything to compare it to. Im super pale and got the lightest one. I really like the contour color but the highlight could've been a little lighter. But again I'm really pale so I need something practically white to make a good highlight lol. Very good consistency. Can go back and layer without it looking weird or messing up the first layer of contour. Blends great. I use a random mini stipplong blush to blend it and it works great. Overall Im pretty happy with my first cream contour and highlight!The use and abuse of drugs is a reality all over the world and a problem every nation must contend with. But the severity of the issue and ways in which countries address it can vary dramatically. Data obtained from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reveal some surprising (and sometimes obvious) snapshots of drug issues around the world. The office published data on the number of people treated for drugs as well as the drugs treated. Drugs are grouped into the following categories: Cannabis
Cocaine
Solvents and inhalants
Opioids: heroin, opium, pharmaceutical opioids
Amphetamine-type stimulants: methamphetamine, amphetamine, ecstasy, prescription stimulants
Tranquilizers and sedatives: benzodiazepines, barbiturates
Hallucinogens: LSD and others
See the interactive map below to learn more about the global demand for drug treatment and other stats. You probably didn’t expect to see New Zealand and Iran top the global list for the treatment of drug abuse. Still, both countries are known for having high rates of drug use – New Zealand for cannabis and Iran for opioids (and recently, meth). The fact that both countries treat many of their residents follows logically. A caveat to this data: These are official U.N. figures for a topic that is difficult to measure. Actual rates could be significantly different, and countries could have different ways of counting and reporting numbers. Comparisons should be made with caution.
The Kiwi Context The unassuming nation of New Zealand, known for its fantasy landscapes and sauvignon blancs, is also a paradise for marijuana users because the drug is so easily available. As a result, it has one of the world’s highest reported rates of cannabis use, according to The New Zealand Herald. The 2014 U.N. World Drug Report put the country at No. 3 in cannabis use (14.6 percent of adults used marijuana in 2007, the latest year available), just behind Iceland (18.3 percent in 2012, also the latest year available), and nearly tied with the United States (14.8 percent in 2012). But the nation, consistently ranked at the top of global well-being indexes, is aggressively addressing the issue. Several treatment resources are available for those who wish to quit. A simple Google search with the terms “cannabis” and “New Zealand” returns myriad resource websites. The nation spends $120 million NZD a year to treat drug addictions, about $27 NZD (approximately $19 USD) per person. The United States, for comparison, earmarked $9.2 billion in 2013 for drug addiction treatment; that’s close to $29 per person. Drug abuse can exact a heavy financial burden on both the user and on a nation as a whole. Countries around the world continue to incorporate addiction treatment advances and widen the availability of substance treatment programs with the simultaneous benefits of minimizing the larger costs to society, and promote the health and well-being of all in need. Recovery Brands supports the efforts of the global community in enhancing the effectiveness and availability of recovery options for those in need.
The Persian Problem Iran has the second-highest rate of treatment but for quite different reasons. It sits next to Afghanistan, the world’s top producer of opium, and serves as a major trafficking route. Much of that heroin stays in the country. The result: It has one of the highest proportions of drug addicts in the world, according to several reports. Official figures put the number of addicts at 1–3 percent of the population, and some 1.3 million people are in treatment programs. But heroin from Afghanistan is only part of the problem. Methamphetamines are gaining ground, and for a devious reason: It’s being peddled to women at salons with the promise it will keep them thin.
A Planet of Opioids The map above shows the demand for the treatment of drugs in general categories, like opioids and amphetamines. But in some cases, countries also reported the treatment demand for specific drugs, like heroin, opium, and ecstasy. Most of the world is bathed in dark opioid blue, mainly due to powerfully addictive heroin. Some opiates, including heroin, are derivatives or chemical cousins of the morphine molecule found in the opium poppy. That being said, few countries reported the demand for treatment for opium itself, but it is generally low (except for India, where 20 percent of all cases are for opium treatment). Light-blue cocaine dominates treatments in South American nations, many of which are large producers. Interestingly, Colombia, the largest source of coke, reported that most of its drug treatments are for cannabis. Cannabis was also the most treated drug in several African nations, Canada, Mexico, and the antipodean countries. Sweden, Central Europe, the Gulf, Southeast Asia, and Japan, with South Korea, represent a few pockets where amphetamine-type stimulants, such as meth, ecstasy, and prescription stimulants, are the primary drug for treatment. In most of these places, meth is the top culprit (in Laos, it’s almost 99 percent of all treatments). But in Sweden, amphetamines top treatment demand, as it’s a popular drug in the party circuit. As for sedatives such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines, only two countries stand out: Mongolia and Namibia. And if you squint hard enough at the map (or zoom in), you’ll see that tiny Eritrea treats people for the abuse of solvents and inhalants the most.
Deaths by Overdose: An Underreported Problem The third selection item on the map shows the number of drug overdoses in each country on the year it was measured (the time frame varies widely – from 2003 in some countries to 2013 in others). While Iceland and the U.S. top the world in numbers, the more glaring takeaway is how poorly this information is reported worldwide. It’s mostly a concern of wealthier northern nations. Data are missing for all African countries and most Asian and South American nations. With abuse of opiates and sedatives always comes the grave possibility of overdose and, in some cases, death. Poor reporting might reflect a lack of toxicology screening upon presentation in emergency rooms to identify precise substances involved, but make no mistake: overdose situations exist across the board for any number of the aforementioned drugs. At Recovery Brands, we feel that education about the inherent dangers of drug abuse coupled with an increase in access to treatment services can go a long way to prevent tragic outcomes for the citizenry of any country.
Marijuana: The World’s Favorite Drug Although opioids are the most treated drug in the world, they are not the most consumed. With only a few exceptions, marijuana is every country’s top drug by the proportion of users. Only in El Salvador and Southeast Asian nations such as Thailand, Laos, and the Philippines do people prefer amphetamine-type stimulants to weed. The UNODC breaks down the percentage of countries’ populations that use different drugs. The drugs are grouped into the following categories: Cannabis
Cocaine
Ecstasy
Amphetamine-type stimulants
Prescription opioids
Prescription stimulants
Opiates
Opioids Here are the top countries that use, sorted by drug type, for the latest years available.
How is Treatment Related to the Justice System? We crossed the treatment demand data with other stats on countries’ justice systems, such as incarceration rates, conviction rates, and the proportion of prisoners whose main offense was drug-related. We found a slight correlation between demand for treatments and the proportion of prisoners serving time for drug crimes. When the outliers of New Zealand, Iceland, and Australia are excluded, the relationship is clearer. A possible explanation is that countries with high drug use jail offenders and treat drug abusers with similar measures.
Overcoming Drug Addiction Drug addiction can be managed and minimized. New Zealand and Iran are spearheading the fight with their high rates of treatment, whereas other countries are combating rising drug-related offenses with incarceration. The U.S. fights drug abuse with a mix of both, as part of its long-running War on Drugs. And the rate of prisoners who used drugs prior to committing a crime is high: up to 70 percent, according to the most recent 2004 survey by the Department of Justice. And as of 2013, only 16 percent of prisoners were incarcerated for a drug-related crime. But treatments are also widely available. There are no less than 14,500 drug treatment facilities in the country, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, many offering multiple approaches to address various types of addiction and substance use disorders.
About Recovery Brands Recovery Brands seeks to help those whose lives are adversely affected by addiction – including drug, alcohol, behavioral addiction – as well as by eating disorders and other mental health issues. Thousands are helped by recovery programs on a daily basis, but many more do not receive the treatment attention they need. Recovery Brands strives to connect those struggling with addiction, mental and behavioral issues with the resources that enable them make informed decisions about their care, and that ultimately place them on the road towards lasting recovery.
Methodology We obtained drug treatment and usage data from the UNODC to find the most treated and used drugs, the demand for treatment, and the overdose mortality rates for each country. These data were then crossed with international justice stats from the UNODC and other sources. Some of the data are inconsistent among countries (some countries only report figures for a few drugs, if any), so any comparisons cannot be deemed definitive.The bill would mandate helmets for scooter and moped drivers and riders under age 21.
Alachua County’s state Sen. Keith Perry (R-Gainesville) filed a bill that would require Florida scooter or moped riders under the age of 21 to wear a helmet.
Perry filed the bill, SB 346, in late September. Tuesday afternoon, the bill passed unanimously through the state Senate’s transportation committee. Now, it will go to another committee before a vote on the Senate floor. State Rep. Chuck Clemons (R-Newberry) filed a similar bill in the state House on Nov. 8.
Current Florida law exempts those 16 years old or older from wearing a helmet while riding or operating a moped or scooter.
If Perry’s bill passes, a person under 21 who doesn’t wear a helmet could get a traffic ticket.
Perry said the bill would essentially take the same laws that apply to a motorcyclist and apply them to a scooter or moped rider. Motorcyclists under 21 must wear a helmet.
“I’ve been thinking about it for quite some time,” he said.
Data on deaths caused by motorcycle, scooter or moped crashes widely occur due to head trauma because the rider wasn’t wearing a helmet, Perry said. The bill would aim to reduce the number of scooter- and moped-related deaths.
Opponents of the bill say that government shouldn’t have a say in whether someone wears a helmet, Perry said. But he argues that taxpayers have to pay for the response to and treatment for injuries that result from such crashes.
UF Health Neurologist Dr. Michael Jaffee said data strongly points to helmets reducing the severity of injuries from crashes.
Increasing the required age to wear helmets from 16 to 21 years old would protect the most vulnerable scooter and moped riders, Jaffee said. The brain finishes its last stage of development in the teens and early 20s, particularly the brain’s frontal lobe.
But when wearing a helmet, the rider should also make sure it is fitted properly for the best protection, Jaffee said.
“It’s a pretty compelling argument for all riders to be wearing a helmet,” he said. “We take that very seriously.”In the April issue of Rolling Stone, Matt Taibbi eviscerates California's tough-on-crime "three strikes" rule, which sees thousands of individuals -- largely poor and black -- held in state penitentiaries for decades over minor offenses, like stealing a pair of socks worth $2.50. Taibbi explains that by the late '90s, 24 states and the federal government had some kind of "three strikes" law, with California's iteration the harshest of all.
In his feature, that is well worth reading in full, Taibbi writes:
And it isn't just in California, but all over the country, where there are countless instances of outrageous and brutal mandatory sentences for relatively minor crimes. Often, they're so ridiculous that even the judges imposing them publicly denounce them, like a 1997 Florida case in which a 27-year-old black woman named Stephanie George was given life for holding her boyfriend's cocaine stash. "Your role has basically been as a girlfriend," said Judge Roger Vinson, "so it does not warrant a life sentence." But Vinson had no choice, just like Massachusetts Judge Judd Carhart had no choice when he gave 48-year-old Michaelene Sexton 10 years for selling coke ("Ten years is an awful long time," the judge said. "When I look at this case compared to crimes of violence, I wonder"), or federal Judge James Todd, who gave a Texas pool-hall owner named Mike Mahoney 15 years for buying a gun 14 years after he was convicted for selling meth ("It seems to me, this sentence is just completely out of proportion to the defendant's conduct," said the judge).
Why did all of this happen? Some of this has its roots in a complex political calculation, in which the Democratic Party in the Clinton years made a Faustian bargain, deciding to abandon its old role as a defender of unions and the underprivileged, embrace more Wall Street-friendly deregulatory policies, and compete for the political center by pushing for more street cops, tougher sentences and the end of welfare – the same thing the Republicans were already doing. By the mid-Nineties, neither party was really representing, for lack of a better term, the fucked, struggling poor.
The end result of this political shift was an unprecedented explosion of the American prison population, from just more than a million people behind bars in the early Nineties to 2.2 million today. Less than five percent of the world's people live in the United States, but we are home to about 25 percent of the world's prisoners, a shocking number.
Another result was that instead of dealing with problems like poverty, drug abuse and mental illness, we increasingly just removed them all from view by putting them in jail. It's not an accident that so many of the most ridiculous Three Strikes cases are semicoherent homeless people or people with drug problems who came from broken homes. It wasn't a cost-efficient way of dealing with these issues – in fact, in California at least, it was an insanely, almost criminally expensive burden on taxpayers – but it was effective enough as a way of keeping the uglier schisms of our society hidden from view.There is a trade off between the number of lower skilled guest worker visas and the number of unauthorized immigrants. More lower skilled guest workers means fewer unauthorized immigrants. Fewer guest workers mean more unauthorized immigrants. We just have to look back to the Bracero program to see this relationship.
The number of removals and returns is an approximation of the stock of the unauthorized immigrant population and flows. Many, but not all, of those removed or returned during this time period were funneled into guest worker visas. Beginning with the adoption of the Bracero program and the H2 visa in the early 1950s, there was a flurry of removals and returns whereby many migrants were funneled into the guest worker visa programs. After that, my thesis is that the large numbers of work visas decreased the number of apprehensions by shrinking the pool of unauthorized immigrants and channeling future ones into the legal system. After Bracero was ended in the mid-1960s, the number of removals and returns began a steady increase along with an increase in the stock and flow of unauthorized immigrants deprived of their previous lawful means of entry and work.
Ending the lower skilled guest worker visa programs preceded the modern increase in unauthorized immigration.
Source: Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Naturalization Service annual reports.
The more low skilled guest workers there are, the fewer unauthorized immigrants there are to deport.
One legal worker on a visa seems to be worth more than one unauthorized immigrant worker – meaning a pretty favorable trade off in numbers for those concerned about the numbers of immigrants. In 1954, 1 guest worker visa replaced 3.4 unauthorized immigrants, meaning that one legal worker seemed to be equal to more than three illegal workers. If an important goal of a lower skilled guest worker visa is to eliminate the American economic demand for unauthorized immigrants, relatively few guest worker visas can replace a much larger unauthorized immigrant population.
Increases in Border Patrol and border enforcement are also unnecessary to get this result. By allowing unauthorized immigrants to get the work visas, by not punishing them or employers for coming forward, and by making work visas available to those who want to enter, almost all future and current unauthorized immigrants can be funneled into the legal market without a large increase in enforcement. This was the policy followed in the 1950s and it appears to have worked:
Sources: Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Naturalization Service annual reports.
This chart zooms in on the 1942 through 1965 time period when the Bracero guest worker visa was in effect:
Sources: Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Naturalization Service annual reports.
This is not to say that Bracero was a perfect program and that it should be replicated today. There were a lot of problems with it, namely that migrants were constrained in changing employers, migrants were limited to working only in agriculture, and the work visa was annual – all issues that should be fixed in any new lower skilled guest worker visa adopted. A lower skilled guest worker visa is indispensable to vastly reduce or even halt unauthorized immigration.Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 already prohibits employment discrimination based on religion, Mr. Russell said, and the courts have defined “religion” broadly to include “moral or ethical beliefs as to what is right and wrong, which are sincerely held with the strength of traditional religious views.”
Mr. Ishimaru and senior members of the commission staff said that neither the Department of Health and Human Services nor the White House had consulted their agency before issuing the proposed rule. The White House Office of Management and Budget received the proposal on Aug. 21 and cleared it on the same day, according to a government Web site that keeps track of the rule-making process.
The protest from the commission comes on the heels of other objections to the rule by doctors, pharmacists, hospitals, state attorneys general and political leaders, including President-elect Barack Obama.
Mr. Obama has said the proposal will raise new hurdles to women seeking reproductive health services, like abortion and some contraceptives. Michael O. Leavitt, the health and human services secretary, said that was not the purpose.
Officials at the Health and Human Services Department said they intended to issue a final version of the rule within days. Aides and advisers to Mr. Obama said he would try to rescind it, a process that could take three to six months.
To avoid the usual rush of last-minute rules, the White House said in May that new regulations should be proposed by June 1 and issued by Nov. 1. The “provider conscience” rule missed both deadlines.
Under the White House directive, the deadlines can be waived “in extraordinary circumstances.” Administration officials were unable to say immediately why an exception might be justified in this case.
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The proposal is supported by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Health Association, which represents Catholic hospitals.
Sister Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association, said that in recent years, “we have seen a variety of efforts to force Catholic and other health care providers to perform or refer for abortions and sterilizations.”
But the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, 28 senators, more than 110 representatives and the attorneys general of 13 states have urged the Bush administration to withdraw the proposed rule.
Pharmacies said the rule would allow their employees to refuse to fill prescriptions for contraceptives and could “lead to Medicaid patients being turned away.” State officials said the rule could void state laws that require insurance plans to cover contraceptives and require hospitals to offer emergency contraception to rape victims.
The Ohio Health Department said the rule “could force family planning providers to hire employees who may refuse to do their jobs” — a concern echoed by Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Under the Civil Rights Act, an employer must make reasonable accommodations for an employee’s religious practices, unless the employer can show that doing so would cause “undue hardship on the conduct of its business.”
In a letter commenting on the proposed rule, Mr. Ishimaru and Ms. Griffin, from the employment commission, said that 40 years of court decisions had carefully balanced “employees’ rights to religious freedom and employers’ business needs.”
The proposed rule, they |
good natural experiment for what works best. One 2007 study showed that out of six different Swedish programs, whose purposes ranged from worker retraining, helping workers maintain contact with former colleagues, temporary government employment, and employment subsidies, only the latter was effective at bringing down long-term unemployment.
A wage subsidy is a program where the government pays part of a worker’s check, thus raising the worker’s income and inducing firms to hire more workers. Wage subsidy programs have been proposed by economists and commentators in the U.S. before, usually as a replacement for the Earned Income Tax Credit. As economist and blogger Noah Smith argues, the Earned Income Tax Credit is a better way to help low-income Americans than raising the minimum wage mostly because it’s better at targeting aid for those who need it without reducing overall employment. But the EITC simply comes in the form of a per-year tax refund that divorces the recipient from the work that went into earning that money.
Wage subsidies aren’t just a potential solution to the debate over the minimum wage. They could also help bring down U.S long-term unemployment as well. Indeed, if Congress does decide to phase out the EITC in favor of wage subsidies, as Smith argues, it would be a perfect time to experiment with added incentives for hiring the long-term unemployed, too. Sweden’s program promised to pay half of a worker’s wages for the first six months of work — a powerful incentive for employers taking a risk when hiring a new worker. If it doesn’t work out after six months, the company only paid half of what it would normally have had to during a similar trial.
Wage subsidies haven’t taken off in the U.S., primarily for political reasons. Raising the minimum wage is a popular issue for Democrats, who don’t want to eliminate the issue’s electoral potency by instituting a more effective policy that’s harder to explain to the public. Furthermore, wage subsidies have the whiff of corporate welfare, as it’s a program that relieves some companies from what could be seen as their responsibility to pay a fair wage.
MORE: China’s lofty currency plans are just getting started
But every program to help poor and unemployed workers comes with drawbacks, and the economic literature clearly supports wage subsidies as a program with the fewest negative consequences. The experience in Sweden shows that this policy can help the long-term unemployed find gainful employment.
Much of the U.S. is still grappling with the aftermath of the financial crisis. Long-term unemployment has been one of the most painful aftershocks. It’s time to try something new.Barcelona will make a decision in January on whether to expand their Nou Camp stadium or move to a new location.
The Spanish club want to increase the capacity of Europe's largest football stadium from 99,354 to 105,000, and build a roof to cover the ground.
Barcelona's board of directors will vote on the plan early in the new year.
Board spokesman Toni Freixa said: "We've made advances, we have all the information and we're in a position to make a decision."
The iconic Nou Camp has been the home of Barcelona since 1957 and has hosted two European Cup finals - in 1989 and 1999 - the World Cup in 1982 and the Olympic football tournament in 1992.
Friexa said while one option would see the construction of a new stadium on ground currently belonging to the University of Barcelona, the other project involved a "profound remodelling" of the existing stadium.
He added: "Both would have a capacity of 105,000 spectators, the stadium would be covered.
"It needs to be viable from a technical perspective, urbanist and economic. We would never submit a project that would endanger the sustainability of the club."Lawyers representing Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) on Wednesday released a video showing part of the congressman’s weekend altercation with his estranged wife.
According to The Orlando Sentinel, Grayson’s lawyers said the video proved that Lolita Carson-Grayson committed an attack outside the couple’s Orlando home on Saturday.
“He was hoping that this matter would stay in the courts and outside of the press, but since horrendous accusations have been made against him … he believes that the truth must come out,” Grayson’s attorney, Mark NeJame, told reporters a press conference.
Earlier this week, a Florida judge granted Carson-Grayson custody of the couple’s children, and barred contact by her husband. In a court filing, Carson-Grayson, who recently filed for divorce, described an altercation where Grayson “deliberately and with force pushed [her] very hard against the front door, causing [her] to fall to the ground as a result.” The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a domestic violence investigation. Grayson, who has not been arrested or charged in connection to the incident, has denied shoving his wife.
The video released Wednesday was recorded by Juan Lopez, Grayson’s director of constituent services. Earlier in the week, Lopez issued a statement saying he had witnessed the incident and that Grayson had “remained in a defensive posture and at no point in time did he lay a hand on [Carson-Grayson].”
The video, obtained by the Sentinel, does not include sound, and does not keep the couple in the frame the entire time. Grayson’s attorneys on Wednesday also gave reporters a statement from the couple’s adult daughter — the same daughter who was arrested in November for allegedly pushing her mother during an argument.
“At no time did my father hit or push my mother,” Skye Grayson, 18, said in the statement. “In fact, my father backed away from my mother when she became physically aggressive.”
Watch the video:What is a sex robot?
There is no working definition of a sex robot. At present sex robots are dolls with a few motors and some software programs. Mechanical dolls would be an apt description.
Why are you against sex robots?
We are against the making and use of sex robots. We appreciate that a sex robot is a doll with some motors or AI. The real concern about sex robots is the impact they will have on the human users who will be manipulated into thinking a robot is able to reciprocate or care about their feelings. As unequal and exploitative sexual practices (prostitution and pornography) provide the inspiration for sex robots, these sex robots continue to perpetuate and reinforce gender inequalities.
Moreover, we challenge the view that human relations are optional for human beings. Humans only exist because of human beings, from children to adults and to the end of life. Human contact and interaction is what makes us human. Unfortunately neoliberal capitalism, organise around competition, violence and profit breaks up communities and disconnects people. The technology is created to fill this void. But the void of intimacy and connection cannot be realised through or with machines. It can make companies an awful lot of money selling products though.
We believe humans learn about empathy and compassion from human relationships.
What is the difference between a sex robot and a vibrator?
Vibrators were developed as tools for physicians in the 18th century who believed a cure for women’s depression was stimulation of their clitoris (basically sexual assault of women delivered by doctors). The physicians hands would become tired when delivering this ‘cure’ – so that’s why the vibrator was invented. Surveys indicate that woman’s primary use of vibrators is clitoral stimulation. The vibrator is called a vibrator because it VIBRATES. Vibrators are stimulatory objects, they may resemble a shape, as do other masturbatory sex toys.
Humans have found alternatives to the phallus and vagina in the use of objects that resemble these shapes. As far as I’m aware no culture has encouraged people to form relationships with these objects.
Sex robots by contrast have a humanoid form and have to be situated as paraphernalia of the sex trade. Sex robots would not exist if women and children’s bodies were not already traded for sex. The makers of sex robots (mechanical dolls) make wild claims about sex robots (on the back of exaggerated claims about the potential of robotics and AI) and promote the belief that a perfect (subservient) women is on the brink of creation, to cater for all needs, desires and wants. For anyone familiar with the current state of robotics and AI this is clearly nonsense.
We would like to remind you that female and male robots in fiction (such as Ex Machina) are human actors pretending to be robots.
Unfortunately as a new edition to the sex trade, sex robots (mechanical dolls) are further encouraging a dehumanized view of women that begins in the lived sex trade and spills over into the world of technology.
Moreover, there is work to be done on highlighting how technology is gendered, and stereotypical, rigid and sexist ideas of women are projected into the making of contemporary robotics and AI.
What has sex robots got to do with pornography and prostitution?
Unfortunately, since the ancient Greeks, the male orgasm has been central to our understanding of sex. Pornography and prostitution both flourish in property owning societies (women seen as property along with children and slaves). The male orgasm at any cost has always been an act of coercion, as is pornography and prostitution. Moreover, the advocates of sex robots use prostitution as a reference point for thinking about their possible application. What pornography and prostitution tell us as a society is that it is permissible to view women and children as things/objects to gratify the personal needs of those with more money/power/resources (adult males).
In pornography and prostitution subjectivity (thoughts, feelings, desires, wants, needs, preferences) of the woman/child is determined by those who hold power. The women in the pornographic film or the prostituted woman are seen as things, without subjectivity. If the sellers of sex were seen as possessing subjectivity there wouldn’t be prostitution or pornography. When you don’t buy sex you have to meet needs by consent. Prostitution and prostitution are extreme forms of women’s oppression. In this, the woman is nothing more than an ‘animate tool’ (to phrase Aristotle’s views on slaves), and the buyer of sex is the only one attributed subjectivity. But such a scenario would only view males has having 1. subjectivity and 2. being human. Pornography and prostitution are coercive fields of power that need to be abolished. The buyers of sex get a taste of what is it like to have power over another without regards for social convention.
Sex robots are an extension of this non-reciprocal encounter. Most men have no interest in supporting prostitution and pornography. The fake power it gives you (and women who view it) is only achieved at the expense of your humanity. It is only possible to view pornography and enjoy it if there is little empathy. There is an empathy disruption in those who view pornography and buy sex. This empathy disruption is responsible for maintaining and perpetuating unequal societies.
Why are you against sex robots helping the disabled?
If you believe in reciprocal human relationship, then no group or individual gets to be above this principle of what it means to be human.
Are you a feminist campaign?
The campaign was a creation of Dr Kathleen Richardson and supported by Dr Erik Billing. At the outset of the campaign, Dr Richardson was not a feminist, nor did she identify as one. The campaign is highlighting the importance of relationship as a reciprocal and mutual interaction. As sex robots are built on the existing structures in the sex trade, these are not reciprocal and mutual human relationships. The sex trade thrives on inequalities between men and women. The sex trade says: ‘if you have money, you can have anything you want’. We don’t believe society should be organized around making sure the powerful and wealthy are gratified at any cost. We don’t believe that violence and coercion should be used to create and maintain structures of inequality between women and men, children and adults. These are our key arguments in the campaign.
However, since the campaign’s launch in September 2015 we have found our allies to be among feminists because it is feminists who have defended the boundaries of the body from the onslaught of neoliberal commodification and sexism.
Also we have learned feminism is about:
Equality for women Belief in human dignity A person with more money/power/status should not have more rights than those with less. We are now absolutely a feminist campaign. We are also anti-violence, anti-racist, anti-class privilege and anti-slavery. We are against the treatment of human beings as objects. We will align with any philosophy, group or individual that supports human freedom and equality in lines with our philosophy.
Are you against sex?
Pornography and prostitution are not sex, they are acts of violent coercion. Sex is a relational encounter and the parties engaged must be free, consenting and involved. If the other ‘part’ of the relation is bought then in our view it’s not sex but violence against a person.
Sexual encounter is not one person acting on the body of another for their own gratification without fully taking into account the subjectivity of the other. Sexual acts directed on the body of another without their consent or involvement is violence.
Are you confusing reality and fantasy?
We know that a robot, even if the robot looks like a woman is not a human. Humans are different from machines. The buyers (or prospective buyers) are encouraged to look upon the mechanical dolls as women they can control. Also the buyers of these objects are encouraged to think about them as ‘relational’ when they are not. We see sex robots as paraphernalia of the sex trade.
Follow the genealogy of sex robots, it comes from women as property, women as sex objects, women as sub-human – women as SEX ROBOTS (mechanical dolls).
Is the Campaign Against Sex Robots prejudiced against machines?
You can’t be prejudiced against a machine – it’s an artefact. We believe that humans create machines and so what is happening in the lived experiences of human beings is transferred to the machines. The desire to animate the inanimate is a longstanding wish of many cultures. The difference between science and technology and magic is that those who practice the former believe they have the ‘wisdom’ to animate. Living beings are different from machines. From the campaign’s point of view, we are more concerned with the Human in the Ethics of Robotics (HER) in the machines. If the makers of AI/robotics address the ethics of their machines and consider and challenge the violence, exploitation, gendered inequalities, racism and prejudice that inform the making of robots and AI we believe there will be more beneficial for humanity.
I’m a Man, what can I do to help the Campaign Against Sex Robots?
We welcome all people to our campaign who are anti-violence. We do not believe that men are inherently violent or lack empathy. We welcome women and men that recognise our value as human beings. We welcome you to join us in creating a new narrative about sexuality (and society) that is based on reciprocity and mutual relations.
I’m a roboticist/computer scientists/engineer/AI scientist what can I do to help the Campaign Against Sex Robots
Your role is important. We believe that humanistic inspired robotics has the ability to help humanity. It means working out the Human in the Ethics of Robotics (HER). We are fundamentally against violence. We believe our human ingenuity, creativity driven by compassion can help humanity, but it must be free of violence.
What would sex be like in your future?
We don’t have to wait around till 2050 for beneficial human intimate relations because we already have what we need, the potential for true relationship. The more we are encouraged to view pornography and prostitution as valid ways of expressing sexual relations, the less chance we have of achieving true sexual relationship. Sex is not acting on the body of another. Sex is a relational encounter. Female sexuality has been suppressed for centuries, while male sexuality has been allowed to thrive in the absence of reciprocal encounter. We have to move beyond these cultural prisons and open up a conversation about the importance of human reciprocal empathetic relationship. Pornography and prostitution are incompatible with free consenting sexual encounters. The best way to encourage true relationship is to resist the forms of power that thrive on inequalities. Join abolition campaigns and campaigns to end violence and begin a real dialogue.
How can I help?
We need supporters in all forms. Sometimes you could just send a message of support to the campaignagainstsexrobots@gmail.com email or you could help with the conceptual projects by writing for the site and developing ideas. We are developing an associate scheme. See our list of interests and if you would like to contribute let us know.
We have a book coming out, articles in the pipeline and events coming up.
What kind of organisation is the Campaign Against Sex Robots?
We are a growing community of people interested in developing a new narrative about technology critical of inequalities, coercion and violence. We have an ‘associate’ structure which means you can contribute to the campaign in many ways. We believe in free association and associates can come and go as they choose, and get involved in what ways that would support them best. We want to use the campaign to promote global conversation about sex robots, but also about gender in robotics and Artificial Intelligence. Though the campaign was initiated by academics, we welcome associates from all kinds of walks of life. We will continue to promote as much public discussion on gender and robotics/AI as possible.
The campaign was announced on June 24 2015 at a Lates event at the London Science Museum
The campaign was officially launched on September 15 2015.
Kathleen Richardson
Director of the Campaign Against Sex Robots
April 17 2016
@RobotCampaignUnpopular opinion time: fandom edition.
Hermione Granger. Too good for Ron. Too good for Harry. I’m sick of how idealised she is by fans with a selective memory, so I’ll take a moment to tear into everyone’s favourite girl genius. Please forgive me.
Where to begin? For a start, she’s not really that much of a genius. Hermione is portrayed as some omniscient know-it-all who can answer every question and solve every problem, but let’s remember that the story is told through Harry’s eyes and so everything should be taken as relative. I suspect that 11-year-olds struggling with their maths homework think that classmates who find it easy must be extraordinarily gifted, but they can all develop into adults of very average intelligence.
We’re dealing with secondary-school level material here, and I suspect that Hermione only stands out because A) she’s the only one who bothers to do the set reading and B) she’s arrogant enough to put her hand up for every question, when a lot of people will have a good idea of the answer but not want to show off.
When it comes to actual questions of truth, not just easy classwork, Hermione doesn’t have the best track record. She refuses to believe that Snape can have any involvement with Voldemort, because “he’s a teacher”, just as she refuses to believe that Malfoy can have become a Death Eater. Both theories turned out to be correct.
She denies that divination has any merit and openly laughs at anyone who feels otherwise, but almost every prediction made in the books comes true, and she also mocks any belief in the Deathly Hallows. Her narrow-mindedness constantly holds the trio back, when Harry and Ron have figured out the truth very early on but she refuses to accept it.
Now, Hermione is portrayed as being rational, a rare witch of science, but her decisions here have been anything but. She doesn’t base her beliefs on evidence, but on gut feeling, and in fact blindly ignores any evidence to the contrary. Her mind is completely shut to new information, as she is arrogant enough to think that she already knows all that there is to know. It’s a highly unscientific and irrational viewpoint to have in our world, and to hold it in a world where you’ve already been shocked by the existence of magic is outright stupid.
It is seen as a comedy when Xenophilius Lovegood claims Luna describes her friend as “Not unintelligent, but painfully limited. Narrow. Closed-minded.”, but this is the most accurate description of the teenage witch that I’ve ever seen.
She’s not that smart, then, just hard working. We all know people who aren’t that naturally bright, but still get good grades simply because they revise themselves to death. Apparently alone of the main characters, Hermione does all of her homework on time and to her greatest ability, and constantly looks to improve her grades through additional reading and study. At first sight, we might praise this as her true strength: she may not be a genius, but she’s certainly a worker.
Again, though, all is not how it’s portrayed. If we actually have a think about Hermione’s work ethic, it gets more creepy than commendable. This is a girl who, at 11, claimed that getting expelled was worse than dying. This is a girl who, two years later, was shown that her greatest fear was failing a test. This is a girl who travelled through time to study more, who spends her every waking second in the library, who tries to enforce this ridiculous obsession onto other people.
She’s not just “hard-working”; she’s seriously messed up. Nobody should care that much about grades, particularly ones that aren’t even actual qualifications. Hermione never really learns to sort out her priorities, and so her work ethic is simply a result of a completely skewed mind where her own academic success comes far above spending time with her friends. She’s cold, vain and obsessed enough to believe that homework really does come before human beings, and that’s hardly something we should be applauding.
Her vanity pops up from time to time, whether making a massive scene because Harry beat her in a single subject or lying to trick Madam Pomfrey into giving her cosmetic surgery. The teenage egotist could hardly be more self-obsessed, and her skewed priorities mean that she is terrible with other people. Ron isn’t being harsh when he says “no wonder she hasn’t got any friends”, just painfully honest. Hermione starts the series being rude, dismissive and controlling of everyone she meets, and they are rightfully repulsed by her attitude.
Her time with the boys softens her a bit, but the famous example with Lavender’s rabbit shows that she still hasn’t learnt any empathy. Proving yourself right comes first, and respect for other people comes a distant eighth. It’s not just humans, either: we all remember SPEW’s forced “freeing” of house elves who didn’t want to be freed, traumatising the victims and leading to a lot of hostility between the two species. Hermione created her world’s equivalent of FEMEN, and virtually goes around ripping people’s burqa’s off to “liberate” them. Once again, she assumes that her gut opinion is right, and doesn’t bother trying to understand anything different. Reason and compassion both take an off day.
Hermione also displays prejudice against centaurs and werewolves, showing that this lack of reason and compassion is spread out to all sapient creatures, and her actions are hardly better than her beliefs. We all cheered when she punched Malfoy for saying things she didn’t like, but we’d be calling him a brute if it were the other way around. She later physically assaults Ron for kissing another girl, in a psychotic reaction to being friendzoned that rivals even the most bitter and violent “nice guy”, and then make domestic assault a habit when she attacks her boyfriend for walking out on Harry.
Hardly the behaviour of a rational scientist, or even a peaceful and well-adjusted human, but we’ve already seen that Hermione is neither. She goes beyond this casual violence, too, such as when deliberately leading Umbridge to be attacked (some say raped) by the centaurs. Just as worrying as her willingness to inflict pain or death on her teacher, though, is her arrogant attempt to manipulate the centaurs into doing her dirty work having previously spoken of them as sub-human “horses”. Add the oft-forgotten fact that she abducted and held hostage a journalist because she didn’t like what had been written, and Hermione is quite the villain.
She doesn’t use her intellect to solve disputes in a rational and level-headed way. Instead, her unbalanced and uncaring mind flips straight to violence as a knee-jerk response. That’s why I maintain that she would have made a decent antagonist, in the absence of a common enemy. She has the self-obsession and drive to improve and perfect herself (even at the expense of others) that Voldemort had, and the desire to boss and control others for their own good (even if they don’t want you to) that Grindelwald did.
Dumbledore describes Tom Riddle as a boy who has a good technical understanding of magic, but cannot truly become a great wizard because he will never truly grasp the importance of love, which you cannot read about in a book. Personally, this passage has always reminded me of Hermione. If Voldemort hadn’t existed, she might well have filled that void. If the boys hadn’t gone to save her from the troll, and henceforth introduced her to love, she could have become a second, even colder Grindelwald. She could have grown strong, with Dumbledore and Harry focusing on Riddle, and the series could have ended with her bursting into power. What a beautifully circular narrative that would have been.
In short: stop idealising this girl. She is as deeply flawed as any character in the series, and gets as much wrong as she does right. Transforming her into some sort of Mary Sue, given that she’s already Rowling’s self-admitted insert, cheapens the whole series.UPDATE #4: Remix Mini Specs Questions
We wanted to first deal with some frequently asked questions directly in an update: The CPU/chipset - It's an Allwinner H64 Quad-core. What is it?
Here's a good, objective intro.
Basically, the Allwinner H64 is the newest chipset for box form factors.
a 64bit Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU
H.265 4K video hardware decoding
4K HDMI output, smart color display
Android 5.0 Lollipop support
This chipset also locks in some of our other ports and specs that many of you have been asking about such as:
USB 2.0
10/100 BASE-T Ethernet
2.4GHz Single Band WiFi
microUSB supports up to 128GB storage expansion
UPDATE #2: You’ve been asking us how you can back for various numbers and combinations of the 1GB and 2GB versions of Remix Mini.
As always, we listen to our community, so since you've been asking, we've been planning. If you do not find a multiple unit tier that suits you already, here’s the easiest way for us to accommodate the differing needs of our backer community.
On top of whichever tier you’ve backed us at:
1. Add $30 on top of your existing pledge if you want another 1GB Remix Mini. ($20 for 1GB Remix Mini + $10 for additional shipping). You can also multiply $30 by the number of 1GB Remix Minis you want to have shipped to you and add that number on top of your existing pledge.
2. Add $50 on top of your existing pledge if you want another 2GB Remix Mini. ($40 for 2GB Remix Mini + $10 for additional shipping). You can also multiply $50 by the number of 2GB Remix Minis you want to have shipped to you and add that number on top of your existing pledge.
3. Follow up with an email to support@jidemail.com and list your specific order in detail.
4. We’ll take care of the rest post campaign and make sure you get everything you’re backing us for.
UPDATE #3: Shipping Rate Questions
About the shipping rate, we pride ourselves in being transparent with our community and in listening to our users. In this spirit, the rates you see are the rates our shipping partner gives us shipping out of Hong Kong.
However, we are actively working in attempts to bring down this cost. If we are able to, we'll make the announcement here in Kickstarter.
But even better, the beauty of the Remix community is that we listen to your suggestions and we act when it's feasible! If you know of a better option for us to ship to your country, we're willing to explore alternative options.
That's it for tonight. The team is still kinda stunned by the campaign and it's just been 24 hours! <Pinching myself>
Thanks and as always, Remix On!
-The Remix TeamWhether Charles Woodson is still an elite safety at age 37 is up for debate. What’s not in question is his ability give blunt, honest assessments rather than applying a thick layer of sugar to a sour effort.
Some highlights from two post-game waves of reporters from Woodson, who it should be noted did not exclude himself from the defensive issues in a 37-27 loss to the New York Jets Sunday at the Meadowlands:
The biggest problem for the defense: That’s as embarrassing a game that I’ve ever been a part of. I think each one of us took turns messing up calls, defense (and) not making plays.”
Why the defense struggled: I don’t want to sit here and make excuses about anything. We’ve played well at times and we haven’t played well and today is as bad as we’ve played this whole season. It’s really embarrassing to be a part of it. We were like the Bad News Bears out there today. In saying that, I do want to give credit to our offense. They just kept fighting today and really gave us a chance to still be in the game. Defensively we went out there and basically peed down our legs.”
On if the Jets did anything unexpected on offense: No. They ran what we thought they would run. It’s really been that way for the past couple of weeks now. Teams have just done their stuff and they’ve won with it. We haven’t come up close with stops that we neede to come up with to stay in games or finish games.
On the perception that a month ago, the defense was the strength of the team:
Not today. Not today. Just bad football. A lot of bad football out there today, but the whole group. Everybody’s included. Nobody’s excluded. We all took turns today dropping the ball, basically. We allowed a team to basically do what they wanted today. It’s very embarrassing to put that kind of effort out there on film. It looks bad on us. It looks bad on the coaches. This is a tough way to lose, coming into a game feeling like this is a game you should win and lose the way we lost.
On the inability to win in the East Coast time zone: Again, we felt like this is a game we should have won. I don’t know about losing on the East Coast and all that, or what it hasn’t gotten done, but we haven’t gotten it done. So we’ll have to try to fix that at some point.
On letting struggling quarterback Geno Smith getting into a rhythm and have big game:
Really just inexcusable. I really can’t make any excuses. I can’t pinpoint why today was the way it was. But we allowed him to be sort of great today. It’s really disappointing.
On the screen pass over his fingertips on a rightside blitz that Bilal Powell turned into a 24-yard gain on third down:
They ended up having a screen play on, and when it looks like you’re right there on a screen, that’s really where they want you to be. They were able to get it to the running back for a big gain. Just throughout the game today, we didn’t play good fundamental football. We didn’t do what we were supposed to do as 11 men, as a unit going out there on the field, and that’s what happens when you go out there when you don’t do it.
On what he wants out of the last three games: I want to win. At this point it’s about winning. I don’t care about how it looks or what the record is. Winning is winning to me and I’d love to win the next three games.
On if he’s surprised at the quality of defense being played at this point of the season: I was very surprised at today. I think we’re better than what we displayed out there today. But what we did today is what it is. I really can’t explain why it just went as bad as it did today. One of those games you don’t really have an answer for. Hey man, we’ve got to take it on the chin _ again _ like we have a few other games. All we can do now is move forward and make sure we end on a positive note.
The secret of making sure the team doesn’t finish poorly: Ain’t no secrets. It’s all focus and working hard, which is what you need when you’ve got a winning record. You’ve just got to focus in on your responsibilities and what you’re supposed to do. There’s really no guard against guys thinking about the offseason and getting home and that sort of thing, but once you step on the field, you’ve got to do your job, bottom line.Security and efficiency are two very important parameters in communication systems and you must have heard of the terms. Encryption and Hashing as far as data and computing concerned. Regardless, these two computing terms that can be confusing to many, but this article looks to dispel any confusion by giving a complete overview of the two.
Hashing algorithm
A hash can simply be defined as a number generated from a string of text. Other literature can also call it a message digest. In essence, a hash is smaller than the text that produces it. It is generated in a way that a similar hash with the same value cannot be produced by another text. From this definition, it can be seen that hashing is the process of producing hash values for the purpose of accessing data and for security reasons in communication systems. In principle, hashing will take arbitrary input and produce a string with a fixed length. As a rule of the thumb, hashing will have the following attributes:
A given known input must always produce one known output.
Once hashing has been done, it should be impossible to go from the output to the input.
Different multiple inputs should give a different output.
Modifying an input should mean a change in the hash.
A hash algorithm is a function that can be used to map out data of random size to data of fixed size. Hash values, hash codes and hash sums are returned by functions during hashing. These are different types of hashing algorithms used in computing, but some have been discarded over time. Some examples are given below:
MD4 – It is a hash function created by Ronald Rivest in 1990. It has a length of 128 bits and has influenced many posterior designs like WMD5, WRIPEMD and WSHA family. The security of this algorithm has however been criticized even by the creator himself.
It is a hash function created by Ronald Rivest in 1990. It has a length of 128 bits and has influenced many posterior designs like WMD5, WRIPEMD and WSHA family. The security of this algorithm has however been criticized even by the creator himself. SHA algorithm – Secure Hash Algorithm was designed by the National Security Agency to be used in their digital signature algorithm. It has a length of 160 bits. Just like the latter, security weaknesses in it means that it is no longer used SHA and SHA-1, organizations are using strong SHA-2 (256 bit) algorithm for the cryptographic purpose. (How to move from SHA1 to SHA2 algorithm?)
– Secure Hash Algorithm was designed by the National Security Agency to be used in their digital signature algorithm. It has a length of 160 bits. Just like the latter, security weaknesses in it means that it is no longer used SHA and SHA-1, organizations are using strong SHA-2 (256 bit) algorithm for the cryptographic purpose. (How to move from SHA1 to SHA2 algorithm?) RIPMEND – It is a cryptographic hash algorithm designed by Hans Dobbertin. It has a length of 160 bits. It was developed in the framework of the EU project RIPE.
– It is a cryptographic hash algorithm designed by Hans Dobbertin. It has a length of 160 bits. It was developed in the framework of the EU project RIPE. WHIRLPOOL algorithm – It is algorithm design by Vincent Rijmen and Paul Barreto. It has a length of 2 256 bits and produces the 512-bit message digest.
– It is algorithm design by Vincent Rijmen and Paul Barreto. It has a length of 2 bits and produces the 512-bit message digest. TIGER algorithm – It is a new and fast algorithm. It used by modern computers. It hashes more than 132M bits per second. It has thus far proved to be more efficient than all the hashing algorithms discussed. It has no restrictions on its usage that means it has no patents.
Purpose of hashing
Hashing can be used to compare a large amount of data. Hash values can be created for different data, meaning that it is easier comparing hashes than the data itself.
It is easy to find a record when the data is hashed.
Hashing algorithms are used in cryptographic applications like a digital signature.
Hashing is used to generate random strings to avoid duplication of data stored in databases.
Geometric hashing – widely used in computer graphics to find closet pairs and proximity problems in planes. It is also called grid method and it has also been adopted in telecommunications.
These characteristics mean that hash can be used to store passwords. This way, it becomes difficult for someone who has the raw data to reverse them.
Encryption
Encryption is the process of encoding simple text and other information that can be accessed by the sole authorized entity if it has a decryption key. It will protect your sensitive data from being accessed by cybercriminals. It is the most effective way of achieving data security in modern communication systems. In order for the receiver to read an encrypted message, he/she should have a password or a security key that is used in decryption. Data that has not been encrypted is known as plain text while encrypting data is known as a cipher text. There are a number of encryption systems, where an asymmetric encryption is also known as public-key encryption, symmetric encryption and hybrid encryption are the most common.
Symmetric encryption – Uses the same secret key to encrypt and decrypt the message. The secret key can be a word, a number or a string of random letters. Both the sender and the receiver should have the key. It is the oldest technique of encryption.
Uses the same secret key to encrypt and decrypt the message. The secret key can be a word, a number or a string of random letters. Both the sender and the receiver should have the key. It is the oldest technique of encryption. Asymmetric encryption – It deploys two keys, a public key known by everyone and a private key known only by the receiver. The public key is used to encrypt the message and a private key is used to decrypt it. Asymmetric encryption is little slower than symmetric encryption and consumes more processing power when encrypting data.
It deploys two keys, a public key known by everyone and a private key known only by the receiver. The public key is used to encrypt the message and a private key is used to decrypt it. Asymmetric encryption is little slower than symmetric encryption and consumes more processing power when encrypting data. Hybrid encryption – It is a process of encryption that blends both symmetric and asymmetric encryption. It |
glas Road elementary, with its 255 students, received more than $120,000 in donations from employees of the Beedie Development Group — including a matching grant from the company — in 2015.
Principal Mary-Ann Brown had applied to the The Sun’s Adopt-a-School program for help because staff were alarmed at the number of children coming to school hungry. Coincidentally, employees from the Beedie Development Group had asked Adopt-a-School if there was a school they could help.
Brown shops for the food on weekends and the school receives additional food donations from local grocery stores and supermarkets.
However, the school is without a proper kitchen or dining room so food is prepared and served each day in the teachers’ staff room by volunteer teachers and staff.
The study was commissioned by Ryan Beedie, president of the Beedie Development Group whose company has contributed more than $30 million to various charities and organizations over the years, including a $22 million to SFU’s business school, which bears his family’s name.
Beedie said the study showed there were substantial educational benefits to feeding hungry children.
“It’s providing a great outcome at relatively low cost. We talk about child poverty and how to deal with it and the need for education and all that. But if they are coming to school hungry, they don’t have a chance from the get-go,” said Beedie.
It is time for government to get involved as breakfast programs are being paid for by private or corporate donors or organizations, he said.
“No one wants to see higher taxes or the government having to pay for my kid’s breakfast, or for others that can afford it, but something has to be done for those families living in poverty,” he said.
The report included comments from children who were asked why they joined the Breakfast Club.
Of the four quoted, three plainly showed evidence of hunger:
“I joined when my stomach was empty and I wanted toast.”
“I joined because I don’t get proper breakfast in the morning having to help get my sisters ready.”
“I joined because I can eat bread there.”
The Sun’s Adopt-a-School campaign has contributed more than $600,000 in donations this year to schools, with most of it paying for emergency food programs for impoverished children.
Since it began five years ago, the campaign has raised more than $3 million from readers with all the funds going to offset the effects of poverty by supplying food, clothing or other necessities teachers feel their children need.
The last school to apply this year was an elementary school in Chilliwack where teachers said they were overwhelmed trying to feed as many as 50 hungry children a day with few resources.
Children were being fed with food brought in by teachers and staff from their own homes and breakfast consisted mostly of oatmeal made in a microwave.
The school was immediately given $2,000 to equip a kitchen and $6,000 for food.
gbellett@gmail.com
vansunkidsfund.caWILMINGTON, Delaware (AP) —
The Gillette Company is suing online razor supplier Dollar Shave Club in federal court for patent infringement.
The lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Delaware claims that Dollar Shave Club is selling products that infringe on patented technology, including a blade coating used on Gillette products such as the Mach3, Venus and Fusion razors.
Boston-based Gillette, a subsidiary of Procter and Gamble, says it owns all rights, title and interest in the patent.
A spokeswoman for Dollar Shave Club, based in Venice, California, says the company is looking into the lawsuit but has no comment at this time.
Gillette says the offending products being sold by Dollar Shave Club are marketed under the names The Humble Twin, The 4X, and The Executive.If there is anything the left (and by extension the mainstream media) loves more than anything else, it is maintaining their own little narratives about events in the news. The same people who will scream bloody murder over the phrase “radical Islam” are the first to claim any violence directed at or near a Planned Parenthood facility is without a doubt, a radical right wing crazy Christian who was undoubtedly influenced by Center for Medical Progress videos, exposing Planned Parenthood’s organ harvesting and pro-life people like myself, who find what Planned Parenthood does to be abhorrent.
All one has to do is peruse Twitter to see it played out. Here’s Jill Filipovic, left wing writer, formerly of Cosmopolitan:
Rhetoric about #PlannedParenthood “ghouls” “killing babies” promotes and justifies violence. This isn’t just one extremist. It’s a movement. — Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) November 28, 2015
And here is professional left wing troll, Oliver Willis of Media Matters:
whip up lies about planned parenthood… — Oliver Willis (@owillis) November 27, 2015
To these people and many more, facts don’t matter. Narrative does.
As long as they can perpetuate the lie Robert Lewis Dear is just like any of us who are sickened Planned Parenthood snuffs out the lives over 300,000 babies a year while getting taxpayer subsidies, they’re satisfied. They couldn’t care less about the truth.
Three people were killed including a pro-life, Christian police officer – Garrett Swasey – and their first instinct, ironically enough, is to point the finger of blame at people like Garrett Swasey just because they happen to be pro-life.
They’re never prepared for when their precious narrative begins to fall apart, and initially, it appears to be the case here. Dear, at first, seems to be fitting the profile of many of the mass shooters over the last several years: A person who suffers some form of mental illness. From The Washington Post:
To neighbors, it looked like a “moonshine shack,” a little yellow wooden hut, with overgrown weeds and no power or indoor plumbing, banged together by its owner, Robert Lewis Dear Jr. And whenever Dear came to stay in his shack in the woods, the neighbors in Anderson Acres, a community of about seven houses along a steep, gravel road here, kept their kids inside. “He was the kind of person you had to watch out for,” said one neighbor, who asked not to be identified, saying he feared retaliation from Dear or his family. “He was a very weird individual. It’s hard to explain, but he had a weird look in his eye most of the time.” Dear, 57, the man in custody for Friday’s shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, appears to have been a malcontent who drifted from place to place in the past couple of years. In addition to the shack, he lived in a mobile home in another town in North Carolina and a camper on a piece of vacant land in Colorado, which he shared with a woman who moved with him from the East Coast. Some who knew him found him unremarkable, while others said he seemed delusional and aggressive. He had a history of run-ins with neighbors and police, including arrests for cruelty to animals and being a “peeping Tom.” He was not convicted in either case. “It’s just too devastating, it’s just something you can’t fathom happening,” Pamela Ross, who was married to Dear nearly 20 years ago, said in a brief interview Saturday. She declined to comment further. Dear’s problems with the law date to 1997, when his then-wife reported to police that Dear had assaulted her, according to reports filed with the Sheriff’s Office in Colleton County, S.C., where Dear lived at the time. She declined to file charges against him but told police she reported it because she “wanted something on record of this incident occurring.” Colleton County police released reports of at least seven other incidents where Dear had disputes or physical altercations with neighbors or other residents. “He complained about everything,” said the neighbor. “He said he worked with the government, and everybody was out to get him, and he knew the secrets of the U.S.A. He said, ‘Nobody touch me, because I’ve got enough information to put the whole U.S. of A in danger.’ It was very crazy.”
But there are two subjects that never came up:
The suspected gunman’s neighbors in Black Mountain said Robert Lewis Dear kept mostly to himself. But James Russell said when Dear did talk, it was a rambling combination of a number of topics that didn’t make sense together and he tended to avoid eye contact. “If you talked to him, nothing with him was very cognitive,” said Russell, who lives a few hundred feet down the mountain. Two topics Russell said he never heard Dear talk about were religion or abortion.
Emphasis mine.
More information is sure to be released and who knows? Maybe investigators will find evidence of Dear railing about Planned Parenthood. That remains to be seen. However, early indications are this is another example of the single area the left dares not tread: mental illness.
And why would they want to go there? Doing so, pushes their narrative further away and they’d rather keep the politics in play rather than search for any real solutions.Missing children: Girl, 12, and boy, 11, missing in separate cases around Brisbane
Updated
Police are seeking public assistance to locate two children missing in separate incidents around Brisbane.
A 12-year-old girl last seen in a yard in Ellen Grove in the city's south-west this afternoon has been reported missing.
Meanwhile, an 11-year-old boy missing in the Virginia area on the northside of Brisbane has not been seen since Tuesday, November 25.
Queensland Police Service said they held concerns for both their welfares, describing the behaviour "out of character" for both.
The girl, described as being south-east Asian in appearance, about 165cms tall with a slim build and black hair, was last seen wearing a blue school uniform with yellow trim.
She was last seen on Julie Road in Ellen Grove about 5:15pm (AEST) on Friday but has not been seen since.
The boy was described as being Caucasian in appearance, about 145cms tall, of a solid build and has short light brown hair.
He was last seen wearing a black t-shirt and blue shorts and he has a green scooter.
Topics: missing-person, police, ellen-grove-4078, virginia-4014
First postedThe Canadian Press
HALIFAX -- The union that represents pilots at CanJet Airlines says the Nova Scotia-based company plans to lay off almost half of its 100 pilots by May 6.
The Airline Pilots Association issued a statement Tuesday saying it's disappointed that 47 pilots will be let go by the charter airline, saying the union had worked for months with management to mitigate involuntary layoffs.
Company representatives in Enfield, N.S., could not be reached for comment. The airline is a division of IMP Group Ltd., based in Halifax.
The pilots union would not comment on what prompted the layoffs.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Union of Public Employees confirmed that 38 seasonal and nine permanent flight attendants have received layoff notices.
Audrey Tam, president of CUPE Local 4044, said the seasonal layoffs were expected, given that the airline's business slowed down when the winter flying season to vacation hot spots ended.
"It's the same number we saw last year," Tam said in an interview from Montreal. "We don't consider them a layoff. Their contracts were to end on May 1."
CanJet started offering it own vacation packages to the Caribbean through CanJet Vacations in December. The company also provides charter flights on behalf of Transat Holidays.
Tam said the nine layoffs of permanent staff stemmed from Transport Canada's decision to allow the airline to change the minimum requirements for flight attendant staffing levels.
The pilots union says the CanJet fleet had shrunk from seven to five Boeing 737 aircraft aircraft last year.Band speak to NME in new video interview - watch
https://link.brightcove.com/services/player/?bctid=4351716925001
The Prodigy have suggested that they may never release another full-length album.
The band issued their sixth studio release, ‘The Day Is My Enemy’, in March with the record going on to become their sixth consecutive Number One.
Despite their continued success, the group recently claimed that their 25 year-strong career could be drawing to a close, discussing the possibility of retirement for the first time.
Now, the trio have explained their dissatisfaction with the traditional album format, stating that they’d rather release music more quickly.
Songwriter Liam Howlett told NME in a new video interview: “We want to get to the point where we release EPs instead of albums. We’re not really bothered about releasing albums any more. It just bores the shit out of me. The whole process just takes too long.
“If we can just get a couple of EPs written then we can get them out more quickly and it’s better for everyone… time has changed, you know what I mean?”
Bandmate Maxim agreed and stated: “Album cycles take like five years. The fans are hungry, we’re hungry for music. It’s good for inspiration all round to keep the music going and keep putting things out.”
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Andy Hughes/NME
Howlett also revealed that the band are working on new music already. He confirmed: “I’m already working on new tunes. I’m always writing beats. That’s just what I like doing. So if I got any spare time, I’ll just write a couple of things. But there’s no finished tracks or anything.”
Watch the interview in full above.
“I think that the band’s gonna come to an end at some point,” vocalist Keith Flint told NME earlier this year. “And it’s got to be soon. It will end before we want it to because of the realities of age.” Speaking of their advancing ages (the group are all in their forties), Howlett added: “There comes a point where you don’t want to be Uncle Alan at the wedding reception.”I have long held a theory about cats: for all their potential for grace, power, stealth, and general elegance, they sometimes genuinely do not have any control over their own bodies. Case in point:
It’s possible that this cat was playing G.I. Joe and wanted to do a combat roll off the couch, but that’s not the only instance of something like this happening. The much funnier version is when cats, seemingly for no reason, kick themselves in the face repeatedly and, from the looks of it, pretty damn hard.
Turns out that it’s a reflex. In the same way that some people can tickle themselves and some can’t, some cats are able to trigger this in themselves when they bend forward like that. Uncontrollable kicking occurs, and the cat often has to bite itself (as you can see) to override the nerve signals. You know how sometimes your muscles twitch uncontrollably? Pinching yourself in the same place will snap you out of it. Same thing.
But why do they do that? Well as it turns out, no one’s really studied it in detail. The leading theory seems to be that it’s a defense mechanism and hunting mechanism in one. If the cat were to track down and catch a larger piece of prey that it couldn’t subdue with its teeth alone, the idea is that it would hold the prey to its chest with its front feet and bicycle kick at it with its back feet, clawing at and possibly disemboweling the prey.
In a defensive situation, the cat could be overpowered by a larger animal, in which case the kicking mechanism might serve to free itself and get some distance from the attacker.
You can see in that gif that due to the kick and its CATLIKE REFLEXES (har har), the gray cat — who was definitely at the shitty end of that wrestling match beforehand — is damn near on its feet and ready to fight by the time the black cat hits the ground. Seems useful.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any source material for this. It’s basically just conjecture that makes sense and has thus become the consensus. Maybe the real answer is that cats are controlled by aliens that have crawled into their brains, and they kick themselves in the face in a desperate attempt to dislodge their alien overlords and regain autonomy.
In any case, it’s hilarious.Updated 8am, 20 March
MANY OF THE frustrations around Joe Schmidt’s Ireland team selections in recent seasons have centred on the fullback position.
Rob Kearney often receives a disproportionate amount of criticism and his strong points are sometimes overlooked, but few could argue against the suggestion that he is not the most creative force Ireland could pick at 15.
Payne was a classy presence for Ireland. Source: Inpho/Billy Stickland
The Leinster man is brilliant aerially and has excellent positional sense, while his communication and contact skills are superior to most of his rivals. Schmidt also likes Kearney’s leadership, which can be difficult to accurately value from the outside.
But with Kearney injured for Saturday’s win against England, we got the latest glimpse of what Ireland could offer in attack with a different player at 15.
Jared Payne was excellent at fullback in the first Test of the tour of South Africa last June – again when Kearney was injured – but he has largely been used at outside centre by Schmidt.
With Garry Ringrose performing well in that position, however, Payne’s quality as a fullback becomes even more interesting for Schmidt and Ireland in the future.
On the evidence of the South Africa tour and Saturday’s win over England, Payne can certainly improve Ireland as an attacking force from fullback.
Second playmaker
Ireland had been crying out for a second playmaker throughout this Six Nations, with the over-reliance on Johnny Sexton’s creative and organisational skills plain for all to see in Ireland’s phase play.
The most damning passages in this regard came during Sexton’s stint in the sin bin in Cardiff in round four, when Ireland looked rudderless without their out-half.
Robbie Henshaw and Ringrose have many values as centres, but neither is truly comfortable as a playmaker. That may come with greater experience, but both players would likely acknowledge that it is not a strength in their games at this stage.
Even when we go back to the France match in round three, there was one damning passage of attack from Ireland in the French 22 when Sexton was down injured back near the halfway line.
The out-half had been smashed by Eddy Ben Arous as he took the ball to the line to free Simon Zebo for a linebreak. With Sexton prone behind them, Ireland lost shape in their attack over the course of 19 phases and eventually knocked the ball on.
With Payne on the pitch on Saturday, those worries eased for Ireland.
The freedom afforded to Payne from fullback means he can pop up at first receiver and take some of the burden off Sexton. With his excellent skill set, strong vision and good decision-making skills, Payne is at ease calling the shots in these positions.
We see Payne at first receiver for Ireland in the example above, and while his pass is not perfect – he was understandably rusty early on in the game – and England’s defence is in decent shape, we get a good sense of what his presence in the team offers Ireland.
With Payne as first receiver on the right of the initial ruck, we can see that Sexton is also in the first receiver slot over on the left.
There’s not much on for Ireland to the left of the ruck, but the point here is that Ireland are now in a position where they have two players at first receiver who are comfortable in that role.
Henshaw makes a good carry as Ireland play to the right and, on the very next phase, we get another glimpse of Payne’s creativity at first receiver.
The Ulsterman beats Owen Farrell with his excellent footwork and would free Keith Earls to have a dart up the touchline but for Elliot Daly’s knock-on.
Sexton – or whoever is at out-half – will continue to be the primary playmaker for Ireland, but Payne’s presence offers greater possibilities for the Irish attack in this regard.
Off the ball
Watching games in the flesh is a something of a necessity for assessing the effectiveness of all players, but particularly those in the back three.
The zoomed-in view of TV shots rarely gives us insight into how a player is moving around the pitch off the ball or how they are communicating with their team-mates.
Payne excels in both of these areas, reading play intelligently and making good decisions about where to position himself, as well as communicating that to others concisely.
We get a fine example of Payne’s movement off the ball in one of Ireland’s early attacks against England.
Above, we can see Payne making a move from the left of the pitch across to the right as Kieran Marmion hits Tadhg Furlong to make a one-out carry for Ireland.
The temptation for Payne on the next phase is to act as first receiver again – Sexton is on the ground. Indeed, Payne briefly slows his run and considers stepping into that role.
However, he rapidly recognises that Ireland are best served by him getting wide to the right and creating an overlap there, so he steps on the accelerator to get across.
Payne can see that Simon Zebo – a creative player who can also playmake, but is often required to hold width out on the left wing – is in a position to act as the first receiver here, so Payne continues on his way.
By the time the ball makes it wide right, after Zebo’s attempted kick is blocked and via a beautiful reverse pass from Rory Best – penalty advantage is being played – Payne is all the way over on the right-hand side.
When the ball arrives into Payne’s hands, we see his attacking quality again, as he fends Daly, using the England wing’s tackle attempt to actually propel himself forward.
He accelerates clear of the despairing tap tackle effort of Daly, and then draws Mike Brown inwards before offloading to Earls on the right touchline.
Payne might wonder whether he would have been better served by passing pre-contact, but Brown does a solid job of not biting in too early.
We should underline that Kearney has made runs like this for Ireland during this Six Nations – including one cracker against Scotland – but Payne shows his own ability inside the opening 10 minutes of this clash with England.
Soon after, he links into the Irish attacking line from a very different position, starting inside Sexton.
Again, watching this unfold live in the stadium allowed those present to watch the communication between Sexton and Payne, who exchange words as Jack McGrath makes a carry.
They decide on a clever move that also involves Ringrose and they strike at England on the next phase.
Marmion hits Ringrose from the ruck, with Sexton fading out behind the Ireland 13, before Payne arrives arrives late onto the delayed pass from Ringrose.
Courtney Lawes makes a good read for England and shuts the play down, but it’s encouraging for Schmidt to see his players running a relatively fresh ‘wrinkle’ like this inside the opposition 22.
This brief example also gives us insight into how Sexton and Payne combine comfortably, which we already knew from when the Ulsterman has been at outside centre for Ireland.
Second layer
We analysed the issues with Ireland’s poor use of the second wave of their attack after the defeat to Scotland in round one, and it has continued to be an issue ever since.
However, there was a superb example of how effective Ireland can be in this area against the English and Payne was centrally involved.
Again, we got a sense of Ireland organising themselves without the need for Sexton to be the hub, with Payne, Henshaw and Furlong producing a brilliant play.
Payne is situated in the ‘second wave’ of the attack, behind the attacking line.
Encouragingly for Ireland, Henshaw steps into first receiver, although Furlong does demand a call from the centre as he waits in midfield. Tight forwards like Furlong like to be provided with a call as early as possible.
Payne helps the process, sitting in behind Furlong and making himself available for a pass from the prop.
Henshaw passes to Furlong and the tighthead makes a lovely second pass out the back door of Best to Payne.
Crucially, Payne is flat enough to draw George Ford up to tackle him, and he has the handling skill to get an accurate pass away to Ringrose.
Ringrose then does superbly to draw Daly in and release Earls up the right with a sublimely-timed pass.
This is the kind of opportunity that Ireland had not been converting into a linebreak often enough in this championship, with their fixing of defenders, depth, running lines and passing skills inconsistent.
This is also a prime example of how Ireland can cut defences apart when they are accurate. Fascinatingly for Schmidt, it comes without the playmaking presence of Sexton – note he is offering himself as first receiver over on the left-hand side again, keeping England alert on that side of the ruck.
Henshaw steps up as the first receiver, pushes a pass rather than bludgeoning once again, then a skillful front row player in Furlong draws the defence and makes a good decision to pass a second time.
Payne is flat enough to really challenge the defence and draw in the edge defender, before Ringrose shows off the kind of brilliant basic skills that he can offer this team.
Earls is tackled in the English 22 and there is a knock-on on the very next phase, but Schmidt will have been deeply pleased with the quality of this build-up play. For Payne to be centrally involved was not an accident.
Kick return
One of the weakest areas of Ireland’s game under Schmidt has been their kick return, where they have appeared not to bring a convincing try-scoring or line-breaking mentality.
Payne’s return in the 15 shirt saw them perform well in this department, however, with Sexton appearing to enjoy the chance to run off him.
Above is a glimpse of that, as Payne carries the fielded ball back at England with intent, the ball in two hands making it difficult for the defenders to read.
We see Sexton make a sweeping run from the middle of the pitch all the way to the left touchline, immediately sensing a chance.
Again, Payne’s decision-making is perhaps rusty and Sexton is frustrated not to receive the pass, although Anthony Watson does well this time to keep his body open, rather than biting in early, meaning he is covering Sexton until the last second.
But the intent from Ireland must be exciting for Schmidt and his coaching staff. Essentially, Payne is simply tackled running the ball back here, but there is more energy and possibility to it.
Payne did cut through the English defence on kick return later in the game, a bust that really should have led to a try.
Andrew Conway immediately looks for Payne on his inside after fielding a poor England kick, and the Ireland fullback takes off on a superb run.
In truth, this bust is about Payne’s strength, determination and some poor English defence, but to see a linebreak on kick return must have greatly enthused Schmidt.
Not to convert the linebreak into a score was a major frustration and something we will return to elsewhere.
Next opportunity
As mentioned before, Payne did look rusty early on in this game having played against the two weak Italian teams in his three Pro12 appearances for Ulster since returning from a kidney injury.
That lack of top-level match sharpness was apparent in the 31-year-old’s knock-on of Ben Youngs’ kick in the second minute.
Payne dropped another English kick soon after, although he did eventually warm to the aerial task and fielded a number of high balls under pressure from the chase.
His ability under the kick is usually good, although Kearney is certainly the best option Ireland have in this regard and Schmidt is likely to consider his fullbacks on a ‘horses for courses’ basis.
Payne chased Ireland’s own kicks very well on Saturday, hounding after Marmion’s boxed exits to pressure England’s fielding players well.
Payne only had to complete three tackles for Ireland, but we know how strong he is defensively – in terms of technical skills, communication, decision-making and his reading of the game.
Payne is obviously still not at his peak, having only recently returned from injury, but the glimpses of his quality and the dimension he added to Ireland’s attack is food for thought for Schmidt moving forward.
Subscribe to The42 Rugby Show podcast here:August 05, 2015
LG has began the global rollout of its latest flip smartphone called Wine Smart — or as the handset is known LG’s home country, South Korea, LG Gentle.
The LG Wine Smart has launched globally — a flip phone running on Android 5.1 Lollipop OS.
The device has a 3.2″ touchscreen display embedded under the clamshell and runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop while getting backed by a 1,700mAh removable battery.
Full PR:
LG Electronics (LG) brings global consumers with its newest hybrid smartphone designed especially for a generation of users who are more accustomed to the feel of flip — also known as folder or clamshell — phones. Originally announced in the domestic Korean market as LG Gentle, the all-new LG Wine Smart will make its international debut later this month in target countries including France, Italy, Poland, Spain, Kazakhstan and Japan, among others.
The Wine Smart combines the familiarity of a folder phone with an easy-to-use touchscreen and the connectivity and power of a smartphone. Thanks to the positive response to the original Wine Smart introduced in Korea last year, LG optimized the latest model with more advanced multimedia features to make the transition from feature phone to smartphone as seamless as possible.
The new LG Wine Smart is powered by Android Lollipop 5.1.1 to run the latest apps without complaint. To truly optimize the new Wine Smart for flip phone fans, LG included a large physical 3×4 numeric keypad for easy and accurate typing and hotkeys that provide instant access to frequently used features such as phone dialer, address book, text messages or camera. Larger-than-normal icons take full advantage of the 3×3 home screen layout on the crisp 3.2-inch HVGA display. The Wine Smart includes LG’s Safety Care feature which can be set to automatically transmit emergency alerts and real-time location to pre-selected contacts whenever the user needs immediate assistance.
“Our goal with LG Wine Smart was to create a smartphone that fans of flip phones could embrace,” said Chris Yie, vice president and head of marketing communications for LG Mobile Communications Company. “Consumers shouldn’t have to miss out on the smartphone revolution because they prefer a particular phone design over another. With LG Wine Smart, they won’t have to.”
Prices and carrier details will be announced locally at the time of launch.
Key Specifications:Actor Tom Hanks said that President Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE's attacks on the media bear a resemblance to tactics used by repressive governments to sow distrust and disdain for the press.
"As an American it concerns me, because it's monkeying around with our Constitution," Hanks told CNN's David Axelrod in an interview for his show "The Axe Files," adding that Trump has sought to muddy facts and shake public confidence in long-standing institutions.
"They're throwing dirt and oil into a bucket of water, so that it all becomes undrinkable after a while," he said.
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Trump has frequently directed his ire at news outlets, particularly The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN, arguing that he is treated unfairly by the press.
But his attacks have also called the media's credibly into question. He often levels accusations of "fake news" against outlets who cover his administration critically.
Hanks said he doesn't think the Trump administration is trying to shut news organizations down outright. But he said that the White House appears to be employing a tactic to discredit the media and obscure hard facts.
"I don't know that they're saying we have to shut them down so they don't publish anymore. What is happening is something that is more subtle and more insidious and I think has more fingerprints from other... governments in the past."2 years ago
As a few of you have noticed, here at Achievement Hunter, we've started to stream regularly! FIVE days a week to be exact! Now it's time to answer the big question we've been seeing pop up quite a lot the past few weeks: "WHERE IS THE SCHEDULE?!?!?!?!?!"
So sorry to (insert country in a timezone where all our streams you have to set an alarm for) for not making it easy on you! But without further ado, here we go:
MONDAY: 11 AM CT - One on One
(gaming.youtube.com/achievementhunter)
TUESDAY: 4 PM CT - The Stream Team
(gaming.youtube.com/achievementhunter)
WEDNESDAY: 1 PM CT - Achievement Hunter Duo
(gaming.youtube.com/achievementhunter)
THURSDAY: 2 PM CT - Achievement Hunter Multi-Cam
(gaming.youtube.com/achievementhunter)
FRIDAY: 4 PM CT - Rooster Teeth Variety
(https://www.twitch.tv/roosterteeth)
Excited?! WE ARE TOO!! And this schedule is subject to change most likely, so stay tuned. We're all very excited to make streaming a regular part of Rooster Teeth/ Achievement Hunter and we can't wait to see you in chat!Meanwhile, the raping of German women by asylum seekers is becoming commonplace.
A police raid on the Munich refugee facility found that guards hired to provide security at the site were trafficking drugs and weapons and were turning a blind eye to the prostitution.
"When Muslim teenage boys go to open air swimming pools, they are overwhelmed when they see girls in bikinis. These boys, who come from a culture where for women it is frowned upon to show naked skin, will follow girls and bother them without their realizing it. Naturally, this generates fear." — Bavarian politician, quoted in Die Welt.
Police in the Bavarian town of Mering, where a 16-year-old-girl was raped on September 11, have issued a warning to parents not to allow their children to go outside unaccompanied. In the Bavarian town of Pocking, administrators of the Wilhelm-Diess-Gymnasium have warned parents not to let their daughter's wear revealing clothing in order to avoid "misunderstandings."
Approximately 80% of the refugees/migrants at the shelter in Munich are male... the price for sex with female asylum seekers is ten euros. — Bavarian Broadcasting ( Bayerischer Rundfunk ).
A 13-year-old Muslim girl was raped by another asylum seeker at a refugee facility in Detmold, a city in west-central Germany. The girl and her mother reportedly fled their homeland to escape a culture of sexual violence.
Although the rape took place in June, police kept silent about it for nearly three months, until local media published a story about the crime. According to an editorial comment in the newspaper Westfalen-Blatt, police are refusing to go public about crimes involving refugees and migrants because they do not want to give legitimacy to critics of mass migration.
A growing number of women and young girls housed in refugee shelters in Germany are being raped, sexually assaulted and even forced into prostitution by male asylum seekers, according to German social work organizations with first-hand knowledge of the situation.
Many of the rapes are occurring in mixed-gender shelters, where, due to a lack of space, German authorities are forcing thousands of male and female migrants to share the same sleeping areas and restroom facilities.
Conditions for women and girls at some shelters are so perilous that females are being described as "wild game" fighting off Muslim male predators. But many victims, fearing reprisals, are keeping silent, social workers say.
At the same time, growing numbers of German women in towns and cities across the country are being raped by asylum seekers from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Many of the crimes are being downplayed by German authorities and the national media, apparently to avoid fueling anti-immigration sentiments.
On August 18, a coalition of four social work organizations and women's rights groups sent a two-page letter to the leaders of the political parties in the regional parliament in Hesse, a state in west-central Germany, warning them of the worsening situation for women and children in the refugee shelters. The letter said:
"The ever-increasing influx of refugees has complicated the situation for women and girls at the receiving center in Giessen (HEAE) and its subsidiaries. "The practice of providing accommodations in large tents, the lack of gender-separate sanitary facilities, premises that cannot be locked, the lack of safe havens for women and girls — to name just a few spatial factors — increases the vulnerability of women and children within the HEAE. This situation plays into the hands of those men who assign women a subordinate role and treat women traveling alone as 'wild game'. "The consequences are numerous rapes and sexual assaults. We are also receiving an increasing number of reports of forced prostitution. It must be stressed: these are not isolated cases. "Women report that they, as well as children, have been raped or subjected to sexual assault. As a result, many women sleep in their street clothes. Women regularly report that they do not use the toilet at night because of the danger of rape and robbery on the way to the sanitary facilities. Even during daylight, passing through the camp is a frightful situation for many women. "Many women — in addition to fleeing wars or civil wars — are also on the run for gender-related reasons, including the threat of forced marriage or genital mutilation. These women who face special risks, especially when they are on the run alone or with their children. Even if they are accompanied by male relatives or acquaintances, this does not always ensure protection against violence because it can also lead to specific dependencies and sexual exploitation. "Most female refugees have experienced a variety of traumatizing experiences in their country of origin and while on the run. They are victims of violence, kidnappings, torture, rape and extortion — sometimes over periods of several years. "The feeling to have arrived here — in safety — and to be able to move without fear, is a gift for many women.... We therefore ask you...to join our call for the immediate establishment of protected premises (locked apartments or houses) for women and children who are travelling alone.... "These facilities must be equipped so that men do not have access to the premises of the women, with the exception of emergency workers and security personnel. In addition bedrooms, lounges, kitchens and sanitary facilities must be interconnected so that they form a self-contained unit — and thus can only be reached via lockable and monitored access to the house or the apartment."
After several blogs (here, here and here) drew attention to the letter, the LandesFrauenRat (LFR) Hessen, a women's lobbying group that originally uploaded the politically incorrect document to its website, abruptly removed it on September 14, without explanation.
The problem of rapes and sexual assaults in German refugee shelters is a nationwide problem.
In Bavaria, women and girls housed at a refugee shelter in Bayernkaserne, a former military base in Munich |
to do with the book. We were trying to look at the range of people who are accepting their sexuality differently. Also, from different classes, so their entry points are also way different. Some of them are activists, some of them are academics, some are sex workers, some of them are just there and a part of their community.
I know most of the people in my pictures, and I've known them for quite a long time. I grew up with them. There is this whole idea about when you're growing up as a child or like a young person, and you always think about your family and those kind of relations. Then in this community of [queer] men—the men I was talking to, the kothis and thehijras—they've adapted to the same culture, the same familial ideas [with each other]. One of the very crucial things is also [queer people's desire] to get married, but there's no legal status for marriages between hijras and others, even though some still have partners and they live together. Sometimes the partnership goes for lifetime.
Geeta (let) comes from a wealthy family in Mumbai and only felt comfortable coming out in the United States. She lives part of the year in India, and the rest of the year with her American wife Kath in Virginia. "It matters to me that I'm in India. Sometimes it's hard to be here... I feel like danger is stalking us in a much more different way," she says.
And what about lesbian communities in India?
Sunil Gupta: In the 80s, when I was finding that men had no speech about [being queer] and they were voiceless or in the closet, but were able to have a lot of public sex, women had a relatively opposite experience. Streets [in India] can be dangerous to women, so they're not hanging out on the street corners, and so women did have a voice. Privately, women were talking a lot more about a women's movement, in which there's space for sexual difference. Some of India's more recent gay liberation and the politics of it from the 90s, early 2000s, emerged from the women's movement.
In what direction do you see the future of LGBT life in India going?
Sunil Gupta: The older people are all married and in the closet, and they're never going to come out. They're still completely invisible. I think the [younger] generation is keen to be liberated. India is growing rapidly, and younger people are well-off; they all have jobs. They want what they want, and they want it now. They don't want to wait for some later time to be freed, so they're much more demanding of their rights.
My theory is that gay liberation was born in rich Western places like New York and London because it takes money. You can't be poor and liberated. To be out and leave your family requires that you either have cash or you live in a welfare state like Europe. If you leave your family in India, you'll starve, and there's no healthcare, there's no housing. There's nothing. You can't leave them, so it's very difficult to be outwardly, like, "I'm a single gay man in my own apartment." That doesn't work. You don't have the means for that in India.
Charan Singh: In India, you grow up with this idea that beyond your blood family, there's no existence of your own. I think you give so much of yourself to the family that you don't think about life beyond that structure. I think it's now slightly shifting where people are moving out, with internal migration from different cities within the country. Also going abroad and coming back, and all of that. I think it's making space for different kinds of voices.
'Delhi: Communities of Belonging' is out now via the New Press. Order the photo book here.
Follow Peter on Twitter.As the 2017 legislative session wound down Monday evening, five men sat on couches in a lounge inside Maryland's State House. They would soon decide the fate of a bill that would allow a woman who is raped and conceives a child to terminate the parental rights of her assailant.
Maryland is one of 16 states that has not passed such a law. Women here still have to negotiate with an alleged rapist over custody or putting the child up for adoption.
It was the ninth time Del. Kathleen Dumais had tried to pass the law. It had progressed further in the state legislature than ever before by passing both houses. But there were substantial differences between the House and Senate versions, so a conference committee of three delegates and three senators was chosen to negotiate a single bill.
Neither Dumais nor any other woman was asked to be on the committee.
"Although I have great respect for my colleagues, not having women on the committee was tone-deaf," Sen. Cheryl Kagan said. The Montgomery County Democrat stood over the men at the conference with her arms crossed, overseeing the group with Sen. Delores G. Kelley, a Baltimore Democrat.
"I wanted to watch as the conscience for women and rape survivors," Kagan explained.
Dumais wasn't a voting member on the committee, but she participated in the conference.
The committee members were chosen by Del. Joseph F. Vallario Jr., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Robert Zirkin, chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.
Vallario said the all-male committee "was never intended that way." He said he didn't ask Dumais because he never appoints prime sponsors of a bill to a conference committee, to be "impartial."
Baltimore County Police Chief James W. Johnson and Sgt. Rose Brady discuss the department's handling of rape and sexual assault cases. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun video) Baltimore County Police Chief James W. Johnson and Sgt. Rose Brady discuss the department's handling of rape and sexual assault cases. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun video) SEE MORE VIDEOS
Dumais, the vice chairwoman of the Judiciary Committee, said she has sat on conference committees for bills for which she's been primary sponsor. Vallario appointed himself to the committee but did not attend negotiations.
Zirkin said he thought it was "odd" that Dumais wasn't appointed by Vallario. He said he asked Dumais and Kelley to the meeting to discuss the bill. He said it was not a gender issue.
"It was very frustrating that it didn't pass," Zirkin said. If a special session is called, he said, he hopes to bring the bill back up.
Lisae C. Jordan, director of the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, lobbied for the bill.
"Chairman Zirkin knows how to pass a bill and how to kill one," she said. "If he wanted the Rape Survivor Family Protection Act to pass, it would have."
Sen. Michael J. Hough, a committee member said "this is not a man or woman issue."
Rather, he said the key sticking points were over issues.
Would it have been different with a woman in charge?
"I would have scheduled [the conference committee] earlier," Dumais said.
crentz@baltsun.comSINGAPORE - In this challenging media environment, with falling revenues, digital disruption, and fake news, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) has a tough job to do, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
"But I am confident that SPH news outlets will continue to deliver reliable news and relevant content to the public," he said in a Facebook post after he visited the media company's News Centre at Toa Payoh North on Thursday (Dec 7).
Mr Lee toured radio studios as well as the various newsrooms at SPH.
He also tried his hand at deejaying during his visit.
“DJs have a demanding job – they have to track four different screens, and do many tasks simultaneously, to keep the show running smoothly,” he wrote in his post.
During his tour of The Straits Times newsroom, PM Lee was shown recent videos, including a video on Changi Airport's Terminal 5, and interactive projects produced by the team.
He was also briefed on NewsEd, a new education portal developed by ST. Launched in August, the portal aims to give students a way to engage with news. It features learning activities, and students can respond to assignments in real time using text, videos and photos. It is accessible from desktop browsers as well as Apple and Android mobile devices.
PM Lee wrote: "SPH launched its NewsEd education portal in August this year. It allows educators to use current affairs as an education tool, and inculcate essential values and skills.
"I am glad that 16 schools have already expressed interest in using the portal."And when the smoked cleared the box office was still standing and another horror movie captured the hard earned dollars of ticket-goers in 2013. But what of the move itself? Did they naysayers say their nays correctly? Did the cheerleaders waive their pom poms in vane? What of this remake/re-imagined/re-worked/newly dreamed EVIL DEAD beasty that took horror fans to task and asked whether one of horror’s greatest splatter fests could be envisioned with new eyes and new characters under new directorship? The questions you are asking are all valid and for those of you who haven’t yet had the chance to hit up the theater you may be quite torn. Do you watch the new EVIL DEAD? Horrors fans, hope you enjoyed the long drive to the cabin in the middle of nowhere. You can turn your Necronomicon to page one and abandon all hope. Anybody remember the gas can for the chainsaw?
I can safely say that you have gathered today a diverse cross section of individuals discussing that very question as well as weighing in on all of the rateable qualities of Fede Alvarez’s new film. Jeff Konopka, Shawn Savage and Jimmy Terror joined by the esteemed writer of *Viewer Discretion Advised (FaceBook page available here: *Viewer Discretion Advised) and Evil Dead aficionado, Heather Seebach, take up the task of helping out the horror community in this installment of the Dead Air podcast series as sponsored by The Liberal Dead. We’ll run the arguments and the debates and give you multiple perspectives. Ultimately the decisions rest with you, but I’d be lying if we weren’t going to try our damnedest to entertain and help you make that decision.
We’ll start off discussing what we’ve been watching in general, talk about Evil Dead without spoilers and queue you when it’s time for those of you who want an un-spoiled experience so we can talk to the people who have seen the movie already.
This is one episode you don’t want to miss! You may Download the MP3 here or Subscribe Via iTunes. iTunes listeners: Please take a moment to leave us a rating/review, and we will share it on an upcoming podcast! Weigh in on Evil Dead. Let us know what you think and spread this around if you think we got it right, got it wrong or if you still need more input.
Scariest movie you’ve ever seen? Two ways to find out…
Go see the movie or by all means… Listen up.
-Dr. TERROR
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Chanting that politicians must resign, the demonstrators surrounded parliament in Madrid on Saturday evening, facing off with riot police and denouncing the conservative government's deep budget cuts.
Rallied by the Indignants protest movement and organised on social media, the protesters held up signs that said simply "No", "Resign" and "Democracy" and shouted toward the legislature: "They do not represent us".
On Tuesday helmeted riot police fired rubber bullets and baton-charged protesters as thousands rallied near parliament in anger at the economic crisis in clashes that left at least 14 people wounded.
The crisis, blamed on the collapse of a speculation-driven real estate boom, has plunged Spain into recession, throwing millions out of work and many families into poverty. Unemployment is close to 25 per cent.
Amid the gloom, the government had more bad news on Saturday, when Budget Minister Cristobal Montoro said debt was now predicted to reach 85.3 per cent of gross domestic product in 2012 and 90.5 per cent in 2013.
The deficit meanwhile was revised to 9.44 per cent of GDP from 8.9 per cent and was predicted to hit 7.4 per cent instead of 6.3 per cent this year.
Growing anger
The budget approved by Prime Minister Marian Rajoy's right-wing cabinet on Thursday tightens austerity in the teeth of the growing protests, easing the path to a widely expected sovereign bailout.
"The budget must act as a lever to overcome the crisis and restore confidence in Spain," Montoro said on Saturday as the budget was submitted to parliament. "It must open the way to growth and job creation in the country."
Montoro blamed the ballooning deficit on state aid to Spain's fragile banks, which have been reeling from bad debts since the property bubble burst in 2008.
But Montoro added that Madrid expected this aid to be repaid, allowing Spain to make good on its pledge to the European Union to return the deficit figure for 2012 to 6.3 per cent of GDP.
Protesters say the policies of Rajoy's conservative government, including pay cuts and sales tax rises to rein in the public deficit, hurt the poor unfairly.
The offer of a loan of up to 100bn euros ($125bn) by Spain's eurozone partners to rescue the country's stricken banks has fanned their anger.
Spain said on Friday after an independent audit that its banks need 59bn euros ($76bn) to fix their balance sheets, but may need to borrow "only" 40bn euros from the eurozone.
Portugal protests
Meanwhile in neighbouring Portugal, thousands took to the streets of Lisbon on Saturday in a new protest against austerity, stepping up their opposition to the country's 78bn-euro bailout ahead of new spending cuts and tax hikes to be announced in the government's 2013 draft budget.
The peaceful protest organised by the CGTP (General Confederation of Portuguese Workers) union came after the centre-right government ignited widespread anger this month with a hike in social security taxes that threatened to end Portugal's so far high social acceptance for austerity.
Facing criticism from unions, opposition politicians and businesses alike, the government reversed the tax hike.
But it is now rushing to find alternative measures to adopt in its 2013 budget to ensure the country meets fiscal goals under its bailout from the European Union, European Central Bank and IMF, the so-called troika.
Protesters marched through downtown Lisbon, carrying banners reading "Out with the Troika and these policies".
The protest in Portugal came after a week of similar anti-austerity marches in Greece and Italy as southern Europeans face increasingly grim economic conditions under hardship sparked by the euro debt crisis.The Florida State University athletic department announced that guard Aaron Thomas has been declared ineligible for the remainder of the basketball season, and did not say when the junior could be reinstated.
Thomas, 6-foot-5 and 23-years old, has averaged 14.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in six games this season. He sat out FSU's Nov. 25 game against the Citadel and Nov. 28 game against Charleston Southern after being hospitalized with dehydration.
His 14.8 points leads the team this season, and his 14.5 points per game led the team last year, as well.
• Louisville freshman Shaqquan Aaron can make debut Dec. 20
Florida State (4-4, 13th in the ACC) travels to South Bend, Ind., to play No. 25 Notre Dame (9-1, fifth in the ACC) on Saturday night in what will the ACC season-opener for both teams.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, FSU will likely give freshman guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes a larger role in Thomas' absence.
- Christopher WoodyOn first glance, Mallory Pugh has had no trouble assimilating into the NWSL.
At 19 years old, she is one of the youngest players in the league, but the experience she had accumulated over a year’s time with the U.S. women’s national team gave her more high-level experience than most. With every touch, every run, every decision to take on defenders, the would-be UCLA Bruin has shown herself a level above the competition.
The statistical record, though, tells a slightly different story. Through 14 games with the Washington Spirit, Pugh has four goals, though one was from the penalty spot. In open play, that’s a goal every 341 minutes.
Her overall goal rate ranks 29th out of the 60 NWSL players Opta classifies as forwards, while her assist rate (having recorded one this season) ranks 32nd.
There is something to be said here about merging the eye- and numbers-tests — Pugh is certainly better than a 50th-percentile attacker in the NWSL — but the overall picture paints one at odds with expectations.
Although her long layoff from competitive play may be a part of her production (electing not to play collegiately during her only year at UCLA due to the U-20 World Cup), ultimately, attackers have to produce. And to this point, Pugh’s production hasn’t matched the hype.
Embedded video for When phenoms take flight: What should we expect from Mallory Pugh in NWSL?
To date, this isn’t a player who, during that nebulous period between college and pro, some said the Portland Thorns should trade major assets to obtain. That was when it looked like Pugh was angling for Portland, when leaving for Paris-Saint Germain was a major threat. Instead, this is a 19-year-old phenom who, understandably, has seen expectations tempered during her first months playing against professionals.
This, perhaps, is what we should have expected all along.
A case of expectations
It can not be stressed enough, though, how much better Pugh looks than her numbers. With every moment on the ball, flashing a near-unparalleled speed of movement and thought, Pugh reminds us why Jill Ellis and the U.S. women’s national team sought to accelerate her development.
But then, that’s what objective standards are for. Your eyes may see a player that looks the part you’ve constructed in your mind, but if the production isn’t there, what good is your construct?
Still, as every Washington match approaches its final half-hour, and Pugh seems to hit a new level, one that separates her from the other 21 players on the field, you can’t help but wonder what experience will yield, how she’ll thrive when Washington can draw attention from her, and what damage the fully-matured, Platonic ideal of Mallory Pugh can do to the soccer world.
"I honestly didn’t really have any concerns, but I knew it was going to be challenging,” Pugh said, earlier this season about her transition to the NWSL. "It’s very competitive, and it’s a great learning opportunity, and it’s a great area to grow in.
"It’s just continuing to get games under me and meshing with the team. Just seeing how competitive these games are, and just kind of adapting to it has really helped me and it’s helping me grow.”
They’re modest goals from an athlete who, in her time on the microphone, casts a modest pose. When you break into the national team at 17, though, it’s hard for the conversation around you to show the same restraint.
When she was called into senior camp in January 2016, she was one of the youngest field players in a U.S. squad in the last 15 years, joining the likes of Lauren Holiday, Heather O’Reilly and Amy Rodriguez as pre-college standouts.
NEXT: Pugh in the wider context of a USWNT youth movementTaiwan’s defense ministry released photos on Friday of Taiwan’s multiple combat aircraft (bottom) closely monitoring Chinese warplanes. File Photo courtesy of Taiwan Defense Ministry
July 21 (UPI) -- Japan and Taiwan scrambled fighter jets on Thursday after China flew a squadron of strategic bombers over the western Pacific, according to a Taiwanese press report.
The Liberty Times reported Friday the Chinese bombers flew from the East China Sea to the western Pacific, an exercise that may have been conducted to warn Taiwan and Japan.
Beijing is locked in a territorial and maritime dispute in the waters and claims the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands.
China flew eight Xian H-6 strategic bombers and two Shaanxi Y-8 drone carrier aircraft.
The planes flew across airspace near Taiwan then traveled over the Miyako Strait, a waterway that lies between Miyako Island and Okinawa Island.
Taiwanese newspaper United Daily News reported the Y-8 aircraft were equipped with electromagnetic interference technology used to create disturbances for communication systems.
Taipei's military responded by scrambling the AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo, also known as the Indigenous Defense Fighter.
The IDF is a multirole combat aircraft that was built after the United States refused to sell Taiwan the F-20 Tigershark and F-16 Fighting falcon jet fighters, in response to diplomatic pressure from Beijing.
Taiwan's defense ministry released photos of the IDF closely monitoring the Chinese strategic bombers, as they "threatened" to enter Taiwan's air defense identification zone, according to UDN.
Japan's air self-defense force scrambled F-15J eagle fighters, according to the report.
China previously flew six Xian H-6 bombers over the area between Okinawa and the Miyako Islands, prompting Japan to scramble fighter jets in response.
Beijing has said the flight is legal.Anyone who has suffered an injury can probably remember the after-effects, including pain, swelling or redness. These are signs that the body is fighting back against the injury. When tissue in the body is damaged, biological programs are activated to aid in tissue regeneration. An inflammatory response acts as a protective mechanism to enable repair and regeneration, helping the body to heal after injuries such as wounds and burns. However, the same mechanism may interfere with healing in situations in which foreign material is introduced, for example when synthetics are grafted to skin for dermal repair. In such cases, the inflammation may lead to tissue fibrosis, which creates an obstacle to proper physiological function.
The research group of Arun Sharma, PhD has been working on innovative approaches to tissue regeneration in order to improve the lives of patients with urinary bladder dysfunction. Among their breakthroughs was a medical model for regenerating bladders using stem cells harvested from a donor's own bone marrow, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2013.
More recently, the team has developed a system that may protect against the inflammatory reaction that can negatively impact tissue growth, development and function. Self-assembling peptide amphiphiles (PAs) are biocompatible and biodegradable nanomaterials that have demonstrated utility in a wide range of settings and applications. Using an established urinary bladder augmentation model, the Sharma Group treated a highly pro-inflammatory biologic scaffold used in a wide array of settings with anti-inflammatory peptide amphiphiles (AIF-PAs). When compared with control PAs, the treated scaffold showed regenerative capacity while modulating the innate inflammatory response, resulting in superior bladder function.
This work is published in the journal Biomaterials. Says Sharma, "Our findings are very relevant not just for bladder regeneration but for other types of tissue regeneration where foreign materials are utilized for structural support. I also envision the potential utility of these nanomolecules for the treatment of a wide range of dysfunctional inflammatory based conditions."Well, we have reached the end! Last week we set out to list the 50 worst states in America in an ascending list of their worstness, and that's just what we've done. Come run the victory lap with us, please.
To refresh your memories one more time: We were tasked by the U.S. Department of Social Geography to conduct a very scientific poll of our staff. We asked them to rank the 50 American states on a scale of 1-10, based on whatever criteria they so chose. We then took those scores, used enormous calculators to find the average, and our list was born. These five states you will read about today represent the absolute worst, the nadir of American statehood. It's been a long road, but we've made it.
5. Mississippi
The Hospitality State is really only hospitable if you're one exact, specific kind of person.
The Good: Well, let's see here. There are certainly attractive parts of the state. It's verdant and lush and full of magnolias. (Or, you know, supposedly it is, I didn't see any when I was there, or maybe I did and just didn't know I was seeing them.) Oxford, where sorority catastrophe Ole Miss is located, is a fairly intellectual sort of place. If tragedy and struggle breeds creativity, there's no greater proof of that than Mississippi, which has, over the years, been home to many great and important writers (Faulkner, Williams, etc.)
The Bad: Good grief. Well, uh, they don't much care for blacks, or gays, or book-learnin'. Everyone there is fat. And did we mention racist? They're pretty racist. It's actually become part of their economy (says a commenter). Sorry, Mississippi.
Final Score: 3.18
4. New Jersey
The Garden State is a garden of both good and evil. But slightly more evil.
The Good: New Jersey is close to things that aren't New Jersey! It's close to New York City and to Philadelphia, so that's very convenient should you want to leave New Jersey. (You will want to leave New Jersey.) There are pretty places in New Jersey like the Pine Barrens and the Kittatinny Mountains and Cape May. Oh, and they have fascinating hill people! Do a reality show on that, MTV. New Jersey also has cultural offerings like the Paper Mill Playhouse and the McCarter Theater. Rutgers has grease trucks where they put mozzarella sticks in the sandwiches. Atlantic City is a haunted version of Las Vegas. Bruce Springsteen.
The Bad: It's not the pollution. It's not Trenton or Camden. It's not Jersey Shore or the Housewives. It's not the accents, the tanning, the jewelry, the hair. It's not the mob. It's not all those things one typically thinks of when "New Jersey sucks!" comes to mind. You know why, at least why I suspect, New Jersey ranked so low on this list? Just go read the comments on this past week's worth of state posts, specifically the ones by people from New Jersey. Have you ever met a person, separate from a Texan, who is more inclined to talk about their state than someone from New Jersey? Holy cow are a lot of Jerseyites completely obsessed with being from New Jersey. And why? It's a small state with no important cities and no major cultural export beyond embarrassing mooks. "Everyone in New York City thinks we suck," they complain. First off that's not really true, but also good grief if you're so upset about New York City, stop constantly defining yourself by New York City! Jerseyites have such a bizarrely inflated ego and defensiveness about their state that it's hard to actually praise it. It's reflexive. You almost need to say something bad about it, just to satisfy these fools' persecution complexes. New Jersey is a fine state with much to offer! But if you keep boostering for it when no one asked you to, everyone else is going to be mean to it. That's all. That's all the problem is here. (It is also polluted and gross and Trenton sucks and ew fake tans, but y'know.)
Final Score: 3.14
3. Utah
The Beehive State is an alien landscape full of wonders and weirdos. It's a good place to get lost, or be found.
The Good: So much natural beauty! From the strange, towering spires of Zion National Park to the sad quiet corners of Bryce Canyon, Utah has some nice rocks. The state also has nice mountains for skiing. Nestled up in those mountains is the town of Park City, where the Sundance Film Festival happens every year. I know it's lame to include that in "The Good," being that it's become corporate and overrun with hangers-on and whatnot, but there's no denying that some good, important filmmaking is showcased and sold amidst all the chichi garbage. We've heard rumors that Salt Lake City can be a decent place, but they've never been verified.
The Bad: Everything that's not national parks and quaint little ski/film towns? Abjectly miserable. Desolate, creepy rock and desert. Utah also has the Mormons. Not that an individual Mormon is a bad person! Of course not, that's silly. But when amassed together, when taking orders from the white guys in suits who live in the magic temple, then they can be pretty scary. They don't much like sex or even the suggestion of sex. They only started liking black people in the late '70s. (Though they might still actually not like them very much.) And they take their dislike for gays and export it to other states. They're jerks, kinda! Even worse, aggressively evangelizing jerks. And the throbbing seat of their power rests in Utah, so that's a knock to you, Utah. But other than the Mormons, Utah is bad for being a barren, lonely place. Whether the deserts are orange or a strange, windswept gray, you kind of get the sense that you don't belong there. (Especially if you're black, gay, or an unmarried woman.)
Final Score: 3.03
2. Alabama
The Heart of Dixie is alas a clogged artery of bad ideas and other sad stuff.
The Good: Parts of it are nice to look at. Mobile has some pretty old buildings and stuff. Auburn is a good school. As Two-a-Days showed us, if you want your son to play football and be good at it, move to Alabama. (If you want your daughter to play football and be good at it, move to Northampton, weirdo.) The Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery has national recognition.
The Bad: It's tempting to just copy and paste the Mississippi section. Uh, well, in addition to a long and bloody history of racism, Alabama boasts an insane new immigration law, crazy politicians who make crazy ads, and while things are getting a bit better, Alabama is a horrible place to be gay. Aside from the political stuff, Alabama is rural and empty and miserable in the summer and full of tornadoes.
Final Score: 2.94
1. Arizona
Duh.
The Good: Arizona has lots of natural beauty, from the dizzying Grand Canyon to, well, the areas immediately outside the Grand Canyon (Kaibab represent). That's about it. Well, OK, Flagstaff has its moments.
The Bad: First off, it's the middle of the goddamned desert so why is everyone there? Why is Phoenix? Ecological catastrophes, the twin brown stars of Phoenix and Scottsdale are insanely destructive, places so hot that they have mist sprayers everywhere even though there is no water there. Dreadful! The sheriff of the area is an insane lunatic cowboy wannabe who rules the town like Gene Hackman in the The Quick and the Dead. Alabama's batshit immigration law was inspired by Arizona's own SB 1070, a racist and xenophobic piece of legislation representative of Arizona's roiling immigration crisis that was signed into law by the state's governor Jan Brewer, a perky-eyed psychopath who speaks in tongues. Arizona is swiftly devolving into a dystopic free-for-all of armed mad men patrolling the state with guns, often to disastrous effect. (As witnessed in the Gaby Giffords incident — though, c'mon, you can't blame Arizona for Jared Loughner any more than you can blame Colorado for Columbine.) Arizona is a hissing snakepit of angry old white people (they are angry because they are literally being cooked to death) yelling at the immigrants and other Others whom they fear and loathe, and it is probably going to explode someday soon into a bright ball of orange fire and we will know that either the end times have come for us all or thank god we are finally rid of Arizona.
Final Score: 2.76
Well, that's it! Thanks for playing along, everyone. This has been both an edifying and stupefying journey to take, and I'm sincerely glad that you came along with us. Even if you were screaming the whole time from the backseat about what a jerk the driver is. And what can we conclude? Mostly that, while all 50 states possess good qualities, mostly this is a nation of horrors and there is no reason that any of us should live here. Goodbye!
Previously
The Worst 50 States in America: Day 1
The Worst 50 States in America: Day 2
The Worst 50 States in America: Day 3
The Worst 50 States in America: Day 4
The Worst 50 States in America: Day 5
The Worst 50 States in America: Day 6
Mississippi (via rob_stone/Flickr), New Jersey (via cyanocorax/Flickr), Utah (via jigpu/Flickr), Alabama (via auvet/Flickr), Arizona (via arizonadot/Flickr)Markets Insider Bitcoin is seemingly unstoppable right now.
The cryptocurrency topped $2,000, $2,100, and $2,200 for the first time on Sunday night/Monday morning. It's now trading up by $184.36, or 9.1%, at $2,208.94 a coin.
Monday's advance has been fueled by further weakness in the US dollar and news that Peach has become Japan's first airline to accept the cryptocurrency, Bloomberg says.
Bitcoin has gained in 24 of the past 27 sessions, and it is up by 87% over that time. According to CoinMarketCap.com, bitcoin now has a market cap of nearly $35.9 billion.
The rally has seemingly been sparked by news out of Japan at the beginning of April that bitcoin had become a legal payment method in the country. Along the way, Ulmart, Russia's largest online retailer, said it would begin accepting bitcoin even though Russia had said it wouldn't explore the cryptocurrency until 2018.
The gains also seem to be boosted by speculation the US Securities and Exchange Commission could overturn its ruling on the Winklevoss twins' bitcoin exchange-traded fund. The SEC was accepting public comment on its decision until May 15, but it hasn't announced whether it will overturn its rejection of the ETF.
Bitcoin has gained 130% this year. Except for 2014, it has been the top-performing currency every year since 2010.Just days after receiving shares in F1's new parent company under Liberty Media, a number of its most senior past and present managers including Bernie Ecclestone are putting them up for sale.
A historic day, which effectively marked Ecclestone's departure from the sport as Liberty finally won control, saw existing shareholders in F1 handed stakes in its new parent company. It is floated in New York and has the unfortunate stock market abbreviation of FWONK.
While most shareholders are prevented from selling their stakes for six months following the buy-out, a number of current and former management are exempt including Ecclestone, Sir Martin Sorrell, Sacha Woodward-Hill and Duncan Llowarch.
According to The Guardian a prospectus released yesterday reveals that seven shareholders are to offload around $39.9m in shares in the Formula One Group (formerly known as Liberty Media), stating that it "relates to the offer and sale by the Selling Stockholders of up to 1,357,700 shares of FWONK" which closed at $29.42 on Tuesday.
Ecclestone, who now has the title 'Chairman Emeritus', having been 'deposed' as F1 supremo by Chase Carey, is selling 950,599 shares worth an estimated $28m, leaving him with just a 0.5% stake in the company.
Critics are bound to claim that selling the shares is Ecclestone having a 'hissy fit' after losing his role and then having to hear Liberty crowing that the sport had stagnated because of him. However, that's clearly not the case as he is joined by two managers who Liberty has retained - chief financial officer Llowarch, who is putting up $4.6m worth of his shares for sale, and chief legal officer Sacha Woodward-Hill.
Sir Martin Sorrell, who founded the world's biggest advertising agency WPP and was a non-executive director of F1, is also selling $1.9m of his stock. Sorrell's 'dumping' by Liberty is something of a surprise as one would have thought the American company would have wanted proven experts like him to fill its ranks.
The off-loading of shares follows the teams' own decision not to take advantage of Liberty's offer to buy a stake in the company. Initially offered the opportunity to buy $1.1bn of its shares the teams declined. Liberty has now reduced the amount to $400m but still the teams are not tripping over themselves to take the American company up on its'special offer'.
It's believed that Liberty has set a June deadline for the teams to decide whether they want to take advantage of the share offer, then again, with the teams' current contracts with the sport due to run out in 2020 it is debatable as to who is really under pressure.This article is about a free iphone app that helps remind |
One of the most egregious examples of this was the $1.9 billion settlement arranged with HSBC for laundering Mexican drug cartel money and dealing with sanctioned countries. If you or I did this we’d be sitting in a concrete box eating porridge through a straw for the rest of our lives, but when “masters of the world” at big banks do it, the parent company just pays a slap on the wrist fine and life goes on. That’s how oligarch justice works.
Although the Department of Justice and HSBC thought the money laundering case was settled ancient history, a determined chemist from Pennsylvania is throwing a wrench into their plans and it could have major implications.
The Wall Street Journal reports:
WEST CHESTER, Pa.—When Dean Moore ran into roadblocks with a request for mortgage relief, he did what many people do: He sat down at his kitchen table to bang out an angry letter. The letter has thrust Mr. Moore, a chemist, and his wife, Ann Marie Fletcher-Moore, a part-time bookstore manager, into a high-stakes battle over whether HSBC Holdings PLC must release a secret report on its compliance with a $1.9 billion money-laundering settlement.
A “secret” report. You’ve got to be kidding me.
The disclosure would be the first ever for this type of case and would shine a light on an increasingly common practice for banks accused of breaking the law. Instead of being prosecuted, banks typically enter into settlements under which they often agree to be overseen by monitors whose detailed judgments are kept secret. Judge Gleeson’s order has the potential to dial back that confidentiality, opening a new channel of information that prosecutors say could threaten the viability of such settlements in future cases.
If you don’t get by now that America is a banana republic, there’s little hope for you.
HSBC and Justice Department prosecutors have opposed the release, saying it wouldn’t do much to help Mr. Moore with his mortgage predicament. Judge Gleeson, in his order to unseal the report, said that was irrelevant.
Big banks and the U.S. government are simply 100% in bed together. Constantly scheming to prevent citizens from learning the truth.
The bank is appealing the ruling, but already it may be having an impact. HSBC disclosed last week that the January report by independent monitor Michael Cherkasky found instances of potential financial crime and had “significant concerns” about the bank’s pace of progress in complying with the money-laundering settlement.
A legitimate government that cared about the people would want the public to know this, but not the U.S. government.
The Moores say the experience has been surreal. The couple lives in this Philadelphia suburb with their four children, two dogs and a 15-year-old rabbit and had never spent much time in court other than for jury duty. They have nevertheless held their own against a phalanx of lawyers from the British bank and the Justice Department. A recent hearing in a Brooklyn federal court “was like ‘Law and Order,’” said Mrs. Fletcher-Moore, who is 50 years old. HSBC admitted in its 2012 settlement that it failed to catch at least $881 million in drug-trafficking proceeds laundered through its U.S. bank and that its staff stripped data from transactions with Iran, Libya and Sudan to evade U.S. sanctions. The mortgage was administered by HSBC, and the Moores say they wrote to the bank starting in 2008 asking it to temporarily lower the 7% interest rate. They said the lender appeared receptive, only for its representatives to misplace documents needed to complete their application for a loan modification several times. Frustrated, the Moores researched the bank online last year and stumbled upon news of the money-laundering settlement and the monitor’s secret report. The Moores say they believe the report details faulty internal controls like those they encountered when trying to modify their loan. If his ruling stands, it would be “the first time we get to see what happens after a bank settles a prosecution,” said Brandon Garrett, a professor at University of Virginia’s law school who has studied the monitor system.
Which is exactly what the U.S. government doesn’t want people to see. HSBC and the Justice Department are still fighting to keep the report private and have appealed Judge Gleeson’s ruling to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. An appeals court ruling could be months away. “I feel like a very small boat in a very large ocean,” Mr. Moore wrote at one point, in a letter responding to some of their arguments.
For more on the corrupt U.S. justice system, see:
How the Department of Justice is Actively Trying to Prevent Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform
Is the Justice Department Finally Ready to Jail Corporate Criminals?
Florida Man Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Jail for Having Sex on the Beach
Some Leaks Are More Equal Than Others – Hypocritical D.C. Insiders Line up to Defend General Petraeus from Prosecution
Some Money Launderers are “More Equal” than Others
Some Money Launderers are More Equal than Others Part 2 – CEO of BitInstant is Arrested
Just another day in the…February 6, 2015
Child receiving immunization
Is your child up to date on his or her shots? Multnomah County will hold these special clinics to help families catch up on their immunizations before the Feb. 18, 2015 school exclusion day deadline. Clinics are:
Tuesday, Feb. 17, Day Before School Exclusion Immunization Clinic, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Portland State Office Building. First Floor, 800 N.E. Oregon Street, Portland, OR 97232.
,, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Portland State Office Building. First Floor, 800 N.E. Oregon Street, Portland, OR 97232. Wednesday, Feb. 18, Day Of School Exclusion Immunization Clinic, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., East County Services Building, Second Floor, 600 N.E. 8th Street, Gresham, OR 97030.
About 8,000 Multnomah County families received a final written notice this week reminding them that their children must be immunized or they will asked to leave school Feb. 18. This applies to children in all public, private, alternative schools, all preschools, Head Start programs, kindergartens and childcare facilities.
About 121,000 Multnomah County children must meet state immunization requirements. Last year, less than one percent of children were sent home on school exclusion day because they did not have complete records.
Families who received an exclusion letter should bring the letter - and their child’s immunization records - to their regular health provider or to one of the county clinics. Remember:
Students in grades seven through 12 now need a Tdap (tetanus-diptheria and pertussis (whooping cough) booster.
All children 18 months and older need a two-dose Hepatitis A vaccine.
Anyone claiming a non-medical exemption must meet the new state law at www.healthoregon.org/vaccineexemption.
“Immunizing children helps ensure good health now - and in the future,’’ says Dr. Paul Lewis, Multnomah County Health Officer. “Vaccines don’t just protect your child, they protect everyone, especially people who are too young or too ill to be immunized.”
To learn more:
Multnomah County Health Department at 503-988-3406 or visit www.multco.us/health/immunizations
Multnomah Education Service District at 503-257-1760 for information on public school student vaccination records
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9/11: PBS lets the cat out of the bag Architects and engineers speak out Subscribe to Brasscheck TV Your e-mail address is kept absolutely private
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What if...
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What if a decision was made at the highest levels that the US War Machine (the Pentagon and its suppliers) had to be preserved at all costs...even if those costs included assassinating a US president and popular presidential candidate (the Kennedy brothers) and murdering over 3,000 people in cold blood (9/11)?
Speculation?
Perhaps, but what is not speculation and what has been suspect from Day One is that there is no way on earth that fire could have caused three modern steel framed buildings to collapse in on themselves so perfectly that the debris fit into a contained footprint.
Who did did it and how was it done?
I don't know, but that is did not happen the way we've been told, I have no doubt.
Whoever crafted the story is lying and liars generally lie to cover up the real story.
Film highlights (new ones being added all the time, check back)
It was a controlled demolition. Period.
9/11: How they did it
First responders and eye witnesses reported explosions and the media covered upThe University of Utah's latest prototype of a new kind of video game controller features typical thumb joystickls (white) but also has a round, red "tactor" in the center of each joystick to tug gently at the thumb tips. That kind of touch feedback is more advanced than existing games that vibrate the hands, and can simulate the tug of a fishing line, the feeling of ocean waves, or the recoil of a gun. Photo: Markus Montandon, University of Utah
University of Utah engineers designed a new kind of video game controller that not only vibrates like existing devices, but pulls and stretches the thumb tips in different directions to simulate the tug of a fishing line, the recoil of a gun, or the feeling of ocean waves.
"I'm hoping we can get this into production when the next game consoles come out in a couple of years," says William Provancher, an associate professor of mechanical engineering who is in Vancouver, British Columbia, demonstrating the new game controller with his students.
They are demonstrating the device and presenting studies about it during the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' Haptics Symposium. Haptics deals with research about touch, just as optics deals with vision. A patent is pending on the device.
The first haptic or touch feedback in game controllers came in 1997 with the Nintendo64 system's rumble pack that makes the hands vibrate using an off-balance motor to simulate the feel of driving a race car on a gravel road, flying a jet, or dueling with Star Wars light sabers, Provancher and colleagues write.
His new controller does something additional: it delivers directional cues to the player by stretching the skin of the thumb tips in different directions.
"We have developed feedback modes that enhance immersiveness and realism for gaming scenarios such as collision, recoil from a gun, the feeling of being pushed by ocean waves, or crawling prone in a first-person shooter game," Provancher says.
The latest game controller prototype looks like controllers for Microsoft's Xbox or Sony's PlayStation but with an addition to the controller's normal thumb joysticks, on which the thumbs are placed and moved in different directions to control the game. In the new controller, the middle of each ring-shaped thumb stick has a round, red "tactor" that looks like the eraser-head-shaped IBM TrackPoint or pointing stick now found on a number of laptop computer brands.
If a gamer's avatar runs into a wall, the tactor under the thumb moves back to mimic impact. Both tactors can move from side to side to mimic ocean waves. And when a fish bites in one of the games the researchers tried, "as the fish jerks on the line, you can feel the tactor jerk under your thumb," Provancher says.
Video games commonly are designed so the left thumb stick controls motion and the right controls the player's gaze or aim. With the new controller, as a soldier avatar crawls forward, the player pushes the left thumb stick forward and feels the tactors tugging alternately back and forth under both thumbs, mimicking the soldier crawling first with one arm, then the other.
Provancher also hopes to adapt the new game controller design for use as a smart phone peripheral device. A phone would fit into the device with game-controlling thumb sticks and tactors on each side of the phone.
Of thumbs and the new game controller Smartphones provide an analogy for the new advance in game controllers, Provancher says. Early smart phones used vibrations only when the phone rang. Current models use more sophisticated feedback: A vibration with each touch to help users improve their accuracy when they use a touch-screen keyboard.
Provancher's previous research showed that skin-stretch devices on a steering wheel could stretch the index finger tips left or right to tell drivers to turn left or right—and did so just as accurately as a navigation system's computerized voice. His latest research is more than fun and games because "by placing skin-stretch feedback in a game controller, it creates a nice testing environment for understanding human perception and cognition," he says.
Indeed, a critical question in determining if the new game controller would work dealt with how players perceived front-back and left-right tugs at their thumb tips when the thumbs were angled inward as they are in a typical Xbox or PlayStation controller.
A study analyzing how gamers perform with the new, thumb-tip feedback device was conducted by Provancher, computer science doctoral student Ashley Guinan, computer science master’s degree student Rebecca Koslover and mechanical engineering master's student Nathaniel Caswell. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the University of Utah.
The study, which Guinan was presenting during the Haptics Symposium, found that gamers' brains made the necessary mental rotation of the directional tugs so they could perform just as well if their thumbs were angled as if their thumbs were straight.
Provancher says the angled thumb position is better ergonomically, both in terms of comfort and of ease in pushing forward with angled thumbs.
He says that his future research will focus on details of how to provide skin-stretch feedback effectively at the same time a game also produces sounds, sights, and vibrations.
Provancher's earlier study of the steering wheel device that told the fingertips which way to turn showed that information can be conveyed by touch even when auditory and visual information also are present.Callum Moore will make his senior debut against St Kilda on Saturday
Talented, tall utility Callum Moore has been named to make his senior debut with Richmond in Saturday’s match against St Kilda at the MCG.
Moore, who played junior football at Aberfeldie and the Calder Cannons, was the Tigers’ first pick (No. 12 overall) in the AFL’s rookie draft late last year.
The 193cm, 19-year-old was elevated from Richmond’s rookie list to the primary list today after producing some impressive performances in the Tigers’ VFL side at both ends of the ground.
See the St Kilda team for Saturday afternoon's clash at the MCG
He has shown some exciting traits with his speed, agility, leap, contested marking ability and fierce attack on the football.
Moore is Richmond’s seventh AFL debutant this season, joining Nathan Broad, Jason Castagna, Adam Marcon, Oleg Markov, Daniel Rioli and Jayden Short.
Another Round 22 selection highlight for the Tigers is the return to the line-up of versatile tall Todd Elton for just his third senior appearance in five years at Punt Road.
Elton made his AFL debut in Round 14, 2012 against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium and then played his second game in Round 7, 2015 against Collingwood at the MCG.
The 197cm, 100kg, 22-year-old has gained another senior opportunity on the back of some recent strong efforts up forward at VFL level.
Get all the match day information for Saturday afternoon's clash against St Kilda at the MCG
There are two other changes to the Tigers’ team for Saturday afternoon’s clash, with mature-age midfielder Kane Lambert and promising, young utility Connor Menadue being recalled.
Out of the side go Anthony Miles, Ty Vickery, Ben Lennon and Nathan Drummond, who have all been omitted.
Richmond’s three emergencies for the match are Nathan Broad, Daniel Butler and Adam Marcon.
The Round 22 Richmond team
B: Rance, Astbury, Grimes
HB: Short, Hunt, B. Ellis
C: A. Moore, Edwards, Cotchin
HF: Martin, Rioli, Markov
F: Riewoldt, Lloyd, Lambert
R: Hampson, Grigg, Vlastuin
IC: Menadue, Houli, C. Moore, Elton
Em: Broad, Butler, Marcon
In: Lambert, C. Moore, Menadue, Elton
Out: Lennon, Miles, Vickery, Drummond
New: Callum Moore, 19, 193cm, 85kg, utility from Aberfeldie/Calder Cannons. Richmond’s first pick (No. 12 overall) in the AFL rookie draft late last yearCertainly not mean. Photo by Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images
Richard Dawkins is emeritus professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Oxford and the author of several books, including The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion. His most recent is An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist, part one of a two-part memoir. He has inspired millions with his popular science books, yet also drawn fire for controversial remarks—particularly on religion. Rowan Hooper wanted to know how he feels about his public image and if, at 72, he worries his role as the world’s most famous atheist will eclipse his scientific legacy.
Rowan Hooper: You have just published part one of your memoir. Is it intended as a humanizing exercise, to show you’re not a mean, nasty baddie?
Richard Dawkins: I don’t know how many people think I’m mean. I’m certainly not and I didn’t consciously set out to do any image-cleaning or anything. I like to think it’s an honest portrayal of how I really am. And I hope it is human, yes.
RH: Nevertheless, there’s a gulf between the real you and the caricature Richard Dawkins. How has that come about?
RD: I have two theories which are not mutually exclusive. One is the religion business. People really, really hate their religion being criticized. It’s as though you’ve said they had an ugly face, they seem to identify personally with it. There is a historical attitude that religion is off-limits to criticism.
Also, some people find clarity threatening. They like muddle, confusion, obscurity. So when somebody does no more than speak clearly it sounds threatening.
RH: You definitely polarize people. How do you feel about the hate mail you get?
RD: I did a film that’s on YouTube of me reading hate mail with a woman playing the cello in the background. Sweet strains to contrast with this awful, “you fucking wanker Dawkins” and so on. Making comedy of it is a pretty good way of absorbing it.
RH: Do you still get fan mail too?
RD: Yes. The hate mail is illiterate, but the opposite is actually very moving and I get very, very gratifying responses. I just got back from a tour of the United States promoting this book, and I noticed even more forcibly than before the enormous numbers of people who come into the book-signing queue, and they nearly always say something like “I became a scientist because of you, you’ve changed my life.”
RH: Has what drives you changed over the years?
RD: It hasn’t changed: a love of truth, a love of clarity, a love of the poetry of science. Insofar as I show hostility to alternatives, superstition, and so on, it’s because they are sapping education and depriving young people of the true glory of the scientific worldview—I care especially about children in this case. It’s tragic to see children being led into dark, pokey little corners of medieval superstition.
RH: Would you rather be remembered for explaining science or taking on religion?
RD: To me they amount to the same thing—they are different sides of the same coin. But I suppose I’d rather be remembered for explaining science. I would be upset if people dismissed my science because of the religion.
RH: You have turned your attention to Islam recently. Why is that?
RD: I think my love of truth and honesty forces me to notice that the liberal intelligentsia of Western countries is betraying itself where Islam is concerned. It’s stymied by the conflict between being against misogyny and discrimination against women on the one hand, and on the other by the terror of being thought racist—driven by misunderstanding Islam as though it were a race. So people who would normally speak out against the maltreatment of women don’t do it. I do fret about what I see as a betrayal by my own people, the nice liberals.
RH: Another battle of yours has been against group selection—the idea that evolution works by selecting traits that benefit groups, not genes. You destroyed that paradigm, but then it came back again.
RD: Something else came back under the same name. If you look carefully, it turns out to be things like kin selection rebranded as group selection. That irritates me because I think it is wantonly obscuring something that was actually rather clear.
I think part of why it came back is political. Sociologists love group selection, I think because they are more influenced by emotive evaluations of human impulses. I think people want altruism to be a kind of driving force; there’s no such thing as a driving force. They want altruism to be fundamental whereas I want it to be explained. Selfish genes actually explain altruistic individuals, and to me that’s crystal-clear.
RH: What subjects currently interest you in evolutionary biology?
RD: I’m fascinated by the way molecular genetics has become a branch of information technology. I wonder with hindsight whether it had to be that way, whether natural selection couldn’t really work unless genetics was digital, high-fidelity, a kind of computer science. In other words, can we predict that, if there’s life elsewhere in the universe, it will have the same kind of high-fidelity digital genetics as we do?
RH: When we are able to muck around with our own genes more, where do you think it will take us?
RD: The funny thing is that if you take the two parts of the Darwinian formula, mutation and selection, we’ve been messing around with the selection part with just about every species—except our own. We have been distorting wolves to Pekingeses and wild cabbages to cauliflowers, and making huge revolutions in agricultural science. And yet with a few exceptions, there have been no attempts to breed human Pekingeses or human greyhounds.
Now the mutation half of the Darwinian algorithm is becoming amenable to human manipulation, people have jumped to asking questions—what’s going to happen when we start tinkering with genes?—while sort of forgetting that we could have been tinkering with selection for thousands of years and haven’t done it. Maybe whatever has inhibited us from doing it with selection will do the same with mutation.
RH: Do you believe there is a genetic basis to irrationality?
RD: It would be very surprising if there wasn’t a genetic basis to the psychological predispositions which make people vulnerable to religion.
One idea about irrationality that I and various other people have put forward is that the risks we faced in our natural state often came from evolved agents like leopards and snakes. So with a natural phenomenon like a storm, the prudent thing might have been to attribute it to an agent rather than to forces of physics. It’s the proverbial rustle in the long grass: It’s probably not a leopard, but if it is, you’re for it. So a bias towards seeing agency rather than boring old natural forces may have been built into us.
That may take quite a lot of overcoming. Even though we no longer need to fear leopards, we inherit the instincts of those who did. Seeing agency where there isn’t any is something that may have been programmed into our brains.
RH: If we are irrational, perhaps one of the reasons people bristle at you is they feel their nature is under attack.
RD: We accept that people are irrational for good Darwinian reasons. But I don’t think we should be so pessimistic as to think that therefore we’re forever condemned to be irrational.
This article originally appeared in New Scientist.Fox News' Elizabeth Prann from America's Election Headquarters had Tony Perkins from the Family Research Council on to help her "better understand" all the awesome laws discriminating against pretty much anyone and everyone not white, straight and Republican. You know, people using bathrooms and what not. Let's not concern ourselves with people like Hastert, a straight white GOP who allegedly molested at least four boys, they think that is totally ok. But men that have transitioned to women and want to pee in a stall in a ladies room? Predators! Lock them up, all of them.
PERKINS: Elizabeth, what the legislation is in North Carolina is, is simply say, for public safety purposes, we're not going to allow an ordinance in Charlotte, which would require private businesses and others to open up their restroom facilities, locker rooms, so that a man could go into a woman's bathroom, or where girls are at. It's simply a public safety issue.
Tony, thank you so much for joining us and helping us get a better understanding of a lot of these bills that we're seeing. I want to start in North Carolina. What do you find unique about this bill, and what would the consequences be?
PRANN: Critics argue these bills are legalized discrimination. So what are the consequences of these types of laws and what is fact and what is fiction? Joining us to get a better understanding, Tony Perkins from the Family Research Council.
So a man who transitioned to a woman and wanting to pee poses a threat? Really? To whom, exactly?
PERKINS: So that clearly, that was simply saying the government cannot force businesses to do that. It does not prohibit businesses if they want to do it on their own, and that's the hypocrisy. You see businesses like PayPal weighing in, saying they're going to boycott, they're not going to do business in North Carolina, when they don't even have these policies within their own private businesses that they're free to do.
PRANN: There are thirteen states considering legislation according to our brain room relating to bathroom usage, but they are different. They're the same, but different. They're sort of a plaid, if you will if that makes sense of reasonings behind them. Some are public safety. Others, religious liberty. How do you clarify that for folks and why is there such a misunderstanding for some of these laws that are being presented?
↓ Story continues below ↓
PERKINS: Well, this comes in the wake of the Supreme Court last June in redefining marriage and opening the door to all kinds of public policy problems. And in Mississippi for instance last week, signed into law a religious liberty bill. A different that North Carolina. What it does is it says the government, and contrary to what people are saying, that this allows discrimination, it actually prohibits discrimination. It prohibits the government from discriminating against a religious organization or an individual based upon their religious beliefs.
PRANN: But PayPal says it is, and the Governor of Georgia says it is. What do you say to them?
PERKINS: Well, I say for instance, you've got a number of nonprofit, faith based adoption agencies for instance, that work with the states who place children in homes, that they have a faith statement. They believe that marriage, as the president did just a few years ago, is the union of a man and a woman.
What this does is prohibits the state from taking away their tax exemption, or not working with them to place children into a position or into a home, or it would prohibit the state from taking away the tax exemption of a church, because the church belief that marriage is a union of a man and a woman. So what it does, it keeps the state from being used as the club to beat people into submission, and to abandon their deeply held belief.
PRANN: Mississippi has certainly more of a sweeping law. Can you explain to me why Mississippi has probably a larger consequences, and where do we draw the line? Where do states and lawmakers draw the line?
PERKINS: Again, Elizabeth, what Mississippi does, it does not take away any rights from someone who says they believe in same-sex marriage, or they want a same-sex marriage. It doesn't take anything away from them. What it does is it keeps the state from punishing someone because they believe that marriage is still the union between a man and a woman.
So, it would prohibit the state from affecting their tax status, or from denying them, let's say they're in the business of helping drug addicts, and they're a faith based organization, because they believe that marriage is a union of a man and a woman, they couldn't be denied a state contract that they help teenagers.
So, it's simply taking the state out of this so that the state cannot be used to bludgeon people. This is all about our first freedom, the freedom to believe and live according to your beliefs. That's fundamental and that's what has made America work, is that we've given people that stake. This, I believe, what Mississippi has done is that compromise that will give us that space so that we can have a civil society.“What did this Regan fellow have that bored into him so?” The butler looked at me levelly and yet with a queer lack of expression. “Youth, sir,” he said. “And the soldier’s eye.” “Like yours,” I said. “If I may say so, sir, not unlike yours.”
— The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler
As I’m sure I’m not the first one to point out, The Big Sleep is obsessed with queer themes, both explicit and implicit. One of the novel’s central mysteries is, precisely, homosexuality. The relationship between a purveyor of dirty books named Geiger and his male lover is at the root of a number of the murderous confusions and complications in the early part of the narrative.
The novel treats its avowedly gay men with a casual disdain; the decadently portly Geiger is a recognizable stereotype, while his more masculine lover is dismissed with a sneer by Philip Marlowe, who comments that fags can’t hit hard, no matter what they look like. But the homophobia is belied by — or perhaps meant to excuse — the way in which intense bonds between putatively heterosexual men form the emotional core of the novel. As the quotation above indicates, the novel is in large part driven by the love-at-first-sight simpatico between Marlowe and his client, General Sternwood. That sympatico is echoed in Sternwood’s similar passion for his missing son-in-law, Rusty Regan, whom he ultimately asks Marlowe to find.
Moreoever, Regan and Marlowe are doubled not only because of their place in General Sternwood’s affections, but because of their imperviousness to heterosexual escapades. Regan, who married the General’s daughter Vivian Sternwood, was also, we learn at the novel’s conclusion, propositioned by the general’s other daughter, Caroline. When Regan refused her, she killed him. Later chronologically (though earlier in the novel), Caroline shows up in Marlowe’s room, naked, and attempts to seduce him. He kicks her out, she calls him an unrepeatable name which is probably “faggot” — and later she tries to kill him.
Marlowe and Regan are “soldiers”, then, because they (a) are beloved of the General and (b) do not lust after his corrupting daughter. The appellation “faggot” is carefully erased and thereby emphasized; it is Marlowe’s unmentionable sin which is also his unmentionable distinction. By the same token, Vivian Regan’s unnaturalness is reflected in the fact that she cares about her sister more than her husband; and so tries to cover up the latter’s murder to protect the former. The whole plot, then, is powered by same-sex investments and love. In comparison, most of the heterosexual attachments in the novel — such as those between Victoria and Rusty — seem decidedly half-assed. Marlowe’s main romantic interest is barely a flicker in the novel; she appears late, wearing a platinum wig to cover her short-cropped butch cut, which prompts Marlowe to give her the campy appellation Silver-Wig. The supposed love interest, then, is effectively a false front covering gender deviance covering a nonentity. It’s as if Chandler is afraid that if he spent too much time on her, folks might start to realize that she isn’t a “she” at all.
It would be fairly easy to do an Eve Sedgwick inspired reading and draw the lines between Chandler’s romanticization of homoerotic bonds between men and his homophobia and misogyny. For Sedgwick, it would certainly be no surprise that a book which writes with such repressed approval of soldiers eying each other should figure evil as a giggling vindictive ultra-femme madwoman. The clean passion of men for men is always threatened by these atrociously pleasurable stirrings of femininity.
It’s also interesting to note, though, that there may be a link between the novel’s queerness and and its reputation. The Big Sleep is often thought of as one of the very best examples of detective fiction; it’s virtually attained high art status, in a lot of ways. That status is, I’d argue, not despite the use of homosexuality, but because of it.
In his 2011 book Art and Homosexuality, Christopher Reed argues that the avant garde has long used markers of homosexuality as signs of daring individualism. Sexual deviance can show that an artist is an original, unhindered by convention or bourgeois provincialism. Moreover, the mechanism of the closet can provide a powerful appearance of mastery and genius. The artist, through the deployment of homosexual codes and references, shows himself (or herself) to be “in the know”, and that knowledge is the mark of queer genius — an unusual and unconventional wisdom.
All of this, I think, can be related to the critical success of The Big Sleep. Chandler’s bleak, decadent vision is in large part a bleak decadence of deviant sexuality — the filthy books sold by the gay man; the old General pining for his young acquaintance while rotting among the orchids; Vivian’s tragic love for her unnatural sister. The awareness of and manipulation of homosexuality makes the novel daring, adult, and knowing — an avant garde provocation rather than (or in addition to) a simple genre fable.
Moreover, the novel’s projection of genius is accomplished in large part through a manipulation of tropes associated with gayness. Chandler’s stylistic hallmarks — the careful vivid descriptions, the quick turnabout wit — could almost be lifted from Oscar Wilde, as could the obsession with ugly, hidden truths. The Big Sleep and The Picture of Dorian Gray are different mainly in that Chandler nods more explicitly to the obvious homosexual themes. In both cases, though, there is the impression of dazzling surface facility and deep unsettling knowledge — a sense of idiosyncratic and/or perverse brilliance propelled by the mechanics of the closet.
Detective fiction is built around the knower — and what that knower knows, The Big Sleep suggests, is deviance. “Me, I was part of the nastiness now,” Marlowe thinks, before ruminating feelingly on the idea of General Sternwood lying in bed. To see into the closet is to be one who knows one; to understand is to understand. Chandler’s novel is iconic in part because it believes so fervently in this bedrock algorithm of genre noir, and because its queer lack of expression conceals so transparently its depths of love and loathing.The tea party movement may only be a few years old, but the beginning of the movement is often misunderstood and misreported. While the tea party is often portrayed as being purely an anti-Obama movement, the truth is that the Republican Party has always been as much a target as President Obama and the Democrats.
The Tensions Rise During the George W. Bush Years
While the tea party may have formerly started after Obama took office, anger over federal spending and a rapidly bloating government began to surface during the big-spending years of the George W. Bush administration. While Bush scored points with conservatives on his tax policies, he also fell into the trap of spending too much money that didn't exist. He pushed for a large expansion of entitlements and, most dangerously, continued the Clinton-era policies that led to the collapse of the housing market and financial industries.
While conservatives opposed these big spending measures, it is also true that they lagged far behind their liberal-counterparts in vocalizing anger, showing up at Capitol Hill to protest, or rallying thousands of people at any given time to support a cause or oppose a policy. Until the rise of the tea party, the conservative idea of activism was to shut down the congressional switchboard. Yet despite one disappointment after the next from our elected leaders, voters continued to send the same people back year after year. It would take a major economic crisis to help
Sarah Palin Rallies a Crowd
Prior to the 2008 elections, it seemed as though conservatives had no clue how to rally a crowd around a cause. While they had their moments — opposing Bush's immigration policies and Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers to name two--a real movement was hard to come by. But in 2008, John McCain selected Sarah Palin to be his vice-presidential candidate and suddenly the Republican base did something they never really did before: they showed up.
When Palin joined the Republican ticket, people suddenly started attending rallies. McCain events had to be moved to larger venues. Rather than attracting hundreds of people like McCain had been doing, Palin was attracting thousands instead. Palin was hard-hitting, despite being seemingly restrained by the establishment. She gave one of the greatest convention speeches ever, where she hit out at Barack Obama and saw her popularity soar. She connected with people. And while she was eventually destroyed and rendered ineffective during the 2008 campaign, her ability to actually get thousands of people to rally for a cause would jump-start the future tea party movement, and she would eventually become the top draw at future tea party events nationwide.
Rick Santelli Delivers a Message
Shortly after his inauguration in January of 2009, President Obama began pushing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a package costing close to $1 trillion. Already infuriated with the final years of the Bush administration that saw multibillion-dollar bailouts and payoffs, conservative outrage of the fiscal insanity was escalating rapidly. After the package passed, CNBC personality Rick Santelli took to the airwaves to deliver what would be the final spark to ignite the tea party flames.
In what turned out to perfectly summarize tea party sentiment, Santelli took to the |
to more ideas for where to go but our first order of > > business > > > > is to get the ones we've picked so far closer to perfect. > > > > > > > > We need to talk first thing in the morning. Can we try for 9 AM? A > > > > smaller group of us will have to decide. > > > > > > > > > > > >Google's Street View will soon provide virtual visitors a glimpse of the narrow stone-paved alleyways of Jerusalem's Old City and other tourist destinations in Israel
Google deploys cameras mounted on cars and other vehicles to take Street View's 360-degree images, which users of the Web site can then view by zooming in on any given point on a map.
New Initiative Anti-occupation protest on Street View? Ido Kenan, Ehud Kenan Israeli left-wing activists plan to take advantage of Google's obligation to announce location of camera cars two weeks before shooting Anti-occupation protest on Street View?
Outside Jerusalem's Old City walls on Monday, Google Israel's Managing Director Meir Brand announced that filming will begin in the next few months in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and tourist attractions elsewhere.
"For the first time we can truly say Israel is on the digital map," Brand said.
Israel was concerned that the detailed photos could help terrorists plan attacks. Last month Israel announced that it had reached an agreement with Google on security and legal issues related to the project.
In addition to security concerns, it's not clear how some of the diverse religious groups in Jerusalem and Israel will react to being filmed.
"Our desire is to bring all of Jerusalem to Google Street View," Brand said. "We want to cover as many areas as we can."
Israel is the first country in the region to allow the service around its cities. Google also offers the service in Iraq's National Museum in Baghdad.After the pandemonium that was last night, CBS’ Gregg Doyel walked over to Aaron Harrison Sr., the father of the twins, to ask him what he thought of his son’s performance. “Even before you asked me about that, I was thinking the same thing: ‘Man, he’s going to be a legend now.’ But this is what he does.” According to the elder Harrison, in his final year of AAU basketball, in 75 games Aaron hit 12 game-winning shots.
Now, in college he is cementing his status as a cold-blooded killer. Shot, after shot, after shot. You ready UConn?
From Doyel’s article:
What he definitely has is one more game to play. The biggest game of the season, one of the biggest games in Kentucky basketball history. The national championship game Monday night against UConn. It can’t happen a third time in a row, right? That would be ridiculous.
Read the whole article here.
@WilderTreadKSRThese are R.E.G.R.E.T.'s website, Facebook page (Update: the page's content seems now to be hidden) and Twitter. This is the US Food & Drug Administration page that gives Gardasil information, which references 772 serious adverse events following administration of Gardasil, out of 23,000,000 doses administered. There is no requirement for proof that the adverse event be connected to Gardasil to be included.
Dr Brenda Corcoran, MB, MPH, FFPHMI, holds a diploma in leadership and quality in healthcare, and is a consultant in public health medicine responsible for the coordination of all national immunisation programmes. She is a member of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee.
Anna Cannon has claimed at various times that one in 30 or 1 in 40 girls who receive Gardasil experience'very serious side effects' including 'long-term health impairments, hospitalisation long term, wheelchair for life, death, birth defects'. The US Food and Drug Administration's website says that 772 serious adverse events were reported out of 23m doses administered, a rate of 1 in 29,792. The FDA have confirmed to me that these are reported adverse events, and there is no certainty that they were caused by the vaccination. In addition the FDA pointed out that there is both under- and over-reporting. Nobody may bother to report some adverse events, and sometimes a patient or their family might report an adverse event to the FDA, and also to their doctor who then reports it to both the FDA and the drug company, and the drug company then also reports it to the FDA, and they have had incidences where a single event accounts for three separate reports.
Anna Cannon has claimed that the vaccine causes birth defects. I searched the scientific literature for any reference to this, and found this study which concluded "Rates of... major birth defects were not greater than the unexposed [to the vaccine] population rates". I have asked Anna Cannon for her source on this. She has not responded.
Anna Cannon has claimed that the Gardasil product information leaflet is being hidden. In fact the US version is on the FDA website and the Irish version is on the Health Products Regulatory Authority website.
A post on the Regret Facebook page claims that this 'hidden' leaflet shows that Merck and the US Centres for Disease Control 'determined' that Gardasil 'kills' one in 912 girls who receive it. In fact, page seven of the US version of the document makes it clear that the deaths were attributable to the normal death rate in the population. Whoever compiled that figure would have to read through the paragraph stating that the deaths were as a result of car accidents, suicide and other causes unrelated to vaccination. An excellent analysis of the this is posted here.
Another post was made on Regret's Facebook page, linking to a hoax story that a girl called Meredith Prohaska died as a result of getting the vaccine. The claim is debunked on Snopes here. When I posted the Snopes link without comment, I was subjected to hostile comments and banned from the page. The story is a transparent hoax, falsely implying that the girl died this year; in fact she died in 2014.
Update: I have talked to the FDA and asked them specifically about R.E.G.R.E.T.'s claims. In relation to Anna Cannon saying that one in 30 or one in 40 suffers severe side effects, Lyndsay Meyer of the FDA said "the agency is not aware of any data to support these claims".
In addition, Meyer said, "The FDA takes its responsibilities regarding vaccine safety very seriously... Both the FDA and CDC are transparent with respect to VAERS reports. VAERS data is freely available to the public through CDC Wonder: https://wonder.cdc.gov/vaers.html."
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CommentsAt a House Ways & Means Committee hearing today, we're hearing from several conservative groups who say they were targeted by the IRS when they applied for tax-exempt status.
RELATED: In Unscripted Moment, Paul Ryan Blasts Dem Rep for Calling Investigation Merely 'Political Theater'
Kevin Kookogey, president of Linchpins of Liberty, was the first to testify. In his opening statement, he said he applied for 501(c)(3) status as a nonprofit educational organization, but as of today has been waiting 29 months to be granted that status by the IRS. He said the IRS asked him to identify the political affiliations of his mentors and his political position on many issues.
He was also told to inform the federal government "in detail" what he would be teaching students and who he was "training." Kookogey asked what would have happened if he had turned over the names of students, including minors, to the IRS, saying he could have faced legal action from parents.
Kookogey said numerous calls to the IRS about his application went unanswered. Finally, he received a call back from an IRS agent in Cincinnati on Dec. 31, 2011, who told him they were "waiting on guidance from our superiors as to your organization and similar organizations."
Watch his full opening statement above.On October 31, the Delhi High Court cast aside Praful Patel's December 2016 election to the post of All India Football Federation (AIFF) president for a third term after ruling that the voting process had been in breach of the national sports code. The full court order is now available and here are the court's reasons for its decision, and the road ahead for the AIFF.
FIFA angle, other federations
One of the primary concerns raised before the court by the petitioner, Rahul Mehra, was the AIFF's citing of Article 27(1) of its parent body FIFA's constitution. That clause required the candidates for president and other office-bearers to have the support of at least five member associations. But the petition said the sports code had made it clear that each candidate needed the support of only two members - one to propose, one to second it.
The court was clear in upholding the petitioner's argument. FIFA's Article 27(1), it said, referred to elections to the international body and not for the national football association of a Member Association. "There is nothing on record to show that the same method of voting is essential for the Member Associations of FIFA and the said clause is either mandatory or applicable to the applicant." The court also pointed out that the FIFA rule was "not in consonance with the National Sports Code."
The court also went by several precedents across a number of national sports federations -- archery, hockey, gymnastics, wrestling as well as cricket -- that had violated the sports code. The transgressions ranged from discrepancies in issuing notices for elections, appointment of returning officers, filing of nominations and not providing candidates adequate time for canvassing. All these appeared to have taken place in the case of the AIFF too.
Lack of a proper time schedule
* Though the elections were scheduled for 21 December 2016, all permanent and associate members of the AIFF were told of the date only on November 17. The name of the returning officer -- the only person from whom nomination forms for various positions could be obtained -- was intimated to all concerned on November 25, but only with the address. The officer's landline number was given out only on November 30 -- and even that was a false one, according to the Goa Football Association (GFA).
* In order to properly represent itself at the AIFF elections, the Delhi governing body was informed of the need to conduct its own elections -- overdue from May 2015 -- in November 2016. Similarly, the association in Andhra Pradesh is said to have expressed its concerns about the state of the game since the formation of Telangana (in 2014). The GFA said the electoral college roll for December 21 elections was sent on November 23 -- a violation of Article 23.2 of the AIFF's own constitution, which required a minimum notice of 30 days.
Also see: What the Delhi High Court order means for Praful Patel, AIFF
I-League clubs in the dark after court ruling
FIFA'requests' more info from AIFF on Praful Patel case
Electoral malpractices?
* The GFA also alleged electoral malpractice on part of AIFF senior vice-president Subrata Dutta, who is said to have followed up an e-mail about proposed executive committee members with an SMS "instructing" all members to fill up nomination forms in accordance with the proposed panel.
* Despite being asked on December 5 to send the electoral college list so that prospective candidates could meet the delegates/persons who would be voting, the AIFF made the list available only on December 13. Moreover, the names of delegates provided on December 13 were said to be "significantly different" from those who voted when the elections actually took place.
What next?
The Delhi High Court has ordered fresh AIFF elections under the supervision of former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi. It has set November 30 as the date by which to "resolve the issue of disaffiliation of members/units" of the AIFF, so that the electoral list can be drawn up again. Elections are to be then held within six weeks of the preparation of the electoral college, with the elected body then urged to "carry out the requisite amendments" to bring the AIFF constitution in conformity with the national sports code.
The entire exercise has been given five months from the date that Quraishi takes charge, though the court has effectively given until November 14 for the order to come into effect so as to "obviate any impediment in the conduct of any competitive tournament" scheduled during this period. This means that the AIFF in its current shape has another week to ensure that the Indian Super League and the I-League don't get affected in terms of planning.
The court also said that till the elections were conducted and results declared, the AIFF would need the Administrator's prior approval for all new financial commitments and for routine expenses too.The act’s money-saving potential has also been clouded by an essential truth about controlling costs: it’s messy.
There are four ways to contain health care costs: by reducing payments to providers and suppliers; by rationing services; by having consumers pay a greater share; and by giving providers incentives to be more efficient.
The health care reform act includes hundreds of billions of dollars worth of cuts in payments to providers. Lowering payments within Medicare, though, without also reducing the quantity of services provided throughout the health care system ultimately only makes it harder for those on Medicare to find a doctor or hospital willing to treat them, because so many providers stop seeing Medicare patients.
The growth in health care services could be reduced by denying access to specific procedures. But even if such rationing were desirable, which is debatable, it is not remotely politically viable.
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The third way to contain the expansion of health care services, theoretically, is to give consumers more “skin in the game” by increasing their share of the bill. There is no doubt that consumers would become more cost-conscious if they had to pay more. But this would not save that much money, because it would not apply to high-cost procedures. After all, the whole point of insurance is generous protection against unavoidable high costs. And the high-cost cases account for the vast majority of health care expenses: In 2001, the top 25 percent of Medicare beneficiaries ranked by cost accounted for 85 percent of all Medicare costs.
Lowering total health care expenses requires addressing the factors that drive those high-cost cases. For the most part, they involve chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and congestive heart failure, whose treatment varies much more than you’d think from doctor to doctor.
My previous column discussed ways of improving the information on medical effectiveness that is available to doctors and hospitals, and the potential for malpractice reform to encourage evidence-based practices. But we must find more incentives for providers to deliver higher-quality and cost-effective care.
The health care law starts the arduous process of shifting the medical payment system away from an emphasis on quantity of care and toward an emphasis on quality. For example, it creates penalties for hospitals with high rates of readmission and hospital-acquired infections. It expands the practice of making a single payment for treating a specific condition rather than paying for each treatment. And it provides for accountable care organizations that financially bind doctors and hospitals so that they offer the coordinated care that experts believe would save money in complex cases.
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But these are modest first steps, and what’s required is a process to build on them over time. So the health care reform act creates an Innovation Center to experiment with new strategies. Successful pilot programs can be ramped up to national scale without the need for additional legislation.
Perhaps most important, the legislation creates an Independent Payment Advisory Board, a panel of independent medical experts who will look for more ways to improve Medicare’s cost-effectiveness. Under the law, any policy that the board issues takes effect unless legislation to block it is passed by Congress and signed by the president. This way, inertia works in favor of cost containment rather than against it.
All this may not fit on a bumper sticker, but it is more promising than anything that would. If the new Congress wants to improve health care quality and lower costs, it should do what it can to support all the cost-containing measures in the already-enacted law.Rick Wilking/Reuters Legal retail weed in Colorado turned one year old this month. While legalization remains more experimental than established at this point, the early returns make a compelling case that the first year was a sweeping regulatory success in the Rocky Mountain State.
Exhibit A: what didn't happen in 2014.
Despite the nightmare scenarios that anti-legalization advocates foretold, there was nothing to suggest a major jump in marijuana use among Colorado teens.
The number of drug-related crimes in the state held steady or dropped. And the spike in traffic fatalities resulting from drugged driving that naysaying opponents had predicted failed to materialize.
Yes, a lot could still change as the nascent retail market matures, but it's now clear that the state's first-of-its-kind experiment with recreational weed is off to a blazing start.
Colorado voted to make recreational pot legal in late 2012, and the state spent the next year crafting an innovative licensing system to tax and regulate retail sales, which then began on New Year's Day 2014. The rollout has gone so well that Gov. John Hickenlooper, who once said Colorado voters were "reckless" to legalize weed, has changed his tune. "To date, evidence shows that our regulatory system is beginning to work," the Democrat declared during his State of the State speech Thursday. Likewise, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said he's now "cautiously optimistic" about how things will ultimately pan out in Colorado. That doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement until you remember that his Justice Department still classifies pot on par with heroin. Even some Republican state lawmakers who originally opposed legalization have done an about-face now that they've seen the new policy in action. "I just [originally] had the same knee-jerk opinion as all of the other elected officials," state Sen. David Balmer told the Wall Street Journal last week. Think tanks from both sides of the aisle have also offered their own qualified endorsements. The Brookings Institution has called the rollout "largely successful," while a Cato Institute working paper found the new law "had minimal impact on marijuana use and the outcomes sometimes associated with use."
That's not to suggest that the retail rollout has been perfect — it hasn't. There has been plenty of justified handwringing about inexperienced users accidentally overindulging by consuming more-potent-than-expected weed, or mistaking a pot-infused brownie as a single serving when in reality it was meant for a party of 10. The number of pot-related calls to Denver's Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center last year reportedly topped 200 by the end of November, nearly twice the number made during all of 2013. And, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, some local hospitals also saw an increase in the number of patients arriving in their waiting rooms while uncomfortably high. But there is only so much we can glean from that anecdotal evidence; the more immediate takeaway when it comes to safety is that despite the increase in users and freak-outs, pot-related deaths and serious injuries have remained nearly nonexistent.
Things are on pace to get even better this year. State regulators are at work tweaking the rules to address those existing safety concerns. They're ramping up potency testing and considering changing how edibles are packaged. There's good reason to believe that Maureen Dowd's next canna-venture to Colorado will provide a much more mellow high than her first one.
Rick Wilking/Reuters Pot proponents and state regulators, meanwhile, can point to more than simply the absence of negatives for proof of their success. Retail and medical weed generated more than $60 million in tax and licensing revenue for the state in 2014, the lion's share of which is helping to pay for school construction and the regulatory system that legalization requires. Opponents looking to nitpick can — and do — point to the fact that the total is a far cry from the $100 million windfall that state officials predicted at the start of last year. But even though legalization advocates hyped a major influx in tax revenue as a selling point, evaluating legal weed on a metric tied so tightly with consumption has always been an awkward proposition. The goal, after all, was never to encourage more people to light up a joint or gobble down a brownie. More revenue would be better, but too much more would represent its own type of problem.
Still, comparing actual tax revenues to expected ones can serve as an imperfect proxy for one of the state's chief goals: moving sales from the illegal and medical markets into the retail one, where the transactions can be better-regulated and more heavily taxed. That remains a challenge for the state, particularly given how easy it is to get a prescription to buy medical marijuana. Still, even in that respect, 2014 finished with good news. While medical marijuana made up more than half of pot legally sold in the state last year, sales dropped 17 percent to their lowest monthly total of the year in November, the most recent month for which the state has tallied the numbers. It's just one month, of course, but it at least raises the possibility that the retail market is beginning to attract some users who might have otherwise opted for cheaper medical weed.
In a perfect world, the retail market would have already resulted in the end of the black market, but each new dollar in taxes last year was one more than the state would have had otherwise. Focusing on only the incoming side of the ledger also doesn't tell the full story. According to a 2010 Harvard study, Colorado was spending an estimated $145 million every year enforcing its marijuana laws. It's safe to assume that the state was able to spend significantly less last year now that retail weed is legal. Fewer pot-related arrests, meanwhile, mean a more racially fair justice system, while simultaneously decreasing the societal and economic costs of incarceration.Some 40 percent of 140 students and staff exposed to tuberculosis at Longmont High School have tested positive for latent TB, a rate that one expert called “absolutely astounding.”
The unexpectedly high rate of positive tests means health officials now plan to test all the roughly 1,200 students and 120 faculty and staff who were at the school in the fall term, said Dr. Randall Reves, director of the of the Denver Metro Tuberculosis Clinic, based at Denver Health.
The testing started after a Longmont High student was diagnosed with active TB last fall. Health officials began by testing students who had two or more classes with the infected student. As positive results kept appearing, the circle of people who were tested grew.
Reves said the strain of TB that the student had is not drug-resistant, which he called “very good news.”
In fact, a Boulder County public health official stated in an e-mail to Boulder County government employees that the student “is expected to make a full recovery” and return to school when health officials decide it’s safe.
While contagious, TB is not easily spread, said Dr. Michael Iseman, a lung and infectious disease specialist at National Jewish Health.
That makes the high rates of infection at Longmont High all the more surprising, he said.
“To infect 40 percent of a large popoulation means probably months of exposure,” Iseman said. “That is absolutely astounding.”
Reves said being in close quarters with an infected person facilitates transmission, and poor ventilation can also play a role.
St. Vrain Valley schools spokesman John Poynton said Reves has inspected ventilation in the 47-year-old building but did not report finding any problems.
A positive test result does not mean a person has active, contagious TB. It is possible for tuberculosis bacteria to be dormant for years without creating active disease.
None of those who tested positive appear to have active TB, Reves said. Nevertheless, they will be treated for the disease to prevent it from progressing.
“We’ve got staff up in Longmont today getting students on treatment,” Reves said.
At the turn of the last century, TB was one of the leading causes of death among young adults in New York City, Iseman said. And many communities in Colorado and across the West got their start by marketing their dry, sunny climates as therapeutic for TB patients.
But in recent decades, TB has been rare in this country. Last year, there were just over 11,000 cases in the U.S., Iseman said.
TB vaccinations are used in many countries, but are considered somewhat ineffective and not used in the United States, he said.
Reves said blood tests for TB cost about $40 each, just for the equipment and processing, while the older skin test method costs considerably less. Still, the cost, which is being picked up by the public health departments, is expected to be significant.
“It’s expensive, and the state knows this.” But, Reves likened it to a wildfire — it’s unexpected but for the public good, “you have to be able to respond.”
Karen Augé: 303-954-1733 or kauge@denverpost.com
Q&A session planned
Staff from the Denver Metro Tuberculosis Control Program will be at Longmont High School, 1040 Sunset St., at 6:30 p.m. Monday to answer questions about the investigation or about tuberculosis.A former undercover CIA officer turned congressman says the FBI — by trying to force Apple to defeat its own security protocols — is barking up the wrong tree.
The FBI has demanded that Apple help it unlock a phone used by San Bernardino killer Syed Rizwan Farook, but Apple is refusing for the sake of its customers’ cybersecurity and privacy.
Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, said Tuesday that the FBI request might be too intrusive. He said there’s a way to “protect our civil liberties, defend our digital information, and chase bad guys all at the same time.”
His conclusion: “There’s a lot of problems I think we can solve with big data.”
Hurd was speaking Tuesday at a forum in Washington organized by the software company Cloudera.
He asked the audience — professionals who analyze, visualize, and combine huge data sets to gain insights — to pitch in to help the government use information for better intelligence.
He said he wants to connect “micro intelligence” officers, like “mall cops,” with local law enforcement all the way up to the intelligence community to solve national security problems. “There’s a lot of information,” he said. “We just have to access it.”
That view was echoed by another speaker — Andrew Hallman, CIA director of digital innovation — who asked the audience how to “rewire neural pathways” between government agencies and security partners to become “anticipatory” about terrorism threats and other crime rather than “reactionary.”
But big data collection can have its own civil liberties problems. For instance, big data analytics — compiled from demographic information, court records, education, and more — can be used unfairly to flag people with certain characteristics or backgrounds as dangerous or threatening, subjecting them to additional surveillance.By now we have photographed the majority of famous waterfalls of the world: Angel Falls in Venezuela, Victoria Falls, located on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as Iguazu Falls in Brazil and Argentina. Today we'll bring you our virtual tour over Niagara Falls.
We have already made an attempt to shoot Niagara Falls from a regular helicopter but we failed. Unfortunately, our pilot refused to fly to the waterfall closer than a few kilometers despite of our approved flight plan. And now, thanks to our colleague Nick Ivanov from Canada, we have a chance to show you Niagara Falls from a close range.
Here are a few facts about Niagara Falls.
At the place where North American Niagara River separates two of the Great Lakes, Erie and Ontario, nature created a magnificent cascade of waterfalls. Each waterfall has its own name: the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls, and the Bridal Veil Falls. However all of them are known under one name — Niagara Falls. This is the most important landmark of the USA and Canada at the same time, as it separates one country from another.
Great Lakes of North America, Niagara River, and its waterfalls are results of shifting of an ice shield that moved down from the Eastern Canada territory over ten thousand years ago. The glacier crashed everything on its way, deepening and widening riverbeds, and creating or eliminating lakes.
Interestingly enough, the geological characteristics of the area are such that the layers of soil are still moving, even if their movement is not as dramatic any more. During past centuries Niagara Falls have moved eleven kilometers south. According to scientists, the waterfall has been moving with the average speed of one, one and a half meters per year during last 560 years. Today special engineering efforts managed to slow the shifting a little bit.
Photo: Evgueni Strok
On the international scale Niagara Falls is not that high — just 53 meters. Here are few numbers for comparison: Angel Falls in Venezuela drops its water from 807 meters, and Victoria Falls in Zambia and Zimbabwe is 108 meters high. However the width of Niagara Falls is 792 meters. This fact places it together with the widest waterfalls in the world (comparing with Angel and Victoria — 107 and 1800 meters respectively).
These numbers demonstrate how different a waterfall can be. Every one of them is unique. It is also true for the waterfalls that form the Niagara Falls complex.
A small island called Luna separates the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls (that truly looks like a bridal wear). Their combined width is about 335 meters. At the same time, there is a giant pile of large sharp rocks at the foot of the American Falls, which makes a visible part of the waterfall 21 meter high.
Being separated by Goat Island, which was formed relatively late (the Niagara River was split into two channels about five hundred years ago), the Horseshoe Falls stands apart from the two. The speed and power of the American Falls are considerably less than those of the Horseshoe Falls, because Goat Island slows down masses of water; and in case of Horseshoe Falls, nothing stands on its way.
Named after deceased herd of artiodactyls, Goat Island is a popular tourist destination as it offers an opportunity to enjoy a spectacular view and also to take pictures of Niagara Falls. Little bridges connect the island with the US mainland and neighboring Luna Island. The Cavern of The Winds, another Niagara attraction, is also located here. From inside the cavern, one can admire the waterfall up close and also feel the power and presence of the big water. And when we say "power" we really mean it — drops of water shower you from head to toe! This is why each tourist receives a raincoat and waterproof footwear at the entrance to the cavern.
Niagara Falls attracts not only millions of tourists, but also those who want to experience extreme sensations. In 1829 Sam Patch became famous as a first man, who jumped from the Horseshoe Falls and survived. Another so-called record was set in 1901 by a 63-year-old Annie Taylor, who went over the waterfall in a barrel. The event of 1960 is rightfully called "The Miracle of Niagara", as a 7-year-old boy accidentally fell down the Horseshoe Falls and survived. Unfortunately, raging waters of Niagara Falls also took many human lives...
Location and position of Niagara Falls doesn't allow a group view of all the waterfalls from one spot. Some people believe that the most spectacular view opens from the Canadian shore; those who travel to Niagara Falls on American side are also satisfied with the picture. And now you have an opportunity to enjoy the magnificent panorama of all waterfalls from the widest possible angle — a bird's eye view — without a risk of getting wet or falling down the stream.
15 November 2013Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump today appointed young Indian-American Raj Shah, who played a leading role in the Republican party’s anti-Clinton campaign during polls, to a key White House position.
Shah, whose parents immigrated to the US from Gujarat, has been appointed as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Communication Director and Research Director, as per an announcement made by the Presidential Transition Team. Shah, who is in his early 30s, is currently head of Opposition Research in the Republican National Committee.
In this position, he led a team of experts to carry out research against Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate. Shah was behind all the anti-Clinton campaign during the presidential elections.
The announcement of Shah’s appointment to this key White House position was made by incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus along with other appointments.
“These individuals will be key leaders in helping to implement the President elect’s agenda and bring real change to Washington,” Priebus said.
A second generation Indian American, Shah’s parents are from Mumbai having origins from Gujarat. First his father came to the US for studies in 1970s then moved back to India. But after marriage his father and mother moved back to the US in late 70s.
They lived in Chicago and then moved to Connecticut, where he was born and raised.
PTIWhen we heard Silver mention the name "M. Malone" as who she was told killed Bruce Wayne's parents, our immediate conclusion was that the M stood for "Matches." We were right.
Michael Bowen, best known as Uncle Jack on Breaking Bad (also Lost, multiple Quentin Tarantino films), has been cast in the role of Patrick "Matches" Malone on Gotham, set to debut in the second half of season two, ComicBook.com can exclusively report. The character description doesn't give us too much to go on, but does offer a tiny bit of insight into him.
"One of Gotham's deadliest killers, Matches Malone is a weathered, philosophical hitman who may be the triggerman behind one of the most important crimes in Gotham's history." Matches Malone in the pages of DC Comics is a small-time crook who really is just a product of Gotham City, committing crimes simply to get by. When he dies, Batman covers the death up, and assumes the identity of Matches when he needs to go undercover amongst Gotham's criminal element. He's even been thrown in prison (on purpose) as Matches Malone before.
Obviously, Gotham is taking some considerable liberties here with the character, especially if he really is Thomas and Martha Wayne's killer. It's hard to imagine Bruce ever using their killer's identity in the future (and of course, as he's nearly five decades younger, pretty hard to pull off), as well. Going into the second half of the season dubbed "Rise of the Villains," it's easy to see that Matches will be not just an important part of Gotham's story, but certainly of Bruce's as well.
Gotham airs Monday nights at 8pm on Fox. After tonight's mid-season finale, the show returns February 29, 2016 with a second run of 11 episodes for Season 2.Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Lakers announced rookie point guard Lonzo Ball will miss Monday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a left shoulder sprain.
The announcement noted Ball underwent an MRI on Sunday and will be re-evaluated in a week.
The Lakers selected Ball with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft after his standout freshman campaign at UCLA. He averaged 14.6 points, 7.6 assists and 6.0 rebounds across 36 games with the Bruins. He got off to a fast start as a pro when he earned MVP honors in the Las Vegas Summer League.
Injuries are starting to become at least a minor concern during his debut season, though. The 20-year-old California native dealt with a calf strain while playing in the summer league. Then he missed most of the preseason while recovering from an ankle injury.
If the latest setback causes the prized rookie to miss significant time, combo guard Jordan Clarkson could take over as the team's starter at the point. It would also create more opportunities for Tyler Ennis and Josh Hart as part of the backcourt rotation.
Ultimately, the Lakers' rebuilding project is trending in the right direction, but they aren't ready to compete with the top teams in the loaded Western Conference yet. So the front office and coaching staff could opt to take the cautious approach with Ball's recovery.updated:
The animal crafting texture pack lets players create realistic pets to increase their worth in the game. There is no need for users to settle for the regular looking animals of the past thanks to the added texture pack. They can add hair colors and even movement to the any animal's look.
This is a must have for people who like to own pets within the game. Of course, it is not a must have, but it is a nice bonus for those who like to make things as realistic as possible.
Create New Looks for Your Pets on Minecraft
The animal crafting texture pack for minecraft is easy to download and use. The pack is easily melded and able to correspond with other modifications. Just take a look at the things this pack can do if you want more information and visuals. You will be able to see how the animals actually look with their new textures and colors. The best thing this pack can do is also help players disguise their most valued animals. If an attack is eminent, then players can change how their beloved animals look to the attacker. This will allow them to play with caution knowing their home base is somewhat more protected thanks to the animal crafting texture pack from Minecraft.
Downloads for Animal Crafting Texture Pack 1.6.2
Download Animal Crafting Texture Pack for Minecraft 1.6.2Lee Hernandez of New Braunfels, Texas, has asked that people reach out by texting or calling him. (Photo: Arizona Veterans Forum)
People from around the world answered the call for help.
In doing so, they brightened the day of a dying Army veteran who wanted nothing more than to hear from us.
The simple act of sending a text message meant the world to Lee Hernandez, who served the country for 18 ½ years.
The 47-year-old is under hospice care in New Braunfels, Texas. His dying wish was to receive text messages and phone calls from anybody willing to talk to him.
His wish was granted thousands and thousands and thousands of times over.
"Had one of the best days in a long time and even danced! This is huge," he said on a GoFundMe page set up Sunday for Lee.
Outpouring of love
Text message sent to Lee from Arizona (Photo: Arizona Veterans Forum)
Lee's wife, Ernestine, who will celebrate her 13th wedding anniversary with him next week, enlisted the help of Caregivers of Wounded Warriors and the Arizona Veteran Forum to spread to word.
In a matter of days, Lee’s inbox was filled with more than 100, |
or highly invested in the company, but their degrees offer credibility to the claims made. Now we are talking about, in my opinion, not just irresponsibility but professional misconduct.
As a general rule, be highly suspicious of any product that claims it can treat or cure a long list of apparently unrelated diseases or conditions. Sometimes this happens naively. If someone is basing their claims on anecdotal evidence rather than scientific evidence, they will soon be led to believe that their treatment can cure anything. This leads to “indication creep.” At other times the long list of indications is deliberately crafted to create the maximal market for a product. If you are going to just make up indications for your product, why limit it? It’s good for whatever ails you.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, this is just one of hundreds if not thousands of such products being marketed at any given time. While the FDA and FTC and trying to protect the public, they do not have the power or resources to do an adequate job. The public is therefore largely left to defend themselves.
The best defense is to have the critical thinking skills and scientific literacy to put such claims into context. The point of this post is not just to describe a single product, but to illustrate the red flags that should make you suspicious of any similar product. And don’t forget to use common sense. No one has the secret to stop aging and cancer, and if such a marvel existed you would not learn about it through an MLM scheme.A BOLTON woman is critically ill and one man has died after taking “powerful and dangerous substances” at a music festival.
Five people were taken ill this morning after taking drugs – which could have featured Adidas or Rolls Royce logos – at the Kendal Calling festival in the Lake District.
Police were contacted by staff at Cumberland Infirmary just before 7am this morning following concerns for an 18-year-old man who had arrived in a critical condition.
The man, 18-year-old Christian Pay from Millom, subsequently died and an investigation has been launched into his death.
A further four people were admitted to Cumberland Infirmary, including a 29-year-old woman from Bolton who is currently fighting for her life in a critical condition.
Another man, a 19-year-old from Millom, is in a critical condition. Two other men from Millom, aged 18 and 20, are in a serious but stable condition.
Police say five possible drugs have been seized so far which may be linked to the incident.
They are a blue tablet with an Adidas logo, a yellow powder – believed to be MDMA – an orange oval tablet with a Rolls Royce logo, a green tablet with a white fleck and a plain grey tablet with a white fleck.
A multi-agency response group has been set up, and Cumbria Constabulary is advising revellers at the festival not to take any illegal drugs for their own safety.
Superintendent Mark Pannone said: “Our advice is simple do not take any drugs at Kendal Calling 2015.
“It is never safe to take unknown substances as you cannot be sure of what they contain.
“There is a risk that these substances are on still on site and those attending the festival need to be aware of the potential dangers of taking substances such as these.”
Police have arrested four people, including a 20-year-old man from Manchester, on suspicion of possession with intent to supply. They are currently being detained for questioning.
Superintendent Justin Bibby said: “This is a very serious incident and people attending the festival need to be aware of the potential dangers of taking such illegal drugs.
“You cannot be sure of what the drug contains and therefore could cause fatal consequences. Please for your own safety do not take any illegal drugs.”
Dr Jane Mathieson, a consultant from Cumbria County Council Public Health, said: “These are powerful and dangerous substances which are simply not safe. Do not risk your health by taking any drugs.
“However, if you are to take drugs our advice is to consume as little as little as possible. Do not retake substances until you are confident that the effects have worn off.”
Kendal Calling began at Lowther Deer Park in the Lake District last night, and thousands are expected to attend the four-day event with headline acts including Snoop Dogg, Elbow and Kaiser Chiefs.
A spokesman for Kendal Calling said: “We are deeply saddened that a male who attended Kendal Calling passed away at Carlisle Hospital this morning.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and we are doing everything possible to support the police with their enquiries.”
The official Kendal Calling Twitter account tweeted earlier this morning: "There have been serious drug related casualties requiring hospital treatment.
"Please take extra care - illegal drugs have unknown contents.
“If you see any suspicious or anti-social behaviour please make sure you tell a member of staff straight away.”
In Kendal Calling’s FAQ section on the festival website it states: "The festival operates a zero-tolerance policy to drugs. The laws of the land are as relevant within the festival field as anywhere else."
The Loop, a Manchester charity, conducts forensic testing of drugs at UK festivals and representatives are currently providing support at Kendal Calling.
A number of people have been taken ill at Kendal Calling, believed to have taken green tablets with the Adidas logo on them, please be aware — GMP City Centre (@GMPCityCentre) July 31, 2015
There have been serious drug related casualties requiring hospital treatment. Please take extra care - illegal drugs have unknown contents — Kendal Calling (@KendalCalling) July 31, 2015
If you see any suspicious or anti social behaviour please make sure you tell a member of staff straight away. — Kendal Calling (@KendalCalling) July 31, 2015
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cumbria Police on 101 or alternatively you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Are you at Kendal Calling? Did you witness the incident? Call Tui Benjamin on 01204 537254 or email tui.benjamin@nqnw.co.ukTV Reviews All of our TV reviews in one convenient place.
The Loud House The Loud House The Loud House B+ The Loud House The Loud House B+ B+ The Loud House Season 1 Created by Chris Savino Starring Grant Palmer, Catherine Taber, Jessica DiCicco, Grey Griffin Premieres Monday, May 2, at 8 p.m. Eastern on Nickelodeon. (Four episodes are available on the Nickelodeon website.) Format Quarter-hour animated comedy. Six episodes watched for review
Nickelodeon is finally emphasizing cartoons that are less surrealist and absurd and more charming and grounded. SpongeBob SquarePants and Fairly Oddparents are never going away, and Pig Goat Banana Cricket has been picked up for a second season. But Breadwinners is all but dead, Sanjay And Craig looks to be on its way out, Harvey Beaks is little-watched (but probably the network’s strongest show), and that Hey Arnold! reboot is on its way. Even the new Alvinnn!!! And The Chipmunks hides a surprising amount of heart and warmth beneath its hideous CGI designs and singing-rodent premise. Animation journeyman Chris Savino adds to this increasingly down-to-earth slate with The Loud House, the story of 11-year-old Lincoln Loud and his 10 school-age sisters.
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It would be easy for Savino—who based The Loud House on his own upbringing—to build the show around how much Lincoln’s sisters annoy him and get in his way. Instead, The Loud House is fairly even-handed in its portrayal of Lincoln’s siblings, and while this early in the show they’re defined by specific, one-note traits (the bookish nerd, the athletic one, the punk rocker), they’re never treated as female obstacles. If anything, it’s Lincoln himself who lacks any real definition, fitting the boring template of the average preteen boy. The show gives him some shading when it’s revealed he’s a comic-and-TV nerd, but for the most part, Lincoln’s entire personality is expressed in direct-address monologues in the Malcolm In The Middle mode.
The series premiere, “Left In The Dark,” does a remarkable job of introducing the Loud sisters, via a plot that involves Lincoln trying to watch his favorite TV show. It’s a tough job for a show’s first episode—especially since every character’s name begins with an “L”—yet bits of nuance pop up once Lincoln finds his way to the couch, only to realize he missed one of his sisters, the quiet, emo Lucy. She’s the character The Loud House most empathizes with, and the episode perks up whenever she and her sisters speak up for themselves.
The Loud House focuses on Lincoln dealing with various “kid” problems within the context of a large, crowded household. Without going into the Louds’ financial status, the show is careful to address the difficulty of managing personal spaces and expressing individuality within cramped living quarters. The female characters are defined by their traits, but never judged for them. “Sleuth Or Consequences” is the best episode after the pilot, as Lincoln and Lucy work together to figure out who flooded the toilet. The installment sheds new light on Lucy, and it strengthens her bond with her brother. Here’s hoping The Loud House does the same with the rest of its cast, because its most potent moments involve one-on-one interactions between Lincoln and his sisters.
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If the show has a major flaw, it’s Lincoln’s best friend, Clyde. It’s a thankless role, made worse by the character’s constant pining over Lincoln’s sister Lori. The Loud House’s warm approach to its female cast doesn’t hold to the show’s only person of color, who is defined by his crush and how he helps Lincoln. The show’s simplistic visual style might also turn some viewers off, but Savino gives it context, presenting The Loud House as an animated newspaper comic. Title sequences are placed within panels, the storyboards are framed in a basic layout, and the limited color palette bleeds across the the background lines. It could be a money-saving move, but it comes across as an aesthetic choice, which succeeds within the show’s premise. If the characters of The Loud Family develop to the point where they stand on their own, they could hang around as long as the familiar faces of the Sunday funnies—or at least as long SpongeBob, Wanda, and Cosmo.Buy Photo The turf is expected to be installed Thursday-Saturday at First Tennessee Park. (Photo: John Partipilo / The Tennessean)Buy Photo
First Tennessee Park, the new ballpark for the Nashville Sounds, will cost Metro $10 million more than originally expected because of unforeseen issues with the construction of the stadium.
The budget overage will bump the construction costs of the city-financed stadium from $37 million to $47 million, propelling the overall cost of the project to $75 million — a more than 15 percent increase in the total price.
This tally does not include $5 million in other infrastructure work that Metro has done to accommodate the stadium.
Mayor Karl Dean's administration, which announced the new price tag at Wednesday's Metro Sports Authority meeting, has attributed the uptick to several factors, most of which became apparent in recent months as construction crews have worked vigorously to finish by opening day on April 17:
Contaminated soil at the stadium's footprint required more environmental remediation than initially expected.
The residential and mixed-use construction boom around the stadium increased sub-contractor pricing.
Re cent snow and ice in Nashville prevented workers from getting to the construction site, which will force the project team to pay additional labor costs in coming weeks to make up for lost time.
New upgrades to the stadium, including a guitar-shaped scoreboard to mimic the one at Greer Stadium, have meant a pricier ballpark.
"When you have a fast-moving project with a fixed deadline, more often than not, you encounter these types of budget challenges as you move from concept to construction," Dean said. "The good news is that Metro government has the funds to cover the additional expense in a way that does not impact other city programs and projects.
"When all is said and done, the economic activity and development occurring around the ballpark and the tax revenues they will generate will more than make up for these additional costs."
In December 2013, the Metro Council voted 29-7 to issue $65 million in municipal bonds to sign off on a finance plan that Dean had introduced only a month before. An assortment of tax revenue, including sales tax generated by the stadium and property tax revenue from nearby development, as well as an annual lease from the Sounds, are designed to pay off its annual debt.
Critics of that plan have pointed to the hasty approval time line to explain the more expensive bill.
"It's unsurprising given how this project was rushed through at the ninth hour before Christmas break by an administration that is not held accountable by Metro Council," said Councilman Josh Stites, who voted against the financing plan.
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According to Dean's administration, however, the higher price tag will not require floating another set of bonds or any sort of tax hike.
Instead, the plan is to transfer $5 million in tax increment financing — or TIF — from the Metro Development and Housing Agency's Jackson Redevelopment District, which includes the new stadium. Another $1.5 million will come from already-collected TIF dollars in reserves. And another $1 million will come from the stadium's initial revenue bond sale, which generated an additional $1 million in proceeds than anticipated.
Meanwhile, the Sounds ownership team, led by Frank Ward, has committed to contributing an extra $2 million, which will cover the cost of the stadium upgrades, including the scoreboard.
"We're going to be able to cover these costs," said Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling, who likened the project's construction timeline to a "helter-skelter pace" to finish by April 17. "We have a plan in place to come up with the money.
"Yes, I'm disappointed that it's costing more that we originally talked about, but when we did the financing, we didn't have the design," he said. "We were working from very conceptual drawings, and we were working fast."
The overall $75 million figure comes from construction costs — now $47 million — as well as another $23 million in land acquisition and $5 million in capitalized cost. Street and sidewalk paving, new water lines and new electrical lines have contributed to another $5 million in related costs that will come from the budgets of affected Metro departments.
First Tennessee Ballpark has proven a challenge in other ways besides financially. Failure of the state of Tennessee to move quickly on construction of a 1,000-space, $18 million parking garage for the stadium has prompted Dean's office to unveil a temporary parking plan that will rely on shuttles, off-site parking and city buses to get people to and from the stadium.
Ward, Sounds principal owner since 2009, has remained optimistic that the ballpark will deliver despite the parking hurdle. As for the budget hiccup, he said he expects to sign a written agreement with Metro that outlines the team's $2 million commitment to cover stadium upgrades.
"We've had a good relationship with the city and the mayor's office in getting the facility accomplished," Ward said. "Some of the changes that we requested, they were nice enough to accommodate us and we're paying for those."
Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.Interior Design With Storage Ottoman Bench
Storage ottoman bench is furniture that offers space for items and comfortable seat. A variety of benches for sale especially ottoman have been taking attention. There are leather ottoman storage and wicker storage ottoman bench. Each one of them has quite unique values one from another.
Sears ottoman, Kohls and IKEA are popular with high quality of ottoman benches with storage designs. Interior decorating ideas with the furniture are versatile. This means you are free to pour personal taste in how to make better interiors with storage ottoman bench.
Leather Storage Ottoman Bench
Comfort, durability and safety for children to use leather ottoman storage bench are featured. Black leather storage bench is favored more and searched by online buyers. There are also other options of leather color like brown, espresso, white and cream. The furniture is amazing to become footstools as completion to living room, bedroom and baby room. So are you looking for footstools and ottomans? Leather storage ottoman bench is a fine choice. Elegance and comfort are for sure to accommodate your relaxing time. To serve you more, choosing one with tray will give extra functionality and comfort too. Tufted or not, leather ottomans with storage are cool.
Wicker Storage Ottoman Bench
Wicker has been around as one of most popular materials for furniture both indoor and outdoor. Versatility of wicker furniture designs including storage ottomans allows complementary value. Colors of the wicker can be chosen to perfectly meet interior decorating style. Or, with a little bit of contrast, wicker ottomans will be doing great.
From natural finished to painted wicker ottoman benches, you can pick depending on personal preferences. Light weight of wicker makes it portable. This is an important feature especially when it comes to taking it into another room or during cleaning for maintenance. A wide variety of wicker ottoman benches is to appeal to you in home improvement decor ideas. From small storage ottoman bench to larger ones, you will be amazed by their designs. You must be thinking of prices. To get less expensive storage ottoman bench on sale, I believe that IKEA has the selections for you.When leaders in Washington state asked for volunteers to help fight wildfires, they weren’t expecting this.
After the call went out on Friday, more than 3,000 people signed up—in the first day.
Lawyer Bought His Own Fire Truck and is Fighting Wildfires to Help Community
“We appreciate your enthusiasm to serve, (and) have been overwhelmed by the strong response,” the Department of Natural Resources posted on its website.
At least 200 of the volunteers are equipment operators, many with their own backhoes and bulldozers able to cut fire lines.
#WaWILDFIRE UPDATE - Equipment operators sign up for blue card training in #Omak as DNR begins processing volunteers. pic.twitter.com/fdolp0eFVe — waDNR_fire (@waDNR_fire) August 22, 2015
DNR leaders are going through the list to see what qualifications the volunteers have.
The call for volunteers is still out, but only people with wildfire training and proper physical conditioning should sign up.
(Learn more from AP, via KCPQ News) Photo: Washington DNR
Volunteer To Share This Story With Your Friends… (below)'The Avengers' Shawarma Sales SKYROCKET in L.A.
'Avengers' Joke Skyrockets Shawarma Sales In Los Angeles
EXCLUSIVE
You may not have realized it when you were in the theaters this weekend, but "" is not a movie... it's a guerrilla marketing campaign for the shawarma industry!!! We'll explain...At the end of the "film," a scene within the credits shows the movie's stars eating lunch at an undisclosed location (not a secret lair or anything, they just didn't say). The meal of choice was shawarma... a callback to something's character had said earlier in the movie.TMZ spoke with several different fine eating establishments all across Los Angeles... and they all say sales of shawarma went through the roof this weekend.At Ro Ro's Chicken -- a famed Lebanese joint in Hollywood -- the manager says shawarma sales jumped 80% in the days after the movie opened. We're told the same thing happened a few years back when a baba ghanouj joke was featured in "You Don't Mess with the Zohan."And that's the last time we'll mention "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" ever again.I’m recovering from a case of what was probably the Outbreak virus and working variously on numerous little projects, as always. But I’m not so busy that I would miss this week’s conspiracy theory round-up. I have been looking at some pretty horrid Christian Identity stuff lately, so I am a little more bitter than usual. It won’t appear here. You’re welcome.
Here was five awesome minutes worth of research on my part. Some guy makes a video about transcripts of the radio chatter between the LEM and Command Module on Apollo 10 while they were behind the moon. This is cool enough for me, but then the crew members report hearing what they call music, “like andouter space-like thing”. Here’s the vid:
So the guy highlights a few quotes. Luckily, he zooms in enough on them so that at time 3:38, you can see that the noise is on channel VFH-A, which I dropped into the Googles and got an eminently reasonable explanation. Shielded by the moon, Apollo was not receiving any terrestrial broadcast, but broadcasts are not the only source of radio in the universe, or even the solar system. Lacking other radio sources, Jupiter would have been the loudest radio source in Earth’s lunar radio shadow. Guess what it sounds like?
Awesome! So, guys, do your homework. Learning is cool!
My only excursion to 9/11 Trutherism this week (probably because I never get invited to the orgies of deception) is both unintentionally ironic and condescending. I think it’s a snippet from the most recent bigtime Truther vid, 9/11: Explosive Evidence: Experts Speak Out. In it, psychologists tell you exactly why you can’t let go of that feeling that the government is a warm cuddly friend who strokes your inner thigh every night as you drift off–COGNITIVE DISSONANCE! You can start to expect hearing this phrase used by Truthers (as I have recently–it’s a charge leveled against me twice here).
The funny thing is that absolutely nobody worth listening to takes their arguments seriously, so what do they do to correct the disparity between that reality and their understanding of the world? They invoke cognitive dissonance! Ahahaha! Damn, I love the irony. It’s like a loop-the-loop of fail.
Conspiracy Theories of the Week:
As a recipient of some of his death threats, I thought that this was timely. Dennis Markuze, aka David Mabus, is an undercover liberal planted to make certain conservatives (who I’m assuming share a worldview that they identify with) look as bad as Dennis Markuze.
The other one comes through Alex Jones’s site: “Do dolphins speak in hieroglyphics and could we decipher them?” As long as they don’t say, “So long, and thanks for all the fish,” we’ll be OK.
That’s all everyone! Don’t take any wooden nickels. Or any all-nickel nickels, for that matter.
RJB
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Like this: Like Loading... RelatedThe most important question you need to ask yourself before you set out to achieve any kind of goal is a simple one: Why?
After all, as William Shakespeare said, "Strong reasons make strong actions," and if you don’t have powerful reasons for achieving your goal, you don’t stand a chance.
Research has shown that our motivation is highest when we value the outcome of the goal we are working toward.
Without a strong grasp on what's motivating you, you won't be able to persevere during difficult times.
I’m sure you’ve heard variations of the statistic that 90 percent of all New Year’s resolutions fail. There are a few reasons for this, but the most prominent one is that most people set these goals because they “feel right” or because they are “the right thing to do.” Well, these reasons are simply not enough to withstand the temptations (Seamless! Pizza! Social media!) or obstacles that will surely arise as you work toward your goal.
You’re human. Your energy, your focus, and your motivation are all limited resources. Your goals must be strategic to be effective—determine if they're worth the inevitable obstacles using these five simple steps:3x3x3 Cube First Round Second Round Final 3x3x3 One-Handed Combined First Second Round Final Megaminx Combined First Final Square-1 Combined Final Competitors Adam Vu Nguyen Alex Macias Alexander Watson Andrew Eyestone Andrew Mitchell Andrew Nathenson Andrew Yin Andy Halter Anka Engin Ari Jacob Ben-Naim Brandon Le Breckin Hamilton Bryson Liu Caden Kennedy Caleb Lee Camden Sermona Carl Michael Garcia Carl Tsai Carter Audet Marrero Carter Chen Casey Coutin Chandler Kim Chanin Tangtartharakul Chase Hightower Christian Arbid Christian De Paola Christian Kennedy Christopher Holland Christopher Lai Cody Jess Garcia Cody Tran Connor Broas Corey Young Daiki Hashimoto (橋本大輝) David Li David Nguyen David Silva Davion Wells Derek Hsieh Devin Corr-Robinett Dominic Morton Donovan Nunes Edward Xie Ekim Engin Eowyn Acres Erick Amaro Hernandez Ethan Budgett Ethan Davis Ethan Jan Ethan Vovan Evan Serrano Ezra Barber Gage Tan-Torres Gary Song Godwin Pang Haley Adams Harrison Park Henry D. Archuletta Henry Helmuth Isaac Cheng Isabella Corona Jack Izzo Jack Nisbet Jackson Provance Jacob Carrasco Jacob Francisco Jaden Burkhardt Jaden Nguyen Jaden Smith Jake Hansen Jakob Henderson Jason Leung Jason White Jason Zenarosa Jayden Tye Jenna Gain Jenson Brown Jerich Lee (李再圆) Jesse Turner Joel Hernández Johnathan Lewis Johnavon Kim Jonathan Tai Jonny Katz Josh Cummings Joshua Kwon Joshua Quach Julia Cornelissen Junie Zenarosa Justin Bennett Justin Tompkins Kasi Peters Kavin Tangtartharakul Kendrake Tsui Kevin Matthews Kiran She Kyeongmin Choi Kyle Miwa Kyle Nguyen Kyrstn Hall Lucas Martin Lucas Peters Mang Nilian Matthew Daniel Schreiber Matthew Harris Matthew Shore Matthew Statler Max Park Maxim Zhulin Michael Young Michele Murakami Nathaniel Watson Nicholas De Paola Nicholas S. Reynolds Nipun Das Phillip Espinoza Pilan Scruggs Rayhan Izzaldin Rizqi Raymond Langford Reece Hanse Riki Osawa RIley Hunter McQuay Rob Peters Ryan Jew Ryan S. Shakiba Ryan Woytowitz Santiago Tomas Scott Weston Sean Limqueco Sean Saito Shan Bamarni Shane Grogan Sophia Quinn Spencer Klausner Stanley Moriguchi Stephen Silva Subhankar Panda SungIn Park Takao Hashimoto (橋本貴夫) Terry Feng Timothy Chang Tristan Yoo Vanessa Ramirez Vinson Nguyen Will Do Will Hamilton Will Mathewson Willie Zhang Wilson Li Yuxiang Gao Zachary Friedman Zahid Rivera Zane Schulz [refresh] [show]Sen. Barack Obama said he would vote Monday to filibuster Judge Samuel Alito's confirmation to the Supreme Court, but he conceded the effort would be futile and criticized Democrats for failing to persuade Americans to take notice of the court's changing ideological face.
"The Democrats have to do a much better job in making their case on these issues," Obama (D-Ill.) said Sunday on ABC News' "This Week." "These last-minute efforts--using procedural maneuvers inside the Beltway--I think has been the wrong way of going about it."
Despite his criticism, Obama announced his intention to support the maneuver designed to block--or delay--Alito's confirmation this week. The movement, which was launched by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), appeared to lack the 41 senators needed to be successful.
Alito, a federal appeals court judge, is poised to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. The Senate is scheduled to cast a final vote on Alito's confirmation Tuesday.
The threat of a filibuster emerged late last week after liberal activists accused Democratic senators of failing to vigorously oppose Alito's ascension to the Supreme Court. After Kerry began the effort, several liberal groups mounted a campaign by Internet, telephone and fax to persuade other senators to follow suit.
"I will be supporting the filibuster because I think Judge Alito, in fact, is somebody who is contrary to core American values, not just liberal values," Obama said. "When you look at his decisions--in particular, during times of war--we need a court that is independent and is going to provide some check on the executive branch."
But in the next breath, Obama criticized the merits of a filibuster. The senator has worked to avoid being portrayed as walking in lock step with Democratic partisans, but at the same time he is seeking to be responsive to a core constituency.
"We need to recognize, because Judge Alito will be confirmed, that, if we're going to oppose a nominee that we've got to persuade the American people that, in fact, their values are at stake," Obama said. "And frankly, I'm not sure that we've successfully done that."
Kerry, who worked through the weekend to get other Democratic senators to join the filibuster effort, welcomed Obama aboard and praised him for "taking a stand on principle."
"It's not easy, but it's important for our country," Kerry said in a statement.
In his television appearance, Obama did not reconcile his views over the filibuster. Spokesman Robert Gibbs denied a Tribune request Sunday to interview Obama but said the senator decided to join the filibuster effort because he believes Alito "would be a bad addition to the Supreme Court."
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has argued against a filibuster. Other Democrats said the effort could allow Republicans to portray Democrats as obstructionist.
A filibuster, a procedural move to keep debate alive, could delay a final vote on Alito. If the filibuster attempt fails Monday, a vote on Alito's confirmation is scheduled for Tuesday, hours before President Bush delivers his State of the Union address. At least three Democrats and virtually all Republicans have pledged to support Alito, making his confirmation all but certain.
Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) said he also would vote to keep debate open Monday, but he questioned the wisdom of a filibuster, predicting it would fail.
"I think a filibuster makes sense when you have a prospect of actually succeeding," Biden said Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition."
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jzeleny@tribune.comDENVER (AP) — A 26-year-old man says he was making an action video with friends when he fell 40 feet down the chimney of a downtown Denver apartment building.
Dustin Hinkle tells KCNC-TV (https://goo.gl/DJSZVB ) that he and a couple of friends were making a Parkour video on the roof of the Denver City Lofts on Thursday when he fell through a chimney cover. Parkour involves moving from point to point using obstacles along the way.
Hinkle plummeted down the old incineration chimney until a cable caught his fall. He was stuck for nearly two hours until firefighters broke through a brick wall to get him out.
Hinkle, who along with his friends is facing a trespassing charge, says he thought he was going to die and he didn’t believe in God until he survived the fall.
The Denver Post reports that jail records show Hinkle is 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds.
Denver Fire Department spokeswoman Melissa Taylor told the Post: “It appeared to me to be a pretty small chimney.”
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Information from: KCNC-TV, http://www.cbsdenver.comEnbridge has had another leak, although this time it’s not oil, it’s an ad campaign titled, “Open to better.”
We received a leaked copy of Enbridge’s next ad campaign to sell the Northern Gateway pipeline to British Columbians, and it’s just as slick as the oilsands oil Enbridge would like to transport on tankers in B.C.’s coastal waters.
The Coastal First Nations have produced our own, much more low-budget television ad, which focuses on the facts: A major oil spill could cost Canadian taxpayers $21.4 billion and result in job losses totalling 4,379 person-years of employment. We also point out that 80 per cent of British Columbians oppose oil tankers in B.C.’s coastal waters.
It was interesting to see how the Toronto “professionals” make Enbridge’s ads.
For starters, the company has removed all mention of itself from its advertising, instead inserting Executive Vice President Janet Holder as the new face of the pipeline. Ms. Holder grew up in Prince George, but until two years ago, was a Toronto-based Enbridge executive.
The first slide in the Enbridge ad presentation is about the “tone of voice” for the ads, where the goal is to have the viewer think of Enbridge as a person, not a corporation.
From what we’ve seen, British Columbians can expect a whole bunch of touchy-feely pipeline advertising in the weeks and months ahead. Oh, and you better like the word “better.” In the script for one television ad, it appears 14 times, including this gem: “Building a pipeline can make us better.”
In another ad, titled, “Janet and the Orca” the oil company executive is compared to a killer whale: “This is an orca. This is Janet. They both live in British Columbia...” And that’s where the similarity ends. We’ll spare you the rest of the ad, because you’ll likely see it hundreds of times this Fall, but needless to say, for Coastal First Nations, some of whom are members of the Killer Whale clan, this ad goes too far.
As a counterpoint, we have produced our own version of “Janet and the Orca,” titled, “Koda and the Orca.” It’s about a five-year old girl from the Gitga’at First Nation who actually has a relationship with whales and the other animals in the Great Bear Rainforest. Enbridge’s plan would bring hundreds of oil tankers through our narrow coastal waters every year, putting Koda and her family — as well as the whales — at risk of a major oil spill.
We are told in a final ad, that Janet Holder loves British Columbia and will “do anything to protect the place she loves.” Except, it would appear, call off the pipeline and oil tankers project that would put us all at risk.
Janet needs to tell her bosses in Calgary what we all already know: The Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline is dead. 80 per cent of British Columbians are opposed to oil tankers in our coastal waters, and no amount of slick advertising is going to convince us otherwise.
Open to better? British Columbians know better, better, better, better …
Art Sterritt is the Executive Director of the Coastal First Nations.Bitcoin has revolutionized the currency system. It is instantaneous and with no regulations. Easy transactions with no minimal fees have definitely caught the attention of the masses. Even though the concept is innovative and quick, users are still in dilemma as there are certain risks associated with it too. With a simple Bitcoin wallet, money can be stored both online and offline.
Bitcoin has been capped on a limit of 21 million by its inventor, supposedly Satoshi Nakamoto. Currently, 15.2 million bitcoins are already in circulation, which accounts almost 72% of the total. People are investing in bitcoins with a hope that they would it be able to sell it on a higher price. There were a series of ups and downs in 2011 & 2013 in the Bitcoin market. Thus, users are making careful choices due to market fluctuations.
Value of Bitcoin
Bitcoin has impressed some while others are still looking for more clarity regarding the return on investment. The value of Bitcoin has seen a series of ups and downs in the last five years. The market recently saw a rise in the currency value when ransomware authors carried out a cyber crime. They hacked several computers and scrambled the data. In return, they demanded a ransom in the form of Bitcoin. This particular incident made a negative portrait for the bitcoins but somehow the demand increased for this currency.
Many countries are still exploring Bitcoin as a payment option. Americans have taken a back seat for implementing this mode as their mainstream payment method. Lately, great response has come from Asian countries. Ever since Japan has shown interests in Bitcoin service, the market has definitely boomed internationally.
Services by western Union and money gram for money transfer are time intensive and expensive. Thus, Bitcoin has wide application and if explored positively, this currency would have much greater significance than traditional currency.Our breakdown of winners and losers from Week 2 of the NFL preseason could have easily included Jared Goff in the latter category. The Rams rookie quarterback isn't having the best run under center, struggling early to adapt.
Things are going so poorly that, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher/Report, Goff isn't just behind Case Keenum on the Rams depth chart -- he's the third-string quarterback behind Sean Mannion as well.
Jared Goff is currently not the Rams' starting quarterback and may not be the No. 2 according to sources, I talked to. Two coaches admitted Goff's talent is obvious and he will eventually be the starter. But he's also not ready to take over. Veteran Case Keenum is still running the L.A. offense. Goff is often being outperformed by second-year pro Sean Mannion in practice. Goff was the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft but there's no guarantee he'll be the No. 1 quarterback any time soon.
Goff is listed as the second quarterback on the depth chart at the Rams official site. But those preseason depth charts are often just put out by the PR teams and aren't designed to be official for coaching staff purposes.
Against the Chiefs it held true, though, as Keenum started the game for the Rams, played a pair of series and was replaced by Goff, who played the rest of the game.
As noted by Ryan Wilson in our takeaways from Saturday night, it was a questionable start for the rookie.
But with 10 minutes to go in the second quarter, No. 1 pick Jared Goff took the field. A week after he completed just 4 of 9 passes and left early with what was feared to be a shoulder injury, he was back in action. And on the first snap... he promptly threw an incomplete pass. There's more: A play later, Goff tripped over one of his own lineman and lost a fumble in the process.
The fumble in question:
Part of the issue here is you've got limited time to get a rookie ready to play in the NFL and those reps are precious. So there's a necessity of force-feeding a player taken No. 1 overall in instances like this.
None of the quarterbacks have been particularly impressive, but it's pretty obvious who's the rookie when you look at the preseason stats.
Quarterback Comp/Att (Comp%) Yards Y |
reason that France wants to create a contact group with the Security Council members at its core and then the regional actors affected by the situation.”
While Paris has sought better ties with Russia under Macron, its position puts it at odds with Moscow and Iran, who back Assad and say the Syrian people should decide their own future.
Diplomats also say the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to outline a vision for a political process in Syria and is focusing primarily on defeating Islamic State and countering Iran.
A meeting of countries that oppose Assad was to take place in New York later on Monday.
The U.N. Security Council has already adopted a Syria transition road map, and two diplomats said the latest French idea was to get the five permanent members of the council to agree first how to move forward.
The Security Council would then bring into the fold the main regional powers, although diplomats said it was pointless without Iran’s involvement, which was being complicated by the Trump administration’s staunch anti-Iranian position.
The last major international attempt to resolve the crisis ended in failure when the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), which included Iran, was cast aside after Syrian government forces retook the rebel stronghold of Aleppo in 2015.
“ISSG is huge. What we need is muscle, nerve to initiate something,” said a senior U.N. diplomat. “We have to be creative to find ways to have Iran in the equation without blocking the whole thing and moving ahead.
“Remember Bosnia, 1993, we were in a mess, nobody was able to find a way to initiate a virtuous process there. One of the key reasons we were able to open the door... was the creation of a contact group.”
Russia, Turkey and Iran have been negotiating separately for months in Astana to try to reduce the violence on the ground by creating de-escalation zones across the country, although those talks do not cover a long-term political solution.Rummage through your closet and pull out the #25 Bush jersey kids, Rafael Bush is BAAACK! It might not seem like a big signing but Andrew explains why the Saints really needed a 3rd safety.
Chase Daniel is returning too! WE ARE GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER!
Ralph feels bad for all these NFL veterans getting HOSED in free agency.
Malcolm Butler still not a Saint. Butler is very ticked off, probably more than most people realize. Would insurance make Butler more likely to stay in New England?
Who are the players Saints Twitter is likely to argue over most before the draft?
The best corner in Saints history bracket contunies its sad journey. There hasn’t been a sadder continuing series since PBS’s 9 Part Documentary ‘Mrs Lincoln’s favorite Parts of Ford Theater.’
Don’t forget to download our Podbean, Stitcher, or Andriod app! And remember Drunk Saints History is up and going with monthly episodes.President Trump's warning that North Korea could "face fire and fury like the world has never seen" has reignited a debate about whether the commander in chief needs congressional approval before launching a preemptive military strike.
So far, congressional leaders from both parties have been silent on the issue. They’re reluctant to tie Trump’s hands as Pyongyang threatens to bomb a specific target: the U.S. territory of Guam. They also recognize how unpopular and divisive a vote on a war resolution would be for lawmakers facing reelection next year.
But many rank-and-file Democrats, and a handful of Republicans, say Trump needs to come to Congress first and formally request an authorization for use of military force (AUMF), especially as he appears to threaten a nuclear attack.
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“We know that the president is suggesting potential use of military force.... This is a conversation that needs to take place,” Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) said Wednesday on CNN.
“The authority of Congress should be asserted, particularly in the case of this president where he seems to be somewhat erratic when it comes to what he suggests is American foreign policy.”
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), who sits on the Armed Services Committee and comes from a state North Korea claims is within range of its missiles, said “preemptive war” on the Korean Peninsula “would require the authorization of Congress.”
"Article I of the U.S. Constitution is very clear about that," Sullivan, an Afghanistan War veteran, said during an appearance Tuesday on Fox News.
Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) said he has not fully evaluated whether it would be legal or constitutional for Trump to order a preemptive strike against North Korea.
“But I think it would be to the president’s advantage” to consult with Congress, Webster told The Hill. “It lets North Korea know we mean business.”
If North Korea were to strike Guam, Alaska, Hawaii or any other U.S. targets, however, Trump would have the full power to respond on his own, lawmakers added.
Still, some congressional Republicans argued that Trump would be free to act first without any congressional approval, so long as the military action against North Korea is not a long, drawn-out conflict like the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The War Powers Act of 1973 gives the president the power to wage war for 60 days before an authorization from Congress is needed.
“No,” replied one House conservative when asked if a new AUMF was required.
“In the short run, the president has the executive authority to take action,” Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) told The Hill. “But in the medium- and long-term, the Congress absolutely needs to engage in world affairs and not abdicate from its duty like we have for the past decades."
“For decades, we have kicked the can on our foreign policy leadership and that neglect is precisely what has precipitated these current events,” he added.
In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Congress granted President George W. Bush authorization to wage a global war on terror; a year later, Congress passed another resolution authorizing military action in Iraq.
But Congress has largely shirked its war responsibilities in the years since. In 2013, congressional Republicans ignored a request by then-President Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaWith low birth rate, America needs future migrants 4 ways Hillary looms over the 2020 race Obama goes viral after sporting black bomber jacket with '44' on sleeve at basketball game MORE to authorize a military strike in Syria after forces loyal to President Bashar Assad conducted a chemical weapons attack in that country's still-ongoing civil war.
Earlier this year, Trump launched strikes against Syrian government forces, arguing that he had the ability to do so under the 2001 military authorization. Congress had little say in the matter.
In late June, the powerful House Appropriations Committee unexpectedly passed an amendment by liberal Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) to repeal the 2001 authorization and require Congress to debate and vote on further military action. But GOP leaders stripped that provision from the final bill, preserving the status quo.
Both Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Sen. Ed Markey Edward (Ed) John MarkeyOvernight Energy: Climate protesters storm McConnell’s office | Center-right group says Green New Deal could cost trillion | Dire warnings from new climate studies Center-right group: Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal could cost trillion Dozens of climate protesters storm McConnell’s office over Green New Deal MORE (D-Mass.) introduced companion bills this year that would bar Trump from launching a preemptive nuclear attack before Congress approves a declaration of war. But those bills have gone nowhere in the GOP-controlled House and Senate.
After a report Tuesday that North Korea had constructed a miniaturized nuclear warhead that could fit inside its missiles, Trump warned that any further threats from the isolated nation would be met with “fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.”
Hours later, North Korea’s state-run news agency responded with a blustery statement of its own: Pyongyang could launch strategic ballistic missiles against Guam, specifically a U.S. Air Force base where thousands of troops are stationed.
The back-and-forth continued on Wednesday, with Defense Secretary James Mattis James Norman MattisTrump backs off total Syria withdrawal Grass-roots campaign backs Mattis for public office Overnight Defense: Dems tee up Tuesday vote against Trump's emergency declaration | GOP expects few defections | Trump doubles number of troops staying in Syria to 400 MORE calling on North Korea to halt any actions “that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people."
White House national security aide Sebastian Gorka said the U.S. is not just a superpower but a “hyperpower.”
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling for a time out, urging the Trump administration to dial back its fiery rhetoric. While acknowledging that U.S. diplomatic options are limited, Kildee and others said Trump needs to do more to pressure China to stop trade with North Korea.
Both Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanBrexit and exit: A transatlantic comparison Five takeaways from McCabe’s allegations against Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report: Sanders set to shake up 2020 race MORE (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellHouse to push back at Trump on border Democrats block abortion bill in Senate Overnight Energy: Climate protesters storm McConnell’s office | Center-right group says Green New Deal could cost trillion | Dire warnings from new climate studies MORE (R-Ky.) have not commented on the North Korea situation. In a statement, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) steered clear of the AUMF issue but ripped Trump’s threats as “recklessly belligerent.”
“His saber-rattling and provocative, impulsive rhetoric erode our credibility and weaken our ability to reach a peaceful resolution to this crisis, and must immediately end,” she said.
During an appearance on CNN, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, dismissed Trump’s threats as “silly words” that he wouldn’t have used. But he also said the “hysteria” about those threats was overblown.
A more thoughtful address from Trump on his North Korean strategy would be helpful, Kinzinger said.
“I do think President Trump could do everybody a favor by giving that address laying out where they are right now, our plans for the future, making people feel safe but also understanding we have to pay attention to this,” the congressman said.Turkey’s main opposition parties to nominate ex-head of Islamic body İhsanoğlu for presidency
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Bahçeli and Kılıçdaroğlu shake hands before their meeting in Ankara, June 16. DHA Photo
Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu
The two major opposition parties represented at the Turkish Parliament have finally announced their agreement for nominating the former head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, as their joint presidential candidate.Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu officially announced on June 16 that the senior diplomat would be announced as a joint candidate with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), in a move they dub “The Grand Conciliation.”“We are proposing a name who will be accepted by everybody and who will set a model for everybody with his reputation, honesty, knowledge and experience: Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu,” Kılıçdaroğlu told reporters as he made a joint statement with MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli following their meeting at Parliament.“Let me express that we have been experiencing a new case in democracy. We want to start a process that favors peace and serenity and that keeps distant from strife,” Kılıçdaroğlu added.For his part, Bahçeli described İhsanoğlu’s nomination as “a fortunate step,” suggesting that their efforts for nominating a joint candidate should be considered as “a move beyond political parties.” The MHP leader was apparently referring to his and Kılıçdaroğlu’s consultations with civil society organizations and representatives of various segments of society before making a decision on a candidate.“By becoming united on this name, the MHP is willing to finalize this election without allowing any chaos and having our democracy strengthened,” Bahçeli said, pledging his party’s strong efforts to have İhsanoğlu elected to the presidency.Kılıçdaroğlu had already told reporters on June 15 that he would propose an exact name during his meeting with Bahçeli, and it is widely considered that the CHP would not have floated the idea of nominating İhsanoğlu without already having the MHP’s consent for the idea.The former OIC chief’s nomination by the opposition parties as a joint candidate is apparently based on assumptions that he could be embraced by right-wing and conservative voters alienated from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).Speaking after the announcement, İhsanoğlu described his nomination as a "great courtesy." "To be the focal point of this conciliation is a great courtesy. There is no doubt that there are many people with superior qualities who deserve this post and can do what is necessary in this job. I welcome the joint decision of the CHP and the MHP with respect and gratitude," he said.The ruling style of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the AKP’s potential candidate, who is widely labeled to be increasingly authoritarian, is thought to be worrying not only for voters with secular sensitivities.Only a few months before leaving his post as head of the OIC, İhsanoğlu was the target of a harsh campaign by the AKP government.Despite having previously lobbied hard for the election of İhsanoğlu to the post, the AKP government publicly pointed the finger at him in the summer of 2013 for his stance in the aftermath of the toppling of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.At the time, senior government officials took aim at İhsanoğlu for the OIC’s perceived inaction following the Egyptian army’s heavy crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood protesters, calling on him to resign for “dishonorable passivity.”The most fashionable and defensible position on aesthetics is to maintain that beauty is entirely subjective. Beauty doesn’t exist, we are assured, at least as a quality uniting such diverse phenomena as a painting, a comfortable old house, a song, and an attractive human being. To each his own taste.
Still, even though beauty doesn’t officially exist, beauty talk persists as a human universal. Sometimes it goes by euphemisms like “aesthetics,” so as not to offend beauty deniers; most of the time, it hides in the jargon of specific domains. A friend in Helsinki tells me that people in Finland love to build their own saunas, and that there are hardware stores on practically every street. And they love to talk about it, she says, for hours. For every domain — music, books, television, food, quilts, vintage bicycles — groups of connoisseurs talk about beauty in their particular vocabulary, limited to their particular domain. For guitar nerds, “aesthetics” refers to the visual appearance of an instrument; but for the beauty of the music that a guitar makes, there is a rich vocabulary that rarely includes such a general word as beauty. All this domain specificity makes it easier to maintain that there is no one quality uniting these diverse phenomena.
Roger Scruton says that beauty has been assailed by two forces: the cult of ugliness in the arts, and the cult of utility in everyday life. But, as he points out, utility itself has also suffered from the focus on pure usefulness, on form allegedly following function. Buildings are boarded up, he says, because no one has a use for them; no one has a use for them because they are ugly. It is my contention that beauty and utility are profoundly connected. In Japanese aesthetics, the concept of wabi-sabi unites utility and beauty. Both beauty and utility are qualities of “fit” with the human context.
In design terms, the form is what is under control of the designer, and the context is everything else that will come into contact with the form. Fit is the property by which the form and its context are in harmony. A teakettle that heats up quickly, is easy to lift, doesn’t burn your hand, and doesn’t cost too much exhibits fit; a teakettle that burns you, or costs a thousand dollars, or weighs fifty pounds, or is hideously ugly, exhibits misfit. The most important aspect of the context for most design problems is the human being: his eyes and senses, his mind and body, his time and resources, and his social nature. Beauty and utility meet in the notion of fit.
Considering beauty as fit gives us a measurable, non-mystical axis by which we might unite the diverse phenomena that “beauty” describes. Things that are visually beautiful exhibit “fit” with our visual neural apparatus, and there are many universal patterns to be found. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or at least in the fit between the eye and the object, but both the eye and its fit are measurable. Flowers optimized to appeal to the perceptive apparatus of pollinating insects still appear beautiful to us. Mathematical theorems are beautiful to the extent that they exhibit enlightening fit with other aspects of their complex systems, and with the human mind.
We might, if we liked, measure this “fit” in many ways — in the sweat of the skin in response to something, or heart rate, or breathing, or cortisol (stress hormone) levels, or brain scans, or smiling, or any number of outward signs of inner states of mind. I would not like to do this, since these forms of measurement are themselves ugly and uncomfortable; I merely suggest that it is possible to do so, and that the response to beauty (as fit with the human context) is in theory measurable. While there is disagreement in ideas and opinions about beauty, there is likely wide agreement in physiological responses to stimuli — in feeling. The human body and mind are complex, finely-tuned instruments for detecting beauty, and we each have one. And fit has measurable effects. The stooping and stunting of 10th century peasants are outward signs of poor fit with their environment; obesity and depression are such outward signs for moderns.
Just as there is a tendency to deny the existence of beauty, there is also a tendency to lock it up in art museums, to segregate it from everyday life. If beauty is understood as exclusively a property of old paintings and sculptures and perhaps Shakespeare plays, it cannot intrude into our mundane lives, in the form of doorknobs and socks and the motions of unloading groceries. Indeed, segregating beauty from everyday life seems to excuse the fact that most objects and contexts in our lives are quite ugly and poorly-fitting. Commuting is not beautiful; billboards and offices are ugly; the doorknobs we are obliged to use fit our hands poorly.
On the concept of fit, let me digress for a moment about the humble sock. One kind of “fit” is the quite literal “fit” of clothing to body part. Sometimes too close a “fit” is not desirable from the social context; if we all wore form-fitting clothing, we would go around eliciting emotions from sexual attraction to disgust that would interfere with the ordinary process of social interaction. But socks are at their best when they fit quite exactly. And proper fit may be different for every set of feet, but it is a measurable property in any case.
Socks are mostly made in factories, in an enormous variety of colors and patterns. They are made, however, in only a few sizes; if your feet are an unusual shape (or even if they aren’t), you may never find socks that fit your feet perfectly. Elastic is woven into these socks to compensate for the limited range of sizes and shapes, and elasticized socks often fit so tightly that they leave marks on the ankles and arches of the wearer. Elastic degrades over time, so factory socks decay quickly, and must be replaced regularly, even though the fabric has not worn out. I noticed this recently when I started gradually replacing my factory-made socks with hand-knitted wool socks. Socks knitted to the exact dimensions of one’s feet do not require elastic to keep them on. Their toes can be asymmetrical, just like human toes. I find I would rather run in socks I have knitted than in my fancy elasticized Merino wool factory-made running socks. And hand-knitted socks do not degrade so quickly; strings of thread or elastic are not constantly emerging to be clipped.
Of course, the cheap, soft, washable, high-quality yarn these socks are knitted from is made in factories (even if you spin yarn yourself, as I sometimes do, most of the roving you can buy is processed in factories, and bless them for it). There is always a balance, a “sweet spot” in the use of technology. There has been much talk lately about the $3500 shirt; a shirt in the Middle Ages would have taken over 400 hours of human labor to make. Almost all of that time was taken in spinning and weaving the cloth; the author of this article estimates only seven hours were required to actually sew a shirt (and that figure would be much lower today). Now we have an abundance of factory-made cloth and materials, but even the final cutting and assembly of the cloth is performed in factories, completely disconnected from the dimensions and needs of the final wearer. Clothes and shoes are made for various gradations of average people, not for you. Despite our tremendous wealth, we have lost a degree of “fit” compared to the peasants of the Middle Ages. I do not suggest that everyone needs to knit her own socks; rather, I propose that the current incarnation of the factory system does not hit the “sweet spot” in balancing human labor and resources with this very concrete aspect of fit. (Meanwhile, labor participation in the United States is at its lowest point in decades.)
Clothing is an intimate domain, but perhaps a small domain in the context of human life. But this same process has transpired in almost all areas of human life. The buildings we live in are made with very little sense of how we will use them. Christopher Alexander says (in The Timeless Way of Buliding, p. 236):
If I build a fireplace for myself, it is natural for me to make a place to put the wood, a corner to sit in, a mantel wide enough to put things on, an opening which lets the fire draw. But, if I design fireplaces for other people – not for myself – then I never have to build a fire in the fireplaces I design. Gradually my ideas become more and more influenced by style, and shape, and crazy notions – my feeling for the simple business of making fire leaves the fireplace altogether. So, it is inevitable that as the work of building passes into the hands of specialists, the patterns which they use become more and more banal, more willful, and less anchored in reality.
When the process of production is utterly disconnected from the final use of the item, the item will become less useful and less beautiful, and will fit its human context more poorly. And this is increasingly the case not just for the products of the factory system, but for things we produce ourselves. Seligman and Weller say, “Recipes let anyone bake a cake, but they let no one bake a perfect cake” (in Rethinking Pluralism: Ritual, Experience, and Ambituity). That is to say that recipes encode some of the information necessary to make food, but not the experience, sensations, and skill necessary to make it really well. When we make clothing ourselves, knitting or sewing, we usually use patterns, so that the clothes fit no better than if we bought them from a factory using the same patterns. Traditional knitting (whether British or Peruvian) was more a matter of measurement and arithmetic than following patterns, with each garment designed on the fly for its wearer. One jazz music writer has suggested that this is also the case with music; using “real books” or “fake books” (books containing written notation for songs) is essentially playing music with one’s eyes, instead of with one’s ears. Listening is not required, and improvisation becomes impossible. It’s the equivalent of a recipe or a pattern, distancing the producer from the process of creation, and making genuine fit less likely. And of course there are software equivalents.
Earlier I mentioned time as an important aspect of the human context. Technologies such as washing machines, automobiles, and factories give us more time that we need not spend cleaning, walking, raising food, or making clothes and objects. This gift of time is only a benefit to us if we use it for activities that are more fitting to us, not just as individuals, but also as social creatures. For many people, time is not a gift, but a burden, to be filled with alcohol and television and other palliative technologies. Loneliness and anomie are as ubiquitous as are closets full of poorly-fitting clothes.
There is fit and beauty to be found in the production of things as well as their use: music not just listened to but sung and played, food not just eaten but cooked, clothes not just worn but made for ourselves and for each other. There is value in chopping wood as well as burning it, in ritual for its own sake and for the sake of community. In addition to our material needs, we need to feel useful and effective, and to belong to each other. We need all kinds of beauty. Our complex technological factory system gives us unprecedented wealth; it remains for us to use it wisely, to find the “sweet spot” of fit between effort and leisure, between mass-manufacture and personalization.
Sarah Perry is a housewife in San Antonio, Texas. She studied urban planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her book Every Cradle is a Grave: Rethinking the Ethics of Birth and Suicide was released by Nine Banded Books in December 2014. She blogs atCarcinisation, Ribbonfarm, and The View from Hell.
(Image source)On his blog, tucked in the comment section of a post about Hugh Hewitt’s extreme cuckiness, Liger of the Blogosphere demurs,
That you say “liberal Jews and neocon Jews” instead of just saying “liberals and neocons” is anti-Semitic because you are implying some sort of special Jewish Conspiracy where none actually exists. These are political movements that aren’t controlled by Jews, and are not in any way related to Judaism. The only reason why Jews are disproportionately represented among media pundits is because it’s a high-IQ occupation and Jews have genetically higher IQ than gentiles.
This is a self-serving lie that Lawgic Trap of the Blogosphere often regurgitates when the heat is coming on. Yes, Jews have higher average IQs that boost their representation in many cognitively demanding and particularly verbal-oriented fields, but Jews are greatly over-represented in Left Wing movements and groups above and beyond their representation levels in other fields that attract Jewish participation, and this latter observation can’t be chalked up solely to IQ.
Wildly disproportionate Jewish attraction to Left Wing causes and Leftist groups is a consequence both of their IQ and of their distinct personality traits — call it the Tikkun Olam Triad, a suite of personality factors that predisposes Jewish temperament toward preachiness/radicalism, feelings of superiority, and neuroticism. These traits, coincidentally, are characteristics that are typical of Left Wingers, Jew and non-Jew alike.
If Jewish IQ was all that mattered (and not Jewish psychology), as Lamb of the Blogosphere asserts, then we would see Jews punching as far above their weight in Right Wing movements and groups as they do in Left Wing movements and groups.
Do we? The evidence I will present here says no.
First, a quick discussion concerning definition of terms. What Limber Sophist of the Blogosphere would call a “right wing” group is not necessarily what the majority of Americans would call right wing.
As recent events have clearly demonstrated, neocons are not “right wing”, so you can’t count Jewish neocons among the ranks of the Right. (Robert Kagan just jumped ship to vote for Hillary, because he has a visceral hatred for Trump’s nationalism and tacit pro-White Gentilism.) And libertarianism, where Jewish representation is also disproportionate, is basically a socially liberal ideology hitched to open borders and low taxes on the 1%.
Any group or ideology of the Right that could justifiably be called right-wing would have to incorporate some features of nationalism and race/sex awareness. The “Right” is nothing if it isn’t grounded in uncomfortable truths about human nature. The starkest dividing line between Left and Right is the belief (or disbelief) in Equalism – the religion of those who prefer to blame all human inequality on oppression and discrimination rather than on innate differences in group and individual aptitudes.
The correct way to determine if Jewish over-representation in Leftist organizations is due to their unique personality inheritance or to their mean IQ is to control for IQ, which means finding White ethnicities whose mean IQs rival that of Jewish mean IQ.
Jewish IQ is higher than the overall White average. But separating out White subgroups and comparing average IQs, we find that Episcopalians edge out Jews, and Lutherans are only about a point lower than Jews. Mormons also score quite high, falling just a point or two behind Jews in average IQ. So a more relevant comparison to determine if Jews are over-represented among Left Wing and liberal groups as a consequence of their mean IQ or of their mean psychological profile would be one between Jews and Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Mormons.
Here is a graphic showing the political preferences of US religious groups.
26% of Jews lean toward or identify with the Republican Party, (tbh that’s a little higher than I expected). 64% of Jews identify with the Democrats.
39% of Episcopalians are Republican. 49% are Democrat.
Mainline Lutherans are 43% GOP, 47% Democrat.
Mormons are 70% (!) GOP, 19% Democrat.
The data are clear: Jews gravitate to Left Wing organizations, occupations, and ideologies because they are UNIQUELY attracted to Leftism INDEPENDENT of their mean IQ. One can thus infer that Jews, on average, possess personality attributes that drive them into Leftist movements and that predispose them to happily believing Leftist lies.
(More precisely, IQ is a PARTLY INDEPENDENT variable of political ideology. Generally, higher IQ is associated with more Leftism. But Jewish Leftism is influenced by their group psychology as well as by their mean IQ.)
Lightly Ethnocentric Eskimo of the Blogosphere is not a bad guy. I like him. I read him. His tribe could use more exceptional Realtalkers, however inconsistent, like him. On most topics, he’s more right than wrong. But he’s also an emotional human (despite appearances to the contrary), and that means he has a lot of trouble overcoming the demands of his ego when the subject turns darkly and ominously against his self-conception. Bias and an inability to confront the truth squarely and unflinchingly leaches into his analysis when it’s his people, or (I’ve noticed) the subject of obesity, under the shivoscope.
Despite his personal shortcomings as a blogger, Lardo of the Blogosphere strikes me as a mostly sincere advocate for the Right, and he understands, at least on an intellectual level (and as far as I can remotely surmise his true feelings), that a majority White Gentile nation is good for the Jews. But Listicle Editor of Prole Activities of the Blogosphere suffers from an ailment common among old school HBDers: what I call “IQology”, the belief that all human behavior can be superficially explained by differences in mean IQ.
Because I don’t begrudge LotB, I’ll end this on a Unitarian Universalist note: Despite occasional (and understandable) lapses into dishonesty, here’s a small token of thanks from CH to you, LotB, and those few like you who buck your tribe’s stereotype to support the cause of nationalist populism.
Now, if you’ll just stop apologizing for fatties and push away from the table, you’ll be that much closer to Invitation into the esteemed Chateau Heartiste Hall of Shiv-Wielding Shitlords.0
One of the most fruitful film collaborations of the past decade isn’t a union between an actor and a director or a screenwriting duo—it’s a filmmaker and a composer. Over the course of five films, Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmer have crafted some of the most memorable movie scores in recent memory, from the unnerving The Dark Knight to the bombastic Inception, and their latest collaboration might just be their best yet. The sci-fi epic Interstellar boasts an original score that matches the ambition and scope of the film itself, with Zimmer opting for majesty over pulse, emotion over intensity. The result is a moving and memorable score that is as vital to the film’s impact as its performers or visuals.
In concert with the release of Interstellar on Blu-ray and DVD today (it’s also currently available on Digital HD), we here at Collider have been provided with an exclusive Interstellar behind-the-scenes clip to debut, which is included as part of the bonus materials for the film. This particular featurette focuses on the film’s magnificent score, with Zimmer and Nolan discussing their collaboration process, which began by agreeing not to do anything they had ever done previously. Nolan speaks to the fact that he wanted the score imbued with a sense of religiosity, which in the hands of Hans Zimmer translates into an awe-inspiring use of the church organ.
Watch the Interstellar behind-the-scenes video below. The film is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD now.It’s time to celebrate as Gotham returns in the United States and we at Gotham TV Podcast celebrate our 50th episode. To celebrate in style we reached out to one of our favourite actors from the TV show and bring you our Gotham interview with Drew Powell. He played the character of Butch Gilzean in 15 of the 22 episodes of Gotham Season 1 and has now been confirmed as a series regular for Season 2.
We are delighted to have one of our favourite actors to discuss his thoughts in season one, portraying a character specifically created for the TV show, how he prepared for THAT dance, working with Jada Pinkett-Smith and playing the part of the easy to like tough guy for the show.
We obviously want to thank Mr. Powell for his time but we really want to thank you, the listeners, for joining us during the course of our coverage leading up to the launch of Gotham, our reviews of Season one and hopefully you’ll stay with us as we return with our coverage of Gotham: Rise of the Villains when Season 2 returns in the UK and Ireland in just a few weeks time.
We also have a brand new intro for our show provided to us by Mississippi MacDonald you can find more of his music at his website MississippiMacdonald.com we’re delighted with our new intro tune and hope you enjoy it too. Make sure you send in your thoughts to feedback@gothamtvpodcast.com
Thank you
Derek and John
Gotham TV Podcast
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Date Recorded: 11/09/2015 and 19/09/2015
Date published: 21/09/2015
MP3, 38.13 min. 128kbps, 52.5 MB
All images and audio clips are copyright of their respective copyright owners. No infringement is intended.0 of 102
Getty/Bleacher Report
Welcome to B/R's index of the top youth prospects based in Europe aged 17-20.
We're seeing a lot of talented 21-year-olds make a serious impact at high levels—think Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane and Romelu Lukaku—and the year between 19 and 20 appears to be the period in which young players now make great strides.
With that in mind, who's coming through on the continent and who should you be looking out for? Here's our chronicling of the best talents; if you feel we've missed someone, add them in the comments below and start the conversation!
Please note: The players are ranked in terms of potential, not current footballing ability. That means our No. 1-ranked player is the one projected to become the best. We can't see into the future, but these are our views on the up-and-coming stars.Share
Filming a historical reenactment at a recent festival in the Lipetsk region in central Russia, some poor drone pilot clearly got a little too close to the action. Watch carefully and you can see the spear-wielding guy on the ground, in full period costume, launch his weapon skyward. We have to say, it was an impressive throw, scoring as it did a perfect hit on the flying machine, sending it crashing to the ground.
The video comes courtesy of Russia Today, though the news site offers few details of the reenactment event, or, more importantly, the drone calamity.
Now, judging by the participants’ outfits, there can’t have been too many quadcopters buzzing about in the sky in the days when the battle originally took place, so perhaps the warrior was merely staying in character, protecting his people from the potentially threatening “strange noisy thing” hovering above their heads. Or maybe not.
The incident does go to show, however, that even if you’re a flying ace, there’s no telling what hazards are just around the corner, ready to turn your $1400 drone into an expensive pile of broken plastic.Bacon. Tofu. Two proteins on the opposite ends of the food social scale. One is revered, serenaded, hailed as the food of the Gods. The other is reviled, sneered at, as being bland, boring, even disgusting.
When I saw this conflict depicted as bendable figurines (via Serious Eats) I had to do something to end this conflict.
The only reason why tofu is put down is because of its mishandling by well meaning but unskilled cooks who focused only on its healthy benefits. There are plenty of Westerners who hate tofu, but you'd be hard put to find many Asians who do. That is becase in eastern Asian cuisines, tofu is infused with other flavors, as it should be.
So, back to the bacon and tofu. This is actually not an uncommon dish in Japanese households. It's called either just bacon tofu (or tofu bacon) or even bacon tofu steak. The salty bacon-ness of the bacon infuses the bland tofu, and the two marry together to become a tasty morsel that's good hot or cold. It's salty-crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. (Yes, it's good for bento - here is |
the 100 character comment and don’t read the link. Is this getting scientific information? When I read a Wikipedia article, for example, I review as much of the source information as I can to confirm the validity of key points that have been written. In other words, I try to think and analyze. I try to analyze what is written critically. Part of that is that I have decades of scientific education and research. Does that make me an expert? Not necessarily, but it means I have critical thinking skills. It means that I don’t form an a priori conclusion before examining the amount and quality of evidence presented. Furthermore, no one in the science community claims to be a gatekeeper of science. Science is a very clear philosophy of analysis that includes moving from observation to hypothesis to experimentation to publishing to formulating a consensus. It is not a rhetorical discussion or debate, as the author of this article seems to believe, it is a logical analysis of data. [infobox icon=”quote-left”]Combined with the mounting instances of pharmaceutical fraud, the lack of urgency or answers for Autism, and the availability of this scientific information, parents have become a critical voice of what they have uncovered: compromised research; conflicts of interest; non-sensical methodology; idiotic results; and unanswered questions.[/infobox] I can’t resist. I think Obradovic is talking about the anti vaccine cult directly. Wakefield committed fraud. What pharmaceutical fraud? In general, pharmaceutical companies are made up of ethical, moral, hard-working researchers and scientists. Propagating a fraud would take so much time and energy that the secret would be out in about an hour. 7. We fail to acknowledge the context of the controversy.
[infobox icon=”quote-left”]In the vaccine controversy, there are four major players: the consumer, the government, the medical community, and the pharmaceutical industry. The consumer purchases a product manufactured by the pharmaceutical industry that is mandated for use by the government that is given to them by the medical community. Should the consumer get hurt by the product neither the pharmaceutical industry nor the medical community can be held liable.
Instead, the consumer pays a tax on the product that funds a court run by the government that determines if they were hurt and to what extent. The science and experts they use to make that determination are provided from the defendants themselves: the medical community, government, and pharmaceutical industry. If it is determined the consumer was in fact injured, the government awards compensation from the consumer tax fund. In other words, the injured consumers pay themselves. This, for many citizens just realizing it, is insane. Fear, however, allows it to continue. Consumers are repeatedly told this is all for their own good and that to dismantle the system would lead to certain death.
The subsequent abandonment of the pharmaceutical industry from the market (should they actually be held accountable for their product) would make it so, they claim. Policy makers believe it. Coupled with the fact the government is now partnering with the pharmaceutical industry to create vaccines in public-private partnerships, we now have a situation in which the government is profiting from their use while simultaneously serving as their regulator and recommender.
Believe it or not, we have actually legislated the ability to legally kill someone for profit without liability. In the case of the Autism controversy, the problem is simple: consumers are accusing the government, pharmaceutical industry, and medical community of collectively causing Autism, yet the government, pharmaceutical industry and medical community are the only ones who have been allowed to investigate themselves to determine if they are guilty. Astonishingly, they keep coming up innocent.
Still, many believe the sheer volume of people involved in those entities makes any connection between them and the crime of which they are being accused impossible; hence, the conspiracy theorist accusation. Surely someone, somewhere, they justify, would have stopped it.
Unfortunately, this is not a good argument. Too many people have never been a deterrent to corruption or the perpetuation of atrocities, especially when there is money and accountability involved; in fact, it is almost always precisely because there are so many people involved the problem continues. It’s systemic. One needs only examine the housing crisis as evidence.[/infobox]
A serious belief in a conspiracy. There is no evidence of one. 8. We oversimplify the problem. [infobox icon=”quote-left”]But perhaps most difficult of all, the vaccine controversy is really just a microcosm of a much larger issue. When being forced to vaccinate in order to participate in society, parents are to accept their child may be injured or killed for the sake of other children. They are also to accept there is no way of identifying who that child may be. Their only comfort is statistical rarity; a statistic mind you, created by those who manufacture, profit from, regulate, and are responsible for vaccine uptake…and can never be held accountable if they are wrong.[/infobox] Let’s get this clear. The vaccine prevents the injury and mortal harm to children. It does not cause it. In fact, the anti vaccine cult probably doesn’t really want ALL children to stop getting vaccines, because then the herd immunity would be destroyed that protects the unvaccinated children from communicable diseases. In essence, the cult wants their children to avoid the imaginary adverse effects of vaccination, but still benefit from the protection across the community. How selfish is that? Again, absent any evidence at all about the risks of the vaccines, then to participate in society, vaccinations are necessary to prevent epidemics. If the anti-vaccine groups don’t want to participate in vaccines, do we then deny them the treatment to treat their children when they contract measles, mumps, or whooping cough? Ethically and morally, physicians won’t hesitate to help. The basic point is that there is no significant problem with vaccines. It is invented by the vaccine deniers. Any discussion that goes beyond that is logically fallacious.
[infobox icon=”quote-left”]When parents decline, weighing the immediate risk-reward ratio carefully, they are told opting out and putting their child first is immoral and selfish, leaving the rest of the world’s children in danger, perhaps the most counterintuitive position a parent can take. Even so, vaccination, society insists, is the right thing to do for everyone; that, above all else, should come first.
This is medical communism.[/infobox]
Seriously? First of all, communism is an economic theory, not a healthcare policy, but creating red-herrings are often the strategy du jour of the science denialism crowd. Creationists, who probably could write this same manifesto with just a couple of word changes, claim that Darwinism lead to Hitler. And communism. It’s a wonder that Obradovic didn’t go full-Godwin’s Law, and just say Hitler. 9. We have no hypothesis. [infobox icon=”quote-left”]The hypothesis of those who believe Autism is primarily, but not exclusively, an iatrogenic disease is simple: heavy metals and toxins when coupled with microbes such as bacteria or viruses are able to penetrate the central nervous system and/or damage the immune system, thereby leading to systemic malfunctions that manifest as the symptoms of Autism and other health conditions in a susceptible person. Depending on the exposure, timing, and combination, the manifestations vary.[/infobox] The null hypothesis, “vaccines do not cause autism” has been supported by evidence, published over and over and over. However, the anti-vaccine cult has made the extraordinary claim (or hypothesis) that vaccines cause autism (and everything else, I suppose). They need to provide the extraordinary evidence.
[infobox icon=”quote-left”]Vaccines contain both heavy metals and microbes and would be one way of causing such a problem, especially since they deliver them artificially into the body via injection. Medications, as well as other toxins, like pesticides per se, would possibly contribute too.
This is a reasonable and plausible hypothesis to explain the explosion in chronic disease we have documented in the industrialized nations of the world over the last 200 years. The chemical soup in which we now live is frightening. Everyone can agree on at least that.
Evidence to support this hypothesis abounds. Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill brilliantly documented the likelihood of this phenomenon in their extraordinary book, Age of Autism: Mercury, Medicine, and a Man-Made Epidemic. They also uncovered a similar set of circumstances that would explain why polio became more dangerous in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: pesticides. To ignore what they have discovered is a disservice to humanity.[/infobox]
Where’s the evidence? A book which is not peer-reviewed? Where’s the clinical trial with appropriate controls? The anti vaccine cult prefers to go for special pleading, that is, “ignore the evidence, we’re right because we’re right.” PennyLane Handley, who co-wrote an article about some of the unscientific claims regarding autism, brings real science to the analysis of what may cause and does not cause autism spectrum disorders. [infobox icon=”quote-left”]This is in spite of the fact that research has been able to assign close to two thirds of the increase on the implementation of the new autism criteria alone and thimerosal has been shown to have no link to autism here, and here and here and here and here, and in fact autism has been shown to have no link whatsoever to the MMR vaccine here, and here, and here. And here and here. And here and here. There are actually over 100 of these studies, so I could literally do this all day.[/infobox] I think Ms. Handley pretty much clears up any misinformation about whether “we” have a hypothesis or not. 10. We have an excuse for everything.
[infobox icon=”quote-left”]Everything regarding Autism is a coincidence. From the observations of the first doctor to identify the disorder in 1943, to the symptoms, to the timing, to the anecdotal evidence of parents, to the prevalence and incidence rates, to the improvement and recovery, all of it is considered best explained by coincidence.
When the rates of Autism began to skyrocket in the mid 1990’s, right after the amount of mercury tripled in vaccines, moved up to the day of birth, and more vaccines began to be added to the schedule, they claimed to have simply missed everyone that had Autism for decades prior.
As the explosion continued over the next fifteen years, and schools and doctors and parents became overwhelmed with the demands of these children, they claimed they were over-diagnosing. They took it even further and said it was parents, not them, who were actually to blame. Parents were greedily seeking services for their children they didn’t deserve.[/infobox]
Parsimoniously, the best explanation for the increase in rates of autism, may be better diagnostics. But employing that constant special pleading is ridiculous. Science dismisses, utterly and completely, the hypothesis that vaccines have anything to do with autism based on evidence and analysis of said evidence. hat does not mean that scientists and medical professionals lack empathy or sympathy for autistic children and their parents. Oh, and the mercury thing again. I’ve discussed it, and it’s nothing more than a strawman argument. 11. We fail to recognize their tactics aren’t working. [infobox icon=”quote-left”]I have just thoroughly and thoughtfully laid out the position for why the vaccine controversy continues. I will continue to do so as long as I live, or until at which time it is no longer necessary. I am confident other parents like me will do the same. Calling us names, censoring our stories, or dismissing our concerns will not deter us.[/infobox] Of the 11 points, this one may be true. Except for the simple fact that around 95% of children are fully vaccinated. And that California made vaccinations mandatory. The problem is that the anti vaccine cult is causing problems in select areas of the country, mostly because their arguments are much easier than the nuanced, complex science that rejects their pseudoscience. The cult can say “vaccines cause autism.” On the other hand, the pro-science side can say, “but here’s lots of complicated scientific evidence that says vaccine don’t cause autism”. Then the cult claims “those scientists are lying and are paid off by Big Pharma.” We say, no we aren’t, we’re scientists. They say, “we win.” The antivaccination cult acts like immature children trying to get their way. The end I could go on and on about their fallacies and distortions. But why should I? I have the scientific evidence, thus “we win.” Editor’s note: This article was originally published in February 2012. It has been completely revised and updated to include more comprehensive information, to improve readability and to add current research.
RelatedWatching the Chelsea-Arsenal game on Saturday - or at least the first 30 minutes - made me think about the parallels between football and financial economics.
In Arsenal's case, we have an odd example in sport of tail risk. Ordinarily, teams play a bit better than normal or a bit worse but performances and results are usually roughly normally distributed. Not so for Arsenal. 10% of games this season acount for 50% of goals conceded. And the 6.7% of playing time before 1.30pm accounts for 32.4% of goals shipped: as the BFG says, Arsenal don't fancy mornings.
In finance this sort of extreme negative performance is sometimes due to hitherto uncorrelated assets or strategies failing at the same time; this is how LTCM collapsed in 1998 and AIG in 2008. A similar thing happened with Arsenal. Normally, one or two players in any game will put in sub-par performances but they will be offset by others doing well. On Saturday all eleven had stinkers.
It's in this context that there's one characteristic of players that is highly prized but rarely fully acknowledged - what we might call negative betaness.
Investors value negative or zero beta assets - things that pay out well in bad times. it's the desire for these that explains: the existence of the insurance industry; the fact that deep out-of-the money put options have a positive price; and the fact that cash holdings are high even at near-zero interest rates.
Similarly in sport, a great player is someone who does well in bad times. It's unimaginable that Arsenal would have lost 6-0 with Tony Adams, because he'd have kicked them into shape.
Most of the best sides of recent years have had negative beta players - ones who didn't just play well, but played well when they needed to and got the vital goal or put in a great defensive performance when under pressure.
One thing that (for now) elevates Robin van Persie over Luis Suarez is his negative betaness. Suarez tends to do well against modest opposition but less so against big teams. But - as we saw against Olymiacos - van Persie gets goals when his team needs them. One's a high beta player, one's a low/negative beta one.
For me, one feature of a truly great player - Keane against Juventus in 1999 or Gerrard in the 2005 European Cup final - is their negative betaness, an ability to produce something when their team is desperate.
The same is true in cricket. Graeme Hick was, notoriously, a flat-track bully - a high beta player. Mike Atherton on the other hand was a negative beta player, scoring runs when they were needed.
Coaches are forever demanding consistency - in the sense of low variance of performance. What they should also look for is negative beta. Arsenal lacked such players on Saturday.
The parallels between football and financial don't end there. One feature of stock markets, famously noted (pdf) by Robert Shiller, is their tendency to excess volatility as investors over-react to good or bad times. The same, of course, is true in football. One or two good results has that great moronfest 6-0-6 full of callers telling us their team will win the league and one or two bad ones means the manager is an idiot. In the few weeks he's been in charge of S***s, Tim Sherwood has gone from being a promisingly good manager to a lousy one, and back again.
There is, I think, a point to all this. It's easy to think of financial economics as something abstruse and technical. But it's not. As I've said before, the main ideas of financial economics are applicable to other walks of life.Although it sounds like science fiction, this is a realistic day at the beach this summer in Canada’s capital, Ottawa. That is, if you’re a goose.
These wandering waterfowl return to the beaches that line the Ottawa River every summer after wintering south of the border. Although known to be aggressive and territorial, the biggest issue is their poisonous poop.
Loaded with E. Coli bacteria (among a plethora of other pathogens), high concentrations of geese poop on beaches and in shallow water can lead to outbreaks of the infection in human populations, particularly children.
In the past the city of Ottawa has tried a number of different methods of ridding their beaches of these pesky poopers, but after a chance encounter last year, they went high-tech.
Although known to be aggressive and territorial the biggest issue with geese is their poisonous poop.
Enter the GooseBuster, an aerial-photography drone turned anti-goose-copter. While drones are notoriously used on more violent missions, Steve Wambolt, the founder of Aerial Perspective, takes a more gentle approach.
“I approached my city councilor with a pitch to sell aerial photographs I had been taking with my drone and the first thing he asked was how low can the thing fly,” says Wambolt, a former military man turned high-tech entrepreneur. “At first I was surprised, I wondered if he even listened to my presentation, then he asked if I’d be able to scare geese with it because they had a major goose-poop problem around Petrie Island, I said sure, I could do that.”
Wambolt modified his photography drone with some flashing lights and speakers and took to the skies.
“I took existing land-based anti-pest technology and put it on a helicopter,” he says. “When I tested it at the beach a few days later it worked remarkably well.”
Using pre-recorded predatory calls from hawks, eagles, owls, ravens and even wolves, Wambolt stalked the beaches of Petrie Island last summer in an attempt to scare the loitering geese away from the area for good.
“The geese aren’t looking for anywhere special to land, they just want somewhere to rest. If we can just move them away from the beaches where people hang out, they’ll learn to return to a new, different place year after year.”
Wambolt says a good analogy to what he is trying to accomplish can be found in the journey of people who travel south each winter to avoid winter ”“ colloquially known in Canada as snowbirds.
‘We don’t want to hurt them, we just want them to move to somewhere safer.’
“Say if you were driving to Florida each year and you always stop at the same restaurant for lunch. If one year you stopped and someone was in your face harassing you, you’d probably leave, and likely not return to that spot. That’s basically what we’re trying to do here. We don’t want to hurt them, we just want them to move somewhere safer.”
This summer Wambolt is expanding his scare-tactic enterprise to beaches in both Ottawa and nearby Gatineau. He says farmers from Ontario and Saskatchewan have contacted him about deploying drones to protect their fields from hungry birds.
And as if Wambolt’s howling heli-drone wasn’t scary enough, on rainy days he uses his remote-controlled one-fifth scale monster truck decked out with lights and speakers that has proved almost as effective as its airborne co-worker.
Photograph courtesy of Steve Wambolt“Apart from my family, Ferrari is – and will always be – the most important element of my life”
In a rare – and exclusive – interview, former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo outlines recollections about his time in the spotlight
He sticks his head through the door of the meeting room. “What are you doing here?” Great mock confused/puzzled expression – and then the Hollywood smile. Luca Cordero di Montezemolo has made his entrance. Even if the only audience is me and photographer James Mitchell, the impression is still worth making.
We’re here to talk to the former Ferrari chairman of 23 years about his two stints there, the first as the Scuderia’s team manager in its Niki Lauda glory years, the second as chairman and CEO of the company until being squeezed out less than gently by Fiat’s Sergio Marchionne in September 2014 – “Please, how it ended I cannot really talk about.” After talking for an hour-and-a-half, he was out of the door like a whirlwind, with a meeting to attend. “It was nice to remember,” he says by way of parting, “but also it’s about the future. We need not to get left behind by the speed of the world.”
He doesn’t stay still long enough to see him properly, so much to do, so many places to be – chairman of the Rome 2024 Olympics bid, chairman and acting CEO of Alitalia, chairman of the NTV high speed train project, consulting with son Matteo in the family investment company. Forever just a speed-blurred impression of a man, it’s good to finally be able to sit stationary with him for a while in his apartment in the elegant Parioli district of Rome (through the streets of which Tazio Nuvolari won his first major car race in 1927). It’s good to be able to get his hindsight thoughts on the revitalising of Ferrari – both the company and the Scuderia – over which he presided, the anecdotes along the way about F1, a sport in which he has been intimately involved since turning up at Silverstone for the 1973 British Grand Prix as a 25-year-old in his fourth day of employment.
But even sitting with him it’s as if he’s still moving. This is not a man to be pinned down, to make himself vulnerable to too much questioning. Rather, he makes a presentation of his career, an impressionistic rush. Which is understandable; there’s a lot of ground to cover and time’s forever crowding in on him. He’s out-run the 68 years of his life so far – trim figure, long boyish hair, fizzing with dynamic energy – but always time is in relentless pursuit. In the temporary lead he has pulled out over it, he has made a second-time-around family, two teenage daughters and a five-year-old son from marriage number two. But also, it’s the style of someone whose habitual role is one of quickly understanding, assessing – and acting, all in broad outline, leaving the specifics to someone else. So the detail is not always there, at least not in time-limited exchanges. This is what high-powered looks like up close. But high-powered with charm, smiles, conspiratorial winks, a quick guided tour around the many artefacts and mementos of his apartment, bursting with enthusiasm. He knows Motor Sport magazine very well, always looks for it on the newsstands when he’s visiting Britain and is forever surprised that he’s occasionally recognised on the streets here. He’s turned down “many, many” interview requests in recent months, but has granted this one.
“So, what can I tell you?” he says after the pleasantries, but almost before I reply, he’s off. Back to a radio studio in Bologna in 1972. “While I had been studying [commercial law in Rome] I had been doing some rally driving with Lancia. I was quite good, not bad. But I had decided to stop because I wanted to study for my masters at Columbia University, New York. I said, ‘Now it’s time to do serious things.’ But as a young rally driver I was invited to a very popular radio show called ‘Chiamate 3131’ where it was possible to say anything – live – so people would say, ‘You are an idiot, you are a bastard,’ whatever, and it was very popular. We received a phone call from a guy, a very tough call, saying, ‘Racing is ridiculous, a sport just for rich people, it’s dangerous, it damages the environment.’ I was very tough back – saying, ‘Listen, first of all you have many great drivers who came from humble places,’ and then I put a lot of arguments to support my points. Enzo Ferrari had been listening. He used to arrive at his office 10.30-11 in the morning, and he had a big radio on his desk. Live he called, saying, ‘I want to know this boy. He has balls and I agree with him’.”
The prospect of talking with Mr Ferrari, while formidable, was maybe a little less so for him than it would have been for most: from an aristocratic background, he was a close family friend of the Fiat-owning Agnellis, having been a school buddy of Gianni Agnelli’s nephew. “Mr Agnelli came to be like a mixture of a father and a brother to me,” he says. “He was not a team guy, not a manager of people so much. But a visionary. He spent a lot of attention on what will happen in the world, the future of the world, the new countries. And he had this sense of state, where he felt he should set an example to the people in the company. He was very well educated but most of all he had a generous spirit.” Montezemolo’s career would come to be inextricably linked with Agnelli. “He and Mr Ferrari liked each other and had a lot of things in common, but were quite different. Ferrari’s way was to shake everything up among his employees, saying, ‘Luca says you’re an idiot because…’ and sometimes he went too far. But like Mr Agnelli he loved the Italian way of life, food, wine, social contacts, and they both always looked ahead. But like Ralph Lauren Mr Ferrari was a genius of marketing: the name, the brand, the myth, the dark glasses that he threw to one side as soon as the interview was over. Fantastic. What I learned from him was to be even more tough when you win because if not, sooner or later you lose. Second, if you are in the shit never surrender, always react.”
So in June of ’73 after completing his studies, young Luca drove to Maranello, as promised. “We had a nice meeting and he said, ‘Listen, I need a boy like you because I’m in the hands of the technicians.’ I started to work as his assistant in July.” So much for the career as an international lawyer. But for a man of such calibre and connections, the starting point probably wasn’t critical. “So I arrive at Silverstone and, after practice, Jacky Ickx was 19th. I phone the Old Man. ‘How are we doing?’ I say, ‘In my opinion, very bad.’ And he tells me that I must tell team boss Colombo to load the cars onto the truck and come home, saying we couldn’t be seen by the British racing fans to be so uncompetitive. This was my fourth day in the job! I managed to reason that it wasn’t really practical to do this – and he accepted it.”
Who knows, perhaps that had been Enzo’s test for the 25-year-old? To see if he wasn’t just another yes man – because he’d had his fill of those, marooned in his kingdom, cut-off from the racing immediacy. If this super-bright, well-connected young kid could also be tough, then the Old Man would have a live-wire connection to what was happening in the field. He was already formulating a recovery plan for ’74, involving the rehabilitation of the genius Mauro Forghieri – and now Montezemolo was part of those plans too. For ’74 Enzo made him team manager. Forghieri designed the cars, Lauda (and Clay Regazzoni) drove them, Montezemolo managed it all. It was a formidable combination and came to form F1’s gold standard, finally rubber-stamped at Monza ’75 when Lauda clinched the Scuderia’s first title in 11 years and Regazzoni won the race. In his office Luca shows us a picture of the Ferrari pit wall from that day with three laps to go. Below the board saying that Regazzoni is leading Fittipaldi and that Lauda is in the required third place to seal the title, there is a huge smile on a handsome young face framed by an immaculate mop of hair.
With that job done, he was out of there – fast-tracked onto bigger and better things within the Fiat empire. The team definitely lost some impetus afterwards, Lauda noting that an air of complacency began to surface in the preparations for ’76. “I spoke with him this morning actually,” says Luca of his close and enduring friendship with Lauda.
“I first met him in Milano in ’73 as we tried to find a deal for ’74. He told me how much he wanted – a number in Austrian schillings. We didn’t know how much this was in lire so we bought a Financial Times to look at the exchange rates. The first time he came to Maranello he came in a Ford Capri! I said, ‘Listen, be careful.’ Many years later Jean Todt made the same mistake when he first came to meet me – he arrived in a Mercedes. My son said, ‘He must be an idiot.’
“When I joined, Ferrari had not won a title since 1964 and I thought there has to be a reason for that so I very carefully tried to benchmark everything – working methods, engineers, relationships, everything. And the benchmark driver was Jackie Stewart and I believed that Niki potentially compared well. We succeeded together and formed a very close human relationship, talking every day.”
From corporate Fiat to positions elsewhere within the Agnelli empire, Montezemolo was just a brief but brilliant comet as far as F1 was concerned. Ferrari was in a sorry state by the time Agnelli recalled him to Maranello in October 1991. Enzo was three years dead and both the company and the racing team had floundered badly under Fiat corporate management. Alain Prost had just been sacked after a disastrous F1 campaign that yielded not a single victory. The road car range – the new 348 and the venerable Testarossa – had lost much of the magic of previous years, the factory full of unsold cars, workers being paid half-wages to stay at home. “Mr Agnelli and Cesare Romiti said, ‘We are very concerned about Ferrari. You have to go back,’ and the way they were talking I was thinking after all these years they want me to go back to what I was doing before as team manager? So I said, ‘OK, if you insist. But I can only do this for a couple of years, re-organise and then go on my way.’ And Mr Agnelli said, ‘Luca! Are you not pleased? You don’t want to be the chairman and CEO of Ferrari?’ and only then did I realise: ‘Ah. So it’s a different position! OK.’
“I started in December ’91. I recall well I was driving my car on the small roads of Maranello and remembering when I’d driven the same roads 18 years earlier as a young man. I had a big emotion.” But that toughness that had served him so well last time around was still there, now enhanced by experience. “After Italia ’90 [Italy’s hosting of the World Cup, another of Montezemolo’s projects] went so well, I had given myself a present and bought a 348. It was terrible. So I’m at the first meeting as CEO and I asked to be presented with our range. ‘OK, we have the Testarossa, we have the 348, very good car, innovative, eight cylinders,’ and I said, ‘Please stop. This is a shit car. So don’t say this to me; I am a client, I know what this car is like.’
“On the F1 team they were preparing for the ’92 season. I asked chief engineer Lombardi for a presentation of what they planned. ‘Who is responsible?’ I asked. One was a person from Fiat, a good engineer but not from F1, an American designer [Steve Nichols, who had left] plus Lombardi for the engines. ‘Yes, but who is the chief designer?’ No one. I said, ‘This is a tragedy. I hope the car will be competitive.’ At the first test I understood it wasn’t. I called Harvey Postlethwaite and got him to come. We had a meeting in Monaco in May of ’92 and he told me we weren’t in a position to do the ’93 car because we had not the right facilities or people. At that time it had become all about electronics. In the ’80s it had been about structures and materials. Ferrari’s expertise was mainly mechanical but F1’s priorities had changed. From talking with Harvey I understood what was necessary. We were going to have to buy in expertise.”
This was the level Ferrari had sunk to, the mess Montezemolo inherited. Yet during his tenure Ferrari became the most successful Formula 1 team there has ever been and the road car division was revitalised so that it was once more producing a diverse range of the most desirable cars in the world. It all earned him God-like status in Italy.
Short-term, the F1 expertise solution was a repeat of the John Barnard Ferrari satellite operation in the UK, with Postlethwaite running the racing department using cars created by Barnard. A longer-term answer was needed and not only technically. “I needed to find a person who could do the role I had done there for Mr Ferrari,” recounts Luca. “He needed to be a good organiser and good at putting the right people in the right positions. I called Bernie and asked him what he thought about Jean Todt, who I liked because he had been at Peugeot a long time, wasn’t one of these mercenaries going from team to team, he was outside of F1 politics and he was not Italian and so not related with the press here. Bernie said he was very good and that we should hire him. Todt turned out to be the key to our revitalisation. I first began to believe we might be on an upward direction when Jean Alesi finished second at Monza in ’93 – and then Gerhard Berger won for us at Hockenheim in ’94.
“Gerhard was a friend of Ferrari, expert enough for the time – which we needed. For sure, he wasn’t a driver for the future, but he helped us stabilise.” But there was briefly the possibility of someone else. “Ayrton Senna was the fastest driver I have ever seen – especially in qualifying. He was one of the very few who could combine extreme speed with intelligence. I talked twice with Ayrton about him joining Ferrari. The first was in Villa d’Este, Como. This was towards the end of his McLaren time, before Williams. He said he had a dream he would like to end his career at Ferrari, to win with Ferrari. He said that whenever he arrived somewhere, even though he was champion, if the Ferrari drivers were behind him they got all the attention! We agreed to keep talking, but at that time we had already a contract [with Berger and Alesi] that we had to respect. Then on the Wednesday before Imola ’94 he came to see me at my home, which is about half an hour away from Imola. We talked again about this idea and I told him, ‘You cannot imagine how much I want this to happen too. Try to put yourself in a position, or create a situation where you are free.’ We had dinner early so he could go to Imola.”
Events that weekend took their tragic turn and fate decreed a different solution to Ferrari’s problems. In the meantime the road car revolution was underway. In the same month as Imola the F355 was introduced – a beautiful, dynamic replacement for the insipid 348. “That car started the new generation. An emotional driving experience, beautiful but practical. From that came the 360, the 458. And we started a new line of front-engined V12s, traditional Ferraris for the modern times. An influential British car magazine said the 348 had a gearbox like a truck and I recalled that Ferrari had been the first to introduce paddle shift in F1 and I said I wanted to transfer this technology to a road car. People said Enzo would have died twice but they didn’t understand: Enzo was always looking to the future. We were the first to do this and now every Ferrari has this gearbox.”
The Barnard Ferraris turned Ferrari’s decline around, bought Montezemolo some time. But having the key expertise located in the UK was not a stable long-term solution. “I discussed with Todt who we should seek not only to bring the expertise in-house but to allow our own people to grow. I recalled talking to the soccer player Zola, who said that in six months playing with Maradona he learned more than in the previous six years.” They looked in the most obvious place: Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne had together created and run the double title-winning Benettons. How could they top that? Only Ferrari offered that possibility. They jumped at the chance of their next big career move but weren’t available until ’97. But their driver Michael Schumacher was able to exit his contract one year early. “We had to pay Michael a lot of money and Mr Agnelli always referred to him as ‘Caro’ Schumacher.” (Like the English word ‘dear’, ‘caro’ could be either an expression of fondness or expense.) “In ’96 we had three terrible races in a row and suddenly there was a big pressure for me to fire Todt. Because I was always pushing the Fiat shareholders to have Ferrari highly independent from Fiat, there were people there jealous of my work at Ferrari. After Canada the Fiat CEO said ‘Todt has hired Schumacher, cost us all this money, you have to fire him.’ I said, ‘First of all I would not do it and repeat your mistakes, bringing in someone from Fiat who knows nothing about F1 after Mr Ferrari died. Second, if you want, you can have my resignation tomorrow.’ Mr Agnelli stood behind me on this, like he always did in difficult moments. Then we won at Spa and Monza and we were OK.”
Dodging that bullet was crucial and, when Ross and Rory arrived, the pieces were in place for the greatest team F1 has ever seen to take shape, transforming Maranello from a technical desert to a facility lacking nothing. Schumacher |
initiatives would be possible without the tremendous support of volunteers, as well as hundreds of private businesses that have chosen to become involved. And today some of the angels of industry are going to ramp up their commitment to empowering every child in this whole country with our latest and best technologies. A select group of leaders from the information industries have stepped up to the President's challenge. I mentioned Sumner Redstone of Viacom and Lynn Forester of FirstMark Holdings and Netwave. They will be joined in this group by Gerry Levin of Time-Warner, Bob Allen of AT&T; Ray Smith of Bell Atlantic; Larry Ellison of Oracle; Brian Roberts of Comcast, and Steven Case of America OnLine.
This is a dream team of the information industry CEOs in America, and they are stepping up to the plate on behalf of America's children. We appreciate what they're doing. (Applause.) One key individual who has helped to make this possible is one of the finest men I've ever had a chance to work with, and I want you to give a special acknowledgement to the Secretary of Education, Dick Riley. We appreciate your leadership, Mr. Riley. (Applause.)
We're proud that Mr. Redstone, the chairman of this group and Lynn Forester, the vice-chair are with us today. In bringing Mr. Redstone to the podium, let me tell you that he's demonstrated a lifelong passion for education. When he was a student at Harvard he was so passionate, he completed his undergraduate degree in just two and a half years. More recently, despite his incredibly busy schedule, he has devoted a great deal of time to teaching courses at Boston University Law School, Harvard Law School, and Brandeis. How he does it, I don't know. But I do know that during World War II he was one of the key members of the team that broke the high-level military and diplomatic codes of wartime Japan.
Sumner Redstone knows what information technology can mean to a nation. He knows what information technology means for individual schoolchildren. And that's exactly why he is with us here today. So please help me welcome a great businessman and a great friend of American education, Sumner Redstone. (Applause.)
MR. REDSTONE: Thank you so much for those warm and generous remarks.
Among so much that all of us admire in our President and in our Vice President is their commitment to educate the children of America. And in that connection, to connect every school, classroom, and library in America to the Information Superhighway with computers, with software, and with well-trained teachers. And I really feel privileged to be able to assist the President and the Vice President in improving the education of our children and our grandchildren while making them technologically literate.
Sad as it is, we live in a world where economic realities mean that many students come from two-income households, leaving children with little parental supervision, parents with less time to read with their kids, let alone oversee their homework. And we live in a world where tens of thousands of students are struggling to learn to read English at the same time they're learning to speak English. And, sadly indeed, we live in a world where many students start the school day by walking through a metal detector, and school hallways are monitored by armed guards.
But technology can bring a child as many suitable, qualified, intelligent and competent teaching experiences as possible without regard to geography and without regard to socioeconomic status. The new technology can help teach a package of wealth of information in a compelling way -- to train young minds for the Information Age. Indeed, when the appropriate software and information are married to the new technologies, students can be motivated to embark on a world of self-discovery.
The global electronic network is beginning, just beginning to remake daily life. And today's generation must cope with a wholesale transformation of society that it brings. But nowhere could that transformation have more impact than on education. Properly used, the global network can increase access to education services, make teachers more effective, improve efficiency. And, most of all, motivate young learners.
The coming communications revolution about which you have heard is not about technology in the classroom, but is rather about using the tools of technology to redefine the classroom. For the first time, students can literally step out of the classroom and journey to places and speak to people around the globe in search of knowledge. The classroom of the future has no walls, just windows -- created through the use of television and satellites and computers.
Indeed, our children can travel across the globe electronically before we give them permission to cross the street. But with all of this, the role of the teacher cannot be overestimated, because a commitment to excellence cannot be instilled by a computer. It takes teachers with vision to help mold students with vision.
Today, my associates and I, Robert Allen of AT&T, Lawrence Ellison of the Oracle Corporation, Lynn Forester of FirstMark Holdings, Gerald Levin of Time-Warner, Brian Roberts of Comcast, Raymond Smith of Bell Atlantic and more to come, are launching a major partnership between the private sector and the government to make certain -- absolutely certain -- that this initiative doesn't fail.
And now, I am really honored to reintroduce the Vice President of the United States, another man working hard to make sure that the administration's educational technology initiative does not fail. Last night, we all saw again what Al Gore is capable of. It was a knockout, right? (Applause.) But what he showed us was his commitment to issues of importance. And, of course, he has made Tennessee, his home state, so proud. So now, it's my great pleasure to introduce our Vice President, Al Gore. (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Please. I didn't know that I was going to be reintroduced, but I'm very grateful for the honor. Thank you very much. And thank you for your kind words, Mr. Redstone, I appreciate it very much.
More than that, I want to thank Sumner Redstone for heading up this historic effort. Once again, he is doing a great service to this nation. And now, ladies and gentlemen, I want to express my personal thanks to President Bill Clinton, not only for his role in bringing these dramatic innovations to America's schoolchildren, but for all of his efforts to maintain this nation's proud position as the world leader in science and technology. Here in East Tennessee, so close to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we know the importance of science and technology to the future of the United States of America.
President Clinton knows that one of the most important bridges to the future will be built on discoveries in science and advancements in technology. This President is unequalled in his devotion to promoting science and technology as the engine of our economy and as a means to improving our quality of life.
Now, the President's opponent has taken a different approach. The cuts in science and technology funding that were proposed and almost implemented by the leaders of this last Congress would have amounted to unilateral disarmament in the face of growing world competition in research, development, science and technology. They wanted to cut America's science and technology budget by one-third. This would have crippled both our basic research and the critical applied research needed to protect our health and to protect our global environment.
President Clinton, in stark contrast, has increased this nation's investments in world-class basic research within a balanced budget plan. He has increased support for medical research at the National Institutes of Health, helping them to find new cures for diseases. (Applause.) He has stepped up our commitment to developing innovative environmental technologies for the growing world marketplace to clean up our environment. (Applause.) He has opened up trade markets around the world for our high-technology exports. And the President has helped to reorganize and revitalize our nation's research agencies and laboratories for the 21st century.
Government laboratories, such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have played a vital role in catalyzing this nation's technological development. Now, we have heard from the President's opponent that he wishes to completely eliminate the Department of Energy. When asked for a clarification of what that would mean, he said, well, we will keep the military part of the budget, but the civilian part of the budget is really on the chopping block. Well, Oak Ridge gets three-quarters of all of its budget from the civilian part of the Department of Energy. When asked for further clarification, he said, the laboratories in New Mexico are off the table. That's nice. I think that's a wise decision. But what about Oak Ridge National Laboratory? Don't give us the mumbo-jumbo about "this will all magically work out somehow." We want a commitment to Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Applause.)
So to those on the other side who have proposed measures that would clearly shut down the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, I have a message on behalf of the President and myself in words that you've heard before: We won't let them. (Applause.) Oak Ridge is engaging in missions that are absolutely central to our current economic, environmental, health and national security future. Closing the doors of Oak Ridge National Laboratory would be a sad step backward for the United States of America. President Clinton and I will not let that happen.
And ladies and gentlemen, that is only one of the reasons that it is now my great pleasure and personal privilege to present to you a leader who has made unprecedented commitments to this nation's science and technology; a leader who is making sure that every student and every family in America will have the opportunity to participate in our limitless technological future. My friend, our President, President Bill Clinton. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you so much for that wonderful reception. It's nice for me to be in Knoxville, sort of riding along on Al Gore's coattails. I enjoy being here. (Laughter and applause.)
I want to thank everyone who has been a part of the program today. Dr. Parker, thank you. And Mildred Buffler, thank you. And I want to thank our great Secretary of Education, Dick Riley, my former colleague when we were governors together. And I think unquestionably history will record him as the most effective Secretary of Education our country has had to this point. (Applause.)
I thank the students who are behind this. I thank Dr. Clinard for her fine remarks and her fine work; Dr. Al Trivelpiece from the Oak Ridge labs is here. I thank you for being here, sir. I want to say a special word of thanks to Sumner Redstone and to Lynn Forester. Thank you, Lynn, and to all the other business leaders who have agreed to help us on this truly monumental but terribly important project...
.... Technology is clearly transforming our world, and it is creating a range of possibilities for the young people behind me and the young people in this audience that are literally unimaginable. Many of you people who are students at the University of Tennessee who are here and the younger students from high schools and the middle schools and the elementary schools, you will be doing work that has not been invented yet. Some of you will be doing things that have not even been imagined yet. And it is up to us to see that every one of you has the best possible chance to develop your talents and to live out your dreams.
That is what has been happening -- change at a rapid rate. Again, even if you look back on it, it's almost unimaginable. Consider this: There is today more computer power in a Ford Taurus you drive to the supermarket than there was in Apollo 11 when Neal Armstrong took it all the way to the Moon. Isn't that amazing? Cell phone, faxes, laptop computers, pagers -- they were the stuff of science fiction a few years ago. They're now everywhere, and if you don't have one, don't know how to work one, you're sort of out of step. These days you can take notes on a computer pad which converts it into a typed text and sends it to the Internet and transmits to a computer all across the world.
The young people today will live out their lives, in short, in a century that will change like this constantly. And that's why I say they will do work that not only has not been invented yet, but some of it has not been imagined yet.
Our cutting edge industries like microchips, biotechnology and aerospace once again lead the world. I'm proud of that, and that's good news for Americans. When it comes to these new technologies, our nation is on the right track, and that's one of the reasons we're the world's leading exporting country again, one of the reasons we have as many jobs as we do, one of the reasons that more than half of our new jobs are in higher-wage categories -- because we are on the cutting edge of positive change. (Applause.)
So let me say again, we must stay on the cutting edge of positive change. I am determined that we will continue to invest in science and technology. More research in America -- most research is conducted by businesses and universities, but we all know that government has an important role to play.
Of the 12 Americans who won the Nobel Prize last year, all 12 had received government support for their research. This year, the Nobel Prize winners have just been announced in physics and chemistry. Of the three who won this year in physics and two who won in chemistry, all five received federal funding from the National Science Foundation. Cutting back on research at the dawn of a new century where research is more important than it has been even for the last 50 years would be like cutting our defense budget at the height of the Cold War. We must not do it and we will not do it. We must protect the future of the young people here in the audience. (Applause.)
One of the marvelous things we have learned about research is that it's not necessarily going to benefit just a particular category in which it was undertaken, that ideas don't stay in boxes anymore, that they all become more interrelated, the more you know and the more you learn.
For example, the Department of Defense has a dual applications program that makes military research available for commercial use. The Commerce Department has an advanced technology program that works with hundreds of high-tech firms to create jobs and new technologies, and let me just give you one example of this.
The research we've done in defense and intelligence and in our space program on imaging, which is very, very important, knowing exactly where you are and what you're seeing, is playing enormous benefits in the medical research area, and it may help us to identify incipient cancers before they develop to a problem stage in a way that may drastically improve the cure rate for cancer and almost get the identification down to the point where cure and prevention become merely indistinguishable in the moment. This is the sort of thing we have to be thinking about all of the time. (Applause.)
I tell this story all the time, but I think it's important. We just formed a partnership with IBM to produce a supercomputer over the next couple of years that will do more calculations in one second than you can do at home on your hand-held calculator in 30,000 years. Now, that should give you some indication of how quickly things are changing and how we will be rewarded if we stay on the cutting edge, and how we can be punished if we don't....
Finally, let me say the explosion of information has changed everyone's life, nowhere more than on the Internet. Now, think about the Internet, how rapidly it's become part of our lives. In 1969 the government invested in a small computer network that eventually became the Internet. When I took office, only high energy physicists had ever heard of what is called the Worldwide Web -- when I took office, January of 1993, only high energy physicists had heard of it. Now even my cat has its own Web page. (Laughter and applause.)
The number of people on the Web has been doubling every eight months. Think about that. The number of people on the Web has been doubling every eight months. Today there are at least 25 million people on the Internet. By 1998 that number will reach 100 million. The day is coming when every home will be connected to it and it will be just as normal a part of our life as a telephone and a television. It is becoming our new town square, changing the way we relate to one another, the way we send mail, the way we hear news, the way we play.
Every citizen can now read the Congressional Record. If you have insomnia, I recommend it. (Laughter and applause.) Every citizen can get the text of what's in a new law the very day it passes. Art lovers can go to the Louvre. Baseball fans can pay an on-line visit to Cooperstown. Everyone can find a passage in the Bible or in Shakespeare with the click of a mouse. Most of all the Internet will be the most profoundly revolutionary tool for educating our children in generations.
I want to see the day when computers are as much a part of a classroom as blackboards and we put the future at the fingertips of every American child. (Applause.) That sounds great, but think about the implications for our American democracy. If you want to go into the 21st century with the American Dream alive and well for everyone, everybody has a chance to live up to the fullest of their abilities and, I might add, to be less shackled by whatever disabilities they have, if you believe we can create a community where everybody has a role to play, think about the implications for this.
What does this mean, hooking up every classroom? It means if you have the right computers and the right education equipment, software, the right educational software and properly trained teachers, and then all of these connections are made to the Internet and the World Wide Web and all of the other networks that will be exploding out there, think what this means. This means for the first time ever in history, children in the most rural schools, children in the poorest inner-city school districts, children in standard, middle-class communities, children in the wealthiest schools, public or private, up and down the line, will have access in real time to the same unlimited store of information. It will revolutionize and democratize education in a way that nothing ever has in the history of this country. Think about what it means. (Applause.)
In the State of the Union Address, I challenged the American people to make sure that all of the libraries and classrooms in the country were hooked up to the Information Superhighway by the year 2000. I am very, very grateful for the work that has already been done. Businesses, communities, governments, schools have worked all across this country, thousands of schools have been hooked up on net days from California to Florida, and today we are taking three more steps to make sure we achieve that critical goal.
First, the announcement that has been made by Mr. Redstone. The business community is committed to taking the lead in putting educational technology into our classrooms. CEOs from our top telecommunications firms are joining together to help us achieve that vision. Sumner Redstone, Lynn Forester, also Robert Allen of AT&T, Larry Ellison of Oracle, Gerry Levin of Time-Warner, Brian Roberts of Comcast, Steven Case of America OnLine and there will be many more -- they're going to make sure that we have the computers in the classrooms, that the teachers are properly trained, that the educational software is the best available, and that all these connections are made to democratize education. They will help to raise private sector contributions to match the technology literacy challenge fund that we have created.
And let me say again to Sumner, to Lynn, to all the others: We owe them our thanks, and we need more to follow their lead. This is the only way we can get this done in a short time. (Applause.) Thank you.
The second thing we have to do is to make sure that all of the schools and the libraries in the country can afford to hook up to the Internet. (Applause.) Today, the cost of using the Internet can price some schools out of cyberspace. Fees can be inconsistent with the highest rates, often hitting places with the fewest resources.
Soon, all this will change. Under the new telecommunications law I signed a few months ago, the Federal Communications Commission will require the telecommunications service providers give to schools and libraries affordable rates for Internet access. The FCC will vote on how to do this on November 8th -- how to provide what we call an "E-rate," an education rate.
Today, I call on the FCC when it votes to give every elementary, middle and high school and every library in the country the lowest possible E-rate free basic service to the Internet. (Applause.) More sophisticated services like teleconferencing, the FCC should require discounted rates with the deepest discounts going to the poorest schools and areas. (Applause.) I urge the FCC and the state regulators who have a say in this to make the E-rate a reality for our schools. And again, I want to thank the Vice President and Secretary Riley, Assistant Secretary of Commerce Larry Irving, who has worked with us on this, and there are a number of members of Congress. The Senators that I would like to mention are Dorgan, Exon, Kerry*, Rockefeller, and Senator Snow, and Congressman Markey. They have all helped us on this.
This is a big deal. Wouldn't it be a shame if we did all this work and there were schools that literally could not access the Internet, if there were libraries in little rural communities that couldn't do it. It is not necessary. This will pay for itself over and over again by increasing the users, the knowledge, it will explode, and we have to do this.
Finally, let me say, to keep going we have to keep the Internet itself up to speed. I know it's hard to imagine that the Internet could be getting too old. I find that about myself from time to time. (Laughter.) But believe it or not, everything ages, and the Internet is straining under its growing popularity. Like any other piece of critical infrastructure, it has to be repaired and upgraded to meet all our education, medical, and national security needs. It is now time to invest in the next generation of Internet. Today I am pleased to announce our commitment to a new $100 million initiative in Fiscal Year 1998 to improve and expand the Internet, paid for under out balanced budget plan line by line, dime by dime.
America must have an Internet that keeps pace with our future. So let's give America Internet II, the next generation Internet. (Applause.) We have to keep it big enough and fast enough to connect all of our people. Now, this initiative will help universities and research institutions expand the amount of information that Internets can carry through ultra-fast fiber-optic networks. It will develop software to eliminate bottlenecks. It will expand the number of addresses on the Internet. It will create powerful new switching computers to create power -- to enable universities to communicate with each other 100 to 1,000 times faster than they can today.
It will develop the software to carry sound and video from one end of the world to another in real time. It will be capable of transmitting the entire Encyclopedia Britannica in less than a second.
These improvements will make the Internet a more important and remarkable part of our own lives. They will enable our Defense Department to send intelligence instantly to our troops on the ground anywhere in the world. They will let doctors in rural areas scan their patients for cancer by tapping into supercomputers at university hospitals a long way away. They will allow Americans to take any class anytime, anywhere, in any subject. They will expand the reach of education programs right here, like the Oak Ridge Education Network and Adventures in supercomputing.
So let us reach for a goal in the 21st century of every home connected to the Internet, and let us be brought closer together as a community through that connection. (Applause.)
Let me close with a word of caution that I know I don't need for anybody in this audience in East Tennessee. We cannot idealize technology. Technology is only and always the reflection of our own imagination, and its uses must be conditioned by our own values. Technology can help cure diseases, but we can prevent a lot of diseases by old-fashioned changes in behavior. And we know that as well. (Applause.)
Technology can give us a lot of information about why we should act rationally in certain cases. But continuing to hate our friends and neighbors because of their religious, racial, tribal, or ethnic differences, that is an affair of the human heart. And we know that as well. (Applause.)
So today let us resolve to keep faith with our future by passing on to our children an Information Superhighway that will help them to live out their dreams. But let us also resolve to make sure that their dreams are the right dreams so that when we get to this great, brand-new century and this remarkable age of possibility, the vision we all share for our future can become real.
Thank you, and God bless you all. (Applause.)
END
12:30 P.M. EDTAs federal regulators continue investigating why tank cars on three trains carrying North Dakota crude oil have exploded in the past eight months, energy experts say part of the problem might be that some producers are deliberately leaving too much propane in their product, making the oil riskier to transport by rail.
Sweet light crude from the Bakken Shale formation straddling North Dakota and Montana has long been known to be especially rich in volatile natural gas liquids like propane. Much of the oil is being shipped in railcars designed in the 1960s and identified in 1991 by the National Transportation Safety Board as having a dangerous penchant to rupture during derailments or other accidents.
While there's no way to completely eliminate natural gas liquids from crude, well operators are supposed to use separators at the wellhead to strip out methane, ethane, propane and butane before shipping the oil. A simple adjustment of the pressure setting on the separator allows operators to calibrate how much of these volatile gases are removed. The worry, according to a half-dozen industry experts who spoke with InsideClimate News, is that some producers are adjusting the pressure settings to leave in substantial amounts of natural gas liquids.
"There is a strong suspicion that a number of producers are cheating. They generally want to simply fill up the barrel and sell it—and there are some who are not overly worried about quality," said Alan J. Troner, president of Houston-based Asia Pacific Energy Consulting, which provides research and analysis for oil and gas companies. "I suspect that some are cheating and this is a suspicion that at least some refiners share."
Harry Giles, a now-retired, 30-year veteran of the Department of Energy whose duties included managing the crude oil quality program for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, said there's "a distinct possibility" that propane has been intentionally left in Bakken oil.
"I think there is such a large focus on what's happening in the Bakken...that no one really cares to talk about these issues," Giles said.
Producers might be tempted to leave in some of the natural gas liquids because there aren't enough gas-processing facilities or pipelines in the Bakken to handle all the methane, ethane, propane and butane that is suspended in the crude when it comes out of the ground. Without sufficient infrastructure, operators are left with few options. They can flare or vent the volatile gases into the North Dakota sky, although they risk being penalized for violating emission limits. Or they can leave some of the gases, especially propane, suspended as liquid in the crude oil they send to refineries, where gas-processing facilities already exist.
Some drillers might also be purposefully selling their crude "fluffed up" with propane and small amounts of butane to boost the volume of oil in the railcar and maximize their profits, according to the experts, some of whom spoke on the condition they not be identified because of pending lawsuits triggered by recent accidents.
The Bakken, a vast crude reservoir lying about two miles beneath the Earth's surface, has been tapped since 1953. It was only in recent years that new fracking technologies allowed the volume of crude taken from the ground to explode, jumping from a negligible amount in 2007 to 1 million barrels a day currently.
Energy companies have been scrambling to install the infrastructure they need to support the boom. But they face awkward economics. Constructing gas plants and pipelines is expensive and involves a lengthy permitting process. By the time the facilities are in place, production at many Bakken wells might be in decline. Shale gas production can drop off sharply in the first few years.
Lynn Helms, head of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources and the state's chief oil-well regulator, said in a statement emailed by his spokesperson on Feb. 26 that "at this time we are investigating what, if any, issues there may be surrounding separation of Bakken streams."
At the federal level, the movement of crude oil by rail is regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), both housed within the Department of Transportation.
PHMSA officials did not respond to questions about whether the agency is investigating Bakken oil companies for deliberately leaving too much propane in their crude. The American Petroleum Institute, which has been assisting PHMSA in its effort to determine what new rules or testing methods are needed, declined to comment.
PHMSA began testing Bakken crude to see what was making it so volatile after an oil train from North Dakota derailed and exploded in Canada in July, killing 47 people and generating up to $2 billion in liabilities. In response to questions from InsideClimate News about what is making the Bakken crude explosive, PHMSA spokesman Gordon "Joe" Delcambre said in a Feb. 14 email that the agency is "still awaiting the final report of the test results on the crude oil samples submitted to the lab. Keep checking back periodically." As of Wednesday, PHMSA had provided no update.
On Nov. 8, a train carrying Bakken oil derailed and burned near Aliceville, Ala., en route to a refinery in Mobile. On Dec. 30, another train hauling Bakken oil train collided with a derailed grain train outside Casselton, N.D., setting off a series of explosions that sent large, mushroom-shaped fireballs into the sky.
In response to the accidents, PHMSA issued a safety alert on Jan. 2 saying "recent derailments and resulting fires indicate that the type of crude oil being transported from the Bakken region may be more flammable than traditional heavy crude oil." On Feb. 4, the agency proposed fining three Bakken producers for shipping oil that was more hazardous than shipping documents indicated.
On Feb. 25, the Department of Transportation ordered Bakken operators to begin testing their rail shipments "with sufficient frequency and quality" to ensure the shipping papers properly reflect the oil's flamability.
At a congressional hearing two days later, PHMSA administrator Cynthia Quarterman said oil companies would have wide discretion in determining what constituted "sufficient frequency and quality" when it came to testing.
"We specifically left those terms to be determined by the shippers based on their operations," Quarterman said. "We did not want to say each and every instance before a shipment occurs that testing needed to occur. It may be that a shipper, if they are a producer, are producing from one play and that play is consistent and over time the test results would be the same."
Giles, the retired Department of Energy official, expressed doubts about the testing program.
"The number of railcars they're loading each day, the number of tank trucks that are going into each of these, the wide range of [oil] quality across the Bakken area are creating challenges for a sampling and analysis program," he said. "It's not like some of the established fields in Oklahoma or Louisiana or Texas where the quality is fairly constant across the producing area. Here [in the Bakken] it ranges from a light crude to a fairly heavy crude. The amount of light constituents that are being produced are creating real challenges. I have reservations about what is being done and how it's being done."
However, Giles believes the fiery explosions have already led producers to be more careful with their shipments.
"There are numerous operators there and I am confident that they are going to do whatever is needed and prudent to minimize any increase in the volatility of the crude oil," he said.
All the industry experts interviewed by InsideClimate News say a key step in preventing future rail explosions is to properly strip out propane and other natural gas liquids from the crude.
When oil comes out of the ground it is mixed with natural gas, natural gas liquids and water. The first step is to put this mixture through a series of separators that reduces the pressure of the fluid, separating the ingredients into distinct streams.
Raising the final separator's pressure setting leaves more propane dissolved within the crude. As an oil train shakes, rattles and rolls toward the refinery, which in the case of Bakken oil can be thousands of miles away, the propane begins separating from the liquid and turning into gas.
A typical tank car carries about 30,000 gallons of flammable liquid at the start of its journey. Some oil trains pull more than 100 cars for a total of more than 3 million gallons of propane-rich crude. In 2008, 9,500 carloads of Bakken oil were shipped. By 2013, the number had climbed above 400,000, with trains winding their way through Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, the Pacific Northwest and the Gulf Coast.
If one of those cars ruptures, the propane gas inside will likely make contact with outside air. If the gas is ignited—perhaps by a spark thrown off when the car rips open or maybe a spark thrown up from steel wheels scraping over steel tracks—the car can explode. Then the burning car can act like a blowtorch on the tanker next to it, even if that car is upright and intact. Eventually, the metal shell of the second tanker would fail from the heat and explode like the first one. Engineers have a clunky technical term for such a disaster. They call it a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion or BLEVE (rhymes with levee). At that point, railcars can explode in domino fashion.
Experts say the explosiveness of the Bakken oil lies in its chemistry.
"It's typical of this type of oil. So it's not surprising. There's no mystery to it... especially if it were in a tanker not meant to carry that type of fluid," said Ramanan Krishnamoorti, a professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Houston.
Krishnamoorti was referring to the much-criticized DOT-111, a black, torpedo-shaped railcar designed in the 1960s that has become the workhorse of the crude-rail industry during the nation's drilling boom.
The NTSB ratcheted its long-standing push for sturdier railcars after a 2009 accident in which a DOT-111 ethanol train derailed and exploded at a railroad crossing in Cherry Valley, Ill., killing one motorist and injuring others. The NTSB's investigation of that accident prompted the Association of American Railroads (AAR), an industry trade group, to petition PHMSA to expedite tougher standards for future railcars. Expressing doubts that PHMSA would act in a timely way, the AAR adopted its own voluntary standards for newly built railcars in July 2011.
The issue of the railcar standards remains a point of contention between PHMSA and the NTSB. In May 2012, Quarterman told NTSB Chair Deborah Hersman that implementing the NTSB's recommendations would have financial consequences for industry.
"Requiring all new and existing DOT-111 rail tank cars to comply with enhanced design standards will no doubt be a very costly endeavor," she said in a letter to Hersman, adding, "We invite and encourage NTSB to comment as we proceed through the regulatory process."
When Quarterman wrote that letter, it had been 21 years since the NTSB had first warned of the dangers of using the DOT-111 to carry hazardous materials.
PHMSA's defenders note that the NTSB doesn't have to worry about pushback from industry stakeholders or the rough and tumble of regulatory rulemaking.
"NTSB has a very broad mandate: Investigate causes and potential remedies," said former PHMSA administrator Brigham McCown. "But unlike all the other executive branch agencies, they're not constrained by cost-benefit analysis or any of the other regulatory restrictions that are typically placed on other executive branch agencies."
Eric Weiss, an NTSB spokesperson, agreed with McCown's interpretation of the NTSB's mission.
"Our focus is on safety, on representing the American people when it comes to safety," Weiss said. "The Cherry Valley accident happened in 2009. We issued our strong recommendations in March 2012. And it's now 2014."
PHMSA's consideration of upgraded railcar requirements will continue at least through early next year, according to its timetable. It will take even longer to get the new or retrofitted railcars onto the tracks, since manufacturers are stuck in a holding pattern until new standards are determined.
In the meantime, PHMSA's Delcambre said the agency will have inspectors in North Dakota "performing unannounced inspections and taking crude oil samples at crude oil loading and handling facilities."
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has scheduled a hearing on rail safety, including the transportation of Bakken crude oil. PHMSA's Quarterman is set to appear as a witness, along with representatives from industry groups and the other federal agencies involved.
The hearing comes just days after two trains carrying oil from North Dakota derailed in New York state. None of the oil spilled, and nobody was hurt. But the accidents prompted New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to urge federal officials to do more to tighten safety regulations.
"I am not convinced that federal regulations and oversight sufficiently protect New York's communities and natural resources from safety hazards in transporting this material," Cuomo said in a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
This article is part of a project supported by the Alicia Patterson Foundation, the George Polk Award program at Long Island University, the Fund for Investigative Journalism and the Society of Environmental Journalists' Fund for Environmental Journalism.19199
Abmahnanwälte sollen für Risiko des Gegners haften : BGH höhlt die Unabhängigkeit der Anwaltschaft weiter aus von Dr. Alexander Weinbeer 25.04.2016 © UBER IMAGES - Fotolia.com
Der Anwalt des Rechteinhabers soll eine Garantenpflicht haben – gegenüber dem Abgemahnten. Diese Entscheidung des BGH zerstört Eckpfeiler der anwaltlichen Berufsausübung, meint Alexander Weinbeer.
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Der Sachverhalt, welcher der nun bekannt gewordenen Entscheidung (Urt. v. 01.12.2015, Az. X ZR 170/12) des Bundesgerichtshofs (BGH |
mentioned her by name: "I know you're all feeling the darkness here today, but there's no reason to give in. No matter what you've heard, this process will not take years. In my heart, I know we cannot be defeated, because there is an answer that will open the door. There is a way around this system. This is a test of our patience and commitment. One great idea can win someone over." Note that one turn of phrase: "There is an answer that will open the door." A few scenes later, Don will stand with his head against Sylvia's door in an endlessly uncomfortable close-up. He hasn't cracked the code, not yet.
Don's quest takes him to the archives, where he plays a game of connect the dots – birthmarks, to be specific. The birthmark on Sylvia's face is an echo of the one on Amy, the prostitute who took his virginity long ago. Between them stands a beatific mother on an oatmeal ad, serving her grinning little boy a bowlful. "Because you know what he needs," reads Don's tagline from this forgotten campaign. The campaign's forgotten, but the message is one he's apparently embedded in every affair he's had.
Once he's got it all figured out, he writes it down in a fever and pitches it to Peggy and Ginsberg with all the wild-eyed intensity of a street-corner preacher. "If this strategy is successful, it's way bigger than a car," he announces. "It's everything." The strategy is to bypass the quid pro quo of putting up with a brief message from the sponsors in exchange for access to something you like – the traditional "bargain" of advertising, and of affairs – since after all, if they decide they don't want the entertainment anymore, the ad will never get through. He's got one sentence, maybe two, to capture her imagination, and he's gonna make it count. (It's a neat callback to Don's Heinz pitch from earlier in the season, predicated on the idea of getting into the audience's headspace rather than simply sitting in front of them inert as they read a magazine.)
"I've got this great message, and it has to do with what holds people together," he explains. "What is that thing that draws them? It's a history. And it may not even be with that person, but it's like a..." He trails off. "Well, it's bigger than that." Don Draper: bigger than Detroit.
But even as he's saying this, history is being used against him. Claiming to be a long-lost relative and taking advantage of his kids' near-total lack of information about who he really is, the burglar known as "Grandma Ida" is steamrolling Sally Draper's natural skepticism and loading up on the spoils of Don's past successes. "I don't want you to shut this door," we hear Don telling "Sylvia" as he rehearses his big speech. "You've gotta get your foot in the door," Ginsberg responds a few minutes later. Grandma Ida's entrance through an unlocked door in the Draper residence proves that they were both right.
And sure enough, when Don finally opens the door himself, practicing his Don Draper Draper Pitch all the while, he walks in a nightmare tableau: the wife he's cheating on, the ex-wife he left, her new husband, his own abandoned children, and a policeman, all explaining to him that his home has been robbed while he was busy crafting the perfect ad for himself. That's all she wrote. He collapses, already knowing in his (broken, at least according to his conversation with amateur cardiologist Wendy Gleason) heart what has happened here. "Sally, I left the door open. It was my fault." When you make yourself the product, you risk being consumed.
So he closes down. He endures a chilly elevator ride with Sylvia, unwilling to give her even the slightest sign of enduring affection. He bows out of continuing to work on Chevy and their absurd three-year plan. "Every time we get a car, this place turns into a whorehouse." That door into history, into Don Draper, is shut.Originally Posted by Odin Originally Posted by
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During the Mega-Awakening the legitimacy of the "central authorities" of society begins to be attacked as a wave of social and ideological currents burst forth and batter the "Establishment" and take the complex system of social rules and fight over how and to what end they should be used. There is an increasing emphasis on the "rights" of individuals or groups and that these "rights" are being violated by the rules of society. This was the West of the 30-Years War, the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, Descartes, and Newton. This is also the post-60s world we live in today.
The Mega-Unraveling is the Libertarian Age, where the old, complex system of rules for society is attacked and torn down. Philosophers and reformers preach eloquent words about the "Rights of Man" and of "Natural Laws" that made complex social rules unnecessary. Human authorities are deemed both unnecessary and evil since things are beleived to be "self-evident" to any intellectually-liberated individual. This was the spirit of the Enlightenment and of the American Revolution.The Downriver girl who attracted worldwide attention for a neighbor’s taunting during her battle with Huntington’s Disease has died.
Nine-year-old Kathleen Edward, of Trenton, died Wednesday night after a long bout with pneumonia, which is especially tough for Huntington’s patients to beat.
“Kathleen far exceeded our expectations of survival. She’s the strongest little girl I ever met in my entire life, and she didn’t quit fighting. Now she gets to go into the arms of her mother, Laura,” said family friend Michelle Yerigian.
Kathleen was diagnosed with the disease when she was about 3 years old. She was just 6 years old when her mother died of Huntington’s disease at the age of 24.
Kathleen attracted attention from around the world when they learned she was the subject of online taunting by her neighbor, Jennifer Petkov. Petkov published a photo of the terminally ill schoolgirl on Facebook above a set of skull and crossed bones. Petkov also allegedly attached a coffin to her truck, labeled it “Death Machine” and drove it down the street honking the horn.
The girl’s plight sparked cards and letters of support from around the world, and Yerigian’s job was to field the truckloads of mail that came weekly for the girl.
“This little girl touched a lot of people’s lives and not just in Michigan, but across the world. She has friends from Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan, people all over the world have reached out to this little girl and the world is now a sadder place without her in it. But, I think she taught us a very strong lesson in that faith, hope and love can just do amazing things,” said Yerigian.
The family is currently making funeral plans. Meantime, Yerigian said Petkov is due in court next week.Some of the members of the Order, from 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' by JK Rowling.
From left to right: Crookshanks (cat), Severus Snape, Molly Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt (back), Nymphadora Tonks, Arthur Weasley, Bill Weasley (back), Remus Lupin, Mundungus Fletcher (back), Sirius Black, Kreacher (house-elf).
I'm not too pleased with the scan here, but it's such a whopping picture it wouldn't fit on the A3 scanner and so... But I really wanted to put it up here before 'Deathly Hallows' was published and more people on it died. And also because some theories implied on it may be confirmed or unconfirmed. It's a case of leaving it for too long here, I think... I started it before Christmas 2006 and worked in fits and starts - not the ideal way to go about a pencil drawing. Ah well.
I love 16th/17th century group oil portraits of guild members and that sort of thing, and also later portraits of councils of war. That was the kind of thing I was thinking of when I started the picture. I also wanted to add moevment to the picture by having everybody look at somebody or something else: Kingsley, Tonks, Arthur and Bill are grouped around the map, while Arthur is checking Kingsley for some kind of confirmation, Molly is looking either worried at her son or annoyed at Dung for smoking during the meeting, Lupin is mooning over Tonks, Sirius is giving Snape a seriously black glare (and thus ignoring Kreacher sneaking away with a portrait of Bellatrix Lestrange and OMG a locket!?!?!?), Crookshanks is also suspicious of Snape and Snape is looking out at us with an enigmatic sneer because he's the only one (besides JK Rowling and allegedly Alan Rickman) who knows whether he's good or bad or whatever the heck the deal with Snape is! *hysteria* (Tonight! Tonight!)
I shall upload a better (scanned) version later, I suppose... but I expect to be too shell-shocked by Book 7 to do much of anything soon.A Tennessee woman was arrested after she allegedly chased down a car with a congressman inside and threatened him following a town hall, police said.
Wendi Wright, 35, is accused of following a car carrying Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN) and aide Marianne Dunavant down Highway 45 Monday afternoon after leaving a town hall event that took place at the University of Tennessee- Martin, the Hill reported.
WREG reports that Kustoff and Dunavant felt they were in danger and forced off the road as a result of Wright’s alleged actions.
When Kustoff’s car pulled into a driveway of someone they know, Wright allegedly got out of her vehicle to scream at them and bang on the windows of the vehicle.
Police say she also obstructed the car by standing in front of it so it could not leave, but she left the scene before officers arrived and after a 911 call was placed.
Authorities were able to identify Wright from a post on her Facebook account about the incident, WBBJ reported.
Wright was charged with one felony count of reckless endangerment and is being held on $1,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in Weakley County General Sessions Court May 15.September 10th, 2014
Red Hat’s Brian Stevens Now At Google
Now we know he walked and wasn’t pushed.
Back on August 27 when Red Hat announced that CTO Brian Stevens had left the building and was no longer in their employ, rumors began flying as people began to wonder what happened. His resignation came without warning and Red Hat wasn’t forthcoming with anything, other than a terse message wishing him well, so it’s only natural that some people began to suspect that some kind of shakeup was in play. Indeed, I was pretty sure that he hadn’t left voluntarily but had been pushed through the door.
I was wrong. Stevens left to take a job at Google, where he’s now vice-president of cloud platforms. According to Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, he’s is evidently the right person for the job.
“At Google, Stevens will use his abilities to bring Google’s Compute Engine (GCE) to the forefront of the enterprise cloud. While GCE’s not based on OpenStack, it’s otherwise a natural next step for Stevens.”
I don’t know how much Google’s paying him, but it has to be more than plenty. As the Triangle Business Journal reported on August 28 when he walked out the door for the last time at Red Hat’s Raleigh headquarters, he left behind a boatload of cash.
“In October of 2013, he was promoted to both executive vice president, CTO and “executive officer” status, a move that increased his yearly salary base from $413,058 to $480,000 per year. It also included a non-compete clause, as well as a long-term cash award with “a total potential value of $6 million. The bonus would be paid in four installments, with $1.5 million coming directly with the promotion in October. He was set to receive another $1.5 million this October but, according to an agreement, the resignation axes that payout. “Additionally, his resignation also impacts the 93,875 restricted stock awards he received with the promotion, as they include a four-year vesting period.”
Red Hat, of course, is probably not thrilled to see him taking his OpenStack knowledge with him to Mountain View, but they’ll survive.
RelatedWhy Do The Labels Continue To Insist That 'Your Money Is No Good Here?'
from the the-internet-has-no-'regions' dept
You'd think that an industry so concerned about piracy would at least get its own house in order before carelessly chucking stones at people who make unavailable music more readily available, usually, without a price tag. This screenshot came across my Facebook feed recently, the frustrated result of Daniel Barassi's (a.k.a. BRAT Productions) attempt to purchase music.
I am so fucking sick of this shit! I am a music lover! I love to buy, and own, music. If I can not buy an actual CD, I buy WAV format, so I can have the best possible quality (fuck mp3/aac). More often than not, when I want to buy something legally, I get this shit. You want illegal downloads to stop? STOP FUCKING PUTTING REGION RESTRICTIONS! Figure out a way to talk to your labels in other regions, make a FUCKING DEAL, AND GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER! There is a globe full of people who want the opportunity to hear new music. Stop selling to only one region! Fix this, and watch. You will you see less piracy. GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR COLLECTIVE ASSES!
In case you can't see the text the arrow's pointing to, it reads: "Due to copyright restrictions you cannot buy this product in your country."This rant was attached:Yes. Seriously. W.T.F.Tell me (and Barassi) why this sort of thing happens. If your answer includes words like "licensing," "rights" or any other explanation of the convoluted system that the labels themselves set up to prevent people from purchasing their music, your answer, while "technically correct," is completely wrong.What I want you to explain is, in this day and age, with the internet handling a large quantity of the sales, are labels still attempting to pretend that the purchaser's country makes any difference. Because it just doesn't. The only people who would find this sort of thing acceptable are the legal teams, administrators and royalty-collecting intermediaries who need this sort of relentlessly stupid convolution to maintain their positions.Let's use a physical analogy because that's just the sort of thing everyone likes to do when dealing with a digital product: If you're a German citizen visiting or living in the US and you stop in at Best Buy to pick up a CD or movie, no one checks your passport to see if you're legally entitled to make this purchase. Or, for that matter, anyone can order a physical CD from anywhere in the world and get it shipped to them. Obviously, it's more expensive but no one stops them from doing it. If it already makes no sense in the physical world, how in all hell do you expect it to work in a world where anyone from anywhere at any time can at leastto purchase music or movies?(If your answer contains anything like "they're purchasing licenses, not songs," go ahead and give yourself an F-.)You've got so many entities vying over every last digital nickel that they've conspired to keep BRAT from shelling out $6.99 for an EP. That works out to zeroes across the board, much like piracy does, except in this case, you've got someone throwing money at the screen and receiving asinine statements in response. Do you seriously think that telling people "no" repeatedly is a great way to build a business? And what if these people are so determined to purchase your music that they jump through a few hoops in order to appear to be purchasing this album from an "approved" region? How does that play into your tangled web of royalty payouts? Or does it even matter? Is this just some obtuse attempt at control?Explain. I'm all ears.(Oh, BTW: before you critics start writing off BRAT as just some "nobody" from the internet who *gasp* occasionally cranks out mashups when not espousing freedtardist views, check out his FAQ. BRAT is also the official webmaster for Depeche Mode, a position he's held since 1998. He also manages their Youtube presence, which includes issuing takedowns on infringing content. So, he's not some Google shill or whatever it is that you imagine those of us that refer to piracy as a "customer service issue" are. And by all means, go and listen to his stuff, which includes official remixes for Depeche Mode, some "mixtapes" and a fine selection of quality mashups. I recommend the Echo & the Bunnymen vs. UNKLE track " Follow Me Down to the Killing Moon," which I hold is actually superior to the originals.)
Filed Under: daniel barassi, infringement, piracy, regional restrictionsA 13-year-old Jewish boy was maced near Paris in what a watchdog group said was an anti-Semitic assault by three unidentified minors.
The incident occurred Tuesday evening in Le Pre-Saint-Gervais, a northeastern suburb of Paris, according to a report published Wednesday on the website of the National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism, or BNVCA.
The attackers, who appeared to be of North African descent, identified the boy as Jewish because he wore a kipah and tzitzit, according to the BNVCA report, which was based on the testimony of an eyewitness.
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One of the assailants sprayed the boy’s eye with mace, or possibly pepper spray, before fleeing with the other two.
Rendered temporarily blind, the boy was rushed to a nearby clinic for medical treatment. He suffered intense pain for about 30 minutes after the attack, BNVCA said.
Police, alerted to the incident by BNVCA, collected depositions from the witness and the victim, BNVCA wrote.
The attack is part of a surge in anti-Semitic incidents in France that has been ongoing since 2012, BNVCA wrote, and which led to the death of 12 people at the hands of French jihadists targeting Jews.
“The situation is becoming increasingly intolerable,” the BNVCA wrote in the report about the 13-year-old victim, who was not named. “A child of 13, as he is about to celebrate bar mitzvah, knows nothing but the climate of fear and insecurity as a result of anti-Semitism.”Droid-Life
For years now, Verizon has largely stayed out of any meaningful price-battle with T-Mobile, AT&T or even Sprint. Considering that their network is generally considered the best on the whole, they see no need to really compete against others on price.
To be fair, I am not saying that Verizon Wireless has made no price moves. When AT&T made moves to their shared data plans, Verizon responded with their own slight drop in shared data plans. Verizon even eliminated their $35 activation fee for new customers who signed a two-year contract for a select period of time.
But so far Verizon has stayed away from significant price drops with their most common data allotments, or removing their per-device fees charged to connect a device to a shared data plan.
Another significant reason for Verizon’s refusal to dig deep on price is that Wall Street analysts are worried about competition hitting Verizon’s stock price.
Still, Wall Street analysts are worried that Verizon will eventually join the pricing fisticuffs, eroding stock value over time. Speaking to ComputerWorld, Verizon tries to calm investor fears by sticking to the company’s line that they’re simply too awesome to have to compete on price. – DSLReports
Now, analysts are coming out and stating that they expect Verizon Wireless to continue to be conservative in terms of its pricing strategy. Translation? Verizon is not going to lower their prices because rivals are cutting their prices.
In a research note, Jefferies analysts Mike McCormack, Scott Goldman and Tudor Mustata detailed their key takeaways from an investor event hosted on Tuesday by Verizon’s “senior leadership.” The research note indicates that Verizon’s top management is confident in its wireless strategy. – Fierce Wireless
Mashable
Analysts also claimed that Verizon’s management stated that they do “not believe the wireless industry feels much different than in the past, contrary to the broad view that competition is intensifying to detrimental levels.”
They are right. Verizon has firm control with AT&T on the countries wireless service. There is no need to shake up anything when their wireless operating income margin is still significantly higher than the margins at AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint.Malta is set to start selling citizenships for the Mediterranean island – at an exorbitant €650,000 a pop.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the scheme, which would give buyers work and residency rights to the European Union, would bring in €30 million in the first year.
Muscat’s figure suggests 45 people would be sold citizenship during the first 12 months, with up to 300 expected to apply each year.
The opposition Nationalist Party has strongly opposed the scheme, complaining that it is not linked to residence or investment. Leader Simon Busuttil warned in parliament that Malta could end up being compared to tax haven countries in the Caribbean.
Busuttil said his party was not ruling out a proposal to collect signatures to try to force a referendum on the scheme.
The European Commission said on Wednesday that it has no power to stop Malta, or any other member state, from selling EU citizenship, news website EUobserver reports. “Member states have full sovereignty to decide to who and how they grant their nationality,” the EC home affairs spokesman, Michele Cercone, told the media. He pointed out that the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg has “confirmed” in “several” cases that “it is for each member state to lay down the conditions for granting citizenship.”
Earlier this year Muscat dismissed fears Malta would become the next country to seek an EU bailout package, saying the economy was growing and debt was under control.
Edited: 14/11, 10:30am CET with the reaction of the EU Commission.
Credit photo CC BY FlickR/Paul Stephenson http://eurone.ws/1eL8Z1kAs my class for the October LSAT progresses, I am running into a common enemy: Reading Comprehension.
For some reason I will never understand, students do not always enjoy practicing their Reading Comprehension skills. Even when I explain to them that a good score in this section will inevitably lead to a deep understanding of the hidden mysteries of the universe and a better-looking spouse in the future, I just do not see the determination in their eyes.
All joking aside, acing the Reading Comp on the LSAT is very important and, with good practice, very possible. Too many students stumble along and don’t really improve because of a lack of good practice in this area.
I very often find that students are bad at diagnosing their own problems. I am a slow reader and I just don’t get it are the most common complaints that I hear. However, this would be akin to claiming that the problems in your dating life are due to the fact that you’re wearing the wrong pants. No woman cares that you have on Wrangler instead of Diesel jeans. The real problem is that you don’t have enough money.
In an effort to remediate some of these difficulties, I have developed a couple drills that you can try during your romantic evenings with your LSAT preparation books. These drills should help mix up your practice so that it becomes less boring. In addition, they will help you really diagnose your weaknesses and eventually improve your performance. (No promises on that hottie spouse, but this can’t hurt there, either.)
1. Blind Taste Test
If you get questions wrong and waste time in Reading Comp, that means that you did not read the passage correctly in the first place. But students normally have the crutch of being able to look back at the passage when answering the questions, so they never recognize these difficulties. This drill is designed to remove the crutch.
How to do it:
Read through a fascinating passage, preferably something about Native Americans being oppressed. Take your time and try to understand the passage as well as you can. When you feel like you have a good grasp on the details of the oppression, fold the passage back under the page so you can no longer see it. Then try to answer all of the questions without ever cheating and letting yourself look at the passage.
Why?
This should help you diagnose your real weaknesses. If you miss the Main Point and Primary Purpose questions, then you are focusing too much on the details and missing the big picture. If you get Author’s Attitude questions wrong, you are not tracking where the author stands. If you get the detail-oriented questions wrong, that is actually not the worst problem, but you might be able to improve the way you anticipate these questions.
2. Comprehension by Force
You know that moment when you are reading a passage and you can feel it slipping away? Normally it happens near the middle of the second paragraph. You are still reading the words, but you just know that you are not getting it. The normal student approach is to just keep charging forward and hope for easy questions. This would be like walking into a cage fight totally unprepared and hoping your opponent doesn’t really feel like fighting. Dangerous. This drill will teach you to never let this happen.
How to do it:
Read through the passage slowly. After each paragraph, actually take the time to write out a short paragraph summary of the information in the passage. This should include any presence of the author or other viewpoints and any pertinent details. Try to keep the summary to 20 words or less. Do this after each paragraph. When you have finished, go ahead and attempt the questions.
Why?
This drill is designed to force you to comprehend and summarize the information that is contained in these dense and difficult passages. Granted, you will not have time to do this on the actual test. But you should perform an analog of this procedure mentally when you approach any passage. Shockingly, you will probably find that your accuracy improves greatly when you actually force yourself to do the comprehension part of this section.
3. Wind Sprint
You never know what is going to happen on test day. You might get a real bitch about the childhood experiences that shaped the writing style of a feminist author (personal experience here), and that might eat up a lot of time, forcing you to rush through another passage. Also, students have a bad tendency to not trust themselves. Second-guessing and checking back unnecessarily burns valuable minutes. Enter the wind sprints.
How to do it:
This is Reading Comp in fast forward. Attempt to do an entire passage, but give yourself way less time than a sane person would require to complete this task. If a passage has five or six questions, try to finish it in 6 minutes. If it is a longer one with seven or eight questions, give yourself 7 minutes.
Why?
First, this will help teach you to trust yourself. Many times students will glance longingly back at the passage to verify answers that they already know are right. No bueno. This drill takes away that luxury. Also, this should be helpful in teaching you that you can rush through a passage and still get a good amount of questions right, thus avoiding an embarrassing breakdown on game day.
Also, you should sleep on a pile of Reading Comp passages every night so you can really soak up all of the knowledge that this section has to share. Feminism makes a great pillow.
Happy reading…New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is accusing Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzCornyn less popular than Cruz in Texas: poll Trump unleashing digital juggernaut ahead of 2020 Inviting Kim Jong Un to Washington MORE (R-Texas) of lying about his reasons for voting against Superstorm Sandy relief in 2012, calling the senator's words an “absolute falsehood.”
“That is an absolute falsehood,” he said on MSNBC’s “All in with Chris Hayes” late Tuesday in response to a clip of Cruz saying the $50 billion relief bill was filled with "unrelated pork."
“What was wrong was for Ted Cruz to exploit the disaster for political gain, and that’s what he was doing,” Christie added.
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Christie said that Cruz's comments and vote were meant to make the senator appear to be “the most fiscally conservative person in the world.”
Christie also said that he told Cruz at the time there would be a disaster in Texas, adding that the governor promised the senator that New Jersey would “stand up and do the right thing.”
“This is what the federal government is there for. If you’re not there for this, then what the hell are you doing?”
Cruz was criticized recently for asking for aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, which has afflicted Houston and southeast Texas, after he voted against relief for Sandy in 2012.
Christie said early Wednesday that it’s “disgusting” that Cruz is standing “in a recovery center with victims standing behind him as a backdrop and still repeating the same reprehensible lies about what happened in Sandy.”
“I'm not going to let him get away from it,” he said on CNN’s “New Day.”
Christie also said Congress needs to get back to work next week and pass a bill that starts to fund Harvey recovery.
“It should not be connected to the debt ceiling offsets. If the federal government is not here, Chris, to help people when 50 inches of rain fall on them in historic way, then what the hell are they there for?”
— This report was updated at 10:28 a.m.Fighting in the Crowd is back in WWE 2K17! - Returning Feature Confirmed
It's been a long time coming, but it looks like Fighting in the Crowd has finally made its return in WWE Games. At the beginning of the WWE 2K17 Brock Lesnar's Entrance Video released earlier today, we can clearly see on the right side of the arena, over the barricade, a huge playable area filled with weapons of every kind: Steel Chairs, Tables, Trashcans...
Even though the graphics don't look to be exactly appealing for those objects at the moment, it's worth noting the video does not represent the final version of the game, as WWE 2K17 is still currently in development as it's scheduled for released on October 11, 2016.
The ability to fight in the crowd was first introduced in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 (in a similar area as we currently see for WWE 2K17), but eventually removed from the series just two years later, after SVR2008. The return of the feature to fight in the crowd is for sure a welcomed addition, and it looks like the area is much larger compared to back then, allowing to also go around the back of the arena, at the side behind the announcer table.
For many years now, fans have been clamoring for "true" Falls Count Anywhere Matches, where you could freely roam the Crowd Area as well as go Backstage during the course of the match itself ala SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain, so we keep our fingers crossed to see this being possible in WWE 2K17.
Stay tuned on TheSmackDownHotel as we will keep covering WWE 2K17 daily.It’s the story that’s been read around North America and even shared by the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. It’s serving as a teachable moment for how public figures should deal with brazen racists. And one Canadian politician is being hailed a hero.
The only problem is, the story, as it’s been told, is a total mess and only half the truth.
A few days ago a video emerged of federal NDP leadership candidate Jagmeet Singh responding to a heckler at one of his campaign events in Brampton, Ontario.
A very animated woman gets up and starts shouting and rambling about sharia law and the Muslim Brotherhood, accusing Singh of being in cahoots with the extremist movement.
While the crowd shouts her down, Singh responds by repeatedly telling the woman she’s loved and included. He doesn’t offer her any fuel, so eventually she just goes away.
This clip alone proves Singh’s a master politician and, if he wins the leadership, will give Justin Trudeau a run for his money.
Reporters wrote a simple story about a prejudiced heckler and the man who took the high road to diffuse the situation. Columnists then jumped in opining about racism in Canada.
“Jagmeet Singh explains why he didn’t tell that heckler he’s Sikh, not Muslim”, a Huffington Post headline read.
“Singh is Sikh. ‘Sharia’ refers to Islam, a different faith,” the Globe & Mail headlined on their video of the incident.
This is where it all goes off the rails.
Anyone who’s been following the NDP race – and this obviously includes Singh – would have immediately realized there’s a whole different layer to this tale.
The Liberal government in Quebec is currently working on a bill that bans niqabs from the public service. Jagmeet Singh is 100% against it. However his rivals Niki Ashton and Guy Caron have had more cagey responses.
They’ve both spoken about respecting the Quebec legislature and its promotion of secular values, while also suggesting they’re not crazy about the bill.
Singh has called them out for trying to suck and blow at the same time. He’s got a point.
The NDP would never have become the official opposition in 2011 without an impressive seat count in Quebec. They lost much of that to the Liberals in 2015 and know they need to get it back.
The only problem is NDP sentiment in Quebec is much different than what you find on the streets of Toronto and Vancouver. While Quebecers lean very left on economics, they’re much more open to things like niqab bans in the name of cultural preservation.
When I first watched the video, I guessed that Singh’s position on the ban was actually what this woman was raving about. And, sure enough, she later posted a video to Facebook confirming this was the case.
This doesn’t make her rude interruption right, and one can certainly take issue with her tone and exaggerated fears.
But it does tell us she had a particular policy dispute with Singh and wasn’t mistakenly launching an anti-Muslim tirade against him as an individual, which bursts a large part of the media narrative.
There’s a bigger question, though: The media act like they’re against any glimmer of intolerance, particularly when it comes to Islam.
So much so that the Conservatives’ modest citizenship oath niqab ban was drummed up as a decisive issue in the push to oust them in the last election.
Meanwhile, we’ve got a whole subset of NDP members who support a much broader niqab ban and leadership candidates enabling them. And yet the liberal media have practically left them all alone.
The coverage around this one heckler incident is a media fail – full of misinformation and double standards.Two films I saw this week at the amazing Hot Docs doco festival made me think differently about the role and influence of religion and religious institutions on society. I really know and have thought very little about religion, different denominations or practices having grown up without any form of religion and not knowing many people with strong religious practices. Religion was ridiculed and treated as a joke in my childhood so I’ve always kind of shrugged off thinking about it and just laugh at things ridiculous things the pope or Pell say without giving it any more thought. It’s interesting in all my activism and political organising and wracking my brains about social change I’ve never really thought much about religion in the mix. I am now realising this has lead to a kind of naivete on my part about how much influence religion actually has on the world…..
God Loves Uganda explores the disturbing role of American evangelical missionaries in Uganda, in particular their influence on the proposed anti-homosexuality bill. It’s a deft and worrying film. I met with Allie, one of the Outreach Coordinators from Picture Motion (who are a new org that works on social impact campaigns for films) at Hot Docs and will be meeting with some more folks who working on this side of the film in NYC as part of my research trip.
When I watch these church sermons with their rock bands and crying young people or when I’ve heard about churches like Hillsong etc in the past I’ve tended to assume they are some loony fringe with little clout. I am really shocked when I hear about the scale of their reach and the size of their membership. One of the orgs profiled in God Loves Uganda hope to have reached every community in the world by 2020…
The Unbelievers is a clever and funny “rock n’ roll film about science” which follows evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss on a global speaking tour about the importance of science and reason. It’s totally engaging, which is maybe not surprising given the ideas, but it’s not a particularly visual topic, so I thought the filmmakers did a great job.
Until watching The Unbelievers I didn’t realise that talking about evolution was even remotely controversial. I kind of feel like I’ve been just a wee bit blind here and feel kind of silly in some ways not to have thought about this much before! I suppose I move in largely non religious circles and religion does not seem to have the same grip on public life in Australia as it does in the USA.
I was surprised to learn of 535 members of the US Congress only 1 identifies as an atheist and that the other 534 say that they follow a religion of some kind. Dawkins contends that many of them are lying about their beliefs because they would not get elected if they did not affiliate with a religion. Gillard is the first Australian PM to declare herself an atheist although others have been non believers (more about Aust PMs and religion here). Apparently this just wouldn’t wash in the States.
I was even more surprised to learn that there are gatherings of atheists called ‘Reason Rallies‘ in the USA and that there is actually a need for them. The Unbelievers shows footage from a 30,000 strong atheist gathering in Washington D.C which received no mainstream media coverage. Crazy stuff.
Watching the fervour and power of the churches portrayed in God Loves Uganda (deliberate non naming and non linking here!) made me angry and worried. Watching The Unbelievers was a kind of antidote and it’s relief to know that ideas of reason to counter the disturbing religious right are also doing the rounds.
Highly recommend both films! And am very open to more education |
on clothing, some services, or food items for home consumption.[28] The state legislature may allow municipalities to institute local sales taxes and special local taxes, such as the 0.5% supplemental sales tax in Minneapolis.[29] The cities of St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth and St. Cloud have similar taxes. Excise taxes are levied on alcohol, tobacco, and motor fuel. The state imposes a use tax on items purchased elsewhere but used within Minnesota. Owners of real property in Minnesota pay property tax to their county, municipality, school district, and special taxing districts. The overall state and local tax burden is calculated to average 11.9% in 2006, ranking 4th highest in the country.[30]
Gaming [ edit ]
Minnesota residents and visitors can legally gamble on the lottery, for instance; its games include Powerball, Hot Lotto, both multi-state games, Gopher 5, Northstar Cash, and numerous scratch tickets.
References [ edit ]
BusinessTonight, Paul Ryan says he will run for House speaker, under certain conditions. (AP Photo/Molly Riley, File)
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) delivered a pitch Tuesday night to run for House speaker and end weeks of GOP chaos as long as Republican lawmakers meet certain conditions for his tenure.
“If you can agree to these requests and I can truly be a unifying figure, then I will gladly serve,” Ryan said in a press conference following a closed-door meeting of the House GOP Conference on Tuesday night.
“This is not a job I ever sought. This is not a job I ever wanted. …. I came to the conclusion that this was a dire moment,” Ryan said. “We need to move from being an opposition party to being a proposition party…Our next speaker has to be a visionary one.”
In a reference to the demands of the House Freedom Caucus that wants dramatic changes to House rules, Ryan said: “We need to update our House rules so that everyone can be a more effective representative.”
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But Ryan hasn’t completely committed yet to the job of replacing Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who wants to step down by Oct. 30. He sketched out a timeline of making a decision by Friday — but in order to run, he wants the fractious Republican conference to rally around him, including the moderate Tuesday Group, the hard-line House Freedom Caucus and the conservative Republican Study Committee.
Several Republicans said they expected Boehner to announce a date for the leadership elections on Wednesday.
“We as a conference should unify now and not after a divisive speaker election,” Ryan said.
“I considered to do this with reluctance and I mean that in the most personal of ways,” he said, adding that Janna, his wife, and his young children should not have to suffer as a result of his seeking the speakership. “I cannot and will not give up my family time.”
“I genuinely worry about the consequences that my agreeing to serve will have on them,” he said, but added that: “My greatest worry is the consequence of not stepping up.”
Inside the closed-door Republican meeting earlier that night, the Wisconsin Republican stood calmly before his colleagues, said several GOP lawmakers.
According to several lawmakers present, Ryan said: “I’m willing to take arrows in the chest but not in the back.”
He referenced the bitter infighting between House conservatives and former GOP leaders that saw the ouster of Boehner (R-Ohio) and contributed to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) not taking the plunge.
“I don’t want to be the third log on the bonfire,” Ryan said, in a reference to Boehner and McCarthy, according to Republicans who were inside the private meeting.
On running for speaker, Ryan said: “I hope it doesn’t sound conditional… but it is,” he said, with a smile.
Earlier in the day, Ryan’s allies said his conditions for assuming the speakership were likely to include an understanding that he would have a free hand to lead without a constant fear of intra-party reprisals. That dynamic that has dominated the tumultuous speakership of John Boehner, who announced last month that he would leave Congress at the end of October. Another aim would be to delegate some of the job’s travel and fundraising demands so that Ryan could spend enough time with his wife and school-aged children.
Rep. Paul Ryan announced on Oct. 20 that he will run for House speaker, saying "this is not a job I ever sought." (C-SPAN)
But there were signs that some conservatives weren’t happy with a Ryan candidacy.
But Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), a House Freedom Caucus member, said Ryan’s apparent entry doesn’t clear the field.
“There’s still a race for the speakership,” he said.
And Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), known as a tough immigration foe, said he’s concerned about Ryan’s views on immigration and granting legal status to undocumented immigrants. “In the short term, it wouldn’t be a struggle with Paul Ryan, but we know what he believes in,” King said.
“We’ve got candidates for speaker. Can’t we have an election, and elect a speaker? I’m not an anti-Paul Ryan guy. I appreciate him. I like him. I respect him,” King explained. “There are big issues that transcend those things, and immigration is one of those.”
But other potential rivals for the House speakership appear to have stepped aside, including Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Bill Flores (Texas).
“I’m out, and I’m in with Paul,” Chaffetz confirmed. “More aggressive and playing offense was a message that was well received. We have to stop playing defense.”
“I hope and pray we get him to the finish line,” Chaffetz added. “I don’t know anyone who would be better to do it.”
Here’s more on how the news played out:
Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) tweets that Ryan is running, with conditions:
I think we have White smoke, with conditions…. #RunPaulRun — Rep. Bill Huizenga (@RepHuizenga) October 20, 2015
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a Boehner ally, thinks Ryan will run.
Cole, who has been one of Ryan’s most avid proponents, said before going into the meeting that he was confident Ryan will agree to serve and that he will be embraced across the GOP caucus — including by the hard-line faction.
“They know him,” Cole said. “He’s been here 17 years. He’s also known as someone who treats people fairly, is always open to new ideas and suggestions. If you want something more than that them that’s up to you.”
Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) says he’s still in the race:
The current choice of the House Freedom Caucus, in an interview Tuesday night, said he would stay in the race for speaker regardless of whether Ryan runs. “No,” he said flatly when asked if he’d dropped out should Ryan get in. “I’m tired of having a top-down approach.”
The Freedom Caucus picked Webster as their standard-bearer when Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was still in the race. It’s unclear what they’ll do now.
Current House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) thinks Ryan should and will run:
In a Fox News interview broadcast Tuesday night, Boehner said: “I do expect that we’ll know later on this evening what his answer is,” adding that he thinks “Paul would be a great Speaker.”
“I think he’s got the skills to do the job and I think he also has the credentials to reach out to traditional conservative organizations to help bridge the gap we have today,” Boehner added, saying he believed he could get the votes to win the speaker’s job.
When asked about when the speaker election would be, Boehner said: “We have not yet set a date, but I’ll do that I think here in the next day or two.”
Buck replied on Twitter:
As if I wasn’t getting enough emails. Thanks @SpeakerBoehner. I still do not expect a final decision tonight. — Brendan Buck (@BrendanBuck) October 20, 2015
Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.), a Freedom Caucus member who ousted then-Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), said conservatives would support Ryan if he reforms the process by which the House runs.
“It’s less about Paul Ryan’s policy positions and more about the guarantee that he’s going to allow everybody to vote their conscience and vote their district,” Brat said.
“It’s really process,” Brat explained. “I mean policy is equally important, but the policy pieces will be met, right, because our side doesn’t want leadership doing retribution or punishing members for voting their conscience and for voting their district. “If we can get to that, then that almost takes care of a lot of the policy differences, if we can get assurances that the process is going to be fair.”
Karoun Demirjian, Kelsey Snell and David Weigel contributed to this report.10 years ago
WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Barack Obama has decided to send a U.S. ambassador back to Syria, a dramatic sign of reconciliation between the two countries, senior administration officials tell CNN. The announcement is expected to be made this week.
"It's in our interests to have an ambassador in Syria, a senior administration official told CNN Tuesday night. "We have been having more and more discussions and we need to have someone there to engage."
The official said that the decision was not in any way related to the election crisis in Iran, although the Obama administration has maintained engaging the Syrian regime could weaken Syria's strategic alliance with Iran.
Syrian Ambassador to the United States Imad Moustapha said his country had not formally been notified of the decision, but told CNN if this is true it reflects the genuine desire by the United States of America to correct the past efforts of the Bush administration and engage Syria.
It's good for the United States, it's good for Syria and it's good for the region, Moustapha said.
The senior administration officials say Obama has not chosen an individual to serve as ambassador. Once he does, the name must go through an informal vetting process with the Syrians before the president's choice is nominated and confirmed.
The United States withdrew its ambassador from Syria four years ago in protest at the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Washington accuses Syria of being behind the killing of the popular statesman in a massive bombing that also left 22 others dead. Syria denies it, but an ongoing United Nations investigation has found indications of Syrian involvement.
A charge d'affaires has been the highest-level American diplomat in Damascus since 2005.
In anticipation of sending an ambassador back to Syria, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Eric Boswell recently traveled to Syria to examine the security situation there. The United States also is interested in building a new embassy in Damascus.
The decision comes on the heels of a visit two weeks ago by Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell to Syria, where he said he had "serious and productive discussions" with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad about President Obama's goal of a "comprehensive peace," which includes peace between Israel and Syria, and Israel and Lebanon.
"We intend to pursue this as vigorously as possible," Mitchell said.
The visit was part of a series of actions between the two sides that could pave the way for dramatically improved ties.
Last week U.S. Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, told reporters that "Syria has been taking some action" to stop the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq.
Jeffrey Feltman - an assistant secretary of state who is the department's top official on the Middle East - and National Security Council official Daniel Shapiro traveled to Damascus twice in recent months in an effort to improve ties with Syria.
The talks, which have been the start of more regular contacts between Washington and Damascus through normal diplomatic channels, focused in part on getting Syria to seal its border with Iraq. Washington has criticized Damascus for turning a blind eye to foreign fighters traveling through Syria into Iraq.
Mitchell's recent visit took place on the heels of President Obama's Cairo speech to the Muslim world, where he pledged to pursue a broad-based, comprehensive peace agreement in the region
While Mitchell was in the region, Syria also hosted a delegation of U.S. military commanders in Damascus to discuss joint efforts to stem the insurgency in Iraq.
"All of theses talks, the quality of the discussion and the level of engagement has been unprecedented, at least for the last eight years," Moustapha said.
The United States also wants Syrian support in achieving a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace, and appears willing to nurture indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel, which began last year, over the disputed Golan Heights.
Those talks were suspended after Israel's three-week offensive in the Gaza Strip that ended in mid-January. Damascus wants the United States to become involved if the talks resume.
And the U.S. is interested in getting Damascus to use its influence with Hamas, which Syria views as a legitimate resistance movement and whose leaders take refuge in Syria.
(updated 10:40 p.m. with additional information)Among the many definitions of jihad are a "war or struggle against unbelievers" and "a crusade for a principle or belief." Given those definitions, I believe it's time for an American jihad.
An American jihad would reawaken in American citizens the certain knowledge that our Constitution is a sacred document that better defines and preserves the liberty and autonomy of human beings than the charter of any other nation on earth.
The Constitution, along with the miracle of our nation's founding and the providential history of America fighting and winning war after war against oppressive regimes, proves our manifest destiny not only to preserve our borders and safety and national character at home, but to spread around the world our love of individual freedom and insist on its reflection in every government.
[pullquote]
An American jihad would embrace the correct belief that if every nation on earth were governed by freely elected leaders and by our Constitution, the world would be a far better place. And an American jihad would not only hope for this outcome, but work toward it.
We would begin at home, as every great world movement does. We would not only allow, but teach, Americans — including American children — to internalize and project their justifiable feelings of pride in our democracy as superior to all other forms of government. In grade schools we would teach the truth that the founding of our nation and its survival in the face of communism and fascism weren’t just good luck or good planning, but preordained by our commitment to the truth about the essential nature of man. And we would embrace the certain knowledge that history will eventually spread our values all over the globe.
We would tie American aid to incremental changes not just in the attitudes, but in the fundamental structures, of countries. These changes would move those countries, slowly but inexorably, toward reflecting our Constitution in their own charters. We would unabashedly fund pro-democracy movements around the world, partly with government funding and partly with donations from American citizens. Through these donations we would seek to double the budgets of the CIA and our Special Forces, seek to fund an international mercenary force for good and provide our veterans unparalleled health care.
We would urge our leaders, after their service in the U.S. Senate and Congress, to seek dual citizenship in other nations, like France and Italy and Sweden and Argentina and Brazil and Germany, and work to influence those nations to adopt laws very much like our own. We might even fund our leaders' campaigns for office in these other nations.
We would accept the fact that an American jihad could mean boots on the ground in many places in the world where human rights are being denigrated and horrors are unfolding. Because wherever leaders and movements appear that seek to trample upon the human spirit, we have a God-given right to intervene — because we have been to the mountaintop of freedom, and we have seen the Promised Land spanning the globe.
An American jihad would never condone terrorist acts of violence against our adversaries or the targeting of people simply because their beliefs are different from ours. But for those who malignantly demonstrate their intentions to subjugate others, there would be no quarter.
An American jihad would turn back and topple the terrible self-loathing in our citizens set in motion by President Obama, beginning with his "apology tour” — a psychological plague. It would make American pride not only acceptable, but celebrated, again. And, remember, American pride is nothing more than being proud to support truths that are self-evident, irreducible, elemental and inevitable.
An American jihad would make every tax dollar a tithing and the squandering of those dollars a sin. An American jihad would make every hour spent working in an American company — or founding one — an offering. An American jihad would make every teacher of American history not only a public servant, but a servant of the Truth.
We the People of the United States are good and we are right. And we need the spirit of an American jihad to properly invite, intensify and focus our intentions to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution here at home, and to seek to spread its principles abroad.New Pathway To Clean Energy Jobs For Military Veterans
February 27th, 2017 by Tina Casey
EPA chief Scott Pruitt is having a little trouble grasping the importance of clean tech in the survival of our planet, but the US Department of Defense is taking yet another step to achieve a more sustainable state of things. In the latest development, DoD has expanded a new program that provides paid internships connecting military veterans with high level energy jobs in the armed services.
The ultimate goal is to nail down the “long-term energy sustainability for the future fleet and force,” so let’s take a closer look at that.
Energy Jobs And National Defense
To one extent or another, energy jobs have been built into the armed services ever since fighting forces switched from actual horsepower to mechanical horsepower. Energy is the critical platform for force effectiveness, so energy awareness comes with the territory.
The US experience in fighting desert wars has prompted DoD to adopt solar power and take other measures — including energy efficiency — to reduce dependency on fuel supply lines.
The US Navy, in particular, has promoted a culture of energy awareness. That includes the Marine Corps. Here’s some representative insights from a Staff Sergeant in a Marine Corps maintenance division:
…a single generator can weigh 5,000–10,000 pounds. They are the heart behind our operations, and we have to account for not only the fuel that powers them, but also the fuel to transport them, the spare parts and the back-up generators. Simply put, our forward-deployed power needs have an enormous logistical footprint.
[snip]
…your life might depend on your ability to communicate, which depends on the power stored in your batteries, which depend on electricity from the generators or vehicles, which depend on the availability of fuel. It is all connected, and it shows how much we rely on energy.
We have become power-addicted and power-reliant — not just in the Corps, but in society. Luckily, we’re innovating and working toward a future where we have supplies of power that are highly mobile and removed from the fuel convoy, like solar. I’m looking forward to that future.
More Energy Jobs For Veterans
The US solar and wind industries have known for years that veterans’ skill sets — discipline, team building and technical savvy — are a good match for civilian energy jobs.
Perhaps inspired by the trend, the Office of Naval Research has launched a paid internship program for veterans under its Energy System Technology Evaluation Program.
ESTEP is broadly designed to improve energy use throughout the Department of the Navy. By tapping into veterans’ skill sets, the Navy aims to accelerate its transition into more sustainable operations:
43% of veterans indicate their military specialization was STEM related. With a well documented shortage in qualified candidates in the U.S. STEM workforce, “Veterans with STEM military work experience, paired with a degree, are better prepared to start contributing to a job at a higher level than recent graduates without military experience.”
Here’s ONR explaining why the fossil fuel model for national defense is not sustainable:
…We have seen the dangers faced by our Marines when it came to resupplying forward operating bases. We see the dramatic costs involved in providing the fleet and force with enough fuel and energy to run their bases at home and accomplish their missions around the world.
The ESTEP internship program also has a cyber security component in addition to clean tech elements, including energy efficiency and storage, and strategies for lightweight personal power.
The internship program is a win-win, providing veterans with jobs while also filling energy-related slots in the armed services with employees who are already familiar with military culture:
…the unique program merges academia and naval commands in an effort to advance energy technologies to meet critical naval needs and reduce one of the biggest costs for the services — as well as some of the biggest dangers, including resupply runs in combat zones.
Veterans who already have hands-on experience with clean tech while on active duty provide yet another layer of benefit.
Support Our Troops!
Speaking of veterans jobs, the US Department of Energy recently stepped up its veterans solar training program.
No word yet on whether or not that program will survive the Republican budget axe.
Meanwhile, the ESTEP paid internship program is still going strong. For more information check out the Veterans Center at California State University at San Marcos.
Follow me on Twitter and Google+.
Image (screenshot): US Office of Naval Research via YouTube.Audio brought to you by Curio, a Lapham’s Quarterly partner
In January 1985, Pizza Hut aired a commercial in South Carolina that featured a condemned prisoner ordering delivery for his last meal. Two weeks earlier, the state had carried out its first execution in twenty-two years, electrocuting a man named Joseph Carl Shaw. Shaw’s last-meal request had been pizza, although not from Pizza Hut. Complaints came quickly; the spot was pulled, and a company official claimed the ad was never intended to run in South Carolina.
It’s not hard to understand why Pizza Hut’s creative team thought the ad was a good idea. The last meal offers an irresistible blend of food, death, and crime that drives a commercial and voyeuristic cottage industry. Studiofeast, an invitation-only supper club in New York City, hosts an annual event based on the best responses to the question, “You’re about to die, what’s your last meal?” There are books and magazine articles and art projects that address, among other things, what celebrity chefs—like Mario Batali and Marcus Samuelsson—would have for their last meals, or what the famous and the infamous ate before dying. Newspapers reported that Saddam Hussein was offered but refused chicken, while Esquire published an article about the terminally ill François Mitterrand, the former French president, who had Marennes oysters, foie gras, and, the pièce de résistance, two ortolan songbirds. The bird is thought to represent the French soul and, because it’s protected, is illegal to consume.
While the number of yearly executions in the United States has generally declined since a high of ninety-eight in 1999, the website Dead Man Eating tracked and commented on last-meal requests of death-row inmates across the country during the first decade of the new millennium. One of the site’s last posts, in January 2010, was the request of Bobby Wayne Woods, who was executed in Texas for raping and killing an eleven-year-old girl: “Two chicken-fried steaks, two fried chicken breasts, three fried pork chops, two hamburgers with lettuce, tomato, onion, and salad dressing, four slices of bread, half a pound of fried potatoes with onion, half a pound of onion rings with ketchup, half a pan of chocolate cake with icing, and two pitchers of milk.”
The Martyrdom of St. Denis, by Léon-Joseph-Florentin Bonnat, c. 1885. Panthéon, Paris, France.
There are also efforts to leverage the pop-culture spectacle of last meals to protest the death penalty. An Oregon artist has vowed to paint images of fifty last-meal requests of U.S. inmates on ceramic plates every year until the death penalty is outlawed. Amnesty International launched an anti–capital punishment campaign this past February that featured depictions of the last meals of prisoners who were later exonerated of their crimes.
No matter your stance on capital punishment, eating and dying are universal and densely symbolic human processes. Death eludes the living, and we are drawn to anything that offers the possibility of glimpsing the undiscovered country. If, as the French epicure Anthelme Brillat-Savarin suggested, we are what we eat, then a final meal would seem to be the ultimate self-expression. There is added titillation when that expression comes from the likes of Timothy McVeigh (two pints of mint-chocolate-chip ice cream) or Ted Bundy (who declined a special meal and was served steak, eggs, hash browns, toast, milk, coffee, juice, butter, and jelly). And when this combination of factors is set against America’s already fraught relationship with food, supersized or slow, and with weight and weight loss, it’s almost surprising that Pizza Hut didn’t have a winner on its hands.
The idea of a meal before an execution is compassionate or perverse, depending on your perspective, but it contains an inherently curious paradox: marking the end of a life with the stuff that sustains it seems at once laden with meaning and beside the point. As Barry Lee Fairchild, who was executed by the state of Arkansas in 1995, said in regard to his last meal, “It’s just like putting gas in a car that don’t have no motor.”
On January 14, 1772, in Frankfurt am Main, Susanna Margarethe Brandt prepared for her execution—she had killed her infant daughter—by sitting down to a sprawling feast with six local officials and judges. The ritual was known as the Hangman’s Meal. On the menu that day were “three pounds of fried sausages, ten pounds of beef, six pounds of baked carp, twelve pounds of larded roast veal, soup, cabbage, bread, a sweet, and eight and a half measures of 1748 wine.” Had she committed the crime in neighboring Bavaria, Brandt likely would have preceded the meal with a morning drink in her cell with the man who would later decapitate her with a sword. This shared aperitif was called St. John’s Blessing, after John the Baptist, who is said to have forgiven those who were about to behead him.
Brandt, who was twenty-five years old and is supposed to have inspired Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s character Gretchen in Faust, reportedly managed nothing more than a glass of water. Her companions in the repast fared little better.
What is death? A scary mask. Take it off—see, it doesn’t bite. —Epictetus, 110
The origins of the last-meal ritual aren’t settled. Although the earliest record of the death penalty is the Sumerian Code of Ur-Nammu in the twenty-second century BC, some scholars suggest the last meal may have begun in ancient Greece, and in Rome gladiators were fed a sumptuous last meal, the coena libera, the night before their date in the Colosseum. In eighteenth-century London, favored or better-off prisoners were allowed a party with food and drink and outside guests on the night before they were hanged. The next day, as the prisoner traveled the three miles from Newgate Prison to the gallows at Tyburn Fair, the procession would stop at a pub for the condemned’s customary “great bowl of ale to drink at their pleasure, as their last refreshment in life.” (England’s noble or high-born criminals, such as Anne Boleyn and the earl of Essex, were beheaded elsewhere, often at the Tower of London; Walter Raleigh reportedly took a last smoke from his tobacco pipe before he lost his head in Old Palace Yard at Westminster.) In the New World, the Aztecs feasted some of those who were tapped for ritual sacrifice, as part of a pre-execution deification ceremony that could last up to a year. Typically, these were warriors captured on the battlefield, and in some cases, after they were killed, their captor was given much of the body for use in tlacatlolli, a special stew of corn and human flesh that was served at a banquet with the captor’s family.
Today, most countries that use the death penalty as part of their criminal-justice systems offer some sort of last meal. Along with the United States, Japan and South Korea are the only industrialized democracies among the fifty-eight countries in the world that employ capital punishment, and in Japan, the condemned don’t know when they will be executed until the day arrives. In the 2005 documentary Last Supper, by the Swedish artists Mats Bigert and Lars Bergström, Sakae Menda, who spent thirty-four years on death row in Japan, said inmates may request whatever they want; if no request is made, prison officials provide “cakes, cigarettes, and drink.” Duma Kumalo, who spent three years awaiting death in South Africa, told the filmmakers that he was served a whole deboned chicken and given seven rand—about six dollars—to purchase whatever else he wanted. “What we bought before execution, it was not things that we wanted to eat,” said Kumalo, who was spared for reasons he does not explain, just hours before he was to be killed. “Those were the things which we were going to leave behind with those who would remain. Because people were starving.”
In America, where the death rows—like the prisons generally—are largely filled with men from the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder, last-meal requests are dominated by the country’s mass-market comfort foods: fries, soda, fried chicken, pie. Sprinkled in this mix is a lot of what social scientists call “status foods”—steak, lobster, shrimp—the kinds of foods that in popular culture conjure up the image of affluence. Every once in a while, though, a request harkens back to what, in the Judeo-Christian West, is the original last meal—the Last Supper, when Jesus Christ, foreseeing his death on the cross, dined one final time with his disciples. Jonathan Wayne Nobles, who was executed in Texas in 1998 for stabbing to death two young women, requested the Eucharist sacrament. Nobles had converted to Catholicism while incarcerated, becoming a lay member of the clergy, and made what was by all accounts a sincere and extended show of remorse while strapped to the gurney. He sang “Silent Night” as the chemicals were released into his veins.
The musician Steve Earle, whom Nobles asked to be among his witnesses at the execution, wrote of the experience in Tikkun magazine, “I do know that Jonathan Nobles changed profoundly while he was in prison. I know that the lives of other people with whom he came in contact changed as well, including mine. Our criminal justice system isn’t known for rehabilitation. I’m not sure that, as a society, we are even interested in that concept anymore. The problem is that most people who go to prison get out one day and walk among us. Given as many people as we lock up, we better learn to rehabilitate someone. I believe Jon might have been able to teach us how. Now we’ll never know.”
As of June of this year, governing bodies in the U.S. and its colonial predecessors had executed some 15,825 men and women since the first permanent European settlements were established. The majority of them, it seems, did not get a special last meal; the Newgate Prison parties didn’t make the crossing with William Bradford and John Carver aboard the Mayflower. There is no record of a last meal for George Kendall, believed to be the first Englishman executed in the New World, who was accused of spying for Spain and shot in Jamestown in 1608. (The nature of criminal justice around that time was such that Kendall would also have been shot—or hanged, beheaded, or burned at the stake—for stealing grapes.)
Scott Christianson, who has written extensively on the history of American prison culture, believes the standardized last meal probably emerged around the end of the nineteenth century or the beginning of the twentieth, with the rise of a modern administrative state. Messy and raucous public executions fell out of favor with the more refined sensibilities of the upper and middle classes, and ideas of man’s ability for moral improvement fueled opposition to the death penalty. Rehabilitation, rather than simply deterrence and retribution, became an important aim of criminal sanction. At the same time, though, there was still a strong fear of social disorder; the assertive state governments were eager to find better ways to keep the peace in a fledgling nation whose cities were growing, industrializing, and diversifying.
The Murdered Man, by Carolus-Duran, 1866. Le Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, Lille, France.
The answer, or so it seemed, was to replace the more communal sanctions of the colonial and early republic era—fines, banishment, floggings, labor—with long-term incarceration in state-run penitentiaries. Criminals would be isolated from society and purged of their deviant impulses. Executions, which had long been believed to have a scared-straight effect on the public, were now thought to inspire the very violence they were meant to deter. They moved to yards inside the prisons, where the witnesses were only a select few, usually prominent officials and merchants.
In addition to efficiency and decorum, Christianson writes, another “new aspect of this choreographed ritual of death entailed the release of detailed reports to the public that described,” among other things, “precisely what the condemned had requested as his or her last meal.” This gave the impression of a humane and dispassionate custodial government authority, but it also—intentionally or not—tapped into a bit of the old public fascination with executions, when a family might hop in the wagon, ride to the town square with a picnic basket in tow, and watch someone be “launched into eternity.”
The press, Christianson says, “ate it up.” This was the dawning of the penny press, when steam-driven printing presses spurred the development of a mass media in America. As executions vanished inside penitentiaries, newspapers discovered that the public was still eager for accounts of the proceedings. In 1835, for instance, readers of New York’s Sun and Herald newspapers learned that Manual Fernandez, among the first men at Bellevue Prison to be privately executed, enjoyed cigars and brandy on his last day, compliments of the warden.
Nearly two hundred years later, America is in the grips of a revolution in communication technology even more pervasive than the penny press. The death penalty was resurrected in 1976, after a ten-year-long, nationwide moratorium, and public interest in last meals was rekindled along with the debate over capital punishment. But, initially due to the rapidly merging news and entertainment industries, and eventually to the Internet, the debate was amplified and widened. In 1992, presidential candidate and Arkansas governor Bill Clinton was excoriated over his refusal to stop the execution in his state of Rickey Ray Rector, a man so mentally impaired that he asked to have the slice of pecan pie he had requested as part of his last meal saved so that he could eat it later—and that morbid fact became the story’s enduring detail. Before long, state corrections departments began posting last-meal requests on their websites. Texas, which was the first to do so, shut down its last-meals page in 2003, after it received complaints about the unseemly nature of the content.
The last meal as a cultural phenomenon grew even as capital punishment faded from public view, and in less than two centuries the country has gone from grisly public hangings, in which the prisoner was sometimes unintentionally decapitated or left to suffocate, to lethal injection, the most common form of execution in America today, in which death is “administered.” The condemned are often sedated before execution. They are generally not allowed to listen to music, lest it induce an emotional reaction. Last words are sometimes delivered in writing, rather than spoken; if they are spoken, it might be to prison personnel rather than the witnesses. The detachment is so complete that when scholar Robert Johnson, for his 1998 book Death Work, asked an execution-team officer what his job was, the officer replied: “the right leg.”
I imagined it was more difficult to die. —Louis XIV, 1715
The public disappearance of state-sanctioned killing mirrors the broader segregation of death in an increasingly death-shy society. Dying, which had traditionally happened at home, surrounded by family and friends, began migrating into hospitals in the late nineteenth century, which is where most people die today.
Rituals like the Hangman’s Meal and the Aztec sacrificial feasts were anything but detached. They were concerned with the spirituality of death—forgiveness, salvation, appeasing the gods, marking the transition from living to dead. Although prisoners may still pray with clergy, the execution process has been drained of its spiritual and emotional content. The last meal is an oddly symbolic and life-affirming ritual in the vigorously dehumanized environment of death row. In that sense, it’s hard to see the modern last meal in America as actually being about anything.
The last meal, though, is in some ways just an extreme example of the intimate relationship between food and death that is a part of end-of-life customs in nearly all societies. Christianity, after all, tethers the very idea of death to a culinary transgression: Eve and that damned apple. The ancient Egyptians painted images of food on the walls of tombs, so that if the deceased’s ancestors ever failed in their duty to make offerings, his soul would still be nourished and comforted. Native Americans observed a variety of ceremonies involving food when a member of a tribe died. The northeastern Hurons, for example, held a farewell feast to help them die bravely: the dying man was dressed in a burial robe, shared special foods with his family and friends, gave a speech, and led everyone in song. Buddhists make food offerings to appease what the Japanese call gaki, or “hungry ghosts,” lest they return to haunt the living. Food is integral to Mexico’s Day of the Dead—which descended from Aztec festivals—when it is believed that departed souls return to earth. Graves are cleaned and repainted, and offerings of special foods—tamales and moles, sweet pan de muerto, skulls concocted of sugar (historically made of amaranth seeds), and liquor—are left for the dead to entice them to visit. And in America, food is brought to the family of the deceased after a funeral for comfort and convenience.
The Space Between Now and Pangaea Ultima, by Mary Mattingly, 2007. © Mary Mattingly, courtesy Robert Mann Gallery.
The Chinese, especially, use food to nourish and protect the dead—anc |
4 ghast, lightly bumping into a 1×2 portal, suddenly appearing on the other side of the portal? Well, that leads to the 4th point.
Fourth, entities larger than the portal will no longer be able to fit through the portal. Gone are the days a where a 2x2x1 spider can fit through a 1×2 portal in the floor. Entities will have to be smaller than the portal to actually fit them now, and frankly, that’s how it should have been to begin with.
Fifth, gameplay changes, for starters, no more dungeon loot. That just didn’t make sense, really. Recipes are likely to be changed from before, oh, and also, no more naggy “WIP” items. Yay!
Sixth, I want to say that the mod overall works better and looks nicer, but since I’ve not gone to the “prettify” stage of development yet, that can’t be said for sure.
Tl;dr
Portal Gun turns 5. Portal Gun being rewritten, many changes. Release when it’s ready. Sorry to disappoint.
And that’s about it guys, Portal Gun is once again under active development for the time being, and I hope you guys will be happy with it when it’s finally out.
Also shoutouts to the many, many people I met over the past 2 weeks whilst I was frantically trying to write this mod on a 2015 MacBook Air (which to my surprise actually supports see through portals).
Cheers,
iChun
EDIT: As I don’t read the comments anywhere on here, discussion available on Reddit.
EDIT2: I also just remembered that grabbing entities have been nerfed and can be upgraded over time to grab tile entities as well.With 47 million Americans expected to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, it seems like an airport might be a good venue to kick off a publicity campaign. Animal Collective are inclined to agree.
As members of the band’s Reddit account have uncovered, it appears Animal Collective are currently debuting their new album over the speakers at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
Mat Baetz, the cousin of band member Avey Tare, wrote on an Instagram, “Is it just me or did I hear the NEW animal collective record at, of all places, @bwiairport???” Baetz’s post was subsequently liked by Tare, who then posted on his own Instagram a photo of an airplane along with the caption “YouFoundUs?”
In a second Instagram post, Baetz wrote, “The album is worth the trek and can be heard best in the bathrooms some observation areas pre security and the big lounge after security.” He added that the “sounds end at 6 so arrive before then.”
Offering further confirmation, the official Twitter account for BWI liked a tweet from a fan about the album.
@BWI_Airport Ya'll should stream the loop of the new Animal Collective record 🙂 — James Sisto (@Lioninatanktop) November 25, 2015
We reached out to band representatives for confirmation and will let you know when we hear back. One thing we do know for sure: Phil can’t be too happy about the news.
Update – 1:30 p.m.: A BrooklynVegan contributor Shazamed the music playing at the airport. Apparently, the album is called Floridada and will be released on Monday, November 30th. Update – 2:30 p.m.: Tare has clarified that “Floridada” is the name of a single and not the album.
Update – 6:40 p.m.: Listen to a cell phone recording of the track apparently called “Floridada” below (via Reddit).
Update – 8:00 p.m.: If you believe details listed on Sony Music’s Track ID (via Reddit), the album is called Painting With and contains 12 tracks. The listing also may include the album’s artwork. Again, though, all of this info is unconfirmed. A representative for the band responded saying “no comment today!”
Unconfirmed Painting With Tracklist:
01. Floridada
02. Hocus Pocus
03. Vertical
04. Lying in the Grass
05. The Burglars
06. Natural Selection
07. Bagels In Kiev
08. On Delay
09. Spilling Guts
10. Summing the Wretch
11. Golden Gal
12. RecyclingMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Robert Pigott looks at who is in contention to replace Dr Rowan Williams
The choice of a successor to Dr Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury may not take place for several months, the Church of England has said.
It comes after speculation that the latest meeting of the panel given the task of nominating a new Church leader had not chosen a candidate.
Officials reiterated that the work of choosing a successor could go on throughout the autumn.
Dr Williams will step down in December after 10 years in the post.
The most recent meeting of the Crown Nominations Commission set up to choose Dr Williams' successor ended on Friday evening and it has not ruled out holding further meetings.
Analysis With so much at stake in the choice of the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the lack of definite news from the Crown Nominations Commission hasn't prevented intense speculation about the outcome. The Church has not confirmed whether or not the last scheduled meeting has ended in deadlock, but it might be significant that officials have conceded that the decision might take a lot longer to reach. Even when there is a puff of white smoke from the secret location at which the Commission meets, it's unlikely that all its 16 voting members will be entirely happy with the outcome. That's partly because there was no outstanding candidate this time round. But another factor making this an agonising decision, and one likely to end in some sort of compromise, is that the Commission's membership itself reflects divisions in the Church as a whole over fundamental issues, in particular homosexuality.
No announcement was expected this weekend as any successful candidate would have to be endorsed by the prime minister and the Queen.
However, in response to intense speculation that the commission had failed to agree a candidate the Church confirmed that the decision could take several weeks or even months to emerge.
Officials stressed that the group had all of autumn to decide, conceding only that it would want to avoid having no-one to replace Dr Williams when he steps down at the end of the year.
The selection will bring to an end a period of intense lobbying by Anglicans who believe the new leader will be taking over at a critical time.
The new archbishop will be male as no decision has been made yet on whether women should be able to be ordained as bishops in the Church of the England.
The Church has come close to splitting over the ordination of gay clergy and women bishops, and has struggled to maintain its membership.
There is no time limit for the decision, which will be made by 16 voting members of the commission, including clergy and lay people. No date for the announcement has been set.
Contenders for the post include Bishop of London Richard Chartres, Bishop of Coventry Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Norwich Graham James, Bishop of Durham Justin Welby, and Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu - the second most senior bishop in the Church.
Others already elected by the House of Bishops to sit on the CNC - effectively removing themselves from the running - include the Bishop of Carlisle, the Right Reverend James Newcome, and the Bishop of Gloucester, the Right Reverend Michael Perham.
The Bishop of Norwich told the BBC he was praying he was not chosen for the post.
Bishop James said: "Anyone who really longs to be the Archbishop of Canterbury is probably not terribly well equipped to do the job."
An opinion poll for BBC local radio by ComRes - which questioned 2,500 people in England - suggested most people thought Dr Williams had been a good leader.
However, a quarter said he had not kept the Church relevant in modern Britain.
The election process began in March when Dr Williams announced he would be standing down.
He is due to take the position of Master of Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge in January.
Dr Williams was appointed the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002.Tall, regal, and a trifle tomboyish with short, blond-streaked hair, Rosy Keyser arrived for an opening of a group show she was in at Halsey McKay Gallery in East Hampton, New York, dressed in cut-off-at-the-knees shorts, checkered high-top sneakers, and stretchy gold suspenders. The getup was a perfect segue into her art.
BRITT WINTERER
Balancing the formal and the irrational, Keyser probes the raw, wild, natural world—along with the historical, the fictive, and the emotional realms.
She sets out the props for a mystery narrative—or a treasure hunt—leaving clues embedded in her paintings and constructions, which are much the same thing. The props can be as random as provocative bits of rope, wire, flies caught in enamel, sawdust, charred wood, corrugated steel, and polycarbonate. It’s for us to conceive the story and construct the plot. Call it raw realism—real pieces of nature, of the past, and of the imagination become the abstract components of a larger reality and of an intense, shifting psychological composition.
As Eric Crosby, who, with Bartholomew Ryan, curated “Painter Painter” at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis last spring, remarks, “Keyser’s work is at odds with so much painting we see today. It strikes me as a force of nature. It’s about harnessing the elements.” He adds, “For me it’s a tidal force that the work promises—conversations about the status of the image.”
The show included 15 artists dealing with varieties of abstraction and the ways in which painting has been reaching beyond the canvas. Crosby points out how Keyser “is using large stretchers that operate as a kind of grid that she operates with and against. It comes from a formal consideration—a focused, formal sense.”
The 39-year-old artist is very much an American, born and raised in rural Maryland, and imbued with a sense of history and a familiarity with the landscape. She grew up near the Pennsylvania border and went to school in Baltimore. Keyser remembers how she and her siblings would rise early to do chores, “walking with a flashlight braced under my chin, carrying buckets up the hill to the barn before daylight.” After that, the family would drive to school through burned-out parts of Baltimore, and then head “back to the country and to copperheads and dirt.”
All of those experiences and all of those materials continue to animate her work. Even today, she says, she goes out by the Gowanus Canal near her Brooklyn studio and burns sticks for her works. There’s a parallel, she points out, between her growing up in the country and going to school in the city and her use of atmospheric spray paint and unrefined sandpaper. Keyser now lives in both Brooklyn and the tiny hamlet of Medusa, New York, along with her husband, Britt Winterer, and their six-year-old son, Winslow.
For some recent pieces, “I scavenged for corrugated steel in Upstate New York, where the steel had been left for decades in tangled piles to decay. I borrowed it to resuscitate it,” the artist says. “Part of the thrill was trying not to get caught throwing it into the truck.” Her attraction to the corrugated material, she says, was based on what she saw as its “built-in analog quality.” It calls to mind a rib cage and a pulse. “If you add a flat plane behind the material,” she says, “there’s room in the spaces in between allowing it to expose a transitional moment. And, if you tilt it, it has a rogue, unpredictable happening.”
GENE PITTMAN/COURTESY WALKER ART CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS
So there’s the element of chance and the potential for motion in these very basic components. And there is also a connection with the human body. Keyser doesn’t conceal a certain vulnerability and a sense of the body itself gone rogue. Anatomical rhythms are an undercurrent in the work: breathing, pain, endurance, and “sweat and blood,” she points out. There’s a palpable poignancy in all of this. Keyser’s father, with whom she was very close, died two days before she turned 13. “He gave me an easel before he died,” she recalls.
Keyser studied at Cornell University, and took art classes with, among others, Victor Kord, whose work in a faculty show called “Dog Soup” made a lasting impression on her. “It was a distilled and brilliant coupling of the organized and the abstract,” she remembers. Using a “simple grid with colored dots,” his work exemplified a freedom to attribute abstract ideas to firmly planted materials. “Kord was my bridge to abstraction,” says Keyser, whose work was more figurative at the time.
In 1997, after graduating from Cornell, she moved to New York, and then lived for a year in East Palo Alto, California, while her husband was attending graduate school. “I admired the lifestyle there—drinking beer and fixing cars,” Keyser says. “I started painting engines; I was interested in car culture. I was making big paintings using heavy marine paint.” From the start, even her titles were striking—at once poetic, tough, witty, and enigmatic. Keyser went on to earn her M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she increasingly experimented with the boundaries of painting, adding elements from nature and ceramic fragments.
She returned to New York in 2003 and participated in several group shows. In 2007, she was part of “Stubborn Materials” at Peter Blum Gallery in New York, curated by Simone Subal. Among the eight artists in that pivotal show were Larry Bamburg, Ian Pedigo, and Jutta Koether, all of whose art had ersatz primitive and personal architectural characteristics, a build-your-own-world style. Keyser continued to show with the gallery until last year, and her exhibitions there bore such titles as “Promethean Dub,” “The Moon Ate Me,” and “Rivers Burn and Run Backward.”
In last year’s “Medusa Pie Country,” Keyser’s engagement with music played into the schemes of her pieces—as inspiration, rhythm, invention, and imaginative grit. One work, Mnemonic Land Device (For Blind Willie McTell)—consisting of cardboard, palm mat, enamel, wire, and steel—has a geometric structure of triangles and rectangles and grids, looking altogether like a building complex or a primitive harp “with one foot in the past and one lit by illusory LED lights,” as Keyser describes the composition. It turns out to have begun as a bisected canvas stretcher.
She says the piece is an homage to McTell, “a musician who played in the Piedmont style and wrote music in Braille.” Other works from that show—with titles such as Saturday Nite Special and A Blind Torpedo Walks into a Bar, which features broken bottle tops—refer to a stripped-down era of making powerful music with very little. These paintings pay tribute to down-home Southern music—the cadence, the culture, the stories. Like the musicians, Keyser is a natural storyteller, at once allusive and illusive.
COURTESY THE ARTIST
The techniques she devises to manipulate her found materials are like the ones children come up with when inventing imaginary worlds. She paints on floor mats and then prints those “images” onto canvas, sometimes leaving the paint from the original surface to create another surface that can then be moved, and so on. As such, parts of one painting can be embedded in another. The story never ends; chapter follows upon chapter. Keyser likens the process to to making “sparks jump between works.”
The process is analagous to folk music and the way rhythms, melodies, and lyrics are shared and then riffed on as they leap from musician to musician.
Eclecticism pervades Keyser’s tastes and processes. On the one hand, she celebrates the spirit, spontaneity, and originality of Rauschenberg’s Combines; on the other, she reveals that she was “blown away” by the beauty of some of Helen Frankenthaler’s lyrical paintings. Keyser’s brutalism—or, “Neo Brut,” as she has called it—is of an expressionistic variety and evokes the European tradition of artists like Antoni Tàpies.
Ironically, much of her work, in all its toughness, calls to mind American patchwork quilts, in which the pieces are continually reused and recombined, creating new visual narratives as well as a sense of comfort and disorientation.
The patchwork of styles and genres she draws on includes, at the very least, arte povera, Minimalism, Pop art, Abstract Expressionism, and Constructivism, in no particular order. The corrugation in Keyser’s materials reminds her of “the eye’s way of organizing space—not unlike Agnes Martin’s grids,” she says. “Only these are ready-made, and from there, I can make a more fugitive event out of marks.”
She is very much involved with the contemporary-poetry scene, and at the same time draws from T. S. Eliot, alluding to “The Waste Land,” and noting how it represents “the segue from Imagism into modernism.” And she is currently immersed in David Foster Wallace’s essays, with their linguistic variations and digressions—all grist for her art.
Keyser’s constructions and their fixings protrude from the walls of her Brooklyn studio and are strewn across the floor—corrugated metal and plastic, tar, wires, rope, and fencing—establishing a kind of wilderness of materials. One artwork dangling awkwardly from the wall is called Double Rainbow. It’s shaped like shark teeth but also has a wick and a rope, suggesting self-combustibility.
COURTESY THE ARTIST
Material qualities, Keyser emphasizes, are most important to her—she doesn’t begin with philosophical or theoretical plans. “I’ll make something and then I’ll understand the relationship later,” she says. “The physical may be allied with a literary idea, for example. When these seemingly oblique alliances take hold, I try to trust that, in the end, they will inform each other. I like odd couples.”
She recently finished a project in association with Karma, the New York bookstore/gallery/small press owned by Brendan Dugan, which involved an exhibition and the publication of an artist’s book titled My Heads Are My Hands. A monograph devoted to Keyser’s work was just released by Karma. And the artist is in a five-person show titled “Maximalism” that will open at Contemporary Fine Arts Berlin in May. (Prices for her work range from $15,000 to $75,000.)
Other recent activities include her participation last May in an exhibition at the Zabludowicz Collection in London as well as the show at Halsey McKay Gallery. But it was a 2010–11 exhibition at Ballroom Marfa in remote West Texas that Keyser says really had a big impact on the way she thinks about “the reflexive qualities of matter and atmosphere where familiar landmarks are scarce.”
At the heart of it all, Keyser says, is the belief that “everything is in flux, as a constant.” In some works there will be, for example, a solid area that emphasizes the sense of agitation above it. Often circles and lines suggest continuing processes—refering to ritual and renewal. Her tough-but-romantic abstractions are often as beautiful as they are ungainly, informed by both sadness and wit, as in her tangle of burnt-looking material hanging from a windowlike frame in Eve’s First Confusion Between Penises and Snakes (2012).
Matthew Day Jackson included Eve’s First Confusion in “Science on the back end,” a show he curated at Hauser & Wirth in New York a couple of years ago.
“Rosy’s work,” Jackson says, “forces me to consider the history of abstraction, the idea of gesture, and finally a conversation of decay through creating a palimpsest,” he adds. “The level of inventiveness and playfulness in her work is startling as it feels more like a struggle of life and death. The work is deeply romantic, and lacks any notion of frivolity. Her intensity is one with which I have to reckon.”
Barbara A. MacAdam is deputy editor of ARTnews.First direct detection sheds light on dark galaxies
Most people think of galaxies as huge islands of stars, gas and dust that populate the universe in visual splendor. Theory, however, has predicted there are other types of galaxies that are devoid of stars and made predominately of dense gas. These "dark" galaxies would be unseen against the black backdrop of the universe. Now, an international team of astronomers has detected several dark galaxies by observing the fluorescent glow of their hydrogen gas, illuminated by the ultraviolet light of a nearby quasar. But what exactly are dark galaxies, and what role do they play in the evolution of our universe?
"Dark galaxies are composed of dark matter and gas, but for some reason they have not been able to form stars," said Martin Haehnelt, Kavli Institute for Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. "Some theoretical models have predicted that dark galaxies were common in the early universe when galaxies had more difficulty forming stars -- partly because their density of gas was not sufficient to form stars -- and only later did galaxies begin to ignite stars, becoming like the galaxies we see today."
Haehnelt is a member of the scientific team that detected these galaxies. According to Haehnelt, one can begin to understand the importance of dark galaxies by looking at our own Milky Way. "We expect the precursor to the Milky Way was a smaller bright galaxy that merged with dark galaxies nearby. They all came together to form our Milky Way that we see today."
Another member of the team, Sebastiano Cantalupo of the University of California, Santa Cruz, agreed that dark galaxies are the building blocks of modern galaxies. "In our current theory of galaxy formation, we believe that big galaxies form from the merger of smaller galaxies. Dark galaxies bring to big galaxies a lot of gas, which then accelerates star formation in the bigger galaxies."
The techniques used for detecting dark galaxies also may provide a new way to learn about other phenomena in the universe, including what some call the "cosmic web" -- unseen filaments of gas and dark matter believed to permeate the universe, feeding and building galaxies and galaxy clusters where the filaments intersect.
"I wonder if we can indeed use this technique to see the emission of filamentary gas in the cosmic web, and if so, how close are we to seeing that?" said team member Simon Lilly of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland. "That has been something of a Holy Grail for many, many years and I think this most recent discovery of dark galaxies is a significant step toward the goal."
The complete discussion with Drs. Haehnelt, Cantalupo and Lilly can be found at: http://www.kavlifoundation.org/science-spotlights/kicc-dark-galaxies.'Garage inventors' is a term used to describe individuals or groups of inventors that create independently. They are not on a salary or salary/incentive basis, paid by their companies to invent; they work alone, on their own or in small groups, generally in someone's garage or other part of the home.recognizes the accomplishments of these independent inventors yearly in the June issue of its magazine. Here are the 10 winning inventions...
(The following inventions are not ranked; just numbered for convenience.)
1. OneBreath: An Inexpensive Portable Ventilator
Inspired by the need to help more patients in a crisis situation, such as a pandemic, postdoc fellow at Stanford University, Matthey Callaghan developed a no-frills ventilator that runs on a 12 volt battery that works for up to 12 hours and can be easily transported.
Because hospital ventilators typically cost from $3,000 to $40,000, hospitals generally would not have enough ventilators for patients who need them in a pandemic. Callahan and a few fellow students took on the ventilator project so that hospitals would be prepared... just in case. Their device uses a $10 pressure sensor like one you would find in a blood pressure monitor. It pumps air into the chest through the mouth and a sensor monitors how much air is in the lungs. Sensor data is fed into a software program to calculate the data, letting the ventilator know when the patient needs air again.
2. KOR-fx: Ultra Sensation Gaming Device
A visiting physics professor at Rowan University, Shahriar S. Afshar is living in campus housing, which makes him subject to the bass vibrations from surrounding gamers' rooms. The interference made it pretty hard for Afshar to get his work done. An inventor since childhood, Afshar invented the KOR-fx as self protection.
The KOR-fx is a device that connects to gaming consoles, PCs, or music players. It sits around the shoulders, and the two transducers that lie on one's chest translate stereo sound into stereo vibrations. That way, gamers can feel complete immersion in their games without involving others who are not playing. “We can induce the sensation of rain, wind, weight shift, even G-forces,” he said. His company, Immerz, is in talks with several studios to add these effects to films.
3. SmartSight: A Third Eye For Assault Rifles
After 10 years and many prototypes, inventor (and perfectionist) Matthew Hagerty finally is close to what he wanted his invention, the SmartSight, to be: a third eye for soldiers that enable them to see around corners and even behind their backs without putting themselves in the line of fire. SmartSight's latest design includes a 1.5 pound video camera positioned under the end of an assault rifle, a tiny computer that receives the video transmission attached to a soldier's vest, and a tiny display monitor worn on a soldier's protective glasses that receives video images in real time from the computer.
The whole device weighs only three pounds, and though Hagerty says he would like to make the device even lighter, his SmartSight invention, as it is, can save thousands of soldiers' lives from ambushes. Just think about being able to point and shoot a weapon at a target without even physically facing it.
4. EverTune: Guitar Tuning Revolutionized
Guitar players and their audiences are in for a shock. Cosmos Lyles and Paul Dowd have invented a guitar tuner you only tune once. Right. Not in the middle of a song, not between songs, not between sets. Just once. EverTune, the pair's invention, is a bridge that keeps your strings in place by the action of six springs and levers that keep the strings' tension, even if your tuning pegs loosen or tighten accidentally. For guitarists, here's a video that explains the EverTune far better than I can!
Lyles and Dowd are in talks with guitar makers to embed EverTune in new guitars, but EverTunes will be made separately to fit many older guitars. I'm just wondering what guitarists will do to buy some extra time between sets now... drink some more water, I suppose.
5. SoundBite: Non-Surgical Bone Conduction Hearing Aid For One-Sided Deafness
Hearing aids amplify external sounds for those that have some residual hearing. But when the cochlea (the auditory portion of the inner ear) doesn't function, hearing aids don't do any good. For single-sided cochlea-involved deafness, there is a transplantable titanium device implanted to the base of the skull nicknamed BAHA. But Amir Abolfathi, former Invisalign vice president, came up with a new idea while sitting in traffic one day. (That's when inventors get their best ideas!)
Knowing that teeth are excellent sound conductors to bone, he thought why not create a bone conduction aid from the mouth. With the help of an otolaryngologist, Abolfathi developed the SoundBite, an acrylic tooth insert (a custom-molded retainer) with a receiver that picks up sound from an in-ear microphone and then transmits the sound from the teeth to the bone up the jawline to the cochlea.
In clinical trials, typical reports from patients in tests if the device were that the SoundBite restored 80 to 100 percent of their hearing.
6. Groasis Waterboxx: A Biomimetic Planter
In his past life as a flower exporter, Pieter Hoff often oversaw the evening activities of his lilies. He noticed that the plants collected condensation on their leaves and the water droplets were sucked in by the leaves as they cooled. Mimicking nature's efficient watering system, Hoff developed a planter that could capture water in the same manner to foster sapling trees even in harsh conditions.
The Groasis Waterboxx is designed as a plant incubator, which cools faster than the night air, allowing water to condense and flow into it along with rainwater to keep the plant and its roots hydrated and protected. Hoff's tests of the Waterboxx in the Sahara have been quite successful; after one year of growing saplings in the desert, 88 percent of the trees he planted had green leaves, while 90 percent of those planted in the local method died from the scorching sun. Check out groasis.com and help test these Waterboxxes!
7. Zoggles: Anti-Fog Device
The device you see on Don Skomsky in the above photo is a Zoggles, but Zoggles is actually a whole technology that Skomsky and Valerie Palfy invented to keep fog from forming on lenses and windows. The pair created a device with a humidity sensor and a temperature sensor that would stay colder than, say, a windshield, so they would sense when fog was coming and would turn on an automobile's defroster.
But Skomsky was able to use an obscure formula to predict when fog would form based on the temperature and humidity, so that the bulky controls could all fit on a chip. The Zoggles now operate with that chip, which calculates when the lens needs to be heated and activates a heater that shuts off when it is no longer needed. Palfy and Skomsky are planning to license their technology to manufacturers of motorcycle helmets, windshields, scuba masks, and military gear.
8. Mini Infuser: Foolproof Programmable, Disposable Infusion Drug Pump
Mark Banister wasn't on his way to developing the first programmable infusion drug pump, but while investigating another idea, the infusion pump idea grabbed him. After working with an incubator program at the Arizona Center for Innovation, he was able to develop this drug pump in a way that could save hospitals money and make patients feel a whole lot more secure.
The Mini Infuser is the only disposable drug pump that can be programmed to dispense drugs continuously. Taped to the patient's chest, a microprocessor inside the pump sends dosage information to the polymer that Bannister developed to deliver the correct dosages. Upon receipt of dosage information, this special polymer will expand and displace the proper dosage from the reservoir within the pump where the drugs are stored.
9. ECO-Auger: Fish-Saving Tidal Energy Turbine
Windmill turbines that convert tidal energy into electricity are costly and involve permanent installations that may harm marine life. W. Scott Anderson, an industrial engineer, invented a simpler, less invasive tidal energy converter that's less costly and more marine-friendly. It uses an auger, a spiral-shaped device that has tapered ends, so as not to harm fish. When the current spins the auger, it induces a hydraulic pump in the nosecone of the device to pump high pressure oil that turns a generator outside of the water.
Though Anderson had made several small prototypes of the ECO-auger to test function and safety around fish, he has hand-crafted his first large prototype that has a two-foot diameter and a polyurethane/ fiberglass auger. In a test, Anderson said it captured 14 percent of the water's energy, which is not as much as the windmill turbines, but Anderson says the percentage will go up as the diameter of the augers increase. He is sure that ultimately the ECO-Auger will be more cost effective and just as productive as the windmill turbine.
10. RAD Technology: A Drag-Ready Snowmobile
Shawn Watling, a self-taught engineer, has created the first rear-drive, adjustable rear suspension snowmobile that is faster, safer, and more efficient than the snowmobiles produced today. Snowmobile racing since he was only 9 months old (presumably as a passenger), the 35 year old Watling decided to put together his own snowmobile out of a scrapped ATV, a 130 horsepower snowmobile motor and transmission to drag race on his local drag strip.
The 'Frankenstein' was fast, and a dynamometer test revealed that 85 percent of its engine power was delivered to the ground, while a typical snowmobile only hit about 55 percent. This result led him to discover that it was the rear suspension on front drive manufactured snowmobiles that increased rolling resistance and prevented adequate track tension.
Since Frankenstein, Watling's rear-drive prototypes have been numerous, but five years later he has made corrections in everything that slows a snowmobile down, and his RAD (rear-axle-drive) Technology has also produced a safer snowmobile that's more fuel efficient.
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Many of the 2010 Popular Science invention winners actually did report having worked in their garages - literally. But no matter where they worked, these inventors, who took five or ten or even more years to reach a final prototype of their inventions, are truly inspiring and InventorSpot wholeheartedly congratulates them. If you would like to read more information about the winners and their inventions, pop over to PopSci.com.
Here, you can find the 2009 winners of the Popular Science invention awards.HughEbdy (Hugh Ebdy)
Hugh Ebdy hails from Moray, Scotland, where he grew up in a small village by the sea alongside his two younger brothers. He is presently studying for a Masters in Architecture from the University of Dundee, and has been presented awards for 'Best in Year' for both first and second year. In September Hugh will begin his third year at Dundee, and while architecture is the career choice he is studying for, Hugh has many other passions that he wishes to pursue in life. Among these is digital art and illustration.
At around the age of sixteen, Hugh bought himself a pen tablet with the idea that he could teach himself digital art to the stage where it could start bringing in a bit of income. Fast forward a little in time, and now, through various competitions and commissions, it helps to supplement his student lifestyle (and keep him out of debt!). His hope is that his digital art will one day allow him to work for a film or game establishment; though he is just as happy working on his own projects. In November 2015 Hugh will host his first solo exhibition. This will be in his local library in Elgin, and there he hopes to show his experimentation with a mix of digital and traditional work.It's the peak holiday shopping season and outside West Edmonton Mall, patrons are squawking and beaking off at each other as they fight for a spot to park.
But this group of rowdies is not allowed inside the mall — and it's not a conspiracy against them.
In fact, they are the conspiracy. A conspiracy of ravens, that is.
Scott Charlton noticed them in mid-November when leaving the mall after a day of work. He heard caws and noticed between 50 and 100 ravens flying around above him.
With another group perched on the letters of a lit Winners sign, Charlton said it looked more like a scene from the Planet Earth nature series or from Alfred Hitchcock's film The Birds instead of a mall parking lot.
Ravens have been spotted gathering after nightfall at West Edmonton Mall for the past couple of weeks. (Scott Charlton)
People in some cultures would consider such a gathering of ravens (called a conspiracy, an unkindness or a constable) to be a bad omen.
Charlton was simply awestruck.
"It was such a huge group that I was just like 'I have to take a video.' I've never seen that many ravens in one place," Charlton said. "It just seemed really out of place that they're hanging outside at West Edmonton Mall of all places."
Since taking that first video three weeks ago, he's been keeping an eye on the gatherings and said the most recent rally happened within the last few days. "When they get together, they squabble over who gets to sit where and for how long," he said.
But they don't seem to be causing any problems, he added.
"I haven't really seen them try to eat anything or really scavenge around at night. They're just hanging out for the evening, it seems to me."
They generally will gather together in fairly large groups both for protection and for social purposes. - Mike Jenkins
Wildlife experts suggest Charlton's conclusions are quite accurate.
While the flock might seem out of place in the urban environment, it's really not all that rare, said Mike Jenkins, senior biological sciences technologist with the City of Edmonton.
Ravens have been flocking to Edmonton more and more, and they've been spotted in recent years making west Edmonton their night-time hangout in the winter months.
"They generally will gather together in fairly large groups both for protection and for social purposes," Jenkins said. "The corvids, including ravens, are really intelligent birds and they do have pretty strong social structures,"
Alison Normand takes photographs of ravens resting on lettered signs along the walls of West Edmonton Mall. (Travis McEwan/CBC)
Gordon Court, provincial wildlife status biologist for Alberta Environment and Parks, suspects the ravens' heavy presence at West Edmonton Mall is all about food.
"They group together, usually near a large food source. In this case, it's probably the landfill at 170th Street," Court said.
"In winter, they would roost communally and that's probably what they're doing in the West Edmonton Mall area."
He suspects the conspiracy will return in larger numbers every winter as the birds spread the word of a food source.
"The birds used to be constrained to the boreal forest, the Rocky Mountains and foothills but now you can find them right out on the bald prairie. They have expanded their range a great deal and, I believe, in their numbers as well."
On Thursday night, Alison Normand took pictures of the ravens after a bout of holiday shopping.
"I don't think anyone walking below will appreciate it if they get pooped on or anything," Normand noted.
"I think they're |
something sort of obnoxious about filling a restaurant booth or airplane cabin with strawberry-scented vapour just because you can. Thankfully, vaping shows all the hallmarks of being a fad: in the U.S., the FDA is about to crack down on e-cigarettes and vaping liquids with regulations that some say could kill the industry altogether, and in Canada, numerous municipal and provincial governments are taking steps to crack down on vaping in public places.
Discounting all that, however, vaping for vaping’s sake is entirely pointless.I'm here for fun and recreation. I enjoy the anime and manga and the video games. I really like visual novels too. I mostly re-blog things I like and post screencaps from VNs I play among other things.
I'm not playing or blogging any visual novels at the moment. If you have a recommendation or a suggestion for one please let me know. I really enjoy blogging about them even if I'm not very good at the whole blogging thing and I haven't done anything in a while. If you're gonna follow me:
1. why
2. blacklist the tag #just me whining as that's what I tag all my annoying, embarrassing, whiny vent posts under and nobody wants to see that shit.
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FollowingDonald Trump left a big impression on the Conservative Political Action Conference last year without even showing up.
He was cruising to the Republican presidential nomination at the time, but backed out of the annual confab the day before he was scheduled to speak amid rumors of a planned revolt over his appearance.
Trump is back on the schedule at this year's CPAC, which kicks off Wednesday afternoon outside Washington. And while the conference will have a decidedly Trumpian feel, the fissures on the right that were exposed by his campaign are still very much in place.
The lineup is highlighted by Trump's allies both in the White House and the media -- and, of course, the president himself, who is scheduled to address the conference on Friday.
Steve Bannon, the former chairman of Breitbart News who now serves as one of Trump's top advisers, will appear on a panel Thursday with White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, which sponsors CPAC.
Related: Lou Dobbs is making his ratings great again
Several other staffers from Breitbart, whose adoring headlines and fawning coverage of Trump have prompted some to call it a de facto propaganda arm of the White House, are also on tap to speak. So are Sean Hannity and Lou Dobbs, hosts at Fox News and Fox Business respectively, who have been among Trump's biggest media boosters.
But much like a year ago, CPAC may be most remembered for who isn't there.
Related: Milo Yiannopoulos resigns from Breitbart
Milo Yiannopoulos, the right-wing commentator, had his invitation rescinded after the release of video clips in which he appeared to speak sympathetically about sex between "younger boys and older men."
The controversy also cost him a book deal with Simon & Schuster and his job as tech editor at Breitbart.
Yiannopoulos maintains the clips were deceptively edited. But even before they were released, the decision to include him at CPAC had set off an uproar among prominent conservative commentators.
Schlapp faced intense criticism on Twitter, perhaps most notably from National Review senior editor Jonah Goldberg.
In an email to CNNMoney earlier this week, Goldberg said that Yiannopoulos' association with the alt-right, a movement animated by white nationalism and anti-Semitism, "should be the only red flag CPAC needs."
Related: Limbaugh on the news media: 'They're enemies of Trump'
The controversy over Yiannopoulos served as a reminder that many establishment conservatives still refuse to accept the alt-right, despite the makeup of the current administration. (Bannon once called Breitbart "the platform for the alt-right.")
Ned Ryun, a board member for the American Conservative Union, vehemently objected to Yiannopoulos' invitation to CPAC.
"We disinvited him over pedophilia," Ryun told Politico. "The debate I wanted to have, and which Schlapp didn't want to have, is why are we inviting somebody who calls himself a fellow traveler of the alt-right?"
Goldberg speculated that CPAC "is a creature of Donald Trump, Breitbart, Bannon," as well as Robert Mercer, the hedge-fund billionaire who has been a benefactor to Breitbart.
"Another possible motive is that it's good box office in the same way the Ann Coulter show is," Goldberg said. "I think that's terribly misguided and represents very bad stewardship of the conservative brand. But it's the kind of mistake you'd expect when Conservatism Inc. becomes more important than conservatism."
Related: Carl Bernstein: Trump's attacks on the press'more treacherous' than Nixon's
Trump was ridiculed by conservatives and his GOP rivals when he pulled out of CPAC last year, following reports that activists were planning a walkout during his speech.
"I think someone told him Megyn Kelly was going to be here," Senator Ted Cruz joked at the conference, referring to the former Fox News host who drew Trump's ire on the campaign trail.
Schlapp called Trump's decision to pull out a "whiff," "a mistake," and a "missed opportunity." And CPAC's official Twitter account said Trump's decision "sends a clear message to conservatives."
But despite the residual divisions from the GOP primary, Trump enjoys widespread support among his party's voters. The most recent CNN/ORC poll showed his approval rating at 90% among Republicans.
Schlapp said that he expects Trump to receive a warm reception at CPAC this year. During an appearance Wednesday morning on CNN, Schlapp said it was a "great honor" to have the president at the conference.
"I think he's making quite a statement -- a statement of respect -- to the conservative movement, which is the heart and soul of the Republican movement," he said.Nearly three months after Homeland Security raided his company’s offices in Manhattan, arresting him and six others, the CEO of rentboy.com is finally breaking his silence.
Jeffrey Hurant and six of his employees were arrested and charged in late August with operating what attorney Kelly Currie called an “internet brothel.” If convicted, they each face a maximum of five years behind bars and fines up to $250,000.
Related: RentBoy CEO And Six Others Arrested In Prostitution Ring Bust
Since the raid, Hurant has been laying low. Until now. He just posted a desperate message on both Rentboy.com’s official Facebook page and his own his personal page, as well.
The message reads:
I realize that I have been very quiet on Facebook since my arrest on August 25th. I have been advised by legal counsel not to make any public statements about the case. As any of you who know me can guess, this hasn’t been easy for me. This ordeal has been devastating for me, my family, my ex-employees and all the people my company has helped through the years. I am very grateful for all the support I have gotten from friends far and wide throughout the crisis. I count my blessings every day. The brilliant team at Sher Tremonte, LLP has been working tirelessly preparing my defense. Even though I have not been proven guilty of committing any crime, the government has seized all the assets that I can use to defend myself, so I am here asking for your financial help to insure that this case has the best legal minds working on it. Please consider donating to the http://www.rentboyfund.org/ Legal Defense Fund.
Hurant’s statement comes just days after Rentboy.com published a post on Craigslist advertising an office liquidation sale, in which the company is selling everything from furniture to office equipment to Rentboy.com memorabilia in an effort to raise money to pay for its mounting legal fees.
So far the company appears to have raised a little over $5,000 of a needed $250,000.
Related: Here’s Your Chance To Own A Piece Of Rentboy.com
h/t: Gay Star NewsIn a speech that contradicted numerous public statements, President Donald Trump praised the rulers of Saudi Arabia and other gulf state autocracies for fighting Islamic terrorism in his first foreign trip as president. Despite irrefutable evidence (that he himself previously referenced) that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the primary source of support for Sunni jihadist terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS, Trump celebrated the Saudi government’s commitment to combating Islamic extremism.
Beyond support for terrorism, Trump had slammed Saudi Arabia in the past for wanting to “enslave women and kill gays.” But, in another reversal, Trump characterized the country as a wonderful place to live, saying, “I have always heard about the splendor of your country and the kindness of your people, but words do not do justice to the grandeur of this sacred place.”
While some of the complete rhetorical flip-flops could arguably be attributed to diplomatic niceties, the actual substance of President Trump’s speech addressing the Islamic world was both absurd and dangerous.
Trump not only praised one of Al Qaeda and ISIS’ chief backers as a leader in the fight against Islamic extremism, he essentially blamed Iran and Shiite Islam for the instability in the Middle East. He even praised the government of Bahrain whose Sunni minority government has been engaging in a brutal crackdown of the Shiite majority post-Arab Spring.
His condemnation of Iran as an authoritarian regime was particularly hollow, given the audience was made up of autocrats working to suppress domestic democratic movements and Iran had successfully conducted an election two days earlier. While it was by no means an open or substantially fair process, the Iranian people did get to offer a limited voice in deciding their future—an influence not granted in the slightest by the other governments represented in the room, especially the Saudis who rule under literal feudalism.
Putting aside the hypocrisy of the moral claims, President Trump blew a major opportunity to address one of the leading causes of Sunni jihadist extremism today: the export of Wahhabist/Salafist ideology by the Saudis to the rest of the world. That poison helped inspire both Al Qaeda and ISIS as well as the wealthy gulf state officials who fund them.
Rather than confront the roots of the terrorism that has savaged the U.S. and Europe, Trump praised its benefactors and took a side in a sectarian war that continues to rip apart the Middle East. The position is fundamentally counterproductive if your primary concern is American security.
The strategy is not good for America, but it is good for Saudi Arabia and Israel. Trump’s first foreign trip included a visit to Israel and the Vatican as well as Saudi Arabia. According to Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, he spoke with Trump about his proposal for a “right wing peace” across the region, which relies on the Sunni gulf states allying with Israel against Shiite Iran and its allies, such as the government of Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
President Trump ran on getting the United States out of the Middle East and away from stupid wars. But his actions and rhetoric so far as president indicate he is ready to double-down on dumb.Why Harry Potter Should Have Carried A 1911
Ok, this has been driving me crazy for seven movies now, and I know you’re going to roll your eyes, but hear me out: Harry Potter should have carried a 1911.
Here’s why:
Think about how quickly the entire WWWIII (Wizarding-World War III) would have ended if all of the good guys had simply armed up with good ol’ American hot lead.
Basilisk? Let’s see how tough it is when you shoot it with a.470 Nitro Express. Worried about its Medusa-gaze? Wear night vision goggles. The image is light-amplified and re-transmitted to your eyes. You aren’t looking at it–you’re looking at a picture of it.
Imagine how epic the first movie would be if Harry had put a breeching charge on the bathroom wall, flash-banged the hole, and then went in wearing NVGs and a Kevlar-weave stab-vest, carrying a SPAS-12.
And have you noticed that only Europe seems to a problem with Deatheaters? Maybe it’s because Americans have spent the last 200 years shooting deer, playing GTA: Vice City, and keeping an eye out for black helicopters over their compounds. Meanwhile, Brits have been cutting their steaks with spoons. Remember: gun-control means that Voldemort wins. God made wizards and God made muggles, but Samuel Colt made them equal.
Now I know what you’re going to say: “But a wizard could just disarm someone with a gun!” Yeah, well they can also disarm someone with a wand (as they do many times throughout the books/movies). But which is faster: saying a spell or pulling a trigger?
Avada Kedavra, meet Avtomat Kalashnikova.
Imagine Harry out in the woods, wearing his invisibility cloak, carrying a.50bmg Barrett, turning Deatheaters into pink mist, scratching a lightning bolt into his rifle stock for each kill. I don’t think Madam Pomfrey has any spells that can scrape your brains off of the trees and put you back together after something like that. Voldemort’s wand may be 13.5 inches with a Phoenix-feather core, but Harry’s would be 0.50 inches with a tungsten core. Let’s see Voldy wave his at 3,000 feet per second. Better hope you have some Essence of Dittany for that sucking chest wound.
I can see it now…Voldemort roaring with evil laughter and boasting to Harry that he can’t be killed, since he is protected by seven Horcruxes, only to have Harry give a crooked grin, flick his cigarette butt away, and deliver what would easily be the best one-liner in the entire series:
“Well then I guess it’s a good thing my 1911 holds 7+1.”
And that is why Harry Potter should have carried a 1911.
Author: Whind Soull
PS. Click the picture at the top of the post to see Harry Potter shoot Voldemort.White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday defended the Trump administration’s diversity amid the departure of aide Omarosa Manigault Newman, one of the most visible African-Americans in the White House.
Sanders said the White House has a diverse team across all departments, but couldn’t say how many senior officials are black.
"We have a really diverse team across the board at the White House,” Sanders told reporters at the daily press briefing.
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"We always want to continue to grow the diversity here. Something that we strive for everyday is to add and grow to be more diverse and more representative of the country at-large and we’re going to continue to do that.”
Only one Cabinet member, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson Benjamin (Ben) Solomon CarsonPuerto Rico governor, White House clash over meeting Puerto Rico governor says Trump won't meet to discuss hurricane relief The Hill's Morning Report - Can Bernie recapture 2016 magic? MORE, is black.
When asked who will fill the role of African-American outreach, Sanders said there will be a “number of people” involved in that process. She also noted that there are people inside and outside of the White House who have already been part of those efforts.
“This wasn’t something that was a singular effort by any one individual,” Huckabee Sanders said, specifically pointing to Trump's work with Carson and Sen. Tim Scott Timothy (Tim) Eugene ScottSenate reignites blue slip war over Trump court picks Senate approves border bill that prevents shutdown Senate passes bill to make lynching a federal crime MORE (R-S.C.).
“I know [Trump] wants to continue those conversations as well to look at the best ways to do that and to do outreach to that community.”
Sanders also backed up the White House’s statement that Manigault Newman resigned from her position and was not fired, despite reports that she left cursing and screaming after being given her walking papers by chief of staff John Kelly John Francis KellyMORE.
“As I said, Omarosa resigned from her position. I’m not going to go into a detailed process further than that. I’m not going to get into the weeds of a personnel decision,” she said.
Manigault Newman has denied reports that she had to be escorted off of White House grounds, but said Thursday she has "quite a story to tell" about her tenure.
"I'm not going to expand on it because I still have to go back and work with these individuals, but when I have a chance to tell my story, Michael, quite a story to tell as the only African-American woman in this White House as a senior staff and assistant to the president, I have seen things that made me uncomfortable, that have upset me, that have affected me deeply and emotionally, that has affected my community and my people. And when I can tell my story, it is a profound story that I know the world will want to hear," she told Michael Strahan on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Jordan Fabian contributed.New month and a new update! Version 3.5 include balance changes, bugfixes and some small additions.. but above all, toilets! I also want to wish you all a happy new year, and I hope to see you around in 2016!
Posted by trancemaster_1988 on Dec 29th, 2015
New month and a new update! Version 3.5 is a minor update, including balance changes, bugfixes and some small additions.. but above all, toilets! I also want to wish you all a Happy New Year, and I hope to see you around in 2016!
Vanilla Fixes
* Trueflame, Odd Dwemer Weapon and Barilzar's Mazed Band enchantment values have been set to 0 so that the player doesn't accidentely enchant these, and break quests.
* All items/containers inside the Dagoth Ur Facility were owned by by Asha-Ammu Kutebani and Bodean for no apparent reason.
* Removed a big root in Sethan's Tradehouse which was partially floating in the air, revealing an open part of the mesh.
* 'Warchief Durgoc' should be 'Warchief Durgok'. ID's relating to him use k, such as his shield.
* The entrance to Uulernil's House, Pelagiad, was not properly connected to the house.
* Removed extra spaces from the message in the script "DoorBarricaded".
* Orrent Geontene, Ald'ruhn Guild of Mages, didn't wear any shoes.
* You can now rent a room at Sethan's Tradehouse, Tel Branora.
* Added missing "gloveScript" to Bal Molagmer Left Glove.
* Bormir, an archer, had no arrows.
Morrowind Rebirth Fixes
* Some creatures had too much magica, making them cast only curses during during battle.
* Hunger Summon didn't have the same stats as the regular Hunger.
* Andus Tradehouse, Maar Gan, will no longer be locked at nights.
* Renamed a few keys to fit the new naming scheme "Key to..".
* The entrance to Kunirai was partially blocked by terrain.
* Fixed messed up ceiling in Irgola's Pawnshop, Caldera.
* Fixed broken pathgrids in Hla Oad.
* Landscape fixes and improvements.
* Fixed typos in books/notes.
Morrowind Rebirth Changes
* Tralin Indalas, Morag Tong HQ (Vivec), now offers various tools of assasination such as throwing stars, throwing knives and darts.
* Clendil, Balmora, will no longer sell/buy armor.
Morrowind Rebirth Additions
* Various settlements (not all of them, yet) have been granted TOILETS! Yes, it's true. Use them well, outlander.
* Made some astethical changes to Dagon Fel. Hint: Dwemer ruins.
Balancing
Weapons/Armor
* Reduced the weight of Longswords by 2 units. This change gives a more'realistic' space between Longswords and Claymores.
* Stormblade value from 130 to 450
* Icebreaker value from 100 to 475
* Icicle value from 220 to 625
* Fireblade from 125 to 275
Spells
* Fortify Attribute/Health/Magica/Fatigue spells are now somewhat cheaper to cast.
* Disintegrate weapon magnitude changed from 50-50 to 30-30.
* Disintegrate Armor magnitude changed from 50-50 to 30-30.
* Daedric Bite magnitude from 50-50 to 40-40.
* Vivec's Wrath:
- Damage health magnitude from 10-20 to 5-15
- Frost damage magnitude from 10-20 to 5-15
- Shock Damage magnitude from 10-20 to 5-15
- Fire damage magnitude from 10-20 to 5-15
Enchantments
* Scroll of Drathis' Soulrot enchantment:
- Poison Damage magnitude from 15-45 for 5 seconds to 5-5 for 5 seconds.
- Paralyze duration from 5 to 4.
* Scroll of Purity of Body enchantment:
- Restore Health/Restore Fatigue magnitude changed from 200-200 to 50-50.
* Scroll of Illnea's Breath enchantment:
- Frost Damage magnitude from 25-50 to 15-30.
- Frost Damage AOE from 10 to 8.
- Paralyze duration from 5 to 3.
* Scroll of Didala's Knack enchantment:
- Charm magnitude from 0-25 to 5-25.
* Freezing Touch enchantment magnitude from 1-25 to 1-15.
* Chocking Touch enchantment magnitude from 1-25 to 1-15.
- Now matches "Burning Touch" enchantment.
Creatures
* 'hunger_fghl' didn't have the same spells/abilities as other Hungers. It was also much weaker, which is kinda odd since it carries the "Sarano Ebony Helm".
* Dagoth Ur health from 1400 to 1600 (1000 in vanilla).
* Shalk Firebite magnitude from 2-6 to 4-8.
* Hunger health from 160 to 180.
Misc
* Milyn Faram's Scroll (Summon Deadroth) value from 300 to 350.
* Scroll of Summon Frost Atronach value from 350 to 300.
* Scroll of Ekash's Lock Splitter value from 500 to 375.
* Scroll of Supreme Domination value from 1000 to 450.
* Scroll of Greater Domination value from 750 to 300.
* Scroll of Lesser Domination value from 500 to 150.
* Scroll of the Hidden Killer value from 1000 to 750.
* Scroll of Windwalker value from 1500 to 1000.
Other changes
* Removed edits to the game setting 'fpickpocketmult'. Use the MCP (Morrowind Code Patch) 'pickpocket fix' instead.
* New readme for 'Morrowind Rebirth - Racial Diversity 1.5'. Thanks to 'tkm625'!
Enjoy, and Happy New Year!Oops.
The Republican Party of Texas on Monday deleted a tweet that appeared to praise Hillary Clinton for "how she handles tough situations."
The tweet came in response to one from the Clinton campaign that said, "Just imagine Donald Trump in the Oval Office facing a real crisis. We can’t afford that kind of risk."
The Texas GOP account then posted the famous Pete Souza photo of Clinton, President Barack Obama and other top officials in the Situation Room during the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden and said, "No need to imagine #Hillary facing a real crisis…we know how she handles tough situations."
The tweet was deleted, but not before it was mocked online and The Dallas Morning News’ Tom Benning took a screenshot of it.
The Republican Party of Texas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.• A daily summary of global reports on security issues.
Just days after a mass jailbreak saw an estimated 500 convicts escape from Iraqi prisons, militants at an improvised checkpoint last night killed 14 Shiite truck drivers outside of Baghdad, underscoring the rapid deterioration of security in Iraq.
According to the Associated Press, the attackers created a police diversion by first firing on a nearby military base and communications tower before stopping the convoy of Shiite truck drivers. The gunmen stole the drivers’ vehicles, reports Agence France-Presse.
"Militants blocked their way near Sulaiman Pek, checked their IDs and executed them by shooting them in the heads and chest," Talib Mohammed, the mayor of the town near where the attack took place, told Reuters by phone.
Reuters reports that sectarian violence has been on the rise in Iraq:
Sunni Islamist militants have been regaining momentum in their insurgency against the Shi'ite-led government in recent months, invigorated by the civil war in neighboring Syria, which has inflamed sectarian tensions in Iraq and the wider region.
Last month The Christian Science Monitor’s Dan Murphy wrote about violence in Iraq and how it stacked up against other conflicts around the globe. He noted that Iraq is less violent than it was during the war, but the press “frequently wonders if the country could descend into war again. What if the war never ended?”
May was the most violent month in Iraq since June 2008, with 1,045 people killed. The next most violent month since 2008? This April, with 712 people killed. Death has stalked Iraqis in the form of car bombs on mosques and markets, assassinations of political figures, and organized massacres of security forces, prompting many to wonder if Iraq could plunge back into another sectarian civil war like the one that raged in the middle of the last decade, and claimed over 3,000 lives a month at its height. "Systemic violence is ready to explode at any moment if all Iraqi leaders do not engage immediately to pull the country out of this mayhem," UN special representative to Iraq, Martin Kobler, said earlier this month.
The website Iraq Body Count, which gathers statistics on confirmed deaths from violence in Iraq, reports a civilian death count of 759 so far for the month of July. That makes it on track to be one of the deadliest months this year, and since 2008.
Attacks have not only escalated in recent months, but they have also become “more audacious,” reports a separate AP story. The prison break on Sunday, carried out by the Al Qaeda-aligned Islamic State in Iraq, put this on full display, emphasizing the success recent attacks have had on destabilizing the government.
“This attack is unlike any other attack when they target a coffee shop or a public market,” Hamid Fadhil, a political science professor at Baghdad University, told The New York Times after the prison attack. “They are targeting the most secured place with big numbers of security forces.”
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“If Al Qaeda can attack a prison, it means they can do whatever they want whenever they want,” lawyer Meluk Abdil Wahab told The Times.
Mr. Murphy from the Monitor wrote in a separate story that the attacks on Abu Ghraib and Taji hold weighty symbolism for Iraqis. Abu Ghraib, for example, served as a pre-execution torture house for mainly political rivals under Saddam Hussein.After Kanye West's mom died suddenly after plastic surgery, the Rage wrote a story about how kids feel about their parents having "work done." The consensus among plastic surgeons was that parents should be honest with their kids about procedures and not hide the fact that they are getting physical overhauls. Now there's a book called "My Beautiful Mommy" written by plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Salzhauer. It's aimed at helping confused kids understand why Mommy got a new nose and higher cheekbones and a smaller butt and a bigger chest and...
Already, the book is being skewered and it looks pretty horrific from the cover. (It would have been a smart choice for a child psychologist to write this book, actually.) But really, after talking to many doctors, it would appear that there is a need for such a book. Set aside your preaching about how parents send out the wrong message when they get Botox and nose jobs. The reality is that plastic surgery figures continue to mushroom -- in the past ten years, the overall number of cosmetic procedures has jumped 457%.
Maybe the next book should be titled: "Mommy Spent My College Money on Lipo."
Photo: bigtentbooks.comMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Martin Raymond: "Everybody misunderstands futurology. It isn't about predicting as such, it's more about analysis of data"
Imagining the future, we naturally think of it as a different place to the one we live in now. It is populated with new technologies, advanced science and perhaps even a more evolved version of humanity.
But who are the architects of this future, whose ideas will shape the coming reality?
It is tempting to characterize them as explorers who, through inspiration or serendipity, uncover that which is currently hidden. This notion is encoded in our language. We talk about a "discovery" or its Latin cousin, "invention".
However, there is an entire profession that takes a different view. For futurologists, or futurists as they often like to abbreviate themselves, there are patterns, rhythms, signs and pointers to the future that can be discerned and measured in the here and now.
"I think there is a false dichotomy between the idea that we can predict the future and the idea that we can't," says Oxford Professor Nick Bostrom, director of the Future of Humanity Institute.
"If you lift a cup of coffee to your mouth and drink from it, you are implicitly predicting that it is not poisoned or you won't burn yourself. From there it is only a matter of degree to predict what the world may be like a thousand years from now or a million years from now.
"There is no sharp point at which things suddenly become unpredictable. It is just a probability distribution."
Futurologists employ a range of sophisticated, and sometimes mind-bogglingly complex techniques to construct their predictions. Cross-impact analysis, real-time Delphis, decision modelling and morphological analysis are the tools of their trade.
And it is a trade. Corporations, governments and those organisations that occupy the space in-between pay big money for their visions of things to come.
Market value
Like any profession, futurism has its own fashions and innovations.
One of the hottest new methodologies is "prediction markets", where participants indicate their confidence or lack thereof in a particular future by buying shares in it - as they might do with stocks or commodities.
The market is supposed to crowd source the collective wisdom of savvy smart folk who have an interest in, and knowledge of, a particular field. The financial imperative will - the theory goes - make them less likely to base predictions on political affiliation, dogma or attention seeking.
Not everyone is convinced. "Prediction markets refer to what they are talking about as collective intelligence, but I say no," says Jerome C Glenn, director of the Millennium Project and author of its annual State of the Future report.
On imagining the future... "Study the past, if you would divine the future." Confucius. "A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds." Mark Twain. "Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature because in her inventions nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous." Leonardo Da Vinci "To have a great idea, have a lot of them." Thomas Edison "I was a peripheral visionary. I could see the future, but only way off to the side." Steven Wright.
Collective Intelligence, he explains, is a system where ideas are shared and repeatedly fed back through groups of specially chosen individuals. They filter, refine and evolve those ideas.
"[In prediction markets] there is no feedback loop. You have to have that and people reacting to the feedback loop to get you to the next step of intelligence," says Mr Glenn.
As prediction markets evolve, their shortcomings are become better understood. One problem is that they do not always attract the great minds needed to make them work.
Markets seeking to predict how American foreign policy will pan out, for example, are not necessarily being traded by White House insiders or Middle East diplomats.
There are also questions about the strength of the financial imperative. In the US, where gambling is largely illegal, many prediction markets effectively play for pretend money - thereby opening them up to random speculation.
Uncertain future
Futurists are also surprisingly reticent to be pinned-down on specifics. They will never say "in ten years time we will all be wearing silver hover boots or using mobile phones with built-in egg whisks".
Image caption Futurists are reluctant to make predictions about specific technologies
Instead they talk in generalities - "the growth of screens", "ubiquity of information" and the "nano revolution".
This is a business of broad trends forecasting. Details will always be left to inventors, politicians or the man on the street to devise.
The electric light bulb, iPhone and flying cars tend to be the sort of thing that we first hear about when someone calls a press conference and whips them out from under a velvet cover.
But however surprised we might be to see their shape, colour or exact functioning, according to the futurists, each has a measurable lineage that can be identified and monitored.
Dr Kalev Leetaru from the University of Illinois has been working to automate that process, mining vast swathes of literature - from books to academic papers to news media.
"In transportation, for example, you are not looking for 'I wish that cars could x'. What you are looking for is more broad," he says.
"When people talk about the world, what are things that they say that are related to transportation. Like an offhand comment: 'I wish grandma could visit more often at Thanksgiving.'
"As you start aggregating those you start seeing that there are perhaps more and more people talking about this notion of having better transportation. Then using that detail we start walking that back and thinking what are the common threads and what might solve what all these people are asking."
Crunching data
Dr Leetaru has already applied his particular brand of analytics - known as Culturomics - to predicting political unrest, showing that many of the events which characterized the Arab Spring, were foreshadowed by months and years of changing "sentiment" in available literature.
Image caption Kalev Leetaru's Culturomics analysis mines published documents to predict trends
For now his work is largely focused on retrospective analysis - or hindsight. But it might one day be applied in real-time to create a foresight system.
As well as the proliferation and tone of writing about particular future concepts, Dr Leetaru believes that it is possible to chart the ascent or descent of future outcomes by looking at how they move from one type of writing to another.
"Are there patterns that you see in science fiction and do you start see those patterns start to flow into the academic literature? In the academic literature, are we seeing some take off or are we seeing people kill that idea? Then do we see it start showing up elsewhere in more popular literature?"
He cites the example of the Star Trek communicator as an early precursor to modern wireless devices. In this case the trajectory moved from science fiction directly to the general public. Over subsequent years, excitement around the idea created a feedback loop of positive sentiment to scientists and corporations, who ultimately produced mobile phones.
The final frontier
Speaking to futurists, it is remarkable how important a role science fiction plays in their work. It is here that the first gem of an idea often appears, decades, sometimes centuries ahead of its time.
Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was essentially an intergalactic iPad, conceived in 1978.
Arthur C. Clarke came up with the idea of a satellite occupying a geostationary orbit in 1945. At the time, such an idea may have seemed fanciful to many.
The author himself once said: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Image caption Did The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy predict Wikipedia, smartphones and tablets?
So great are the potential rewards for spotting ideas early on, that science fiction writers are actively courted by futurists.
Intel's Tomorrow Project draws on the work of writers such as Corey Doctorow, Sonia Orin Lyris and Charles Walbridge to create visions for the future that can inspire the public, and act as goals for engineers.
"Science fiction and science fact have a really lovely relationship where science fiction has fired generations of scientists and generations of scientists have inspired generations of science fiction authors," says Brian David Johnson, a futurist at Intel.
"We are creating these stories, based on science fact with the specific intent of building a better future. It's not just wild speculation. It is wild speculation based upon science with the intention of something we could build."
However, there is a flip side to the notion that the future is not so much discovered, as shaped by the futurists, according to Jerome C. Glenn.
"There is a phrase about colonising the future, if you fill up all the mental space of a people that this is the way things are going to go, you create self fulfilling prophesies that people go in that way," said Mr Glenn.
"There's tremendous discussions about ethics among futurists all the time. We worry about that."
Perhaps Albert Einstein - whose ideas truly did change the world - had the best, and most open minded approach to predicting what lay ahead.
On the subject, he said: "I never think of the future - it comes soon enough."FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky lawmakers want to create two marriage license forms, one designed for gay couples and another for straight couples, in a move critics say harkens back to the “separate but equal” days of the civil rights movement.
One marriage license form would note the “bride” and “groom” and the other form would note “first party” and “second party.” Bill sponsor Republican Sen. Stephen West of Paris said couples, both gay and straight, could use either form.
The bill also removes the name of the county clerk who issued the license and would require couples to note their gender, no matter what form they chose, for the benefit of historians and genealogists who use marriage license records for research purposes.
The proposal cleared a Senate committee Wednesday with bipartisan support.
It comes five months after Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis spent five days in jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that effectively legalized gay marriage nationwide.
Davis did not attend Wednesday’s hearing, although West said he did seek her input when writing the bill.
Former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear changed the marriage license form after the Supreme Court ruling to remove references to “bride” and “groom” and replaced them with “first party |
on Craigslist," the artist says. His most recent "I Pay For You to Play" ad drew 168 respondents in Toronto, ages ranging from nine to 49. For the record-breaking "Hand of God," Chalom employed eight assistants as well as a project manager and a graphic architect.
The finished piece took 400 hours from drawing board to completion.
]
Fortunately for Chalom, the Rubik's Cube mosaic market doesn't offer significant competition; the discipline's only other major players are in France and Japan. Moreover, the market has embraced Chalom. His "Last Supper" sold in the neighborhood of $50,000 to a private collector in Florida. Chalom's many commissions include a likeness of Eva Longoria utilizing more than 800 cubes -- friends gave it to the actor as a gift.
Chalom is currently in discussions with a number of organizations, ranging from museums to casinos, to produce a full reproduction of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, 156-feet long, using more than 250,000 cubes. At the rate he's progressing, it may just be a matter of time until the rest of St. Peter's Square is cubed.Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
This is part of Calgary Flames day at PHT …
If you’re looking beyond the shaky history of Jack Adams winners and going for a more objective approach, it’s not especially easy to break down the impact of a head coach.
Still, we’ve seen examples where a guy really can make a difference. Mike Sullivan is merely the latest to transform a wobbly team into a champion thanks to some deft maneuvers.
What, then, can the Calgary Flames expect from Glen Gulutzan?
Let’s break down some of the factors involved.
Better goalies, more experienced players
As Flames Nation’s Pat Steinberg notes, Gulutzan’s most immediate advantage of fired Flames head coach Bob Hartley is that Calgary made massive improvements in net.
Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson both carry promising numbers into this situation. Elliott’s work with the St. Louis Blues, in particular, strikes you as All-Star-level.
Of course, some will attribute a significant portion of Elliott’s success to being in Ken Hitchcock’s system, so it’s up to Gulutzan to provide a more nurturing atmosphere than the one Flames goalies have experienced in recent years.
Modest improvements
Steinberg delved a little deeper than Gulutzan’s two Dallas Stars teams (2011-12 and 2012-13) missing the playoffs and found that they were a middle-of-the-pack squad from a possession standpoint. Nothing spectacular there, but Gulutzan did improve the Stars from its previous station.
Upon being hired, Gulutzan pointed to experience as much as anything else when explaining how he improved.
(Which makes sense since … the Vancouver Canucks didn’t exactly set the world on fire while he was an assistant.)
Solid match for personnel
“Possession has become a popular word,” Gulutzan said after the Flames chose him. “For me, what possession is, it’s not always having the puck, because you don’t have it all the time. What we want to be is a real connected group here. When I say connected, we want to be connected in fives in all three zones. We want to defend fast, we are going to defend fast. We’re going to utilize the assets that we have here. In defending fast, you want to get the puck back fast, you want to get it out of your end.”
That quote could probably be attributed to a number of new hires. It’s plausible that you could swap out Gulutzan’s name with that of Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar.
Even so, the important thing is that Gulutzan is emphasizing key elements of a modern approach. He’s saying the right things about puck possession and wanting to win the transition game.
When you look at the talent assembled in Calgary, particularly on defense, emphasizing speed almost seems obvious.
From Norris-caliber defenseman Mark Giordano to underrated blueliner T.J. Brodie all the way to the talented guys who could use a boost (Dougie Hamilton especially, perhaps Dennis Wideman as well?), the Flames’ defense seems best suited for an attacking style.
The potential drawback is that Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson could be exposed to some extra “high-danger chances” when an attacking style backfires … but the good might outweigh the bad if Gulutzan’s system can stop the possession bleeding.
Tipping point?
The dream scenario for Calgary is that a series of manageable improvements make for a cumulative jump.
Ideally, Gulutzan’s system combines with in-house improvements to young players with a vastly improved set of goalies to transform the Flames into playoff contenders.
In the limited sample size we’ve seen of Calgary’s new head coach, he doesn’t necessarily strike you as a miracle worker. Instead, he’s lauded for the structure he provides and his ability to communicate.
That might be enough for the Flames, especially if they give Gulutzan some time to work through growing pains.KOCHI: India has the potential to achieve government's ambitious plan to increase its solar power capacity target five-fold to 100GW by 2022, a top executive of Bosch Ltd has said."India has the potential to achieve the government's ambitious target of 100GW of solar power generation in the country by 2022 and Bosch is committed to be a part of this success story," Steffen Berns, president of Bosch India and managing director Bosch Limited, said in a release.On August 18, Bosch had commissioned a 12MW solar power project for Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) which was inaugurated by Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy Commenting on the project, he said the combination of factors, including the company's pan-India presence and understanding of different regions in India helped them to resolve constraints imposed by on-site conditions.The project is the single largest solar project which has been constructed in an airport in India. It is spread over 50 acres.With this, the airport will have 50,000 to 60,000 units of electricity per day to be consumed for all its operational functions, which technically makes the airport "absolutely power neutral", CIAL said, adding, it is the first airport in the world to operate completely on solar power.FRESNO, Calif. — A California family that was not allowed to board a cross-country flight says they believe they were discriminated against because their son has Down syndrome.
Robert Vanderhorst, his wife Joan and 16-year-old son Bede, who is disabled, were booked to fly on an American Airlines flight from Newark to Los Angeles on Sunday when the boy and his parents were not allowed on the plane.
The family from Porterville had upgraded to first class tickets at an airport kiosk, and asked the airline to seat the boy and one of his parents together — a request the airline granted — Vanderhorst said Tuesday.
When the family was ready to board, they were stopped by airline personnel, told their son was a "security risk" and would not be allowed on the flight, he said. The parents protested, and later were rebooked to fly coach with another airline.
American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller said the disabled boy was agitated and running around the gate area prior to boarding, which his parents dispute. The airplane's pilot observed the boy, Miller said, and made the call based on his behavior.
"He was not ready to fly, that was our perspective," Miller said. "We rebooked the family out of concern for the young man's safety and that of other passengers as well."
But Vanderhorst said his son did not run at any time, did not make any loud noises and didn't display any other offensive behaviors. The boy walked around with him or sat quietly in the gate area, Vanderhorst said.
A cell phone video captured by the boy's mother shows Bede sitting and quietly playing with a baseball cap.
Vanderhorst said Bede, a freshman at Granite Hills High School in Porterville, about 70 miles from Fresno, is very charming in contact with other people. The family has flown more than two dozen times with him, without any difficulties.
"Usually my son gets his snack and falls asleep, just like most people," Vanderhorst said. "The problem is this pilot thought my son might not be like most people. He didn't want a disabled person disturbing other passengers in first class."
The family says the pilot might have also been affected by the disabled boy's size — Bede is 5 feet 1 and weighs 160 lbs.
On the second airplane, the family was placed in the last row and no passengers were allowed to sit within two rows of them, Vanderhorst said.
He hoped that airlines would change their mentality when dealing with the disabled.
Follow @starledgerFrom intelligence agency dragnets, to data broker profiling; from the Sony email hacks to hundreds of thousands of credit card details being sold on the Dark Web, recent years have increasingly demonstrated data privacy is everyone's concern.
Yet encryption systems have traditionally been designed by, and for, a tiny, tech-literate niche. The result is that even the threat of personal data piracy has proved largely insufficient to convince the average user to grapple with the administration of public and private keys or the comparative advantages of competing protocols. If data privacy solutions are to play a larger part in our future, more user-friendly design needs to be part of that picture. WIRED and HP reveal ten re-inventors working to bring privacy to the people.
Andy Yen (above)
Co-founder and CEO, ProtonMail
With seven years experience running distributed computing systems for the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (better known as CERN), where the Large Hadron Collider generates 25 petabytes of information a year, Andy Yen knows how to handle data. But when former NSA contractor, Edward Snowden revealed the extent of the intelligence agency's wiretapping in 2013, Yen became concerned most of the public didn't know how to handle their own.
Read next Technology is being re-invented in Europe. These entrepreneurs are leading the charge Technology is being re-invented in Europe. These entrepreneurs are leading the charge
His solution, launched with two other CERN colleagues in May 2014, wraps open source end-to-end encryption in a simple webmail interface, designed to be easy enough for anyone to use; easy enough to see adoption of ProtonMail by over a million users worldwide.
In addition to the cryptographic protection, all data sent through ProtonMail is physically protected by a heavily guarded bunker, buried beneath 1,000 metres of granite, and legally protected by Switzerland's extremely strong privacy laws.
Phil Zimmerman
Co-founder, Silent Circle
Passionate about data privacy before Snowden made it topical, Phil Zimmerman created the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption program in 1991, then made it freely available for download. PGP quickly spread internationally, becoming the most widely-used email encryption software, but its distribution outside the United States saw Zimmerman subjected to a three-year investigation for arms trafficking, under legislation that – at the time – categorised its strong encryption as a munition.
Undeterred, in 2012 he co-founded Swiss secure communications firm, Silent Circle. In addition to the SilentPhone app for encrypted voice, video, and text communications, the company has launched a secure physical smartphone and tablet, which includes chip specially developed with Qualcomm to securely partition their device into multiple independent spaces. This keeps enterprise data separate from personal communications.
Read next Why the humble printer will form the backbone of the office of the future Why the humble printer will form the backbone of the office of the future
Vitalik Buterin
Creator, Ethereum
Earlier this year the total trading volume across bitcoin exchanges hit just shy of a quarter of a billion dollars, but it's not just abstract value being traded. Everything from diamonds and fashion to car and house sharing services can be smart tagged and secured on the blockchain's distributed ledger. Underpinning this is Vitalik Buterin's Ethereum, a distributed computing platform built on top of the blockchain, which supports the creation of self-enforcing peer-to-peer contracts. These contracts allow for the creation of secure autonomous organisations, with no need for either a central executive or external regulator.
The first such decentralised autonomous organisation to be created, a venture capital fund called The DAO, raised $150 million (£120 million) through the sale of Ethereum tokens (called Ether) each of which allows the holder one vote on any decisions the organisation must make.
Establishing a new form of corporate governance is no smooth sailing, however. In June 2016, hackers exploited a vulnerability in the DAO's code to siphon a third of the organisation's funds into a subsidiary account. The situation was resolved a month later, following extended debate and a vote by the DAO's shareholders in favour of a hard fork with the creation of a new blockchain, which reverted to the state prior to the attack.
Read next The Internet of Things has a dark side. Here's how to protect yourself The Internet of Things has a dark side. Here's how to protect yourself
Bart Preneel (above)
Professor of Cryptography, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
The world's oldest Catholic university may seem a strange place to find the frontiers of cryptography. Yet there, in a building nestled amid the woods outside the medieval town of Leuven, Flanders, you'll find Bart Preneel and his Computer Security and Industrial Cryptography Group (COSIC). Over the past 15 years the group has grown into one of the leading research centres for data encryption, with Preneel becoming an outspoken voice for the need to support a citizen's right to privacy, against governmental intelligence services' need for information.
In 2001 the group created the cypher selected for use as the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), now the most widely used encryption method in the world. In addition to creating stronger cyphers, Preneel also spends much of his time showing companies and governments how theirs can be broken.
Luis Iván Cuende (above)
Founder and CEO, Stampery
Read next Cyber defenders, assemble: security experts are teaming up to take down the hackers Cyber defenders, assemble: security experts are teaming up to take down the hackers
Humans may lie, but numbers don't. Which is why Spanish entrepreneur, Luis Iván Cuende wants to replace trust with mathematical formulae. Cuende's platform, Stampery, which raised $600,000 last November, allows any document or artwork to be recorded on the blockchain to provide decentralised proof of authenticity, ownership, integrity and point of creation - without the time or economic costs of physically printed documents and a visit to a human notary. Users simply drag the file to a folder or email it to a personal account and Stampery takes care of the rest.
Pavlov Durov
Founder and CEO, Telegram
They used to call Pavlov Durov 'Russia's Mark Zuckerberg,' for his role as founder of the country's largest social network, VKonkate. Then Durov fled Russia, following the loss of control of VKonkate to Kremlin-backed investors, and from there his trajectory diverged sharply from that of his Californian counterpart.
As Facebook increasingly reached further into the personal data of its users, Durov, with personal experience of the power of the surveillance state, placed himself firmly on the side of the privacy advocates. In 2013 he launched the encrypted messaging app, Telegram. In addition to perfect forward secrecy - ensuring key compromise won't reveal the content of previous communications - Telegram supports self-destructing messages and public key fingerprint verification.
The timing of its launch couldn't have been better, coming just after the Snowden leaks drove increased public interest in data privacy, which saw Telegram's monthly active users hit 100 million earlier this year.
Read next Meet the pioneers keeping hackers out of your home, phone and car Meet the pioneers keeping hackers out of your home, phone and car
Susanne Tarkowski Tempelhof (above)
Founder and CEO, Bitnation
Seven years working as a public relations contractor to the US military in Libya and Afghanistan, assisting in both the building and overthrowing of governments left Amsterdam-based Susanne Tarkowski Tempelhof with a deep distrust of centralised authority and a desire to support alternative, autonomous communities. In blockchain she found the solution, a platform with the potential to secure the data not only of autonomous countries, but entire non-geographical self-governing nations. Bitnation, founded in July 2014, supports everything from family contracts like wills and marriages to citizenship documentation through secure, unalterable blockchain records.
Since December 2014 Bitnation has helped powered Estonia's e-residency program, which allows anyone, anywhere in the world to benefit from the country's digital services and run a business under its jurisdiction. The first bitnation notorised contract: a livestreamed wedding between two nomadic Spanish citizens.
Joe McNamee
Executive Director, European Digital Rights
Read next The hidden cyber threat leaving you and your business at risk The hidden cyber threat leaving you and your business at risk
Data privacy is as much an issue of policy as technology, but when public understanding of in is low, governments can find themselves with a worrying amount of leeway on the former. That's where Joe McNamee and Brussels-based advocacy group, European Digital Rights comes in. Formed from ten NGOs in June 2002 the group works to promote and protect digital civil rights from ongoing government encroachment.
Key campaigns have included opposition to the amount of passenger data stored by airlines, in favour of limits on a company's retention of customer's data, and against any compromise to the principle of net neutrality, which mandates all data transferred over the internet must be treated equally by the ISPs.
During the European Parliamentary elections of 2014, EDRi encouraged candidates to sign up to a 10-point Charter of Digital Rights, including commitments to defend data protection and unrestricted access to the Internet, alongside the promotion of online anonymity and encryption.
Jonathan Warren (above)
Creator, Bitmessage
No matter how secure your encryption protocol, any data sent through or stored on a single server is still vulnerable to government data requests and cryptanalysis. New York-based developer, Jonathan Warren's Bitmessage takes privacy to another level by eliminating the centralised server altogether to send communications through the decentralised peer-to-peer network of the blockchain. That not only prevents anyone from easily intercepting even an encrypted form of the message, it also makes the Bitmessage service much more difficult for nations to block access to, or for hackers to take down. While initial users were largely from China, US downloads quintupled following news of NSA snooping.
Leon Schumacher
Co-founder and CEO, pretty Easy privacy
It’s hard to change habits, and the way we communicate is so ingrained that even fears of NSA snooping, commercial data mining, and identity fraud have done little to draw people away from standard email and messaging services. Schumacher’s solution is to bring encryption to people where they are. Switzerland-based pretty Easy privacy is, as the name suggests, an easy message encryption and anonymisation solution that can be simply integrated with all communications providers – from Outlook to Whatsapp – through your desktop and on your smartphone.
While the pEp service is provided on a subscription basis, the encryption engine itself is available open source through the pEp Foundation, which supports free privacy and freedom of information software projects with funding generated by pEp’s commercial operations.
Learn more about how HP is helping to re-invent security.• Villa want a British manager with Premier League experience • Eric Black to take charge of Saturday’s home game against Chelsea
Aston Villa do not expect to announce a managerial replacement for Rémi Garde before the end of the week. The assistant coach Eric Black will attend tomorrow’s press conference before taking training at Bodymoor.
Rémi Garde unable to steer sinking Aston Villa away from the rocks | Paul Wilson Read more
The former Lyon manager Garde left by mutual consent on Tuesday after five months in the job, with Villa 12 points from safety at the foot of the Premier League with seven games remaining. The first of those is Saturday’s early kick-off at home against Chelsea, for which Black will remain in charge.
Villa are believed to want a British manager with Premier League experience but are realistic about the attractiveness of their vacancy when relegation is a virtual certainty.
Nigel Pearson and David Moyes are in the frame and available, though the club recognise an incoming manager’s preference may be to take over in summer, even if that means picking up the pieces and starting afresh in the Championship.
Other available candidates include Garry Monk and Brendan Rodgers, though Hull’s Steve Bruce and Mark Warburton of Rangers are also among names being quoted by bookmakers. Villa accept that anyone presently in charge of a club would be unapproachable until the close season in any case, and privately seem ready to admit it might be too late to appoint a manager on the basis of availability and expect him to guide the club to safety.While looking for potential investors for my website, I decided to research venture capital (VC) firms and see which ones were investing in crowdfunding platforms. Using Crunchbase, a free database of tech companies around the world, I was surprised to find that 230 VCs (firms that invest pools of money) and Angels (individuals who invest their own money) invested in 45 companies for a total of $866 million. Most of that money – nearly 80 percent – went to debt-based crowdfunding sites. The top eight investments were for debt businesses. The remainder went to crowdfunding sites that provide equity or rewards, or raise funds through donations.
Below are all the investors who invested in three or more funding sites sorted by the greatest number of investments. It might indicate that these investors are doing a play on the crowdfunding industry.
Investor Type Businesses Google Ventures VC LendUp,AngelList, CircleUp,OnDeck,upstart, Rally SV Angel VC Rally,CrowdTilt,FundersClub,Kabbage,Naition Builder, Patreon First Round Capital VC On Deck Capital, GiveForward,upstart,Funders Club Union Square Ventures VC KickStarter, CircleUp, lending Club, funding circle Accel Partners VC Lenddo, Funding Circle,Prosper KPCB VC LendUp,AngelList, Upstart,Lending Club Andreessen Horowitz VC LendUp,Nation Builder,Funders Club,CrowdTIlt Omidyar Network VC Lenddo,Nation Builder,Change.org, Prosper QED Investors VC Prosper,LendUp,SoMoLend,AvantCredit Y Combinator Accelerator FundersClub,CrowdTilt,WeFunder,Watsi Khosla Ventures VC Indiegogo,OnDeck,upstart Draper Fisher Jurvetson VC Prosper,AngelList,FundersClub Thomvest Ventures VC LendUp,Kabbage,LendingClub CrunchFund VC AngelList,Crowdtilt,upstart Alexis Ohanian Angel LendUp,CrowdTilt,Patreon Garry Tan Angel LendUp,CrowdTilt,Patreon Naval Ravikant Angel Rally, CrowdTilt, GiveForward
Get the Full Data by clicking below:Hi, all!
This week is Easter! While we don’t have girls in bunny suits like Fire Emblem: Heroes does, we do have a couple of updates from the development team to you!
First off, from the Programming end, Mox has been working on AI, cleaning up some of those nasty bugs. We are cleaning up our code so that when we release the game, we don’t end up with spaghetti code. In addition, nardandas, one of our newer additions, has made enemy characters select-able and highlight-able!
On the visual graphics side, Melvyn has done a lot of work making the range indicators for our skills, and they are looking spiffy.
In addition, we’ve started modelling some chasms and monsters, and might I say, they absolutely rock. Credit to SaxPanther, Melvyn, and TwistedIronPaw, the other of our new recruits, to great work!
Duncan himself has been working on a project that he had shown a couple of weeks earlier, and has progressed quite nicely. I personally hope he places really well for this since those shoulder plates are looking incredible.
That does it for this week’s update! If you have anything else you’d like to ask, please check out our reddit and our discord to reach out to us! You can also feel free to message myself privately on any of my channels as HeroicTechnology.
Cheers~!
AdvertisementsThis is a cross-post by Rob Francis
Sometimes, when you walk through the beautiful streets and alleyways of Sarajevo’s Baščaršija, you might come across a patch of red resin in the concrete underfoot. These are “Sarajevo Roses”; scars in the ground where a mortar shell fired by Bosnian Serbs landed, later filled in with resin to mark the place where lives were lost in the explosion.
In the Old Town, there is a museum dedicated to the horrors of Srebrenica and the Bosnian war. On a large screen, you can see footage of Bosnian Serbs sniping at pedestrians in Sarajevo. The shooters would target one person, then stop firing and wait for someone to come to the victim’s aid. At this point, the snipers would shoot both the original victim and the rescuer dead. Eyewitnesses speak of how they saw parks hit with mortar shells as children played.
You can go to see what is left of the Sarajevo Tunnel; constructed during the siege, it allowed food and humanitarian supplies past the Serbian forces and into the city. As you make your way to the Tunnel Museum from the Old Town, you pass along “Sniper Alley”, where damage to buildings from the war is clearly visible.
The siege of Sarajevo lasted nearly four years and claimed the lives of thousands of people. Visiting Sarajevo, talking to its residents, the history and the horrors of the war are very evident.
It seems unthinkable that anyone could possibly deny what happened. And yet it is depressingly common.
This tweet, nonsense in every aspect, dates back to December last year. The reason this particular one is relevant now is because of this.
Now of course, it’s certainly possible that Jeremy Corbyn has no idea who this man is, or what his opinions on the Bosnian war are. Fine. But it’s certainly worth at least noting three things.
First, that Marcus is certainly a fan of Jeremy’s, and it might be apposite to ask why. Second, Marcus is not the only Corbyn supporter who also happens to deny war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. What draws them to support him? And third, even if Corbyn didn’t know, it’s more than likely that he and Papadopoulos would find common ground on those issues.
The Labour leader signed an EDM retrospectively opposing intervention in Kosovo in 2004, and had little to say on the Bosnian conflict except to argue that the western intervention which ended the conflict was for strategic geopolitical and economic reasons rather than to prevent further massacres. In the run-up to June’s election, Corbyn went so far as to say that Britain had not fought a just war since 1945.
This matters. Denying that Sarajevo was under siege, or that there was genocide at Srebrenica, matters. Not just because it is sick to do so whilst many people in Bosnia saw loved ones die in the war, or live with horrific memories of what happened. Not just because genocide denial is always wrong. But because of why it is done, and because of the implications.
Srebrenica denial is most common amongst anti-western and isolationist ideologues, because to deny or minimise the crimes is the only way for it to fit with their worldview; they believe that western intervention in other countries is always, always wrong, that the west is the source of all conflict in the world, that Britain has not fought a just war since 1945.
Srebrenica, instead, punctures this notion. It shows us that terrible atrocities may sometimes be prevented by taking action; soon after NATO got involved in 1995, a ceasefire took effect and the war was over. Similarly, Kosovo and Sierra Leone are success stories, where lives were saved, where children are even named “Tony Blair”. For this reason, anti-western ideologues must diminish the very real achievements of these interventions, must downplay the Bosnian suffering; the narrative that western interventions can be a force for good must be crushed.
For all of Corbyn’s talk of desiring peace, he has never yet been able to state what he would do about a tyrant with the capacity and determination to slaughter thousands and had no interest in dialogue. If he were being honest, he would say that he would refuse to get involved, and leave innocent people to suffer; that is where his politics leads.
I write this twenty-two years to the day since the Srebrenica atrocities began. It is also one week short of twenty-three years since the Rwandan genocide finished. Those horrible atrocities should have taught us that if we can help, we should do so.
Jeremy Corbyn may one day be Prime Minister; it matters that he thinks the way he does, and associates with the people he does. Sadly, but inevitably, there will be more Slobodan Milosevics and Ratko Mladics in the future. We must be willing to stop them.A mental health charity is organising a flash mob to raise the spirits on the most depressing day of the year.
The Talk Easy Trust, founded by a group of pupils in Croydon and Sutton, is joining up with Mental Health Research UK to raise awareness about depression and seasonal affective disorder on Monday January 20.
Members of the trust will be helping to organise and joining in with a flash mob at Trafalgar Square at 2pm, as well as being available to discuss the idea of Blooming Monday, the most depressing day of the year.
People are also being encouraged to wear bright clothing.
Throughout January the Trust is visiting a host of schools in the borough to speak about the importance of mental health.
Aidan McNulty, founder of the Talk Easy Trust, said: “All the rain and debt can really get us down so this is why, for at least one day, we want to brighten things up.
“By wearing bright clothes and taking part in the flash mob you will be raising awareness of depression and seasonal affective disorder so please come along.”
For more information about Blooming Monday email Matt Woosnam at talkeasymatt@gmail.com.Napoli manager Rafael Benitez would love to bring Liverpool defender Daniel Agger to Serie A, reports suggest.
This is according to unnamed Italian sources cited by The Daily Express, who suggest that the Italian outfit are plotting to test the Reds' resolve to hold on to Agger with Benitez keen on the possibility of being reunited with the long-serving Dane.
The same source further suggests that Liverpool's apparent interest in defensive duo Marcos Rojo - from Sporting Lisbon - and Schalke's Kyriakos Papadopoulos could hasten Agger's departure from Anfield.
Benitez - who spent six years as Liverpool boss - will know all about Agger of course having first brought him to Merseyside from Danish Superliga outfit Brondby back in 2006.
The 29-year-old centre-back became an established member of the first-team squad under Benitez's reign, with Agger only having lost his regular place in the starting lineup under Brendan Rodgers this season.
While he obviously still boasts a number of impressive defensive qualities, Agger has fallen firmly behind the likes of Martin Skrtel and summer signing Mahmadou Sakho in the pecking order as Liverpool have defied expectations to become favourites to lift the 2013/14 Premier League title.
Just what kind of fee Liverpool may demand for his services is unclear, but there does not appear to be an immediate need to sell with Agger having signed an extension to his contract during the Autumn of 2012.Order Of One – Sonny, an escaped convict, and his unwilling cohort Ross Conroy, stand in the way of the city’s crime lord – Mr. Park and his desire to possess the ultimate Talisman: The Sword of Destiny. Forged from the spear that pierced the side of Jesus on the Cross, the sword gives unspeakable power to whomever touches it. But, in trying to achieve his nefarious goal to use the sword’s power to control everything in his path, Park underestimates the tenacity of Sonny and Ross. Soon the heroic duo are challenged by all of Park’s forces, including his nephew Tommy, the killer trio known as the Three Blind Mice and the beautiful but ruthless and deadly combination of the Sirens, Dynamite and Butterfly. Sonny and Ross have one mission before their luck runs out: to get the sword to The Order for safekeeping. The fate of The Sword, and all who come in contact with it, is in their hands.
I want to start by saying that Order Of One is not really a good movie in most regards. It is however, so ridiculous and stupid, it ends up being quite fun. It has some silly and goofy characters. The fight scenes, while mostly not very good, kind of make up for the lack of solid choreography by being so dumb and crazy (sometimes including bubbles saying the name of the attack in them, ala Adam West Batman), that they are hilarious. Overall, it is a highly entertaining film, despite of, or maybe even because of its flaws. I recommend checking this out, as long as you remember not to take it at face value. If you are a fan of older low-budget action/Kung Fu films, you might have an even better appreciation for this one.
Pandorica – PANDORICA is set in a world that’s plunged into a new dark age where humanity devolves into a vicious, primal state. A trio of youths, Eiren, Ares and Thade, have been selected to take part in the leadership trials of The Varosha Tribe, with the winner claiming the tribe for themselves. They must battle dark and mysterious forces if one of them is to win, but not everyone is worthy of becoming a leader, and the trio soon learn that fighting each other may be the only path to victory.
Pandorica looks amazing. There are sweeping landscape shots, probably done with a drone. Scenes of the characters are also shot really well. It even has an interesting premise. Too bad it mostly fails in execution. The writing is not good. The way plot points come about, and reveals happen, feels really clumsy. For some reason every time the characters curse, they do it in “another language” and it makes no sense. Why do this? If it is to hide the swear, why subtitle it? And if that is a way to hide the swear, what is the in-story reason for them doing it? Is that their tribe’s language? If so why don’t they just always speak it when talking to each other? The acting is mostly around the decent level. The fight and action scenes are really bad. One of the movies it compares itself to in promotional materials is Predator. The only real connection there I can see is a couple characters whose outfits look like a poorly-done cosplay of The Predator. I really don’t recommend this one, unless you are a fan of great camera work. Without that, it is just another good idea with no real substance.
Slasher House – When Red awakens in a prison cell within an old abandoned madhouse, she has no idea how she got there or why. As soon as her cell door opens she quickly discovers that she is not alone. Trapped with the world’s most notorious serial killers, she finds herself caught in a deadly game with no escape as one by one the other “inmates” are released to stalk her as their own prey. Red must now battle impossible enemies as she tries to find her freedom and soon realizes that there is a bigger plan for all this than she first realized. Will this “Final” girl have what it takes? Or will she spend her remaining days in the endless corridors of SLASHER HOUSE!
Slasher House has a mix of good and bad things about it. I like the idea of it, although similar concepts have been done, I felt like this approach at least offered something different. The characters were all different and interesting (although a serial killer clown is kind of cliché at this point), but there weren’t enough of them. They really should have had more killers running around keeping things interesting, because at times this movie dragged. The Demon character (Voiced by Blaze Bayley) also looked really bad, and was more like a goblin or gremlin, than a demon. Overall, it was a decent watch, with some violence and good gore. I’d recommend maybe giving this one a try.Population growth masking Australia's economic weakness: CBA report
Updated
Australians continue to go backwards on many measures of income and wellbeing as high immigration rates see the nation's weak economic growth split between more people.
A report by Commonwealth Bank senior economist Gareth Aird has found that Australia's high immigration intake is papering over economic weakness in headline figures, but when you break down those numbers per person a bleaker picture is revealed.
"Per capita measures of the economy suggest that growth in living standards has stagnated and for some sections of the resident population, in particular younger people, it has gone backwards," he wrote.
This weakness is reflected in many aspects of living standards: from stubbornly high underemployment and weak wages growth to surging home prices and debt, as well as an increase in urban congestion.
Mr Aird pointed out that Australia has one of the highest population growth rates among developed economies, more than half of which is due to net immigration.
However, while this makes Australia's headline economic growth rate look reasonable, on a per capita basis GDP growth has been trending downward since the recovery from Australia's last recession in the early 1990s.
This in turn has seen the Bureau of Statistics' key measure of household living standards - real net national income per capita - essentially flatline since the global financial crisis.
While there has been a recent modest uptick, it has been driven mainly by the rebound in commodity prices, much of which Mr Aird expects to reverse.
It has also gone almost exclusively to corporations through higher profits, while the share of national income going to workers has fallen to record lows.
Growing reserve army of labour
Mr Aird said this is largely due to near-record rates of underemployment that, when combined with stubbornly high unemployment, left a large pool of people competing for available jobs.
"If the economy is not generating enough jobs to cover the lift in the population then labour market slack will increase which keeps a lid on wages growth regardless of the rate of productivity growth," he noted.
"This has been the case in Australia since the mining boom ended."
So much so that Australian workers are in the worst bargaining position they have been in since the last recession, according to Mr Aird.
"Since mid-2010, wages growth has eased and is currently running at its lowest annual rate since the 1990s recession."
The Bureau of Statistics wage price index (WPI) was growing at an annual pace of just 1.9 per cent at the end of March and average weekly earnings (AWE) had |
Blood and Sand"
Episodes to air June 22, 29 and July 6, 13, 20
June 22 9pm The Red Serpent
10pm Sacramentum Gladiatorum
11pm Legends
June 29 9pm The Thing In The Pit
10pm Shadow Games
11pm Delicate Things
July 6 9pm Great And Unfortunate Things
10pm Mark Of The Brotherhood
11pm Whore
July 13 9pm Party Favors
10pm Old Wounds
11pm Revelations
July 20 9pm Kill Them All (Series Finale)
Betrayed by the Romans. Forced into slavery. Reborn as a Gladiator. Torn from his homeland and the woman he loves, Spartacus (Andy Whitfield) is condemned to the brutal world of the arena where blood and death are primetime entertainment. But not all battles are fought upon the sands. Treachery, corruption, and the allure of sensual pleasures will constantly test Spartacus. To survive, he must become more than a man. More than a gladiator. He must become a legend.
"Spartacus: Vengeance"
Episodes to air July 20, 27 and August 3, 10
July 20 10pm Fugitivus
11pm A Place In This World
July 27 9pm The Greater Good
10pm Empty Hands
11pm Libertus
August 3 9pm Chosen Path
10pm Sacramentum
11pm Balance
August 10 9pm Monsters
10pm Wrath Of The Gods (Series Finale)
On the heels of the bloody escape from the House of Batiatus, the gladiator rebellion continues and begins to strike fear into the heart of the Roman Republic. Gaius Claudius Glaber and his Roman troops are sent to Capua to crush the growing band of freed slaves that Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) leads before it can inflict further damage. Spartacus is presented the choice of satisfying his personal need for vengeance against the man that condemned his wife to slavery and eventual death, or making the larger sacrifices necessary to keep his budding army from breaking apart.
The "Spartacus" series is executive produced by Rob Tapert (The Grudge, "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys"), Steven S. DeKnight ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), Sam Raimi (Spider-Man and The Evil Dead), and Joshua Donen (The Quick and the Dead).
About Starz Entertainment
Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie and original programming entertainment service provider operating in the United States. The company offers 17 premium channels including the flagship STARZ(R) and ENCORE(R) brands with approximately 20.1 million and 33.6 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs in total more than 1,000 movies and original series every month across its pay TV channels. Starz Entertainment is recognized as a pay TV leader in providing HD, On Demand, HD On Demand and online advanced services for its STARZ, ENCORE and MOVIEPLEX brands. Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LMCA).
Related Articles View More TV StoriesCross-posted from Burningbird
Update
I weep for humanity, I really do.
Now Snopes has a long posting on this story, as if it's all something so incredibly profound.
The Hill has decided to double-down on it, like it's discovered the holy grail.
And the House Oversight Committee has ordered Reddit to preserve the posts, even though every single one is already preserved on the Wayback Machine.
Every member of these organization's IT departments is laughing their heads off right now. Why?
Because all it was, was a simple question asking how to delete an email address in meta data. The only component of Hillary Clinton's emails that wasn't relevant then, and isn't relevant now.
Earlier
An anonymous Twitter user has cracked a new Clinton email scandal.
Not.
A new story in The Hill about the Clinton emails appeared on my radar today. Evidently the House Oversight Committee is, in all seriousness, investigating a Reddit post.
A deleted Reddit post.
This post was dug up out of the archives by an anonymous Twitter account.
Yeah, a deleted, anonymous Reddit account, dug up by an anonymous Twitter Account. What passes for Deep Throat in the social media age.
The Reddit post is from a person with a handle of stonetear. Our intrepid reporters at The Hill and their little pundit minions have loosely connected the stonetear handle to Paul Combetta.
Paul Who?
Paul Combetta is an IT specialist currently employed by Platte River Networks. He was involved in the maintenance of the Clinton email server when it moved to PRN. He's the guy who told the FBI, "Oh sh.." because he didn't establish a new protocol to only save emails for 60 days, and when he realized it later, deleted the emails.
Remember BleachBit and Trump's acid wash? Yeah, that IT guy.
Anyway, the recovered Reddit post is asking for tech help:
↓ Story continues below ↓ “Hello all- I may be facing a very interesting situation where I need to strip out a VIP’s (VERY VIP) email address from a bunch of archived email that I have both in a live Exchange mailbox, as well as a PST file,” stonetear wrote. “Basically, they don’t want the VIP’s email address exposed to anyone, and want to be able to either strip out or replace the email address in the to/from fields in all of the emails we want to send out. I am not sure if something like this is possible with PowerShell, or exporting all of the emails to MSG and doing find/replaces with a batch processing program of some sort. Does anyone have experience with something like this, and/or suggestions on how this might be accomplished?”
The date on the post is July 23, 2014, the day after the House Benghazi Committee and State reached an agreement on producing Clinton's emails.
All the little tin hats are just having a field day with this. So much so that I hate to burst their bubble.
But I'm going to burst their bubble.
Whether stonetear is Combetta or not, all this post tells us is that an IT person was trying to strip out an email address from a bunch of emails.
Were they Clinton emails? Probably not, but it doesn't matter. I can say this because a) Hillary Clinton was no longer using the email address at the time the emails were turned over, b) Clinton's email address was already known at the time, and c) the Clinton emails published by State all display Clinton's old email address. The email address wasn't stripped.
You strip out an email address because you don't want the public to get access to it. Other than that, there's no reason to do so.
It made absolutely no difference in the Clinton emails.
That isn't to say that our friends at Judicial Watch didn't do their usual misrepresentation of the non-story. Notice the reference to Delete ‘Very VIP’ Emails. No longer deleting email address...emails.
Hillary Clinton’s Network Host Asked Reddit How to Delete ‘Very VIP’ Emails https://t.co/qvvqLgI0gO — Judicial Watch (@JudicialWatch) September 20, 2016
Don't these people have a life?EDMONTON – One person is dead and another is in critical condition following an explosion at an oilsands site in northern Alberta Friday.
The explosion happened inside a building in the compressed gas area at the Nexen Long Lake facility at around 3:20 p.m. as workers were changing out valves on a compressor.
“A hydrocracker on site may have caused the explosion. That’s early indications, of course,” Acting Staff Sgt. Jeremie Landry said Friday night.
RCMP were called to the site, which is about 80 km south of Fort McMurrary, just before 5 p.m.
“Our emergency response plan has been activated and response personnel, including first responders from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, are on site,” Nexen Energy said in a statement Friday evening.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm one fatality and a second person is at (the) hospital. All other personnel are accounted for.”
Brad Grainger, deputy chief of operations with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, said the person sent to hospital suffered severe burns. That person was transferred to the burn centre at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton. He’s in critical condition. His identity isn’t known.
The other person was pronounced dead at the scene.
Nexen said it’s one of the darkest days in its history.
“Every day we strive to send our employees home safe to their families, and yesterday we did not live up to that,” Ron Bailey, Nexen senior vice-president of Canadian operations, said.
From above the site, a section of the building appeared to be extensively damaged because of the blast.
Here is the explosion site at Nexen's Long Lake facility. Half of a building's roof and wall blown off. #ymm pic.twitter.com/7gaGu7HY1S — Reid Fiest (@ReidFiest) January 16, 2016
A large portion of the plant was already not in operation because of a pipeline rupture last July, which resulted in about five million litres of bitumen, sand and produced water being leaked. The break occurred about one kilometre from the Long Lake plant.
Nexen had still been making repairs under the watch of the Alberta energy regulator.
The AER ordered Nexen to suspend operations at 95 of its pipelines, due to “noncompliant activities at Long Lake oilsands operations” to do with pipeline maintenance and monitoring.
In September 2015, the AER allowed Nexen Energy to partially resume operations.
After Friday’s fatal explosion, the Nexen facility was shut down. There is no immediate danger to the neighbouring communities or anyone on site, the company said. Occupational Health and Safety said operations will remain suspended “until it is safe to return to work.”
AER said Monday it was still working to safely shut down the plant, but the cold weather was presenting a challenge since the pipes cannot freeze. AER is working to ensure all regulatory and safety requirements are met. OHS has control of the site.
Landry said at this point there is no reason to believe the explosion was a criminal act.
READ MORE: Nexen’s Fort McMurray pipeline spill one of Canada’s biggest ever
Calgary-based Nexen Energy ULC was acquired by China’s state-owned CNOOC Ltd. more than two years ago.
Long Lake is designed to produce up to 72,000 barrels of bitumen per day.
With files from The Canadian Press.By Marc Morano – Climate Depot Former Vice President Al Gore sounded a defeated tone and lamented the utter failure of the man-made global warming movement during a speech to the Aspen Institute in Colorado on August 4, 2011. Gore used multiple curse words in an emotional speech that revealed his deep frustration and all but conceded defeat to global warming skeptics.
Defeated Gore unleashes: ‘It’s no longer acceptable in mixed company, meaning bipartisan company, to use the goddamn word ‘climate’...we cannot possibly come to an agreement on it’ - August 5, 2011
As Climate Depot has noted, a movement that had Al Gore – one of the most divisive political figures -– as the face of the movement, was bound to fail. And a movement that utilized the scandal ridden United Nations – which is massively distrusted by the American people—as the repository of science, was doomed to fail. The movement Gore helped found, is dying scientifically, politically and economically.For those worried about an increasingly intrusive state, Canada’s Supreme Court has served notice — in one key area at least — that it has no further plans to clip the government’s wings. The top court ruled Wednesday that the so-called security certificate system, under which Ottawa can detain non-citizens and determine their fate before a secret tribunal, is legal and constitutional.
Mohamed Harkat and his wife, Sophie Lamarche Harkat, are escorted by RCMP as they leave the Supreme Court of Canada after it delivered its decision on his case Wednesday. ( Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS )
Since, through an earlier ruling, the Supreme Court had more or less designed the current security certificate system, the 8-0 decision was not surprising. Yet for Mohamed Harkat, an Algerian refugee who has been under some form of detention for 12 of his 19 years in Canada, it was a bitter blow. The justices ruled that a lower court judge acted properly when he found that Harkat is a terrorist sleeper agent who should be deported.
Article Continued Below
The only hope left for the former pizza delivery man is an oblique reference in Wednesday’s decision suggesting that he might be able to challenge any deportation order on the grounds that he faces torture or death in Algeria. “The constitutionality of his deportation in such circumstances is not before us in the present appeal,” Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin wrote. Canada has long had in place a mechanism by which the government can deport foreigners deemed security risks. In the Cold War, it was used against suspected Communist spies. But after 9/11, the system of detaining non-citizens was expanded to give the federal government more leeway. This was part of the dramatic growth in Western countries of what has been called the surveillance state.
Convinced that enemies lurked everywhere, nervous politicians expanded the powers of the country’s security services in order to prevent terror attacks. And indeed, there were plots — including one to set off bombs in downtown Toronto.
Article Continued Below
Interestingly, that so-called Toronto 18 plot was stymied through standard intelligence and police work. Still, the pressure to give the state more surveillance and detention powers continued. Most Canadians didn’t care when these special powers were levelled at non-citizens such as Harkat. There was more dismay when it was revealed that the RCMP had wrongly targeted Canadian citizen Maher Arar, an operation that resulted in his imprisonment and torture in Syria. But now Ottawa is targeting almost everyone. A new bill before the Commons would give telecom and Internet companies carte blanche to voluntarily turn over subscriber information requested by the government for any purpose. Under Bill C-13, the companies would be relieved of any legal or financial liability. The bill is ostensibly aimed at cyberbullying. It comes in the wake of federal privacy commissioner Chantal Bernier’s revelation that federal authorities already routinely ask for — and receive — user data from telecom and Internet companies. In 2011 alone, there were 1.2 million data requests. Bernier has also revealed that federal agencies, including security services, routinely monitor social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Treasury Board President Tony Clement’s implausible explanation is that the government just wants to know how its programs are going over with the public. And we know, thanks to testimony before a Senate committee, that the Communications Security Establishment, which is mandated to eavesdrop on foreigners, routinely collects metadata about Canadians — all without judicial authorization. As Ontario privacy commissioner Ann Cavoukian wrote last year, meta-data snooping is not minor. It can “facilitate the state’s power to instantaneously create a detailed digital profile of the life of anyone swept up.” What does all of this have to do with suspected terrorist Harkat? Think of it this way: The surveillance state always starts out small. It begins by targeting those who have the fewest allies, and then it expands its reach — slowly and carefully — for reasons that always sound plausible. For a while, the courts push back. But they too reach their limits. And then — bingo — suddenly you’re in place you’d never thought you’d be. Thomas Walkom’s column appears Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Read more about:Frank Serpico was the New York Cop who blew the whistle on police corruption, survived an assassination attempt and was played by Al Pacino but whatever happened to the man who would only shoot straight?
#703139 / gettyimages.com
Frank Zinnemann’s 1952 western is rightfully regarded as one of the mightiest, if not the mightiest, of its genre. In the movie, for which he deservedly won an Oscar, Gary Cooper plays Marshal Will Kane, about-to-retire lawman of a drowsy Western town. He wakes up on the day he is due to marry a woman half his age, played by the impossibly beautiful Grace Kelly. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing. Waiting at the station are three outlaws, the sidekicks of convicted murderer Frank Miller. Fresh out of the slammer, Miller is due in on the noon train with only one thing in mind: to take revenge on Kane, the man who sent him to jail.
Kane hastily attempts to enlist the support of his neighbours in standing up to the imminent threat, but no-one wants to know. As the decisive hour approaches, Kane accepts that he has to act and act alone. Not that he doesn’t have his doubts. But overriding those doubts is the darkest understanding of that pre-Socratic maxim: character is destiny. Kane’s head tells him to flee town in the direction of a safe future with his new bride. His heart tells him that failure to act will consign him to a future without self-respect or peace of mind. Therefore he must face his enemies with moral courage his only defence.
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Like Marshal Will Kane, Frank Serpico was a man with an instinctive understanding of the relationship between character and destiny. In 1971, after a decade spent as a scrupulously honest New York cop, after ten years of refusing to go along with the bribes and shake-downs that went with the job, Serpico finally blew the whistle. Losing all patience with the police bureaucracy and political machinations that thwarted his anti-corruption efforts, putting aside all thoughts of personal safety, he became the first officer in the history of the NYPD to not only report entrenched corruption in its ranks but to voluntarily testify about it in court.
Al Pacino, who famously played Serpico in Sidney Lumet’s eponymous 1973 movie, once asked the film’s hero why he chose to go the way he did, why he didn’t just keep quiet or walk away rather than create a world of trouble for himself. “Because,” replied Serpico, if I had just walked away, then who would I be when I listened to Beethoven?” In other words, his character was his destiny. At the decisive moment, Serpico couldn’t get out of his own way. Blowing the whistle at considerable risk to himself was not a matter of choice. Self-interest was never an issue. The only motivating force was to be true to himself in order that he be carried forward independently and unequivocally to test the depth of his conviction and the quality of his moral will, to realise his own human potential, to meet his destiny. Simply, he did the right thing. To do the right thing he needed to keep his own promises.
Twelve months after breaking the so-called “blue wall of silence” and seeing his testimony bring down scores of plainclothes cops and high-ranking police officials, Serpico was shot point-blank in the face during a routine drug raid in a Brooklyn apartment building. The circumstances were ambiguous but it was widely believed that he’d been set up by fellow cops. Serpico recovered but his career as a cop was over. One of his last duties was to collect the gold shield awarded to him by the police commissioner as part of his belated promotion to third-grade detective. At the end of the movie High Noon, following the climactic showdown with the four gunmen, Gary Cooper’s character rides off into the sunset, bitterly throwing his badge into the dirt as he leaves town. Serpico simply threw his badge into a drawer and forgot all about it.
The threat of reprisals meant that he could never feel completely safe wherever he travelled. Occasionally he’d emerge from under the world’s radar to comment on law enforcement issues but, mostly, the second half of his life has been one of silence, exile and a fair amount of cunning. The more invisible he became, so the mythology surrounding him grew exponentially. But Serpico found no solace or rescue in myths, least of all his own. Serpico didn’t believe in personal glory. Serpico refused to buy into his own enigma. Only actions counted.
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As far back as he can remember, Frank Serpico wanted to be a cop. As a young kid growing up in Brooklyn, he was gripped by cop shows on the radio, imagining a future where he would be paid to fight the good fight and uphold the law. He often told the story of how a cop once wandered into his father’s shoe shop for a shine and left without paying. It is said that there is always a moment in someone’s childhood when a door opens and lets the future in. That sounds like Serpico’s door opening. “I didn’t know why it was wrong for the cop to leave without paying,” he’d say, “but I knew it wasn’t right. Something told me it was a dishonest thing to do. My idea of a cop was someone who was even more honest than the average Joe. I knew I was going to be a cop and I knew with equal certainty that I’d be a good, honest one.”
At eighteen he enlisted in the US Army and served two years in Korea. He then worked as a part-time private investigator and as a youth counsellor while attending Brooklyn College. He was sworn in as a NYPD probationary patrolman in September 1959 and started work in plainclothes the following March. From the very beginning he learned that not every cop believed it was incumbent to adhere to a strict code of conduct. Small-time graft was accepted practice. Early into his police career, a fellow cop stuffed an envelope containing $300 into his hand and wandered off. Serpico was faced with the choice of keeping the cash and becoming a part of a corrupt system, or reporting the incident to a superior officer. There was only one option. His sergeant kept the cash for himself. Word quickly got round that Serpico was not like other cops, was not to be trusted. Meanwhile he kept his head down, refusing even to accept the customary free meals offered to cops around Brooklyn. He further alienated his colleagues by growing his hair long, wearing a scruffy beard and dressing like a hippie.
In 1966 he requested a transfer to The Bronx where he was assigned to narcotics. Here, cop corruption was even more rampant. One particularly lucrative enterprise involved prostitutes and bookmakers contributing to the cops’ payroll to stay in business. Serpico’s refusal to accept the grease made him a despised and increasingly ostracised figure in the force.
Serpico was now ploughing a lonely furrow and the stress was beginning to affect his health. Having moved to a bohemian apartment in Greenwich Village with his pet cricket, he kept his occupation secret for fear that neighbours would think he was just another cop on the take. Becoming more and more isolated in the force he feared that he’d become a marked man. His girlfriend of the time later remarked, “The worst thing was watching him to go to work, dreading it. But he couldn’t let go of it either. I guess what he wanted more than anything else was just to be a good cop. You wouldn’t think that’d be so hard.”
He persevered, began to speak up, sharing his concerns with officials at police HQ and with bigwigs at City Hall, only to be bounced between departments, fobbed off with lame excuses. Realising he was getting nowhere fast he teamed up with fellow cop, David Durk, and together they took their story to the New York Times. The ensuing front-page headlines caused a sensation, forcing the resignation of the Police Commissioner and leading to Mayor John Lindsay appointing a special commission to probe police wrongdoing.
Throughout the force is was common knowledge that Serpico was due to testify before a Grand Jury about systematic corruption pay-offs amounting to millions of dollars. In speaking out against fellow police, he was about to violate the holiest of cop codes. If Serpico was expecting to be on the end of intimidation within the force he was not to be disappointed. Reporting for duty one morning, an Irish cop confronted him, pulled out a knife and chillingly remarked, “I ought to cut your tongue out.” Undaunted, Serpico pulled out his automatic, pushed the cop to the floor, pressed the gun to his head and screamed, “Move you motherfucker and I’ll blow your brains out.”
Long before his face got in the way of a bullet during the 1971 drug bust, Serpico must have known that his position in the force was untenable. The aftermath of the shooting simply confirmed it. In his 1973 biography Serpico, Peter Maas described the scenes in the Brooklyn precinct houses as news spread of Serpico’s shooting. “Crudely scrawled notices appeared on bulletin boards sardonically asking for contributions to hire a lawyer to defend ‘the guy who shot Serpico’ and to pay for lessons to teach him to shoot better.”
Serpico was permanently deafened in his left ear by the gunshot and suffered chronic pain from bullet fragments lodged in his brain. While recuperating in hospital he received a number of hostile messages. One note simply read, “Die You Scumbag”. He received a traditional condolence card, amended to read, “With sincere sympathy…that you didn’t get your brains blown out, you rat bastard.” A friendly colleague dropped round and, in attempting to lift Serpico’s spirits, told him that 35 cops had offered to donate blood the night he was shot. “Isn’t that great,” Serpico replied. “Out of 32,000 cops I’ve got a total of 32 friends.”
Questions continued to be asked about police involvement in the shooting of Serpico but no charges were brought and a police investigation found no evidence of a conspiracy. Meanwhile, rumours circulated that the Mafia had put out a contract on his life as a result of a wire tap on a Mob phone picking up the comment that, “the cop with the beard in The Village was gonna be hit.” After twelve years of service, it was time for Serpico to stop being a cop.
He officially retired on 15th June 1972 on a paltry pension of $12,000 and headed straight to Europe. If he had never been heard of again, his reputation might have been confined to New York where his was a household name, a by-word for honest policing. Then Hollywood came calling.
The lead role in Sidney Lumet’s Serpico movie was first offered to Robert Redford, who turned it down. It was next offered to Al Pacino, fresh off the back of The Godfather, who grabbed it and made it one of his most iconic roles. Serpico was lured back from his exile in Europe by the studio that warned him if he wasn’t around to supervise filming, then he wouldn’t be able to complain about the finished movie. Serpico’s stay on the set was brief. “They wanted me to act in the movie,” he later recalled. “They told me it would make things interesting. I said, ‘I’m already interesting. And I’m not an actor, I’m the real thing.’ Then I walked off the set because they were doing a scene I didn't recognise. I asked the director where they got it from and he said, 'It's real, it happened in my life'. I said 'Well, when you're making a movie about your life, you can put it in, but leave it out of mine!' That was it for me. I walked out and never went back.”
Upon release, the movie was an instant critical and commercial success. To his horror, Frank Serpico became an overnight celebrity.
“That side of things was unexpected,” he would say. “Suddenly, wherever I was, people wanted to buy me things. I was recognized all the time. I’d be sitting in a restaurant and strangers would invite me over to join them. But they were more interested in the image than they were in me. I found myself the unwitting victim of people’s fantasies. I'd be talking to someone for a while, when all of a sudden I’d realise they're not really speaking to me, they're speaking to Al Pacino.”
He quickly returned to Europe and remained there for the rest of the 1970s. A large chunk of time was spent in Holland where he settled on a remote farm with his fourth wife. Said to be suffering from post-traumatic stress, his soul disturbed but not destroyed, he lived quietly but comfortably off the royalties from the Serpico biography, movie and short-lived TV spin-off series. In 1974, a reporter chanced upon him in an Amsterdam café where he was sipping on gin. Asked how he passed his time Serpico claimed that his days were mostly spent contrasting animal and human behaviour. His principal concern appeared to be the health of swans in Holland’s polluted canals. For a period he moved to North Wales, founding a spiritual group called The Order Of The Star which reportedly took care of the bulk of his savings.
Following the death of his wife from cancer he returned to the US in 1980, optimistically resolving to live quietly and safely, away from the glare of newspaper headlines. Within the year his cover was broken during a well-publicised paternity battle in which he claimed he’d been used as a sperm-bank and tricked into making a flight attendant pregnant. The courts decided against him and he was ordered to pay child support out of his police pension.
For a number of years he traveled through the US, Canada and Mexico in a small camper van, with only a sheepdog and a pet mouse for company, detaching himself from ordinary life and from fame. Tracked down by one reporter he admitted that he’d sold all his possessions and was mainly interested in learning to play the harmonica and dance the cha-cha-cha. “People think I’m running away from life and that I’m bitter,” he said, “but maybe I have a right to all that.” Asked whether he still feared reprisals from other cops he was evasive, saying only that he was more scared of “being discovered” than “getting whacked”. On other occasions he has made veiled references to episodes of persecution, including being forced by the FBI to flee Switzerland naked in the snow.
In the mid-80s he settled into a small, solar-powered cabin in the woods of Albany, a hundred miles or so from Manhattan. Down the years his interests have grown ever more esoteric. He has dabbled in Eastern philosophy and widely studied alternative medical treatments. For a period he worked as a massage therapist. He’s a keen language student, claiming to be fluent in German, Spanish, French and Italian. He practices meditation and studies African drumming. Having taken lessons at an art school in Massachusetts he is said to be an enthusiastic sculptor. Occasionally he has acted on stage in local theatrical productions.
As the years have flown by, he claims to spend less and less time looking over his shoulder but maintains that his privacy is paramount. In terms of reclusiveness, he’s hardly in the JD Salinger league, even allowing a film crew into his home on one occasion. Then he’s known to make unannounced appearances at public events.
The first of these came in 1997 when he turned up at New York’s City Hall to lend his support for a new independent body that would investigate complaints made by police about corruption in the local department. Sporting a pony-tail and wearing a conservative business suit tucked into cowboy boots, he might have passed for a roadie with Willie Nelson’s touring band. As he began to speak, there was no mistaking that the fire within remained undimmed, that he still had a compulsive need to speak what he saw as the truth.
Sixteen years had passed since Serpico’s retirement and, while crime figures plummeted in New York, the general public perception was that the NYPD had meanwhile evolved into one of the country’s cleanest forces. Serpico had arrived back in town to remind anyone who would listen that police corruption in New York was not exactly a thing of the past. Citing the notorious cases of Brooklyn’s 75th Precinct in 1992 and the so-called “Harlem Dirty 30” in 1994 he argued that, “The mentality today is just the same. It’s OK to be corrupt. Just don’t get caught. We must create an atmosphere where the crooked cop fears the honest cop, and not the other way around. This is not the time to be complacent.”
His warning was nothing if not timely as a new wave of corruption scandals were about to break in the US. There was the late-90s Rampart Scandal in which more than seventy LAPD officers, some of them on the pay-roll of hip-hop mogul Suge Knight, were implicated in serious offences ranging from unprovoked beatings and framing of suspects to bank robbery. In 2003 federal law enforcers uncovered New York’s biggest corruption cases in years, involving a ring of rogue cops who had stolen more than $2m from drug dealers. In 2005, two NYPD detectives were charged with misusing the authority of their badges to become hit men for the mob.
In the past ten years Serpico has avoided the public glare, preferring to put the world to rights via his official blog. In January 2010 he was briefly lured out of the shadows, granting an interview with the New York Times during which he revealed that he had finally started work on his autobiography, provisionally entitled Before I Go. “It’s getting close to the line,” he says, referring to the fact he turns 74 in April, “so I figure I better get busy.” As much as his distant past defines him, it continues to haunt him. “I still have nightmares. I open a door a little bit and it explodes in my face. Or I’m in a jam and I call the police, and guess who shows up? My old cop buddies who hated me.”
To the dirty cops he brought down Serpico will always be a rat. To the rest of us, he’ll always be a hero albeit, like Gary Cooper’s High Noon lawman, a most reluctant sort of hero.
“The only thing I feel I ever accomplished,” Serpico has always maintained, “is that I did what I had to do. To improve the world, all of us must begin with ourselves.”The members of the 2014 Public Accounts Committee (PAC) are refusing to accept responsibility for the difficulties experienced by Angela Kerins.
The former CEO of the Rehab Group claims the line of questioning adopted by the committee during a hearing she attended was beyond its remit.
She wants any mention of her name to be removed from the public record and she’s also claiming damages for the effect it had on her health.
Ms Kerins waited outside the court room this morning as video footage from the PAC hearing on April 10th 2014 was played.
Rehab’s board of directors were asked if she was a “dominant” or “forceful” chief executive before the then Chairman John McGuinness brought proceedings to an end.
Ms Kerins was unable to attend that day because of poor health.
Mr McGuinness finished by declaring “this is taxpayer’s money” and rejecting her claims that a meeting she’d attended the previous month was a witchhunt and a smokescreen to allow members make judgemental statements about her €240,000 salary and other matters she considered to be “wholly private”.
John Rogers, who’s acting for Ms Kerins, said these parting words were delivered in the nature of a ruling and ignored the boundaries of the public spending watchdog.
Last week, the court heard that Ms Kerins was hospitalised following the seven-hour hearing she attended and tried to take her own life 15 days later because she felt it was the only way to end the controversy surrounding the charity group.
Paul Gallagher, senior counsel for the PAC members, began his defence of the action this morning.
He opened by saying his clients are “clearly conscious of and sympathetic to difficulties experienced by Angela Kerins”.
He said they did not intend to make things more difficult for her but added that they did not accept responsibility for her difficulties.CLOSE Pete Dougherty and Aaron Nagler discuss Tuesday's surprisingly long and arduous practice and the troubles at long snapper. USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Green Bay Packers strong safety Morgan Burnett (42) is shown during training camp Friday, August 4, 2017. (Photo: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Thumbs up
There’s a pretty good chance veteran safety Morgan Burnett isn’t going to play much in the exhibition opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night at Lambeau Field. It would be pretty easy for him to throttle it down this week and get himself ready for a long week of practice that follows the Eagles game. But Burnett showed why he garners a lot of respect in the locker room when he drew gasps in the violent one-on-one blocking drill with the running backs. It’s a blitz drill in which the backs have to pick up a linebacker or safety charging through rushing lanes created with the strategic placement of blocking dummies. Burnett took several turns in the drill, but the one that caught everyone’s attention was when he came blasting up the middle and de-cleated running back Devante Mays. Burnett got under Mays’ pads and drove him back several yards, depositing him on his rear end on his way to the quarterback. Jamaal Williams stopped him on his second try, but he clearly set the tone for the rest of the drill.
Thumbs down
Rookie cornerbacks don’t usually have a lot of success in the NFL. There are so many good receivers in the league and the rules favor them so heavily, the transition from college to the NFL can be brutal for a corner. Second-round pick Kevin King is finding out how rough it can be. Since camp started, he has struggled mightily in the one-on-one drills and Tuesday was no different. First, Jeff Janis drove upfield with a quick burst, getting King to bail out quickly, then made a hard stop and caught the ball with a huge cushion between him and King. Next, Davante Adams drove upfield and then flattened inside for a big gain across the middle. King again gave up too much room and couldn’t recover. Randall Cobb followed and used a subtle push-off to gain space on an out route. Finally, Geronimo Allison did the same thing as Adams, breaking off a route into the middle and getting wide open as King failed to recover. “I’ll learn from it, and try not to make the same mistake twice,” King said.
Injury report
Tight end Richard Rodgers left with an unidentified injury and did |
Creek. His high school buddies and his little brother didn't know they were participating in a natural restoration project, either.
Reform
In the wake of Harvey, flooding is understood as an existential threat to this region. As the Cite magazine editorial committee noted: "Three major flooding events in little over two years time, the Memorial Day floods (2015), the Tax Day floods (2016), and now Harvey (2017)" that should only be happening once every century are symptoms of an ongoing crisis.
I began writing this article months before Harvey and the conclusion I had in the works is suddenly far more urgent. Though I have moved to Chicago, it is impossible for me to disconnect from the deluge of friends checking themselves in as safe, the articles proclaiming "catastrophe," the texts and phone calls from friends and family promising me they are OK. The eyes of the world are on the place I will always consider home. And everyone has an opinion.
Journalists, experts, and politicians are keen to draw or deny a causal relationship between Houston's lack of zoning and Harvey's destruction. A voice that breaks through the discordant noise is Mayor Sylvester Turner's, who tweeted, "Zoning wouldn't have changed anything. We would have been a city with zoning that flooded."
It's tempting to overextend the importance of zoning, which is about separating different types of land uses (residential, commercial, industrial), and to equate the lack of zoning with Houston's sprawl. What we lack in zoning inside Houston tends to be made up for with other types of development codes for everything from the number of parking spaces to elevation above the 100-year floodplain.
Danny Samuels, Professor of the Practice at Rice Architecture, observes that "zoning made no difference," but newer houses up to stricter building code weathered the storm far better. In addition, Albert Pope, also at Rice Architecture, and many others have argued that we should not be building in the 100-year floodplain at all, and that vacating this space would open opportunities to organize dense developments around bigger green spaces.
In other words, Houston would do well if it learned from and adapted lessons from its master-planned fringes.
The Woodlands, Springwoods Village and Cross Creek Ranch appear to be doing well, on the whole, considering the magnitude of the storm. The Woodlands had water on its streets during Harvey, and 220 people had to be rescued, or 0.2 percent of the total population, according to Steffy's report in the Chronicle, with "the hardest-hit areas border[ing] Spring Creek."
Nearby, Springwoods Village volunteered themselves and their resources for afflicted Houstonians. About five houses flooded in the Audubon Grove section, according to two sources. The Kinder Institute tool showing where buildings are expected to have flooded marks a few properties in that section of Springwoods Village along Spring Creek.
I checked in with Christian about his family and neighbors in Cross Creek Ranch; he said they are "really lucky... no one got flooding in their house." The systems the architects put in place appear to have performed the way they were designed to. They captured water and absorbed it as quickly as possible.
While these master-planned communities received Harvey well, they are not the solution to Houston's flooding problem. Even if a single well-designed development manages to hold more floodwaters than before it was built, all the energy and infrastructure required to service it is not sustainable in terms of maintenance costs, carbon emissions or any other measures. Think of the billions of dollars spent on new and widened highways like the Grand Parkway. They are still suburbs and lack the diversity of uses, people and building types that make cities thrive over time.
Neither the landscape architect, Asakura, nor the engineer, Bedient, expect Houston to be retrofitted along the lines of The Woodlands after decades of unconstrained development. But these case studies in sustainably designing Houston's native ecosystems is evidence that the city can do better. That we don't have to combat nature, but can design with nature. That we must do better for more than just the folks who can afford a quarter-acre plot of land in a refurbished prairie or the 385-acre ExxonMobil campus in former greenfields. With the stormwaters receded, it's time for those who can plan for reconstruction to do so immediately.
My favorite issue of Cite was published in Fall 1997, when I was just 2 years old — Cite 39: Texas Places. The magazine opens with an interview of a personal hero of mine, Larry McMurtry, who is best known for his novel "Lonesome Dove," which, for so long, I read as a tragic romantic comedy about Texas' Wild West glory days.
The interview reveals otherwise. McMurtry calls his work "a critique of... the myth of the cowboy" and expansion to the West "a failure because of the destruction of the environment, the landscape and the indigenous population." In the myth's wake are ghost towns squelched of any optimism that settled the damned place.
It is unsurprising that McMurtry sets many of his novels and movies in Houston. Like the western plains of Texas, Houston "never really has been controlled... it's always been fairly wide open, filled with graft and corruption." Correlations between Houston's unconstrained development and that of the Wild West have been made for as long as it's been heralded as America's largest unzoned city. But this relationship is often used as justification for continued expansion. Our Manifest Destiny.
For so many years, development patterns in Houston have approached nature as an adversary, laying ever more concrete and exploiting its flat surface, ever chasing the bottom line. Perhaps Harvey has exacted extreme enough damage for us to take what has worked in a few parks and neighborhoods here and there and scale up working with nature.
Geneva Vest is a graduate of Rice University and a writer living in Chicago. This article originally appeared on OffCite, a publication of the Rice Design Alliance, a community engagement program of Rice Architecture.
Bookmark Gray Matters. Everyone has an opinion.The most devastating reproach historians are likely to make to Barack Obama’s record in the White House is his devastating failure in foreign policy — a failure that stems from his willingness to leave the warrior ideologues of the State and Defense Departments in place after he became president.
To them he added ideologues of a new and equally interventionist persuasion, which he found congenial: that of humanitarian action, scarcely relevant in resisting the Islamic caliphate that emerged as a major force in the concluding half of his second term. By then he also faced a Republican congressional majority distinguished by its ignorance — worse than his own in foreign policy matters — and its vindictiveness.
He arrived in office to a military leadership lacking a political strategy to shape its tactics in the Middle East and Afghanistan. When he asked for options and political counsel on ending the Mideast wars — as he had promised the electorate — he was insolently given settled plans by the generals for prosecuting the wars to victory.
Iraq in fact was eventually abandoned in a condition of political wreckage and sectarian conflict, and Kabul’s leaders have convinced the United States to remain in Afghanistan to prevent the same outcome, which we may fear will nonetheless eventually arrive.
He and the military leadership insisted on a useless and destructive intervention in Libya, with devastating consequences throughout northeastern Africa, and in the Syrian civil war they searched in vain for “moderate” rebel allies to overturn Bashar Assad. Obama would later rue the lack of Assad’s cooperation when the forces of the Islamic State group arrived. With respect to Israel, Obama accepted complaisantly — until one week ago — the defiance and disdain of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He left dealings with Europe, and with the U.S.’ most important and dangerous interlocutor, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, under the controlling influence of a neoconservative cabal in the State Department, committed to reckless policies of American and NATO expansion in Northern Europe.
However, if Obama is to be blamed for these errors, it is also true that his policies have reflected a consensus in the U.S. governing class and popular opinion alike that America must always be “first.” This has been the guiding presupposition of the nation and its elite, the majority of its foreign policy intellectuals and its mainstream newspapers and other makers of opinion.
The invasion of Afghanistan, the search in Iraq for the weapons of mass destruction that “had” to be there, the destruction of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, and disbanding of Iraq’s Ba’ath Party, army and the existing Sunni apparatus of Iraq’s government — all were welcomed by most of the American policy community.
But history’s judgment of Obama’s foreign policy will likely hang on the outcome of the American-backed coup in Kiev in February 2014. It was intended to bring about Ukraine’s eventual adhesion to the European Union and ultimately to NATO (despite earlier U.S. assurances to the contrary).
The cease-fire between Ukrainian forces and Russian insurgents that precariously prevails today was brought about by Franco-German diplomatic intervention to pre-empt declared American intentions to supply Ukraine with heavy weapons to expand the war against the insurgents.
The circumstances surrounding the instigation of this crisis have yet to be seriously investigated by the American press, and Russian claims that it was a hostile American act have been dismissed without solid evidence by American and NATO spokesmen and officials.
European opinion and most of the European press, accustomed to follow the American lead in major foreign policy matters, have expressed notable doubt about the origin and purpose of the current American and NATO roles in Ukraine, which seem to have been to provoke an unwelcome war with Russia.
Last weekend, the German weekly Der Spiegel published an investigation of the frequently inflammatory statements of NATO’s commander, Gen. Philip Breedlove (a U.S. officer), regarded by the German government as the leading figure in an American effort “to thwart European efforts at mediation.”
Much of what he says is regarded in the chancellery in Berlin as “dangerous propaganda,” which Germany’s Foreign Ministry has protested to the NATO secretary general.
Spiegel writes that “Obama seems almost isolated. He has … done little to quiet those who would seek to increase tensions with Russia and deliver weapons to Ukraine. Sources in Washington say that Breedlove’s bellicose comments are first cleared with the White House and Pentagon. … (The general’s role) is that of increasing the pressure on America’s more reserved trans-Atlantic allies.”
But to what purpose? Surely not war? Or regime change in Russia?
This is a question for which it seems impossible to find an answer — or even a discussion — in the American media. Europe has no answer. Perhaps even Obama doesn’t know. Is it to be left to the historians?
William Pfaff writes frequently on foreign affairs. © 2015 Tribune Content AgencyLets look at reality and birth control. People use birth control for a reason. Because they don't want children right now, for whatever reason. According to these churches, birth control even inside marriage is "immoral". What they are apparently saying is that once you get married, you either must not engage in sexual activity with your spouse or you are supposed to have and raise all the children "God" has "blessed" you with.
First... I think most spouses of both genders would be really annoyed if they could only have sex to procreate. Talk about a way to destroy a relationship! "No honey, we can't have sex anymore. We had twins from the one time we had sex and we can't handle anymore!". Sorry, In a normal, healthy relationship, I don't see that happening. The need for intimacy with the one you're in a relationship with is too essential to keeping that relationship alive and functioning. So, according to these churches, no sex unless you make a baby.
How is that pro-"life"?
Of course, if you and your spouse do give into those desires, you can not protect yourself from getting pregnant. At all. So if you get pregnant, oh well. You have a baby. Great. I've been married 23 years. That means I would have had the potential to have at LEAST 20 kids by now!!! Lets face the facts... the majority of couples in the entire world that could possibly support and raise that many kids these days is REALLY small. Financially alone most of us couldn't do it. These days, it takes both couples working their tales off just to afford 2 or 3 kids. But 20 kids? Not all of us are the Duggart family, we can't afford it and we wouldn't want it. Having that many kids means SOME one, usually the mom, has to stay home and be enslaved to the kitchen, laundry and nursery to care for them all. Which means, there is only one income to support all those mouths to feed. Good luck with that. Unless you are an executive with a golden parachute you'd be living in complete poverty. So would your children.
How is that pro-"life"?
The world already has a population of 7 BILLION. And that is with most couples in the "first world" nations only having a few kids per couple. Can you imagine if EVERYONE had 20 kids? Scientists are already in a panic because we have reached our limit for natural resources. They are now predicting major wars over water and land resources since we keep polluting them to attempt to provide for everyone on the planet. Without a major change, they are predicting major, terrible wars and mass starvation if something isn't done about our population. And yet.. these churches want you to constantly procreate.
How is that pro-"life"?
That is of course saying you can actually take care of another baby. Or any baby. Another fact.. sadly, there a lot of people out there, single and married, who should never have had kids. Child abuse and neglect occur every day, in ways we don't even want to consider. If those children are not killed outright by their parents (in ways that are just terrible to behold), then they live with the catastrophic effects of child abuse. Those effects can linger for life, causing depression, self hatred and criminal activity and that's just for starters. Their lives are a constant struggle with pain and self doubt and they often become under achievers.Without help, they will often go on to abuse others including their own children.
How is that pro-"life"?
Then there is the idea of "if you don't want it, put it up for adoption". For some reason, all these people think adoption is the perfect solution. I don't know who came up with that line of bullshit. It's sort of a solution, in SOME cases,but not all. The simple fact is, the only babies really in demand are healthy white ones. The kids that aren't that.. are of different races, born with disabilities or drug problems and such, are very hard to place even now! Never mind when we have an even larger number of them. So what happens to those babies no one wants? They are abandoned at hospitals until the state can find a foster home for them. Unfortunatly, the number of decent foster homes is going down dramatically, so they will be there a LONG time before a slot becomes available.Then they are dumped in foster home after foster home until they are 18, then kicked out of the system on their own with little or no support. Most of the kids this happens to end up with major mental issues, as well as having been abused. (See above). They are never really cared for, never get love from a "real" parent, never learn to love themselves, never have a stable background or upbringing. They are cast out on the world with no help and no safety net, with fewer skills and somehow are expected to hit the ground running... when all they usually do it hit the ground.
How is that pro-"life"?
It also occurs to me that these same people who say they are pro-"life" are the same people who scream about providing any kind of funding for children and families. They are constantly blaming their political enemies for allowing services such as welfare, medical care and food stamps. But how will families live and provide care for their children without it? Even when we are just having 3 kids per couple, if someone loses their job the whole family can be put in the poor house. So they are telling us essentially to have those 20 kids but they aren't going to help us provide for them. Once they are BORN, they are your problem, not their's. Again, sounds like pro BIRTH to me. They want to force you to have a child you either don't want or can't afford to feed.
How is that pro-"life"?
There are already countries in which access to birth control is rare or non-existent. In those places, women are forced to have child after child, since they often also have no say over if they will have sex or not. What happens to those children? As already stated, it takes a massive amount of resources to raise just 3 kids to adulthood - and that is in a first world country! In poorer countries its even worse!! Look at Africa. Do you know how many children die each day from starvation and lack of medical care? I can answer you. Thousands. They die a horrible death, slowly wasting away in agony because their parents can not afford to feed 15 kids.
How is that pro-"life"?
Let's continue to look at another side of this. What about children born with disabilities? Simple fact.. there are families (I know one) in which ALL of their children are disabled. What about the children? All are disabled enough that they will never have a "life" as we know it. They will have to be cared for their entire lives. At a VERY great financial expense to the families and to society. As the parent of a disabled person myself, you can not possibly know the pain we go through with our children. I look at my son, and know the hell he has been through. Schools that are abusive, not having a voice to speak up for himself. Living very little of life, because he's just not able to interact with it. Knowing he will probably never have a girlfriend, knowing he will have to be cared for by a society that often rejects him. More, a society that doesn't want to have to pay the 100,000 dollars a year it will take to house him in a decent group home for his life. But according to these churches, it doesn't matter. They still expect you to continue to have children even if that child will be born with life limiting disabilities.
How is that pro-"life"?
Everything I just covered above is dealing with the "no birth control inside of marriage" idea. What about the "no birth control" idea outside of marriage? What about that poor teen aged girl who was only given an abstinence only education by the same church? Who wasn't even given the most basic knowledge of exactly what sex IS, never mind the lesson on "how you get pregnant"? Essentially, that poor girl is sent out into the world with no education at all, no protection.. and gets taken advantage of by a boyfriend and gets pregnant? She is going to have hell to pay from her parents, who some how think she should have known better but didn't give her an education to know, Period. Then you are going to stick her with raising a baby that is a constant reminder of "how she screwed up" and how she is such an "embarrassment", "immoral" and a "slut" according to her parents and the church who refused to educate her in the first place? How nice of you. What about that woman who was minding her own business and gets raped and impregnated? Lovely that you want her to be reminded of something horribly traumatic and disgusting every day of her life! Let me guess she "deserved it" and it was "Gods will" that she was raped, right? What about that little 10 year old who "played a game with Daddy" and gets pregnant? Nevermind the fact that her little body can not handle a pregnancy with out permanent damage, or the fact that the child will be born from incest or the terrible mental damage it will do to her to be forced to have her own sibling. Congratulations all you pro-birthers. The idea that birth control should be non-existent and so should abortion just doomed all those innocent females to a living and perhaps life threatening hell. And doomed the baby as well.
How is that pro-"life"?
I could go on and on. There are a thousand issues on this topic. But what I see is this: Calling these people and churches pro-life is wildly incorrect.
They are pro-birth. But they are also:
Pro-child abuse
Pro-women slavery
Pro-starvation
Pro-fear
Pro-environmental destruction
Pro-cruelty
Pro-ignorance
Pro-destruction of marriage
Pro-poverty
Pro-overpopulation
Pro-war
Pro-insanity
Pro-self hatred
Pro- "don't give them a chance"
But they most CERTAINLY are not PRO LIFE!!!!!!!4K MEDIA LICENSING DEALS BRING
NEW Yu-Gi-Oh! COLLECTIBLES
Funko and GameStop to Introduce More Yu-Gi-Oh! Branded Products Globally
4K Media Inc., the Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. subsidiary that manages the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand outside of Asia, today announced it has signed licensing agreements with both Funko, a purveyor of pop culture and licensed-focused collectibles, and GameStop, a global retailer of specialty brands and games.
The two deals – negotiated and announced by Jennifer Coleman, Vice President of Licensing and Marketing at 4K Media – bring a new array of Yu-Gi-Oh! collectibles to the worldwide marketplace (outside of Asia).
“We are elated to welcome both Funko and GameStop to the Yu-Gi-Oh! family. We are impressed with both companies’ creative designs for new and engaging collectibles encompassing so many of our central characters and monsters,” said Coleman. “Yu-Gi-Oh! fans around the globe eagerly await each new licensed product introduction, which not only keeps the brand fresh and front of mind, but also serves to invigorate demand for all things Yu-Gi-Oh!”
Funko will be launching a line of stylized vinyl collectible figures and other related products focusing on the fans’ favorite Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and monsters.
Funko CEO Brian Mariotti said, “We’re tremendously excited about Funko’s development of a Yu-Gi-Oh! collectibles line and are honored to be associated with a brand that continues to entertain and engage fans that span such a broad demographic around the world.”
GameStop is also creating a distinctive line of 4-inch Yu-Gi-Oh! collectible figurines available to Yu-Gi-Oh! fans on its on its website(s) and in its stores, as well as in many of its partners’ stores around the world.
“Yu-Gi-Oh! has had nice success as a trading card game, which makes the brand an ideal fit with GameStop, as one of the largest suppliers of the cards globally” added Alex Jones, Senior Manager of Licensed Products – International at GameStop. “Our loyal game playing customers will be thrilled with this new array of exclusive Yu-Gi-Oh! collectible characters we will be introducing to our stores.”Man accused of stealing ATM with forklift
Add "forklift" to the list of ways to get around ATM fees.
Unless, of course, someone is watching.
Orphey Wilson, 40, wore a ski mask as he apparently worked alone early Sunday to unbolt an ATM from Bank of America at 18505 Champion Forest in Spring, Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Assistant Chief Mark Herman said.
He said he then used a stolen forklift to load the machine into a stolen U-Haul.
A witness called authorities, who arrived seconds after Wilson pulled away. He was arrested less than a mile from the bank.
Wilson's criminal history already included two jail stints for felony theft and criminal mischief charges.
He now faces charges for felony theft of over $200,000 and criminal mischief.
Each charge could result in jail time of between five and 99 years in prison, Herman said.
And there's the possibility of an even heftier price tag: Because the targeted bank property is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the incident may result in federal charges, Herman said.
ATM thefts are rare and there are usually no witnessese, he said.
"We have had it happen in the past, but this is the first time where we've actually caught the individual and recovered the property," Herman said.
zain.shauk@chron.comWe're excited to be sharing a new bitcoin payment integration from our friends at Vodi, a mobile international messaging app available for download on Android and iOS devices.
Vodi is taking advantage of the growth in mobile messaging in some exciting ways. In addition to offering free text messaging and phone and video calls, Vodi allows users to make airtime top-up payments to more than 390 mobile phone service providers in 135 countries. These airtime top-up payments can also be made as gifts to other Vodi users, opening up a convenient way for families and friends in different countries to transfer credit back and forth.
Vodi also offers digital gift cards which can be redeemed at checkout through the app. Their eGift Card selection includes more than 90 offerings from brands in the United States and Mexico (with more countries to come), including Hotels.com, American Airlines, Regal Entertainment Group, and CVS Pharmacy. Headed to the store and want to get a digital gift card to pay? You can get a digital gift card in seconds with a bitcoin payment in the Vodi app. And since Vodi is using BitPay to accept payments, you can use any bitcoin wallet to pay.
Mobile payments are an exciting use case for bitcoin, and gift card and top-up payments have proven to be especially popular with international bitcoin users. We're excited to continue to work with the Vodi team to explore new opportunities for bitcoin in the mobile messaging world.
Want to get started with using Vodi? Download it for iOS or get it on your Android phone. Learn more about accepting bitcoin in your mobile app at https://bitpay.com/mobile.A few weeks ago, we showed the in-line editing prototype we had built for Spark, which has now blossomed into Edit module. Additionally, we also pointed out that we were in the process of selecting the WYSIWYG editor to use in Spark. This selection process was performed in the public Spark issue queue, in order to gather community feedback and to attempt to reach consensus. 73 people followed that issue, about two dozen of whom contributed to the discussion as well.
Spark has a well-defined goal for its choice in WYSIWYG editor: we want authors to be able edit content directly on the page while it has the exact same styling that it will have when it is being viewed by a site visitor, also known as “true WYSIWYG.” However, Spark’s WYSIWYG editor also needs to support a more “traditional” WYSIWYG model which injects the editor into a textarea form field, such as on the node add/edit form. We want to use Aloha Editor for in-line editing, but also on the back-end — I think nobody is looking forward to having to use two WYSIWYG editors. On the back-end, it of course can’t be “true WYSIWYG”, it will be “structural WYSIWYG”.
Today, we’d like to share our WYSIWYG editor choice for Spark: Aloha Editor. After several feedback rounds from the community in the aforementioned issue, the consensus started gravitating towards Aloha. We then had a call with Aloha’s development team that answered many of the community’s questions and concerns. They have even offered to host a sprint in their offices in Vienna in mid-July for key members of the Spark and Drupal community to collaborate with their development team on making Aloha Editor integrate more cleanly with Drupal.
Aloha Editor is definitely not perfect, and to correct the biggest problems (most notably: its sheer size), the Aloha team currently have some major changes underway — much like Drupal. The biggest change is a move to jQuery UI from ExtJS, which will drop the code base size considerably. Next they plan to make sure it’s possible to not load the additional JavaScript that is needed for compatibility reasons only. This means that e.g. Google Chrome users will need to load far less data. As the internet population moves on to newer and better browsers, we’ll need to load fewer files!
Despite not being as mature an editor as some other contenders such as TinyMCE or CKEditor, Aloha Editor does have much going for it. It has solid cross-browser support (including IE8), a very complete feature set, great support for pasting from Word, RTL support, a proven plug-in system, the ability to completely override the UI, an abstraction for dealing with “islands of content” inside textual content for e.g. image captions, media and tokens (Aloha Blocks — this is what shows the flexibility of their plug-in system), unit tests, and asynchronous loading (they use RequireJS) for performance.
If you’d like to learn more about Aloha Editor, or have questions or criticism, please see the two aforementioned issues. The issue summaries should guide you to the information you’re looking for.
Soon, we’ll start working on integrating Aloha Editor with Drupal in Spark. Keep an eye on the Edit module and Spark distribution project pages!One thing I’ve hated for a long time in Chrome is the downloads manager. There just isn’t an easy way to keep track of downloads once they’ve started. Sure, you get a downloads bar in the bottom of the screen. But if you hit the “Show all” button, it disappears. Then you’re left to search for the Downloads tab or dig down deep in the menus to find the downloads option.
There has to be a better way. Like with Firefox, for example. Firefox has this clear cut download button in the toolbar that you can click to reveal all the downloads – right there.
You can get this in Chrome now. Thanks to a simple extension.
Downloads – Your Downloads Box
The extension is called “Downloads – Your Downloads Box,” but you shouldn’t hold that against it.
As I said above, once you install the extension it will replace the default downloads bar at the bottom and the download manager page with a simple drop-down extension.
What Makes It So Great
There are a couple of reasons why I like this extension. First of all, when you start a download, the extension animates to show that your download has now started, and you can find it by clicking the extension icon. When a download is in progress, the icon turns blue. When nothing is going on, it stays grey.
When you click the extension icon, you see a list of all the downloads, and they are color-coded, so you instantly know which downloads are running, which are complete and which failed.
Of course, there’s a progress bar.
Right below the filename, you’ll see an option for opening it in the file explorer. Clicking on the file name opens it directly.
More Powerful Options
As you’d expect, Downloads isn’t the only download manager in town. In fact, you can find way more powerful options that follow the same drop-down aesthetic.
If you want literally every download manager feature possible, try the download big daddy Chrono Download Manager. Personally, it’s a bit too much for me. The feature is overload, and the UI is messy. But Chrono does give you a lot, including a bulk image downloader, auto link detection, multi-link addition and a lot more.
What’s Your Current Download Manager?
Which download manager do you use right now? Share with us in the comments below.The Spain striker has suggested referee Felix Brych was not up to the job after he was dismissed for two yellow cards at Camp Nou but Luis Suarez escaped a similar fate
Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres says hit out at Uefa after being sent off against Barcelona, suggesting referee Felix Brych was not ready for such a big game.
Torres was given his marching orders after picking up two yellow cards in the first half at Camp Nou, with defending champions Barca eventually emerging 2-1 victors against 10 men.
The former Liverpool striker took responsibility for his side's defeat but accused Uefa of being more interested in potential kit clashes - with both sides wearing their away strip on the night - than competent refereeing.
"It's a shame that UEFA are so preoccupied with changing our kits and putting a referee that has failed to be at the level of a Champions League quarter-final," Torres told reporters after the match.Some things about street parking in downtown Houston are unlikely to change: It will always require a keen eye for available spots and the courage and skill to wedge your car between large trucks.
A paper receipt, however, is becoming unnecessary as the city replaces its parking meters with newer models that give drivers more options and can even send a text message alerting them that their time is about to expire.
Rather than place a receipt on the dashboard indicating payment, those parking downtown can now input their license plate number when paying by cash or credit card. The machine relays the list of paid vehicles to parking enforcement officers, who simply verify the vehicle is accounted for. If drivers prefer, they can get a paper receipt for the dashboard as before.
"Hopefully it is easier on our customers and it is easier on us," said Maria Irshad, who oversees ParkHouston, the parking division within the city's Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department.
The first 276 meters have been installed in northern parts of downtown, primarily around the county courthouse. Parking rules have not changed, and the new meters, like the old ones, require that a button be pushed to activate them.
Over the next five years, 1,054 meters - some dating to 2006 - will be replaced. The city is spending about $10 million on the new meters, which essentially pay for themselves via parking fees.
Downtown visitors Tuesday said the new meters made paying for parking easier, even if finding a spot can be a challenge.
"I kinda like it," said Tyra Brown, 41. "It's better than the other ones and you don't need to get a receipt."
Visiting a county court to give a friend a ride, Bobby Doll, 26, said the new meters were easier to use. Step-by-step directions made it virtually automatic, he said.
"You just go through the steps," Doll said.
The meters being replaced were a vast improvement over old-style machines that required coins, but they also had some problems. Powered by a solar panel atop the kiosk, some of the meters had trouble staying on during "the four months without sunshine" in Houston, said Lara Cottingham, deputy assistant director in the regulatory affairs department.
Paper jam
People also left cups and other litter on top of the panel, disabling it, said Jerry Keeth, division manager for meter operations for ParkHouston.
Paper receipts became a major hassle. Humidity and heavy rain gummed up the slot where the machine spits out the receipts. The paper jams led to broken meters and frustrated drivers.
"I've tried to park downtown and both machines on the block would be broken," Roger Reese said.
Irshad said the new meters were designed with a sensor to alert ParkHouston when the paper dispenser jams, which also shuts down the meter so someone doesn't inadvertently pay and not receive a receipt.
Eventually, parking officials hope fewer and fewer receipts are needed.
"Definitely the future of parking is your cell phone," Irshad said.
Houston is not alone in moving toward cell phone payments or identifying cars by plate number, though it is a relatively early adopter of the technologies. Nearly every major city in the country has moved to parking that allows for paying by credit card, though others have stuck with small parking meters as opposed to a kiosk system.
Miami and Washington, D.C., have had success in moving customers to pay-by-phone, with about 45 percent of parking revenue in Washington coming from phone payments as opposed to paying at the meter, according to the International Parking Institute.
Dwindling space
About 9 percent of people parking in Houston pay with ParkMobile, a smartphone app connected to the city's meters, Irshad said. A driver simply registers a vehicle, punches in the five-digit location shown on the sides of parking meters, and pays via PayPal or credit card. The app also sends warnings and allows someone to add more time to the meter remotely, provided they have not used all of the three-hour limit that applies in some places.
Use of the app is especially high in areas close to college campuses, Irshad said.
A 35-cent transaction fee is added with the smartphone app and pay-by-text from the meter.
Booming downtown development is reducing parking space.
As of 2013, the downtown area had more than 100,000 parking spaces spread across roughly 68 parking garages and 82 surface lots, along with on-street parking controlled by the city. The number has decreased as surface lots were cleared to make way for new office and residential projects. Some upcoming projects, however, include more parking, notably around the George R. Brown Convention Center where new hotels are under construction.
As downtown continues to develop, reducing the need to use cars for trips within the urban core will become more important, said Bob Eury, Downtown Houston Management District executive director.
Officials recently announced that the free GreenLink shuttle service will be expanded to operate a nighttime route starting next month so people can park once and explore more of downtown.
On-street parking will still play a vital role, officials said, especially for quick trips.
"The three hour limit is not changing," Irshad said. "If you're going to be downtown more than three hours your best bet is a garage."Today, bankers are rearranging their chess boards, trying to figure out which companies may want to make moves, and which ones might be ripe for the taking. That has kept the bankers in technology and health care busy. Some of the top companies on everyone’s watch list include Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Amgen, Apple, Cisco, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Microsoft and Oracle.
Yet at the moment, the potential for tax reform in 2017 has led some companies to delay deal making, according to Marc Zenner, the co-head of J.P. Morgan’s corporate finance advisory team.
Image Lawrence J. Ellision, chief executive of Oracle, at a hearing over his company’s takeover bid for PeopleSoft in 2004. Oracle used repatriated funds to buy PeopleSoft and another software provider, and then eliminated thousands of jobs, a congressional study found. Credit Paul Sakuma/Associated Press
“What you’ve got right now is a fair bit of uncertainty about what the state of the world will be next year with taxes,” he said. “If you don’t have to do this deal right now, maybe you can wait until next year so you can finance optimally.”
Still, some boards appear to believe they may get a better price if they sign a desired deal sooner rather than later. If tax rates decrease, a company’s profitability increases, making it a more expensive acquisition target. And, if all of the repatriating companies go after the same targets, |
into images of permitted roles. As specialists of apparent life, stars serve as superficial objects that people can identify with in order to compensate for the fragmented productive specializations that they actually live. The function of these celebrities is to act out various lifestyles or sociopolitical viewpoints in a full, totally free manner. They embody the inaccessible results of social labor by dramatizing the by-products of that labor which are magically projected above it as its ultimate goals: power and vacations — the decision-making and consumption that are at the beginning and the end of a process that is never questioned. On one hand, a governmental power may personalize itself as a pseudo-star; on the other, a star of consumption may campaign for recognition as a pseudo-power over life. But the activities of these stars are not really free and they offer no real choices.
Donald Trump is a very dangerous presidential candidate for a number of reasons. Most importantly, he is a proto-fascist. Trump is also extremely unqualified in terms of the emotional temperament, intellectual curiosity, and policy knowledge necessary to be an effective president of the United States.
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But Trump’s real power (and thus, danger to American politics) comes from how the so-called smart people in the commentariat have tried to make sense of a campaign that is, on a fundamental level, just a celebration of buffoonery, stupidity, and bigotry. Unfortunately, there is no singular voice such as that of Walter Cronkite or Edward R. Murrow with the courage to publicly and plainly state that Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is an exercise in bovine scatology.
Donald Trump is one step away from being President of the United States of America because of this fact. The American corporate news media has elevated Donald Trump to the level of being a serious presidential candidate when they should have instead thrown him into the political dustbin many months ago.Team Technologies Expanding, Creating 160 Jobs In Tennessee
Team Technologies, Inc. will invest $6 million to expand its operations and create 160 jobs in Morristown, TN. In 2003, the medical equipment manufacturer invested $11 million to upgrade the Hamblen County production facility and create 200 jobs.
“Team Technologies is very thankful of the support we have received from the State of Tennessee and Hamblen County,” said Marshall White, president and CEO of Team Technologies. “Our relationship with state and local agencies is a great partnership which has helped enable Team Technologies to continue to invest in our people and to grow our business, which ultimately benefits our community.”
Team Technologies is a custom contract manufacturer of dental, medical, cosmetic and industrial products. Founded in 1988, Team Technologies is headquartered in Morristown, where it also operates its main production facility.
“I’d like to thank Team Technologies for its renewed commitment to creating jobs in Northeast Tennessee,” said Gov. Bill Haslam. “Tennessee is known internationally for being a leader in the health care industry. The continued growth by Team Technologies in our state’s health care sector is terrific news as we work to make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”
“Last year, Tennessee ranked second in the nation in exports of medical equipment and supplies,” said Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe. “Team Technologies plays a key role in Tennessee’s thriving health care sector and I’m pleased to see it continue to invest in Hamblen County and the Morristown community.”
Relocating or Expanding Your Business In Tennessee
Considering Tennessee for your company’s relocation or expansion project? Check out Business Facilities’ Tennessee Incentives and Workforce Development Guide.On the day of Aaron Swartz’s funeral – seriously – the husband of US Attorney Carmen Ortiz, Tom Dolan, decided to go on Twitter and attack public statements made by the Swartz family.
It’s incredible they don’t blame Aaron completely? Stay classy Dolan. And what exactly were they supposed to say about a plea deal that fell through?
Dolan continued to embarrass himself.
Six months in federal prison, no biggie. Perhaps Mr. Dolan can do six months to demonstrate how much of a breeze it is. Much more compelling than Twitter snark.
Yes Mr. Dolan, a plea means a deal to receive less than the indictment. It does not mean the indictment goes away. So when the plea deal collapsed the 35 years remained. You claim to have worked for IBM do you not understand basic logic?
Clearly Mr. Dolan is in need of further instruction.Even though he has officially retired from MMA competition, Chael Sonnen has now failed two consecutive drug tests in the span of five months.
During the airing of UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Stephens, MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani revealed that the former two-division title challenger failed a second drug test, also administered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission because, at the time, he was still scheduled to compete at UFC 175.
While neither Sonnen nor UFC President Dana White were present at the event, Dave Sholler offered a statement to the media present at the post-fight press conference, which quickly highlighted their stance on the matter.
"We are made aware that a second random test conducted earlier this month resulted in a positive test for additional banned substances," Sholler stated at the post-fight press conference. "Chael [Sonnen] will have an opportunity to appear in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission later this month, and through a statement released to the media, he has pledged to cooperate.
"We will support the commission and continue to ensure that all UFC competitors complete on an even playing field free of performance enhancing drugs and banned substances."
Sonnen initially failed a random drug test in February for the Clomiphene and Anastrozole. When the results were released, Sonnen proclaimed that he required the banned substances to help kick start his natural testosterone production after going off Testosterone Replacement Therapy. This time around, he tested positive for Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO). Both the drugs in question clearly fall under performance enhancing drugs.
Sonnen retired shortly after the initial drug test, as he doubted his ability to legally partake in combat sports without TRT.Scott Morrison says Refugee Council's funding was cut because taxes should not support advocacy
Updated
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says he axed funding for a refugee organisation just two weeks after guaranteeing it in the budget because he believes taxes should not be propping up advocacy groups.
The Refugee Council says Mr Morrison's decision to cut $140,000 in yearly funding is "petty and vindictive". The budget put aside the money for the organisation over the next four years.
"It's not my view, it's not the Government's view, that taxpayer funding should be there to support what is effectively an advocacy group," Mr Morrison said.
"They're entitled to be an advocacy group; they do very good work in the community and the Government will continue to support that organisation for contracted services.
"But in terms of administrative funding for an advocacy group, in a tough budget like this, frankly I just formed the view that taxpayer funds were not going to be spent on those types of activities."
He says when the matter was brought to his attention over the past fortnight, he decided the spending was "not consistent with what we are doing in this budget".
"And I took the decision to return the funding arrangements to those that were in place under the Howard government," he said.
Sorry, this video has expired Video: Refugee Council CEO Paul Power speaks to ABC News 24 (ABC News)
Refugee Council spokesman Paul Power says the Department of Immigration called on Thursday to inform them of Mr Morrison's decision to terminate the funding.
"A lot of people are telling us that they see it as petty and potentially vindictive towards an organisation that can often be critical of government," he said.
"It's a very small amount of money that the [Government] is saving, and also the money was allocated in the budget.
"It's really indicative of the current Government's attitude to non-government organisations that are working with refugees and asylum seekers."
Cuts an ideological attack: Greens
The Government's political critics are attacking the decision as nasty and an attempt to stifle dissent.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says the Government has some "hard explaining" to do.
"This Government wants to cut off its critics," he said. "This is a Government who will punish its critics."
Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young says it is a nasty decision and says the Government is trying to "silence dissent".
"These cuts are nothing more than an ideological attack to shut down the views of those who perhaps don't always align with the Government," she said.
The Refugee Council is 33 years old and serves as the national umbrella body for 180 organisations that deal with refugees and asylum seekers.
The federal funding it receives makes up a quarter of its budget, with 43 per cent coming from donations and membership fees.
The council says it will have to "redouble" its fundraising efforts as a result of the Government's change of heart on its core funding.
Topics: refugees, immigration, community-and-society, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia, canberra-2600
First postedI would call this a verticals concept. Each receiver except for Wes Welker has an option route out of a basic vertical or go route. The key for both receiver and Manning is to read the coverage to see what might be broken off.
Against the Eagles on this play the Broncos come out in 11 personnel (3-WR) with DT and Welker split up top and Julius Thomas and Eric Decker on the bottom. It is a 2x2 alignment.
Presnap the Eagles show a cover 2 shell with off man on the outside. They are in nickel defense with a 3-3 front. Their OLB stands up on the line and looks like he will be rishing rushing. That leaves JT with off man from the safety, but the Eagles also choose to bracket him inside-out with both the safety and the linebacker dropping back into a zone. Both corners are giving Decker and Demaryius a significant cushion. With the verticals concept it is meant to stretch the safeties over the top horizontally and make them choose a receiver, and it is also meant to open things up underneath.
With off coverage, the receivers can choose to break back on a comeback, which we will see DT and JT do as well. This is not Cover 2 however with the double team/bracket on JT. At the snap the outside corners open up their hips in trail technique and the safety to the top of the play covers the deep middle. This is essentially Cover 3. With trail technique on Decker, and the safety in the middle out of position from the snap, Manning and Decker read the coverage perfectly and know the deep post will be wide open. The corner has pretty good position on Decker, but Decker's crisp and precise cut to the middle of the field help him gain about a yard of separation, from there Manning leads him with the ball perfectly. Notice how the ball is released right when Decker crosses the 30 yardline.
There is playaction but from the snap, the linebackers drop. With their zone coverage Welker is wide open on the short crosser. So is DT with the comeback. Three options, Manning picks the most deadly and unloads a 50-yard bomb through the air. It hits Decker perfectly in stride for a huge gain.
The safety recognizes it, but he's too late. Gorgeous from start to finish.
Fantastic play by both Eric Decker and Peyton Manning. It is scary to think that against such soft coverage, Peyton had three viable options and every one would have probably gained a 1st down. It is going to take a special secondary to corral all the weapons the Broncos offense possesses.
A Mile High Salute to Decker and Manning!!!
EDIT
At the request of Mr. Jeremy Bolander, I went ahead and snipped the earlier bomb to Decker that was incomplete due to an overthrow.
Same coverage shell. Same personnel, same split by the receivers except Julius Thomas is tight to the line. Same defensive personnel, different wrinkle. Zone blitz with the corner across from Welker as the OLB is charged for coverage on JT. Once he reads protection, the OLB drops back to a zone in the left flat. The Safety on Welker's side now has coverage on Welker because of the CB Blitz. The LB to that side dropping in a zone effectively creates an inside/out bracket on Welker.
Knowshon is running playaction to the right side and is in perfect position to pick up the corner blitz.
Three man route by the Broncos. Same sort of off coverage, Cover 3 all the way. This time Decker uses a little stutter step/hesitation move that smells of a comeback route. That little stutter step gets the DB to plant his back foot and by the time he realizes it is not a comeback, it's his ass. Too bad Peyton overthrew him.
Something to think about. This play set up the later gain because Peyton and the WR's were prepared for the look and coverage shell. It seems like the Eagles tried to take away one underneath receiving threat by virtue of an inside/out bracket, and tried to keep the big play from happening by having their corners/safety play soft and deep.
Cover 2, Cover 1, Cover 3....WGAS? This offense can beat it.New documents hidden deep inside the 2012 proposal request (# DIT-2996) give even greater detail into the government’s ability to track and database virtually any person.
The file entitled the “Police Video Diagram” proves police officers’ ability to access and control live-video feed from the city’s expansive collection of surveillance cameras, from their police cruisers.
A section of a “specification spreadsheet” also confirms police vehicles’ access to city cameras as well.
The upper right-hand corner of the diagram specifies the company which supplied the in-car video viewing screens, Coban Technologies of Houston, Texas. The VMDT (Video Mobile Data Terminal) Gen II, likely capable of audio/video recording any live video feed accessed, was likely tied into the mesh network at a later time as their use dates back to 2007. A lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court by Fischer Broadcasting (Komo 4 News) in 2011 accused Seattle police of breaking state public records law by refusing to release “retained” video recorded with the Coban system.
The diagram and spreadsheet give even more validity to our earlier reports that showed multiple agencies having access to all cameras tied into the mesh network. One spreadsheet section asks that “outside agencies shown on the diagram” be given access and control of cameras tied into the mesh network, including the controversial Homeland Security-run
Seattle’s secret participation in the
http://www.storyleak.com/new-mesh-network-documents-confirm-police-vehicles-real-time-access-dhs-spy-cameras/
The diagram and spreadsheet give even more validity to our earlier reports that showed multiple agencies having access to all cameras tied into the mesh network. One spreadsheet section asks that “outside agencies shown on the diagram” be given access and control of cameras tied into the mesh network, including the controversial Homeland Security-run Fusion Center, which was labeled a “useless and costly effort that tramples on civil liberties” by the United States Senate.Seattle’s secret participation in the TrapWire program, which used sophisticated facial recognition software ran through city CCTV cameras, leaves the question as to whether the mesh system’s camera access will be run through similar software programs at the whim of unknown federal agencies.In 2008, the PUMA contingent of Hillary Clinton voters was quite persistent.
In June 2008, 20 percent of Clinton backers said they'd go for John McCain. In July, it was 22 percent, then 18 percent in August and 19 percent in September. It finally dropped to 14 percent in October.
But this time around, the voters who backed Bernie Sanders in the primaries are moving over to Hillary Clinton at a much more rapid pace.
Last month, 20 percent of Sanders supporters said they would back Trump over Clinton in the general election. This month, that figure is down to 8 percent.
The reasons for this significant difference are many. In 2008, Clinton was regarded as the more moderate candidate on the Democratic side. The press also described McCain as a moderate, though significantly to the right of Clinton. Apart from the warning sign of his selection of Sarah Palin as as his vice presidential running mate, the idea of a McCain presidency struck few people as a call to toss the nation over a cliff. Voters who had parted ways with Barack Obama during the rough and tumble of the primaries might have felt that John McCain would be, if not the better choice, at least not a disastrous one.
There may have even been a small contingent among Hillary 2008 voters disappointed enough at seeing a woman candidate come so close to winning the nomination only to fall just short, that the appointment of Palin was actually a slight balm. A few. Or maybe not.
In any case, declaring for McCain in 2008 might have contained a bit of a middle-finger to Obama, but it didn’t embody the big screw-you to the nation that signing onto Trump’s campaign involves in this season.Navigating Vim and Tmux Splits
So I read this awesome blog post on the Thoughtbot Blog, that was just a write up of Mislav’s technique, but it didn’t work for me. Disallusioned and desolate I figured my fate was sealed. I would have to navigate splits in two totally different ways.
But what’s this? Aaron Jensen has another solution? Yes. Yes, he does. Does this one work? Like the wind.
This code is almost entirely taken from Aaron’s dot files (see vimrc and tmux.conf). I am putting it here so i have things all in one place that I can find later when I want to set this up again.
Add this to your.tmux.conf :
bind -n C-h run "(tmux display-message -p '#{pane_title}' | grep -iq vim && tmux send-keys C-h) || tmux select-pane -L" bind -n C-j run "(tmux display-message -p '#{pane_title}' | grep -iq vim && tmux send-keys C-j) || tmux select-pane -D" bind -n C-k run "(tmux display-message -p '#{pane_title}' | grep -iq vim && tmux send-keys C-k) || tmux select-pane -U" bind -n C-l run "(tmux display-message -p '#{pane_title}' | grep -iq vim && tmux send-keys C-l) || tmux select-pane -R"
And add this to your.vimrc :
if exists('$TMUX') function! TmuxOrSplitSwitch(wincmd, tmuxdir) let previous_winnr = winnr() silent! execute "wincmd ". a:wincmd if previous_winnr == winnr() call system("tmux select-pane -". a:tmuxdir) redraw! endif endfunction let previous_title = substitute(system("tmux display-message -p '#{pane_title}'"), '
', '', '') let &t_ti = "\<Esc>]2;vim\<Esc>\\". &t_ti let &t_te = "\<Esc>]2;". previous_title. "\<Esc>\\". &t_te nnoremap <silent> <C-h> :call TmuxOrSplitSwitch('h', 'L')<cr> nnoremap <silent> <C-j> :call TmuxOrSplitSwitch('j', 'D')<cr> nnoremap <silent> <C-k> :call TmuxOrSplitSwitch('k', 'U')<cr> nnoremap <silent> <C-l> :call TmuxOrSplitSwitch('l', 'R')<cr> else map <C-h> <C-w>h map <C-j> <C-w>j map <C-k> <C-w>k map <C-l> <C-w>l endif
The cool thing about this approach is that vim detects if it is running in tmux and will set the pane title. Then tmux will inspect the pane title when you try to switch and pass the key press on through. I think Mislav’s approach wasn’t working for me because tmux would intercept the key before vim had a chance.
DisqusBy By Paul Wallis Jul 27, 2008 in Business Despite reservations on the part of many, the Senate and House both “overwhelmingly passed the Fannie and Freddie rescue package. The intention is to shore up the huge hole in America’s domestic economy opened up by the housing crisis. The credit crunch is no myth. It’s there because lenders are scared of a real crash, and with this kind of money involved, it’d be a huge crash. Critics have been saying, with justification, and a lot of support from the lucky souls trying to find somewhere to live, that nothing responsible for this unbelievable mess should get a cent of taxpayers money. Nobody who’s seen a headline in the last 11 months disputes that. This really isn’t about Congress or anyone else being too keen on saving sleazy, brain dead, idiotic, useless, parasitic, mindless, greedy, disgusting, subhuman, verminous, fiscally filthy, margin-masturbating, necrophiliac, worthless, sylphitic, irrational, insane, unhygienic, illiterate, uneducated, incompetent, disease-spreading, repulsive, deformed, venal, sub-rodent rectum, fecally inadequate, perverted, pecuniary-pedophiliac, economy-murdering, job-destroying, society-wrecking, quality of life destroying, trash. …To coin a phrase… It’s about patching the multi trillion dollar hole in the large paper canoe that America is paddling. That’s the big deal. It's not just the housing industry in trouble, it's the financial underpinning of the US economy. Archimedes was right about liquidity. It tends to displace things, very effectively, including millions of Americans, clear out of their homes, jobs and and futures. The New York Times The legislation is the latest in a series of extraordinary interventions this year by the Bush administration, Congress and the Federal Reserve as they seek to limit shockwaves in the housing sector from rippling across the American economy and the world financial system. In the process, the central bank and taxpayers have taken on what critics warn are incalculable liabilities and risk. The bill grants the Treasury Department broad authority to safeguard the nation’s two mortgage finance giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, potentially by spending tens of billions of dollars in federal money to prevent the collapse of the companies, which own or guarantee nearly half of the nation’s $12 trillion in mortgages. To accommodate the rescue plan for the mortgage companies, the bill raises the national debt ceiling to $10.6 trillion, an increase of $800 billion and the first time that the limit on the government’s credit card has grown to 14 digits. This is what the credit crisis is about. A very large hole in America’s heart. The alternative is to allow crashes, and hope the system can survive. That would be extremely risky, and impossible to control if major crashes snowballed. The bill includes some unspecified superglue in the form of Treasury authority to spend to fix the torn arteries:... Analysts, including the Congressional Budget Office, expect less than $100 billion of that authority to be used. The risk to taxpayers is minimal, analysts say, given higher insurance fees that will be charged to recipients of the refinanced loans. And yet, even that $100 billion could seem small compared with the Treasury Department’s authority to spend unspecified amounts of tax dollars to rescue Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac if they are in peril of collapse. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr., an architect of the rescue plan, said he expected never to use the new authority. And the Congressional Budget Office predicted that any bailout between now and Dec. 31, 2009, when the authority sunsets, would most likely cost $25 billion or less, and that there was a better-than-even chance of no cost at all. To be fair to Congressional critics, there’s some definite lack of naiveté in their reservations about the package. The most obvious is the concern that having bankrolled this situation, people will take advantage of it. Given the dazzling standard of administration of the Iraq contracts, that's not a totally unfounded bit of skepticism. “This bill has moral hazard written all over it,” Representative Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, said during the debate in the House on Wednesday. “We are pretending to chain a monster here, and we are, instead, letting that monster loose.” Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, voted against the bill even though he had worked on many of its tax provisions. “This bill has fallen prey to the special interests on Wall Street and K Street at an unjustifiable expense to taxpayers and homeowners on Main Street,” he said in a statement. The legislation, which is 694 pages of pure fun and frolics, has a definite look of being a very large overhaul of existing legislation, and some new backup mechanisms for institutional failures. Fannie and Freddie have scored a new independent regulator, too. That’s an administrative measure which has more than a few hallmarks of someone watching the till. The earmark approach apparently hasn’t gone away, either. There are quite a few local provisions, including one which is believed to relate to Chrysler. The choice was to try and walk on water, or get a life boat. Let’s hope the life boat doesn’t spring any leaks. People don’t seem to realize that if companies who are guaranteeing $12 trillion worth of mortgages go under, that means the banks and either go under or take massive losses. Which, of course, means the consumer will take huge hits from all directions.The credit crunch is no myth. It’s there because lenders are scared of a real crash, and with this kind of money involved, it’d be a huge crash.Critics have been saying, with justification, and a lot of support from the lucky souls trying to find somewhere to live, that nothing responsible for this unbelievable mess should get a cent of taxpayers money.Nobody who’s seen a headline in the last 11 months disputes that.This really isn’t about Congress or anyone else being too keen on saving sleazy, brain dead, idiotic, useless, parasitic, mindless, greedy, disgusting, subhuman, verminous, fiscally filthy, margin-masturbating, necrophiliac, worthless, sylphitic, irrational, insane, unhygienic, illiterate, uneducated, incompetent, disease-spreading, repulsive, deformed, venal, sub-rodent rectum, fecally inadequate, perverted, pecuniary-pedophiliac, economy-murdering, job-destroying, society-wrecking, quality of life destroying, trash.…To coin a phrase…It’s about patching the multi trillion dollar hole in the large paper canoe that America is paddling. That’s the big deal. It's not just the housing industry in trouble, it's the financial underpinning of the US economy.Archimedes was right about liquidity. It tends to displace things, very effectively, including millions of Americans, clear out of their homes, jobs and and futures.This is what the credit crisis is about. A very large hole in America’s heart. The alternative is to allow crashes, and hope the system can survive. That would be extremely risky, and impossible to control if major crashes snowballed.The bill includes some unspecified superglue in the form of Treasury authority to spend to fix the torn arteries:To be fair to Congressional critics, there’s some definite lack of naiveté in their reservations about the package. The most obvious is the concern that having bankrolled this situation, people will take advantage of it. Given the dazzling standard of administration of the Iraq contracts, that's not a totally unfounded bit of skepticism.The legislation, which is 694 pages of pure fun and frolics, has a definite look of being a very large overhaul of existing legislation, and some new backup mechanisms for institutional failures.Fannie and Freddie have scored a new independent regulator, too. That’s an administrative measure which has more than a few hallmarks of someone watching the till.The earmark approach apparently hasn’t gone away, either. There are quite a few local provisions, including one which is believed to relate to Chrysler.The choice was to try and walk on water, or get a life boat.Let’s hope the life boat doesn’t spring any leaks. This opinion article was written by an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily intended to reflect those of DigitalJournal.com More about Fannie mae, Freddie mac, Rescue package fannie mae freddie mac rescue packageAt this time yesterday, I was writing about how Robert DeNiro, one of my favorite actors, had broken my heart. His film festival, Tribeca, was slated to screen a documentary made by the anti-vaccine advocate Andrew Wakefield. Today, my heart is on the mend. He may be “just an actor,” as I’ve seen many say on social media over the past 24 hours, but he has generally been a thoughtful actor who chooses important films (in addition to, yes, some duds). And he has made the right decision in removing Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe from the Tribeca Film Festival schedule.
The festival’s Facebook page posted the following statement from DeNiro today:
My intent in screening this film was to provide an opportunity for conversation around an issue that is deeply personal to me and my family. But after reviewing it over the past few days with the Tribeca Film Festival team and others from the scientific community, we do not believe it contributes to or furthers the discussion I had hoped for. The Festival doesn't seek to avoid or shy away from controversy. However, we have concerns with certain things in this film that we feel prevent us from presenting it in the Festival program. We have decided to remove it from our schedule.
This is a responsible decision for the sake of scientific accuracy and reducing discrimination against the autistic community. Screening this film would have given a platform to misinformation and scientifically inaccurate claims about autism and vaccines. Given the extensive damage this misconception has already caused since the publication of Wakefield’s now-retracted, fraudulent study on 12 children, screening a “documentary” about a non-controversy would have continued to frighten and mislead parents about the safety of vaccines.
It would have contributed to the continued diversion of funds away from research into autism support and interventions toward more debunking of a many-times-debunked falsehood. It would have continued the stigmatization of autistic individuals by portraying them as “damaged” “victims” instead of portraying them as individuals with differences in their neurobiology that can be a disability, but also contributes to the unique people they are. It would also have insulted the many parents whose children have died and suffered from meningitis since the day the film was scheduled to be screened, April 24, is also World Meningitis Day.
"I'm so pleased Robert De Niro pulled this documentary," said Patti Wukovits, RN, executive director of the Kimberly Coffey Foundation. "It would have been especially insulting to me if it had debuted as planned as April 24, World Meningitis Day, as I have witnessed first-hand my own daughter's death from meningitis, a vaccine-preventable disease. It would have given a platform to Wakefield to continue with his misinformation about vaccines."
But DeNiro listened. He listened to the many autistic individuals disappointed about the film’s initial inclusion, he listened to the thousands of doctors who care for children, and he listened to the scientific community. It appears that he viewed the film himself and decided that flaws in its information and/or execution did not meet the high standards that Tribeca demands.
But he’s definitely been correct about one thing along: We do need a conversation about autism in this country. We need an honest conversation about what autistic individuals experience in their everyday lives and about the supports their families need and often are not getting. We need a conversation about the stigmatization, discrimination, poor employment opportunities and poorer health outcomes facing autistic individuals.
For example, the Washington Post has reported that “research on how best to help adults with autism is paper-thin. Of the more than $400 million that the United States spends each year on autism research, the vast majority is for genetics research to find the causes and a cure, and studies on early diagnosis and intervention in children. Few studies have examined treatments for adults.” Much of that research into “causes” went toward debunking a link with vaccines or chasing similar red herrings when those millions of dollars could have gone toward helping autistic adults.
DeNiro said in his initial statement and he and his wife Grace have an autistic child. I can appreciate his personal motivation in bringing attention to the condition in his festival. I hope that he will consider seeking out autistic filmmakers or other filmmakers who address some of the many issues about autism that non-autistic people may not know about. I also hope that the publicity generated by this incident may lead more people to seek out information about autism.
A great place to start is Steve Silberman’s book NeuroTribes. But for those who don’t have time to read that tome at the moment, a wide range of websites offer insights and information, including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, focusing on policy, politics and acceptance and run by autistic self-advocates.
Below are some other recommended resources:
Autism Women's Network, focusing on activism, acceptance and intersectionality
Respectfully Connected, for autistic parents, mostly, on parenting autistic kids (blog and Facebook page)
Real Social Skills by Ruti Regan, focusing on cross-disability insights about ableism, communication and behaviorism
Karla’s ASD page, with autistic insights from a late-diagnosed professional woman who mentors teens
Mel (formerly Amanda) Baggs, a non-speaking, autistic gender non-conformist who blogs and posts on Tumblr
The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism (website, book and Facebook page)
My book, The Informed Parent, with co-author Emily Willingham, is available for pre-order. Find me on Twitter here.A former U.S. Army serviceman who has been in Northern Syria fighting ISIS with the Kurds since September of last year says that a minor British actor who recently joined them in the fight is a liability and in danger of losing his life -- and not necessarily at the hands of ISIS. He's calling on the State Department to remove the "unstable" actor before he gets himself and/or others killed.
Jordan Matson said in a Facebook post Thursday that Michael Enright, who moved from Hollywood to Syria last month, is a self-serving "POS" who is in danger of being killed by his own comrades.
Enright, for his part, said in an interview with the Dubai-based channel Al Aan TV that he decided to join the fight after seeing videos of the Jordanian pilot being burned alive by ISIS and the beheading of U.S. journalists.
The actor, who lives in the United States, said he felt a debt to America and the need "to help right a wrong.” "They need to be wiped off completely from the face of this earth," Enright, 51, said, adding that he was ready to die for the cause. "I didn’t come here to run, I came here to fight and if I have to die, then I die. I didn’t come here to play games."
Although he seems to have pure motives based on that interview, there has apparently been a great deal of friction between the actor and his fellow fighters.
Matson said in his Facebook post that Enright is a "mentally unstable actor" who has been "kicked out of four different fighting units."
Matson added in the comments, "This man assaulted one of my fellow veterans here and threatened to kill another. Threatening to kill a vet in a war zone doesnt end well."I previously wrote about the gradual transition of India’s Israel policy, from one of hostility to the collaborative stance adopted in 1992 – and the rationale for this shift.
Here, I will further analyze the causes for India’s diplomatic shift and provide a timeline of key events in the changing relationship.
[A] A DEEPER INSIGHT INTO THE CAUSES
(1) BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER
“What have the Arabs given us, if I may ask? Did they vote for us in the Kashmir issue? Were they supportive of us when we had the East Pakistan crisis (1971)?,” blasted J.N. Dixit, the foreign secretary of India – and Indian National Congress (INC) Party member – in a January 1992 interview, shortly after normalization with Israel.
The eventual rapprochement with Israel was primarily because of the Arab world’s constant betrayal of India by its robust support for Pakistan on the Kashmir issue – in spite of New Delhi’s hardline backing of Arab causes (especially that of Palestine) in the international arena.
The Palestinians themselves overwhelmingly favoured Pakistan over India. This was predicted by many, when starting 1951, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Hussam ad-Din Jarallah, became a staunch defender of Pakistani claims to Kashmir after visiting Pakistan that year.
Israel ALWAYS stood by India’s side on the Kashmir issue, even with New Delhi’s outright hostility.
Dixit’s anger was reflective of the left-wing INC party’s frustration with the Arab world. No longer were grievances over a failed West Asia policy unique to the opposition.
(2) THE IRAQI INVASION OF KUWAIT
India, in the aftermath of Saddam Hussain’s forceful annexation of Kuwait in 1990, supported him until it could airlift the 150,000 or so Indians living in Kuwait. Soon after, India became critical of Iraq, even allowing American warplanes to refuel in Mumbai.
Israel proved its worthiness as an ally, when, in spite of India’s diplomatic belligerence, she offered to transfer to Israel the thousands of Indians languishing in Jordan (after escaping Iraq) and fly them to India for free. The absence of ties caused various bureaucratic hurdles, and the help wasn’t accepted – exposing those stranded to hunger, rape, and theft, leading to a great deal of anger and debate against the INC’s policies.
After supporting Saddam, the PLO and Yasser Arafat lost prestige tremendously in West Asia. Justifiably, Arafat was accused of treachery by the Kuwaitis. He was also shunned by the Gulf States who feared that they could be “next”.
India was heavily dependent on the Gulf Emirates for energy and many economic benefits. To alleviate any anger over its initial support for Saddam, New Delhi distanced itself from the PLO, prioritizing the beneficial relationship with the Gulf over the unrewarding ideological pro-Palestinian espousal.
(3) DECLINE OF THE SOVIET UNION
This event had multiple outcomes:
• Erosion of ideological foundations – From the outset, the mass-murderers of the Soviet Union were |
for a queue. If your worker in the worst case takes 2 minutes to consume a message, set the visibility_timeout to at least 4 minutes. It doesn’t hurt and it will be better than having the same message being consumed more than the expected.
Auto retrying errors
begin sqs_msg = sqs. queues. named ('myqueue' ). receive_message do_something ( sqs_msg ) sqs_msg. delete rescue => e error e end
In the code above if do_something raises an exception, the message will become available again as soon as its visibility_timeout expires, so other workers will be able to re-attempt the message.
This behavior will also cover in case your process or server crashes. Basically, if you don’t call sqs_msg.delete, the message will become available again no matter what :)
Dead Letter Queues
Let’s retry stuff, but not forever, right? Sometimes no matter how many times we re-attempt a message, it will continue failing. To do not discard or retry forever these messages addicted to failure, we can let them rest in peace using a Dead Letter Queue.
The code below creates myqueue_failures and associates it with myqueue as a dead letter queue:
dl_queue = sqs. queues. create ('myqueue_failures' ) sqs. queues. create ('myqueue', redrive_policy: %Q{ {"maxReceiveCount":"3", "deadLetterTargetArn":" #{ dl_queue. arn } "}" } )
The redrive_policy above tells SQS to move a message from myqueue to myqueue_failures if its receive count reaches 3.
Delaying a message perform_in
SQS supports delaying a message up to 15 minutes, before it becomes available to be consumed using the delay_seconds option:
sqs. queues. named ('myqueue' ). send_message 'HELLO', delay_seconds: 60
But as we are all hackerz and we know that the visibility_timeout supports up to 12 hours, we can use it to extend the delay.
Sending a message with extended delay
perform_at = Time. now + 1. hour # max: 12.hours sqs. queues. named ('myqueue' ). send_message 'H311O', message_attributes: { 'perform_at' => { string_value: perform_at. to_s, data_type: 'String' }
Receiving a message with extended delay
sqs_msg = sqs. queues. named ('myqueue' ). receive_message, message_attribute_names: [ 'perform_at' ] delay = Time. parse ( sqs_msg. message_attributes [ 'perform_at' ][ :string_value ]) - Time. now if delay > 0 sqs_msg. visibility_timeout = delay. to_i else do_something ( sqs_msg ) sqs_msg. delete end
Be careful with this workaround, because it will increase the message receive count.
1 million!= 1 million
1 million requests don’t mean 1 million jobs consumed, as we need at least 3 requests to fully consume a message:
send_message receive_message sqs_msg.delete
Although these requests can be executed in batches up to 10 messages, you will need all of them to consume a message, and even if you are using the poll method with a high wait_time_seconds, you will probably make some empty requests while looking for new messages.
SNS to SQS
SNS distributes messages across multiple SQS queues and more.
Sending the same msg to my_queue1 and my_queue2 using SQS:
sqs. queues. named ('my_queue1' ). send_message ( msg ) sqs. queues. named ('my_queue2' ). send_message ( msg )
Using SNS to SQS:
topic. publish ( msg ) # sends to my_queue1 and my_queue2
SNS will fanout the message to both queues, consequently, you will pay (SNS to SQS is free) and wait for only one request to SNS, instead of two to SQS.
Trouble in Paradise
SQS is really good, the Ruby SDK is great, but… how to consume messages continuously?
# myqueue_worker.rb sqs. queues. named ('myqueue' ). poll { | sqs_msg | do_something ( sqs_msg ) }
Then:
ruby myqueue_worker.rb
Doesn’t seem to be very reliable, right? No threads, consumes messages one by one, and if you need to consume from another queue you will need to start a new process ruby myotherqueue_worker.rb, which is a waste of resources when one queue is empty and others have messages available.
Introducing Shoryuken
Shoryuken is a project based on Sidekiq, that uses all the cool stuff Sidekiq did with processes, Celluloid, CLI etc, but for SQS.
No more ruby myotherqueue_worker.rb, Shoryuken will handle that for you, including signal handling.
A single Shoryuken process can consume messages from multiple queues, load balancing the consumption.
It’s transparent to SQS, it passes the ReceivedMessage to the workers, no abstractions, no Rescue compatibility, SQS as is!
It accepts multiple workers per queue.
Check more on the project’s README.
Conclusion
SQS is cheap, you don’t need to worry about managing your queue services, setup Redis etc.
Keep your focus on your workers/jobs (which should be the most important to you) and let Amazon take care of the infrastructure, it works!C++ has long been a mainstay of the computing industry, gaining significant adoption since it came on the scene in the early 1980s. Yet even with its rich history, it continues to evolve in meaningful ways, now on a faster cadence than we’ve seen in the past. In fact, this has already been a big year for C++. In April, less than two years after the ratification of C++11, the ISO C++ committee voted to adopt the feature set for the upcoming C++14 standard, which is expected to be done in the next year and which rounds out the C++11 standard with key features like generic lambdas.
We started on the path of C++11 support in Visual C++ with our Visual Studio 2010 release, in which we implemented several C++11 features, including auto and lambda functions. In Visual Studio 2012, we implemented more of the standard, with support for features like range-based for loops, standard threads, and futures. And this week we announced Visual Studio 2013 Preview, which as I noted in my blog post on the Preview earlier this week, provides more C++11 support, including capabilities like variadic templates and delegating constructors. However, as several of you have pointed out in comments on that post, we still have a ways to go in providing full support for C++11.
Today at his Build 2013 conference session on “The Future of C++”, Herb Sutter (an architect on our Visual C++ team and the convener of the ISO C++ standards committee) announced a roadmap for when Visual C++ would implement the complete feature set of the current ISO C++ standard. Because C++14 “completes C++11,” and because as of two months ago we now know C++14’s feature set, we consider draft C++14 to be the current target. I think a particular statement of Herb’s clarifies our approach nicely:
“Visual C++ is targeting C++14, so we’re treating all the new features in C++11 and C++14 as a single bucket of work to do. We’ll do all of the features, but we’ll work on them in the order that delivers the most value soonest to customers. That means we will implement all of C++11 and C++14, but some high-value C++14 features, such as generic lambdas, should come before others from C++11.”
We will share a more specific timeframe for full conformance as we work through the details, but the following slide from Herb’s talk presented what we know now, listing the features remaining to be added and the approximate order in which we expect them to appear.
There are six “buckets” of remaining language features which together will bring Visual C++ to be a full implementation of not only C++11 and C++14, but also the “C++14 wave” that includes three additional technical specifications also expected to be completed by the ISO C++ committee in the next year: a file system library based on Boost File System version 3 (the previous version 2 is already included in Visual C++ 2012), an initial networking library, and set of language extensions called “Concepts” that enable expressing template constraints and are important to improve template type-checking and deliver greatly improved diagnostics.
The first two buckets of features will be available in Visual C++ 2013 RTM later this year. Herb also announced that, in response to customer requests, the RTM version will also include a few tactical C99 language extensions when compiling C code, so that some popular community libraries (including FFmpeg) will now be able to compile with Visual C++ 2013.
Some subset of the next two buckets, which include some of the most highly anticipated C++14 features (such as generic lambdas and generalized lambda capture) are already being implemented in parallel with our work on Visual C++ 2013 and will ship in a CTP release soon after the Visual C++ 2013 RTM. This CTP will also include an implementation of the async/await feature Microsoft is proposing for the C++ standard; async/await has not only been the number one request from our C++/CX customers for WinRT programming, it is more generally wonderfully useful for any asynchronous code.
Herb also announced today the GoingNative conference, happening in a few months on September 4-6 on Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, WA. At that event, we will be able to share another progress update with more specific details on the timing and feature set of the upcoming CTP and related work announced in today’s roadmap. The GoingNative conference will include a keynote by Bjarne Stroustrup, the creator of C++, as well as talks by a “who’s who” of the C++ community and active standards committee members: Scott Meyers, Andrei Alexandrescu of Facebook, Chandler Carruth of Google, Stephan T. Lavavej of Microsoft, Sean Parent of Adobe, Michael Wong of IBM (who also represents Canada in ISO C++ and who is the current chairman of OpenMP), and more. Registration for the conference is now open.
We are delighted to see the continued momentum behind C++ across the industry, and we look forward to continuing to being a part of this important language and community. For more information and to discuss these efforts, please see the Visual C++ team blog.
Namaste!
Follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ssomasegar.Has any country ever changed so much in 60 years? Enchanting photos show what life was like when our Queen came to the throne
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With all eyes on the Jubilee, these enchanting photographs give an insight into what life was like 60 years ago when our Queen came to the throne.
Discovered in a photographic agency’s archives, they show a world which moved at an entirely different pace. As L. P. Hartley wrote: ‘The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there.’ So true.
Crime levels were a tenth of today’s. There were only 2.5 million cars on the road, as opposed to 25 million now. Few homes had phones and only a tenth owned fridges. But storing food wasn’t a problem as rationing did not end until July 1954. Shopping was a daily trail around the butcher’s, the baker’s and the greengrocer’s.
Televisions were rare — there was only one channel — but sales rocketed before June 1953, so the nation could tune into the Coronation.
Your Hovis, madam: Like a scene from the nostalgic TV advert, a baker¿s boy delivers in a quiet Suffolk street. There¿s not a yellow line - or car - in sight0
Today is apparently a day of disappointing movie delays via Sony Pictures. This morning, we learned that The Dark Tower is being pushed from February to July, and now comes word that Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World filmmaker Edgar Wright’s highly anticipated Baby Driver has been delayed five months from March 17, 2017 to August 11, 2017. While the longer wait for the next movie from one of the most exciting directors working today is upsetting, this actually may be a smart move. In March, the film was squaring off against Disney’s sure-to-be-massive Beauty and the Beast, and August has now become a solid box office ground for films like Suicide Squad, Straight Outta Compton, Sausage Party, and Don’t Breathe.
On its new release date, Baby Driver will square off against the CHiPs remake, the Charlize Theron-fronted spy thriller The Coldest City, and The Emoji Movie. It also comes one week after the release of Fox’s Alien: Covenant, but Baby Driver promises to be anything but ordinary and could benefit from repeat business in the weeks leading up to the start of the school season.
Written and directed by Wright, Baby Driver is an original story about a mute wheelman who operates to the sound of music. Further details are under wraps, but it’s been described as a musical of sorts and boasts one hell of a cast led by Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Elza González, Jon Bernthal, and Kevin Spacey.
Indeed, we still haven’t seen an official image from Baby Driver so perhaps Sony has been mulling a push for a few months now. No reason is given for the release date shift, but it likely has to do with Sony shaking up its slate overall. The studio’s had a so-so 2016 and looking ahead to next year, has some gambles with the original sci-fi Life in May and the Jumanji sequel, which has now been pushed to December 22nd with The Dark Tower taking over its July release date. Positioning Baby Driver in August feels like a swell business move, especially in the wake of Spider-Man: Homecoming’s expected success in early July. It’s just a bummer we have to wait a few more months for the next film from Edgar Wright.Get the biggest football 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
Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld fears he could be facing surgery and 14 weeks out on the sidelines after injuring his hamstring, report football.london.
The Belgian international hasn't featured for the Lilywhites since limping out of the 3-1 win over Real Madrid last month after just 24 minutes.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino initially revealed that he expected the 28-year-old to return in time for Spurs' fixtures over the festive period, but it would appear that the Argentine was being rather too optimistic as Alderweireld has now shed some light on his health - and it's not good news.
"I have a serious muscle tear," he told HLN.
(Image: Getty)
"There’s a big chance of recurrence. If the muscle tears off completely for instance, I would need surgery and it’ll take 14 weeks to recover.
"That’s why we try to see how we can treat the muscle. In two weeks I’ll undergo a new scan."
Seeing Alderweireld limp off against Los Blancos would certainly have been a sight for sore eyes amongst a large portion of Spurs supporters and his absence has seen the side's form dip considerably in the Premier League.
(Image: Richard Heathcote)
He's subsequently missed games against Arsenal, West Brom Leicester City and Watford - fixtures in which Spurs have failed to win - and that's seen their hopes of mounting a title challenge this season take a huge hit as they now trail leaders Manchester City by 15 points.
Furthermore, the North London outfit's defensive concerns deepened during yesterday afternoon's 1-1 draw with the Hornets as Davinson Sanchez was shown a red card in the second half following a clash with Richarlison and that means Pochettino faces the prospect of picking an XI to play City at the Etihad Stadium later this month that won't feature two of his best centre-backs.Roberto Mancini has not ruled out the possibility of Daniele De Rossi still signing from Roma, with the Manchester City manager clear that he needs two or three more players if the club are to challenge for the Champions League.
The midfielder has declared he is staying at Roma but Mancini said: "I don't know this. It is difficult but I don't know what can happen. From my experience while the window is still open anything can still happen for every player."
Mancini, whose side travel to Liverpool on Sunday, admitted that a move for Swansea City's Scott Sinclair could still be possible and smiled when asked if Athletic Bilbao's Javi Martínez may arrive. He said: "It's difficult, his cost is too big."
Mancini also denied again trying to sign Liverpool's Daniel Agger – "There's no chance," he said – and retaining an interest in Chelsea's David Luiz. "I don't know. I read it in the newspaper but it's not true. I think he's a fantastic player but it's not true," he said.
Of those linked with moves away from the club, Mancini said Nigel De Jong "will stay here" and added: "Adam Johnson is a City player at the moment. We can't sell a player if we don't buy other players, because we won't have enough players."
Edin Dzeko is said to interest Juventus but Mancini said: "As for other players, we can't sell our players if we don't put other players in. We have 19 players and two or three players injured. It's impossible." Sergio Agüero, Micah Richards and Gareth Barry are all out.
While De Rossi, a midfielder who can play in central defence, may cost around £30m to prise away, Mancini is intent that City will add to their summer recruitment, which stands at only Jack Rodwell. Asked how many more players he needs to be competitive for the Premier League and Champions League, Mancini said: "The same we asked for when we won the championship in May. Maybe two or three more."
This summer Mancini has voiced his disquiet with Brian Marwood, the chief football operations officer, regarding the club's lack of signings. Of City's ability to sustain a challenge in the two competitions if he does not enhance his squad, Mancini said: "We have four competitions. The Carling Cup is not important like the Champions League but if we do a good job in the transfer market in the final week before the window closes we can have a team which has a good chance in that competition as well and reach the final.
"In January we will lose Yaya and Kolo [Touré] and Abdul Razak to the African Nations Cup and we could have a serious problem. For this reason I think we need to improve our team."
Mancini described as "ridiculous" the Fifa regulation that could allow Argentina to insist on flying Agüero to his homeland for a medical after he was named for the games against Paraguay and Peru next month. While Carlos Tevez, Agüero's club colleague has not been selected, the 23-year-old has, despite Mancini stating he will not be available until the Stoke City game on 15 September, at the earliest.
"No, its impossible," he said of Agüero's chances of playing for Argentina. "It's impossible because Sergio needs a minimum of two weeks without training and then after maybe he can start again. He can't go. If Sergio in one week can play, it's different, but at the moment I think he needs two weeks."
Argentina may still insist on conducting their medical assessment and that could mean him having to fly home. "He can go and after he can come back but – yes, it's ridiculous [if that happens]. These are the rules and we need to respect these rules. They are ridiculous rules but now we need to see what happens with Sergio in the next 10 days or two weeks and after we take a decision."
In Agüero's absence Mario Balotelli may make his first start in City's visit to Liverpool. "We have two days to decide this," said Mancini.
Balotelli was sent off in the corresponding fixture last season, having come on in the second half. He had a starring role as Italy's lead striker in their progress to the Euro 2012 final but Mancini denied it was important for him to be the focal point at City.
"The European Championship is like the World Cup," Mancini said. "One month, every player do 100%. But Mario is an important player also here and he can do better but I'm sure that he'll improve."Athletics - World Athletics Championships - Men's 400 Metres Hurdles Final - London Stadium, London, Britain – August 9, 2017. Karsten Warholm of Norway celebrates winning the final. REUTERS/Phil Noble
LONDON (Reuters) - It only dawned on youngster Karsten Warholm that he had become world 400 meters hurdles champion on Wednesday when he made a Reuters photographer an offer he could not refuse.
Still barely able to comprehend what had happened after becoming Norway’s first world track champion for 30 years, Warholm was down on his haunches having been given a flag to parade when he looked straight at photographer Phil Noble.
“What’s going on, is this real?” the 21-year-old asked Noble. When assured it was, Warholm still wasn’t satisfied. “Pinch me,” he demanded.
A surprised Noble leant across and did as he was told, pinching the youngster’s wrist, at which point Warholm concurred.
“Yes, it’s real” he said before disappearing for his lap of honor in a viking helmet.A former Muslim cleric has been found guilty of marrying off an under-aged girl to an adult man in Melbourne.
Magistrate Phil Goldberg said on Thursday he found Ibrahim Omerdic solemnised the marriage of the girl and a 34-year-old man.
Omerdic, who was an imam of the Bosnian Islamic Society and Noble Park Mosque, had fought the charge, claiming the'marriage' was not subsequently formalised under Australian law.
Scroll down for video
Magistrate Phil Goldberg said on Thursday he found Ibrahim Omerdic (pictured) solemnised the marriage of the girl and a 34-year-old man
'I'm satisfied the prosecution has proved all elements of the charge,' Mr Goldberg said on Thursday.
Video of the ceremony was screened previously in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court, and Omerdic could be heard telling the girl's mother and her betrothed that she was'very young'.
'As a wife you have a duty to obey your husband,' he told the girl in the video.
Ibrahim Omerdic (pictured) solemnised the marriage of an underaged girl and a 34-year-old man
Omerdic is pictured in footage of the marriage which happened at the back of a Melbourne mosque
Omerdic was sacked after his arrest in November and his marriage licence certificate was revoked.
He told police he thought the girl was 17 and he did not consider the pair officially married as he had not seen their ID and proof of age.
Omerdic's bail was extended and the matter returns to court on June 21.
Omerdic is pictured in video of the marriage between the underage girl and the man 20 years her seniorFrom the time it was introduced last spring, one of the most contentious aspects of the federal government’s assisted dying legislation was the requirement that in order to get a doctor’s help to end their lives, a patient must not only be suffering from a “grievous and irremediable” medical condition, but their natural death must be “reasonably foreseeable.” Critics of that clause argued it was unconstitutional, because the Supreme Court decision that struck down the ban on assisted dying did not limit it to those already near death. Julia Lamb, a 25-year-old British Columbia woman with a muscle-wasting disease, has already launched a court challenge to the law on those grounds.
In a backgrounder on Bill C-14, the Justice department noted that the legislation does not limit assisted death to people dying within a given timeframe, such as six months, but it does “require a natural death to be foreseeable in a period of time that is not too remote.”
Now, five months after the law came into effect, there is enduring confusion—among patients, their families and the doctors handed responsibility for assessing who qualifies—about what exactly that means and who meets that bar.
This week, Maclean’s published the story of Ruth Duffin, a 70-year-old Canadian woman who travelled to Switzerland in August to end her life because, once the law passed with the “reasonably foreseeable” criterion, she and her family and her family physician believed she was excluded. Duffin had Parkinson’s disease, and while she was suffering acutely each day, the disease wasn’t going to kill her “imminently,” which was the basis on which her family doctor declared she could not fulfill her request for assisted death, although she supported her wish.
Maclean’s requested clarification from Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould’s office on the parameters and intent of that part of the legislation and received the following response:
“The criterion requiring that an individual’s natural death be reasonably foreseeable was carefully crafted to provide maximum flexibility to medical and nurse practitioners when assessing the overall medical circumstances of a patient, and does not impose any specific requirements in terms of prognosis or proximity to death. It therefore extends eligibility both to those with fatal diseases that progress rapidly and linearly, such as those with a prognosis of six months or less, and to those with conditions that deteriorate unpredictably over a longer period of time.
In addition, eligibility extends to those in situations where no single condition is leading to death, but where multiple conditions create circumstances that make death foreseeable over a period of time that is not too remote. It is important to note that, under the Act, eligibility is assessed on a case-by-case basis to reflect the uniqueness of each person’s situation.”
But with the legislation so new and the stakes so high, many doctors are confused about how to assess patients and apprehensive about interpreting the law too liberally. “There is very clearly uncertainty in the medical community—there’s no question,” says Jeff Blackmer, vice-president of medical professionalism at the Canadian Medical Association. “We’ve said all along that was going to be the case.”
Although the federal government was careful to say there are no specific time limitations tied to the law, that’s a major issue doctors are wrestling with because it affects so much, he says. The language in the law has created a grey zone that’s interpreted differently by different physicians, Blackmer adds, and because this issue is entirely new in Canadian medicine, there’s little to fall back on. “In this case, we don’t have that established body of physicians with expertise who can say, ‘Our experience points in this direction, or these are the things we should take into account,'” he says.
Blackmer believes people with diseases such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and ALS, which will cause protracted declines but not be fatal for years, would qualify under the law; he’s always surprised when he hears those patients say they’re left out. “It’s still maybe a situation where because this is new and because some patients may fall into an uncertain area, there may be situations where local physicians, depending on a community, might not feel comfortable,” he says. “But physicians with more experience, who have seen more patients with these conditions, may feel more comfortable.”
That’s not what Nino Sekopet, personal support program manager with Dying With Dignity, has observed. The justice minister’s explanation of the intent of the law simply doesn’t fit with what patients are experiencing on the ground when he counsels them on their options and how to proceed, he says. “I wish that reality would support that statement, but everything I hear is happening in reality is very different,” he says. “Doctors are absolutely unclear about the timeframe around reasonably foreseeable natural death.”
In his experience, doctors are nervous to proceed with a brand-new law, so they consult lawyers who advise caution—leaving doctors “paralyzed” and patients without options. “There are some brave doctors who will read that criteria as something similar to what the justice minister named in her statement,” Sekopet says. “But most of the doctors really feel unsafe, insecure, and that makes them not do anything rather than promote some sort of action.”
He has a hard time imagining patients like Duffin travelling thousands of miles and spending thousands of dollars to access assisted death overseas, when the justice department is saying that service would be readily available in Canada to those same patients. “What that statement suggests or implies to me is somehow people are not doing their homework,” he says. “But in reality, they’ve been blocked from accessing that service in Canada.”
Shelley Duffin, whose mother travelled to Switzerland to die, believes the government should simply have enacted a law in line with the Supreme Court’s decision, rather than complicating matters with additional restrictions. “I find it somewhat offensive and disturbing to say it was ‘carefully crafted to provide maximum flexibility.’ No, it wasn’t,” she says. “If it was maximum flexibility you were looking for, you would not have put (in) a reasonably foreseeable criterion. You put this on people when they are at a time in their life where they are ill-equipped and least prepared to deal with what this clause will put them through.”
Sen. Kelvin Ogilvie, co-chair of Parliament’s special joint committee on physician-assisted dying, dismisses the statement from the justice minister as “absolute hypocrisy” and a “cynical attempt” to convince people assisted death is more widely available in Canada than it is in practice right now. The Conservative-appointed senator believes this interpretation serves only to make things more ambiguous.
Ogilvie is particularly frustrated by the mention of people with conditions that deteriorate “unpredictably” because he questions how a doctor could possibly assess and forecast that. “I will argue this is another cruel hoax that she’s perpetrating on Canadians, to give people hope that they might be able to end much longer-term suffering through medical assistance in dying,” he says. “And yet nobody will be able to interpret this for them.”A couple of squids will be musically represented by a rock lobster.
The B-52s are the latest musical act to cover the damn-it-all theme song for Adult Swim’s Squidbillies, which you can hear in all its demented glory on Sunday’s episode. Or you can choose not to wait until your weekend is all dead and buried, and preview the tune right here.
There’s an appropriate geographical connection, as the animated comedy is set in Georgia, and the B-52s were formed in Athens. The above video also contains footage of founding band members Cindy Wilson, Kate Pierson, and Fred Schneider, along with Sterling Campbell, Paul Gordon, Tracy Wormworth and Greg Suran, performing the song in the studio last fall. (Gordon passed away earlier this year.)
In previous seasons, artists like Dwight Yoakam, Todd Rundgren, and Lynryd Skynyrd have covered the theme song, which was originally performed by Billy Joe Shaver. Season 10 — which launched earlier this month — has featured versions by Kurt Vile and Father John Misty. Jimmy Cliff will do the honors later this season.
Squidbillies airs Sundays at 11:30 p.m. ET on Adult Swim.Cherish the memories © Getty Images
Sachin Tendulkar has retired from one-dayers.
Does this mean anything to you?
Did you feel numb on Sunday morning? Or maybe it was Saturday night in your part of the world. Did the various stages of your life flash in your head, as they are supposed to in the instant before you die?
Do you remember one-dayers 23 years ago? Travel back in time. What do you see? Red leather balls, players in whites and some one-dayers in England with umpires stopping play for tea.
What else do you see? Doordarshan - the feed hanging this moment, back live the next, your grainy screen filled with men who sport stubbles and bushy moustaches, the camera facing the batsman one over and the bowler the next, commentators screaming "that's hit up in the air".
Gradually the texture changes. Coloured clothing and floodlit games become commonplace, fielding restrictions alter the definitions of a "safe total", Duckworth and Lewis appear, so do Powerplays, Supersubs and Super Overs. Pinch-hitters, a novelty for a few years, lose their sheen. Now everyone must pinch, everyone must hit.
Tendulkar has seen it all. Sometimes he has initiated the change, on other occasions he has adapted. A master of the game in the mid '90s, a master in 2011. The one constant in a wildly changing format. He was around when one-dayers were blooming, he was also around when they were allegedly dying.
You have been around too. Are you a kid from the '80s? Or the '90s? Or are you a straddler, part of the Tendulkar generation that has one feet in both decades?
Ah, you stand on the threshold. You have experienced Doordarshan before leaping to the riches of satellite, you have seen Shah Rukh Khan as a fauji on TV before he soared onto the silver screen, you know of life before the internet but are quick to embrace the wonders of technology, you have watched monochrome but are a child of the colour TV age.
What else do you see?
Tendulkar in a white helmet, his white shirt unbuttoned to his thorax, blitzing Abdul Qadir in an exhibition game in Peshawar. Until that point cricket is merely a fuzzy idea. Tendulkar gives it shape, adds meaning, wraps it in colourful paper and winds a ribbon around the packing. He makes you understand the game's place in your life, teaches you its significance.
You grapple, trying to swerve banana out-swingers with a tennis ball. Standing in front of a mirror, you imagine the opposition needing six off the last over. The stadium is a cauldron. A hundred thousand fill the stands. Can you restrict the batsmen?
One morning in 1994, when large parts of India slept, you awake to life and freedom. What a rebellion at Auckland. Eighty-two off 49 balls. A cameo that unshackles the mind. The greatest one-day innings you have seen. Can anyone better this?
You are carried along the Tendulkar slipstream. When he is stumped off Mark Waugh, after illuminating the Mumbai sky, you sense the game will slip away. It does. A few days later his hundred against Sri Lanka in Delhi ends in defeat - the first Tendulkar ton in vain. You hope it's an aberration. You wish.
You observe his every move. In 1996, when he fires a swinging yorker to dismiss Saqlain in Sharjah and sends him off with an emphatic "f**k off", you blush. Four years later your vocabulary has expanded. When he mouths off Glenn McGrath in the Champions Trophy in Nairobi, you puff your chest, as if vindicated.
It's 1998, a time for decisions. Academics or sports? Arts or science? Biology or computers? To meet her or to continue with phone conversations? To buy a copy of Debonair or to take a sneak-peek? These are the burning questions that occupy you.
Do they matter? Tendulkar is dismantling Fleming, Warne and Kasprowicz in Sharjah. A desert storm, a birthday hundred and a ballistic Tony Greig. A straight six off Warne when he starts around the wicket. Another straight six off Kasprowicz. "Whaddaplayaa," screeches Greig. It imprints itself in your head.
In your inconsequential gully matches you bat with an amped-up ferocity. You nod to tell the bowler you are ready, you hold your pose during the follow-through, you reverse-sweep and attempt straight-bat paddles. You pump your fist when Tendulkar manhandles Henry Olonga in Sharjah.
A desert storm, a birthday hundred and a ballistic Tony Greig. A straight six off Warne when he starts around the wicket. Another straight six off Kasprowicz. "Whaddaplayaa," screeches Greig. It imprints itself in your head
You start college. You are ragged, often with little imagination. Some of the courses don't interest you. Many of your classmates speak about things you have never heard of, in languages you are not fluent in.
You are sipping tea in the canteen when someone switches on a television set. India are playing Namibia in the World Cup. You find your bearings. This is a familiar world. Tendulkar is nearing a century. This is your comfort zone. The next 10 days are some of the most joyous of your life. That six off Caddick, those fours of Akram and Shoaib... you feel you have turned a corner.
You hate your job. You begin to care for little other than your pay-cheque. This is not what you expected when you graduated. You assumed this job would be interesting. How wrong you were. Tendulkar is still at it, obsessed with his craft. Despite a lean patch, he says he must go on. He knows no other way.
You are engaged, then married. Life gets busier: an apartment, a car, daily chores. Tendulkar is brutalising Brett Lee in Sydney. An uppish cover drive, then a bullet past the bowler. Lee offers an angelic smile, Tendulkar stands still, zen-like, unconcerned about the past or the future, immersed in the present.
You switch jobs. You like your new role but your boss sucks. He is a slave-driver. You take sly peeks at a live scorecard tab that is open at your desktop as India chase Australia's 351 at Hyderabad. Tendulkar is flying but there is no TV. You wish you could get back home but what if he gets out when you are on your way? Would you be able to forgive yourself? India lose. You call out sick the next day.
You relocate abroad. Cricket matches are on a different time zone. You scavenge illegal internet streams, slap your head when the feed hangs. You are reminded of your days of |
McConaughey's Crime Drama 'Bush' for U.S. Why Matthew McConaughey 'Enjoys Disagreeing' With Anne Hathaway
As well as Jean-Marc Vallee’s “Dallas Buyers Club,” McConaughey’s film credits include Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” and Jeff Nichols’ “Mud.”
Korine is represented by CAA, and McConaughey by CAA and Morris Yorn.
Rocket Science’s sales slate also includes David Lowery’s “The Old Man and the Gun,” starring Robert Redford and Casey Affleck; Dominic Cooke’s film adaption “On Chesil Beach,” starring Saoirse Ronan; and Nick Hornby adaptation “Juliet, Naked” for Judd Apatow.
In Berlin, Rocket Science will also handle worldwide rights to Kristin Scott Thomas’ directorial debut, “The Sea Change,” based on Elizabeth Jane Howard’s novel of the same name. Scott Thomas will also star in the romantic drama, with Mark Strong in talks to join the cast.Roberto Di Matteo says the Aston Villa squad will have to obey his rules
New Aston Villa boss Roberto Di Matteo has warned the club's bad boys they must stay in line.
Villa were relegated from the Premier League last season with just three wins as a series of off-field incidents compounded their woes.
Gabby Agbonlahor was suspended by the club after being pictured partying in London after their relegation, while Jack Grealish was banished from the first-team for clubbing in Manchester following a 4-0 defeat to Everton in November.
Brad Guzan and Joleon Lescott also angered fans for playing a game involving chewing gum while on the substitutes' bench during Villa's 1-1 FA Cup draw with Sky Bet League Two side Wycombe.
Di Matteo, who was officially unveiled on Wednesday, said: "We are going to have our rules, our code of conduct and if someone steps outside there are certainly going to be consequences.
"I will have discussions with all the players, not just one or two. That's the way I manage. At the end of the day there are rules people have to obey.
"I have had very difficult dressing rooms in the past and have always been able to sort them out and make them work together.
"If you have children, you probably know that every child you have to treat differently. It is the same, you have 25 individuals and everyone responds differently."
Villa will attempt to secure an immediate return to the Premier League next season
Lescott, Micah Richards and Leandro Bacuna were all jeered by their own fans during a poisonous end to the season but Di Matteo believes they can repair that broken relationship.
He added: "If there is a willingness from each side there can be a future but you are going back to the past again and it's something I don't really want to judge too much because I wasn't here."The New York Times is trying to slap senior White House adviser Stephen Miller as a “far-right gadfly with little policy experience” who supposedly got promoted beyond his capabilities into President Donald Trump’s administration.
Miller is a tough and determined populist, but he is portrayed merely as a bomb-throwing email spammer in the article by Times reporters Glenn Thrush and Jennifer Staunheir:
As a top aide to Mr. Sessions, the conservative Alabama senator, Mr. Miller dispatched dozens and dozens of bombastic emails to congressional staff members and reporters in early 2013 when the Senate was considering a big bipartisan immigration overhaul. Mr. Miller slammed the evils of “foreign labor” and pushed around nasty news articles on proponents of compromise, like Senator Marco Rubio of Florida… The ascent of Mr. Miller from far-right gadfly with little policy experience to the president’s senior policy adviser came as a shock to many of the staff members who knew him from his seven years in the Senate. A man whose emails were, until recently, considered spam by many of his Republican peers is now shaping the Trump administration’s core domestic policies with his economic nationalism and hard-line positions on immigration.
It’s curious the Times would claim Miller had “little policy experience,” given how many prominent conservative writers credit his back-room efforts with Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions for derailing wage-slashing globalist trade deals and immigration-expanding legislation.
At age 22, Miller was one of youngest (if not the youngest) press secretaries on the Hill for then-Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann. At age 24, Miller became the press secretary for the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he first worked with Sessions. As CNN reports, “it was with Sessions where Miller came to be known as a skilled operator and true believer in conservative immigration policy. Miller helped his boss become the most outspoken critic of the 2013 bipartisan Gang of Eight immigration reform bill, penning a handbook filled with talking points on the issue and helping him lead the charge behind the scene to kill the measure.”
Sessions credited Miller, then his communications director, for quickly and thoroughly compiling critical facts about the Gang of Eight bill that stopped it from passing through the House and landing on President Barack Obama’s desk. “We had been working on the ideas in it for months, and Stephen put it in the handbook in a very quick time in a very cogent fashion. It was very timely and it impacted the outcome of the vote,” Sessions told Politico in June. Miller “captured Sessions’ voice,” as another Sessions staffer said, “was able to anticipate what he needed for an interview or a speech.”
Miller’s reach extended far. “A combination wonk and flack who not only formulates policy but also writes speeches, press releases, and op-eds and assists reporters with scoops and story pegs and telling details, Miller is the populist counterpart to liberal wunderkinds Ezra Klein and Ben Rhodes,” wrote Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief Matthew Continetti in December. “He’s one of the most effective aides in Washington—despite having lived here for less than a decade.”
National Review editor Rich Lowry attributed the Gang of Eight bill’s failure to Sessions and Miller. “He did more than anyone perhaps except Jeff Sessions himself to bring down the Gang of Eight bill,” Lowry wrote on Feb. 2. “It’s easy to see how he climbed so high in the Trump world, and in the area of immigration policy, few are as committed or as fluent on the details.”
Radio host Laura Ingraham also credited Miller for his role in halting the Gang of Eight bill. “Stephen was very important from an inside policy angle in the effort to stop and expose the Gang of Eight bill and the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” Ingraham said. “He knew their vulnerabilities, and understood the substantive argument that led to their defeat.”
“The ‘gadflies’ are those who spouted mindless generalities to support the doomed initiatives,” she added.
Miller’s arrival in the White House thrilled conservatives who recognize his tireless work on behalf of a nationalist, populist agenda on immigration and trade.
“I’ve known Stephen Miller for many years, and he is a principled conservative, who played a pivotal role for the president during the campaign as a key speechwriter and advisor,” Fox News host Sean Hannity told Breitbart News. “I also know he is exactly the type of person any administration needs. He is smart, he works long hours, rolls up his sleeves, and serves the president and the country, and never looks for credit.”
“What the Alt-Left Radical media is doing is systematically trying to vilify and demonize any and all people who support and serve the president,” Hannity added. “The media, generally speaking, has lost any credibility they may have had left after the Wikileaks revelations. As I have said many times, ‘Journalism is dead,’ and they have devolved into the propaganda arm for the Democratic Party.”
Best-selling conservative author Ann Coulter called the Times article “shockingly honest.”
“I THOUGHT IT WAS A FANTASTIC ARTICLE,” Coulter told Breitbart News. “I never knew Miller used to be a chain-smoker, which makes me love him even more! (No wonder he’s so smart.) ‘Gadfly’ is just one word in an otherwise SHOCKINGLY honest NYT article.”
“It was more like the old NYT, with reporters who may have been lefties, but were at least serious reporters,” she continued. “Most of the drivel from the NYT these days reads like something from Salon. This article got the facts right and threw in this one snippy word—a word that was belied by the rest of the article. Good reporting. Good article.”
Coulter has frequently heaped praise on Miller and on Trump for hiring him:
I'M IN HEAVEN! Trump hires Sen. Sessions' brain trust, Stephen Miller – https://t.co/yUNCGAGQLE He's not backing down on immigration. — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) January 25, 2016
Fantastic hit piece in Politico on the magnificent Stephen Miller, Trump aide and my favorite human being – https://t.co/nRdqOyNJM8 — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) June 27, 2016
Trump immigration advisor Stephen Miller on CNN. You know he's killing it when the other panelists gasp & guffaw – https://t.co/BzKgQfWB8y — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) March 27, 2016
Politico tries to destroy Stephen Miller with relentless, crazily negative bias, but screws up by quoting him. https://t.co/nRdqOyNJM8 — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) June 27, 2016
Miller himself said he is carrying out the same agenda that propelled Trump to the White House. “My driving passion throughout my professional career has been to fight for social and economic justice for working families who are not paid enough, respected enough, or protected enough because of a system that tilts unfairly towards the largest and powerful special interests,” Miller told Breitbart News.
“I am now privileged beyond words to work for a president who is a tireless voice and unyielding champion for every working person in this country who deserves a brighter future.”The historical fact of a possible assassination attempt on the President-Elect Abraham Lincoln makes the movie very interesting. The drama comes from a fictitious New York police sergeant discovering the plot and boarding the last train to Washington, DC, to protect the new president to be. Dick Powell does a very good job using deduction and logic to find who on the train could be conspirators. He is foiled at different times but manages to succeed even when the conspirators have caught him. The movie's action takes place mostly on the train and the effects of travelling are well done. Historically, several states have already seceded from the union and that included Virginia. That's why Lincoln had to travel to Washington, DC, through Maryland, also a slave state. When he was taking his own "Inaugural Train" the plan was to kill Lincoln in Baltimore during a long stop but Lincoln's supporters did some slight of hand to sneak him on board the last train to the capital. Maybe not... Written by Zack RindererOnly a few days ago users starting noticing that PureVPN was hosting a malicious file on their blog. This file was obfuscated as a Microsoft office document. However, users found out that this file was infected with many dangerous components, including a windows password stealing trojan. Here are some screenshots of the examination of the file:
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
What does the hack mean?
Hosting a malicious file on a website is severe, as it could jeopardize the security of thousands of users who have access to the content–regardless of what part of the site it is hosted on, and in this case–it was the blog.
AirVPN, user Zhang888, contacted PureVPN the day of the hack to chat with support about the issue. However, support denied any allegations of the hack. Zhang asked PureVPN if they “were aware that [they] were hacked.” Pure VPN chat rep Daniel responded that he “is sorry for the inconvenience” and that Zhang should contact the email support. Upon further examination from Zhang, rep Daniel repeatedly denied any hack attempts or that PureVPN hosted malware. There is no question, however, that PureVPN was indeed hosting the file, as seen in this video proof.
Issues like these, regardless of their overall impact, are very concerning for users that rely on the service for their internet security and privacy. This also isn’t the first time PureVPN’s security has been called into question.
Earlier in 2013 PureVPN sent out an email from company founder Uzair Gadit–but after examination, it turned out that it wasn’t him at all. Gadit explained the issue by claiming it was a ” zero-day exploit breach found in WHMcs; 3rd party CRM that we use on our website.”
This malicious file was hosted on blog.purevpn.com/vpn_reqs.doc. As of now, the file and URL seem to be inactive. We will update this post when PureVPN replies to our inquiry about what happened the day of the issue.
UPDATE 4/14/2016:
PureVPN responded to the issue. Fahad Ali, head of strategic partnerships, told us to “keep in mind the blog people are talking about is blog.purevpn.com/tr/ which is an abandoned experiment by our marketing team for the Turkish region. Secondly, this experimental blog was never hosted on infrastructure managed by PureVPN. PureVPN’s staff worked with third-party and had this small VPS hosted for a specific reason, and for a specific time frame. In short, it has minimal-to-no impact whatsoever.
Our active blog is purevpn.com/blog, which is of course impenetrable in terms of security. To ensure maximum security and privacy, all of our infrastructure is hosted and maintained by us. Blog.purevpn.com was just an experiment; never meant to go mainstream.”
If you need help with PureVPN, or just have questions about VPNs, come on over to our forums.
Useful articles:
PureVPN Review
How to Pay for VPN Anonymously
Infographic Guide to Internet PrivacyShenandoah Growers, the largest retail grower of organic herbs in the United States, has deployed thousands of Fluence LED solutions in its state-of-the-art vertical farm and greenhouse facilities. With the new LED lighting solutions, Shenandoah Growers has boosted crop yields and quality while reducing land, water and fertilizer resources.“We are seeing a more flavorful, aromatic and robust crop with thicker leaves and increased stem structure under the new lighting systems from Fluence,” said Bob Hoffman, Chief Science Officer at Shenandoah Growers. “Fluence has helped us achieve our goal of increasing crop production while being both environmentally and economically sustainable.”With a growing need for organic culinary herb production, the company began planning and constructing an integrated, state-of-the-art greenhouse, vertical farm and regional distribution model in 2014. These efforts have culminated in:Featuring more than 750 Fluence VYPRx PLUS LED systems, the newest Shenandoah Growers greenhouse delivers double the light intensity and an improved spectral composition compared to its other high pressure sodium (HPS) greenhouses. This enables a 25 percent increase in crop production and a 50 percent increase in energy efficiency compared to the former HPS lighting systems.Nearly 4,000 Fluence RAZR LED systems are growing an equivalent of 1.5 acres of organic herbs in a fraction of the space, reducing land use by 75 percent, water use by 60 percent, and fertilizer use by 60 percent compared to Shenandoah Growers’ own advanced greenhouse model. By using Fluence lighting solutions and patented vertical farming processes in the early growing stage, Shenandoah Growers standardizes and maintains consistent propagation prior to transplanting in their greenhouse. This innovative approach yields healthy plants, peak-season flexibility, and consistent year-round distribution.“We continue to look at new solutions to sustainably meet the demand for our herbs,” said Timothy Heydon, President and CEO, Shenandoah Growers. “The team and LED solutions at Fluence made it possible for us to produce better crops with higher yields while at the same time using fewer resources.”“Shenandoah Growers represents the pinnacle of agriculture innovation,” said Nick Klase, CEO and Co-Founder, Fluence Bioengineering. “We’re thrilled to work with such an innovative company and support their efforts to achieve profound breakthroughs in cultivation and business operations.”For more information:4129 Commercial Center DriveSuite 450Austin, TX 78744512-212-4544Untitled a guest Nov 3rd, 2017 7,391 Never a guest7,391Never
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rawdownloadcloneembedreportprint text 4.91 KB UPDATE 03/11/2017 (written and edited by Jake [proof]) As mentioned we are going to crash the couch in DCU space. FCON got an invitation from RZR to use their space for filling up our war chests before we continue to fight. We will have a few days to do so and I expect everyone has a good time management to do so. Your CEO should know what to do and can guide you. If he doesn't know anything, he seriously has to contact me on discord! Leave a jump clone of your pvp character in 4-GB. NO IMPLANTS! Make sure it's able to jump during whole sunday! Our new war staging for our pvp chars will be here: http://evemaps.dotlan.net/system/EH2I-P It's in the middle of Perrigan Falls and a Keepstar. So Supers are also able to dock there. All fleets will start there! Get all of your current doctrine ships with you, except the listed above in the update from 01/11/2017. I want us to keep our own doctrines and fleets, but if it's not possible due to very low numbers we unfortunately have to fold into DCU fleets. I don't want this. I want us to stay independent! We have to be strong enough to field our own fleets! We just have to... We will probably get a new doctrine. It won't be expensive. But it's not finished yet. The other Phoenix Federation alliances have their own host in other space of the DRF/DCU. If you are not FCON and you have absolutely no idea what to do: Ask your CEO (who is actually doing a very bad job then). BTW: we are at war. We will clarify everything else later. You can place your carebear characters to these systems (RZR sov): http://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Perrigen_... 4-M1TY#sov Reminder: We are guests! It's NOT our (new) home! Don't empty their fridge without asking, don't drink their beer without asking, don't put your feet on their tables and whatever happens: Don't touch their girlfriends/boyfriends! Again: We are guests and it's in our common interest to not fuck up our host(s). :-) I’ve planned we stay as guest for one month but it’s depending on the war. Within this month I will reform FCON. I will release another forums topic (this weekend) where I will explain in detail what will change. The goal is to get a nice piece of sov for our pve chars somewhere after the war, so we can build up our (own) backbone while we were fighting somewhere else for the lulz. We should not take a dump where we sleep. I will keep us updated roughly every week and of course the CEOs will know the most anyway via discord :-) Capital pilots can get a route from their CEO/DIR. It's a suggested route and I strongly suggest to make no big(ger) move ops. Don't get caught, hostiles are looking for us everywhere now We won't do move ops! Super pilots will get their route directly from their CEO/DIR or from the current Top 6 leadership. Also here I strongly suggest to move alone! You have a fucking expensive ship so you are responsible for this! You! Not FCON, not me, not your neighbours hot daughter. If you feel bad now: Sell your super. Or join a blob where you are just a number. Don't get me wrong: your Super is very welcome in FCON, but it's yours! Even tho we won't (because we can't) field Supers in near future. Suggestions: Remove your super character API key from SELENE before you start moving! And actually DELETE all API keys of your super characters. Go here, login with your super character: https://community.eveonline.com/support/api-key/ and delete all. Also those for Evemon, Neocom (iOS app),... You can add them back when you've arrived destination. DO NOT DELETE OR REMOVE ANY KEYS FROM SELENE OF YOUR MAIN CHARS! You will lose access to everything. Ask your CEO for assistance and in case you need the webteam: be nice to the them. I know Torx Sigma would make the Top 7, but leave him alone for now. We will clarify later. No worries - I promise. On another important note: This goes to the brave people who decided (or are still deciding) to stay with FCON: The old, cosy playstyle of FCON is no longer possible. If you think we continue like in Immensea or Branch, you are wrong. We seriously have to develop and this means work. This means also we will have to change our mindset from "I do pvp to do more pve" to "I do pve to do more pvp". Of course this won't happen immediately and literally overnight. If you grant me and the new FCON one last chance, you and your membership are more than welcome and very appreciated. And I'm sure you won't be disappointed. You can leave anyway at every time. But if you are definitely not willed to change your mindset (if there is a change needed) DO NOT STAY IN FCON. Leave! Go somewhere else! I want to continue with the corporations, CEOs and members who expect more from Eve than to stay a pet or just joining a blob to get an easy life without doing anything for this. Service guarantees citizenship! I invite you to our journey to change our reputation as Fidelas Constans! <- That means "constantly fidelity" btw ;-) Stay tuned for the next update.
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UPDATE 03/11/2017 (written and edited by Jake [proof]) As mentioned we are going to crash the couch in DCU space. FCON got an invitation from RZR to use their space for filling up our war chests before we continue to fight. We will have a few days to do so and I expect everyone has a good time management to do so. Your CEO should know what to do and can guide you. If he doesn't know anything, he seriously has to contact me on discord! Leave a jump clone of your pvp character in 4-GB. NO IMPLANTS! Make sure it's able to jump during whole sunday! Our new war staging for our pvp chars will be here: http://evemaps.dotlan.net/system/EH2I-P It's in the middle of Perrigan Falls and a Keepstar. So Supers are also able to dock there. All fleets will start there! Get all of your current doctrine ships with you, except the listed above in the update from 01/11/2017. I want us to keep our own doctrines and fleets, but if it's not possible due to very low numbers we unfortunately have to fold into DCU fleets. I don't want this. I want us to stay independent! We have to be strong enough to field our own fleets! We just have to... We will probably get a new doctrine. It won't be expensive. But it's not finished yet. The other Phoenix Federation alliances have their own host in other space of the DRF/DCU. If you are not FCON and you have absolutely no idea what to do: Ask your CEO (who is actually doing a very bad job then). BTW: we are at war. We will clarify everything else later. You can place your carebear characters to these systems (RZR sov): http://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Perrigen_... 4-M1TY#sov Reminder: We are guests! It's NOT our (new) home! Don't empty their fridge without asking, don't drink their beer without asking, don't put your feet on their tables and whatever happens: Don't touch their girlfriends/boyfriends! Again: We are guests and it's in our common interest to not fuck up our host(s). :-) I’ve planned we stay as guest for one month but it’s depending on the war. Within this month I will reform FCON. I will release another forums topic (this weekend) where I will explain in detail what will change. The goal is to get a nice piece of sov for our pve chars somewhere after the war, so we can build up our (own) backbone while we were fighting somewhere else for the lulz. We should not take a dump where we sleep. I will keep us updated roughly every week and of course the CEOs will know the most anyway via discord :-) Capital pilots can get a route from their CEO/DIR. It's a suggested route and I strongly suggest to make no big(ger) move ops. Don't get caught, hostiles are looking for us everywhere now We won't do move ops! Super pilots will get their route directly from their CEO/DIR or from the current Top 6 leadership. Also here I strongly suggest to move alone! You have a fucking expensive ship so you are responsible for this! You! Not FCON, not me, not your neighbours hot daughter. If you feel bad now: Sell your super. Or join a blob where you are just a number. Don't get me wrong: your Super is very welcome in FCON, but it's yours! Even tho we won't (because we can't) field Supers in near future. Suggestions: Remove your super character API key from SELENE before you start moving! And actually DELETE all API keys of your super characters. Go here, login with your super character: https://community.eveonline.com/support/api-key/ and delete all. Also those for Evemon, Neocom (iOS app),... You can add them back when you've arrived destination. DO NOT DELETE OR REMOVE ANY KEYS FROM SELENE OF YOUR MAIN CHARS! You will lose access to everything. Ask your CEO for assistance and in case you need the webteam: be nice to the them. I know Torx Sigma would make the Top 7, but leave him alone for now. We will clarify later. No worries - I promise. On another important note: This goes to the brave people who decided (or are still deciding) to stay with FCON: The old, cosy playstyle of FCON is no longer possible. If you think we continue like in Immensea or Branch, you are wrong. We seriously have to develop and this means work. This means also we will have to change our mindset from "I do pvp to do more pve" to "I do pve to do more pvp". Of course this won't happen immediately and literally overnight. If you grant me and the new FCON one last chance, you and your membership are more than welcome and very appreciated. And I'm sure you won't be disappointed. You can leave anyway at every time. But if you are definitely not willed to change your mindset (if there is a change needed) DO NOT STAY IN FCON. Leave! Go somewhere else! I want to continue with the corporations, CEOs and members who expect more from Eve than to stay a pet or just joining a blob to get an easy life without doing anything for this. Service guarantees citizenship! I invite you to our journey to change our reputation as Fidelas Constans! <- That means "constantly fidelity" btw ;-) Stay tuned for the next update.The first commercial products to be part of the new so-called multi-technology mix model for the National Broadband Network (NBN) are set to go live in the first quarter of calendar year 2015.
The announcement by NBN Co came in its updated product road map for October released to retail service providers today. In the first quarter of next year, NBN Co's commercial product for fibre to the basement will go live after the completion of tests and pilots in Melbourne.
The commercial product for fibre to the node (FttN) will not go live until the third quarter of 2015, however, according to the document. NBN Co's chief customer officer John Simon told ZDNet that the extra time for the FttN product is reflective of the time needed to complete the 1,000-node trial in New South Wales and Queensland, and time to finish renegotiating with Telstra over access to the copper lines required for fibre to the node.
"That sits in behind the construction trial we're doing for 1,000 nodes, and timed to complete the Telstra deal and get the government approvals and all that sorted. We think we've allowed for that, and that makes sense," he said.
"What we're building in fibre to the basement is the core nucleus that expands into fibre to the node."
In response to public and retail service provider concern around NBN Co offering the higher 100Mbps speed tiers on FttN where the network can't achieve those speeds, NBN Co is also planning on providing a "service qualification" to customers in order to assess the exact speed they can achieve.
"We know that for some technologies, as you go to the higher-speed tiers, there might be some caveats on that. We'll have to service qualify you and provide a confirmation that service can be delivered," Simon said.
"We want to make sure they can get it, and we'll produce a birth certificate."
He said this isn't required for fibre to the basement, because the copper length was much shorter than what was used in fibre to the node.
"You don't have to do that for fibre to the basement. You can safely bet that if someone is on a 50-metre or 100-metre piece of copper, they're going to get 90+ megabits. That's what our trial has shown," he said.
There are now 40 end users on the Umina fibre-to-the-node trial, Simon said, adding that NBN Co has also overcome power issues in the Epping, Victoria, fibre-to-the-node trial, and additional construction is now taking place in the area, with customers due to come on in the coming months.
Next year will also see the customers in regional and rural Australia able to take up services on NBN Co's two long-term satellites. The two satellites will be launched mid year, and products will come online in the last quarter of the year. Simon said that NBN Co needs two to three months to fine tune the satellites before customers will be able to get on to them.
"For people that have been out in regional Australia... this will be the first time they can get a service that is a genuine speed," he said.
This month will see NBN Co consult with industry on its fibre-on-demand product, for customers who are outside the fibre-to-the-premises footprint who can opt to fund the cost for laying fibre to their premises.
The company is also in the final stages of developing a product to allow mobile companies to use NBN Co's fibre for their mobile towers, after concluding a trial with Vodafone, which was first revealed by ZDNet.
In November, the company will also begin industry consultation on the potential business services that can utilise the multi-technology mix.
NBN Co will also release new pricing in the first quarter of 2015, which, Simon said, would be a response to industry consultation around the controversial AU$20 per 1Mbps capacity charge.
In late 2015, NBN Co would also commence migration from the temporary points of interconnect (POI) that the company had to initially roll out to build up the network ahead of the construction of 121 POI as mandated by the ACCC.
Simon said the migration would happen over 2016, and would allow wholesale aggregators to sell to smaller ISPs that don't have the scale to reach all 121 POIs.
"The consequence of that is it does open up the market for wholesale aggregators who want to provide a service to tier 3 RSPs who can't always have the deep enough pockets to connect to all of the POIs," he said.Who says Donald Trump doesn’t keep his promises? On the campaign trail, the reality TV star pledged to “bomb the shit” out of the Islamic State. And that’s what he has been doing since coming to office: In August, for example, the United States-led coalition dropped more than 5,000 bombs on ISIS positions, “the most of any month in the three-year campaign to defeat ISIS,” according to the U.S. Air Forces Central Command.
Bombing the shit out of ISIS has become Trump’s signature move. “What we’re doing is every time we are attacked from this point forward … we are hitting them 10 times harder,” the president told reporters on Friday, in the wake of the latest ISIS-inspired terror attack in New York City, vowing that the U.S. would “hit [ISIS] like you folks won’t believe.”
But here’s the problem: Trump may want to sound tough and strong yet his strategy — if you can even call a response based on bombs, bombs, and more bombs a “strategy” — only makes the United States a much bigger ISIS target and puts many more innocent American lives at risk.
Don’t take my word for it. Consider the federal criminal complaint against Sayfullo Saipov, the Uzbek immigrant accused of using a truck to murder eight people in Manhattan last week on behalf of ISIS. He began planning the attack, it states, “approximately one year ago.” Saipov, the complaint continues, “was motivated to commit the attack after viewing a video in which [ISIS leader] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi … questioned what Muslims in the United States and elsewhere were doing to respond to the killing of Muslims in Iraq.”
Sound familiar? Well, Saipov isn’t of course the first Al Qaeda or ISIS attacker to refer to the deaths of Muslim civilians abroad as a motivating factor for murderous violence inside the United States. Faisal Shahzad, the Time Square bomber, told a federal judge in 2010 that he wanted to avenge U.S. drone strikes in his native Pakistan that “kill women, children, they kill everybody.”
The Fort Hood shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, in the words of a former colleague, “had been unhappy about U.S. foreign policy and had made several comments that the U.S. should not be in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Dzhokar Tsarnaev, one of the two Boston Marathon bombers, told interrogators, according to the Washington Post, that “the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan motivated him and his brother to carry out the attack.” Eyewitnesses say the Orlando shooter Omar Mateen told the 911 dispatcher that he had attacked the Pulse nightclub in 2016 “because he wanted America to stop bombing” Afghanistan.
As Marc Sageman, a leading terrorism expert and former CIA case officer, once said to me: “At what point are you going to start listening to the perpetrators who tell you why they’re doing this?”
The political and pundit classes, however, don’t hear the words “Iraq” or “Afghanistan” or “drones”; they are too busy obsessing over the phrase “Allahu Akbar” or examining the length of an attacker’s beard. And so it remains one of the the biggest taboos of all: Citing the role that a belligerent U.S. foreign policy seems to play in provoking terror attacks against the United States.
This photo released by the St. Charles County Department of Corrections in Missouri on Oct. 31, 2017 shows Sayfullah Habibullahevic Saipov. Photo: St. Charles County Dept. of Corrections in Missouri/AFP/Getty Images
The day after the truck attack in Manhattan, I hosted Sageman at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where I teach a weekly class on ‘Terror, Islam and the Media.”
A forensic psychiatrist who was deployed to the CIA station in Islamabad, Pakistan, during the Afghan jihad in the 1980s, Sageman has since studied the biographies of hundreds of extremists and served as an expert witness in countless U.S. terror trials. He has no time for taboos. “Political violence is first and foremost political,” he told my students, explaining how “neo-jihadists” tend to be driven by a mixture of “disillusionment” with peaceful protest and “moral outrage” over attacks on their fellow Muslims abroad.
“There would have been no [ISIS] attacks” inside the U.S., Sageman claimed, had the United States stayed out of Iraq and Syria. The first ISIS-inspired attack on U.S. soil, he reminded the class, was in Garland, Texas, in May 2015, nine months after the Obama administration began bombing ISIS in August 2014.
The former CIA officer outlined how he believes “political violence” — a phrase he prefers to “terrorism” — can be understood via a rather straightforward and Newtonian process of “action and reaction.” We bomb them, they bomb us. They bomb us, we bomb them. It has become, writes Sageman in his recent book “Misunderstanding Terrorism,” “an ever-escalating cycle of mutual violence.”
A plethora of official reports and studies have come to similar conclusions. As the Pentagon’s Defense Science Board observed in 1997, four years before 9/11: “Historical data show a strong correlation between U.S. involvement in international situations and an increase in terrorist attacks against the United States.” In 2004, three years after the attacks on the Twin Towers, another study by the DSB averred: “Muslims do not ‘hate our freedom’ but rather, they hate our policies.” The co-chair of the 9/11 Commission, former Rep. Lee Hamilton, tried to include an “acknowledgment” in the commission’s final report that “the presence of American forces in the Middle East was a major motivating factor in Al Qaeda’s actions.”
Yet to mention such verdicts is to invite scorn, derision, and ridicule, not to mention accusations of “apologism” and “denialism.” The real denial, however, is of the clear role played by foreign policy grievances in the so-called radicalization process.
Meanwhile, the president of the United States openly boasts of how he plans to respond to an attack on American civilians allegedly motivated by the “killing of Muslims” in the Middle East by … killing more Muslims in the Middle East. This is madness. To be clear: U.S.-led coalition airstrikes since 2014 may have removed more than 60,000 ISIS fighters from |
verifiably true. To continue in these roles as stewards of truth, it was incumbent upon them to put into place new methods of testing information.
The unvarnished truth is that the dominant news gathering and distribution organizations fell behind the curve as sources of information multiplied by orders of magnitude. Neither did they comprehend the astonishingly rapid advances in computing power. Finally, the evolution of communication and social media tools advanced far more quickly than the old line media’s ability to adapt to and absorb them.
Decades of reporting on the decline of the US manufacturing base never seemed to register to old media as applicable lessons for themselves. In the mid-’80s, an HBS case study inquired as to which fared better — companies with strategic plans in place or those that had none. The answer: a dead heat. Apparently, companies without strategic plans were able to adjust more quickly to changing market conditions while companies with strategic plans all too often, steadfastly rode these plans straight into oblivion. (For more information on this phenomenon, check out the first two editions of In Search of Excellence. Prepare to be shocked.)
What is Truth?
The debate over what is truth has been ongoing since the search for an ‘honest man’ by Diogenes the Cynic, the dialogues of Socrates as recorded by Plato, the rhetorical question Pontius Pilate asked of the Christ, the Confessions of Augustine, the Summa of Aquinas, and the monastic scriptoria of Medieval Europe.
In the scriptoria of the Middle Ages, an elaborate system was constructed to ensure that no discrepancies were introduced into Scripture or highly-prized scholarly works — before the coming of movable type and the printing press. Can you imagine the decibel level of a discussion that played out over the misrepresentation of a single iota when dealing with the work of a Church Father, the Apostle Peter (or Paul), or the words of the Lord himself? This, of course, was complicated by the fact that there were few grammatical rules, little or no punctuation, no spaces between and among words, nor between sentences or paragraphs, and the like.
Even in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Harvard and Yale engaged in the same sort of tussle about the owner of Truth as the Right and Left are engaged in today. Harvard chose the Latin word Veritas (Truth) on its official seal, while Yale considered the matter closed by adding Lux et Veritas. (Light and Truth) to its own shield. Three hundred years later, in an academic world perhaps overly concerned with political correctness, Harvard won top honors for the Top Politically (in)Correct Word of 2016.
Watching the nightly news and reading the traditional (for the last two centuries, that is) media, one has the distinct sense that what they perceive as unprecedented almost chaotic circumstances is actually that of the normalcy of the new reality, that of communications at the speed of light that the internet has foisted upon us.
We keep hearing about this most unusual of election cycles, but this is only true when looking through the prism (and historical construct) of the traditional news gathering operations. What is called the 24-hour News Cycle is actually just the tip of the tsunami washing over the planet at an ever-quicker pace. Indeed, the nature of the beast hasn’t changed at all. It is our outdated techniques, that haven’t kept up with the new reality: News now emanates at the speed of thought, from tens of thousands or, even, millions of sources.
Can you imagine the uproar in the monastic world when documents would be produced with little or no vetting against the time-honored standards?
In 2008 GLM published an article, “Is Merriam-Webster its own Best Frenemy,” where we noted that its newest additions to its Collegiate Dictionary, were older than most entering college students at the time (28 years vs 18!) Indeed, for the most part, technology could solve most of the Post-truth and Fake News phenomena.
Since the turn of the 21st century, the Global Language Monitor (GLM) has named the Top Words of Global English. A decade earlier, the American Dialect Society began to name the Word of The Year for mostly American (and a bit of British) English with little or no use of the then emerging computer power. By the end of the first decade of the 21st Century, the BBC chose the Global Language Monitor to determine the Top English Words of the Decade worldwide while they chose an UK-based Linguist to highlight those of the UK.
One of the most surprising trends in the evolution of the Words of the Year over the last two decades is that they have become decidedly more parochial, and more trivial, as the century has progressed. Now there are about a dozen players, all competing for the same space, so the race has been one of dumbing down the various nominees and ultimate winner in an apparently desperate attempt to seek the lowest common denominator, or even worse, to optimize entertainment value.
Perhaps most surprising of all is the apparent lack of preparation by the venerable incumbent organizations responsible for gathering, sifting through, and certifying information that then qualifies as verifiably newsworthy.
Apocalyptic language has been widely cited as word of the year worthy for the last several years — and rightly so. In fact, Apocalypse and Armageddon took Global Language Monitors’ honors as Top Global English Words of 2012. And though GLM’s proprietary algorithms have displayed a predictive element, it’s entirely possible that Apocalyptic language did indeed peak some five years too soon.
About the Global Language Monitor
In 2003, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) was founded in Silicon Valley by Paul J.J. Payack on the understanding that new technologies and techniques were necessary for truly understanding the world of Big Data, as it is now known.
Today, from its home in Austin, Texas GLM provides a number of innovative products and services that utilize its ‘algorithmic services’ to help worldwide customers protect, defend and nurture their branded products and entities. Products include ‘brand audits’ to assess the current status, establish baselines, and competitive benchmarks for current intellectual assets and brands, and to defend products against ambush marketing.
These services are currently provided to the Fortune 500, the Higher Education market, high technology firms, the worldwide print, and electronic media, as well as the global fashion industry, among others.
For more information, call 1.512.801-6823, email info@LanguageMonitor.com, or visit www.LanguageMonitor.com.Greens leader Christine Milne, who is calling for the report to be rewritten by the independent parliamentary budget office, said on Thursday the government had "destroyed all credibility in the Intergenerational Report process by ignoring global warming". Change in the view of climate: Treasurer Joe Hockey delivers the 2015 Intergenerational Report. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Labor used question time on Thursday to repeatedly challenge Tony Abbott on whether the report was "another example of the Prime Minister's refusal to accept the science of climate change". The government hit back, saying the subject was "front and centre in chapter one as one of the most extended discussions of any topic in the report on the environment". Labor leader Bill Shorten pointed to assertions in the report that some economic effects of climate change "may be beneficial - where regions become warmer or wetter this may allow for increased agricultural output".
"Can the Prime Minister confirm that the government believes that climate change may be beneficial?" he said. Illustration: Cathy Wilcox Mr Abbott dismissed the opposition's attacks as "politicking", accusing Mr Shorten and environment spokesman Mark Butler of "disfiguring" debate. "Do justice to this report," Mr Abbott said. "We have a clear…we have a strong and effective policy to deal with climate change."
The Intergenerational Report grants 11 mentions to climate change, arguing "governments must continue to plan for the economic and environmental effects of climate change". While it says there may be economic benefits to climate change, it says there may also be falling crop yields and increasing damage to infrastructure from extreme weather. The report sets out the government's current policies – namely its $2.55 billion emissions reduction fund, which pays polluters to reduce emissions, and for projects to clean up air and water pollution. It says the government will meet Australia's Kyoto target to reduce emissions by 5 per cent on 2000 levels by 2020 and that Australia will join global efforts to set new post-2020 targets in the lead up to December's global climate change conference in Paris. But critics said on Thursday the report was a lurch backwards from 2010, with no projections for how the government will address climate change for the next 40 years, no assessment of the fiscal impact of policies such as Direct Action, and no estimation of what the economic and social costs of climate change will be. The report says there is "no one-size-fits all" approach to reduce emissions and in its assessment of international efforts to tackle climate change ignores countries that have moved toward carbon pricing or begun proposing tough post-2020 targets.
"When it comes to climate change, this Intergenerational Report barely addresses challenges for this generation let alone the next," Climate Institute chief executive John Connor said. "While we welcome that the report acknowledges the internationally agreed goal of avoiding 2 degrees Celsius warming above pre-industrial levels, we think that it is reckless that the report fails to acknowledge the economic challenges and opportunities for Australia in doing its fair share to help achieve that goal." The Australian Conservation Foundation said the report "pays lip service to the environment but it paints a future where Australia remains stuck with a fossil fuel-driven economy". Loading Environment Minister Greg Hunt said the report clearly identified climate change as a major challenge and outlined the government's policies to mitigate global warming, including $2 billion for the Great Barrier Reef and completing the $12 billion Murray Darling Basin plan.Spheres of Intervention: US Foreign Policy and the Collapse of Lebanon, 1967–1976, Cornell University Press, Spring 2016.
Spheres of Intervention examines the history of US relations with Lebanon during a transformational period in the history of both that country and of US policy towards the Middle East. Following the June 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the internal political situation in Lebanon became increasingly unstable, due to the regional military and political stalemate, the radicalization of the country’s domestic politics, and the appearance of Palestinian militias on Lebanese territory. After a series of internal crises in 1969, 1970 and 1973, civil war broke out in 1975. The conflict reached a temporary halt after a Syrian military intervention the following year, but this was only an end to the first stage of what would be a sixteen-year civil war.
This book traces the US role in influencing events in Lebanon during this period. During the crises between 1969 and 1973, the US sought to help the Lebanese government in a variety of ways, including providing military aid to the Lebanese military, convincing Arab countries to take measures to help the Lebanese government, mediating Lebanon’s relations with Israel, and even supporting certain militias. After the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, the relations between the two governments declined somewhat, but the US continued to play a role in Lebanese internal politics. US officials were more deeply involved in Lebanese affairs than most outside the region realized.
Drawing on tens of thousands of pages of declassified materials from US archives and a variety of Arabic and other non-English sources, this work is a historical narrative that will interest academic and general readers alike. It provides a new interpretation of Lebanon’s slide into civil war, as well as insight into the thinking behind US diplomatic initiatives in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Reviews
“Scholars of U.S. foreign policy, the international history of the Middle East, and the Cold War will all find must of value in this book, which casts a thoughtful light on the causes and implications of the outbreak of civil war in Lebanon.”—Nigel Ashton, American Historical Review “[A]s civil conflicts and proxy wars have moved from Lebanon to Syria, Lebanon still bears the consequences of the fallout, now hosting over 1.1 million Syrian refugees (one quarter of the total number), and struggling with the problems that a huge influx of refugees into a small country brings. The history that Stocker presents in Spheres of Intervention — as well as the intriguing questions he poses — are still pertinent, and could be used to inform current US policy.” Kail C. Ellis, The Middle East Journal “As we survey the current turmoil in the Middle East, we are all the more in need of careful, dispassionate, and insightful historical scholarship on US interactions with that region, and particularly with the small but pivotal nation of Lebanon. James R. Stocker gives us that, and more. Spheres of Intervention is a richly researched, perceptive, and skillfully crafted book about a diplomatic relationship that has powerfully shaped Middle Eastern politics down to our own day. Resourcefully mining recently declassified US government documents, and incorporating Arabic- and French-language sources seldom found in Anglophone accounts, Stocker provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date treatment we have of official US involvement in the Lebanese civil war of 1975–1976.”—Salim Yaqub, University of California, Santa Barbara, author of Containing Arab Nationalism: The Eisenhower Doctrine and the Middle East “Spheres of Intervention is a necessary and very valuable contribution to our knowledge about Lebanon’s recent history, Lebanese-American relations, and US Mideast foreign policy. This book is a must-read for those with a special interest in Lebanon and for historians of US policy in the Middle East. In the first book to take extensive advantage of the declassified US diplomatic cables of the period, James R. Stocker fills an important gap in our understanding of Lebanon’s foreign relations during the decade and a half leading to its collapse in 1975.”—Paul Salem, Vice President for Policy, Middle East Institute, author of Bitter Legacy: Ideology and Politics in the Arab World “Before the collapse of the state in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen there was Lebanon’s descent into prolonged and costly civil war. James R. Stocker has meticulously examined the record of US involvement in Lebanon’s drift toward war in the years 1967–1976. He rightly concludes that Lebanon per se was rarely central in the thinking of American policymakers, especially Henry Kissinger. But what the United States did or did not do in the surrounding region had important spillover effects in Lebanon. The unwillingness of the United States to tackle the Palestinian issue, which was of key importance to the Lebanese, meant that it was very hard to stabilize Lebanon once the civil war began in earnest in 1975. This is a sobering account of the destruction of a country on the margins of American grand strategy. Today’s crises in the Middle East have far too many resemblances to the story told so authoritatively in these pages.”—William B. Quandt, author of Peace Process If you buy the book by clicking on this link (or the image to the right), I get a small commission as a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.
AdvertisementsThe Associated Press
SAN DIEGO — Fishermen like to tell stories, but Nick Haworth will have a whopper of a tale.
The California man's beloved dog, Luna, has returned more than a month after she fell overboard in the Pacific Ocean and was presumed drowned.
The 1 ½-year-old German shepherd was spotted Tuesday on San Clemente Island, a Navy-owned training base 70 miles off San Diego.
The blue-eyed pup disappeared Feb. 10 as Haworth, a commercial fisherman from San Diego, worked on a boat two miles from the island.
"They were pulling in their (lobster) traps, and one minute Luna was there, and the next minute she was gone," said Sandy DeMunnik, spokeswoman for Naval Base Coronado. "They looked everywhere for her. They couldn't see her. The water was dark, and she's dark."
Haworth notified Navy personnel.
"He insisted that he was 90 percent sure that she made it to shore because she was such a strong swimmer," DeMunnik said.
Haworth searched the waters for about two days and Navy staff searched the island for about a week but found no sign of Luna.
She was presumed lost at sea. Until Tuesday morning, that is, when staff arriving for work at the island's Naval Auxiliary Landing Field spotted something unusual — a dog sitting by the side of the road. Domestic animals aren't allowed on the island for environmental reasons.
It was Luna.
"She was just sitting there wagging her tail," DeMunnik said. The staff called to Luna, and she came right over.
A biologist then examined the dog and found her a little thin but otherwise healthy.
"It looks like she was surviving on rodents and dead fish that had washed up," DeMunnik said.
The biologist called Haworth, who was out of state working in the middle of a lake.
"He was overwhelmed. He was so happy and grateful and thrilled," DeMunnik said.
On Wednesday afternoon, Luna was flown to a Navy base on the mainland and handed over to Haworth's best friend, who will care for the dog until her owner returns Thursday night.
Luna, meanwhile, has a souvenir of the experience. Her dog tag was lost but the Navy gave her a new one, DeMunnik said.
Along with her name, it bears a key lesson in the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) course taught on the island to Navy and Marine personnel. The tag reads: "Keep the Faith."1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – KOVIN, Serbia -- Spc. Uros Dzelebdzic, a Serbian-American Paratrooper of Brigade Support Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade earns his Serbian Parachutist wings during Exercise Double Eagle 17. Exercise Double Eagle is a multi-national company-level airborne insertion exercise intending to enhance the relationship between the U.S. and Serbia, and strengthen regional security. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Vermilyea) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – PANCEVO, Serbia -- U.S. ARMY Paratrooper Spc. Uros Dzelebdzic, a medic with Charlie Company, 173rd Brigade Support Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, during Exercise Double Eagle on November 15th, 2017. Dzelebdzic was born in Belgrade, Serbia and is acting as translator during the exercise. Exercise Double Eagle is a multi-national company-level airborne insertion exercise designed to enhance the relationship between the U.S. and Serbia and strengthen regional security. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander C Henninger) VIEW ORIGINAL
PANCEVO, Serbia -- "1 minute!" This is happening. "30 seconds!" Orbs of chilled sweat start to form. "Stand by!" The heart stops. "Green light, go!"
Left foot, right foot, stumble, regain balance. Left foot, right foot, faster, faster -- proceed down the unstable steel corridor. Here it comes! A corner glimpse of the inevitable shines through the paratroop door. Hand the static line off deliberately, coolly, controlled. Ensure the jumpmaster indisputably grasps the double-stitched portion of the yellow lifeline. Drop the hand directly to the reserve pack tray's side. Pivot, head on the horizon, take one firm step onto the external platform and jump intrepidly, up 30 inches and out 30 inches, into the perilous abyss of uncertainty.
It wasn't the first, it wasn't the last and it certainly wasn't the only time U.S. Army Spc. Uros Dzelebdzic of Brigade Support Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade participated in an airborne insertion exercise, but this occasion, Exercise Double Eagle 17, was special. He was jumping into the scenic pastures of Serbian countryside, merely an hour away from his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia. To his front, flank and rear, inside the bird, stood his paratroop brethren from both his native country and his adopted country, experiencing the ultimate adrenaline rush together.
"I'm glad to be here. Glad to be working with Serbia's 63rd Paratroop Brigade," said Dzelebdzic.
His life had come full circle. Thirteen years ago, Dzelebdzic left Serbia to become a foreign exchange student in America. Today, he returns in a professional capacity -- to invigorate the relationship between both countries, deter aggression and promote stability in the region. The journey he undertook, to arrive at this unforeseen juncture, has been fascinating.
Most of his life, Dzelebdzic played water polo. He had a knack for it, surpassing his peers. His iron will to succeed, mixed with his unmatched work ethic, guaranteed him a bright future.
At the tender age of 17, he packed his bags in search of adventure and opportunity. No relatives, no friends, no prior acquaintances awaited him in America. He had a semi-solid grasp of the English language from watching television, movies and listening to music. In short, he was entering a big world filled with the unknown.
Admittance into the country was granted through the foreign exchange program. Fortunately, his new host family fit him and his aspirations decorously.
"My host family was amazing," said Dzelebdzic. "They are great people."
They lived in Moorpark, California, an area renowned for elite water polo competition. Their son was a water polo athlete on the high-school team. Dzelebdzic immediately flourished in his new life. His positive attitude, similar interests and sheer talent entwined amiably with the American water polo players, so he made the team, excelled in it and developed many friendships along the way.
During that single year of high school, his talent was divined by college recruiters searching for a star. He was picked up first by Queens College in New York, played there momentarily, then moved clear across the country back to Irvine, California to attend Concordia University. He competed for their team on scholarship and obtained a bachelor's degree, double-majoring in Physiology and Sports Science.
Upon graduation, Dzelebdzic found employment as a water polo coach at University of Southern California. The school is one of the top ten water polo programs in the nation. He coached for one year at USC, then his teeming drive for adventure and expansion led him to explore a more diverse field within water polo.
"I started my own water polo club in Huntington Beach, California," said Dzelebdzic. "It was called Vanguard Aquatics."
By owning a club, he was able to take his adept knowledge of the sport and not only coach, but also learn the business side of the sport. He was successful in his endeavors. During his time there, from the inception of his club to the day he left it, the team won the national championship every year.
"We ended up being five-time national champions," said Dzelebdzic. "Being able to teach somebody what I knew from a very young age, and see them develop into not just regional, not state, but national champions, that's really what drove me for a long time."
Seeing the success that citizenship with the United States brought him made him cognizant of the opportunities available to him. He boldly decided to reciprocate the goodwill shown him by enlisting in the U.S. Army as a 68W Combat Medic Specialist.
As a bachelor's degree bearer, he had the opportunity to commission as an officer. However, after working in a managerial position for the previous five years, he felt a desire to work in the trenches. He aspired to be a part of the brotherhood and sisterhood of brave souls who save lives in the most austere environments.
"I wanted to do something more hands-on," said Dzelebdzic. "Being a medic. That field has always been something I want to do more than go the officer route."
He went to a recruiter, signed an enlistment contract and shipped off to basic training. After basic, he went to combat medic training, where he discovered his passion for the practical side of what he was taught throughout his college years.
"I loved the 68W school," said Dzelebdzic. "Majoring in physiology made it a little easier, but it also made me realize how the book knowledge that I have is not necessarily what I'm going to be applying. The practical skills that you need to practice over and over again is what makes that MOS so great. I'm always excited to learn more."
Pivot to Vicenza, Italy, home of of the storied 173rd Airborne Brigade -- a location positioned perfectly for the busiest unit in Europe. Members are constantly traveling, training and creating stability in the regions that make up the continent. Only a Brigade that is disciplined, lethal and always combat-ready can uphold the crucial mission U.S. Army Europe places on its shoulders. To achieve this state of readiness, the 173rd Airborne Brigade produces quality soldiers who are motivated beyond comprehension.
Dzelebdzic was fortunate enough to begin his Army career in Vicenza, joining the ranks of the elite Sky Soldiers. His burning passion to succeed in everything he does fits in with his peers.
"The unit that I'm in is absolutely awesome," said Dzelebdzic. "It's my first duty station, my first unit, but it's better than anything I thought it could be."
With his joining the 173rd Airborne Brigade, he is allotted the opportunity to contribute directly to both countries that he loves, the U.S. and Serbia.
Now, in Serbia, Dzelebdzic is utilizing the diversified skill sets he has acquired over his life. He is jumping out of a plane, ready to administer first aid to anyone who may be injured, and now translating parachuting techniques that differ between Americans and Serbs.
"On the invitation of the Serbian government, we are training with Serbian paratroopers on our parachutes and our airplanes, so they can be more familiar with them," said Dzelebdzic. "Being able to interact with the Serbs helps those relationships. They get more trust from us and we earn their trust with each interaction."
Exercise Double Eagle 17's main purpose is to strengthen the bond between both countries. It has not been customary for Americans and Serbs to train together.
Today, the potential has been realized. 96 American paratroopers and 120 Serbian paratroopers jumped from two U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft, all wearing the American T-11 Static Line Parachute. Upon landing, both groups grinned as they discussed their shared experience.
"Even for the most experienced jumpers, this was new to them," said Dzelebdzic. "They were very eager to share that experience."
Once they turned in their parachutes, everyone gathered in a multi-national formation, in front of hordes of media and distinguished visitors, to include: Serbian President Aleksandar Vu�i�, Deputy Commanding General of USAREUR, Major General John Gronski, and U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Kyle Scott. They gathered for the wing exchange, signifying acknowledgement and unity between both countries.
"It was a good partnership jump," said 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Commander Lt. Col. Jim D. Keirsey. "We did the joint training in preparation for the jump. Both Airborne units loaded the aircraft, exited and successfully accomplished our training objectives."
As for Dzelebdzic, he enjoyed the camaraderie of working between both countries, and fortifying a bond between both sets of brothers that fall from above, the Sky Soldiers and Serbian paratroopers.
"I felt very welcome here," said Dzelebdzic. "It's great to be back in Serbia as an American paratrooper. Working with my American and Serbian brothers has been outstanding."Dwayne Bravo: "Mr. (Marlon) Samuels contributed vigorously to the discussions held and indicated clearly, at that time, that he would stand with any decision taken by the team." © AFP
Adding a new twist to West Indies' pullout from their India tour, Dwayne Bravo, their ODI captain, has said he is "shocked" at statements by team-mate Marlon Samuels, who indicated earlier this week that he had not wanted to quit during the series.
In an interview to a Caribbean radio station, Samuels said that since he is not accredited with the West Indies Players Association, he wanted to focus on finishing the India tour before raising any objections concerning the collective bargaining agreement and memorandum of understanding signed between the WIPA and the WICB.
Samuels told Power 104 FM that his priority was West Indies cricket. "Wavell Hinds (the WIPA president) cannot negotiate on behalf of me so I know that once I continued (to play), I just needed to finish this tour and then I would have asked questions," Samuels said. "The main thing first was West Indies cricket; that is why I remained focused throughout everything."
Samuels was the highest run-getter in the abandoned series with 254 runs, including two centuries in the three possible ODIs. According to Samuels, he was present only during two of the eight player meetings Bravo headed on the tour. "For most of those meetings, I was probably in my room ordering room service. I don't go to those meetings," Samuels said. "A lot of meetings were kept but I have no time for those meetings. My focus was just on playing some cricket."
However, Bravo countered Samuels, saying the Jamaican was an "interested party" and spoke "vigorously" during the meetings he attended. "I note the comments attributed to Mr. Marlon Samuels from media reports and wish to state that Mr. Samuels was invited to and did attend the majority of meetings with the players on tour," Bravo said in a media statement issued on Friday. "We extended an invitation to Mr. Marlon Samuels with the full knowledge that he is not a member of WIPA but was an interested party. Mr. Samuels contributed vigorously to the discussions held and indicated clearly, at that time, that he would stand with any decision taken by the team. I am therefore shocked to see the statements, if true, that have been attributed to Mr. Samuels."
"Wavell Hinds (the WIPA president) cannot negotiate on behalf of me so I know that once I continued (to play), I just needed to finish this tour and then I would have asked questions. The main thing first was West Indies cricket; that is why I remained focused throughout everything." Marlon Samuels
According to Bravo, the decision to quit the tour was taken "in concert with all members of the squad" and not solely by him. "I wish to state for the record that all correspondence sent and decisions taken were with the full agreement and consent of the players on tour including the current Test captain Mr. Denesh Ramdin and the T20 captain Mr. Darren Sammy. It was agreed that someone needed to correspond with WIPA after we were presented with the match/tour contract in India when it became evident that the terms and conditions were very different from what we were accustomed to and expected. The team members met and I, as captain, was nominated and accepted the responsibility to correspond on behalf of the players on tour and I will continue to do so as designated."
Bravo said that the players, barring Samuels, have decided to pursue the issue through legal help going forward. "We do not wish to make any further statements on this matter since the players on tour (except Mr. Samuels) with some additional players who did not tour India have appointed counsel to represent them in this matter."
The deadlock between the players, the WIPA and the WICB has resulted in fears being privately expressed by other Full Members, who are not afraid to work out alternatives to West Indies if Bravo and co. fail to resolve the issue. However, Bravo expressed optimism when he said: "We look forward to a speedy resolution and that our concerns, and that of all players including the first-class players, are addressed in a satisfactory and timely manner."
According to Bravo, though the WIPA had laid out a new payment structure for the international players during its annual general meeting on February 1, it has not shared the new agreement, which was signed with the WICB in September, with the players. Having failed to get a convincing response from Hinds, Bravo and his team-mates approached the WICB to communicate with them directly. However, Dave Cameron, the WICB president, said he would only communicate with the players through the WIPA under the rules of the MoU. Infuriated at the WICB stance, Bravo and the rest of the West Indies squad quit the India tour after the fourth ODI, drawing the ire of the BCCI and the cricketing fraternity at large.
Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.The stories of most of them, who betook themselves to the Kurdish freedom struggle, begins with the Revolution of Kobanê. This legendary resistance against the barbarity of ISIS has become a beacon of hope for millions of people. Throughout 134 days a shower of bullets and shells were fired non stop on Kobanê. But at the end, the free will and the people graced with justice, prevailed. And humanity's eyes were resting on it. Some hoped for their beloved ISIS to defeat Kobanê. And again others, whose hearts were aching, found no rest as they partook in this resistance' aspiration. Triumph belonged to Kobanê, humanity prevailed and from then on a new chapter was opened.
With Kobanê's resistance, hundreds of people from the western hemisphere headed to the war against ISIS, to join in this struggle on behalf of humanity and become a part of the Rojava Revolution. Following Kobanê, Til Hemis, Til Beraq, Shaddadi, Ayn Îsa, Girê Spî, Tishrin, Manbij, Tabqa... Every blow the YPG dealt, the epitome of evil, ISIS was more and more mouldering away. Europe was still not ready to pay the bill for its hypocrisy. Those beautiful people on the contrary, took action that suited the peoples' dignity.
The United Kingdom is selling an enormous arsenal of weapons to the backer of ISIS, Erdoğan and making bargains with him. Yet some Britons have gone to Rojava to fight alongside the Kurds against ISIS.
The United States is trying to not tread on their ally's foot, but young Americans have positioned themselves without hesitance among the ranks of the YPG.
The German government, which has remained indifferent towards all the scandalous transgressions of Erdoğan for the sake of 'commerce', 'trade money' and the 'future of their economy', has on top of all banned the symbols and flags of the YPG/YPJ. Still some German activists decided to chase away that dark and black cloud where it has evolved.
Switzerland does not even have the courage to give a single statement, whereas young Swiss have headed to the frontlines in Rojava.
Spain is following its bloody and callous heritage, but young Hispanics are charging this very moment ISIS as part of the International Freedom Battalion.
Numbers can not count these beautiful and lovely European souls, who at times are also called 'foreigners' and have even sacrificed their lives for the prettiness and splendidness of humanity.
Their faces shining with laughter
On Raqqa's frontline, Britons, American, Germans, Hispanics and Swiss are sitting side by side in the same emplacement. I went to their position, which they had set up by sand and stones stacked on top of each other. Their faces were laughing brightly, they were now where they dreamed to be since the first day. Their fingers were holding the triggers and their arms were aimed at ISIS gangs. 23 years old Egid from the UK, 24 years old Arya from Spain, 31 years old Robin from Germany and 39 years old Çiyager from Switzerland. Standing in their emplacement, they opened up their hearts to me.
Why are they in Rojava?
Egid: Three months have passed since I first joined the YPG. What motivated me was to fight against ISIS and support the Rojava Revolution. I regard this effort to build a democratic nation as very important. The Rojava Revolution can become an alternative model for the entire world. For that reason I wanted to contribute also my share to the Rojava Revolution.
Arya: I wanted to become a part of the democratic civil revolution, that's why I am here. The fight against ISIS is a necessity as to realize it. ISIS must be effaced from this world, and in history books must be written that ISIS never had any connection to humanity whatsoever.
Robin: To be honest, the primary source for me to come here was my pure hatred towards ISIS. But after I came to know the Kurdish people better, I have gone beyond that. To become a backer of the Kurdish people's struggle and support them as much as I can, there is no need for ISIS. Until the Kurds live in their lands in peace, I will always be there for them as a sincere fighter.
Çiyager: The fight against ISIS. Yes my main target for now is that indeed. I want to destroy them.
What does Raqqa mean to you?
Egid: It is the symbolic capital of ISIS. Even though they have moved it some time ago to Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa is still used as their capital. The SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) will herald the fall of ISIS to the world with the liberation of Raqqa.
Arya: Raqqa has truly become a symbol. The victory we will achieve here will finish ISIS off once and for all and also end its symbolism. The SDF's target is not only to liberate Raqqa or other areas, but to build up a free society at the same time. After the liberation of Raqqa in military terms, the even more meaningful civil and political work to establish brotherhood among all peoples and manifest democracy will be launched.
Robin: The very centre, from where bomb attacks in Europe had been planned and organized was Raqqa itself. Liberating Raqqa will also put an end to this. This place is for me personally very important. We are very close to smash the head of the snake.
Çiyager: This is a revolutionary movement, and within a revolution all efforts are of great relevancy. But Raqqa is still slightly more important. As here the everlasting pillars of the revolution will be set in stone. As also Robin already said, we will give the death blow to the snake that has plagued humanity. Dreaming of such a victory is also very exciting.
What view do the states hold?
Egid: England must come to know free Rojava. England needs to support Rojava materially, after the defeat of ISIS. However, those who come here and fight are getting criminalized on their returning. This stance against those very persons who have fought ISIS, which has soaked Paris, London and Brussels with bomb attacks in blood, can not be understood. We |
both transgender and cisgender people come away struck by how normal -- and, ideally, relatable -- we are. We hope trans people see us as fellow travelers, trying to clear the way toward a happy life for our trans child. We hope cis people see us as their neighbors, too, striving as parents to make good decisions about our child, with an extra challenge thrown in." Danny: "What I really want is for all of the people of the world, both transgender and not transgender, to be open and willing to accept and learn about new possibilities. Many of the people I've met who reacted with anger, disbelief, or hostility upon hearing me speak openly about my gender identity seemed to be merely unsure of how to wrap their heads around a very new concept. And, really, it's understandable. For many years, people all across the world have been conditioned to believe that there are only two genders - male and female. When you encounter someone who challenges a universal norm that has been in place since before you were even born, it's perfectly reasonable to be confused." What is one piece of advice you would give to young trans kids?
Monica & John: "Know that you will find your people -- maybe not right away, but in time. Don't give up; you are stronger than you think. Listen to that still, small voice within, and don't let anyone suggest that they know you better than you know yourself." Danny: "You're not alone. As cheesy as it may sound, it's the truth. When I first came out as non-binary nearly 3 years ago, resources for people like myself were rather scarce. I grappled with my gender identity for nearly 13 years, feeling lost, alone, and even broken simply because I had no idea that non-binary identities existed. I can say with utmost certainty that if I had known about non-binary identities earlier on in my life, I would undoubtedly feel more confident and secure in who I am. While the world still has a very long way to go before transgender youth can confidently say that they feel completely safe, understood, and accepted, in these 3 short years, I've witnessed lots of changes for the better."
13-year-old Zoey Luna's favorite part of school is attending drama and acting class. She has identified as transgender for as long as she can remember. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF youtube.com
Her mother, Ofelia, understood Zoey was trans from the time she was about 4 years old. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF youtube.com
What is one thing you hope people take away from your story? Ofelia: "One of the most important things I hope someone takes away from hearing our story would be that they can learn to love themselves and others for who they are authentically." Zoey: "I hope that when people hear my story they are inspired to be themselves and love themselves. There is too much hate and negativity in this world and I hope I can change that. I want people to know that they are not alone." What is one piece of advice you would give to young trans kids?
Ofelia: "Keep yourself close to people who love and support you, and if you do not have that in your immediate surroundings then search for it, search for a supporting community, seek out community advocates and allies. There are so many LGBTQ centers full of wonderful people that can guide you through your transition. And please above all stay with us and do not give up!" Zoey: "You need to know that it's going to be hard before it gets easier. You need to be patient and at the same time proud of every mountain you climb."
High school senior Ashton Lee realized he was trans in kindergarten when the teacher would split the class up into boys and girls. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF youtube.com
What is one thing you hope people take away from your story? Catherine (Ashton's mom): "I want people to understand that transgender children are a little different than most children, but in most ways they are the same. They want to be accepted for who they are, and with love and kindness they can and do thrive." Ashton: "At the end of the day everyone is complex and multi-faceted. You can't really know someone until you've heard their story. I want people to walk away knowing that no matter how much someone differs from you, at their core they are human." And one piece of advice you would give to young trans kids?
Catherine: "Acceptance is a process. With patience and a healthy attitude many loved ones will come to a place of accepting you for who you are— and if not, then you have options for getting support through many community resources." Ashton: "Allow yourself to ignore what people say. When I was first beginning my transition I thought I had to listen to other people's ideas of what being transgender means, instead of allowing myself to discover what it means to me. I wish someone had told me that it's okay to explore and develop your own understanding."
16-year-old Crystal, who loves singing and drawing in her spare time, also began identifying as trans at a very early age. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF youtube.com
Her parents often drive her long distances from their home in Kentucky for medical care, a task they take on gladly for their daughter. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF youtube.com
What is one thing you hope people take away from your story? Crystal: "I want people to understand I'm just like anyone else. You might not think I am, but I'm being my authentic self. That's the only thing you can do in life — or [else] your life isn't yours, because you're pretending to be something you're not." And one piece of advice you would give to young trans kids?
Crystal: "People who are coming out as trans need to come out when they feel it's the right time for them. To be your authentic self, you need to listen to yourself and your heart – not to somebody else."
Foster is pursuing a degree in public health at Tulane University. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF TRUTH
The 18-year-old finds being a part of LGBT organizing in Alabama, and throughout the south, to be "healing." Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF
Foster: "My life in Alabama has been full of love and support, and I want people to understand that trans youth have so many different experiences (good and bad) in the South. I want people who watch my video to be inspired to learn more about the complexities of being trans in the South and about the amazing things that are happening to fight for justice here." Foster: "When I was first coming to terms with my gender identity I was so worried about telling people because I didn't feel "trans enough." Who you are will always, always be enough. Exploring labels and ways of looking at your gender is so healthy and even if you change your mind about what fits a thousand times all you are doing is getting to know yourself. Change is ok. Confusion is ok."We talk a fair bit about Joey Votto in these electronic pages. Some may say we do it too much, perhaps. But it’s for a reason. It’s not that he’s paying us to — he’s not paying me at least. He’s simply a somewhat-fascinating specimen as far as baseball players go. He’s smart, he’s a pretty good model of consistency, he never pops out.
He’s also been a small point of consternation between the statistically-inclined and fans that adhere to a more traditional understanding of the game. There’s been disagreements revolving around his penchant for walks, his attitude toward RBI, his preference to hit to all fields rather than try and pull everything for homeruns. But fans on both sides of the argument can agree that Joey Votto just hasn’t been very good this season.
Actually, allow me to check myself before I subsequently wreck myself. Joey Votto, at least on the whole, has actually been more than serviceable in 2014. As a hitter, he’s still been 28% better than league average according to wRC+. But the whole story doesn’t tell the most recent story, and the recent version of Joey Votto has been subpar by any standards.
The main reason for this, of course, is that Joey Votto has ostensibly been playing on one leg. He went on the DL with a left quadriceps/knee problem back in mid-May. He returned back to action on June 10th, but wasn’t back to full form even then. Simply watching Votto proved that he was in a bad way. Take his July 4th game against the Brewers, for instance. This is all from one at-bat against Rob Wooten.
He fouls one away, but has trouble keeping balance on his left leg.
Another one is fouled away, and again he has trouble maintaining balance for more than a second.
He again has trouble keeping his base, even when simply moving out of the way of a pitch.
After grounding out, he gingerly jogs back to the dugout.
Votto is not a wristy slap hitter. He swings hard. He needs his base in order to produce at the plate like he’s used to, and that’s why he’s back on the DL with the same injury that landed him there in the first place. In the time between DL stints, he hit.250 with an ISO of.095. He still took his walks, but there was no pop in his bat. Oddly enough, however, his contact numbers have been weirdly consistent in 2014.
Season O-Contact% Z-Contact% Contact% F-Strike% SwStr% 2012 70.00% 85.70% 80.50% 54.30% 6.90% 2013 65.90% 86.80% 80.90% 51.20% 7.40% 2014 69.70% 87.50% 81.90% 57.40% 6.80%
He’s still making contact, he’s still not producing many swinging strikes. Even his batted ball profile has been within his recent norms.
Season LD% GB% FB% 2012 30.20% 37.80% 32.00% 2013 27.20% 43.70% 29.20% 2014 26.70% 40.70% 32.60%
But when you add another ingredient to that chart, things change.
Season LD% GB% FB% HR/FB 2012 30.20% 37.80% 32.00% 15.10% 2013 27.20% 43.70% 29.20% 18.30% 2014 26.70% 40.70% 32.60% 10.70%
Votto is hitting more fly balls this season, and far less of them are landing in the seats.
Taking a slightly different approach, looking at fly-ball events over all his plate appearances (rather than just balls put in play), we can see that Votto is getting less fly-ball hits, and more fly-ball outs this season.
FBH% FBO% 2013 4.68% 9.37% 2014 2.57% 10.66%
His weaker contact has even led to a.299 BABIP, the first time in his career it has ever fallen below.300 (the nearest is.328 in 2008).
On Monday, the Reds put Jay Bruce at first and Skip Schumaker in right. One could argue that leaving Bruce in right and a 65% Votto at first would still make a better lineup. At least one columnist is calling for Votto to play through the injury. And while manager Bryan Price doesn’t expect Votto to be 100% at all in the regular season, this version of Joey Votto isn’t doing anyone any good.
As of this writing, the Reds have around a 31% chance of making the playoffs, per FanGraphs projections. The Reds will have at least 15 days to decide if it’s better to have a hobbled slugger early in the second-half playoff hunt, or later on in the season and possibly into the playoffs. It’s a difficult decision, but it’s just as difficult to see a revered hitter grimace every time he swings the bat.Welcome to the final installment of our series on Class changes coming in Game Update 4.0!
With 4.0, we wanted to give Assassins and Shadows a better way to stealthily approach or return to their enemy target, and their new ability was specifically designed to do just that. For Sorcerers and Sages, we wanted to give them an additional way to escape peril, so we made Phase Walk available to them.
All of the following notes are subject to change:
Sith Inquisitor/Jedi Consular
Phase Walk has moved into the Inquisitor/Consular base class, granting its use to Sorcerers/Sages as well. It can be trained/granted at level 61.
Assassin/Shadow
New Ability: Phantom Stride/Shadow Stride! 30 meter range, no GCD. 30 second cooldown. Use the Force to move through time and space, appearing at your enemy target and increasing your movement speed by 75% for 3 seconds. Does not break Stealth. Cannot be used against targets in cover. Requires a Double-Bladed Lightsaber or Electrostaff.
Darkness/Kinetic Combat
New Passive Skill: Dark Bastion/Kinetic Bastion! Increases the duration of Dark/Kinetic Ward by 5 seconds, its number of charges by 5, the shield chance it provides by an additional 3%, and reduces its cooldown by 5 seconds. In addition, the duration of Dark/Kinetic Bulwark is also 5 seconds longer, and it can build 2 additional stacks.
Depredating Volts/Cascading Debris is now trained at level 58 (up from 57).
Force Pull is now trained at level 42 (up from 41).
Shroud of Darkness/Mental Fortitude is now trained at level 60 (up from 59).
Deception/Infiltration
New Passive Skill: Amped Voltage/Fracturing Force! Increases the damage dealt by Surging Charge's/Shadow Technique’s Discharge/Force Breach by 5%. Additionally, activating Phantom/Shadow Stride while Surging Charge/Shadow Technique is active builds 3 Static Charges/Breaching Shadows.
Ball Lightning/Psychokinetic Blast is now trained at level 58 (up from 57).
Low Slash is now trained at level 42 (up from 41).
Crackling Blasts/Deep Impact is now trained at level 60 (up from 59).
Hatred/Serenity
New Passive Skill: Languishing Lashes/Atrophying Attacks! Dealing melee damage increases the critical chance of your damaging periodic effects by 10% for 10 seconds
Demolish/Vanquish is now trained at level 58 (up from 57).
Leeching Strike/Serenity Strike is now trained at level 42 (up from 41).
Inevitable Demise/Aching Mind is now trained at level 60 (up from 59).
Utility
Tier 1 - Skillful
New Utility: Snaring Slashes/Strikes! Thrash/Double Strike, Voltaic Slash/Clairvoyant Strike, and Lacerate/Whirling Blow reduce the movement speed of the targets they damage by 30% for 6 seconds.
Tier 2 - Masterful
New Utility: Speed Surge/Kinetic Acceleration! Shock/Project, Ball Lightning/Psychokinetic Blast, and Creeping Terror/Sever Force increase your movement speed by 50% for 6 seconds. This cannot occur more than once every 12 seconds.
Tier 3 - Heroic
New Utility: Phasing Phantasm/One with the Shadows! You can use Phantom/Shadow Stride while immobilized, and it purges immobilizing and slowing effects when used.
Sorcerer/Sage
Corruption/Seer
New Passive Skill: Secrets of the Dark Side/Erudite Mender! Increases the healing done by Roaming/Wandering Mend by 5% and reduces the Force it consumes by 10.
Revivification/Salvation is now trained at level 42 (up from 41).
Roaming/Wandering Mend is now trained at level 58 (up from 57).
Dark Concentration/Altruism is now trained at level 60 (up from 59).
Lightning/Telekinetics
New Passive Skill: Fulgurous Fortification/Telekinetic Refuge! Lightning Bolt/Telekinetic Burst stacks damage reduction on the Sorcerer, stacks up to 3 times lasting 10 seconds. Each stack provides 3% damage reduction.
Lightning Flash/Telekinetic Gust is now trained at level 42 (up from 41).
Lightning Bolt/Telekinetic Burst is now trained at level 58 (up from 57).
Charged Reaction/Mental Continuum is now trained at level 60 (up from 59).
Madness/Balance
New Passive Skill: Fulminating Current/Psychokinetic Torrent! Force Lightning/Telekinetic Throw stacks up to 4 stacks of an effect that increases the Critical chance of your periodic effects by 2% per stack
Force Leech/Force Serenity is now trained at level 42 (up from 41).
Demolish/Vanquish is now trained at level 58 (up from 57).
Devour/Mind’s Eye is now trained at at level 60 (up from 59).
Utility
Tier 1 - Skillful
New Utility: Dark Speed/Benevolent Haste! A completed Dark Heal activation increases your target’s movement speed by 50% for 6 seconds. This cannot occur more than once every 12 seconds.
Tier 2 - Masterful
New Utility: Dizzying Force! When Whirlwind/Force Lift ends, target's accuracy is reduced by 20% for 8 seconds.
Backlash/Kinetic Collapse has been moved from Tier 2 up to Tier 3.
Tier 3 - Heroic
New Utility: Shifting Silhouette/Ethereal Entity! Using Phase Walk to return to its marked location grants Shifting Silhouette/Ethereal Entity, keeping you from being leapt to or pulled and making you immune to interrupts and ability activation pushback for the next 6 seconds.
Conspiring Force/Confound has been moved from Tier 3 down to Tier 2.
Force Mobility has been updated: In addition to the other abilities it already allows you to use while moving, it now also allows you to use Force Barrier while moving.
Thanks for joining us, and we look forward to seeing you in Knights of the Fallen Empire!
-The Star Wars™: The Old Republic Combat TeamNEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate, which is probing Flipkart for alleged breach of Foreign Exchange Management Act, is likely to send a show-cause notice alleging violation of Rs 1,400 crore, said a senior finance ministry official.In late 2012, the commerce & industry ministry had told the Lok Sabha that Flipkart Online Services, India’s leading e-commerce company, was under ED’s scanner for possible violation of foreign investment rules. Now, the agency has prima facie evidence that the company has flouted the country’s FDI rules, the finance ministry official said, asking not to be named.India bars foreign investment in e-commerce firms selling wares directly to consumers but allows overseas participation in the socalled marketplace models where the website of a company such as Flipkart is used as a platform by third-party vendors to sell their products. “Flipkart is in complete compliance with the laws of the land. We will continue to support the authorities whenever we are approached,” a Flipkart spokesperson said in an emailed reply.The ED probe is for the period before April 2013, when Flipkart shifted to the marketplace model, converting itself into a platform for independent buyers and sellers to conduct business on its site.It junked its earlier model where it had control over goods sold through its e-commerce site which is not allowed under the current FDI norm. Foreign private equity investors, including Accel Partners, Tiger Global, Iconiq Capital and Naspers Group, have invested in Flipkart Online Services.ED has the power to impose a fine up to three times the actual investment allegedly made in violation of FDI laws, according to the tax head of one of the big four consultancy firms. “One could become bankrupt,” the top executive said, without talking specifically about Flipkart’s case.However, the tax head of a rival global consultancy firm says sending show-cause notice is just the preliminary stage of an investigation. “This is an early stage as they will conduct a preliminary inquiry and then issue a showcause notice,” the tax expert said, asking not to be quoted as his company does not allow him to talk on specific cases.“The (affected) party has the right to explain its position. Right now it does not mean the company is guilty,” he added. He said though the maximum penalty can be levied in such cases, but the quantum of the fine depends on the nature of offence and the discretion of the investigator. The maximum fine is rarely imposed, he said.Apart from Flipkart, ED had also investigated the world’s largest retailer Walmart Stores Inc for a $100-million investment into Cedar Support Services that owns Bharti Retail in 2010 by way of compulsorily convertible debentures, at a time India did not allow any sort of foreign investment in multibrand retailing or in the supermarkets segment. Subsequently, last year, ED said it found no violation on Walmart’s part while infusing the funds into Cedar.The Art of Ween
sneak peak... Updated!
I have decided to do a gallery exhibit of my personal collection of Ween memorabilia. Over the years I kept everything that I accrued and kept it stored meticulously and in mint condition for most items. This includes a massive collection of gorgeous concert posters drawn by some of the most famous artists in the poster world, and from some of the world’s most famous venues, such as Red Rocks, the Berkeley Greek Theater, the Fillmore West, etc. In addition, I kept every contact sheet and print from all of our albums; we were photographed by some of the best photographers in the business, including people like Danny Clinch. This is much more than a poster sale, this is a comprehensive walk down memory lane and the showing also will include rare memorabilia such as one of a kind promotional items from the many labels we worked with around the world. These are all from my personal collection. While not all items will be on sale, I will be showing my collection of vintage Fender guitars that many people will recognize. There will be something for everyone, including original, one of a kind photo prints as well as rare and collectible import singles and vinyl albums released throughout our 25 year career, including the remaining copies of our very first record from 1988 — “The Live Brain Wedgie”, of which only 500 were ever produced. I will be on hand the duration of this 2 day showing and would be happy to sign anything if you wish, or give you the back story on how these things came to exist. This will not be a regular event, this is a one-time chance to buy your Ween fan spouse/sibling/friend the ultimate holiday gift with a story. Please join us for this fun and special occasion.
-Mickey Melchiondo/Dean Ween
UPDATE;
the show was a huge success! the line at the door was down the block...
following are some pics from the weekend;
Preforming in the gallery along with Deaner; Bill Fowler, Dave Dreiwitz and glenn mcclelland,
videos at the bottom of the page...
Dec 1st, 2014The mainstream media, these people back here, they are the worst. They are so dishonest…. And, by the way, some of the media is terrific, but most of it, 70%-75%, is absolute dishonest, absolute scum. Remember that. Scum! Scum. They’re totally dishonest people. Donald J. Trump, December 7, 2015
Donald Trump and the media have had a turbulent history, to say the least. The latest development in their torrid affair has been Trump avoiding media engagements prior to Monday’s debate. There have been discussions about how his decreased media presence will make the debate “the first time the candidate is forced to address [his foundation and renounced birtherism].” This new strategy with interacting with the media is fundamentally different than his previous interactions, which was usually a full schedule of interviews and appearances. So, what gives? The real answer is that Trump has always been in control of his media presence and is a champion of theorists commonly refer to as “framing.”
Now, to work with a clear definition of framing, the democratic encyclopedia says:
In the social sciences, framing comprises a set of concepts and theoretical perspectives on how individuals, groups, and societies, organize, perceive, and communicate about reality.
In other words, framing consists of the idea that we can manipulate the picture frame the houses reality to show us a different picture. This idea says that we can never truly present an idea objectively, as we are always operating within a frame of understanding. But, that’s framing that done by accident. The next question is always, can we actively frame?
This leads me to the coolest part about Donald Trump’s candidacy: his ability to control the frame of the discussion. As any shifty debater that enjoys tricky argumentation (such as myself!) knows, the best way to win is the set up the round so that anything that your opponent says is instantly disregarded or suspected to be false. Recently, I had a debate round where my response to the resolution “ID cards should be provided to all illegal immigrants” involved a redefinition of “ID cards” to be “Social Security Cards”, effectively granting citizenship to all undocumented persons, even though the resolution had an entirely different idea in mind. This is how I manipulated the frame of the debate round to make my opponent’s arguments about how ID cards forced undocumented persons to out themselves as law-breakers completely irrelevant. And, with the skill of a seasoned debater (albeit maybe a bit too much turmeric), Donald Trump has effectively controlled the frame from day one, where he invited the press into his tower and made a grand entrance.
Now, just because the Donald is good at framing, doesn’t meant that it’s right. In fact, many of the ways that he frames the discussion of issues leads to many problems. The most problematic framing that Trump engages in is framing “the media” as “absolute, dishonest scum”, which is pulled from a speech he gave on December 7th, 2015. Where it’s clearly important to be critical of media, it’s not a good idea to reject the majority of media on face, especially if the only complaint is that it treats you harshly. This ultimately leads to the creation of a single arbiter of truth, which is, in this case, Donald Trump. Having a frame that questions the veracity of everyone but yourself is an excellent debate strategy, but an awful way to create a political dialogue or generate a productive discussion. In the end, these kinds of manipulation of the truth leads to awful decisions.
Let’s jump back a couple of years to ancient Greece. When Socrates was put on trial for the “corruption of youth”, the Athenian jurors were told by Meletus, the person accusing Socrates, that Socrates was a liar and not to be trusted. So, when Socrates went to defend himself (which he did amazingly), the jurors were not receptive to his thoughtful and intuitive argument, indicating that his role as an educator was valuable, which is largely the view of the world today. This framing of Socrates as “a wise man, who speculated about the heaven above, and searched into the earth beneath, and made the worse appear the better cause” led to his execution, as they were told that he was a charlatan that lied and mislead everyone into believing falsehoods.
In a sense, Donald Trump is putting the media on trial, much like Meletus put Socrates on trial. Trump is framing the media as a liar and is asking us to symbolically execute the media by refusing to listen to it, thus destroying their livelihood. This is an execution that we really cannot afford and will look back at with regret.
AdvertisementsIn a lengthy and wide-ranging telephone press conference today called by Hillary Clinton Communications Director Howard Wolfson, Deputy Communications Director Phil Singer, and Policy Director Neera Tanden, I asked the following question:
I've seen reports that Senator Clinton will be producing some kind of financial information next week, but the details have been a little vague. Will Senator Clinton be producing her complete 2000 through 2006 tax returns, including all schedules, next week?
Wolfson responded:
Sen Clinton said... that she would be producing her tax returns within the week, and we are endeavoring to do just that. And as to - I'm not fully conversant enough to know what the distinction is between schedules and other tax information, so I don't want to give you an answer that is incorrect, but I am quite confident that all of the information that the public needs and that reporters need to make very, very informed judgments about their finances will be made available.... [O]f course they have filed annual financial disclosure forms while Senator Clinton was in the Senate that details [sic] the sources of their income, and obviously tax returns will provide additional information, and I am confident that you and others will have ample opportunity to look at them and if you have followup questions of course we'll be available to answer them, but I am quite confident that all information that is necessary to make very good judgments about their finances will be made available.
I asked a followup:
Scanning and posting tax returns is a fairly simple process. Why is there any delay at all in making her returns available?
Wolfson responded:
You know, why was there delay in Senator Obama's making his returns available....? You know, we'll have them within the week, you'll have an opportunity to look at them, you can turn a skeptical eye to them as you may care to and if you have followup questions about them we'll be happy to answer them, but they'll be available online.... and people will be able to take a look at them.
I admit it: I'm a cynic. I saw no news reports or press releases in which Clinton herself promised to produce tax returns next week - but maybe it just wasn't publicized. I still don't understand why it takes more than 24 hours to have a staffer scan and post tax returns; some bloggers and commentors have articulated fears that the Clintons are using this time to have their returns doctored, and while I don't share those fears, posting the returns immediately after Obama did would have snuffed out any such speculation. It also strikes me as a little funny that someone as well-informed and sophisticated as Wolfson doesn't know what tax schedules are - they're simply the attachments that go with the Form 1040 whenever a taxpayer itemizes his or her deductions or has investment income, as the Clintons (and Wolfson) certainly do. And the length and repetitiveness of his answer makes me mindful of the Queen's comment in Hamlet: "the lady doth protest too much, methinks." As one person has exegised the line, "[s]omeone who is telling the truth [usually does so]... rather plainly and shortly. Someone who is assuring too much is usually lying either to herself or to the audience"- ie, it implies that "the lady" "will break her word."
But I'm tired of being cynical, and I'm going to trust that the lady's word is good. I'm looking forward to next week, when we'll all know exactly how good it is.
To those who encouraged Clinton to do the right thing by participating in the "Tax Fax" grassroots campaign (outlined on both The Huffington Post and VichyDems) by faxing copies of their own tax returns, with personal info deleted, to Clinton's campaign offices - you can stand down. THANK YOU, and GOOD WORK! BACK TO VICHYDEMS HOMENintendo 64 will always hold a special place in the hearts of kids everywhere. Although there were a number of games that stick in people’s memories, GoldenEye 007 was the game that turned both young and old into budding assassins thanks to its addictive multiplayer mode.
While video game graphics have come a long way since the game was first released in 1997, YouTube user Jude Wilson recreated a portion of the “Facility Map” using Unreal Engine 4 to give fans a glimpse at what the first-person shooter would look like if it had been released in present day.
For more James Bond-centric reading, check out our thoughts on who should be the next 007.
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Words by Alec Banks Features Editor Alec Banks is a Los Angeles-based long-form writer with over a decade of experience covering fashion, music, sports, and culture."I'd ask for a sense of responsibility, a sense of national interest, as well as simply commercial interest," he said.
He was speaking after Attorney-General George Brandis introduced to Parliament legislation to update and expand the powers of ASIO to carry out surveillance and operations.
The proposed laws include a section that would provide legal immunity to ASIO officers on certain types of operations where they might have to break the law, say by going undercover and training with a terrorist group.
Included in that section are new offences that carry five-year or 10-year jail sentences for anyone who discloses information about such operations without authorisation - raising the prospect that journalists could be jailed for publishing leaked material. The 10-year penalty would be applied if the disclosure endangers lives or operations.
Such gag provisions already exist for police officers carrying out such special operations under the Crimes Act. But the Crimes Act includes exemptions - for example disclosing information to an oversight body such as the Ombudsman or Integrity Commissioner.As the trial of a former Khmer Rouge leader opens in Phnom Penh, Cambodians have been queuing to attend the court. Here people across the country give their reaction to the trial. SOTHEA THAI, 30, WEB EDITOR, PHNOM PENH I was born in 1980 after the Khmer Rouge was toppled by Vietnamese troops - I'm part of the first generation after the regime's fall. I think most of Cambodia's younger generation are eager to know the truth behind what happened. We want to hear from the killers why they killed people during their rule. We're seeking explanations for what went on. A lot of time has passed so I have never thought about revenge but explanations. Even in my village people who used to be the men of the Khmer Rouge still live together with the victims. That is the reality of Cambodia today. Frankly, my family did not lose anyone during that regime. So maybe my feeling is different from people who lost their loved ones. But what is most important to me is a clear explanation of the history of that time. We can learn from that experience to prevent that type of killing from happening in the future. I just want truth to to come out of the trial. PUTHYWONG, 26, IT WORKER, RATNAKIRI I want the people who were killed to get what they need. Their families and descendants are all still here. The killers need to pay for what they have done to those families. I think this trial is about punishment. These people have done very bad things to Cambodia and the Cambodian people. My grandparents died in that time. My grandfather was a policeman and when the Khmer Rouge found out about this they murdered him. Because my father was so young he was spared. I have visited Tuol Seng, the prison where Duch [Khmer Rouge defendant] was the head. I was very scared by it. People in Phnom Penh know all about this trial. We send each other the links, but in the provinces there is not much information. TUY BUNNARA, PNOMH PENH, 46 I want to see the trial conducted fairly. But I was alive at that time and many of my family died under the Khmer Rouge. They killed so many relatives and I remember it all. I want to see those remaining Khmer Rouge members properly tried and I want to see a Cambodian court punish them. I trust the trial because I trust that Cambodian courts can judge. But I don't have much information about the court and how it works. I wish I had a bit more. Also, I really feel that I want an explanation for what happened at that time.
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StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version8 January 2015
New analysis published today (Friday) by the TUC shows that household debt is rising again, with total unsecured debt reaching a new high.
Total unsecured debt (including consumer credit and student loans, but excluding mortgages) rose to £319bn in the third quarter of 2015 – a record high, and well above the £290bn peak in 2008 ahead of the financial crisis.
The TUC analysis finds that unsecured debt as a share of household income is now 26.5% – the highest it’s been for five years.
The analysis also finds that unsecured debt per household rose to £11,800 in the third quarter of 2015, which is up £600 on a year earlier. On this per household measure, debt has never been higher.
Earlier this week the Bank of England published an analysis showing that household borrowing surged in the run up to Christmas. The monthly cash rise in consumer credit for November 2015 was the highest since February 2008.
However, the TUC warns that there is a much bigger problem than just ‘Christmas on credit’. The analysis published today follows the recent forecast by the Office for Budgetary Responsibility that UK household spending was set to be £40bn in deficit for 2015 – the highest on record. And the Bank of England’s Chief Economist Andy Haldane recently told the Treasury Select Committee that consumer credit is “picking up at a rate of knots”.
The TUC says that the growth of consumer credit should worry the government as a signal that fundamental problems with the economy have not been fixed.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Rising household debt signals that too many people are still struggling to make ends meet. With pay growth slowing, and households facing a lost decade on wages, it’s no surprise that more families are relying on borrowing to meet the costs of day-to-day essentials.
“Although employment has risen, wages are still worth less today than eight years ago. This has left families struggling to meet the rising cost of living. We need a recovery where families can afford to pay their bills and raise their children without relying on |
often the values of the center-left and the far left alike, of neoliberals hoping to manage global capitalism and neo-Marxists hoping to transcend it. Unfortunately the values of “Imagine” are simply not sufficient to the needs of human life. People have a desire for solidarity that cosmopolitanism does not satisfy, immaterial interests that redistribution cannot meet, a yearning for the sacred that secularism cannot answer.
Sound familiar? And this, from Philip Rieff in 1966: “The death of a culture begins when its normative institutions fail to communicate ideals in ways that remain inwardly compelling, first of all to the cultural elites themselves.” Think of German Christianity in the Weimar period. Why had the churches lost their power to speak meaningfully and counterculturally to the young? What happens when a nation’s Christianity doesn’t offer real answers to the crises in the lives of real people, but has turned itself into intellectual abstraction, empty formalism, or feelgood-ism?
More Douthat:
So where religion atrophies, family weakens and patriotism ebbs, other forms of group identity inevitably assert themselves. It is not a coincidence that identity politics are particularly potent on elite college campuses, the most self-consciously post-religious and post-nationalist of institutions; nor is it a coincidence that recent outpourings of campus protest and activism and speech policing and sexual moralizing so often resemble religious revivalism. The contemporary college student lives most fully in the Lennonist utopia that post-’60s liberalism sought to build, and often finds it unconsoling: She wants a sense of belonging, a ground for personal morality, and a higher horizon of justice than either a purely procedural or a strictly material politics supplies. Thus it may not be enough for today’s liberalism, confronting both a right-wing nationalism and its own internal contradictions, to deal with identity politics’ political weaknesses by becoming more populist and less politically correct. Both of these would be desirable changes, but they would leave many human needs unmet. For those, a deeper vision than mere liberalism is still required — something like “for God and home and country,” as reactionary as that phrase may sound. It is reactionary, but then it is precisely older, foundational things that today’s liberalism has lost. Until it finds them again, it will face tribalism within its coalition and Trumpism from without, and it will struggle to tame either.
If there’s one thing that Trump has accomplished, it’s the undermining of the political elites of both parties. It has been clear for some time that the GOP elites crumbled before him. This election proved that the Democratic Party elites — the embodiment of which was Hillary Clinton, in ways beyond the mere fact that she was its standard bearer this fall — have also been discredited. If the GOP elites had been sound, Donald Trump would never have gotten anywhere in the primaries. If the Democratic elites had been sound, Hillary Clinton would have beaten Trump to a pulp at the polls.
Again: sound familiar?
Douthat’s column brought to mind this piece from The New Yorker, profiling the self-described “Dirtbag Left” of the Chapo Trap House, an increasingly popular podcast by three Millennial lefties in Brooklyn. Excerpt:
At the Genius office, as people set up chairs on the floor below us, Menaker described the generic Chapo fan as a “failson”—which Biederman, who is twenty-six, defined as the guy that “goes downstairs at Thanksgiving, briefly mumbles, ‘Hi,’ everyone asks him how community college is going, he mumbles something about a 2.0 average, goes back upstairs with a loaf of bread and some peanut butter, and gets back to gaming and masturbating.” As for the women fans—who make up maybe twenty to thirty per cent of the audience, they guessed—“they all seem to be success-daughters,” Menaker said. “They’re astrophysicists or novelists, extremely on-point and competent people.” Christman saw a political lesson in the show’s fan base. “The twenty-first century is basically defined by nonessential human beings, who do not fit into the market as consumers or producers or as laborers,” he said. “That manifests itself differently in different classes and geographic areas. For white, middle-class, male, useless people—who have just enough family context to not be crushed by poverty—they become failsons.” The “Chapo Trap House” guys are sincerely concerned with American inequality; at the same time, their most instinctive sympathies seem to fall with people whose worst-case scenario is a feeling of purposelessness. “Some of them turn into Nazis,” Christman continued. “Others become aware of the consequences of capitalism.”
Failsons. That’s a chilling neologism. Again: sound familiar? Dylann Roof and his tribe are also failsons, many of them the offspring of faildads and failmoms, though not the comfortable middle-class failsons who subscribe to Chapo Trap House. The white working class failsons are growing into adulthood as part of a class that has shockingly high mortality rates. Their families are falling apart, their moral structures are in collapse, and their economic prospects are diminished. Read your Charles Murray. Read your J.D. Vance.
Read your Weimar history.
Sooner or later, somebody is going to find a way to radicalize those failsons. Some of the middle class failsons will gravitate to the Weimar Brooklyn worldview of the Chapo Trap House. Many other middle class white failsons, I suspect, will gravitate to the intellectualized neo-Nazism of Richard Spencer, highly educated and articulate son of Dallas’s posh Park Cities. The point is: watch the failsons, who are being failed by families, by the church, and by a hedonistic and individualistic society that does not know how to manage this phase of modernity.
The United States is one major economic crisis away from something very, very ugly taking power. It is hard to see what our enervated American institutions — government, academia, families, churches, and the like — can do to stand up against it effectively. Nothing is determined in advance, and, as the late German historian Peukert points out, every Western industrialized nation in the 1920s and 1930s faced the same challenges Germany did. Most of them did not lose themselves to fascism or communism.
Still, we are headed for a tumultuous period of American history, and you’d have to be a fool not to see that, and to prepare. For orthodox Christians, my own tribe, we must hope and pray that we never face a situation like that faced by Martin Niemoller, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and other German Christians who resisted the Nazi state’s takeover of German churches — a takeover supported by many German Christians, it must be said. The time is now to ask ourselves what it means to be a faithful Christian today, and what kind of personal sacrifices we must be prepared to make to stand in opposition not only to some potential far-right or far-left government, but to the post-Christian, indeed anti-Christian, consumerist, hedonist, rootless culture in which we live. Don’t wait. Prepare. Decadent bourgeois Christianity of the left and the right is not going to survive. Nor will Lennonism.WARSAW, Poland — Earlier this month Poland's parliament voted to express "concern" over a ruling by the European Human Rights Tribunal that crosses hung in classrooms could violate the rights of parents.
Then, Poland's highest court decided that grades in religion class should be included on Polish students' transcripts.
Together the vote and the decision show that this overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country is, officially at least, resisting the general European trend toward secularization.
In an echo of the stern defense of the cross mounted recently by Antonin Scalia, the U.S. Supreme Court Justice, the Polish parliament noted that "the sign of the cross is not only a religious symbol and a sign of God's love for humanity, but in the public sphere it is a reminder of the readiness to sacrifice for another person."
The vote took place in the main hall of the Polish parliament, where two right-wing members clambered up a ladder late at night in 1997 and hung up a cross, which despite protests has remained in place ever since.
In the education case, a group of ex-communist members filed the complaint, charging that putting religion marks in official school transcripts violates the separation of church and state and limits the right of parents to raise their children. However, the court found that including religion among the final grades was actually an expression of religious freedom.
“Teaching religion is one of the indications of religious freedom in light of the current standards of a pluralistic democratic society,” said the ruling. “It is not the role of the state to impose a religion program and reduce it to a study of religions.”
The ruling was just the latest in a long run of constitutional court decisions favoring the teaching of religion in schools, hanging crosses in classrooms, saying prayers in schools and paying catechism teachers from public funds.
The ex-communist left tends to be very skeptical of the presence of the Catholic Church in Poland's public life. Jerzy Szmajdzinski, one of the senior members of the Democratic Left Alliance party, recently complained that priests and bishops have become a part of almost every official celebration, “Even such God-fearing places as sewage plants and jacuzzis are now being blessed,” he wrote.
The problem for the left is that about 95 percent of Poles consider themselves to be Roman Catholic, although the number of regular worshippers is about half that number. Many people also remember the communist persecution of religion in the four decades after World War II. In the early post-war years priests were arrested by the officially atheist state, and in later years apparatchiks made it almost impossible to build new churches and harassed believers.
The Church became the main protector of the Solidarity trade union and of the anti-communist resistance in the 1980s, gaining enormous sympathy from most Poles. That sympathy has eroded over the years — particularly in the early 1990s, when an overweening Church injected itself into public life — but the Church's position is still immensely powerful.
In communist times religion was banned from schools, but it made a return in the 1990s, when Poland ratified a concordat with the Vatican. The curriculum is prepared by the Church, not the ministry of education, and the teachers are also chosen by religious authorities, not the school director. The program is supposed to be based on knowledge, not piety, but there have been cases of catechists marking pupils according to their participation in the life of their local parish.
Theoretically, religion is supposed to be offered together with a secular ethics course, but the vast majority of Polish schools have shied away from offering the subject, citing high costs and low interest. According to the education ministry, ethics is offered in only 334 of Poland's 32,000 schools, while religion is offered in 27,500 schools.
Making religion an official grade was the brainchild of Roman Giertych, the right-wing education minister in the previous government who was in thrall to the ultra-Catholic Radio Maryja network and its charismatic leader, Father Tadeusz Rydzyk.
Although he is no longer in politics, an ebullient Giertych celebrated the constitutional court's decision, saying: “The post-communists suffered a defeat and I'm glad that the tribunal decided I was acting according to the law.”
Many Polish politicians think in a similar fashion to Giertych, trying to avoid a conflict with the Church whenever possible, and taking public stances designed to appeal to true believers. Three years ago, a group of 46 members of parliament even tried to push through a bill that would have named Jesus Christ as the king of Poland.
While the left in traditionally Catholic European countries like Spain and Italy is strong and anti-clerical, Poland's shattered ex-communist rump — which has only about 10 percent support in opinion polls — has made an accommodation with the extraordinary role the Church continues to play in Polish life.
“Our words and our policies should be well-considered,” writes Szmajdzinski, the senior member of the Democratic Left Alliance. “That means we should give it a break with suggestions of the type: remove chaplains from the military... or stop the financing of catechism from the budget.”What does the future hold for EpicTV Shop climber Adam Ondra? Like so many in the sport, Adam plans to keep climbing for as long as he is able, but this isn't his only objective. His studies in Economics have helped to give him a wider view of the world and while he isn't planning to settle down into a regular 9 to 5 (or 8 to 4 as he calls it), the business world is definitely within his sights. If he focuses on it as intently as he has done with his climbing, we're sure it won't be long before a Fortune 500 company is rocking a 9b+ climbing CEO. For the moment though Adam's focus is still on the top end of sport and competition climbing; disciplines that require him to balance intense periods of training with time in the mountains. We caught up with him on one of his days on the hill to talk training schedules, plans for the future and to get an economist's take on the business of climbing. A Day At The Crag With Adam Ondra | EpicTV Choice CutsIn 1992, when The Man from Hope established a new standard for campaign trail empathy, there were no smartphones, no wireless activity wristbands, no life-tracking apps, no cloud. Bill Clinton felt our pain, but couldn't do much about it. In contrast, today's government caregivers have a vast new arsenal of tools at their disposal. They can feel our pain, aggregate it, analyze it, and implement policies that will reduce it by at least 10 percent. Or at least they can aspire to such grand ambitions.
"There's this pretension that everything that's of importance to human beings can be measured," says Mark D. White, chair of the philosophy department at the College of Staten Island. "This whole trend toward digitizing human life and quantifying it. And if something can be measured, it can also be influenced, manipulated, engineered."
Granted, the power to perform such feats is typically presented as the domain of technology companies, not the Department of Health and Human Services. In the reigning narrative, Silicon Valley is an anti-government force, a haven for techno-libertarian disruptors who want to gut licensing commissions, review boards, and all the other safeguards of the regulatory state and replace them with citizen-bureaucrats who maintain order through one-star Yelp reviews and below-average Uber ratings.
But whatever Silicon Valley has done so far to dismantle Big Taxi, it has also popularized and normalized a mind-set that the writer Evgeny Morozov calls "solutionism"-the idea that all human systems can be improved through the judicious application of sensor networks, commodity computing clusters, and other technologies that amplify our ability to track, say, the length of our morning showers or the number of milk cartons we throw in the trash instead of recycling.
Solutionism isn't just for start-ups. As pioneer solutionist Bill Gates suggested in a 2013 Wall Street Journal op-ed, it's highly extensible. "In the past year, I have been struck by how important measurement is to improving the human condition," he wrote. "You can achieve incredible progress if you set a clear goal and find a measure that will drive progress toward that goal."
Or to put it another way: What's good for the software mogul is good for the philanthropist. And, by extension, the policy maker.
The idea that slow-moving and largely unaccountable government agencies can increase their efficiency and impact by adopting the goal-setting discipline of private enterprise is a central tenet of the solutionist vision. But it also shifts the business of governance from processes to outcomes. It imposes an imperative not to create laws and institutions that make it possible for people to safely and freely pursue their own paths through life, but rather to achieve specific results.
In his book The Manipulation of Choice, published in 2013, Mark White examined the political ramifications of choice architecture, a.k.a. "nudging" or "libertarian paternalism," the practice of making a "good" choice the easy choice. In his book The Illusion of Well-Being, published in 2014, and in a recent paper authored for George Mason University's Mercatus Center called "The Problems with Measuring and Using Happiness for Policy Purposes," White addresses our increasing faith in quantification. There is obviously a great deal of overlap between these two subjects; the more relentlessly you measure people's behavior and begin to understand their actions and behavior, the greater the temptation to steer that behavior in subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle ways.
In The Illusion of Well-Being, White focuses on efforts to enhance gross domestic product (GDP) and other measures of economic output "with more direct measures of people's actual well-being-in simple terms, their happiness." For decades, economists, behavioral psychologists, and the occasional benevolent despot have argued that merely toting up economic gains from year to year does not give us a complete enough picture of a country's aggregate well-being. We need more wide-ranging and sophisticated data to help guide our policy makers.
In 1972, the fourth Dragon King of Bhutan pioneered the idea of a "Gross National Happiness Index." Since then, the idea that we might express such qualitative phenomena as "happiness" or "life satisfaction" in quantitative ways has gained a surprising degree of credence. In 2011, the White House Office of Management and Budget announced that it was considering how various forms of happiness measurement might help improve "regulatory policy in ways that promote the goals of economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and job creation."
But as White argues, the sense of precision such quantification produces is largely illusory. How do we arrive at a single definition of "happiness" or "well-being" that we can apply to people of widely divergent temperaments and living situations? And even if we could agree on a definition, how do we then accurately translate highly subjective feelings and perceptions into actionable data?
Typically, happiness surveys ask respondents to choose from a selection of potential phrases to describe how they are feeling, then convert these answers into numerical amounts. "We know the spaces between inch or centimeter markings on a ruler are the same, as are the spaces between degrees on a thermometer," White observes in his book. "But we shouldn't have any confidence that the difference between zero as 'utterly unhappy' and one as 'fairly unhappy' has any particular meaning, much less the same meaning as the difference between one as 'fairly unhappy' and two as 'neither happy nor unhappy.'"
As arbitrary as these transmutations may be, they offer the appearance of precision. And that precision-and the seeming knowledge and insight it implies-legitimates intervention. If we can determine that banning all car traffic for one day each month in a given test city leads to a 0.5 percent uptick in Average Regional Happiness, aren't we compelled, and perhaps even morally obligated, to implement this tactic on a national scale?
Alas, the quantified state's interventionist mandate remains just as presumptuous in cases where the data is more solid—say Gross National Electrodermal Response or Aggregate Shower Hours. "All measures-including [gross national product]-are outcome-oriented measures that in my view are irrelevant to proper governance," White declares. "Government should be guaranteeing just and fair and free processes for people to make choices and live lives of their own choosing, without harming anyone else. Even with GDP-let's say that GDP falls by 2.1 percent one quarter. If you take the viewpoint that that decline was the result of decisions made voluntarily, under relatively good information, what does it matter if it fell? What right does the government have to say, 'This collective mass of decisions people made weren't good enough, so we're going to fix that'?"
But how likely is it that government policy makers at any level will decide to check their ambitions when it's getting easier and easier to collect and/or manufacture data that legitimizes increasingly proactive behavior? If anything, the idea that government should adopt such tactics will only become more commonplace. After all, it's what Google does. It's what Facebook does. If the Department of Health and Human Services is going to pour millions into combatting obesity, why not measure outcomes? And once we understand what influences those outcomes, shouldn't we deploy tactics that help deliver the intended results?
The problem is that such thinking imposes a viewpoint about what's "right" or what's "best" upon myriad individual lives. A state that emphasizes processes over outcomes is a pluralist state, whose citizens have the freedom to define and pursue happiness in their own particular fashion. A quantified state optimizes outcomes by narrowing possibilities—and establishing "efficiency and uplift for all" as the new national mandate. You don't need a sophisticated sensor network to register that as a step backward.The 2009 launch of Google Ocean, an underwater extension of Google Earth, included a grid formation in the Atlantic that prompted many to speculate that the search giant had uncovered the lost city of Atlantis. A recent update to Google Earth, however, has quashed those rumors, according to LiveScience.
The grids weren't actually the remnants of the famous lost city; rather they appeared as a result of overlapping data sets. Google's ocean data is created in part from sonar waves, which combined with other types of data, can cause these grids to appear. But Google added new seafloor data from the University of California San Diego's (UCSD) Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), among other organizations, with a recent update, which resulted in the removal of these lines.
"The original version of Google Ocean was a newly developed prototype map that had high resolution but also contained thousands of blunders related to the original archived ship data," Scripps geophysicist David Sandwell told LiveScience. "UCSD undergraduate students spent the past three years identifying and correcting the blunders."
LiveScience said that Google has also taken additional steps to ensure the accuracy of the maps on Google Ocean. It now takes 15 percent of its ocean floor imagery from shipboard soundings at a resolution of 0.6 miles, up from the previous rate of 10 percent. That rate is set to improve again later this year, when Google deploys a new calculation method that yields depth predictions that are twice as accurate, LiveScience said.
"The Google map now matches the map used in the research community, which makes the Google Earth program much more useful as a tool for planning cruises to uncharted areas," Sandwell added.
For more, see the slideshow of the original Google Earth below.
For more from Leslie, follow her on Twitter @LesHorn.
For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.Until the Wahhabi conquest of the Arabian peninsula at the turn of the last century, the mixture of sects there was as diverse as it was anywhere in the old pluralist Middle East. In its towns there lived, among others, Sufi mystics from the Sunni branch of Islam, members of the Zaidi sect, which is linked with the Shia branch of Islam, Twelver Shia traders, and seasonal Jewish farmhands from Yemen.
From the eighteenth century onward, successive waves of warriors from the Wahhabi revivalist movement, formed from Sunni tribesmen in the hinterland, have struggled to enforce a puritanical uniformity on the cosmopolitan coast. Toby Matthiesen recounts in The Other Saudis that, a few years after taking the eastern shores of the peninsula from the reeling Ottomans in 1913, Wahhabi clerics issued a fatwa obliging local Shias to convert to “true Islam.” In Hijaz, the western region that includes Mecca, Medina, and Jeddah, militant Wahhabi clerics and their followers ransacked the treasuries of the holy places in Mecca, lopped the dome off the House of the Prophet in Medina, and razed myriad shrines.
But their success was only partial. In 1930, when the Wahhabi Brethren began raiding Iraq and Jordan and upsetting the region’s British overlords, Abdulaziz al-Saud, the modern state’s founder, reined them in, slaughtering the zealots by the hundred.
Afterward, the peninsula regained much of its old tempo. Shia clerics applied their versions of Islamic law in the east. Jeddah’s newspapers continued to publish listings of Western as well as Islamic New Year’s Eve celebrations, cinema screenings, and concerts. Then, in 1979, apparently inspired by the Iranian overthrow of the Shah and the establishment of an Islamic republic earlier that year, Islamic militants stormed Mecca’s Grand Mosque, the holiest place in Islam, and declared a new order under a leader who proclaimed himself the Mahdi—the redeemer—and sought to replace the Saudi monarchy. Wahhabi forces loyal to the monarchy counterattacked, saved the al-Sauds, and retook the mosque. But a crucial deal was made: loyalist clerics approved the removal of the militants by force; but in return demanded that Saudi royals cede them power to strictly control personal behavior. The last cinemas and concert halls shut down. Women were obliged to shroud themselves in black.
Thirty-five years later, foreign descriptions of Saudi Arabia remain for the most part remarkably bleak. The writers of all four books under review examine the domination of the al-Saud…SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A federal judge in Brazil overseeing a sweeping corruption investigation said on Tuesday there were signs that President Dilma Rousseff’s former chief of staff had received bribes.
Brazil's Chief of Staff Gleisi Hoffmann talks to the audience during a forum about infrastructure in Brazil, in Sao Paulo February 5, 2013. REUTERS/ Nacho Doce
Judge Sergio Moro asked the Supreme Court to authorize an investigation into whether a graft case involving Brazil’s planning ministry may have benefited Gleisi Hoffmann, now a senator and still personally close to the president.
Hoffmann has not been formally charged with any wrongdoing.
Moro’s investigation, which has mostly focused on a political kickback scheme at state-run oil firm Petrobras (PETR4.SA) over the past 17 months, has already pushed Rousseff’s approval rating to single digits and, along with a slow economy, brought calls for her impeachment.
“This is very bad news for Rousseff, at a time she is doing everything to diminish the crisis, news like this brings the crisis even closer to her,” said Thiago de Aragao, a partner at Arko Advice, a consulting firm.
Hoffmann served as Rousseff’s chief of staff from 2011 to 2014, before leaving to run for senator as a member of Rousseff’s Workers’ Party.
Rousseff has repeatedly denied knowing about corruption at Petrobras, though she chaired the oil firm’s board from 2003 to 2010 when much of the alleged graft took place.
Though reports of Hoffmann’s involvement hurt Rousseff’s image, it is unclear if the investigation into the planning ministry will reach her, said Aragao.
Brazilian Vice President Michel Temer said on Tuesday that an impeachment was “unthinkable,” the day after he decided to drop the day-to-day political coordination of her government.
The corruption investigation, which has broadened to other state-run companies and ministries, is divided between Moro’s court in the southern city of Curitiba, where trials have been ongoing since last year, and the Supreme Court in Brasilia, the only court that can try sitting politicians.
PLANNING MINISTRY FRAUD
Moro said Hoffmann appeared to have received money from Consist, a consultancy that allegedly helped divert funds from the planning ministry.
One of Hoffmann’s lawyers, Guilherme Gonçalves, appeared to have taken money that Consist received from the planning ministry in 2011, Moro wrote in a dispatch, citing documents seized from Gonçalves’ law offices.
Moro said evidence also implicated Hoffmann’s husband and former minister, Paulo Bernardo, in the scheme. Bernardo served as planning minister for former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and then as Rousseff’s communications minister.
Hoffmann said in a statement she had no knowledge of Gonçalves’ relationship to other clients or of any campaign donation from Consist.
Hoffmann was one of dozens of politicians who appeared on a list released by the Supreme Court in March and are under investigation for receiving bribes from the kickback scheme at Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras.
Federal prosecutors last week charged the first two politicians in the scandal: Eduardo Cunha, speaker of the lower house of Congress, and Fernando Collor de Mello, a former president and sitting senator.
Paulo Roberto Costa, a former executive at Petrobras, also testified at a congressional hearing on Tuesday that Hoffmann was among those who received illegal funds from overpriced contracts.
Alberto Youssef, a convicted money launderer, said at the same hearing that former opposition presidential candidate Aecio Neves took bribes from a corruption scheme involving Furnas, a subsidiary of state-run power utility Eletrobras (ELET6.SA).
Neves’ party said in a statement Youssef’s testimony was unfounded and prompted by a Workers’ Party senator seeking to draw attention away from Rousseff allies implicated in the scandal.
Prosecutors had closed the investigation into Neves, who narrowly lost to Rousseff in 2014, and Furnas in March.
(This story has been refiled to change spelling to Hoffmann from Hoffman)You must enter the characters with black color that stand out from the other characters
— The state House gave final approval at about 12:30 a.m. Friday to a $22.9 billion budget for 2017-18 that Republicans called a sound plan to meet North Carolina's needs but that Democrats say doesn't do enough to move the state forward.
After an preliminary 82-34 vote Thursday night, the final vote was 80-31. The House and the Senate must now negotiate a compromise budget to adopt by the end of the month.
The House plan has more modest tax cuts than the budget the Senate adopted three weeks ago, with no cuts to individual or corporate income tax rates and only a small increase to the standard deduction on tax returns.
The House also socks away less money in the state's "rainy day" reserve fund, but it does spread raises out among more teachers, gives state workers a $1,000 raise in each of the next two years and provides a one-time cost-of-living adjustment to state retirees' pension checks.
"This budget offers a strong opportunity for our citizens to continue to grow the economy, to continue to provide the services we need, to continue our efforts to improve education and performance in the classroom and to continue the promise of North Carolina as a growing and vibrant state," said Rep. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake, the chief budget writer in the House.
House Minority Leader Darren Jackson compared the proposal to Gov. Roy Cooper's $23.5 billion spending plan and said he finds the House budget lacking.
"It's clear to me what your priority was: Hitting an artificial number [for spending] set by a few leaders," said Jackson, D-Wake. "The desire for a tax cut came second, and the needs of the state came in a distant third."
Jackson said raises for teachers could have been larger, given the current budget surplus and cited a lack of money to expand broadband access in rural areas and limited money for school textbooks and to fight the opioid addiction epidemic as shortcomings in the budget.
"This House budget and the Senate budget are not the only choices," he said. "We can do better."
Rep. Billy Richardson, D-Cumberland, said it's time for North Carolina to invest in the future now the the state has recovered from the recession.
"We're becoming last in things we should be first in and first in things we should be last in," Richardson said. "The facts are indisputable. We're not meeting the needs of this state."
Cooper even chimed in with a late-night statement.
"This budget shortchanges our future at a time when we don't have to," he said. "As our economy rebounds, we must invest in our people to create good new jobs and more opportunities for middle-class families. This budget misses huge opportunities to spur economic development and help North Carolinians learn the skills they need to succeed in the workforce."
Rep. Michael Speciale, R-Craven, scoffed at the call to "do better."
"We can always do better if we had more money, but we’re not going to tax the citizens of this state out of their income and tax them out of their homes like was going on for years and years," Speciale said. "That’s why we’re in charge here and you’re not."
The GOP majority used its muscle during more than four hours of debate to beat back numerous amendments offered by Democrats, including proposals to implement the Jordan Lake Rules, which have been on hold for several years, for pollution control in the lake, to fund a scholarship program for community college students and to invest $8.5 million over two years in rural broadband.
"The budget we're debating, in my opinion, is leaving rural North Carolina behind," said Rep. Charles Graham, D-Robeson.
Dollar and other Republicans criticized the broadband expansion, along with another proposed amendment to provide more money for industrial sites in rural areas, because they would take money from an effort to modernize major state computer systems.
Five times, Republicans tabled amendments rather than casting votes on them. Two would have scaled back the proposed expansion of Opportunity Scholarship school vouchers to free up more funds for public schools, a third would have provided state retirees with a 2 percent COLA, the fourth would have shifted $1 million a year from crisis pregnancy centers to expand opioid treatment options and the last one would move $1 million from the budget of the education superintendent (legal fees and outside audit) into textbooks and digital learning resources.
Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, said lawmakers owe a debt of gratitude to retired state workers, but they also owe a duty to ensure the state can afford to keep making pension payments. "We cannot afford to do it at this time," he said in moving to table the proposal.
A number of other amendments never even made it to the floor because they were ruled out of order, such as one that would have barred Duke Energy from passing along the costs of its state-mandated cleanup of coal ash ponds to customers.
Rep. Jonathan Jordan, R-Ashe, tried to run an amendment that would have given a flat $1,220 raise to all state workers and teachers next year and $2,650 in 2018-19 to tell everyone they're valued equally, but House Speaker Tim Moore ruled him out of order on the floor. A parliamentary challenge to Moore's ruling failed.
"The 2017 House budget provides more income tax relief for North Carolina families, seeks a top-quality return on investment for their hard-earned dollars and saves for the future while making strategic investments in North Carolina’s rapidly growing population," Moore said in a statement.A Sun-like star with orbiting planets, dating back to the dawn of the Galaxy, has been discovered by an international team of astronomers.
At 11.2 billion years old, it is the oldest star with Earth-sized planets ever found and proves that such planets have formed throughout the history of the Universe.
The discovery, announced on 28 January (AEDT) in the Astrophysical Journal, used observations made by NASA's Kepler satellite. The scientific collaboration was led by the University of Birmingham and contributed to by the University of Sydney.
The star, named Kepler-444, hosts five planets smaller than Earth, with sizes varying between those of Mercury and Venus.
"We've never seen anything like this -- it is such an old star and the large number of small planets make it very special," said Dr Daniel Huber from the University's School of Physics and an author on the paper.
"It is extraordinary that such an ancient system of terrestrial-sized planets formed when the universe was just starting out, at a fifth its current age. Kepler-444 is two and a half times older than our solar system, which is only a youthful 4.5 billion years old.
"This tells us that planets this size have formed for most of the history of the universe and we are much better placed to understand exactly when this began happening."
Dr Tiago Campante, the research leader from the University of Birmingham said, "We now know that Earth-sized planets have formed throughout most of the Universe's 13.8-billion-year history, which could provide scope for the existence of ancient life in the Galaxy."
Together with their international colleagues the University's astronomy team used asteroseismology to determine the age of the star and planets. This technique measures oscillations -- the natural resonances of the host star caused by sound waves trapped within it.
They lead to miniscule changes or pulses in the star's brightness and allow researchers to measure its diameter, mass, and age. The presence and size of the planets is detected by the dimming that occurs when the planets pass across the face of the star. This fading in the intensity of the light received from the star enables scientists to accurately measure the sizes of the planets relative to the size of the star.
"When asteroseismology emerged about two decades ago we could only use it on the Sun and a few bright stars, but thanks to Kepler we can now apply the technique to literally thousands of stars. Asteroseismology allows us to precisely measure the radius of Kepler-444 and hence the sizes of its planets. For the smallest planet in the Kepler-444 system, which is slightly larger than Mercury, we measured its size with an uncertainty of only 100km," Dr Huber said.
"It was clear early on that we had discovered something very unusual because we had five planets orbiting a very bright star -- one of the brightest Kepler has observed. It is fantastic that we can use asteroseismology to date the star and determine just how old it is.
"In the case of Kepler-444 the planets orbit their parent star in less than 10 days, at less than one-tenth the Earth's distance from the Sun. Their closeness to their host star means they are uninhabitable because of the lack of liquid water and high levels of radiation. Nevertheless, discoveries like Kepler-444 provide important clues on whether a planet that is more truly comparable to Earth may exist. "We're another step closer towards finding the astronomers' holy grail -- an Earth-sized planet with a one year orbit around a star similar to our Sun."Cox Giving Up Completely on Wireless Business
Cox Communications, which in May stopped operating its own cellular networks, said this week that it plans to completely exit the cellphone business.
The cable company said that it will stop selling cellular service as of today and will discontinue service to current customers as of March, though it promised to help them transition to other providers. Cox has been reselling 3G service from Sprint to customers in about half of its service areas.
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about to change the rules to allow Fox News to expand its empire! The plan could be approved at any moment, so we need to act now to stop it.
The owner of Fox News, Rupert Murdoch, is gearing up to buy the Chicago Tribune and the L.A. Times to corrupt our democracy with more of his right-wing propaganda. Until now, federal law didn’t allow someone who owns a television station to also buy a newspaper in the same market. Unbelievably, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is thinking of creating an exception to the rule that would let Murdoch sneak through.
The FCC has tried this twice before, only to be stopped by public backlash. Let’s stop them again. Use the tool on the right to send a message to the FCC right now before they vote to give Murdoch more power.
Note: Names, Addresses and Comments entered at right (but not email addresses) will be submitted to an official FCC proceeding and will be publicly available via the web.8 deadly misconceptions about data deduplication
Data deduplication technology has been around for a long time but has undergone a bit of a resurgence lately as more storage vendors added this feature to their hardware and software products. But simply having a data deduplication feature doesn't mean you'll use it well. Even many experienced storage administrators and architects labor under several common misconceptions.
Whether you are a system architect, planning staff, procurement person, or IT operations staff, and whether your data is on primary disk storage, archival storage, or all-flash storage arrays, you need to understand the basics—and pitfalls—of deduplication schemes.
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Data reduction ratios: Your mileage may vary
While deduplication is available for primary and secondary storage, the data footprint reduction ratios you can achieve differ greatly. People frequently fall into the trap of assuming that what they can achieve on a deduplication storage system is the same as what they can get on a primary array.
Deduplication is automatic. But the potential data reduction ratios you can achieve differ. For example, if you need to store 100TB of data, it makes a huge difference if you assume a 10:1 ratio and buy a 10TB device or if you assume a 2:1 ratio and buy a 50TB device instead. You must have a good idea as to what's achievable before you buy.
Having spent an extensive amount of time designing backup environments and working on deduplication on primary arrays, I have come across many misunderstandings about proper use. If you are using the technology in your environment or are involved in architecture designs and sizing that include deduplication technology, this article is for you. Understanding the eight deadly pitfalls below will help you more confidently deal with deduplication-related questions and better estimate what a realistic ratio should be for your environment.
1. Higher deduplication ratios yield proportionally larger data reduction benefits
If one vendor promises a 50:1 deduplication ratio, is that five times better than another vendor's 10:1 claim? Deduplication is all about reducing your capacity requirements, what are the potential capacity savings? A 10:1 ratio yields a 90% reduction in size, while a 50:1 ratio bumps that up to 98%. But that's only a 10% difference.
In general, the higher the deduplication numbers go, the lower the data reduction benefits—the law of diminishing returns.
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2. There is a clear definition for the term “deduplication”
Deduplication is about reducing the amount of data stored by removing duplicate data items from the data store. This can occur on an object/file or physical data block level, or it can be application- or content-aware. Most products combine deduplication with data compression to further reduce the data footprint. While some vendors combine the two, others call them out separately or coin terms such as “compaction,” which is just a fancy way of saying "deduplication with compression." Unfortunately, there is no single, all-encompassing, widely accepted definition of deduplication.
3. Deduplication ratios on primary storage are similar to those achievable on backup appliances
Storage vendors use many different deduplication algorithms. Some are more CPU-intensive and sophisticated than others. It should come as no surprise, then, that deduplication ratios differ widely.
However, the biggest factor affecting the deduplication ratio you'll achieve is how much data you have that's identical or of a similar type. For that reason, backup devices, which hold multiple copies of the same data in weekly backups, almost always show higher deduplication ratios than do primary arrays. You might keep multiple copies of data on your primary arrays, but as these snapshots tend to be space-efficient, the arrays will inherently implement a kind of deduplication. That's why primary storage deduplication ratios of 5:1 are about as good as it gets, while backup appliances can achieve 20:1 or even 40:1, depending on how many copies you keep.
4. All data types are equal
As should be clear by now, this is patently false. For example, data types that contain repetitive patterns within the data stream lend themselves to deduplication. The deduplication ratio you can achieve depends on several factors:
Data type— Pre-compressed, encrypted, meta-data rich data types show lower deduplication values.
Pre-compressed, encrypted, meta-data rich data types show lower deduplication values. Data change rate— The higher the daily change rate, the lower the deduplication ratio. This is especially true for purpose-built backup appliances (PBBAs).
The higher the daily change rate, the lower the deduplication ratio. This is especially true for purpose-built backup appliances (PBBAs). Retention period— The longer the retention, the more copies you'll have on your PBBA, raising your deduplication ratio.
The longer the retention, the more copies you'll have on your PBBA, raising your deduplication ratio. Backup policy—A daily full backup strategy, as opposed to incremental or differential one, will yield higher deduplication ratios because much of the data is redundant.
The table below provides a rough overview of data compaction ratios. What deduplication ratios can realistically be expected on a PBBA? Remember that ratios on primary storage will be considerably lower.
5. Grouping dissimilar data types increases your deduplication ratios
In theory, if you mix different data tapes into a huge deduplication pool, the likelihood of finding identical blocks, or objects, should increase. However, the probability of that happening remains low between dissimilar data types, such as databases and Exchange email. So increasing your deduplication pool comes at the cost of more complex and time-consuming hash comparisons and the like. You're better off separating deduplication pools by data type. Of course, going wide within a given data type can give you a substantial increase in deduplication ratios.
For example, if you perform deduplication within a single virtual machine (VM) image, you will get one ratio, but if you target multiple copies of the same VM image (e.g., by performing daily backups of that VM to a deduplication store), your ratio will increase. Combine 50 VMs into the same store and, since those VM images are likely to be very similar, you'll improve your ratio even further. The wider you can go with your deduplication pool within a single data type, the better.
6. Your first backup will show your predicted deduplication ratio
This misconception comes up in discussions of relative deduplication ratios on primary storage versus backup appliances. If you hold one copy of the data for a given application, or virtual machine or the like, you'll see some deduplication and compression. But your ratio will only soar when you keep multiple copies of very similar data, such as multiple backups of the same database.
The figure below shows a very typical deduplication curve. This one is for an SAP HANA environment, but most application data follows the same curve. Your initial copy, or backup, shows some deduplication benefits, but most of the savings are due to data compression. As you retain more copies, however, your deduplication ratio for the overall store will increase, as shown by the blue line. The ratio for an individual backup (orange line) skyrockets starting with the second copy.
7. You can't increase deduplication ratios
It would be naive to believe that there is no way to artificially boost deduplication ratios. If your goal is to achieve the highest possible ratio, then store as many copies of your data as possible (long retention times). Your actual stored capacity on disk will increase as well, but your ratio will soar.
Changing your backup policy works as well, as shown in the real-world example below, which compares daily full backups with weekly backups combined with either daily incremental or daily differential backups. In this case, a daily full backup policy drives the highest ratio. However, the actual space used on disk is similar with all three approaches. So be wary when a storage vendor promises extremely high deduplication ratios, since a change in your backup schedule might be required to achieve it.
Backup schedule Logical backup data written Dedup ratio store once Stored physical capacity Resulting dedup ratio (logical vs. physical) Daily full 30x 10TB = 300TB 38:1 8TB 38:1 Weekly full, daily incremental 4x 10TB = 40TB
26x 1TB = 26TB 15:1
3:1 11TB 6:1 Weekly full, daily differential 4x 10TB = 40TB
26x 3.5TB = 91TB 15:1
12:1 10TB 13:1
8. There is no way to predetermine deduplication ratios
Every environment is different, so it's hard to accurately predict real-world deduplication ratios. However, vendors do offer primary storage/backup assessment tools that are slim to run and provide insights into data types, retention periods, and the like. These tools typically allow a somewhat accurate prediction of achievable deduplication ratios.
Also, vendors have information about the ratios their installed base has achieved, and they can even break that down by industry segment. While there's no guarantee that you'll see the same benefits, it should provide some piece of mind. And if piece of mind isn't enough, ask the vendor for a guarantee. Some vendors do offer deduplication guarantees under some circumstances.
Finally, a proof-of-concept conducted on a representative subset of your data will provide even more accurate estimates.
Gentlemen, start your deduping
There is no magic behind deduplication, but now that you understand the basics, you should be well equipped to maximize the effectiveness of deduplication technology on your storage arrays and appliances.
What sorts of ratios have you achieved on your data?For the first time this year, the Lakers opened up their draft workouts to the media, giving a glimpse at the college prospects that they are taking a firsthand look at.
On Monday, Los Angeles worked out a Second Team All-American, a defensive-minded guard, two 3 and D prospects and a couple of stretchy big men.
V.J. Beachem | SF | Notre Dame | 6’8 | 201 | Sr.
A shooter on the wing, Beachem projects as a potential 3 and D player in the NBA. He hit 39.2 percent from deep in his Fighting Irish career and ranked among the ACC’s top five in made triples for the past two years. As a senior, he averaged 14.5 points for Notre Dame.
Thomas Bryant | C | Indiana | 6’10 | 245 | So.
Few players in the NBA can match the length of Bryant, who boasts a 9-foot-4 standing reach and 7-foot-5.5 wingspan. Bryant shot a robust 59.2 percent from the field across his college career and even stepped out to hit 28-of-75 3-pointers (37.3 percent). In his final year at Bloomington, he ranked 10th in the Big Ten in rebounds (6.6) and seventh in blocks (1.5).
Kyle Kuzma | PF | Utah | 6’9 | 221 | Jr.
One of the top big men in the Pac-12, Kuzma placed among his conference’s top five in scoring (16.4) and rebounding (9.3). He also starred at the NBA Draft Combine, scoring 20 points in as many minutes while hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers.
“I think I can bring to the NBA versatility,” Kuzma said. “I feel like the league is going toward four men that can pass, dribble, shoot, rebound, defend. I think I can do all that and bring that to the table at the highest level.”
Dominique Hawkins | G | Kentucky | 6’0 | 191 | Sr.
A rare four-year player for Kentucky, Hawkins appeared in every game as a senior, though he averaged just 4.7 points and 1.7 assists in 19.2 minutes. Known for his defense, the 22-year-old was at his best offensively in the SEC Championship Game, scoring a career-best 14 points.
Andrew White | SG | Syracuse | 6’7 | 210 | Sr.
Few players can fire from deep like White, who led the ACC in 3-pointers (112) and 3-point percentage (40.0). He was also fifth in his conference in both scoring (18.5) and steals (1.6), making him a prototype 3 and D wing if he can translate his skills to the NBA.
Nigel Williams-Gross | PG | Gonzaga | 6’3 | 195 | Jr.
By leading his team to a 37-2 record and the National Championship Game, Williams-Goss established himself as one of college basketball’s top point guards. He led the entire country in win shares (8.1) while averaging 16.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists and a West Coast Conference-best 1.7 steals. For his efforts, he was named his conference’s Player of the Year and Second Team All-American.
“I’m just trying to show myself; who I am as a person,” Williams-Goss said. “A good character kid (who) competes at a high level. And I know how to play the game, whether that’s on the ball, off the ball, setting screens and getting teammates open. I just feel like I’m a well-rounded player.”Lexx - Full Episodes and Clips streaming online - Hulu
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I had had virtually no experience in Asia when, in mid-2013, I moved my family to Hong Kong to open my agency’s first international office. I’m now convinced that every entrepreneur and every startup founder needs to visit that part of the world, if only for a few days, and whether Asia is part of their business plan or not.
Related: 4 Reasons to Pivot Your Business Toward Asia
The reason is that the income levels of households in Asia is changing fast, and millions of individuals there are acquiring smartphones and high-speed Internet. So, even if you don’t sell to Asia directly, what Asia is doing today, and where it is going in the future, will affect your business.
Before I moved to Asia I already knew something about its population density: China’s land mass, for example, is about the same size as the continental United States, but with four times as many people (1.357 billion). And India's is a close second (1.295 billion). The United States hosts the third-largest population in the world, with roughly 319 million individuals; but did you know that Indonesia has the fourth largest, with more than 250 million people?
If you aggregate Indonesia with the other countries in Southeast Asia, that region's combined population is more than 600 million. In short, more than half the world’s population lives within a four-hour flight of Hong Kong.
Despite Asia’s 4.4 billion people, the United States' much smaller population still remains the largest target for many startups because disposable incomes here are larger. And certainly, by comparison, those who live in poverty don’t buy much, even in the aggregate, when compared to U.S. consumers -- especially when the product is an app or online service.
But that’s changing. Asia’s population is projected to grow to 4.9 billion by 2030. And, sure, 600 million more people is a big number, but that’s not why your startup needs to pay attention to Asia. You need to pay attention to the growing middle class in the Asia-Pacific region, which is estimated to make up 85 percent of the growth in the global middle class by 2030.
In Asia the middle class in 2013 stood at 525 million, but by 2030 it will exceed 3.1 billion. Alongside team composition and a great product, venture capitalists typically consider market opportunity when deciding whether or not to invest in a startup. What sounds more exciting to you, a target market of 300 million or 3 billion?
Related: 5 Lessons I Learned From Starting a Company in Asia and Brought Back to the States
What's more, the middle class in Asia doesn’t just have increasing amounts of disposable income, but also time, education and access to information. This last point is key to your business, because it breaks down the barrier of geography, making every person with a smartphone a potential customer. In 2005, Internet penetration in Asia-Pacific was a meager 9.4 percent (although still a sizable 344 million individuals). But by 2015 that proportion had risen to 38.8 percent, or 1.56 billion.
In 2005 there were no mobile Internet users in Asia-Pacific (mobile Internet didn’t yet exist). But today 1.02 billion people in the Asia-Pacific region are using their phones to get online. There are 525 million smartphone users in China alone, a number expected to grow to over 700 million before 2020. That means there will be more than two smartphone users in China for every person in the United States. If these consumers can afford a smartphone and the data plan to go along with it, what else can they afford? What else might they be looking for?
Reading these statistics isn't enough. You need to see Asia to understand the opportunities. There is no substitute for standing on a street in Beijing or Hong Kong and seeing how many people are glued to their smartphones while walking or even while riding a bike. You can’t truly understand how the Chinese use WeChat and other apps until you see them doing so in person. And, most important, you won’t see how your business might fit in unless you witness firsthand the differences among Asian countries, and even among regions within the same country.
Traveling to Asia for a few days is a must, then, but you’ll benefit more by visiting several countries for a few days each. Here are three startup hotspots in Asia where you can find vibrant and active communities of entrepreneurs.
Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Together, these two cities, located just an hour apart, are uniquely positioned for the “Internet of things” and hardware startups. In addition, Hong Kong has a fast-growing fintech scene. In the business community it is easy to get by with just English. For more information see StartMeUp.HK, StartupsHK, FinTech Hong Kong, EntrepreneurHK and HAX.
Together, these two cities, located just an hour apart, are uniquely positioned for the “Internet of things” and hardware startups. In addition, Hong Kong has a fast-growing fintech scene. In the business community it is easy to get by with just English. For more information see StartMeUp.HK, StartupsHK, FinTech Hong Kong, EntrepreneurHK and HAX. Taiwan. I recently visited Taiwan to speak at a startup conference there called MOSA and found a nascent but growing startup scene that is attracting attention from the old-guard manufacturing elite. Learn more about the startup scene there by visiting Startup Stadium and the Startup Digest page for Taiwan.
I recently visited Taiwan to speak at a startup conference there called MOSA and found a nascent but growing startup scene that is attracting attention from the old-guard manufacturing elite. Learn more about the startup scene there by visiting Startup Stadium and the Startup Digest page for Taiwan. Singapore. A stable and predictable rule of law, government support and a population where 80 percent of the people speak English have made Singapore a popular destination for entrepreneurs and other business types. Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook, lives there. So does legendary investor Jim Rogers. The Singaporean government has a website where you can learn about starting a business in that country, but if you’re visiting make sure to go when there is an event hosted by the Singapore chapter of Startup Grind where you can meet fellow entrepreneurs and hear from successful members of Singapore's startup scene [Full disclosure: I'm the director of the Hong Kong chapter of Startup Grind].
For more insight on startups and the startup scene all over Asia, check out the online publications TechinAsia and e27.
Even if you never do business in Asia, chances are your business will be impacted by it. A startup in Asia can scale quickly, build up cash reserves and then use that superior position to enter the United States and other markets before its U.S. competitors can react. While such instances may be few and far between at the moment, expect them to occur with greater frequency in coming years. If for no other reason than a defense play, you should put a visit to Asia on your calendar.
But entrepreneurial battles aren’t won by defense. Compelling reasons to visit Asia include the ability to see the size of the market, build opportunity for your business and implement a strategy for expanding your reach to this side of the world.
It’s paying off for me. And I guarantee that if you visit, or stay a little longer, you won’t regret it.
Related: How U.S. Entrepreneurs Can Expand or Partner in AsiaWikipedia may soon be banned from the Russian Internet thanks to an article about smoking pot that’s run afoul of Kremlin censors. The ban would be legal under the country’s 2012 Internet blacklist law, which gives the government power to block sites it deems harmful to children or that promote drugs or suicide.
A spokesman for Roskomnadzor, the government Internet watchdog group, confirmed to RT that Wikipedia has been put on notice that its “cannabis smoking” article has been added to the government blacklist. Sites supposedly have 24 hours to remove an article once notified or face a blanket ban throughout Russia. As of this writing, the article still exists, and there are no reports Wikipedia has been banned in the country.
Indeed, it seems Wikipedia has long been on the blacklist, and nothing has been done about it. The Roskomnadzor spokesman told RT ten of the encyclopedia’s articles are on the list, but wouldn’t elaborate on which ones.
He added:
We shall do everything in our power to prevent [closure]… one of the objectives we set for ourselves is to protect, as much as we can, the law-abiding users of the Internet, as well those resources that happen to be under the same IP address as the banned page.
The Russian Wikipedia blacked out in July 2012 to protest the controversial censorship law, which was ultimately passed. While Wikimedia is refusing to back down, foreign companies doing business in Russia are playing along. On April 1, Facebook removed a Russian language page promoting suicide after receiving a similar threat from Roskomnadzor. (Facebook later claimed it removed the page of its own accord because it violated the site’s terms of service.)
It’s a strange week for Wikipedia, which seems to be butting heads with overzealous governments around the world. Over the weekend, France’s domestic intelligence service marched one of Wikipedia’s French volunteers to its headquarters and demanded he delete an article about a military installation or face prison time. He complied, but volunteers elsewhere later restored it.
Photo by -cavin-/FlickrCook a perfect steak
Yes, really. After cooking my first steak with a torch, I was hooked. It tasted better than when I use my grill or what I can get in most restaurants. I've talked to several people who torch their steaks and not surprisingly, everyone has his or her own method. Mine is to torch both sides until the meat turns brown (what chefs call the "Maillard" reaction) to seal in the flavor, then grill on a low temperature until the inside is medium rare. I torch the stakes on my grill after learning the hard way that torching them in my kitchen sets off my smoke detector (which is odd because there's hardly any smoke). If you want to really impress your dinner guests, you can find myriad recipes online for foods and desserts that can be cooked or set ablaze with a torch.Juba, South Sudan (CNN) -- South Sudanese wept openly as they celebrated their independence Saturday, cheering, whistling and dancing down the streets in a ceremony fitting for the birth of a new nation.
"We are free at last," some chanted, flags draped around their shoulders.
A man on his knees kissed the ground.
The red, white and green flag of the newborn nation, readied at half-staff the day before, was hoisted over the capital of Juba.
Among the world leaders bearing witness on this historic day: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and South African President Jacob Zuma.
"This is liberation, a new chapter," said Abuk Makuac, who escaped to the United States in 1984 and came back home to attend the independence day activities.
"No more war. We were born in the war, grew up in the war and married in war."
South Sudan's sovereignty officially breaks Africa's largest nation into two, the result of a January referendum overwhelmingly approved by voters.
The referendum was part of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war pitting a government dominated by Arab Muslims in the north against black Christians and animists in the south. The war killed about 2 million people.
Amid the independence celebrations, some residents paid tribute to relatives killed in the war.
"It is very emotional. I'm excited, but I'm also thinking of all the people who died for this to happen," said Victoria Bol, who lost dozens of family members.
Salva Kiir Mayardit, a former rebel leader who is South Sudan's first president, said his people cannot forget years of bloodshed but must now forgive and move forward. He vowed his people would never again be marginalized.
"As we celebrate our freedom and independence today, I want to assure the people of Darfur, Abyei and South Kordofan, we have not forgotten you," he said referring to three conflict-mired regions.
"When you cry, we cry," he said. "When you bleed, we also bleed.
In Washington, President Barack Obama issued a statement recognizing South Sudan's sovereignty.
"Today is a reminder that after the darkness of war, the light of a new dawn is possible," Obama said. "A proud flag flies over Juba and the map of the world has been redrawn."
There were shouts of joy, big hugs and hearty handshakes at South Sudan's new Washington embassy on Saturday. Others cried as a colorful new flag was raised.
"This day means a lot to me because we achieved our victory. We got our own country," says Anai Aluong. "We are a new nation now. We are very happy because God answered our prayer."
Aluong said she lost her father, brother, sister and friends during the decades-long civil war.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague told the dignitaries gathered in Juba that his nation has opened an embassy there and appointed an ambassador.
Al-Bashir stood with his former enemies from South Sudan and congratulated them on their new homeland. He said he believed a united Sudan was still the best option but supported the dream of the South Sudanese.
The gracious tones sparked a ray of hope that the two sides would get past a bitter relationship to forge ahead. That journey will hardly be easy as many challenges await.
South Sudan is among the world's poorest, with scores who fled the long conflict coming home to a region that has not changed much over the years.
The infrastructure is still lacking -- with few paved roads in the new nation the size of Texas. Most villages have no electricity or running water.
South Sudan sits near the bottom of most human development indices, according to the United Nations, including the highest maternal mortality and female illiteracy rates.
Although the north has flourished, the South has not changed much over the years, said South Sudan native Moses Chol.
"They have schools and clean water, and their children are not dying of simple diseases," Chol said, referring to the north. "In the south, people still drink stagnant water. They have nothing."
There is also the threat of renewed fighting between the two neighbors.
Clashes have erupted recently in the disputed border regions of Abyei and South Kordofan.
And despite the 2005 peace deal brokered by the George W. Bush administration, forces aligned with both sides continue to clash.
Abyei was a battleground in the brutal civil war between forces of both sides. A referendum on whether the area should be part of the north or the South has been delayed amid disagreements on who is eligible to vote.
The two countries look set to divorce in name only -- they have not reached an agreement on the borders, the oil or the status of their respective citizens.
The U.N. Security Council, which voted to send up to 7,000 peacekeepers and 900 uniformed police to South Sudan, is expected to meet Wednesday to discuss U.N. membership for the new nation.
As dignitaries gathered in the new capital to celebrate the new nation, world leaders warned of a tough road ahead.
"Their economic prospects are dim unless the two sides can come to agreement on how to share precious resources, cooperate in other economic areas and together promote the viability and stability of each other," the U.S. special envoy to Sudan, Princeton N. Lyman, said in an editorial to CNN.
Lyman, who attended the ceremony, said both sides want food, education and security for their families.
"They want the freedom to be able to express their opinions, choose their leaders and become active participants in political and social life," he said.
South Sudan natives such as Makuac admit there are challenges ahead. However, she is pushing those thoughts to the back-burner for now.
"We have waited so long to get here... I will worry about that later," she said. "This weekend, we celebrate."
CNN's Nima Elbagir reported from Juba, South Sudan, and Faith Karimi reported from Atlanta. CNN's Jennifer Rizzo and Moni Basu contributed.As you may have seen, especially if you are Canadian, the Rob Ford Crackstarter reached its $200,000 goal at some point around 4 p.m. yesterday, as I was busy fielding phone calls while trying to steer my young children away from a very hot grill without spilling my beer. What happens now?
The Crackstarter is now closed to further donations. We pulled in a total of $201,254 from 8,388 people. I haven't contacted Indiegogo, the service that hosted the campaign, yet to investigate precisely when we get the money, in what format, etc. (As I write this, the Indiegogo web site is not cooperating with my attempts to get that info.) I do know that Indiegogo and PayPal extract certain fees before turning the proceeds over to us; we will post an update announcing the total amount that has been released to us as soon as we get it.
As for the purchase: We are working on it. As we noted before the campaign concluded, we lost contact with the people who have custody of the video. I updated the Indiegogo campaign site yesterday morning to reiterate that there had been no movement on that front, and am repeating it here right now. You won't hear anything more from us about our attempts to get the video for some time. This will be a very delicate transaction. If the people who are in possession of the video are reading this: Please get in touch with our mutual friend, or with me at john@gawker.com. We did what you asked.
As we initially pledged, if we are unable to consummate a deal and obtain the video, we will donate 100% of the proceeds to a Canadian nonprofit that addresses the consequences of substance abuse. We haven't selected an institution yet. We will do so when and if the time comes.
I am frankly shocked and heartened that this actually happened. We are going to try very hard to make it work. Don't smoke crack.
[Image by Jim Cooke]Could your car be an evil force? Or your toaster, for that matter? Researchers aim to reveal all
Which kind of robot will be the first to arise and smite us? A study called Experimental Security Analysis of a Modern Automobile suggests we keep an eye on the family car.
The paper, written by Karl Koscher and a team of 10 other researchers at the University of Washington and the University of California San Diego, was presented at the 2010 IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering) symposium on security and privacy, in Berkeley, California.
Unlike the mindless jalopies of the past, it points out, "Today's automobile is no mere mechanical device, but contains a myriad of computers."
This myriad has powers to do good things for us humans, as well as bad things to us. Already, in some cases, the microchip hordes quietly, beneficently take control from the driver. The Lexus LS460 luxury sedan can automatically parallel-park itself. Many General Motors cars will soon have what the study calls "integration with Twitter".
The team's goal was to look past the goodness and see how hard it would be to cause trouble.
Limiting themselves to the here and now ("we concern ourselves solely with the vulnerabilities in today's commercially available automobiles"), they tell, in professionally dull, let's-remember-we're-engineers fashion, how they conducted an experimental reign of terror:
"We have demonstrated the ability to systematically control a wide array of components including engine, brakes, heating and cooling, lights, instrument panel, radio, locks, and so on. Combining these we have been able to mount attacks that represent potentially significant threats to personal safety. For example, we are able to forcibly and completely disengage the brakes while driving, making it difficult for the driver to stop. Conversely, we are able to forcibly activate the brakes, lurching the driver forward and causing the car to stop suddenly."
The study focuses on automobiles. But indirectly, it forsees the day when our very toasters and teapots might turn against us. There is little publicly available research about the threat of hijackable household appliances. In 1996, security experts based partly at the Rand Corporation wrote a report called Information Terrorism: Can You Trust Your Toaster? More mundanely, Austin Houldsworth of the Royal College of Art in London created what may be the world's most dangerous teapot, and the quickest. Houldsworth tells how it works: "The heating elements within the kettle contain thermite, which... burns at 2,500 degrees." See it in action at http://vimeo.com/5043742.
(Thanks to Mark Keiser for bringing the car research to my attention.)
• Marc Abrahams is editor of the bimonthly Annals of Improbable |
the machines can be timed for roughly 1.5 to 2.5 minutes.[3]
Operations [ edit ]
A Tower Optical viewer on the observation deck of Manhattan's GE Building
A foundry in Pennsylvania manufactures the parts used for Tower's viewers, about 35 of which are assembled each year in its two-story building in East Norwalk. The company maintains several thousand of the devices, sometimes removing some in the fall, rebuilding them and returning them in the spring.[2]
A typical viewer is housed in a chrome-plated, bronze-cast shell mounted on a cast iron yoke and pedestal. The inside of the machine is bronze and stainless steel. The binoculars can be raised 45 degrees up, 22 degrees down and swung entirely left or right by 360 degrees. The device and its pedestal typically stand 63 inches high and weigh 300 pounds.[3]
The company limits its distribution of the machines to the United States and Canada for easier management.[2]
As of 2004, the devices were in use in San Francisco at Vista Point at the Golden Gate Bridge and at Coit Tower. That year, the City of Sausalito, California was considering installing five of the machines on its bay waterfront as a fund-raising move. Former Mayor J. R. Roberts, a member of a citizens committee which suggested the installation, said the machines typically cost a user 50 cents, with the city collecting half of the revenue if it took on the responsibility of collecting the coins, or 30 percent if Tower arranged for collection. Each machine was expected to earn somewhere between $1,200 and $10,000 per year. The price and length of viewing time could be customized, he said. Paul Albritton, then mayor of Sausalito, said, "In some areas, telescopes earn a few hundred dollars a month and in other places a few thousand dollars a month."[4]
History [ edit ]
The company was founded by Towers S. Hamilton in 1933 in his Norwalk machine shop. He bought the shop from its owner-founders, Arthur Casey, Earl Bunnell, and John Hanrahan, soon after Hamilton started machining the parts for the viewers. His son, Towers W. Hamilton, later became the owner. His wife, Gladys (Kip) Hamilton, worked with him in the business for many years and on his death in 1989, she took over the company.[5] She died in 2006, and at some point she passed the business on to her daughter, Bonnie Rising, who still owned the company as of 2010, when she had six employees, including her son, Gregory, and her husband, Douglas, who help run the business. Bonnie Rising said in 2010 that she expected her son to take over the business someday.[2]
Local institutions and organizations have given the company recognition for its "iconic" devices. By 2002, the company had donated one of its viewers to the nearby Norwalk Museum in South Norwalk.[6] In 2008, the business was the subject of a lecture, "An American Icon: Norwalk's Tower Optical Company," given to the Norwalk Historical Society.[7]
In 2004 and 2005, the company worked with an artist as part of a project in which 10 companies teamed up with "in residence" artists "to see how technology, be it vintage or cutting-edge, can inform art in the 21st century", as a New York Times article described it. Artist Michael Oatman accompanied workers making 5 a.m. repair runs to tourist locations and "videotaped people as they fantasized about what they would most like to see with the binoculars", according to the newspaper. An exhibition, titled, Factory Direct: New Haven, about the project took place at Artspace in New Haven.[8] Tower Optical also made a lightweight viewer for Oatman to install temporarily at tourist sites.[9]
By 2010, business had declined because of an ongoing recession, but, in July, Rising said a turnaround seemed to be taking place.[2]Hate The Idea Of 'Peter Pan Live'? NBC Is Counting On It
Enlarge this image toggle caption Virginia Sherwood/AP Virginia Sherwood/AP
It's one of the biggest ironies of NBC's gamble tonight with the blockbuster production Peter Pan Live!
This incredibly earnest TV musical just might succeed if enough people hate it.
That's because one inspiration for this megamusical is a different live production last year that drew record audiences, even as a Twitterverse full of critics complained about it online in real time.
"It's a tone that's risky," says star Allison Williams. She's tackling the lead role as her first big project apart from her co-starring gig on HBO's Girls.
"People like to 'hate watch' things; people are very cynical, that's a much more fun way to watch television," adds Williams, speaking during a behind the scenes video for the show on YouTube. "People are afraid to admit they like things.... Why have we been taught that it's not OK to genuinely like anything anymore?... Peter Pan lives and breathes by people believing in fairies. I mean, that's a literal moment in [the musical]."
Saturday Night Live parodied NBC's Sound of Music Live! in 2013. YouTube
Still, the reason "hate watching" surfaces as a topic connected to Peter Pan Live! is because that's believed to be one factor in the success of the live musical NBC aired last year, The Sound of Music Live!
From Cameron Diaz complaining that "HDTV makes everything... look fake" to Ronan Farrow carping that the plot was about a man leaving his fiancee "to boink the nanny," social media filled up with people who seemed to tune in mostly to take shots at the uneven production.
American Idol champ Carrie Underwood got high marks for her singing but much more mixed reviews for her acting, which one Tweet carped had "all the charisma of a UPS truck." Saturday Night Live even delivered a parody featuring the return of former cast member Kristen Wiig as Dooneese, the odd-acting girl with a high forehead and tiny Barbie hands.
But The Sound of Music drew nearly 22 million viewers, including the first week of DVR replays, earning NBC's largest nonsports Thursday night audience in four years.
Which is likely why the network stepped up with an even bigger production for Peter Pan Live!, including Oscar-winner Christopher Walken as Captain Hook.
"Frankly, it's intimidating," Walken — known for playing psychopaths and killers in movies — says in the behind-the-scenes video.
"I've been in show business since I was 5 years old," adds the star, who was a song-and-dance man early in his career. "In those days it was the birth of TV in New York; there were all these live shows from New York, before videotape, and they used a lot of kids because TV was very family-oriented.... So I'm doing what I did when I was 10 years old."
toggle caption NBC/NBC
The presence of an Oscar-winner like Walken — who compares doing the live show to playing a high-stakes football game — is just one of the signs that NBC wants critical raves along with the hate-watchers this time.
They also have: Oscar-nominated actress Minnie Driver playing a grown-up Wendy; a computer-generated Tinker Bell; giant sets that include a pirate ship; and, of course, a fair amount of flying.
But they also have to contend with a pretty hefty legacy.
Jerome Robbins' Broadway version of Peter Pan debuted in 1954. NBC broadcast it a year later, with stage star Mary Martin re-creating her Broadway performance as Peter.
Martin was first in a line of actresses to play the boy who never grew up on stage and TV, including Sandy Duncan and gymnast Cathy Rigby, whose Emmy-winning Peter Pan production aired on the A&E channel in 2000.
Now Allison Williams, also known as daughter to NBC News anchor Brian Williams, has a chance to make her own mark in the role. There's a lot that can go wrong, from glitches with the ambitious special effects to the odd pacing problems The Sound of Music seemed to have, as the actors performed show-stopping numbers in a studio with no audience.
This is also a crucial moment for network television. As viewership of traditional TV drops, networks are scrambling to make must-see events from all their programming, hoping viewers will watch it live.
A Sound of Music-size blockbuster audience for this Peter Pan Live! could create an annual holiday tradition of live musical theater on television.
All NBC has to do is convince an audience of social media-wielding critics that sincerity can be a lot more fun than snark.Robin Williams had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and was also struggling with anxiety and depression, his wife Susan Schneider revealed on Thursday.
“Robin’s sobriety was intact,” she said in the new statement. “He was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety as well as early stages of Parkinson’s Disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly.”
Williams was found dead Monday morning at his Northern California home. Police said the 63 year-old actor hanged himself.
“It is our hope in the wake of Robin’s tragic passing, that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid,” she added.
“Robin spent so much of his life helping others. Whether he was entertaining millions on stage, film or television, our troops on the frontlines, or comforting a sick child — Robin wanted us to laugh and to feel less afraid. Since his passing, all of us who loved Robin have found some solace in the tremendous outpouring of affection and admiration for him from the millions of people whose lives he touched. His greatest legacy, besides his three children, is the joy and happiness he offered to others, particularly to those fighting personal battles.”
Williams had publicly acknowledged his struggles with substance abuse and had recently entered a rehabilitation program in Minnesota for what was described at the time as a way to “fine-tune and focus on his continuing commitment” to sobriety.
His wife insisted the actor was not using drugs or alcohol leading up to his death. Williams married Schneider, his third wife, in 2011.
The actor’s family has been eager to diffuse any rumors or media speculation since his death on Monday, working with the Marin County Sheriff’s Office to announce Williams’ suicide three hours after being found, as well as provide as many details as possible.
Results from the autopsy of the late Oscar-winner were announced on Tuesday. Toxicology results will be available in two to six weeks.Modern molecular biology holds the promise of allowing us to correct genetic diseases. Experiments with gene therapy indicate that it should be possible to provide a functional version of a gene to cells that have a defective copy.
The challenge here is that it requires inserting the DNA of the gene into a large number of cells in a living organism. Viruses are highly (and unfortunately) efficient at inserting their own genes into human cells, and many gene therapy tests have used modified viruses. But the human immune system can respond to these modified viruses, neutralizing the therapy. Now, researchers have created a gene therapy virus that nobody's immune system has ever seen—because it's been extinct for many years.
There are a lot of viruses that have been suggested as possible gene therapy tools, but all of them have some drawbacks. Some viruses only infect a few specific cell types; others insert DNA randomly in the genome, creating a risk of mutations.
Adeno-associated virus, hitchhikes along with infections of adenovirus, a common cause of respiratory infections. It can avoid some of these problems, as the virus doesn't integrate into the genomes of infected cells, and it infects a wide variety of cell types. And it's possible to replace almost the entire viral genome, simply leaving a few short DNA "tags" that allow the DNA to be packaged up inside a virus particle.
The downside of the adeno-associated virus is that the DNA it inserts is gradually lost from the infected cells. So you have to regularly refresh the therapy with a new round of infection. And after a round or two, the immune system will be primed and ready to attack the virus. In fact, many people can't even be enrolled in gene therapy trials because they have previously been infected by the virus.
One potential solution to this problem is to develop a library of different adeno-associated virus strains, each of which can be used after the immune system recognizes the previous one. Unfortunately, only a handful of virus strains exist, and it's difficult to engineer a new one. That's because the immune system recognizes the virus' protein coat, a complicated mesh of three proteins. Changing these proteins has the potential to disrupt the virus, eliminating its ability to infect anything.
So a bunch of Harvard biologists got a clever idea: what if they resurrected an earlier version of the adeno-associated virus that nobody alive had ever seen? The existing strains that infect primates evolved from common ancestors. If they could figure out what the common ancestor looked like, it would be guaranteed to infect and be new to the immune system.
Fortunately, researchers who study the evolution of proteins had already developed algorithms that can take a set of existing protein sequences and, by assuming they have a common ancestor, calculate the most probable sequence of that common ancestor. Using this algorithm, the authors walked back down the evolutionary tree, eventually reaching the base of the branch that led to primate adeno-associated viruses.
They then ordered up the DNA needed to bring this virus back into existence. They confirmed that the immune system had never seen it and that they could use it as a gene therapy vector—it successfully inserted genes into the livers of mice. Better yet, they were able to make the viruses present at the branch points in the evolutionary tree as well. Not all of these worked, but the authors were able to add nine new adeno-associated viruses to the collection of strains we have available to us.
This isn't the first time that ancestral versions of proteins have been re-created. But the work has mostly been done by people curious about evolution. As far as I'm aware, this is the first case where these evolutionary methods have been used to build a tool. And if gene therapy ever lives up to its promise, it could be a very useful tool.
Cell Reports, 2015. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.07.019 (About DOIs).
Correction: the virus involved is adeno-associated. The story has been updated to reflect that.Derelict Detroit: Gloomy pictures chart the 25-year decline of America's Motor City
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When it comes to embattled cities, Detroit has suffered more than most - with a dramatically declining population, crumbling industries and homes and buildings abandoned.
The Michigan city has lost 60 per cent of its population since the 1950s - around one million residents - when the city was America's fourth largest and the thriving hub of car industry and Motown music.
The striking images which document the changes in Detroit were taken by photographers Camilo José Vergara and Andrew Moore over a period of 25 years.
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Dancing in the streets: East Palmer Street towards Chene Street in Detroit as the temperature hit 95 degrees in 1995
Green shoots: Graffiti on disused buildings along East Palmer Street, Detroit, earlier this year
Although there are decrepit buildings and vast swathes of wasteland, the pictures also capture how the people of Detroit have rejuvenated their city amid decline.
Once busy streets have been turned over to farmland and bustling shopfronts lie empty but brightened up with graffiti.
It is in the marrying of the urban and the rural that Detroit has seen most prolific development. With areas of land available for just a couple of hundred dollars, farming companies run by young entrepreneurs have set up sustainable businesses boasting homegrown produce.
Rural life in the city: Rosa Parks Boulevard, pictured in 1987, shows one of the great stretches of Detroit which has been left empty and being used as a city farm
Squalor: Thousands of homes are due to be knocked down in Detroit, like this one on Mack Avenue, pictured in 2007 as around a third of the city now lies empty
Chilean-born Vergara focuses his work on inner city America. His subjects have included Newark, Camden, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Detroit, Chicago, Gary, Milwaukee, Oakland, and Los Angeles. He currently lives in New York City.
The exhibition, entitled Detroit Is No Dry Bones, runs until February 18 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
It runs alongside another exhibit, Detroit Disassembled, by Andrew Moore at the same gallery.
In need of a clean: Willie's Garage with its colorful frontage, pictured by Vergara in 1991
Washed away from history: Once thriving Woodward Avenue at Sibley Street, 2009 now lies empty
Off the rails: Michigan Central Station in Detroit, pictured in 2010, was the tallest rail station in the world when it was built in 1913
Ground to a halt: This 1993 shot shows the train station lying desolate, one of many once majestic buildings to go to ruin in Detroit
Wise words: A sign painted on a wall of the Ruth Chapel AME Church this year where citizens have worked to reclaim a city in decline
Cashing in: The Highland Park State Bank became an adult cinema (pictured left in 1993) but it was bricked up by 2002 (right)
Time doesn't stand still: The Highland Park State Bank as a strip club in 2009 (left) and a melted clock in the former Cass Technical High School building in 2009
Abandoned project: A laboratory goes to waste in the former Cass Technical High School, pictured in 2009, but the contents have survived remarkably intact
Long forgotten: The foormer Oklahoma Gas Station, a once thriving business is left to rot in the Michigan city, 1996
Boarded up: A series of store fronts on West Jefferson Avenue sit quiet in 2008. The city which has seen the population decimated in the past half centuryThe "food" section was something I lazily filled in because I really was not anticipating that someone would send for food. It was a box that I didn't put too much effort into filling in because I was expecting someone to look at my other likes and dislikes and just go from there. After all, that's what I did for my giftee because they put "steak and potatoes" in that section and there was no way I was going to somehow send them some steaks or potatoes.
So, when I looked into my mailbox today and saw the package from Amazon and felt it and discovered it was a book, I totally thought it was going to be like a comic book (I don't read comics) or something. What I ended up with is so much better.
I got a Popcorn Cookbook! And this book doesn't just give recipes for different kinds of popcorn, but it gives recipes for actual dishes that you can incorporate popcorn into! Not only was this gift nothing like what I was expecting, it totally exceeded my expectations in terms of thoughtfulness and creativity!
Thank you, Secret Santa!Well, its almost one year ago that I launched the belt promotion/grading survey and I haven't managed to get round to posting the results, as initially promised. I've got lots of good excuses for this (including having a newborn son, moving to Japan and being crushed by PhD work) but the fact remains that an update for the BJJ community, who collectively put hundreds of hours into completing the survey, is long overdue!
As such, from now I'll be starting to post weekly updates that break down the interesting findings from the survey and hopefully help to provide some (partial) answers to longstanding questions surrounding BJJ belt promotions. I'll also be detailing how the findings relate to the ritual project I work on at Oxford and what exactly some of the more unusual questions were about... but first up today is the basic demographics to help introduce who exactly the respondents are.
In total there were actually over 1,000 responses collected but due to dropouts/requests to keep data anonymous the final total sample ended up being 727. Women seem quite poorly represented with only 36 respondents but this could be representative of the overall proportion of women training (5% fits with my experience but I wonder if everyone else agrees?). There was a nice mix of experience levels but less national and ethnic diversity than hoped for. That said, given that the survey was in English and most respondents came from a selection of popular North American message forums such a skew was somewhat predictable.
I've represented the data in some infographics below and while some of it is rather unlikely to be relevant to the results or people's training experiences it is good to get a better idea of who the data analysed comes from.
The next post will start to dig into the more specific BJJ data, with a breakdown of the relevant BJJ demographics including team affiliations, years training, different schools attended, motivations for training and so on. Finally, just a quick note to say thanks to everyone who took part and for being so patient to hear about the results!National Post photo
Cesar has such a good way about him, always positive and makes coaches and players feel comfortable...very knowledgeable, great person to be leading our young men.
When you talk to Blue Jays Director of Player Development Gil Kim, one thing becomes readily apparent: the possessor of a strong work ethic himself, that quality is one of the first that he mentions when discussing the merits of staff and top prospects in the Toronto minor league system. The other word you hear repeated is passion: a trait Kim has in abundance himself.Kim recently discussed the state of the Blue Jays system in a wide-ranging discussion. Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro has been given the means to build a state-of-the-art baseball organization, one that combines the best of the worlds of traditional scouting, analytics, top-notch minor league instruction, and sport medicine. The goal is to build an organization that hopes to not only be competitive in the short-term, but in the long run as well. And the 35-year old Kim, whose story is as good as anyone's in pro ball, will be a huge part of that in his role as overseer of minor league players and coaches.Kim agrees that the system took quite a hit as a result of Alex Anthopolous' trading spree from November, 2014, to July, 2015, when he dealt 18 minor leaguers in upgrading the major league roster. But he counters that not only did the system rebound last summer as a result of a strong draft and the huge steps forward taken by several prospects already in the system, but opportunities for players like Andy Burns, Chad Girodo, Matt Dermody, and Danny Barnes to step up were created as well. Much of the projectable talent may be in the lower levels of system, but Kim feels that there are a number of players who will start in Buffalo that could make a contribution to the 25-man roster if the need arises.Cesar Martin is the first name that was discussed when it comes to the spate of personnel changes that were made in the minor league system. A long-time coach in the system. Martin drew accolades with his work with the Gulf Coast League Jays the last two summers. Kim praises Martin as, "a great communicator, and someone who is easy to talk to." Kim says that Martin is able to build a rapport with both Latin and North American players, and can motivate his charges:Martin is a hard worker, and Kim admits he has learned a great deal from him. It has been suggested that Martin's promotion to Lansing has much to do with the likely presence of top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr, but Kim says that it was entirely on merit. Martin is viewed as an up-and-coming managerial talent by the team.For the past two seasons, former Blue Jays backstop Sal Fasano served as the club's minor league pitching coordinator. After serving as the system's roving Catching instructor previously, he unofficially continued to mentor the organization's receivers in addition to his pitching duties. While Fasano was highly regarded, and many players in the system expressed their disappointment when he was let go last August, Kim and the Blue Jays had wanted to split the position back into two. That was accomplished with the promotion of Jeff Ware, formerly Lansing's pitching coach, to the pitching co-ordinator's job. Another former Blue Jays C, Ken Huckaby, who managed Dunedin to a playoff appearance last year, takes over the Catching Instructor role.Kim also had words of praise for both coaches. Of Ware, Kim called him a strong communicator who gets the most out of his pitchers, a humble man despite his background (former first round draft choice). Huckaby has a passion for Catching: "he loves talking about it, and he loves teaching it."Former Blue Jays World Series hero Devon White has carved out a post-playing career as a baseball instructor and a Jays goodwill ambassador. He now can add hitting coach for AAA Buffalo to his resume. White came to Instructs last fall, and Kim was impressed with his enthusiasm. When it came time for outfielders to perform some drills, the fit White went onto the field and did them with the prospects. Given how much he enjoyed himself, Kim says it was a "no-brainer" to have him coach at the higher levels of the system, where he can have a significant impact on players who are on the cusp of the major leagues.Kim was also asked about Rich Miller, who is returning at the age of 66 to manage at short-season Vancouver. Miller managed the C's to the Northwest League title in his first year at the helm in 2011 (their first year of affiliation with Toronto), and has been a senior advisor in the organization for the past couple of seasons. Kim describes him as, "an old-fashioned coach, who demands accountability from his players, and is passionate about teaching the fundamentals." The Vancouver fans are among the most devoted in all of minor league baseball, and deserve a competitive team on the field, even if development is the priority. Returning Miller to the dugout is a step in that direction.McGuire, acquired from the Pirates in the Liriano-Hutchison deal last summer, has been rumoured by some to be in the running for the job of backing up Russ Martin. With the signing of veteran backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia, it would seem that McGuire will still be destined for more minor league seasoning. With the DFA'ing of A.J. Jimenez, it would seem that the way has been cleared for McGuire to get that experience at AAA Buffalo.A scouting report from last spring lauded McGuire's defensive skills, but questioned his bat, partially because of his mechanics. Video from his time in New Hampshire after the trade last season showed that he had stopped dropping his hands prior to swinging, resulting in some harder contact. Asked if the team had worked on correcting McGuire's swing, he responded by saying that, "as a general rule, we don't like to make mechanical changes after we acquire a player. We like to establish a relationship, and in many ways, we're still getting to know Reese." Kim does like his short, compact stroke, as well as his elite receiving skills. "As a young player, he's had a heavy workload already," Kim continued, "and he's an intelligent Catcher, retains information very well, and demonstrates leadership on and off the field."Landing the Cuban on a team-friendly contract was something of a coup. There has been speculation that Gurriel would start the season playing SS for Buffalo, but considering he's had almost a two-year layoff, that would seem to be optimistic. Similar to McGuire, Kim says the club is still getting to know Gurriel, but he has been impressed with the Cuban's work ethic, professionalism, and high baseball IQ after watching him work out in Dunedin.Kim does acknowledge that Gurriel is probably the most comfortable at Short Stop, but says that he feels at home in Left Field as well. Understandably, while he's certainly expecting much from Gurriel in the future, Kim is not in a rush to name an April assignment for him. Much of that will be up to Gurriel himself.Pitch clocks were instituted in AA and AAA parks two years ago, and word came this week that there is a proposal from MLB to experiment with a new rule in the complex leagues this year whereby teams start extra innings frames with a runner on 2nd base.Kim was reluctant to express a negative opinion about the rule, saying that MLB is constantly looking at ways to improve its product. It's hard to see this rule ever making it to the majors, but it should help save minor league arms from extended extra-inning games at the complex level.It did not receive a great deal of fanfare last year, but the Blue Jays creating a department that was charged with the conditioning, training, and nutrition of its players puts it on the cutting edge of player development in the sport (even if baseball is still lagging behind many other sports in this area).Kim is proud of the integration between the minor league and high performance departments, saying that they work hand-in-hand in many ways, from setting individual strength/flexibility/nutrition goals for each player, to working together in developing schedules and moves for each player.There are few high performance divisions across MLB, and none rival the Blue Jays' in terms of staff. Kim stresses that it's just not players the team is developing - it's personnel as well. And staff are encouraged, if the need arises, to step beyond their roles to help develop "the whole player." It's a holistic approach that's reflected in the high performance division's philosophy.Kim took questions while in transit to his home in New York, and a listener on the other end of the phone conversation had to compete with the sounds of police sirens in the background to focus on what Kim was saying. During the season, his job involves a great deal of travelling - he's on the road three weeks a month, checking in on the minor league affiliates, overseeing players and staff. He does spend a fair amount of time in Dunedin, where the high performance division is headquartered. It's fitting that Kim is on the move during a phone interview, because his job requires a lot of that.It's not everyday that you have a Hall of Famer on your staff, but that's the case with the man everyone in the organization refers to as Rock. Kim states that Raines has an infectious laugh and sense of humour, and "a special ability to make people feel confident." His knowledge base, especially when it comes to base stealing, is expansive. Kim isn't old enough to have remember seeing Raines at his peak, but it's obvious he's a huge fan.The Blue Jays were ranked as the 24th-best minor league organization bylast year, and were more recently graded by Keith Law as the 21st. Five prospects have cracked BA's Top 100 (Vladimir Guerrero Jr/20th, Anthony Alford 59th, Gurriel 73rd, Sean Reid-Foley 75th, Rowdy Tellez/95th), and it's possible a few more (Max Pentecost, T.J. Zeuch) may join them next year. Kim would not commit to a team to watch among the Blue Jays affiliates this year, but it's hard not to think of Lansing being that squad. In a system on the rise, much of the remaining projectable talent in the organization will likely start the year there.Mark Shapiro took quite a beating from some fans over the past year, mainly perhaps because he wasn't Alex Anthopoulos. Unlike during his tenure in Cleveland, when budget constraints always seem to be hampering his efforts, Shapiro has quietly been building a first class operation in all aspects of the game. He inherited a considerable amount of baseball acumen in the likes of Tony LaCava, Andrew Tinnish, Dana Brown, and Perry Minasian, he's greatly buffeted the operations department by hiring Mike Murov, the minor league staff (Kim and Ben Cherington), and the scouting side (Steve Sanders), as well as creating the high performance division (Angus Mugford). One would be hard-pressed to find a management group with as impressive a collective baseball resume as this one. The rest of the baseball world has taken note that Shapiro is creating a structure that will keep the club competitive on an annual basis. And Kim is thrilled to be a part of that. Reddit: We're banning behavior, not ideas
Reddit says it will finally start cracking down on its most toxic users.
CEO Steve Huffman said Reddit has identified hundreds of users that it will take action against, ranging from warnings to timeouts and bans.
This comes one week after Huffman tried a different approach: He trolled the trolls. He secretly, and controversially, edited reddit posts that attacked him in the Donald Trump-related subreddit, r/the_donald and directed the vitriol at the page's moderators instead.
Huffman Huffman copped to tampering with user posts last week but issued a more formal apology on Wednesday.
"I am sorry for compromising the trust you all have in Reddit, and I am sorry to those that I created work and stress for, particularly over the holidays," "I am sorry for compromising the trust you all have in Reddit, and I am sorry to those that I created work and stress for, particularly over the holidays," he wrote. "I hope our transparency around this event is an indication that we take matters of trust seriously."
Huffman admitted that he spent his "formative years as a young troll on the Internet" and that he thought he might "find some common ground with that community by meeting them on their level."
The apology didn't work -- and Huffman was further criticized.
On Wednesday, Huffman said something has to change and admitted that relying on moderators to curb bad behavior "has not been wholly effective."
Huffman pledged to take a more proactive approach to policing behavior in an effort to clean up the site. That will begin with reprimanding hundreds of users and preventing posts from the r/the_donald community from appearing on its most popular listing page, r/all.
In addition, the company has introduced filtering for the r/all board so users can block certain content from entering their feeds.
Reddit won't shut down the r/the_donald community entirely, despite calls to do so.
"It is with this spirit of healing that I have resisted doing so. If there is anything about this election that we have learned, it is that there are communities that feel alienated and just want to be heard, and Reddit has always been a place where those voices can be heard," Huffman said.
Being the target of trolling himself seems to be a new tipping point for Huffman, who took back the helm of Reddit more than a year ago after interim CEO Ellen Pao resigned. Pao spoke out then about Being the target of trolling himself seems to be a new tipping point for Huffman, who took back the helm of Reddit more than a year ago after interim CEO Ellen Pao resigned. Pao spoke out then about the site's trolling problem ; Huffman proposed stricter content policy changes and stressed that the site prohibits harassment and bullying. But it's been up to moderators to crack down on their own communities until now.
"I, along with several colleagues, was targeted with harassing messages, attempts to post my private information online and death threats. These were attempts to demean, shame and scare us into silence," Pao wrote last summer. "In the battle for the Internet, the power of humanity to overcome hate gives me hope. I'm rooting for the humans over the trolls."HONG KONG — President Obama’s half brother is publishing an autobiography that details the domestic abuse that served as the theme for his earlier semiautobiographical novel, which featured an abusive parent patterned on their late father.
Mark Obama Ndesandjo also recounts his sporadic but intense encounters with his brother over the years in “Cultures: My Odyssey of Self-Discovery.” The self-published book, to be released in February, also tries to set the record straight on some points in the president’s bestselling 1995 memoir, “Dreams From My Father.” In that book, Obama seeks to learn more about their father, a mostly absent figure, after learning of his death in a car crash in 1982 at age 46.
Ndesandjo’s book comes four years after his novel, “Nairobi to Shenzhen: A Novel of Love in the East.” As in his first book, Ndesandjo wanted to raise awareness of domestic abuse by using his family’s story, although he said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that the president’s relatives have not universally welcomed his airing of private matters in public. Ndesandjo spoke ahead of a news conference to launch the book in Guangzhou on Thursday.
When asked how he would describe his relationship with his brother, he said, “Right now it’s cold and I think part of the reason is because of my writing. My writing has alienated some people in my family.”
Even though he felt their relationship was distant, “I hope that my brother and I can really hug each other after he’s president and we can be a family again,” said Ndesandjo, who resembles Obama. Like the president, Ndesandjo also has a white American mother, Ruth Ndesandjo, a Jewish woman who was Barack Obama Sr.’s third wife.
Ndesandjo, 48, has lived for 12 years in the southern Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen, next door to Hong Kong. He moved there to teach English after losing his job when the U.S. economy cratered following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and now works as a consultant. Ndesandjo, who is married to a Chinese woman, learned to speak Chinese and immersed himself in the study of Chinese culture, including poetry and brush calligraphy. Trained as a classical pianist, he gives lessons as a volunteer at an orphanage.
Some of the book’s profits will go to charities for children, including Ndesandjo’s own foundation, which uses art to help disadvantaged kids.
In his new book, Ndesandjo recalls alcohol-fueled beatings meted out by his father to his mother. He recounts one incident in which his father held a knife to his mother’s throat because she took out a restraining order against him.
His parents met when Obama Sr. was a graduate student at Harvard University and moved in 1964 to Kenya, where Mark and his brother David were born. David later died in a motorcycle accident.
Obama Sr. had earlier divorced President Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, after Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961.
Mark Ndesandjo’s mother later divorced the senior Obama and married another man, whose surname both mother and son also took.
Ndesandjo and Obama did not grow up together. Ndesandjo was brought up in Kenya but moved to the U.S. for college, earning a bachelor’s degree in physics at Brown University, a master’s in the same subject from Stanford University and an MBA at Emory University.
The book recounts Ndesandjo’s first encounter with Obama, who was visiting Kenya in 1988. |
the randomly generated quests that will create much more variety, and a new crafter that will let you re-roll item enchants (basically copying PoE's barter consumables functionality directly). What else are they doing right? Well, they allow any class to be played as a man or a woman, and have since launch. Also, they do not depict sex slaves in their UI. This is enough for me to consider buying Reaper of Souls and not looking back to Path of Exile again.I'm sorry, for months now I've tried to get this issue taken seriously, and despite multiple assurances from Chris Wilson that "something was being done" all I can conclude is that Grinding Gear Games just doesn't actually care about making their game welcoming for people who aren't teenage boys. That is truly unfortunate because I saw so much potential in Path of Exile and the love that went into it. It is a tragedy that the creators had a target audience in mind and steadfastly cling to their "boys only" mentality in an evolving world where women and girls play games too.edit: I should have guessed a lot of people who need education would show up and post despite me begging them not to. Start by googling "feminism", then "human trafficking", then maybe watch some "Tropes vs. Women" videos if you actually care about women and want to know why this is a big deal. If you can't even do that, proceed to post your drivel and be made fun of like all those before you. Hint: if you don't understand the issue, you aren't going to win an argument about it, so maybe don't try! Spend that energy getting informed about why this is a real problem, formulate a real question for me, and I'll be happy to help you along the path to enlightenment. After all, I am officially modern day Confucius according to a poster in this very thread! Last edited by Michael_GGG on Nov 27, 2013, 4:03:10 AMAunt Sussanne knows nothing about technology. However — and I blame my stubborn younger brother on this — she´s got a laptop as her 90th birthday present. After unpacking and clapping happy for her new toy, she took her glasses off and looked at me — there were one hundred people in that room, but she gave me a direct glance — and told me with her sweet voice “You need to teach me how to surf the internet”.
It took me two long months to teach her how to use Facebook.
I was surprised that after those though months she learned by herself how to google stuff and she started spending a lot of time making video calls in Skype with her grandnieces. By her 91st birthday, she was a total expert and her birthday present was a Chromecast — we decided not to give her a cell phone because she would have downloaded Tinder in a blink of an eye. Two days later I paid her a visit and I was shocked when I found out she was casting to her TV Downton Abbey straight from Popcorn Time. Even though I had given her access to my Netflix account, she decided that Popcorn Time was a better solution. “Why would I make you pay for this if I could have it for free?” she told me lowering her glasses to the point of her nose and giving me the same glance she gave me in her last birthday.
Aunt Sussanne knows nothing about technology. She hasn´t even heard the word “blockchain” or “peer to peer”, she is not aware which protocols are behind the apps she uses on her laptop. And she doesn´t care about it. She just uses the applications that are easy to understand and have a beautiful interface. And they have to be free. She is 91 years old, she learned that internet stuff is free and no one is going to make her mind on cashing out one cent on content.
I had dinner yesterday with her. Before the dessert, she asked me about Flixxo. She follows our twitter account and saw an article with my picture. I tried to explain “Flixxo is some kind of decentralized YouTube” She just stared at me with her glasses about to fall from her nose and told me “I don´t like YouTube. A lot of rude kids saying nonsense” I continued “In that Popcorn Time app you use, all the movies are stored in the computers of other aunt Sussannes and you are grabbing pieces of those movies from their devices. That is better than having everybody going to Netflix´s computer at the same time and trying to grab the movie from there”
The waitress brought her a huge slice of chocolate pie, it would have driven me sugar blind if I had that whole pie for myself. But it was not a challenge for aunt Sussanne. I thought the Flixxo conversation was over, but when I asked for the bill she joked “Are you going to pay with Flixx?” If I had glasses I would have lowered them to the tip of my nose. “I got that part”, she told me “I can earn Flixx and watch more videos for free if I let other people enter my computer and take a piece of the movies I´ve already watched”
Wow.
She was speaking about a token, about earning the token and using it again in the network as an inherent value, about taking the token away from the platform and using it as mean of payment in a restaurant. She was speaking about blockchain, but she was not aware of. She just got the token concept. Aunt Sussanne, who has her first computer one year ago, understood Flixxo economic model.
What made this concept accessible to her is that it was tied to something she is used to: Popcorn Time. Instead of paying a Netflix subscription, she knows she would watch the same content for “free” if she participated in the network, if she contributed. A token on top of that, a useful reward, makes a lot of sense. I share, therefore I earn, therefore I watch.
In order to make blockchain a mainstream technology, we need to stick with glue token economies to existing massive applications. Create understandable models. In order to bring the masses to blockchain, we need to remove entry friction, developing ways for final users to earn cryptocurrencies. That was the spirit in the beginning of Bitcoin: even though it was a nerdy thing, anyone was able to mine, then earn tokens. But we lost that chance a long time ago.
If we want to teach aunt Sussanne, our children, our mothers… even our friends who are not into “crypto-space” about blockchain, crypto and tokens, we need to build economies in which earning by participating has to be an option.
I left Sussanne at her home. Driving back home I decided she deserves a smartphone for her 92nd birthday.
Do as aunt Sussanne does, and follow us on twitter: twitter.com/flixxo
And join the conversation in our Telegram channel: t.me/flixxo
Learn more on the project, and contribute in the ICO: www.flixxo.comThe MLB.com At Bat app was updated today alongside a couple notable announcements including the league’s plan to live stream every World Series game and select Postseason games to all of its MLB.TV Premium subscribers through the app. The 2014 World Series is set to kick off on October 21.
The release notes add that the app will now also offer “Live Postseason coverage for every game through the 2014 World Series” and a Postseason.TV feature with “Live companion coverage featuring up to 10 alternate camera angles for the AL Wild Card, AL Division Series and AL Championship Series (TBS broadcasts only).”
The update MLB.com At Bat app is available in the App Store now for iPhone and iPad. Regular $129 for the full year, an MLB.TV Premium subscription is available to purchase now for $3.99 for the remainder of the season, World Series, and postseason.
What’s New in Version 7.4.2 • For the first time we will be streaming live every World Series game and select other Postseason games to all authenticated MLB.TV Premium subscribers • Live Postseason coverage for every game through the 2014 World Series • Postseason.TV: Live companion coverage featuring up to 10 alternate camera angles for the AL Wild Card, AL Division Series and AL Championship Series (TBS broadcasts only) • General performance improvementsThe first Set of Hex primarily focuses on 4 of the 8 main races – the Humans, Orcs, Shin’hare and Dwarves. Each of these races has a specific theme or play style, which I’ve talked about before – Orcs focus on hard hitting speed and damage, Shin’hare focus on swarms and sacrifice effects and Dwarves focus on their interaction with artifiacts. Today though, I’m going to talk about the primary Human trait, the Inspire mechanic.
We’ve seen quite a lot of Inspire over the last few months, with 10 Inspire troops revealed and 2 other cards which interact directly with the Inspire mechanic, and I remember someone from CZE in an interview saying there are between 15 and 20 Inspire cards in the first Set, so we have a few left to see yet. If you don’t already know, Inspire is an effect that many Human troops have, which offer some bonus to subsequent troops you play if their cost is equal to or greater than the first troop. Of those cards we’ve seen so far, it seems Inspire can be broken down into 3 groups; cards that give stat boosts, cards which grant Keyword effects and cards that grant other effects. Lets take a look at each of these groups.
Stat Boosts
Of the 10 Inspire troops we’ve seen, 4 of them offer straight up stat boosts. The Kraken Guard Mariner offers a simple +1 Defence, and since it only has a cost of 1 he will essentially buff every subsequent troop (with a few exceptions where costs have been reduced to zero) allowing him to basically increase the defence of your entire deck. The pictured Ruby Pyromancer grants +1 Attack, a nice attack boost for your other troops, and still cheap enough to effect a large part of your deck. The Protectorate Clergyman combines the two, giving a +1ATT/+1DEF buff which basically pushes your following troops ahead of the curve while the Sword Trainer gives an attack buff equal to her own attack – the only variable Inspire effect we’ve seen so far.
The advantage these stat-boost type Inspire effects have over other Inspire cards is that their effects stack – if you have 2 copies of the Kraken Guard Mariner, your troops are going to get +2 Defence instead of just a +1. These means that having multiple copies of them in play is much more valuable than something which grants a keyword – even if you could have 2 copies of the Steadfast keyword, for example, it wouldn’t make any difference to how it functions.
The ability to stack these Inspire effects can lead to some very potent combinations. Lets say you have a Ruby Pyromancer in play, and then play a Sword Trainer. The next turn, you use Lionel Flynn’s Charge Power on the Sword Trainer which, combined with the buff from the Pyromancer puts the Trainer at 5 Attack. On the following turn you then play your Royal Falconer, who is buffed to a tasty 8 Attack (1 from the Pyromancer and 5 from the Trainer), and creates his two Falcons, who, combined with the Pyromancer buff they get thanks to their two cost and their own ability which grants them +ATT equal to their master’s value, are boosted to a mighty 10 Attack! Two troops with Flight and 10 attack are going to end a lot of games. Obviously you’d need the right pieces to fall into place at the right time to pull of this specific combo, but it wouldn’t be that uncommon in the right deck, and nicely highlights the power of stacking Inspire effects.
Keyword Inspire Effects
Another 4 Inspire troops are those that grant Keywords to the troops that follow them onto the battlefield. These kinds of Keyword effects are generally pretty potent, so the ability to grant them to other troops that might not ordinarily have them is a valuable one. The Shield Trainer (defensive counterpart to the Sword Trainer, perhaps?) grants the Steadfast keyword, and with a cost of only 2 has a pretty good range of troops to which it can be applied, allowing the bulk of your force to both attack and defend (Steadfast stops a troop from exhausting when it attacks.) Depending on your board state, this can let you put a great deal of pressure on your opponent. The Phoenix Guard Trainer (pictured above with the giant canary) grants Flight to other troops (though interestingly doesn’t have Flight herself.) Obviously this is incredibly useful if your opponent doesn’t have their own flying troops to block you, as you’re just going to be able to keep hammering through your damage. Combine that with the Shield Trainer and you’ll be able to block everything they throw back at you too!
The other two Keyword Inspire troops are interesting because they have names, and are therefore Unique troops. Lord Alexander, the Courageous grants the Speed keyword, allowing him and those he inspires to attack on the turn they enter the game – great for brining in some surprise damage that your opponent has little chance to prepare for. I’ve talked about the last Keyword troop before – Princess Victoria, who grants Lifedrain. She also has another trick up her sleeve besides her inspirational nature – if she’s in her opening hand, her cost drops to zero. Obviously this is great because you can play her for free, but it also means that every other troop you play is going to be inspired by her too (at the expense of the fact that she will never herself be inspired.)
[Note: the Princess Victoria card we’ve seen doesn’t have the Unique tag, but the general assumption is that this was an error and that the final card will have it, in the same way all other named characters do.]
While stacking these keywords has no value in the way that the stat boosts do, there are lots of potent combinations you can achieve with these effects. Combining the Shield Trainer’s Steadfast with Princess Victoria’s Lifedrain means that your troops will be able to attack, gain you some health, and then block and gain you even more health in the opponent’s following turn – great for cancelling out any damage they deal. The combination of Flight and Speed is obviously powerful, especially if given to a high-damage troop – being able to fly straight over all the enemy defenders and attack for high damage on the turn you played the troop could win games easily.
Other Inspire Abilities
The two remaining Inspire troops belong to the Sapphire shard and give more specialised buffs to your troops. The Cerulean Mirror Knight, pictured above, gives those troops he inspires an ability that lets you draw a card whenever that troop lands a hit on the enemy Champion. This is a pretty great ability, and in the right deck can result in you getting a huge amount of card advantage, though the Mirror Knight himself doesn’t benefit from it which might result in you being a little conservative when sending him into battle.
The Cerulean Grand Strategist actually gives troops an exhaust ability, allowing a troop to exhaust itself in order to exhaust an opponent troop with less attack. This can be useful in getting pesky chump blockers out of the way, but the value of it is ultimately questionable – do you really want to exhaust one of your own troops in order to stop a weaker enemy troop from blocking? In a lot of cases, it will probably be more beneficial just to attack and let them either sacrifice that troop in a block or let the damage through. I guess the ability this guy grants is for those fringe cases.
Obviously these two are a little more specialised than the other Inspire troops, though the Mirror Knight’s ability can probably fit quite comfortably in a lot of decks. Especially if combined with the Phoenix Guard Trainer, this could result in some great extra card pull. Of course, since neither of those cards gain the benefit of their own abilities, it might be a little slow to get that particular combination to an effective point.
The final 2 cards aren’t Inspire troops themselves, but do interact directly with the Inspire mechanic, and if you’ve watched the Hex streams released during the kickstarter you’re probably aware of both of them; the Legionnaire Of Gawaine and the Blessing the Fallen. The Legionnaire, when he enters play, deals damage to each enemy troop and Champion equal to the number of times he was Inspired. If you’re playing on curve and all your troops have survived, you’ll probably have 4 Inspire troops out, which means 4 damage to every enemy troop – enough to comfortably destroy almost every troop in the game at this point, especially those you’re likely to be seeing on turn 5. And, so Inspired, he’s likely to have a bunch of buffs on top of his already solid 4ATT/4DEF base – if the resulting lack of defenders isn’t enough to win the game on that turn, it will probably be enough for a next turn win. This guy was extremely popular at GenCon, where he featured in the Inspire-themed deck.
As I mentioned, you may remember the Blessing the Fallen from the Twitch stream in which it failed to work properly – lets hope it works when Alpha hits, because it has an impressive effect; it allows troops in your graveyard to continue to Inspire newly played troops as though they were still in play! The obvious combo with the Legionnaire is a big one, allowing you to push through that huge damage spike regardless of whether your troops have been taking a beating or not, but is also just generally great for Inspire decks. If you’ve been forced by your opponent to discard some cards, or they’ve milled a bunch of your deck into your graveyard, this might actually become beneficial to you when all those Inspire troops continue buffing your survivors.
So, that’s what we know of Inspire so far. I’m reasonably sure there are still a few Inspire reveals yet to go – I wonder what they’ll be! Will we see troops that Inspire Crush, or Swiftstrike? Buffs larger than the +1 the current troops offer? Crazy new abilities? Who knows!
Alpha News
Alpha is a little over a week away and excitement is starting to build. In yesterday’s weekly update, Crypto dropped a huge Alpha knowledge bomb telling us what to expect when it launches, specifically on how the username we pick relates to the game. Though, judging by the reaction on the forum, this is already going to change, so don’t worry too much if you don’t like the sound of it! Also featured in yesterday’s update were the traditional two card reveals – including a lot of players’ worst nightmare – resource destruction!
With alpha so close to launch, it’s entirely possible that this might be the last post before we’re all playing the game, unless I’m struck by a sudden bout of Inspiration (see what I did there?) Regardless, if you want to stay informed of updates, you can always enter your email address in the subscription box at the side of the site, or follow me on Twitter!
That’s all for now! Check back next time, when I reveal what the real deal is with those black spots you sometimes see floating in front of your eyes!Whether or not you’re a fan of T-Mobile’s secret “projects” (with the most recent being the long-speculated Project Dark that brought some interesting plan options to the carrier) they probably interest you just as much as the biggest magenta fanboys themselves. A new project name is being thrown around – Project Emerald – and this time it looks like it focuses on a specific device.
A source of TmoNews’ states that the project will bring T-Mobile a “new Nexus One-like device” that’s going to be sold and marketed by the carrier both online and in stores. There is one phone that immediately comes to mind that fits the bill of a Nexus-like device: the Samsung Galaxy S. It’s been rumored for a while to come to T-Mobile, now, and this could be a small grain of hope that the rumors turn out to be true. Of course, more Nexus-like would be an HTC Desire which a couple of smaller regional carriers in America are already getting.
Or it could be something totally different. No one knows, but we’re going to keep our eyes glued to the scene, in the mean time, as we hope to lay any information we can find out onto the table (hopefully this month as a TmoNews commenter reminds us that Emerald is one of the birth stones for May).WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warned in September that the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, could “get very big” months before the EPA issued an emergency order requiring the state and city to take immediate steps to protect residents, emails released on Wednesday showed.
The top of the Flint Water Plant tower is seen in Flint, Michigan in this February 7, 2016 file photo. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/Files
Administrator Gina McCarthy wrote in a Sept. 26, 2015, email to EPA staff that the Flint water issue was “really getting concerning” and asked for a meeting to be scheduled to determine “where we are now and what needs to be done by whom.”
McCarthy wrote, “This situation has the opportunity to get very big very quickly.”
She asked officials in another email the same day for options on federal intervention.
The EPA released 1,200 pages of redacted emails Wednesday on the agency’s response to the Flint water crisis.
An EPA spokeswoman did not comment on McCarthy’s emails.
In response to concerns from her deputy about the EPA possibly intervening, McCarthy wrote on Sept. 26, “There is danger if we do not weigh in as well. Doesn’t need to be formal but doing nothing is fraught as well.”
In January the EPA issued an emergency order requiring Michigan and city of Flint to take immediate steps to protect residents after determining that their response to the crisis had been “inadequate to protect human health.”
On Tuesday in a Washington Post editorial, McCarthy defended the EPA’s actions suggesting Michigan was “dismissive, misleading and unresponsive” and federal officials were “provided with confusing, incomplete and incorrect information.”
“As a result, EPA staff members were unable to understand the scope of the lead problem until more than a year after the switch to untreated water,” she wrote.
“While we were repeatedly and urgently telling the state to do so, looking back, we missed opportunities late last summer to get our concerns onto the public’s radar.”
McCarthy’s emails came after then EPA regional administrator Susan Hedman sent an email to superiors that controversy surrounding lead in Flint water was increasing after local doctors said lead levels in children had doubled since the city switched to Flint River water.
Hedman, who was criticized for her handling of the crisis, resigned in February. She testified to a Congressional committee on Tuesday and was chastised by House members for not moving fast enough to address the crisis.
McCarthy, who is due to testify before the same committee on Thursday, could face questions about the urgency at EPA to address the issue.
“While EPA did not cause the lead problem, in hindsight, we should not have been so trusting of (Michigan) for so long when they provided us with overly simplistic assurances of technical
compliance rather than substantive responses to our growing concerns,” her written testimony released Wednesday said. “I’m personally committed to doing everything possible to make sure a crisis like this never happens again.”
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, who has apologized for the state’s poor handling of the crisis, is also due to testify Thursday.
Snyder in written testimony released late on Wednesday said “inefficient, ineffective, and unaccountable bureaucrats at the EPA allowed this disaster to continue unnecessarily.” He called on McCarthy for the EPA to accept its share of the blame.
McCarthy wrote in a Sept. 27 email that the “state needs to step up here. Wonder if it isn’t the best solution to ask the state to support the shift back to Detroit water in the short term.”
The state helped Flint switch back to Detroit water in October. The same month the EPA established a task force to provide technical advice to help Flint’s water switch. EPA also announced an audit of Michigan’s environmental agency in November.
Under the direction of a state-appointed emergency manager, Flint, a working class mostly African-American city of 100,000 north of Detroit, switched water supplies to the Flint River in 2014, to save money.
The more corrosive river water, which was not treated, caused more lead to leach from the city’s aging water pipes than the Detroit water the city had tapped previously, causing a public health threat marked by high lead levels in blood samples taken from children. Lead is a toxic agent that can damage the nervous system.Paul Starr is professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University and co-editor of the American Prospect. His book Freedom’s Power is a history of liberalism. He was a senior adviser to Bill Clinton in 1993.
The excitement surrounding Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid has many on the left hoping that Americans are ready to embrace socialism. That would be something. After the Republicans renominated Richard Nixon in 1968, James Reston of the New York Times called Nixon’s victory at the convention “the greatest comeback since Lazarus.” If Sanders raises socialism from the dead, that resurrection will surely top Nixon’s.
So, just what is Sanders’ socialism? As analogs to his own program, Sanders points to the policies of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and the social democracies of northern Europe. As a liberal, I find a lot to like about both of those. But Sanders’ portrayal of democratic socialism as nothing but the New Deal is a disingenuous sleight of hand that plays on foggy historical memories. And his comparison to Nordic social democracy is equally misleading: Much of Sanders’s platform ignores the economic realities that European socialists long ago accepted.
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Many people may be inclined to interpret Sanders’ calls for a revolution as just a rhetorical flourish. I think we should take it seriously. His policies are rooted in a socialist framework rather than a liberal one. And despite what Republicans may say, there’s a big difference between socialism and liberalism. Democrats and independents attracted to Sanders ought to think twice before shrugging off his self-description as a socialist.
Politicians can try to give words their own spin—see the debate between Sanders and Hillary Clinton over the meaning of “progressive”—but they cannot insist on public amnesia about what those terms have signified before their campaigns. Socialism has a history, and Sanders himself has a history as a socialist. Both of those are relevant to understanding Sanders’ proposals and where he wants America to go.
The term “socialism” first came into use in the 1830s in France and Britain, just around the time the word “individualism” was being popularized. Socialism primarily referred to socializing private property, putting it either in communal ownership (as in the experimental communities of that era) or in the hands of the state. After the experimental communities faded or failed, socialists focused on state ownership of the means of production and state planning of the economy.
Sanders’ portrayal of democratic socialism as nothing but the New Deal is a disingenuous sleight of hand that plays on foggy historical memories.
Social insurance programs—worker’s compensation, unemployment insurance, health insurance, old-age pensions—had other origins, chiefly as a response of anti-socialist governments to the rise of socialism and labor unions, first in Germany under Bismarck in the 1880s and later in other European countries, including Britain a quarter-century later under the Liberal Party’s David Lloyd George. Lloyd George also introduced a more progressive income tax shortly before the United States ratified the 16th Amendment in 1913, enabling Congress to pass an income tax under Woodrow Wilson.
The policies distinctively associated with socialism—nationalization of industry and economic planning—had disappointing results where they were adopted. They were notably unsuccessful in adjusting to economic change and generating high rates of innovation. The political pressures that governments face restrict their ability to make tough but necessary economic decisions—to shrink industries in decline and reallocate capital to areas of growth.
During the mid-20th century, the United States was fortunate to avoid the program that socialists were calling for at that time. While Roosevelt experimented with different strategies in the New Deal, he did not undertake any large-scale nationalization, and the primary legacies he left behind were Social Security and regulatory agencies that not only maintained capitalism but also saved it from self-destructive excesses. Far from embracing socialism, Roosevelt rejected it and ran against socialist opponents, who had no doubt that socialism and the New Deal were very different.
As the old socialist program of state ownership and planning became harder to defend in the era after World War II, “social democrats” and “democratic socialists”—terms intended to emphasize they weren’t Bolsheviks—championed expanded social-insurance programs and progressive taxation. These redistributive policies have been at the heart of the northern European model Sanders invokes, except that he misses one key aspect of it. Based on a “class compromise,” that model includes trade and tax policies sought by business. The northern European countries tax labor and consumption heavily, but they have open-trade policies and lower taxes on capital to foster growth.
The Vermont senator calls for increasing the top marginal tax rate on capital gains to 64.2 percent, which would not only be nearly triple the current rate and a peacetime record in the United States but also far higher than in any of the countries Sanders admires. In contrast, Denmark’s tax rate on capital gains—the highest rate in Europe—is 42 percent; France’s, 34.4 percent; Sweden’s, 30 percent; and Germany’s, 25 percent. Under Barack Obama, the U.S. rate has risen from 15 percent to 23.8 percent, a significant increase but well within both recent U.S. experience and current patterns abroad.
Sanders’ 64.2 percent capital gains rate actually understates the full brunt of his program. He also advocates a significant financial transaction tax (FTT), which would tax losses as well as gains. (We currently have a tiny FTT, which pays for the Security and Exchange Commission, but Sanders is talking about one that will be big enough to finance free college tuition for all.) Add in state taxes on capital gains averaging about 4 percent nationally—and reaching 13 percent in California—and there is little doubt that Sanders’s capital gains tax is at counterproductive levels. With total marginal rates approaching 70 percent, people would hold on to appreciated assets rather than sell them. As a result, government revenue from the tax would fall. So would new investment, with serious repercussions for economic growth.
Sanders gives no indication of even considering these difficulties. Whenever he talks about taxing “Wall Street,” he frames it as a repayment and a punishment for past financial misconduct. The business model of Wall Street, he says, is “fraud.” And so he calls for taxes at confiscatory levels—economic consequences for the country be damned.
He is still calling for a “revolution” to achieve socialism, blasting the “ruling class,” endorsing taxes at confiscatory levels and proposing a health plan that would effectively nationalize a sixth of the economy.
Sanders’ single-payer health plan shows the same indifference to real-world consequences. The plan calls for eliminating all patient cost sharing and promises to cover the full range of services, including long-term care. With health care running at 17.5 percent of gross domestic product, Sanders’ plan would sweep a huge share of economic activity into the federal government and invite that share to grow. Another way of looking at single payer is that it would make Washington the sole checkpoint, removing the incentive for anyone else—patients, providers, employers or state governments—even to monitor, much less hold back, excessive costs. It would leave no alternative except federal management of the health sector.
Although Sanders often justifies his plan by referring to Canada and European countries, they generally achieve universal coverage without the degree of centralization he is calling for. The Canadian system is financed and run at the provincial level. Many European countries have multiple insurance funds and institutionalized bargaining among stakeholder groups, with power devolved on regional bodies. As in the case of tax policy, Sanders’ policies are more traditionally socialist than those of most of the countries he invokes as models.
Sanders’ program reflects his life commitments. In some respects, his biography recapitulates the journey of socialism itself. When he was in his 20s, Sanders worked on a radical kibbutz in Israel—the communal socialist phase. In 1979, he produced a video about the longtime Socialist Party leader Eugene Debs; on the soundtrack, released by Folkways Records, you can hear Sanders performing Debs’ speeches calling for an end to capitalism. In 1980, Sanders served as a presidential elector for the Socialist Workers Party, which supported the nationalization of industry and expressed solidarity with revolutionary dictatorships, including Iran (this at the time Iran was holding American hostages).
As he has pursued a political career in Vermont and as a member of Congress, Sanders has repositioned himself close to liberals, while denying he was a Democrat until the current campaign. But even now his worldview and the policies he is advocating are consistent with his old faith. He is still calling for a “revolution” to achieve socialism, blasting the “ruling class,” endorsing taxes at confiscatory levels and proposing a health plan that would effectively nationalize a sixth of the economy. Summing up his proposals, left-of-center economists estimate that it would increase the size of the federal government by 40 percent to 50 percent.
Sanders is also doing what populists on both sides of the political spectrum do so well: the mobilization of resentment. The attacks on billionaires and Wall Street are a way of eliciting a roar of approval from angry audiences without necessarily having good solutions for the problems that caused that anger in the first place.
In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and the government’s failure to prosecute those responsible for it, many Democrats are legitimately angry and therefore receptive to this kind of appeal. Whether socialism is what they want is another question. Some writers on the left point to the Des Moines Register poll before the Iowa caucuses, in which 43 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers said they would use the word “socialist” to describe themselves, compared with 38 percent who would use the word “capitalist.” But among the general population, the socialist label is still largely a political taboo. In a June 2015 Gallup poll asking voters whether they would support candidates with certain characteristics, “socialist” was a disqualifier for more voters (50 percent) than any other attribute, including “Muslim” and “atheist.”
After feverish right-wing accusations that every liberal proposal is tantamount to socialism, the last thing liberals need is a Democratic presidential candidate blurring that line.
Receptivity to the socialist label is higher among the young. But as Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight has pointed out, public opinion data on preferences about the size of government among young people do not show a shift toward a socialist worldview. A higher rate of self-identified “socialists” is more about anger at capitalist excess than it is genuine socialist fervor.
Since Republicans have been calling Obama a socialist for the past eight years, the label socialist may seem to many to be a synonym for progressive or liberal. But the differences between socialism and liberalism are fundamental. At its core, liberalism has a concern for liberty. While liberals have expanded public programs, they also have sought to strengthen rights that limit arbitrary power, both governmental and private. Liberals do not sanctify the free market, but they care about preserving the incentives that stimulate innovation and investment and make possible a flourishing economy.
Socialism and Sanders have their heart in a different place—economic equality before all else. Socialism is still the dream of those who don’t worry about concentrating power in the state or about the perverse effects of making goods and services available at a zero price. To bring socialism back from the dead wearing New Deal liberalism as a mask is no service to either. Socialists should know the difference, and liberals should too. After feverish right-wing accusations that every liberal proposal is tantamount to socialism, the last thing liberals need is a Democratic presidential candidate blurring that line.Get the biggest Liverpool FC 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
Brendan Rodgers believes teenager Jordon Ibe has the potential to become an “outstanding” young player for Liverpool FC.
The 18-year-old starred as a youthful Reds side won 4-0 against Shamrock Rovers in an end-of-season friendly in Dublin on Wednesday night. Ibe laid on goals for Iago Aspas and Fabio Borini, and might have had a hat-trick himself. He ended the night by being named as the sponsors' man of the match.
The former Wycombe Wanderers trainee has already had a taste of first-team action at Anfield, and spent the final months of this season helping Birmingham City avoid relegation from the SkyBet Championship.
And Rodgers believes Ibe can go on to establish himself with Liverpool in the coming months and years.
He said: “He's such a talent. He's 18 years of age, still only a second year scholar.
“It was interesting, I asked him to do something different here. I played him on the side in the first half, but we switched to a diamond in the second half. I wanted to see him.
“It was similar to what I have done with Raheem (Sterling). I wanted to improve his football intelligence, play him in a different position. He played at the top of the diamond and he was excellent.
“He's got running power, pace, and he has a lovely touch on the ball. He just needs to work on his finishing!
“The most important thing for me, though, is that he gets into those positions. For a kid of that age, his composure, his touch, his speed, he has all the attributes to be a real outstanding player.
“He's already came on. He played against Arsenal this season, and we are a club that is looking for its young players to come through. But they have got to have the personality, and that's important.”
Ibe was one of a number of talented youngsters to feature at the Aviva Stadium. Jack Dunn, 19, grabbed the Reds' fourth goal, from a pass from U18 star Connor Randall, whilst there were good performances from Brad Smith, Rafa Paez, Joao Carlos Teixeira and Conor Coady.
“It's clear that we are a club that gives opportunities to youth players,” Rodgers added. “I'm not sure there is a younger squad that has qualified for the Champions League, and certainly not one that has finished second in the Premier League.
“It's my first instinct to look from within, and some of those young boys have already sampled the first team. It's really up to them now.
“Age is no barrier; if they're good enough they're old enough. Raheem Sterling displaced full internationals at 17 years of age, and has gone on to become a top-class young player. Then there's Jon Flanagan, Philippe Coutinho, J |
attacks. The chance to slow enemies is quite higher than the chance to speed them up. Overridden by Stop Watch; the speed up effect will not occur. Both the slow effect and the rarer speed up can trigger at the start of a room. However, getting hit on a sped up room will trigger Stop Watch's slow down.
Overridden by Stop Watch; the speed up effect will not occur.
The Stop Watch is a reference to the Stopwatch from the Castlevania series.
PC 0L7P 8RB8 (On sale in Shop of Basement 1. Golden Poop next to shop will drop 11c, and several of the rooms on the floor contain the drops needed to access and purchase the Stop Watch) (Normal mode)
PC 8J1C 9C0P (On discount sale in Shop on first floor (7 coins))
PC 9HPR LCYR (Basement 1: A Quarter in the Treasure Room, Stop Watch in the Shop)
PC MHXS VFYJ (First floor shop, Sloth is right up, Infamy is right down, and Sacrifice button provides Bob's Curse, you should be able to find 17 money on the floor without bombing anything)Microsoft's Image Composite Editor received great reviews when the company released it back in 2008.
It was released as a Microsoft Research project back then allowing users to create panoramic images by stitching together multiple photos of the same scene.
All of that was handled automatically by the program which made it very comfortable to use. The application produced great results most of the time as well which helped its rise to popularity.
Image Composite Editor 2
Almost seven years later, Image Composite Editor 2 has been released. The program is available for supported 32-bit or 64-bit versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system.
Its basic purpose remains the same: combine overlapping photos from a single location into a single image that combines the original images seamlessly. The method enables you to create larger images of a scene by combining multiple photos that depict it.
Image Composite Editor 2 ships with several new features that improve the process further. The top feature of the release is without doubt auto-completion which you can use to fill in missing pixels when creating panoramas.
Your only option before was to crop the image so that these missing pixels would not show up in the end result. With auto-complete, you can have Image Composite Editor 2 fill these spots so that you don't have to crop as much from the photo as before.
The process itself is still straightforward.
1. Select at least two images depicting the same scene.
2. Wait for the program to analyze the photos that you have added and compose a resulting image.
3. Crop the resulting image in the third step.
You can use the auto-complete feature here to have ICE fill out blank spots automatically. Other options are to auto-crop the image and to manually crop it.
4. Export the created panoramic image to the local disc or to the Photosynth online service.
Image Composite Editor supports videos as well and can create panoramas from video files that you load into the program. The feature has been available for some time though and is not new in version 2 of the application.
The latest version of the editor supports new projections. The stereographic projection allows you to turn a 360 degree panorama into a little planet image which also supports auto-completion and cropping.
Take a look at the demo video that Microsoft created for the release.
As far as features are concerned, there are more to explore. ICE supports RAW images for example and has no size limitations according to Microsoft which means that you can use it to create Gigapixel panoramas.
Image Composite Editor is an excellent program for Windows that is easy to use and very powerful at the same time.
Summary Author Rating no rating based on 0 votes Software Name Image Composite Editor Operating System Windows Software Category Multimedia Landing Page http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/ice/
AdvertisementSaturday
8 a.m.
4) JEFFERSON'S GENIUS
Early morning is the best time to appreciate Jefferson's architectural genius. Walking through the university campus at this hour, you'll find it nearly deserted. You can sit on the main lawn alone and marvel at the perfect symmetry of the Rotunda, a United Nations World Heritage site. The Rotunda sits at the north end of the lawn, surrounded by other pavilions, and the morning light makes the neo-Classical whites shine like a polished Army shoe. Free one-hour tours of the Rotunda are available five times a day (434-924-3239; www.uvaguides.org.
10 a.m.
5) OUTBACK
For a fascinating detour little known by outsiders, visit the university's Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection. Twenty years ago, John W. Kluge, a billionaire media mogul, started building perhaps the largest collection of aboriginal art outside Australia, which he donated to the University of Virginia in 1997. The museum offers free guided tours every Saturday at 10:30 a.m., which are essential to understanding these stark and sometimes inscrutable works of art (400 Worrell Drive, Peter Jefferson Place; 434-244-0234; www.virginia.edu/kluge-ruhe).
1 p.m.
6) WINE COUNTRY
Though Thomas Jefferson started the local wine industry, only recently have growers produced decent vintages. Virginia has 11 wine trails to explore and 136 wineries, many focusing on cabernet francs, which seem to adapt best to the local climate. Old House Vineyards (18351 Corkys Lane, Culpeper, Va.; 540-423-1032; www.oldhousevineyards.com) is 50 minutes from Charlottesville and has achieved renown for its Vidal Blanc, without developing the kind of attitude that sometimes pervades California. Tastings cost $5. For more information on Virginia vineyards, see www.virginiawines.org.
3 p.m.
7) COUNTRY ROADS
Head out for the afternoon by driving northeast along Route 20 toward Barboursville, a town almost in another dimension. The drive, through an area called the Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District, winds up and down some of the most rural farmland in the state, all sitting in the mountains' shadow and crowned, in fall, by changing colors that match New England's. Keep your eyes out for historical marker signs, as the area also boasts a rich trove of African-American history (www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/journey/sou.htm).
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7 p.m.
8) DINING AMID THE RUINS
Stay in Barboursville and head to Palladio Restaurant, on the grounds of the Barboursville Vineyard (540-832-7848; www.barboursvillewine.net). Jefferson himself designed the main building at the vineyard, which dates back to 1814. Part of the original estate burned down in the late 1880s, but from the adjacent building, a sprawling Georgian villa, you can gaze at the ruins of Jefferson's marvel — or out into the sunset over the Southwest Mountains. The restaurant, which features Northern Italian cooking, also strives to go local, as when it pairs quail with Southern-inspired corn cakes. Reservations are essential. Dinner for two with wine is about $200.
10 p.m.
9) MILLER TIME
Every college town needs a few decent watering holes for grungy bands, but in Charlottesville, you wind up later seeing those bands on MTV. Most famously, the Dave Matthews Band got its start here, back when Mr. Matthews bartended at Miller's (109 West Main Street; 434-971-8511). He might have since moved on to arenas, but Miller's, a converted drugstore that retains the trappings of an old-time apothecary, is still there, favored by local music fans for its eclectic array of bands. Get there by 10 before the college crowd packs the place, and try to catch the one night a week when the famed bebop jazz trumpeter, and local music professor, John D'earth headlines the bill.
Sunday
9 a.m.
10) HIT THE TRAIL
Coming to Charlottesville, many visitors take a side hike in Shenandoah National Park. In summer, Shenandoah's Skyline Drive seems more like Los Angeles at rush hour. But by late fall, a time when the leaves are still changing in Shenandoah, the crowds thin out, and it's easier to find solitude. Head to the Appalachian Trail, which runs adjacent to Skyline Drive, and which draws even fewer weekend crowds. For information on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia, see www.appalachiantrail.org/virginia.
11 a.m.
11) FUEL UP
Back in town, restore the calories you burned hiking — and pack on way more — at the Bluegrass Grill and Bakery (313 Second Street, SE; 434-295-9700) for brunch. Not much nouveau cuisine here. Plan on hearty Southern comfort fare — cheesy grits, buckwheat pancakes, heavenly home fries and fluffy homemade wheat biscuits that taste like someone added an entire stick of butter to each one. Bluegrass takes no reservations, so be prepared to wait for a table. Brunch for two costs around $35.
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IF YOU GO
US Airways offers nonstop service between La Guardia Airport and Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport. The round-trip fare is around $500, according to a recent Web search.
Besides its restaurant, the Clifton Inn (1296 Clifton Inn Drive; www.cliftoninn.net; 888-971-1800) has 18 lush guest rooms and suites on a 100-acre property with walking trails, tennis, a pool and hot tub. Rooms start at $205.
For a less expensive alternative, try the 200 South Street Inn (200 South Street West; (434-979-0200; www.southstreetinn.com). Right in the center of town, the inn is a stately mansion dating in part to 1852, with 19 guestrooms and personal touches, like wine and cheese plates in the afternoon. Rooms start at around $150.
Check the University of Virginia schedule for parents' weekends and major events ; during these times it may be nearly impossible to get a room anywhere near Charlottesville. A calendar of the University of Virginia academic year is at www.virginia.edu/registrar/calendar.html.Friends and family gather as Jules Bianchi is laid to rest in his home town of Nice. Friends and family gather as Jules Bianchi is laid to rest in his home town of Nice.
Jules Bianchi has been laid to rest in his home town of Nice at an emotional ceremony at the Sainte Reparate Cathedral.
Just across the border from Monaco where Bianchi famously scored Marussia’s first points in 2014, Nice was inundated with well-wishers wanting to pay their respects on Tuesday morning.
As friends and family gathered inside the cathedral, the deputy mayor of Nice announced: “We have come together to say goodbye to a champion.”
Sebastian Vettel and Romain Grosjean were amongst the mourners as Jules Bianchi was laid to rest in Nice. Sebastian Vettel and Romain Grosjean were amongst the mourners as Jules Bianchi was laid to rest in Nice.
A number of drivers from the current F1 grid were in attendance along with other paddock personnel and former team-mates of the Frenchman - a reflection of the esteem and affection in which the popular the 25-year-old was held.
Outside of the Sainte Reparate Cathedral the service was broadcast to thousands of fans who had gathered in the town square adorned by floral tributes. There were sporadic spontaneous bursts of applause from the crowd during a ceremony which included emotionally-charged eulogies from Bianchi’s parents and his brother and sister.
Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Romain Grosjean and Jean-Eric Vergne were among the pall-bearers who carried Bianchi’s coffin from the cathedral.
Jules Bianchi's coffin is carried from his funeral ceremony in Nice
“Today has been a special day," Vergne said. "One of the greatest drivers has left us, but with such a special beautiful souvenir. He has been a great person outside and in the track and he has written his name in Formula 1.
"His name will stay in the history of the sport. He was the greatest and he will always be in our hearts.”
Jean-Eric Vergne paid tribute to Jules Bianchi at his funeral today in Nice. Jean-Eric Vergne paid tribute to Jules Bianchi at his funeral today in Nice.
The FIA have announced that the car number, 17, used by Bianchi will be retired in his honour. His passing is also expected to be commemorated at this weekend’s Hungarian GP.
The Frenchman had been in a coma for nine months after colliding with a recovery vehicle at last October's Japanese GP.
Bianchi is the first Formula 1 driver to perish due to injuries suffered during a race since Ayrton Senna’s fatal crash at the 1994 San Marino GP.
Jules Bianchi career timeline
Born: August 3, 1989.
2007: Graduates from karting and wins French Formula Renault title.
2008: Moves to Formula 3 Euroseries and wins prestigious Masters event at Zolder.
2009: Wins F3 Euroseries title, beating Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Gutierrez along the way. Signed to Ferrari driver academy.
2010: Moves to GP2 and finishes third in standings. Named Ferrari reserve driver.
2012: Takes part in nine Practice One sessions for Force India. Narrowly misses out on Formula Renault 3.5 title.
2013: Makes F1 debut with Marussia.
2014: Scores first points for Marussia in Monaco.UPDATED, 3:50 PM: Dylan O’Brien’s injuries have turned out to be far more serious than initially reported, and production on Maze Runner: The Death Cure has been suspended indefinitely while he recovers. “The resumption of principal photography on Maze Runner: The Death Cure has been further delayed to allow Dylan O’Brien more time to fully recover from his injuries,” 20th Century Fox said in a statement. “We wish Dylan a speedy recovery and look forward to restarting production as soon as possible.”
Production originally was scheduled to resume May 9; no new date has been set and reports hold that cast and crew have now been sent home.
PREVIOUSLY, March 28: Dylan O’Brien, star of 20th Century Fox’s Maze Runner franchise, was injured on the set of Maze Runner: The Death Cure today in Vancouver, BC. Fox said he was sent to the hospital immediately but did not offer details. O’Brien apparently fell off the back of a set that was supposed to look like the back of a train and fractured either his cheekbone or orbital socket (still not clear on the details) when he fell on his face. The production has been shut down “while he recovers,” the studio says.
Fox has set a February 17, 2017, release for the latest pic in the franchise based on James Dashner’s YA series. No word yet on whether that will have to change, but Fox did put out a statement:
Dylan O’Brien was injured yesterday while filming ‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ in Vancouver, Canada. He was immediately transferred to a local hospital for observation and treatment. Production on the film will be shut down while he recovers. Our thoughts go out to Dylan for a full and speedy recovery.
O’Brien also stars on MTV’s series Teen Wolf, which is currently on hiatus.The first review of Ryzen 7 1700X has been leaked.
It appears that review was conducted on an engineering sample (without Ryzen logo). Also, the motherboard appears to be based on B350 chipset (MSI B350 Tomahawk). Memory speed is detected by CPU-Z at 2133 MHz.
The list of what was tested:
3DMARK 11 v1.0.132
PCMARK 7 1.4.0
PCMARK 8 v2.5.419
AIDA64 Extreme Edition 5.8.4081
CrystalDiskMark 5.0.2
CINEBENCH R15
Dolphin Benchmark 4.0.2
POV-Ray 3.7
CPU-Z 1.78.3
OCCT 4.5.0
FurMark 1.17.0.0
SiSoftware Sandra Professional Business 2016.01.22.10
MediaEspresso Media Convertor Deluxe 7.5.8022.61105
Super PI 1.9 WP
wPRIME 2.10
7-Zip 15.14
WinRAR 5.30
Bioshock Infinite
Sniper Elite III
Batman: Arkham Origins
GTA V
Monster Hunter Benchmark
HWInfo v5.45-308
HWMonitor 1.30
Testing platform:
CPU-Z screenshots
Power consumption
Synthetic benchmarks
Memory bandwidth
Gaming benchmarks
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X overclocking
Source: Shahrsakhtafzar
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A dying dad has told how his disability benefit was axed – after he lovingly reached out to hug his four-year-old daughter.
Father-of-five Mark Roberts, 45, has just two years to live after surviving a massive heart attack.
But he says he scored zero on a test of his mobility and daily living after an assessor watched him embrace his little girl Saffron, who was suffering from chicken pox.
“It’s so shocking,” said Mr Roberts.
“I would rather risk my own health by leaning forward to hug my daughter than see her struggle. I don’t know what that’s got to do with anything.”
His furious wife Anne, 49, added: “I think there should be a warning to all the other people out there who are dying.
(Image: Cascade News)
“Don’t cuddle your kids or your benefits will be stopped.”
Mr Roberts from Wrexham, north Wales, was assessed for his benefits earlier this month when a woman came to the house to ask a list of questions – including whether he could make a basic sandwich and how many ‘bus lengths’ he could walk.
He has now been told that as of April 12 he will no longer qualify for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) – which replace the Disability Living Allowance – worth £559 a month.
The devastating letter informing him his money had been cut claims he can wash and bathe himself without help.
But it also includes the line: “You were able to sit forward on the sofa on one occasion in order to cuddle your daughter.”
Read more:
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Mr Roberts, who has just 50 per cent heart function, also suffers from fatigue, shortness of breath, coughing and chest pains and says he is unable to work.
He uses his benefits for essentials but also to buy Christmas vouchers for the family, including Liam, 16, Jasmin, 14, Rhys, 11, and Rhiannon, seven.
“I want to give them good memories of me,” he said.
He told how doctors at Wrexham Maelor Hospital gave him about five years to live three years ago after suffering the biggest heart attack they had ever seen anyone survive.
Mrs Roberts said his condition would gradually worsen and the money would be needed for care costs, such as adaptions to their home.
(Image: PA)
But she said that the woman who carried out the assessment did not even know her husband was terminally ill and branded the decision not to grant him PIP “disgusting”.
“He can’t work because he’s only got 50 per cent of his heart going. He’s suffered heart attacks in the past,” she said “I’m just disgusted. What has he got to do to get benefits?
“We’re not scroungers. We’re not making this up.
“The whole thing has been very upsetting. The questions the woman asked had nothing to do with what’s wrong with him. They were just awful.
“She was heartless and she showed no compassion. It was appalling. When Mark hugged Saffron she was watching him like a hawk and typing away like mad.”
Read more:
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Mr Roberts added: “I’m not crippled. I never said I was incapable of hugging my child, but I do find things difficult.
“When you have got a heart that pumps at 50 per cent, it’s hard to explain how it makes you feel. Just walking upstairs to the toilet puts you out of breath.”
He said his condition worsened after the visit and his assessor was told but this had not been reflected in the final decision.
“It’s like they just don’t believe you,” he said. “They haven’t even seen my medical records.”
The former forklift truck driver and warehouse worker is now waiting to hear how the decision will affect his £280 fortnight income support benefits- and if he is entitled to any other form of benefit.
The couple are also forwarding a letter from the heart failure team at Wrexham Maelor Hospital hoping to challenge the ruling.
(Image: BBC)
Mr Roberts added that he welcomed Iain Duncan-Smith ’s resignation as Work and Pensions’ Secretary over disability payments.
“I think it’s a great thing when someone is willing to stand up for what they believe in and I admire him for it,” he said.
A Department of Work and Pensions spokesman said: “Decisions on eligibility for Personal Independence Payment are made after consideration of all the evidence, including an assessment and information provided by the claimant and their GP.
“Claimants can appeal their decisions during which they can submit more evidence.”Legendary college basketball referee Ed Hightower told a Michigan State radio program Tuesday that he is retiring after the 2013-14 season, according to a tweet from the program's host:
BREAKING NEWS: CBB ICON/Official Dr. Ed Hightower said on Spartan Nation Radio moments ago he is retiring during the 2013-2014 season! — Hondo Carpenter (@HondoCarpenter) June 4, 2013
Hightower, known by the few who liked him as a showman and the many who could not stand him as the preening referee who hated their favorite team, refereed his first Big Ten game in the 1981-82 season at the age of 28. For the next 31 seasons, Hightower was a mainstay of Big Ten, Big East, Big 8/12, and Missouri Valley Conference basketball. He called 12 Final Fours during that time. Hightower won the 1992 Naismith Award as Division I college basketball's best official. An Illinois native and resident, Hightower was selected for the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1998.
Hightower has always been known to have a flair for the dramatic -- even when no drama exists. His theatrical foul calls came frequently; his crews called more fouls than most, though his number of calls has dropped slightly in recent seasons. As he has entered his late 50s, Hightower has called fewer games and stayed closer to his southern Illinois home. As he told Spartan Nation last month:
I've been around a long time. So I realize I don't run as fast as I used to, I realize that my time is getting near, I'm gonna fade away. But the moment that I stop being able to enjoy the game and make a contribution toward the betterment of the game, then I wanna walk away.
Hightower holds three degrees from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a doctorate in education from St. Louis University. He is the superintendent at Edwardsville District Seven Schools.Brought to you by: System76
Jos is the openSUSE community manager since 2010, and a Free Software evangelist for over 10 years. He’s also an active volunteer in the KDE community.
Why do you suppose we don’t see distros built from openSUSE, like we see with Debian, Ubuntu, Arch, and Fedora?
Viewer Stephan Asks
Do you see a point in the future when openSuSE becomes irrelevant to SuSE GmbH, and they will reduce or stop their sponsorship (much like they have already done with Libre Office)?
Viewer pierre4l Asks
Are there any plans to implement such a software center in openSUSE? Would the Bodega idea proposed by Aaron Seigo fit the bill, or would it be more likely that the new Ruby version of YaST sees the existing tools undergo a revamp?
Two or maybe three years ago plans were unhatched at an openSUSE conference in co-operation with developers from other distros. The back end got worked on but it seems there was never a useful front end created. Are there any developments in this respect?
Do you think this is a fundamental feature lacking in openSUSE compared to other distros, or do you think there are other priorities?
Viewer Martin Asks
openSUSE 13.1
*
– What we know –
The first Steam Machine is a computer that can fit bog standard parts just like a full-size gaming rig, and yet fit into your entertainment center. Valve’s steel and aluminum chassis measures just over 12 inches on a side and is 2.9 inches tall, making it a little bigger than an Xbox 360 and smaller than any gaming PC of its ilk.
Valve designed the case so the parts can breathe individually. The CPU blows air out the top, the power supply out the side, and the graphics card exhaust out back, and none share any airspace within the case.
a system built into Steam that shows you which games your hardware configuration can actually run, and conversely, what hardware you’d need to buy to play a given game well — based on the real-world data about computer configurations that Valve already collects with its Steam Hardware Survey.
First, circle January on your calendar. That’s when the other shoe will drop; Valve’s hardware and software partners will reveal the actual Steam Machines that will ship to consumers, and the games that will come to the Linux platform, at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show.
There will be a number of different Steam Machine boxes on sale in 2014, and Valve expects them to arrive mid-year. Some of those boxes will be far smaller and / or cheaper than Valve’s own prototype unit.
Don’t expect Valve to make Half-Life 3 exclusive to SteamOS to help lift the Linux-based operating system off the ground. “It’s against our philosophy to put a game in jail and say it only works on Steam Machines,” says Valve’s Doug Lombardi. Even though the company locked Half-Life 2 to Steam years ago, the team appears to have thought better of that decision. “That may or may not have been a good idea given the condition Steam was in at the moment.”
Valve’s Anna Sweet says she started talking to partners about Linux three years ago, and games will be surprisingly easy to build. “If you’re using the Unity engine, you’re already done… if you’ve done a Mac game, you’re most of the way there.”
SteamOS won’t just be about games: the company plans to add other services for video and music playback. “However, we are not planning support for spreadsheets,” quips Lombardi.Share. Love comes from the Fifth Dimension. Love comes from the Fifth Dimension.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Supergirl waited an extra week before dropping its Valentine’s day-themed episode, but it was definitely worth the extra wait. “Mr. and Mrs. Mxyzptlk” found plenty of success in exploring two of the show’s key relationships this season, while also throwing in a classic Superman villain and a Hamilton spoof for good measure. What’s not to love?
It was certainly a refreshing change of pace to have an episode where it felt like the villain mattered as much as the main cast. Even after a year-and-a-half, that’s not a formula Supergirl really seems to have cracked. It was equally refreshing to see a villain that allowed the writers to really lean into the campy source material. There was no attempt to water down Mr. Mxyzptlk (played by Queen of the South’s Peter Gadiot) or replace his back-story as a fifth-dimensional imp with something more grounded. Sure, he looked quite a bit more suave than the squat, garishly dressed Mxy of the comics, but otherwise it was all there.
Compared to the likes of Cyborg Superman and the White Martians, Mr. Mxyzptlk made for a very fun and entertaining antagonist. It’s hard to go wrong with a character that can literally do anything and has such a flair for the theatrical. The only real way to screw up Mxy is to treat him as a malevolent, evil threat. He’s just a higher being who craves love and attention and gets his kicks by pestering the Superman family. So hinging the conflict out of Mxy’s desire to win Kara’s hand made a lot of sense. Between the Parasite kerfuffle and Kara’s battle with an animated statue of her uncle, Mxy’s powers allowed for some pretty memorable action scenes this week. And half the fun of an Mr. Mxyzptlk story is in seeing how the hero tricks the imp into returning to his own dimension. Kara’s solution didn’t disappoint.
As it turned out, Mxy’s arrival was also the perfect catalyst to explore the relationship as it currently stands between Kara and Mon-El. It seems that Kara’s romances are never more fragile than that period immediately after both parties first confess their love for one another. But Mon-El managed to escape the pit James fell into at the beginning of the season. Maybe there’s hope for Karamel (as the shippers are apparently referring to them) after all.
This episode did a fine job of both highlighting how far Mon-El has come since arriving on Earth and and showing how much further still he has to go. He’s doing his best to follow Kara’s example and become a more selfless and heroic person. At the same time, you can’t expect a hedonistic jerk to just pull a complete 180 in the course of a few months. Mon-El’s big struggle this week was moving beyond his own ego and recognizing that Kara didn’t need him to stand up for her. So even if the characters basically wound up exactly where they were at the end of last week’s episode, their big kiss felt that much more earned when it finally came.
Pretty much everyone in the main cast got the chance to join in on the Valentine’s festivities. Except for James, but I’m sure he was off somewhere admiring himself in the mirror while wearing his Guardian costume. Maggie and Alex enjoyed the lion’s share of the focus, and rightfully so. Some of the best moments this season have involved these two characters as they’ve grappled with their mutual attraction and the perils and joys of new romance. Valentine’s Day turned out to be another source of quality character drama and charming romance, while at the same time playing right into the themes of trust and communication that fueled the conflict. Both the Karamel kiss and Alex and Maggie’s romantic date helped wrap the episode on a nicely romantic note.
Winn’s subplot was somewhat less successful, mainly because his love connection with Lyra felt so random and underdeveloped. I’m not really sure how saving him from a bar brawl and talking about a book ignited such fiery passion between the two. Still, Winn deserves a chance to move forward after being thoroughly shot down by Kara. And with all the references to Starhaven and the Blight, hopefully we’ll get another good, alien-focused storyline out of this romance eventually.
Finally, it seems worth pointing out that this episode marked the debut of writer Sterling Gates (working with Supergirl veteran Jessica Queller). Gates had a pretty lengthy tenure on the Supergirl comic but made his Supergirl TV debut tonight. This was easily one of the all-around stronger episodes of the season, and while Gates is hardly the only one who deserves credit for that, it does bode well for what will hopefully be a recurring presence on the series.In the video Bratislav Zivkovic, who is the leader of the Serbian Chetnik movement, can be seen confronting the migrants sat outside a bus station in Belgrade. Only seconds before the video starts, the asylum seekers had been trying to sells tins of food to bypasses, according to the angry 45-year-old. Blasting the migrants, Mr Zivkovic tells the men the food they had been given was a gift from the Serbian people and that they should not be selling it back.
CEN In the video Bratislav Zivkovic can be seen confronting the migrants sat outside a bus station
The food was allegedly given to the asylum seekers by the Red Cross, a claim the organisation has now denied. After the verbal attack, the migrants can be seen packing up and moving on. Mr Zivkovic also complained that the local police did nothing after he contacted them, as the officials were not authorised to intervene.
CEN Mr Zivkovic blasted the men saying the food they had been given was a gift from the Serbian people
The food was allegedly given to the asylum seekers by the Red Cross
The police's decision not to stop the alleged selling of the parcels caused outrage in the country, with allegations that Serbs that try and set up roadside stalls are arrested and fined, whereas asylum seekers are left unpunished. The Serbian Chetnik movement leader has become a controversial figure in Serbia after he served as a commander of the Serb Chetnik militia in Crimea in eastern Ukraine, fighting on the Russian side. The country’s Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vucic, has previously accused Mr Zivkovic and his followers of being paid mercenaries of the Russians.
CEN After the verbal attack, the migrants can be seen packing up and moving onWhy Early Access? “Early Access is your chance to play Idle Champions and help us refine the game as we make the final changes ahead of full launch. We'll be updating Idle Champions throughout Early Access based on your experience to make it the best game it can be. However, we do want to let you know you might experience some bugs. We'll do our best to patch them up as quickly as possible. Don't worry about losing your progress, though. We won't be resetting player progress at any point during or after the Early Access period. You'll get to keep all of your Champions, gear, and story progress when the game is officially launched.” Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access? “With your help we expect to go to full launch in three to six months from Early Access launch.” How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version? “Between now and full launch we'll be spending time balancing the gameplay, adding new features, and working on our event design.” What is the current state of the Early Access version? “The game is fully playable with several initial adventures and a free play mode.” Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access? “Idle Champions is a free game which includes the option for players to buy chests of random gear, buffs, trinkets and gold. All pricing will stay the same from Early Access to full launch.” How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process? “We're very excited to hear from you, so please join the official Idle Champions community on Steam and let us know what you think.”
Note: This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more
Grand Revel has returned to the Chult, and a day of dancing, music, and decadence has begun at Camp Vengeance.As festivities begin the Champions begin a quest: to investigate a missing caravan on behalf of a Templar of the Order of the Gauntlet. Their friend, a local bard, has been missing for nearly a month...Grand Revel 2 runs until Monday, February 18th, 2019 at 12:00pm PST, introduces the Vistani Bard from Dice, Camera, Action!, Paultin Seppa, and brings back Birdsong, the Tabaxi Bard from Chult!Check out the official blog.
The chase is on! After discovering that a Nimblewright set off the explosion in Trollskull Alley, the Champions are on the hunt for the construct and its prize.Soon the Champions find themselves in the middle of a conflict between competing factions — and lured into a trap set by their enemies...Note: you will need to have completed the previous two Dragon Heist Adventures, Trollskull Manor and Attack on the Manor, in order to access these new Adventures.Today's update includes two new adventures in the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist campaign, along with one variant each. We also have a surprise for you: new Helm's Blessings! The second and third tier of blessings from Helm are now available!Check out the official blog!
Early Access Update #61: Dragon Heist, Part 4
The chase is on! After discovering that a Nimblewright set off the explosion in Trollskull Alley, the Champions are on the hunt for the construct and its prize.
Soon the Champions find themselves in the middle of a conflict between competing factions — and lured into a trap set by their enemies...
Note: you will need to have completed the previous two Dragon Heist Adventures, Trollskull Manor and Attack on the Manor, in order to access these new Adventures.
Read more on our official blog here.
Early Access Update #60: Grand Revel 2
Grand Revel has returned to the Chult, and a day of dancing, music, and decadence has begun at Camp Vengeance.
As festivities begin the Champions begin a quest: to investigate a missing caravan on behalf of a Templar of the Order of the Gauntlet. Their friend, a local bard, has been missing for nearly a month...
Grand Revel 2 runs until Monday, February 18th, 2019 at 12:00pm PST, introduces the Vistani Bard |
deck seats.
The High Achievers Kids Club, for children in grades K to 8, rewards those who do well in school with Indians tickets, prizes, and experiences. Membership is free.
Children age 2 and younger are admitted for free but must occupy a ticket holder’s lap.
A fireworks show is hosted after every Friday home game, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
14. PETCO Park (San Diego Padres)
Ticket savings at PETCO Park include:
College Nights, which feature $9 advance and $10 day-of-game tickets to Thursday home games
The Military Season Pass, which entitles junior enlisted military personnel (pay grades E1-E3) to one Upper Reserved seat for up to 80 home games for $99
The Jr. Padres, for ages 14 and younger, is free.
Fans are permitted to bring in soft-sided bags or containers 16” x 16” x 8” or smaller.
Fans may bring in factory-sealed water bottles 20 oz. or less and single-serve beverage containers (milk, juice, etc.; plastic or soft-sided only).
Fans are permitted to bring in outside food for individual consumption. All food items should be wrapped, bagged, or put in a container. Fruits must be sliced or sectioned.
A fireworks show is hosted after some Friday home games, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
15. Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati Reds)
Ticket savings at the Great American Ball Park include an all-you-can-eat section, which features unlimited hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, and soda, starting at $32, and Tickets Plus+, which includes a ticket concession value of $10 or $20 redeemable throughout the ballpark for food, beverages, and merchandise.
The Reds Heads Kids Club, for ages 14 and younger, includes four ticket vouchers, Reds Heads logo cap and team replica road jersey, Reds-style baseball cap backpack, dog tag, Reds Heads lens logo sunglasses, newsletters, a ticket to the Reds Hall of Fame & Museum, one-day admission to the Cincinnati Zoo, kids meal at Bob Evans Restaurant, a ticket to the “A Day in Pompeii” exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center, for $25.
Fans are permitted to bring in soft-sided bags or containers 16” x 16” x 8” or smaller.
Fans may bring in factory-sealed water bottles and soft drinks.
A fireworks show is hosted after every Friday home game, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
16. Citi Field (New York Mets)
Ticket specials for Citi Field include:
50% off select seating areas for seniors for all Monday to Thursday matinee games, available for purchase starting at 9 a.m. on game day
The McFadden’s VIP package for select games, which includes one-hour open bar and appetizer buffet before the game, a ticket to the game, and one drink after the 7 th inning, for $35 to $45
inning, for $35 to $45 Power Packs for families of four for $22 each, which include four game tickets in the Left Field Landing and four hot dogs, hamburgers, or veggie burgers, each with fries and a drink
T-shirt Tuesdays, which feature a ticket in the Left Field Landing to select games and a limited-edition T-shirt for $19
$10 tickets for students with a valid high school of college ID
A complimentary ticket to active military personnel with active military ID, available for pickup in the Ticket Office Lobby in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda on game day
The Mets Fan Club for Kids, for young fans, includes a voucher for two tickets to a Mets home game, an ID card, lanyard, cap, commemorative Fathead poster, three issues of the Kids Club newsletter, a birthday card from the Mets, folder, membership certificate, and more, for $25.
Children 32” or shorter are admitted for free but must occupy a ticket holder’s lap.
Bike racks are provided to ticket holders keen to reduce their carbon footprints.
A concert is hosted after some Friday home games, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
17. AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants)
Ticket savings at AT&T Park include:
Dynamic Deals, where prices will fluctuate based on market value to as low as $8
The Value 6Pack, which includes one ticket to six select games for $39
Fans are permitted to bring paper and plastic grocery bags, purses, fanny packs, backpacks, lunch bags, diaper bags (backpack-style), soft-sided containers, handbags and briefcases into the ballpark as long as they do not exceed 16" x 16" x 8" in size.
Fans may bring in factory-sealed plastic bottles and soft-sided juice containers. Unsealed plastic bottles will be inspected.
Children age 2 and younger are admitted for free but must occupy a ticket holder’s lap.
Free Wi-Fi is provided to fans.
A fireworks show is hosted after some Friday home games, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
18. Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers)
Ticket savings for Miller Park include:
50% off all seats (except Bernie’s Terrace and $1 Uecker Seats) to weekday afternoon home games for kids age 14 and younger and seniors age 60 and older
$20 for the Brew Crew & The Zoo package, which includes one Terrace Reserved ticket to a select game, one ticket to the Milwaukee County Zoo, and a Brew Crew & the Zoo T-shirt
Brewers $13 Fair Fridays, which includes one Terrace Reserved ticket to any Friday game and one general admission ticket to the Wisconsin State Fair
Corey’s Corner tickets plus a limited-edition Corey Hart T-shirt for $35, to benefit the American Heart Association
The Harley-Davidson Crew H-D Ticket Package, which includes a ticket to select games, one adult admission to the Harley-Davidson Museum, and an H-D Museum glass mug
Miller High Life Mondays, featuring $8 Terrace Reserved seats
50% off Terrace Reserved and Loge Bleacher seats for college and high school students with a valid ID to Friday home games, courtesy of Time Warner Cable
$1 Uecker Seats, available on game day only.
The Brewers Kids’ Club, for age 14 and younger, includes an ID card with lanyard, cap, drawstring bag and coin pouch, poster and beads, six Terrace Reserved ticket vouchers, and other exclusive opportunities, for $25.
Fans are permitted to bring in soft-sided bags or containers 16” x 16” x 8” or smaller.
Fans may bring in factory-sealed plastic bottles containing soda, water, or juice.
Fans are permitted to bring in outside food in appropriate containers.
Bike racks are provided to ticket holders keen to reduce their carbon footprints.
Children age 2 and younger are admitted for free but must occupy a ticket holder’s lap.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
19. Nationals Park (Washington Nationals)
Ticket savings at Nationals Park include:
Harris Teeter Family Fun Packs, which include a game ticket, hot dog, Coca-Cola/Dasani beverage, and chips, starting at $14 each (two ticket minimum)
Miller Lite Party Night (every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), which includes a ticket to a select section and a free Coca-Cola product, Dasani water, or beer, starting at $20
A free birthday ticket
The Beltway Burger Pack, which includes a ticket to a select section, burger, fries, and a drink, starting at $20 (two ticket minimum)
50% off tickets $10 or more for college students with a valid college ID (limit one ticket per ID)
$3 off tickets $10 or more for military personnel, seniors, and government employees
$5 off tickets $24 or more to every Tuesday home game by presenting a Harris Teeter VIC card (four ticket max)
$5 off tickets $24 or more on Washington Post Wednesdays by presenting the front page of that day’s Washington Post
The Jr. Nationals Kids Club, for ages 12 and younger, includes a lunch tote, braided necklace, mini-Screech bobblehead, membership card with lanyard, a coupon book with buy-one-get-one-free ticket vouchers and free meal offers, and a Jr. Nationals passport for $15.
Fans are permitted to bring in soft-sided bags or containers 16” x 16” x 8” or smaller.
Fans may bring in factory-sealed water bottles of one-liter in size or less, kids’ juice boxes, insulin containers, baby food, and empty Nalgene water bottles. Only one bottle per person is permitted.
Fans are permitted to bring in outside food in single-serving bags within soft-sided containers or coolers.
Children age 2 and younger are admitted for free but must occupy a ticket holder’s lap.
Kids, age 14 and younger, can ride the Fly Ball Ferris Wheel for free on Sundays.
A free bike valet is located in Garage C at the corner of First and N streets, SE. Access to the valet is on N Street, just left of the entrance. The valet will accept bikes 2.5 hours before game time and will close one hour after the game ends.
The day after the Nationals win and score at least five runs, fans can use promo code NATS50 for 50% OFF their entire order at PapaJohns.com.
A fireworks show is hosted after some Friday home games, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
20. Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers)
Ticket savings are offered at Comercia Park on various event nights hosted sporadically throughout the season.
Membership to the Tigers Kids Club includes a Justin Verlander drawstring backpack, two issues of PAWSprint, a kids’ club passport with lanyard, birthday card, and other exclusive offers.
Fans are permitted to bring in soft-sided bags or containers 16” x 16” x 8” or smaller.
Fans may bring in factory-sealed bottles of unflavored water and juice boxes.
Fans are permitted to bring in outside food in single-serving bags.
Children age 3 and younger are admitted for free but must occupy a ticket holder’s lap.
A fireworks show is hosted after most Friday and Saturday home games, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
21. Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs)
Ticket savings at Wrigley Field include dynamic pricing, where prices will fluctuate based on market value.
The Cubs Kids Club membership includes a lanyard, chest protector backpack, baseball cap, school supplies package, stickers, Wrigley Field Tour ticket, child ticket to Legoland Discovery Center Chicago, and front-of-the-line privileges for Kids-Run-the-Bases, for $29.
Fans are permitted to bring in soft-sided bags or containers 16” x 16” x 8” or smaller.
Fans may bring in factory-sealed bottles of water.
Fans are permitted to bring food and drink items in acceptable containers.
Children age 2 and younger are admitted for free but must occupy a ticket holder’s lap.
A free bike valet is located on the southeast corner of Clark and Waveland.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
22. Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros)
Ticket savings at Minute Maid Park include:
An all-you-can-eat option that includes unlimited hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, peanuts, soda, and water for $30
Price Matters, which includes a View Deck II ticket, a hot dog, a bag of H-E-B chips, and one soda for $10
The Coca-Cola Value Zone, which includes a Mezzanine ticket, Astros cap, a hot dog, and 20 oz. Coke product for $20, available every Friday to Sunday home game
$30 for a Guys Night Out package, which includes a Field Box II ticket, sausage dog, one draft beer or small soda, and an Astros cap
Dynamic pricing, where prices will fluctuate based on market value
The Astro Buddies Kids Club (MVP membership), for age 14 and younger, includes four Astros tickets, discount ticket offers, and other perks, for $20. Rookie membership is free.
A fireworks show is hosted after every Friday home game, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
23. U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox)
Ticket savings at U.S. Cellular Field include:
Dynamic pricing, where prices will fluctuate based on market value
Kids Days, when tickets for kids age 13 and younger are $1 each when a full-price adult ticket is purchased for select games
One free ticket to active members of the military, based on availability, at the U.S. Cellular Field Box Office on game day with a valid military ID
The White Sox Kids Club (All-Star membership), for age 13 and younger, includes four White Sox tickets, a welcome postcard from a White Sox player, T-shirt, cap, White Sox mini-bobblehead, foam finger, and more, for $35. Slugger membership is free.
Fans are permitted to bring in soft-sided bags or containers 16” x 16” x 8” or smaller.
Each fan may bring in one sealed bottle of water, one liter in size or less.
Fans are permitted to bring in outside food in small, see-through plastic bags.
Children 36” and under are admitted for free but must occupy a ticket holder’s lap.
A fireworks show is hosted after every Friday home game, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
24. Target Field (Minnesota Twins)
Ticket savings at Target Field include demand-based pricing, where prices will fluctuate based on demand.
Fans are permitted to bring in soft-sided bags or containers 16” x 16” x 8” or smaller.
Fans may bring in sealed bottled water 32 oz. or less and soft-sided juice or milk containers. Empty, plastic sport-type water bottles are also permitted.
Fans are permitted to bring in outside food in soft-sided containers that will fit under a seat.
Children 30” and under are admitted for free but must occupy a ticket holder’s lap.
A fireworks show is hosted after some Friday home games, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
25. PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Ticket savings at PNC Park include:
50% to 60% off Grandstand, Bleacher Reserved, and Upper Grandstand seats for kids age 14 and younger
$38 for all-you-can-eat seats in the Outfield Reserved section, which include unlimited burgers, hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, peanuts, salads, ice cream, and soda for $38
Pepsi Max Packs, which include a game ticket, hot dog, pretzel, and a Pepsi, for $24 on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons
$10 off Sunday home game tickets with a Giant Eagle Advantage Card
Up to $10 off each ticket when you purchase with a PNC Bank Check Card
$25 for one human and one dog ticket on Pup Nights
The Bucaroos Kids Club (Gold membership) includes four ticket vouchers, six buy one, get one free ticket vouchers, a lunch cooler, winter gloves, and exclusive experience opportunities, for $15. Sliver membership is free.
All fans receive a free Pirates T-shirt at every Friday home game.
Children 32” and under are admitted for free but must occupy a ticket holder’s lap.
A fireworks show is hosted after some Saturday home games, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
26. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals)
Ticket savings at Kauffman Stadium include:
All-you-can-eat seats in the Loge Level, which include unlimited hot dogs, nachos, peanuts, pretzels, and Pepsi products for $40
Family FunDay Sunday 4-Packs, which include four tickets in the Hy-Vee Infield, $10 in concession credit on each ticket, and an All Day Play Pass for unlimited activities in the Outfield Experience, available every Sunday home game for $80
$10 Fountain Seats on Value Games
Frenchy Quarter Thursdays, which feature an Outfield Box seat, a “The Frenchy Quarter” T-shirt, and blue Mardi Gras beads, available every Thursday home game for $21
50% off to Jackson County residents to select home games
Play Packs, which include two Field Plaza tickets with $5 in concession credit and two Play Passes for unlimited games in the Outfield Experience for $25
$7 Hy-Vee Level tickets to all Monday home games
Half-priced tickets in the Loge Box, Field Plaza, Outfield Box, Hy-Vee Box, Hy-Vee Infield and Hy-Vee Outfield, to all Sunday to Thursday home games for seniors age 65 and older
$7 Outfield Box and Hy-Vee Infield tickets to all Wednesday home games for high school and college students with a valid ID
Up to four half-priced tickets for active-duty and retired military with a valid military ID.
$7 Hy-Vee Infield tickets to every Wednesday home game for age 14 and younger
The Sluggerrr’s Blue Crew Youth Fan Club membership, for age 14 and younger, includes a Royals replica batting practice jersey, jersey-style backpack with MP3 player pocket, special-edition reusable water bottle, VIP access to the Sprint Fun Run, two game ticket vouchers, vouchers to the Outfield Experience; child’s admission for a ballpark tour, and other special offers, for $20.
Fans are permitted to bring in soft-sided bags or containers 16” x 16” x 8” or smaller.
Each fan may bring in one sealed bottled water, 20 oz. or less.
Fans are permitted to bring in outside food in soft-sided containers.
Children 32” and under are admitted for free but must occupy a ticket holder’s lap.
A fireworks show is hosted after every Friday home game, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
27. Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox)
At Fenway Park, fans are permitted to bring in soft-sided bags or containers 16” x 16” x 8” or smaller.
Children age 2 and younger are admitted free.
28. Marlins Park (Miami Marlins)
Ticket savings at Marlins Park include:
Special offer every Wednesday
$10 Gameday Specials; Monday “All You Can Eat” tickets to select games, which include unlimited hot dogs, sodas, water, nachos, peanuts, and popcorn
Tuesday “Family Four Pack” tickets, which include tickets, hot dogs, chips, and sodas for four, starting at $54
50% off tickets to Wednesday home game with a fill-up of eight gallons or more of Chevron gasoline
$5 one ticket with a voucher from participating Subway restaurants
Free tickets to military employees, active duty, Reserve, National Guard, and their dependents, on Military Mondays, sponsored by Outback Steakhouse
The Billy’s Bunch Kids Club (free for residents of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Collier, and Monroe counties, ages 12 and younger) includes a welcome letter from Billy the Marlin, an official Billy’s Bunch membership card, Heath Bell player poster, Miami Marlins “black eye,” Billy’s Bunch messenger bag, Billy’s Bunch Family Sunday Passport, and a free Duffy’s kid’s meal coupon.
Fans are permitted to bring in soft-sided bags or containers 16” x 16” x 8” or smaller.
Fans may bring in factory-sealed bottled water 20 oz. or less and soft-sided juice or milk containers.
Each fan is permitted to bring in one single-serving food item in a clear plastic bag. Fruit must be sliced.
Children age 3 and younger are admitted for free but must occupy a ticket holder’s lap.
Free concerts are hosted after some Friday home games, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
29. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland Athletics)
Ticket savings at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum include:
$2 tickets in the Plaza Outfield and Plaza Reserved sections to every Wednesday home game
50% off Plaza Level tickets to every Thursday home game
XFINITY Friday Family Packs, which include Plaza Level tickets, hot dogs, medium drinks, and bags of peanuts for four, for $50
Dynamic pricing, where prices will fluctuate based on market value
The Oakland A’s Kids Club (All-Star membership), for age 14 and younger, includes an A’s Kids Club sweatshirt-style drawstring bag; water bottle, lanyard, coupon booklet with free and discounted offers on A’s tickets and merchandise, and more, for $20. Rookie membership is free.
Fans are permitted to bring in soft-sided bags or containers 16” x 16” x 8” or smaller.
Children age 2 and younger are admitted for free but must occupy a ticket holder’s lap.
All fans park for free at most Tuesday games.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
30. Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Rays)
Ticket savings at Tropicana Field include Tampa Bay Times Family Fun Days, which feature special tickets offers that include a voucher for a hot dog, snack, and Pepsi product, available every Sunday home game.
The Rays Rookies membership, for age 14 and younger, includes official Rays Rookies jersey, drawstring backpack, membership card, coupons for merchandise and concession items, ticket vouchers to two Rays home games, and other discounts, for $25.
Fans are permitted to bring in soft-sided bags or containers 16” x 16” x 8” or smaller.
Fans may bring in factory-sealed bottled water one liter or less and soft-sided juice or milk containers.
Fans are permitted to bring in outside food for individual consumption.
Children younger than age 2 are admitted for free.
Free concerts are hosted after some Saturday home games, weather permitting.
Promotional items are given away regularly. Check the giveaway schedule here.
Are you privy to deals and discounts at your favorite MLB stadium that are not on this list? Let me know in the comments below.
Like this article? Pin it!I have a shard of sympathy for Rep. Ron Paul and his supporters, now that the former gadfly presidential candidate looks capable of an Iowa caucus victory. The sudden attention to Paul's ugly newsletters, especially on the right, is a little suspicious, since they aren't news; their racism and anti-Semitism were exposed in 2008, and even earlier.
In January 2008 the New Republic ran the most thorough exposé of the hateful opinions published under Paul's name – that the Los Angeles riots stopped only "when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks," that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "seduced underage girls and boys" and the national holiday to honor him was "Hate Whitey Day," plus various screeds blaming crime on African-Americans – and Reason revealed that Paul mined far-right groups like Holocaust denier Willis Carto's Liberty Lobby to build his mailing list. But the newsletter controversy, along with Paul's hateful friends, drew the attention and wrath of mainstream conservative opinion leaders only when Paul began to surge in the polls.
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Bill Kristol's Weekly Standard got the writer of TNR's 2008 piece, James Kirchick, to reprise his old story and update it. Subbing for Rush Limbaugh, Mark Steyn denounced Paul's "sheer stupid half-witted parochialism" as well as his attack on King as a pedophile. Steyn argues that Paul's strategy of insisting he didn't know his newsletters published racist garbage meant he "shouldn't be entrusted with the government of the United States." Now Newt Gingrich is saying he won't vote for Paul in the unlikely event that Paul is the GOP nominee facing President Obama next November.
But the GOP's belated denunciation of Paul's newsletter fiasco feels insincere, and that's because it is. Paul's biggest sin on the establishment right is his rejection of America's wars of empire as well as its staunch military and economic support for Israel, and the higher he rises in the polls, the more important it is, especially for the neoconservative wing of the GOP, to defeat him.
Paul's bracing foreign-policy stands led Andrew Sullivan to endorse him, with reservations, for the GOP nomination. But the snowballing scandal around his newsletter racism led Sullivan to retract his endorsement on Monday. "I just cannot see how he can be such a president without explaining away the newsletters convincingly," he wrote, while adding, "I don't think he's a racist; in fact, I think he's one of the least racially aware politicians I've come across in a long while."
Sullivan remains too quick to accept Paul's assurances that he didn't write or authorize the newsletters' most loathsome views, and that he denounces the hateful racial and anti-Semitic views they sometimes expressed. Even if we accept Paul's excuses – and I don't entirely – it's shocking that he didn't have anyone around him to clue him in to the hateful views going out under his name. Friends don't let friends send out racist newsletters, unless said friends aren't entirely shocked by such views. I also think being "one of the least racially aware politicians I've come across" is problematic in someone who wants to be president of a multiracial society still divided by race.
But in fact, Paul's relationship with his newsletters' racism is even more complicated than Sullivan allows. Paul's story about the newsletters has shifted over the years. As Think Progress outlined Tuesday, there was a time when the Texas libertarian tried to defend some of the racist views they expressed, back during his 1996 congressional campaign.
He told the Houston Chronicle that the newsletters' comments about African-Americans reflected "current events and statistical reports of the time." He defended a remark about black street criminals being particularly "fleet of foot" by noting that "if you try to catch someone that has stolen a purse from you, there is no chance to catch them." Asked about a newsletter calling the late Rep. Barbara Jordan a "moron" and a "fraud," Paul said "such opinions represented our clear philosophical difference."
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Most important, Paul didn't claim that someone else had authored the newsletters back then. He didn't give that excuse until a 2001 interview with the Texas Monthly, when he told a reporter: "I could never say this in the campaign, but those words weren’t really written by me." And it wasn't until 2008 when he explicitly denounced the newsletters' racist views, saying, "I have never uttered such words and denounce such small-minded thoughts." Now he's insisting not only that he didn't write any of those words but that he never even read them. I'm sorry, but that strains credulity. Think Progress also notes that Paul was the only member of Congress to vote against awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks. In my opinion, that singular, stubborn, mean-spirited vote alone should disqualify him from being president.
I'm glad that GOP politicians and thought leaders are finally speaking out against the racist views in Paul's newsletters, whether he authored them or negligently allowed them to go out under his name. But excuse me if I don't take their sudden horror at racism and racial dog whistles entirely seriously. Virtually the entire party has tolerated the crude Birther hoax, the claim that our first black president wasn't born in this country and is ineligible to be president, which seems at least partly inspired by racial hostility. Gingrich has called Obama "the food stamp president" and denounced his nonexistent "Kenyan anti-colonial mentality."
Only last week on Fox, the Media Research Center's Brent Bozell – a Ron Paul critic, by the way – attacked MSNBC's Chris Matthews for saying Newt Gingrich looks like a "car bomber" by asking what would happen if a Fox host said Obama looked like "a skinny ghetto crackhead." Lest anyone think that was merely a rhetorical device, Bozell added, "which, by the way, you might want to say that Barack Obama does." There's been no rush on the right to attack Bozell.
So yes, Ron Paul deserves to be denounced for many of the views expressed in his paranoid, racist, anti-Semitic, pro-militia, anti-government newsletters. But he deserved to be denounced for those views long before he became the front-runner in Iowa. I am enjoying the spectacle of Bill Kristol, by the way, the man who brought us Sarah Palin, once again taking to the pages of his magazine to beg someone, anyone, to enter the GOP primary and save him from Mitt Romney. These people have wrecked their party, and they'd wreck the country if given a chance.
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I discussed the GOP presidential primary mess on MSNBC's "The Ed Show" Tuesday night:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyAt this type of library there are no late fees, and the selection isn’t arranged according to the Dewey Decimal System. That’s because all the stories here are delivered first-hand by a living, breathing human being.
The “Human Library” originated in Denmark in the year 2000 as part of a youth organization called “Stop the Violence.” The idea is straightforward: library guests can choose which volunteer they’d like to “check out” based on titles the human books assign themselves. Past titles have included “Olympic Athlete,” “Biking Agoraphobic,” “Fat Woman,” and “A Questioning Christian.” Visitors then sit down with their books for half an hour or so to listen to them share their personal stories.
The project is meant to combat prejudice by giving people a chance to connect with someone they may have never had a chance to speak with otherwise. No two accounts are exactly alike, and guests have the unique opportunity to ask questions and interact with the stories as they listen to them.
The Denmark experiment has since expanded into a worldwide project, with human libraries making appearances in fifty countries on five continents. Some places like Tasmania and South Korea have even established permanent human libraries for the public to enjoy.
To check for human libraries coming to your neighborhood, visit the the Human Library Organization’s Facebook page.
[h/t: Roadtrippers]JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon speaks during a discussion in Washington December 12, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Theiler
(Reuters) - Washington’s inaction on the debt ceiling crisis, government shutdowns and immigration have slowed America’s economic growth, JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday.
Dimon said the economy would have grown faster without the Washington gridlock, but said he did not blame the government as it is elected by the people.
“If we want people in Washington to collaborate, let’s elect people who are going to collaborate,” he told moderator Chuck Todd.
Dimon, however, said he gave “enormous credit” to several current and former Washington officials for stopping the recession from getting worse. He cited former President George Bush, President Barack Obama, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry “Hank” Paulson, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
“And I think if they had not taken a lot of those actions it likely would have gotten worse,” he said.With 26 directors, 80,000 video clips, and 4,500 hours of raw footage, it had so much potential to be a garbled mess. Instead, the crowdsourced this-is-our-planet hash of Life in a Day turned out every bit as profound, expansive, and inspiring as its terrifically ambitious subject.
The Ridley Scott-produced film, a collection of short user-submitted videos, hits YouTube today after a tour of the festival circuit. You can watch it with your choice of 25 different subtitles, but the words aren't nearly as important as the images: dawn, dusk, the bright and dark in between. There are moments that mark us as unique, and ones that bound us together. It's an all-encompassing look at the world as we see it and shoot it. Surely that's worth 90 minutes of your time. [YouTube]Mayor Rob Ford was treated for kidney stones in a Toronto hospital Thursday but has returned home, his spokeswoman said.
The Mayor had been feeling unwell at City Hall on Wednesday and went to hospital on Thursday.
Adrienne Batra, the Mayor’s press secretary, said he was treated on an out-patient basis and that despite some pain he was still able to get some work in.
“He is still returning phone calls, he is still talking to constituents and he is still open for business,” she told reporters Thursday.
“For anyone who has had kidney stones, it can be kind of painful but I can assure you that this is nothing serious and it’s being treated.”
Batra sent a message out late in the afternoon saying that the Mayor was resting at home and some of the pain had subsided. He will be seeing a urologist on Friday for the approximately 5 to 6 mm kidney stone.
It is not clear when he will return to City Hall. Asked what the Mayor’s reaction was to the
OCAP protesters
, Ms. Batra said: “He’s a little preoccupied right now.”
Mayor Ford had a health scare when he was a councillor in 2009 when doctors discovered a tumour on his appendix. Doctors removed his appendix and part of his colon, and he was back at work within a few weeks.
A kidney stone is a solid mass of tiny crystals that is painful but usually can be removed from the body without causing permanent damage.Consider a selection of stereotypical movie scenes: 1. A witness to a crime walks hesitatingly along a line of blank-faced characters trying to identify the culprit. 2. A defendant pleads with the jury from the dock: “ I didn’t do it – believe me!” 3. A victim screams: “All right – I’ll talk!” as some vile instrument of torture is applied to their flesh.
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Now, in your mind, imagine the witness, defendant or victim lying in a brain scanner. Nearby, an image forms on a monitor. It’s fuzzy at first, but forms into a clear picture – maybe a face, an event or a string of words. The scanner has read the person’s mind and presented its contents.
The second type of scene has been a sci-fi staple for decades. But recently, ‘mind reading’ by brain imaging has taken some big steps into the real world.
German and US researchers recently produced speech that was communicated by a patient undergoing brain surgery. The words in the recording were translated from a readout of the electrical patterns generated in the patient’s brain.
This brain-to-text study is the latest to demonstrate that neurotelepathy – knowing what a person is experiencing by interpreting their brain activity – is a reality, even if it is still relatively crude. Last year, a group of Yale researchers produced digital reconstructions of faces that were being viewed by people in an fMRI scanner. Again, the source of the images was the pattern of activity detected in the viewers’ brains. The published results suggest the reconstructed faces are as recognisable, or more so, than traditional photofits.
Prof Marvin Chun, who ran the study in his lab at Yale, says it has finally given him an answer to the question so often asked by strangers when they learn he is a psychologist: “They want to know if I can read their mind,’ he says. “Now I have an answer. Yes. If I can get them in a scanner, I can.”
So far, there is a limit to what can be read. Alan Cowen, the Yale PhD student who designed the study, stresses that the volunteers willingly conveyed the information that was extracted. “We can only read active parts of the brain,” he explains. “So you couldn’t read passive memories – you would have to get the person to imagine the memory to read it. It’s a matter of time, and eventually, maybe 200 years from now, we’ll have some way of reading inactive parts of the brain. But that’s a much harder problem, as it involves measuring very fine details of brain structure that we don’t even really understand.”
Private thoughts
This doesn’t put paid to the issue of privacy, however, because you don’t necessarily have control over which parts of your brain are active. In a 2013 study, even more Hollywood-like, a Japanese group managed to recreate dreams. Brain activity was recorded from volunteers. This was then translated into a video of what they were likely experiencing during Rapid Eye Movement. The resulting films were more detailed than the dreamers’ own recollections of their experiences.
Neurotelepathy is possible because the location of brain functions is pretty consistent across individuals. Almost anyone who looks at a face will show activation in an area on the left of their brain, just behind the ear. Looking at inanimate objects stirs activity in a different area. Thinking sad thoughts will activate different areas to happy thoughts. Saying ‘aaaaah’ involves different neurones to saying ‘teeeee’.
Of course, there are differences between individuals. If you and I hear the word ‘moon’, our brains will not respond identically. For you, the word may jog images of astronauts, while in me it might trigger the notion of cheese. But activity correlating to hearing ‘oooo’, and imagining a silver disc will be common to us both. If you build a big enough database of different brains responding to the same things, you can arrive at a ‘signature’ for each stimulus.
One of the first studies to show that this method works was carried out at MIT in 2000. A group led by Prof Nancy Kanwisher showed images to volunteers while they were being scanned, then examined the readouts.
“Just by eyeballing the data, I correctly determined in over 80 per cent of the trials whether the subject was imagining faces or places,” says Kanwisher. “I worried for a long time before we published these data that people might think we could use an MRI to read their minds. Would they not realise the results obtained in my experiment were for a specific, constrained situation? That we used faces and places because we know which highly specific parts of the brain process those two categories? That we selected only cooperative subjects who were good mental imagers? And so on. I thought, ‘Surely, no one would try to use fMRI to figure out what somebody else was thinking?’”
But of course, people would.
“One day, I believe we’ll be able to send full, rich thoughts to each other directly using technology,” announced Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a Q&A session. “You’ll just be able to think of something and your friends will immediately be able to experience it too.”
There is a massive practicality gulf between current experiments and Zuckerberg’s vision. The brain-to-text experiment, for example, involved placing electrodes directly on the brains of patients during surgery. Meanwhile, the |
friend. So I gradually made my way to the back of the store while I glimpsed my pal up front stuffing a few hundred dollars’ worth of merchandise into his backpack. If I was going to be profiled, I thought, at least my blond-haired buddy could get some new clothes out of the deal. I think we could have made a racket out of this, but we didn’t.
At Lafayette College I played football on a scholarship, like most of the working-class kids on campus. One night I was having a conversation with two of my white teammates as we watched the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football in their dorm room. Deion Sanders was on the sidelines, not dressed for the game due to an injury. He wore a jogging suit with a big gold chain and a crucifix that swayed beneath the lights. My teammates took the occasion to explain to me the difference between a “black person” and a “nigger.” They categorized Sanders as the latter — mostly, it seemed, because of his clothes and his swagger. A “black person,” in their minds, was someone like the Detroit Lions’ Barry Sanders, whose humble attitude on the field appealed to them. Beginning the next morning I could swallow nothing for four days except water, and only a few sips if I bent over and twisted my head at a bizarre angle, looking back almost over my shoulder. I lost about twenty pounds — no small concern for a college tight end. The doctor diagnosed esophageal spasms and prescribed a muscle relaxant. I think the spasms were my body’s revolt: You must not swallow this. But how could I not?
A friend of mine here at Indiana University, the late black writer and creative-writing professor Don Belton, came to my house one day looking especially weary. Don told me he had been at the bookstore, where a young white woman had asked if he needed any help, and he’d snapped, “Do I look like I need help?” I’m sure this behavior didn’t make sense to the poor woman trying to assist him. Don thought he was being perceived as a criminal. “Can I help you?” twisted in his ear into “Are you stealing something?” I tried to tell him that I’d seen the clerks at that store ask everyone who walked in the same question. Don held his head in his hands. “I’m just so tired,” he said.
I have my own catalog of similarly exhausting experiences: the janitor in my building on campus shouting, “How’d you get in here?” as I walked to my office one night, until I shook my key at him; the older white woman at the antique shop glaring at my pockets (one of which had a book in it), and my own halfhearted desire to allay her anxiety: No, no, dear lady, I just need a chair. I just want a fucking chair.
As a result of this, I’ve developed the habit of buying something in stores whether I want to or not, to put such possibly suspicious white people at ease. I’m behaving in response to what I imagine other people are thinking. After all, the janitor and the antique-shop clerk didn’t say anything to me about the color of my skin. Just as the cop didn’t say, “Since you appear to be of some African extraction, I would like to ask you if you have any drugs or weapons in the car.” He just asked if I had any drugs or weapons in the car.
I’ve had to struggle not to absorb those stares and questions and traffic stops and newscasts and TV shows and movies and what they imply. I’ve been afraid walking through the alarm gate at the store that maybe something’s fallen into my pockets, or that I’ve unconsciously stuffed something in them; I’ve felt panic that the light-skinned black man who mugged our elderly former neighbors was actually me, and I worried that my parents, with whom I watched the newscast, suspected the same; and nearly every time I’ve been pulled over, I’ve prayed there were no drugs in my car, despite the fact that I don’t use drugs; I don’t even smoke pot. That’s to say, the story I have all my life heard about black people — criminal, criminal, criminal — I have started to suspect of myself.
AS ABOLITION became a real possibility in the nineteenth century, a mythology about black-male criminality was crafted by proponents of slavery, and that myth was then amplified after emancipation. Our current prison system, and the “drug war” that is responsible for that system’s status as the largest in the world, actively cultivates the same story of a unique criminal blackness. I put “drug war” in quotes, because, as Michelle Alexander points out in her brilliant book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, if there were a true War on Drugs, then “people of all colors,... who use and sell illegal drugs at remarkably similar rates,” would be incarcerated at very nearly the same rate. But that’s not the case.
Alexander’s book is an incisive analysis of how the drug war has specifically targeted African American men, saddling huge numbers with ex-felon status, which makes employment, voting, housing, education, and more nearly impossible: in other words, effectively reinstating Jim Crow. Among her most striking observations is that in 1981, when President Ronald Reagan declared that he was “running up a battle flag” in the War on Drugs, fewer than 2 percent of the American public viewed drugs as the most important issue facing the nation. That figure jumped to 64 percent in 1989, thanks largely to a sensational (and racist) media campaign. She also points out that the police could make numerous drug arrests by raiding the fraternities and sororities at colleges, but for the most part they don’t, because those students are not viewed as criminals: they’re just kids who use drugs.
A few years back I was teaching a summer enrichment class for public-school students in Philadelphia who were almost all black, and I had a discussion about drug use with them. One outspoken child told me, and the class, “Mr. Ross, my name’s not Sally; my name’s Takeisha. I smoke weed.” God bless this child and her weed. But what she didn’t know, and won’t until she makes some white friends or goes off to college, is that Sally probably smokes just as much weed as she does, or takes OxyContin, or snorts Ritalin, or uses cocaine or Adderall. Takeisha believed that she was different from white people in her habits. She believed she was a criminal, whereas her white counterparts were, well, white. I wish Takeisha and everyone else knew that people of all races use drugs. It’s just that if you’re black or brown, like the people in Takeisha’s neighborhood, your drug use is more often policed and punished. But the fantasy of black criminality continues. This, to a large extent, is what the drug war is about: making Takeisha — along with her teachers, her local shop owners, her neighbors, her city’s police, her prosecutors — believe she’s a criminal. It is, perhaps, the only war the U.S. has won in the last thirty years.
I shudder at the emotional and psychic burden we’ve laid on the young black and brown New Yorkers — so many of them children — being profiled in that city’s “stop-and-frisk” program. One man featured in a New York Times video speaks with courage and dignity about having been stopped as a teenager “at least sixty to seventy times.” Another, in a video made by The Nation, talks about having been roughed up for “looking suspicious” and called a “mutt.” Eighty-seven percent of stop-and-frisk targets are black or Latino, though blacks and Latinos constitute only about half of New York City’s population. How, when their city believes them to be criminal, do these young people escape believing the same of themselves?
Isn’t it, for them, for us, a gargantuan task not to imagine that everyone is imagining us as criminal? A nearly impossible task? What a waste, a corruption, of the imagination. Time and again we think the worst of anyone perceiving us: walking through the antique shop; standing in front of the lecture hall; entering the bank; considering whether or not to go camping someplace or another; driving to the hardware store; being pulled over by the police. Or, for the black and brown kids in New York City, simply walking down the street every day of their lives. The imagination, rather than being cultivated for connection or friendship or love, is employed simply for some crude version of survival. This corruption of the imagination afflicts all of us: we’re all violated by it. I certainly know white people who worry, Does he think I think what he thinks I think? And in this way, moments of potential connection are fraught with suspicion and all that comes with it: fear, anger, paralysis, disappointment, despair. We all think the worst of each other and ourselves, and become our worst selves.
Among the more concrete ramifications of this corruption of the imagination is that when the police suspect a black man or boy of having a gun, he becomes murderable: Murderable despite having earned advanced degrees or bought a cute house or written a couple of books of poetry. Murderable whether he’s an unarmed adult or a child riding a bike in the opposite direction. Murderable in the doorways of our houses. Murderable as we come home from the store. Murderable as we lie facedown on the ground in a subway station. Murderable the day before our weddings. Murderable, probably, in our gardens.
We all exist, mostly unwittingly, in a world of illusions with all-too-real consequences. Too often we exist, as Ralph Ellison’s narrator in Invisible Man says, as “phantom[s] in other people’s minds.” The title of poet Cornelius Eady’s book Brutal Imagination, about the Susan Smith murders, says it all. Smith drowned her two children, then conjured (from her imagination) a black carjacker to explain their disappearance. The main speaker throughout Brutal Imagination is that black phantom, made of our culture’s fears, just as we are made of each other’s fears. Eady says in the poem “My Heart”: “Susan Smith has invented me because / Nobody else in town will do what / She needs me to do.” And later in the same poem: “Since her fear is my blood / And her need part mythical, / Everything she says about me is true.”
But what if we acknowledged those fears, regardless of how awful or shameful they are? What if we acknowledged this country’s terrible and ongoing history of imagining its own citizens — indigenous, black, Japanese American, Arab American, Latino — as monsters? What if we acknowledged the drug war, and the resulting mass incarceration of African Americans, and the myriad intermediate crimes against citizens and communities as a product of our fears? And what if we thereby had to reevaluate our sense of justice and the laws and procedures and beliefs that constitute it? What if we honestly assessed what we have come to believe about ourselves and each other, and how those beliefs shape our lives? And what if we did it with generosity and forgiveness? What if we did it with mercy?
It seems to me that part of my reason for writing this — for revealing my own fear and sorrow, my own paranoia and self-incrimination and shame — is to say, Look how I’ve been made by this. To have, perhaps, mercy on myself. When we have mercy, deep and abiding change might happen. The corrupt imagination might become visible. Inequalities might become visible. Violence might become visible. Terror might become visible. And the things we’ve been doing to each other, despite the fact that we don’t want to do such things to each other, might become visible.
If we don’t, we will all remain phantoms — and, as it turns out, it’s hard for phantoms to care for one another, let alone love one another. And it’s easy for phantoms to hurt one another. So when the cop and I met that night, how could he possibly have seen the real me for all the stories and fantasies that have been heaped on my body, and the bodies of those like me, for centuries? And how could I see him?
Meanwhile he stood no more than three feet from me, and we looked each other in the eye. And when I gave him my license and registration, our hands almost certainly touched. And they almost certainly touched again as he gave them back.
THREE WEEKS before that incident, I brought home my first box of bees. I’d picked them up from Hunter’s Honey Farm, twenty miles up the road in Martinsville. Bees often come, as mine did, in a small screened box with a tin can full of sugar water that they drink from for the handful of days they’re in transit. As instructed by the beekeeper, I removed three frames from my hive and set the entire box into the open space, where it fit snugly. Then I simply removed the tin-can feeder and began waiting for the bees — all nine thousand of them — to slowly walk out of the box. Ideally within three days they would be busy gathering nectar and making honey. I was hoping I could then open the hive, remove the box, replace the three frames, close the hive back up, and leave the bees alone.
Four days later I went back to the hive. I took off my shirt and wore my thinnest-soled shoes, so as to be both as close to the earth as I could and as vulnerable to the bees as they were to me. I was trying to convey to them my good intentions. I know it sounds crazy — my neighbor, a college kid, seemed to think it was, looking on from the farthest corner of her yard — but I knew it was right somehow. And though I’d assisted with a few beehives and had experienced thousands of bees flying in a constellation near my head and making their beautiful moan, I’d not done the handling of the frames myself, the real negotiating with the bees. On this day I would.
As I opened the hive, I saw that the bees had made substantial honeycomb on the hive lid, in addition to some on the box itself. I hadn’t been told this might happen. Some people (my sweetheart is one of them) handle bees with ease and grace, singing lightly or talking to them: “Hey, girls, I’m gonna have to move you around a little bit. Excuse me.” Some keepers almost dance with the bees while they do their work.
And some people, it is said, come to the hive angry or anxious or afraid, and the bees know this from far away. They can sense your fear, and they just might sting you for it — which was not reassuring to me as I lifted the box from the hive with what looked like a thousand bees clinging to it, still working on the comb they had been making. Nor was it reassuring when I needed to cut loose the comb they had built on the hive lid, comb that I’d accidentally ripped apart when opening the hive, and that now prevented me from closing the hive back up.
Using a small kitchen knife to free the comb while asking the hundreds of bees as gently as possible to mosey out of the way, I became, despite my best intentions, as terrified as I’ve ever been in my life. The memory of every previous peaceful interaction with bees flew from my head, and rushing in came the image of the entire hive, all nine thousand, wrathful and swarming me. My hands were shaking, and the feeling of a bee landing on me, which had previously been pleasant, made my skin twitch like a horse’s. And the song of the bees changed ever so slightly, climbing half an octave, as it does when they become anxious. And it took every shred of concentration just to hold steady and cut free the comb. And it took every shred of concentration as well not to weep.
What I wouldn’t understand until after the frames were snugged back into the hive, the lid was on, and the comb was placed on a chair nearby (so the bees could haul its honey back inside) is just how afraid I’d been. I was on my knees, still on the verge of sobbing, helping the handful of bees who had gotten caught in the thick grass while I was working and were now struggling to find their way out. I gave my forefinger to each one, letting it crawl aboard, gather itself, and fly up to the hive while I whispered, “Climb up. You can do it, sweetie,” the tiny needle of each stinger just kissing my flesh. And it was then I became fully aware of a vision I’d had while handling the bees.
I’d had it while the thousands of bees flew around me and the knife started shaking in my hand, and the possibility of the hive turning on me was all I could feel. I saw myself pouring gasoline on this hive that I loved and torching it. And I saw a billowing, and I felt such relief at their being no more. I saw cinders of the box and the sooty concrete blocks it sat on and the charred patch of grass beneath smoldering and the few bees not inside lost and circling in wider and wider loops. I saw myself standing with the pack of matches in my hand and the red fuel canister at my feet.
It is said, and I believe it, that bees can see inside you. And yet, and yet, the bees didn’t attack. Not one sting. They didn’t even warn me by coming toward my face. They didn’t believe what I thought — what I imagined — was real. They knew inside me was a truth other than murder. They had mercy. And once the hive was all closed up, they went back to their business.Phantogram's "Eyelid Movies" has turned out to be quite a great purchase and, although I think they certainly are getting some of the recognition they deserve, there's still some room left to go up. It's getting to the point that I've listened to this album so much that it has need some resting time (lest it start to get stale). So, what's there to like? Well, for one, it's good music. A cynic might point out that there's nothing new in music any more but, despite that, I still think this is a pretty unique sound. I never really explored it much, but I think likings to trip-hop earlier in my life are really what's led me to like "Eyelid Movies" so much. To be fair, though, this isn't really trip-hop (if anything, it's closer to, I dunno, trip-pop) and to label it as such would be doing it injustice. Still, the same thing I liked about the good in that genre is what makes me like this album.
Standouts, you ask? Well, yes, there are several! I'm not such a big fan of "Mouthful of Diamonds" as others clearly are, so I don't really count that in the whole "standouts" category. On the other hand, you betcha that "When I'm Small" is! That's what introduced me to Phantogram in the first place, though. Others are: "Running from the Cops," which just makes you (or just me) feel somewhere between giddy and a not-so-certified gangsta when I listen to it; "Futuristic Casket," which may have the best chorus of any track on the album; and "Let Me Go," which channels the best qualities of Blonde Redhead (i.e. "23") through Phantogram's unique musical filter to create the best song on the album. A note on that last comparison should be made, though. I tend to judge musicians as artists more than entertainers, meaning that I value execution as much as content (otherwise, you really COULD say it's all been done before and deride all modern music as re-hashing the innovators). Since no two bands really ever execute a sound so similarly that they really deserve to be grouped together, I try to avoid statements like "this really sounds like so-and-so," because the truth is more likely that only certain parts of it really just kinda sound like so-and-so. With that said, there are elements of "Eyelid Movies" that sound quite a bit like the best of Blonde Redhead, of which includes nearly the entirety of "Let Me Go." So what I said about that track before should be taken at face value!Happy New Year! In this last Declarations of War for 2012, Fly Reckless’ Connall Tara joins us to ensure we don’t stay on script for more than a few minutes at a time. Enjoy!
-Connall details the nuances of small-ship combat and living in Red vs. Blue
-Contract Wrap Up: Noir. Returns to Providence
-This Week In Mercs: Bounties baby!
-Retribution released, the good and the bad. And the CSM (thanks Connall)
-Dec Shield: Success or Failure
-Three Titans Dead, Thirty More Take their Place
-Wars in the South: We talk HBC, Stainwagon, -A-, N3, SOLAR, Black Legion.
-CSM Pre-Summit Townhall recap
-Freaky Four Way: Ripard Teg vs. Mynnna/TheMittani.com vs. CSM vs. most other quality bloggers
-Fresh from the trenches, Alek gives his impressions of the first two days of the Winter CSM Summit.Christmas didn’t exactly come early for the Detroit faithful when an “also-ran” Cincinnati team spoiled their faint playoff hopes this past Sunday. The ensuing caroling wasn’t jolly either, as a cacophony of anti-Caldwell sentiment built to a crescendo. In the wake of the season-ending loss, the beleaguered coach’s curb appeal is at an all-time low. But even as a growing chorus of displeased Lions fans clamor for his head, the fat lady hasn’t started singing yet.
Believe it or not, this is not an easy decision for general manager Bob Quinn. Firing a coach – and the collateral damage it so often entails – is seldom easy in the NFL. Complicating matters is the fact that Jim Caldwell is a winning coach, and one who has won two Super Bowls (as an assistant) at two different stops, to boot.
This will be Quinn’s watershed moment as the Lions general manager. If he ousts Caldwell and the hiring process doesn’t bear fruit, he may find himself buying the farm in a few harvests. If he stays the course and it proves to be a dead-end, his trust will be seen as misplaced and could be relieved of his duties as navigator accordingly. All this to say — he won’t simply fire Caldwell to satisfy Lions fans’ perennial bloodlust.
Beware of False Narratives
Now, I’m sure I’ve developed something of a reputation for being a Caldwell apologist recently. After being overly critical of him in the past, I’ve come to recognize he’s been scapegoated for a lot. And perhaps some of what I’m saying now is a subconscious atonement for that, so take this as you will.
First things first, I recognize he’s not perfect and has made his fair share of mistakes. Nevertheless, he’s a good coach with valuable qualities. But in examining the case of Caldwell, it is important to discern the true from the false. Both his supporters and detractors have fabricated narratives to strengthen their respective cases, which should indicate that this is not so cut-and-dry.
For example, the statement that, “He’s the winningest coach in Lions history,” while true, is a poor justification for retaining his services. Not only is the bar set low due to Detroit being a historically mediocre franchise, but it also has little relevance to the situation at hand.
On the flip side of things, another popular narrative is the condemnation of Caldwell for the inability to win the division with Case Keenum starting for the Vikings and Aaron Rodgers out. This is a weak argument for a few reasons. First and foremost, it plays off the misperception of Keenum, who has had a solid year in spite of being known as a backup journeyman. It also fails to consider how good Minnesota’s roster is in its entirety. The Vikings have a formidable front seven and a serviceable (and largely healthy) offensive line. The Lions have neither.
Beware of Double Standards, Too
The cognitive dissonance is jarring. While the fanbase has recognized the weaknesses of this team, they have often failed to take them into consideration when evaluating Caldwell. If the injury-ravaged, patchwork offensive line has been used to magnify Stafford‘s success, why is it suddenly a non-factor when Caldwell comes up? They’ve allowed sacks at a significantly higher rate and generated less push at the line of scrimmage (i.e. adjusted line yards) compared to last year. Meanwhile, the defensive line is collecting sacks at a lower rate and – you guessed it – generating less push at the line of scrimmage. Fans have even criticized Quinn – perhaps wrongly – for his lack of investment along the defensive line this past offseason (a topic for another day). They’ve also suggested the team let Ziggy Ansah walk in free agency, because he’s apparently been that bad.
This is not Caldwell’s fault, nor is it Quinn’s fault. Those units have been decimated by injuries, so part of it is just bad luck. But these things need to be taken into consideration.
And Just How Good is This Team?
Another narrative that has been offered is that the team has gone downhill since Caldwell’s first season as head coach (11-5). Well, yeah — look at the roster.
Stafford has gotten better, but to whom would you attribute that to? The running back corps is worse, as Reggie Bush was a fringe feature back and Joique Bell was a reliable short-yardage option. Today, the Lions offense features a disjointed committee approach. Wide receiver is obviously going to be worse due to the absence of a certain future Hall of Famer. The tight end group is better. By the numbers, the offensive line allowed sacks at a lower rate (6.9%) and generated more movement at the line of scrimmage (3.79 adjusted line yards) in 2014 than 2017’s unit has (3.24, 7.5%).
The defensive line is inarguably worse today. So is a linebacking corps that misses Deandre Levy and Stephen Tulloch, a duo whose time came too soon. The defensive back room is better, but Darius Slay, for example, has developed beautifully. And to whom do we credit for that? As with Stafford’s development, commendation should be shared between players and coaches.
And did the team get any better this year?
Not really. The renovation project at offensive line has been setback due to injuries and, again, has performed statistically worse. The defensive line lost Kerry Hyder and Haloti Ngata. Tahir Whitehead looks better, but Jarrad Davis has struggled mightily as a rookie. Arguably the best addition has been return specialist and backup cornerback Jamal Agnew. So why is 8-8 or 9-7 a fireable offense?
Is it possible that this team – the talent – isn’t as good as we thought it was? Back in early October, I wrote that I was “punting on the hype,” and noted that the Lions had issues many people were ignoring. While I took a lot of flak for that, they’ve gone 5-7 since I said that. And the same people, despite all evidence to the contrary, now believe it’s Caldwell who has failed them.
If You Still Want to Fire Caldwell, That’s Okay
There is, however, a legitimate reason to move on from Caldwell. Although Caldwell is a good coach, he’s not a great one — and there is a very intriguing crop of candidates this year, and improving the head coach position is never a bad thing. Matt Patricia, John DeFelippo, and Matt LaFleur, to name a few, are appealing options. But let’s not concoct reasons as to why we want him gone.
He hasn’t lost the locker room. Remember eight comebacks last year? Remember how hard they fought against New Orleans? And furthermore, safety Don Carey came out on Twitter and said that Caldwell “deserved better” in response to an angry tweet from a fan. Carey is just one of many, but he didn’t have to do that. He could have let it die in his mentions. He responded, anyway.
Caldwell’s not to blame for the running game woes either, as Dan Orlovsky discussed on last week’s podcast. As he pointed out, there are only so many run schemes you can execute. And while many fans are frustrated with what is perceived to be the Lions’ overwhelming tendency to run on first down, the team runs the ball 52% of the time on first. That is slightly lower than the NFL average of 53%. The problem is that their successful play rate on such runs (39%) ranks 29th in the league. That is not a predictability problem, that is an execution problem. While the coaching staff should consider dialing that back a bit, they cannot simply throw the ball every play.
Starting Slow
Perhaps the biggest, and most valid, complaint is that the team comes out flat or isn’t prepared. It has been a consistent problem and I’m not sure what to attribute this to. Caldwell is the popular candidate, and he very well could be the problem, but I don’t have a good explanation for that. I will, however, say that if your team has problems staying motivated, you have bigger problems than your coach.
At the end of the day, this is all par for the course. Caldwell may have written his own obituary in doing so, but he said it best: “We were a little above average, but a little above average isn’t good enough.”
Both he, and the team, can be described as ‘a little above average.’ Does he deserve to be fired for leading such a team to a fitting record? That’s a judgment you must make on your own.
The Bottom Line
Unfortunately, we are all stuck examining this situation through a keyhole. We don’t know what practices are like, what team meetings are like, what’s going on in the locker room or in the front office, how players feel, etc. We already know very few values for the many variables in this equation, or at least we think we do.
If you believe, as I do, that Caldwell doesn’t deserve to be fired, it’s probably because you think the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Perhaps you also fancy yourself a realist who isn’t impressed with Detroit’s overall talent level.
If you believe Caldwell should be fired, it’s likely because, on some fundamental level, you believe there’s a better coach out there and the team should take a chance on them.
We are all tired of losing. We all want the team to win the division and make noise in the playoffs. And, ultimately, we all want Detroit to bring home a Super Bowl. But bullshitting each other, and ourselves, to justify what is really just a baseless gut feeling, is pointless. There is no definitive way to settle the Caldwell debate, and neither course of action is ideal. Fortunately, none of us make the decisions. That’s Quinn’s burden to bear. And until he makes his decision – likely in a matter of weeks – we’ll all be stuck checking the reports.The BitTorrent peer-to-peer file sharing protocol takes advantage of the fact that clients can upload as well as download. With both the clients and the server contributing to distribution of files, information can be shared much more quickly than would be possible with the clients downloading from the server alone. In addition, with BitTorrent, files can remain available on the network even if the original hosting server is taken offline, as long as the nodes which are still connected collectively have all of the pieces of the file.
Here is an example of how a file could be distributed from a single server to six, and then eight, client nodes. The assumptions made here are that the server has enough bandwidth to upload two pieces of the file at a time; clients can download two pieces and/or upload one piece. Although the file in the example is shown as broken into five pieces, in reality, large files would be broken into hundreds of small pieces.If you love clothes as much as I do you know that shopping can get a little expensive, so I was pretty amped when I heard about 32 Clothing.
Based in town at the corner of Rissik and Plein, 32 clothing is a huge factory store filled with rows and rows of little (cheap) treasures.
The store imports awesome designer brands from 500 vendors in more than ten countries and is piled with men’s, woman’s and kid’s clothing, expect to find brands from Cheap Monday to Baby Gap.
Be sure that when you venture down to 32 Clothing that you are ready to hunt through a lot of clothes to find some gems. It’s definitely not an in and out kind of shop.
I picked up an awesome coat, two dresses, some baby clothes for the lovely Nina James and a shirt for Craig all for just over R500. I was planning on storing the coat for winter but this rainy weather has been perfect to show it off.For most people, Sex on the Beach is just a fruity cocktail, but for one man it’s meant jail time after he was sentenced to more than two years behind bars for repeatedly getting busy at a popular tourist spot in Florida.
Jose Caballero, 40, was convicted in May on two counts of “lewd and lascivious behaviour” after he was repeatedly filmed in broad daylight having sex with 20-year-old Elissa Alvarez on Bradenton beach in front of scores of horrified onlookers including children, reported The Orlando Sentinel.
The exhibitionist pair then passed out and dozed in the sun for “hours” before waking for another public session.
Alvarez received a sentence of time served, however Caballero was handed down a tougher sentence due to his past convictions in cocaine trafficking.
The pair have also been placed on a public sex offenders list.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019In anticipation of tonight’s season-five premiere, ABC Family has ordered two more seasons of ratings darling “Pretty Little Liars,” Variety has learned.
Season six is set to air mid-2015, and season seven will air mid-2016.
The teen drama, which originally focused on four high schoolers trying to solve their friend’s murder while also being the victims of a mysterious bully, is the top series in the network’s history in both total viewers (3.8 million) and across all target demos. It has also been TV’s top cable telecast in the hour for 95 consecutive original telecasts in females 12-34.
The show’s success stems largely from its integrated social-media strategies, which helped it break the record for the most-tweeted scripted series telecast of all time. “Liars” recently became Instagram’s top scripted television series based on total followers, according to ListenFirst Media, and luxury car dealer Audi recently announced a partnership with the series to show choice “Liars” tidbits on teen-friendly social site Snapchat.
“’Pretty Little Liars’ has taken its place in the zeitgeist and reigns supreme in pop culture,” said ABC Family prexy Tom Ascheim, who announced the news with Kate Juergens, exec VP of original programming and development and CCO. “I am glad to bring another two seasons to our audience, because ‘A’ has a lot in store for our Liars.”
“Liars” was created by I. Marlene King and is based on the series of books by Sara Shepard. It is produced by Alloy Entertainment, Gaslight Productions and Russian Hill Productions in association with Warner Horizon Television, and is exec produced by King, Oliver Goldstick, Leslie Morgenstein and Joseph Dougherty.
It returns at 8 p.m. tonight.Photo
The New York Times’s Tokyo bureau chief, Martin Fackler, writes that Japan’s new (and former) prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and his conservative government may revise Japan’s 1993 apology for forcing thousands of women to be sex slaves in the service of Japanese soldiers during World War II.
In May, Rendezvous wrote about the “comfort women” controversy reaching suburban New York.
Now, the refusal of the government’s spokesman to say clearly whether Mr. Abe, an ardent nationalist who has criticized the apology in the past, would uphold it is seen as confirming some fears that the return of Mr. Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party could roil international relations in Asia in deeply unhelpful ways.
Mark McDonald wrote on Rendezvous last week that Mr. Abe’s return to power (he was prime minister in 2006 and 2007) could further destabilize Japanese-Chinese relations at a time when the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands dispute already has tensions running unusually high.
“The way ahead — combat or compromise — could conceivably hang on one man, Shinzo Abe,” Mark wrote then.
The entire region, along with the United States, is waiting to see which of Mr. Abe’s political personalities emerges most forcefully — the conservative, nationalistic politician with a provocative streak when it comes to China, or the pragmatic statesman who would pull himself and his party back from the fire-breathing campaign rhetoric of recent weeks. Worryingly, Mr. Abe appeared ready to add a ground dimension to the confrontation at the islands by pledging to station government workers or Coast Guard personnel there.
Mark also quoted media affiliated with the Communist Party of China as saying: “Once Abe takes office, China should let him know about its firm stance. Only with such pressure will Abe hold China in esteem, otherwise he will think China is in a weak position. In recent years, every time Japan has switched to moderate policy toward China, it has been the result of China’s strong stance rather than its concessions.”
As Martin wrote Thursday, an assertive, unapologetic Japan could antagonize much of Asia, especially South Korea, at a time when the United States desperately needs its two closest East Asian allies to work together:Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), known professionally as Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and actor. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007. His Eurodance-influenced single, "Say Yeah", received urban radio airplay, charting on the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008.[2]
Khalifa parted with Warner Bros. and released his second album, Deal or No Deal, in November 2009. He released the mixtape Kush and Orange Juice as a free download in April 2010; he then signed with Atlantic Records.[3] He is also well known for his |
England feel they competed well for the first three days of the match, the fact is that Australia won by a pretty crushing 10 wickets.
But Root maintained that England showed how they could win in Brisbane; they just didn't sustain the performance for long enough. And with this match being played under lights and using a pink ball, he feels conditions may be in England's favour.
"Take Steve Smith's innings out of it and they were 160 all out in the first innings," he said. "We made him work extremely hard for his runs and kept him very quiet by his standards. By doing that it built pressure at the other end and we took wickets.
"In terms of our batting, we need to do what we did in the first innings for longer. The way we went about it and, in particular, how the inexperienced guys handled pressure situations was really promising. But promising doesn't win you Test matches.
"We have to turn those two-and-a-half hour periods into full days of cricket. If we do that we'll win games. If we scored 400 plus in that first innings and were really clinical with the ball when we had them seven down, I have every confidence we would have won that game.
"The pink ball game has come at a good time for us. We played at this ground a couple of weeks ago and have a good idea of what the conditions can be like. It might be a little bit cooler as well, looking at the forecast, with a bit of rain around, so you are looking at more English style conditions. You saw at Brisbane that as soon as the ball did do anything sideways, we were massively in the game.
"That is going to be our big focus moving forward: being ruthless as a bowling unit and getting the ball moving laterally. We have to find ways to get stuff out of the wicket when it is slightly flatter and if we can do that I have full confidence we will bowl them out cheaply on a number of occasions on this tour."Pollution is killing 50,000 people a year in the UK, according to a damning new report, which lays bare the toxic danger posed by contaminated air and water.
The problem is responsible for more deaths in Britain than almost all of its Western European neighbours, the study says, and suggests a higher death toll in the UK from pollution than had been feared.
Experts had previously estimated that 40,000 people were dying in the UK from air pollution, which itself had led to calls for immediate action from the Government. The new findings, from a two-year project involving more than 40 international researchers, show the world’s air quality is reaching “crisis point” and must be dealt with urgently.
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Shape Created with Sketch. 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 1/10 A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 2/10 Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 3/10 Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 4/10 Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 5/10 Smoke – filled with the carbon that is driving climate change – drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 6/10 A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 7/10 Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. “Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals,” says the photographer. “Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow.” Rizwan Dharejo 8/10 A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 9/10 A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a “public health emergency”. Leung Ka Wa 10/10 Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan 1/10 A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 2/10 Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 3/10 Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 4/10 Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 5/10 Smoke – filled with the carbon that is driving climate change – drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 6/10 A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 7/10 Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. “Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals,” says the photographer. “Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow.” Rizwan Dharejo 8/10 A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 9/10 A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a “public health emergency”. Leung Ka Wa 10/10 Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan
Globally, nine million people died in 2015 as a result of air pollution. Many of those deaths occur in the developing world – but even among rich countries, a huge number of people are dying as a result of unclean air and other pollution.
The new research shows that people are in the grip of a “profound and pervasive threat” that is damaging human health and well-being, according to the scientists behind it. Not enough is done to halt one of the biggest killers of people in the world, they said.
The obvious solutions are available to governments in the UK and across the world, said campaigners. But they are failing to confront the challenge and further deaths will come, they warned.
The UK has repeatedly suggested that it will work on a new clean air act, but has been criticised for delaying many of the most important measures to tackle pollution. A tax on diesel fuel, for instance, would help bring cleaner air, the campaigners said.
Others urged the Government to work quickly to establish clean air zones and encourage people to use more environmentally friendly forms of transport.
Air pollution from vehicles and factories is the most fatal of all the deadly pollution, killing 6.5 million people a year. But hazards are found in water and elsewhere, the researchers found, including pollution of water supplies that lead to infectious diseases.
Most pollution victims around the world died as a result of non-communicable conditions such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said researchers. But others still die from unsafe water that transmits other deadly illnesses, a problem that is linked to 1.8 million deaths.
Many of the pollution-related deaths around the world come from quickly growing countries, whose populations suffer as building construction and new cars damage the environment. In the most severely affected countries, including India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Madagascar, and Kenya, up to a quarter of all deaths were caused by pollution.
But pollution was found to be hurting that economic development, causing damage equivalent to 1.3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product in low-income countries. Diseases from pollution took up an estimated 1.7 per cent of healthcare spending in high-income countries such as the UK and 7 per cent in middle-income countries.
“This report reveals the consequences air pollution can have when left unchecked. Air pollution is reaching crisis point worldwide, and the UK is fairing worse than many countries in Western Europe and the US,” said Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation.
“A contributing factor could be our dependence on diesel vehicles, notorious for pumping out a higher amount of poisonous particles and gases. These hit hardest people with a lung condition, children and the elderly.
“The Government should act immediately by using the Budget to amend the tax system to stop incentivising diesel vehicles, and finally commit to a new clean air act.”
Among countries in Western Europe, only Belgium is worse than the UK for the number of deaths caused by pollution. Some 8.39 per cent of deaths in the UK came from pollution, far worse than other countries like the US, where more than 155,000 people died who made up just 5.74 per cent of the deaths.
The researchers behind the study said they hoped it served as a wake up call for politicians and other authorities.
The findings came as part of the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, which looked at deaths in 2015. That project is looking to pull together information from the Global Burden of Disease study, a huge inquiry into the leading causes of death and illness worldwide, to come up with the findings published in The Lancet journal.
Professor Philip Landrigan, from the Icahn School of Medicine in New York City, who co-led the investigation, said: "Pollution is much more than an environmental challenge – it is a profound and pervasive threat that affects many aspects of human health and well-being.
"It deserves the full attention of international leaders, civil society, health professionals, and people around the world. Despite its far-reaching effects on health, the economy and the environment, pollution has been neglected in the international assistance and the global health agendas, and some control strategies have been deeply underfunded.
"Our goal is to raise global awareness of the importance of pollution, and mobilise the political will needed to tackle it, by providing the most in-depth estimates of pollution and health available."
The British Heart Foundation warned that the effects of pollution were not simply focused on poor countries, but also the poorest within those countries. Illness and death from unclean air and water disproportionately affects the poor, said its chief executive.
"These figures are a stark reminder of the deadly toll air pollution is having worldwide,” said Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said.
"Globally, we know an estimated 80 per cent of premature deaths from air pollution are caused by heart disease and stroke.
"In the UK, poor air quality disproportionately affects some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable members of our communities, including the young, elderly and those with existing cardiovascular conditions.
And the problem is being exacerbated by a government that is failing to do its bit to clean up the affected air and water, according to campaign group ClientEarth.
“There’s no doubt that air pollution is a worldwide public health problem. Here in the UK, there are illegal levels of air pollution across the country, harming people’s health on a daily basis,” said Andrea Lee, Healthy Air Campaigner for ClientEarth.
“Despite this, the UK government has persistently failed to take effective action to bring it to within legal levels. We need a national network of clean air zones to take the dirtiest vehicles out of the most polluted parts of our towns and cities and help for people to move to cleaner forms of transport. But ministers continue to dither and delay and we continue to breathe toxic air.”AFTER spending a year in Vietnam fighting for Australia and for his life Mick Kramer had his citizenship stolen and his passport revoked.
40-years after the war, he was forced into a three-year battle with bureaucrats in the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, who had even threatened him with jail.
LONG BATTLE: Vietnam vet Mick Kramer fought for Australia, but denied a passport
After News Corp Australia revealed his story in 2013 his rights were restored and his passport reissued and next month German-born Mick and his wife Carol will travel to Europe for a holiday that has been decades in the making.
Last year he was sitting around his pizza oven enjoying a good red wine regaling some friends with his amazing tale of bureaucratic madness.
“They couldn’t believe it and one suggested that I should write a novel,” he said.
He has done just that and a publisher is perusing a 68,000-word manuscript entitled “Full Circle”.
“I just changed the names and got on with it,” Mick said.
His story almost defies belief.
After fighting for his adopted country with the 1st Battalion’s Charlie Company between September 1968 and September 1969 his passport lapsed and when he went to renew it so he could go overseas with his wife his request was denied.
He had lied about his age so he could fight for Australia, so his citizenship that had been granted in 1964 was cancelled in 2011.
He hit another hurdle when an official discovered that his naturalisation certificate did not specify if he was male or female even though it carried his full name and referred to “himself”.
“Mick could not believe his ears, and so he stood up and began to take off his
trousers, saying, ‘You have to be joking, here take a look and you will see what I am!’ his novel says.
In July 2013 Carol announced that she was going overseas on her own.
“You have had three years to sort out your passport issue and I am sick of waiting, so I am going to Europe,” his novel quotes her as saying.
“By the time you get back, we will have two remodelled bathrooms, new floor tiles laid in the kitchen and eighteen solar electricity panels installed. I hope that you enjoy yourself while you are overseas,” the book’s hero says.
After the 2013 article appeared his local member and now Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley got on board and lobbied the department for justice.
His citizenship was soon restored and his new certificate was issued on September 24, 2013 exactly 44 years after he returned home badly damaged from Vietnam to Culcairn near Albury in NSW. His passport followed on November 1.
The certificate says; “I, the Minister administering the Australian Citizenship Act 2007, give notice that the above named (Michael George Kramer) is an Australian Citizen and that citizenship was acquired on15/September/1964.”
Mick is looking forward to his overseas holiday with Carol and to hopefully having his novel published.
“I was a victim of bureaucratic nonsense by people who were just trying to impress their bosses by giving an Australian citizen a hard time,” he said.THERE are 36 gradations in India’s archaic caste system, from the priestly to the supposedly untouchable. And then, somewhere below that, are the long-haul truck-drivers. Plying the subcontinent’s potholed highways for weeks at a time, few can settle into anything like a home life. Their marriage prospects are grim; venereal diseases and sore backs from sleeping in cramped cabs are but two occupational hazards. Despite an oversupplied national job market, the industry has struggled to attract the roughly 1m new drivers it needs each year to keep everything from Amazon packages to car parts moving. Can technology help?
To fend off shortages, most truck owners have done precisely what economists suggest, which is to increase pay. Drivers can now command nearly 40,000 rupees ($610) a month, a decent white-collar wage—and not far from double the level of trucker pay just three years ago. Rivigo, a startup based in Gurgaon, an industrial city near Delhi, is using a different road map. Since its founding in 2014, it has set up a network of 70 “pitstops” across India, each around 200-300km down the road from each other. From those, it organises a pan-India relay system, where drivers ply the four- to five-hour journey from their “home” station to the next. They then drive back to their starting point in another vehicle, and clock off in time to make it home for supper most nights. Another colleague is then responsible for driving the load to the next waypoint, and so on.
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Administering this logistical ballet is no simple task. Clever software predicts precisely when trucks will arrive and leave pit-stops and which petrol stations they might refuel at most cheaply. A trip from Bangalore to Delhi takes eight different legs. But by keeping the truck on the road more or less permanently, it takes a mere 44 hours to cover the distance of 2,200km, compared with the 96 hours a conventional trucker would take once rest breaks, meals and so on are factored in.
Rivigo claims it has no trouble hiring drivers for the roughly 2,500 trucks it now owns and operates. At a pitstop two hours south of Delhi, Naresh Kumar, a “pilot”, as Rivigo dubs its drivers, says he misses little from his decade of pan-India trucking before he joined the company two years ago. “From being home once or twice a month, I’m now home most nights,” he says. Because most of Rivigo’s driving staff live near pitstops in rural areas between cities, it can pay them much less than truckers who live in cities and command an urban-dweller’s premium. Its monthly salaries are nearer the 23,000 rupee mark.
In one way Rivigo’s approach is unusual for a startup. It is busy accumulating assets—those pitstop facilities and trucks—at a time when asset-light platforms matching service users with existing asset-owners are all the rage. Deepak Garg, the founder, had originally mulled launching an “Uber for trucking”; as a former McKinsey management consultant, he might be expected to. But the plethora of small-time operators running anything from one to 20 trucks didn’t bite. “Their problem wasn’t demand, it was finding drivers,” he says.
Rivigo may yet go down an Uber-like road. Mr Garg says that within a few years he wants Rivigo to be out of the business of owning its own trucks, and focused instead on organising the relay for whichever trucking firm wishes to participate in it. The pitstop network, he says, cost a mere $30m to set up, a fraction of the $115m it has raised from investors such as Warburg Pincus and SAIF Partners, two private-equity firms. Rumours are swirling of a whopping $200m investment round led by SoftBank, a Japanese telecoms and internet group, which would turn Rivigo into a rare business-to-business “unicorn” startup valued at over $1bn.
Such a lofty valuation raises the possibility of far more competition. The concept of a relay is hardly new: the Pony Express used it to deliver mail in the American West before the advent of the telegraph. If relay is 15% cheaper than conventional trucking, as Mr Garg claims, others will cotton on. Rivigo has sped to an annual revenue of nearly $200m in just three years. DHL, a global logistics firm, has mulled a similar approach in India. Conversely, Mr Garg thinks his “relay as a service” concept might have applications in other parts of India’s logistics markets—or overseas.
First, Rivigo will have to navigate transformation in India’s domestic logistics industry, which is worth around $300bn a year. A newly-introduced goods-and-services tax has unified what were 29 disparate states into a single market for the first time. While companies tended to need a warehouse in each state, most are now looking at fewer, bigger locations instead. That will mean larger trucks, longer journeys and less time stuck at internal borders (or paying bribes to speed through).
Investors are ploughing money into the sector, and some new firms may tread on Rivigo’s toes. The opportunity is large, and growing, for spending on logistics is increasing at roughly double the pace of growth in GDP, which even in a bad year means double-digit increases. Mr Garg speaks of the efficiencies of the relay system with evangelical zeal. Will other firms pick up the baton?Page 2 Of 2
Metroid
Notable names: John Woo
Has there been any video game adaptation languishing in development hell longer than Metroid? Of Nintendo's many popular franchises, Metroid is arguably the one best suited for a film transition. But aside from the fact that John Woo acquired the rights in 2004, there's been very little in the way of concrete information on the project.
In December we had the chance to interview one of the employees of production company Tiger Hill to find out more about the Metroid movie that might have been. According to Brad Foxhoven, the movie would have explored the early years of interstellar bounty hunter Samus Aran. However, the movie never progressed past the script treatment stage, in large part because of difficulties working with Nintendo. Nintendo, for their part, were cautious about the project after the massive critical and commercial failure of the Super Mario Bros. movie. Nor was there much consensus about how Samus should be portrayed outside of the action scenes.
At this point, Woo has long since moved on, and Metroid is no closer to becoming a movie than it was ten years ago. We have to wonder if this could have been the elusive great video game movie we've been waiting for all this time.
Spy Hunter
Notable names: John Woo, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Add Spy Hunter to the list of video game movies that almost happened. Universal acquired the rights to this action/racing franchise in 2003, signing Dwayne Johnson to star the following year. Production was scheduled to begin in mid 2004 for a summer 2005 release. The good news continued to flow when John Woo signed on to direct. If we can't have a John Woo-helmed Metroid movie, why not Spy Hunter?
Sadly, the movie staled shortly after as new writers were brought in to overhaul the script. Woo was forced to drop out in 2005 due to scheduling conflicts. Johnson remained committed to Spy Hunter for a time, but eventually he too dropped out. Video game movie veteran Paul W.S. Anderson was brought on board to direct in 2007, though nothing came of that announcement either.
The most recent news surrounding Spy Hunter is that Warner Bros. now holds the rights, with Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) attached to direct and produce. We'll see if Fleischer has any more luck than Woo or Anderson did.
Interestingly, there is one surviving relic of the Woo/Johnson era. Midway published a game called Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run in 2005 that had been intended to act as a tie-in to the movie. The game features Johnson's voice and likeness as agent Alex Decker and offers a glimpse as to how the transforming Interceptor car might have looked on screen.
Exit Theatre Mode
Super Mario Bros.
Tom Hanks, Danny DeVito, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Keaton
We seriously doubt anyone is going to attempt another live-action adaptation of the Super Mario Bros. franchise after the disastrous 1993 movie. Little about the games suggests that such a thing is feasible or even necessary.
But last year, the release of author Jeff Ryan's retrospective book Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America provided an interesting glimpse of the Mario movie that almost was. For one thing, Danny DeVito was offered the chance to both direct and star as Mario in the movie. Later, Tom Hanks was cast in the Mario role before being replaced by Bob Hoskins. We suspect Hanks is grateful in hindsight. Finally, both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Keaton turned down the chance to play Bowser, a role that eventually went to Dennis Hopper.
It's interesting to wonder how the movie might have turned out with DeVito in charge or Schwarzenegger hamming it up four years prior to his turn as Mr. Freeze. We doubt the end result would have been much better than what we got, but the extra star power couldn't have hurt.
Uncharted
Notable names: David O. Russell, Mark Wahlberg, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
Had things worked out, we might have been flocking to theaters last year to see a very different David O. Russell movie than The Silver Linings Playbook. Russell signed on to direct this adaptation of the action/adventure series for Columbia Pictures. Russell assembled an impressive cast for the venture. The movie would have seen him reunite with The Fighter star Mark Wahlberg for a fourth time, with Wahlberg playing lead hero Nathan Drake. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci were slated to play Darke's father and uncle, respectively.
Russell was hard at work on developing the script in late 2010, and the movie was expected to go into production the following year. Unfortunately, Russell eventually dropped out due to creative differences, and Wahlberg and the rest of the cast followed. Neil Burger (Limitless) was then brought on board to direct and rewrite the script, though he later dropped out.
Exit Theatre Mode
It's unfortunate that Russell's Uncharted never came to pass. His resume, along with the credibility of actors like Wahlberg, strongly suggested that Uncharted would have been the video game movie to finally break the mold.
Warcraft
Notable names: Sam Raimi
Count yourself lucky that Blizzard takes an active role in the development of movie adaptations of its properties. Infamous director Uwe Boll (In the Name of the King, House of the Dead) expressed a strong interest in adding Warcraft to his ever-growing lineup of game adaptations. But to their credit, Blizzard's representatives made it abundantly clear that they wouldn't work with Boll.
Instead, it seemed as though Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead) would be the man to bring the realm of Azeroth to life. Raimi turned his attention to Warcraft after plans for Spider-Man 4 fell through. Screenwriter Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan) was brought in to pen the script. Unfortunately, Raimi eventually left the project in order to tackle the recent Oz the Great and Powerful. Apparently, Blizzard was unhappy with the script and the generally slow pace of development, but Raimi recently blamed Blizzard for why his movie never happened.
Exit Theatre Mode
While we never got Raimi's Warcraft, we still saw the director lend his quirky style to another fantasy world. And the good news is that Duncan Jones (Moon) is now slated to direct the movie for a planned 2015 release.
Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.Utah has some pretty big hang-ups about pornography. As Science of Us noted back in April, the state’s conservative legislators are engaged in something of an anti-porn jihad — in March, they passed a symbolic resolution stating that “the Legislature and the Governor recognize the need for education, prevention, research, and policy change at the community and societal level in order to address the pornography epidemic that is harming the people of our state and nation.”
There is, of course, no evidence of a “pornography epidemic” with any measurable toll on society. Yes, a lot of people view porn, as has been the case ever since porn was easily viewable, and as will likely be the case forever. But the sorts of things you’d expect to be associated with a hypothetical porn epidemic, like people having tons of reckless sex, don’t appear to be happening. The only thing anti-porn zealots can point to as evidence of a dangerous “epidemic” is that a lot of people are watching porn. There’s no credible, empirically backed second half to the sentence “Tons of people too much porn, and it’s causing X.”
That hasn’t slowed down Utah’s anti-porn obsessives, though. Now, leading anti-porn legislator and state senator Todd Weiler has introduced legislation which, as Reason’s Elizabeth Nolan Brown puts it, “would allow Utah residents who imagine themselves addicted to porn to sue the websites where they watch it.” In an interview with a local news outlet, Weiler compared his bill to past attempts on the part of smokers and their lawyers to hold cigarette companies accountable for the harmfulness of their products.
The problem is that the case that pornography causes addiction is much, much fuzzier than the case that smoking causes lung cancer. Some studies suggest that porn (and sex) “addictions” might not even be addictions in the same sense, as, say, an addiction to heroin or alcohol. “For therapists that treat porn consumption on an addiction model and for religious groups like Focus on the Family that are invested in maintaining a concept of ‘porn addiction,’ the research undermines the clinical language they used in their approach to the controversial medium,” wrote Samantha Allen in The Daily Beast in 2015, running down one such study. “But conclusive evidence for “’sex addiction’ and ‘porn addiction’ continues to prove elusive.” So allowing people to sue companies for having an addiction that might not even be real is problematic, to say the least.
This lack of evidence doesn’t stop the moral crusaders from scoring easy anti-porn points, of course. And the scare isn’t confined to Utah — as Brown points out, a Virginia state delegate recently introduced legislation of his own declaring the porn “epidemic” a “public-health crisis.” But there’s a lot more evidence that porn is causing a moral panic than a public health crisis.SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc is close to paying a record $3.2 billion for Beats Electronics, two people with knowledge of the matter said, an expensive foray into music streaming and headphone gear that would mark a departure for the usually cash-conservative iPhone maker.
Both companies are hashing out details and the envisioned deal could still fall through, one person told Reuters on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private.
A second source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Apple was in the market for a subscription-based music service to complement its “iRadio” ad-based offering, launched in 2013 as part of an attempt to jump into a music-streaming arena then split between a handful of startups such as Pandora Inc.
Founded by rapper Dr. Dre and legendary music producer Jimmy Iovine, Beats Electronics is best known for its “Beats by Dr Dre” line of trendy headphones that vie with the likes of Skullcandy Inc, Sennheiser Electronic and Bose Corp. This year, it launched a music service that has won plaudits for its slick design and human music curation, versus the computer-algorithms that determine playlists for most of its rivals.
But analysts on Thursday questioned whether Beats, valued at just $1 billion during its last funding round in September, was worth that price. Apple had more than $130 billion in cash as of the end of March, but the vast majority of that is parked abroad and investors have called on the company to return more cash in the form of dividends and buybacks.
Apple-watchers have speculated that the company that upended the music industry - and today is the single largest seller of tunes - was contemplating a Spotify-like on-demand music service to go with iRadio service and iTunes.
“This is really puzzling,” said Forrester analyst James McQuivey, who said there was huge overlap between the two companies’ customer base. “You buy companies today to get technologies that no one else … or customers that no one has.”
“They must have something hidden … under the hood,” he said.
In two of the largest deals this year, Facebook paid $19 billion for WhatsApp and its half-billion users, and it paid $2 billion for Oculus VR and its cutting-edge virtual reality headset.
Apple declined to comment on the report. Beats Electronics did not respond to requests for comment on the news, which was reported first by the Financial Times.
UNDER PRESSURE?
Apple has not made a billion-dollar acquisition in at least a decade. The company prefers to develop and design its products in-house, though it has tended to pay several hundred million dollars for small but important bits of technology to propel its core consumer electronics business, such as the acquisition of PA Semi in 2008 that led to the processor now found in all iPhones.
The company has been under pressure to try to revitalize growth as iPhone sales slow in a rapidly maturing market. Critics have also accused the company of slowly “losing its cool” and innovative edge to new and upcoming technology companies, and missing the music-streaming bandwagon.
Technology giants Google and Amazon began jockeying for position in music last year, looking at ways to make streaming profitable and to develop a service seen as crucial to retaining users in an increasingly mobile environment. For Google and Apple especially, the endeavor was critical to ensure users remain loyal to their mobile products.
They realized they had to stake out a place or risk ceding control of one of the largest components of mobile device usage. Analysts estimate roughly half of smartphone users listen to music on their device, making it the fourth most popular media-related activity after social networking, games and news.
Apple launched its own streaming music service last year, hoping to jump into the fast-expanding arena as growth of its iTunes service falters.
Apple's Chief Executive Tim Cook met with Iovine, the Beats CEO, last year on a potential partnership involving Beats's planned music-streaming service, Reuters reported in March, citing sources. (r.reuters.com/ter29v)
Dre - who guided the careers of a string of rap artists such as Eminem and 50 Cent - compared his company with Apple in 2011.
Recording artist Dr. Dre wears a pair of Beats headphones as he attends the MLB 2010 season opener between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, in this file photo taken April 4, 2010. REUTERS/Adam Hunger/Files
"We're trying to eventually be second to Apple. And I don't think that's a bad position," Dre told The Fader music website.(r.reuters.com/cur29v)
Beats Electronics received a $500 million investment from Carlyle Group in September that valued the company at over $1 billion. It also bought back in September a 24.84 percent stake held by Taiwan smartphone maker HTC Corp, which once held as much as 50.1 percent of the company.
(In 16th paragraph, corrects Apple CEO’s last name to Cook instead of Cooks)Neil Anderson from the Association from Media Literacy (which has a great-sounding upcoming conference) has produced an excellent study guide for my novel Homeland (the sequel to Little Brother) — Anderson’s guide encourages critical thinking about politics, literary technique, technology, privacy, surveillance, and history.
I’m immensely grateful to Anderson for his good work here. I often hear from teachers who want to know if there are any curricular materials they can use in connection with my books, and several of them have shared their own guides with me, but this one stands out as an unusually comprehensive and thoughtful one.
7. Word Meanings
Because communications technologies are central to Homeland‘s plot, the novel contains many tech-oriented words that might be unfamiliar to some readers. Because Marcus is a young adult, some words are specific to young adult culture. Explain how readers could use context to infer the meanings of unfamiliar words.
Some words that you might use for inferring meanings include:
*Rooted
*Pwned
*Faraday pouch
*Lulz
*Darknet
*Tor
*Distro
8. Representation
Marcus Yallow, Homeland’s protagonist, is a male. But there are several female characters: Ange is his girlfriend, Masha is an ally, Carrie is an enemy, and Flor is his campaign office boss.
Does Homeland represent a good balance of male and female characters or is it biased? Why?
Are the male and female characters fairly represented? Explain?
Homeland also includes representation from multiple racial/ethnic groups. Joe is African-American, Ange is Asian, etc.
How might this inclusiveness add to the novel’s authenticity and pleasure?
Some people think that it is important for audiences to see themselves represented in the media texts that they consume; that it helps them enjoy the texts and validates their own existence.
Does it really matter whether Homeland‘s characters represent a range of racial/ethnic groups?
Would the story be equally interesting and entertaining if all the characters were from only one racial/ethnic group?
Imagine that Marcus, Ange, Joe and Carrie are from other racial/ethnic groups, or that their genders are switched.
How might those changes influence readers’ responses to the story?The author with |
of the book I explain that not everyone is into doing activities in workbooks. I have numerous self-help workbooks in my library that are still in mint condition but sometimes just reading through what the Proactivity is asking you to do and to think about can be enough of an eye opener and inspiration for thought and healing for some folks. I also like the fact that I don’t include any visual examples of the Proactivities. I think we are so used to being judged and comparing ourselves to others that I didn’t want to impede the individual’s creative flow by giving them anything that may make them feel that their work had to look like a photo in the book.
How many hours/days/weeks did you work on writing it?
The book took about three years to write but breaking it down into hours/weeks is hard to do because it is really a culmination of a lifetime of professional and personal experiences. The real life example pieces in each chapter were selected from my blog writings and it takes me about 14 hours to write one blog post. (I am in awe of people who can blog everyday! I can only blog once a week because it takes me so darn long to finish one piece!) The Proactivities come from my 25 plus years of experience working in hospitals and day treatment centers as an expressive arts and recreational therapist and writing up directives can be tedious and time consuming. But because every directive that is in the book is one that I have actually done in real life with real people do I count all of the hours I spent with my clients inventing and delivering the art directives? So you can see how it is difficult to quantify the time expended on writing this. Let’s just say that when the book was finally finished and I wanted to let people know about it, I sent out this birth announcement. (insert photo) because it was indeed a labor of love and felt like I had finally given birth!
Approximately how many people are affected by eating disorders in the United States?
According to a study conducted in 2011 by Wade, Keski-Rahkonen, & Hudson, which is cited by the National Eating Disorders Association on their website, http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-facts-eating-disorders
“In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, or an eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS)”
And the number is continuing to grow with the number of boys and males increasing rapidly. But this number, I fear, is lower than what the reality is. Many people suffer in silence, suffer in secret, never seek help, and from the outside do not look as if they have an eating disorder. You can not assume anything about a person’s health based solely on a person’s size. Very thin people may be naturally thin, or thin due to other medical reasons and people assume they are Anorexic. And fat people, it is assumed, must all have an eating disorder when their size may be due to medications, genetics, or other health issues that have nothing to do with an eating disorder. And then of course you can have someone whose body would be labeled as “normal” based on height weight and BMI, and they can be engaging in dangerous disordered eating patterns.
In addition to reading your book, newsletter and blog what are some additional tips you can offer people coping with body image issues?
It is important to know that you deserve to be happy in the body you have right now in this moment. That is not always easy considering the media, dieting industry, and pharmaceutical companies have much to gain monetarily by all of us wanting to lose weight. I would suggest that people find media sources that provide support for a Health at Every Size(r) approach to life which most simply put is the belief that health is not measurable by a scale. If being healthy is important to you the HAES(r) tenets would encourage you to engage in healthy activities NOT for the outcome of weight change but for the health benefits of the process. Joining organizations that promote size diversity and size acceptance like ASDAH and NAAFA (I have an extensive list of resources in The Calmanac as well) that may be very helpful. provide a great deal of support. And sometimes taking action when you see people bullying people because of their size can be empowering, reinforcing and of course the humane thing to do.
Can you describe the journey you’ve taken that has led you to your current path of helping others through art and creativity?
My first exposure to using art and creativity as a therapeutic modality was when I was 17 and I had a job at a camp in Upstate New York (Camp Ramapo Anchorage). It was a camp for kids with a wide range of emotional disabilities and I was hired as the Drama and Music counselor. I had been studying theater since at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City and had fallen in love with Improvisation. When I began to do theater games with the campers I was dazzled at how the process of doing theater and music elevated their affect, improved their social skills, increased their cognitive functions and increased their self esteem. Of course I didn’t have ANY of that language back then. I just knew they were happier, played together better, remembered more than we thought they were capable of and felt important and proud of their skits, plays, and musical compositions. I worked at that camp until I graduated from college with a degree in Children’s Theater and Special Education. I won’t list my entire C.V. here but let’s just say, that was the beginning of a rich and rewarding career working in a variety of treatment settings (educational, clinical, and community) with children and adults with every diagnosis you can imagine! My original modalities were Drama and Music but because I could see that not everyone resonated with the same art form, I enrolled in the Art Therapy Program at College of Notre Dame in Belmont, CA and added art to my “toolbox.” Over the years I have also studied writing, narrative, movement, and CBT therapies.
How do you use your training, sessions, and/or workshops to help others?
I offer a large menu of trainings, sessions and workshops each tailored to address the specific needs of the participants. My one to one sessions in my private practice are primarily recreation based. I started Dr. Deah’s Walkie Talkies originally because I kept hearing from folks that they didn’t have enough time to squeeze in therapy and healthy activity into their schedules. I thought it would be cool to cross two things off of the to do list by walking and talking with my clients on local trails in Oakland and at the end of the hour they could say they had accomplished therapy and activity. But I also found that many of my clients primary reason for not getting out and moving their bodies (and again this is NOT for weight loss) was because they were embarrassed about their bodies or they had been shamed in public either at the gym or pool and so they just stopped. With the Walkie Talkies we work on building up more confidence, finding others to walk with, and learning about new leisure activities. Additionally when someone is walking they are moving their body, they are in touch with their body, they can appreciate what their body is able to do and not focus on their body dissatisfaction. It is an integrating experience, body and mind working together to process their issues around food and self-image. In my trainings and workshops I sometimes focus on teaching people about Health at Every Size, Eating Disorders Awareness, Expressive Arts Therapies and Eating Disorders, etc. As I mentioned previously, it varies based on whether I am working with clinicians, teachers, parents, or people struggling with disordered eating and or body image.
Can you describe your thinking and/or process when first meeting with a client? Are there specific goals or answers you’re seeking after the initial meeting?
I covered some of this already, but usually clients come to me because they are struggling with food and body hate. They may have tried more traditional talking therapy in the past and are ready to try a different approach. In almost EVERY situation the person who comes to me is to varying degrees detached from their body. They think of their body as the enemy. They think of their body as a separate entity. IF only that body were thinner I would be happy. If only that body were thinner I could do this that or the other thing. When I first meet a client my goal is to ascertain just how much of their life is impacted by their feelings of self-hate and how much they are putting on hold while waiting to lose the weight. My starting point is always hating yourself is not going to manifest positive change. Yes you want to change but maybe changing your body is not really the point.
What are some of the more successful tools, techniques, and/or activities you have used with clients? Please describe what made them successful.
Well, many of them are in The Calmanac but in re: to art working with metaphors has been incredibly effective. Using symbols like keys, doors, masks, and roadmaps often get to material more directly than talking about goals and objectives. People struggling with ED can often be very cerebral because of the detachment from the body that I mentioned before so keeping them in their body, in the creative right brain and helping them not over analyze or intellectualize is really transformational. Not judging their work, focusing on the process NOT the final product is also imperative. There is a big need to please that is common is people who do not like their bodies. That is one of the reasons why they are so self-loathing. There is a feeling that they aren’t doing it right. They are disappointing someone. They are not good enough. What ever modality I choose to use with my clients I always make it very clear that I am not expecting them to be an artist, a writer, a dancer, or an actor. We are in the land of the gerund! We are acting, writing, drawing, dancing and when you are in the land of the gerund you are in process there is no judgment.
You have experience using a variety of creative arts. What are a few of your favorites and why?
Well I think I have touched on that question a bit already, but I’ll add this. The same way that not everyone learns the same way…we have different frames of intelligence ala Gardner, not everyone creates the same way. Hence it is important that i be able to offer my clients options to try a variety of modalities. But my favorite creative art that I have used for my own personal work has been drama and it is the one that I enjoy using the most in groups. There is a playfulness inherent in drama (not that the material can’t be serious or deep) that lends itself to humor and connection. And humor is essential in the work that I do. When I am working in a 1:1 situation I prefer to use art because sometimes, depending on the person of course, when a person is not really comfortable with their body and feels badly about being looked at and how they look, doing drama in a 1:1 may result in some self-consciousness….at least at the beginning of the work.EUGENE, Ore. – A crowd of scientists and science supporters took to the streets on Earth Day to promote policies protecting the environment, technology, and health.
Across the country, protesters participated in the March for Science. One march took place in Eugene.
“We are confronted with climate change as an existential threat to all life on earth,” Rep. Peter DeFazio said.
The event featured several speakers including Rep. Peter DeFazio and scientists who want to combat the Trump administration’s stance on climate change.
A fired-up crowd listened attentively to what the speakers had to say.
“Trump and the republicans don’t get it,” DeFazio said.
President Donald Trump has tweeted in the past regarding the issue.
Rep. DeFazio said since Trump took office, he has proposed to cut the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by 31 percent.
Event organizers said there were more than 2,000 people on the Memorial Quad at the University of Oregon. The lawn was filled with signs advocating for science.
“People are hungry for something that is unifying,” said Ruby McConnell, event organizer for the March for Science in Eugene.
McConnell said many people came out to support science and the environment, but others were there for political reasons.
“Obvious attack of the Trump administration of any and all scientific policies,” she said.
Among the march supporters was retired scientist Bob Thompson. He’s looking for ways to ensure a safer future for the planet.
“We want to leave something for future generations,” Thompson said.
Instead of holding a sign, Thompson came to the march with something else – an upside down flag. He says the symbol isn’t un-patriotic.
“It means a sign of distress, extreme distress, extreme emergency,” Thompson said.
The crowd marched from the University of Oregon to the Federal Building near downtown.
Even after Earth Day, organizers urge supporters to carry on the march’s message.
“Everybody should stay woke, stay angry, stay moving,” McConnell said.
DeFazio the march is just another example of how people can make a difference politically in their own communities.Skepticism About Skepticism
Enlarge this image Getty Images/iStockphoto Getty Images/iStockphoto
Calling someone a "skeptic" can be a term of praise or condemnation.
Too often, it expresses approval when the target of skepticism is a claim we reject, and disapproval when the target is a claim we hold dear. I might praise skepticism towards homeopathic medicine, but disdain skepticism towards human evolution. Someone with a very different set of beliefs might praise skepticism regarding the moon landing, but disdain skepticism regarding the existence of God.
Sometimes, though, skepticism is taken to be a healthy attitude towards belief — a characteristic that we might praise regardless of its target. Skepticism is supposed to reflect a willingness to question and doubt — a key characteristic of scientific thinking. Skepticism encourages us to look at the evidence critically; it allows for the possibility that we are wrong. It seems like a win, then, to learn that courses in skepticism can decrease belief in the paranormal or — as reported in an article forthcoming in Science & Education — that teaching students to think critically about history can decrease belief in pseudoscience and other unwarranted claims.
But taken too far, skepticism misses its mark. It's important to avoid the error of believing something we ought not to believe, but it's also important to avoid the error of failing to believe that which we should. If the aim is to detect signal — and not merely to reject noise — then an educational win would require greater differentiation between warranted and unwarranted claims, not merely rejection of the unwarranted. This point is sometimes lost in praising skepticism and skeptical thinking, with its emphasis on what we reject rather than what we uphold.
It's important to say that this isn't intended as a criticism of the skeptical movement or of skeptical philosophy, both of which endorse more nuanced versions of what skepticism entails. It is, however, a criticism of the way skepticism (as used in casual conversation) is sometimes held up as a virtue in itself. The virtues we should really be upholding — and for which skepticism is only an oblique guide — are what I'll call truth-tracking and humility.
Truth-tracking is about getting things right: identifying the signal amidst the noise. We don't want to be fooled by noise (about a link between vaccines and autism, for example), but we also don't want to miss out on signal (about the real benefits of vaccination). Truth-tracking isn't (only) about rejecting noise, but about differentiating signal from noise.
Humility is about recognizing the possibility for error, and therefore holding beliefs tentatively (or "defeasibly"). But recognizing uncertainty doesn't mean that all bets are off. Some bets are still much better than other bets. You don't know who will win the next horserace, for example, but that doesn't mean that you'd assign equal probabilities to all contenders. Similarly, we can quantify uncertainty by assigning degrees of belief to different propositions. I might think that life on other planets is unlikely, and that ESP is unlikely, yet assign a much higher probability to the former than to the latter. Similarly, I might think that rain tomorrow and human evolution are highly likely, but assign a much higher probability to the latter than to the former. Quantifying uncertainty allows us to hold even strong beliefs with a modicum of doubt, while simultaneously recognizing that they're far more likely than the alternatives we defeasibly reject.
Skepticism is a poor proxy for truth-tracking and humility. It gets us half of truth-tracking (rejecting noise), and it gets us some of humility (questioning and doubt). What it doesn't get us is signal with degrees of belief or — more ambitiously — truth in an uncertain world. That seems like a more praiseworthy aim to me.
Tania Lombrozo is a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley. She writes about psychology, cognitive science and philosophy, with occasional forays into parenting and veganism. You can keep up with more of what she is thinking on Twitter: @TaniaLombrozoEpisode 1 – Why Unified English Braille
https://www.ukaaf.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/1-Why-Unified-English-Braille.mp3
In this short series we describe the major differences between Standard English Braille (SEB) and unified English Braille (UEB).
Part 1 explores some of the challenges facing braille in the UK and we introduce some of the main benefits of UEB.
We are also reminded how to show capitals with dot 6.
To download this episode right click the following link and choose Save: Download Episode 1 – Why Unified English Braille
Episode 2 – Contractions
9 Standard English Braille contractions have been retired to reduce ambiguity and improve flexibility. We list these contractions along with examples.
Plus, we explain how spaces in print are now always shown in braille.
To download this episode right click the following link and choose Save: Download Episode 2 – Contractions
Episode 3 – Punctuation
As with contractions, most punctuation symbols are unchanged.
New single and double quote signs, brackets and dash are introduced.
We also demonstrate how to write email and web addresses without needing a special computer code.
To download this episode right click the following link and choose Save: Download Episode 3 – Punctuation
Episode 4 – Numbers and Maths
In episode 2 we learned that dots 3-4-5-6 in UEB is always a number sign and no longer “ble”.
To help make braille more consistent with print, decimal points are shown using a full stop dots 2-5-6. Consequently you can now use a regular comma (dot 2) or colon (dots 2-5) as separators for long numbers, time of day and in telephone numbers.
We explain small changes to math signs and writing fractions.
To download this episode right click the following link and choose Save: Download Episode 4 – Numbers and Maths
Episode 5 – Money and Measuring
The pound sign is now dot 4 l, Euro is dot 4 e and dollar is dot 4 s.
We have a new percent sign dots 4-6 followed by a lower J.
The new degrees sign is dots 4 5 j.
To download this episode right click the following link and choose Save: Download Episode 5 – Money and Measuring
Bold and underline can now be shown in addition to italics. We explain how 2 cells are used to indicate which of these type forms is being used and how far it extends.
We also cover bullets and asterisks as well as some commonly used accents.
To download this episode right click the following link and choose Save: Download Episode 6 – Style and other Characters
Get more information about braille from RNIB:
Tel: 03031239999
Web: www.rnib.org.uk/braille
Email: helpline@rnib.org.ukI've updated MTP enabler to Ver. 3.2.1
Pro Version needs some hours, to be visible in Play Store...
I've updated MTP enabler to Ver. 3.2
Pro Version needs some hours, to be visible in Play Store...
I've updated MTP enabler to Ver. 3.1
Pro Version needs some hours, to be visible in Play Store...
I've updated MTP enabler to Ver. 3.0
Pro Version needs some hours, to be visible in Play Store...
I've updated MTP enabler to Ver. 2.6
I've updated MTP enabler to Ver. 2.5.1
I've updated MTP enabler to Ver. 2.5
I've updated MTP enabler to Ver. 2.2.1
Possible small bug in update (2.2):
I've updated MTP enabler to Ver. 2.2
I've updated MTP enabler to Ver. 2.1
I've updated MTP enabler to Ver. 2.0
MTP enabler to Ver. 1.2 update is up
- fixed annoying Error Msg about missing Symlink for "rev -> busybox" (some guys got that and mentioned here)
- new App Icon (kind of materialized)
- new option (in Settings Screen) for enabling MTPenabler's action while device is locked
(smart determining pattern/pin protected lock, unprotected lock)
- some minor fixes
DL-link for
MTP enabler to Ver. 1.1 update is up
URL] - fixed annoying Error Msg about missing Symlink for "rev -> busybox" (some guys got that and mentioned here)- new App Icon (kind of materialized)- new(in Settings Screen) for enabling MTPenabler's action while device is locked(smart determining pattern/pin protected lock, unprotected lock)- some minor fixesDL-link for MTPenabler_Release_1.2.apk URL]
- MTP enabler should run stable now on ALL DEVICES / ALL Marshmallow ROMs!
(tested on Nexus 7 (2013)/MoRoM 3.2, Nexus 4/CM13, Moto G LTE/CM13 - all rooted with Chainfire's SuperSu 2.65)
- BusyBox no more necessary!
DL-link for
(tested on Nexus 7 (2013)/MoRoM 3.2, Nexus 4/CM13, Moto G LTE/CM13 - all rooted with Chainfire's SuperSu 2.65)DL-link for MTPenabler_Release_1.1.apk
I've released MTP enabler Ver. 1.0!
- stable!
- robust USB connect on Mac OSX!
- adb/shell persists stable now!
- MTPenabler blocked, when on AC-poweradapter / Wireless charger
- No opening Android-Filetransfer-Window on PC/Mac, when you set 'Charging' as default action in MTPenabler Setup
- adb stays enabled, when you set 'Charging' as default action in MTPenabler Setup
- your selected default USB-option is active on the fly, after leaving MTP enabler setup screen - without disconnect/reconnect USB-cable
MTPenabler doesn't work on Nexus 4 with CM 13 atm!
If MTPenabler doesn't work on your device and your PC doesn't connect to your device anymore after uninstalling MTPenabler,
goto -> Settings ->Developer Options and switch Android-(USB)-Debugging off/on - and adb/shell/MTP/PTP should work again!
(but I'm working on this too...)
RC 2 is up!
- robust USB connect on Mac OSX!
- MTPenabler blocked, when on AC-poweradapter / Wireless charger
- No opening Android-Filetransfer-Window on PC/Mac, when you set 'Charging' as default action in MTPenabler Setup
- adb stays enabled, when you set 'Charging' as default action in MTPenabler Setup
(was lost in RC1)
- your selected default USB-option is active on the fly, after leaving MTP enabler setup screen - without disconnect/reconnect USB-cable
(until RC2 you had to disconnect/connect usb cable to make your decision active)
Enjoy the new USB-functionality, Google had forgotten or was to lazy to make it
- stable (99,99%)- robust USB connect on Mac OSX!- MTPenabler blocked, when on AC-poweradapter / Wireless charger- No opening Android-Filetransfer-Window on PC/Mac, when you set 'Charging' as default action in MTPenabler Setup- adb stays enabled, when you set 'Charging' as default action in MTPenabler Setup(was lost in RC1)- your selected default USB-option is active on the fly, after leaving MTP enabler setup screen - without disconnect/reconnect USB-cable(until RC2 you had to disconnect/connect usb cable to make your decision active)
RC 1 is up!
-more stable
-no more unwanted (ghost) actions on USB options panel!
-USB listener mode is stable now
-many bugs fixed
-new options for setting your default USB action
(charging; MTP; PTP)
Beta 2 is up!
-MTP enabler can be toggled (enabled/disabled) via switch in MTP enabler Setup Screen Titlebar
-We will be able to enable MTP via widget before connecting usb cable!
-We will be able to enable MTP via Homescreen-shortcut before connecting usb cable!
-Widget changes background color, when usb-cable is connected
-USB-connect listener improved!
-'Screen Rotation 'bug with widget fixed!
-MTP enabler can be toggled (enabled/disabled) via switch in MTP enabler Setup Screen Titlebar-We will be able to enable MTP via widget before connecting usb cable!-We will be able to enable MTP via Homescreen-shortcut before connecting usb cable!-Widget changes background color, when usb-cable is connected-USB-connect listener improved!-'Screen Rotation 'bug with widget fixed!
- Fixed compatibility for latest CM 13 nightlies!- Fixed Ongoing Notification-Hide Icon- Removed Ongoing Notification from Lockscreen- New Mapview with Location Circle-Areas (70 m range in map)- Fixed: Settings Screen (ANR)- Lock MTP enabler app with password OR pattern- Activate MTP enabler only on trusted WiFi SSID(s)(USB-ADB, -MTP, -PTP will be blocked when not connected to trusted SSID)- Activate MTP enabler only on trusted Location(s)(USB-ADB, -MTP, -PTP will be blocked when not in range to trusted location)- Ability to enable Ongoing Notification(to prevent stoping MTP enabler by System after long active periods)- Ability to hide statusbar icon of Ongoing Notification- Dark OR Light Theme- Fixed USB-connect while device locked- absolutely stable USB-connect action on all MM-devices/-ROMs- reconnect(refresh) after unlock && via Widget/Shortcut doesn't call the USB-Options-System-Dialog (with tap-emulation) anymore!This dialog is needed now only when usb-cable is connected!- stable filtering of AC-/-Wireless charging connection- better timings for Toast-Notifications.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- added a donation link (to Pro-Version/Playstore) in Settings screen(Donation if you want to support my work on MTP enabler)DL-link for MTPenabler_XDA_Release_3.2.1.apk - Fixed Ongoing Notification-Hide Icon- Removed Ongoing Notification from Lockscreen- New Mapview with Location Circle-Areas (70 m range in map)- Fixed: Settings Screen (ANR)- Lock MTP enabler app with password OR pattern- Activate MTP enabler only on trusted WiFi SSID(s)(USB-ADB, -MTP, -PTP will be blocked when not connected to trusted SSID)- Activate MTP enabler only on trusted Location(s)(USB-ADB, -MTP, -PTP will be blocked when not in range to trusted location)- Ability to enable Ongoing Notification(to prevent stoping MTP enabler by System after long active periods)- Ability to hide statusbar icon of Ongoing Notification- Dark OR Light Theme- Fixed USB-connect while device locked- absolutely stable USB-connect action on all MM-devices/-ROMs- reconnect(refresh) after unlock && via Widget/Shortcut doesn't call the USB-Options-System-Dialog (with tap-emulation) anymore!This dialog is needed now only when usb-cable is connected!- stable filtering of AC-/-Wireless charging connection- better timings for Toast-Notifications.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- added a donation link (to Pro-Version/Playstore) in Settings screen(Donation if you want to support my work on MTP enabler)DL-link for MTPenabler_XDA_Release_3.2.apk - Fixed: Settings Screen (ANR)- Lock MTP enabler app with password OR pattern- Activate MTP enabler only on trusted WiFi SSID(s)(USB-ADB, -MTP, -PTP will be blocked when not connected to trusted SSID)- Activate MTP enabler only on trusted Location(s)(USB-ADB, -MTP, -PTP will be blocked when not in range to trusted location)- Ability to enable Ongoing Notification(to prevent stoping MTP enabler by System after long active periods)- Ability to hide statusbar icon of Ongoing Notification- Dark OR Light Theme- Fixed USB-connect while device locked- absolutely stable USB-connect action on all MM-devices/-ROMs- reconnect(refresh) after unlock && via Widget/Shortcut doesn't call the USB-Options-System-Dialog (with tap-emulation) anymore!This dialog is needed now only when usb-cable is connected!- stable filtering of AC-/-Wireless charging connection- better timings for Toast-Notifications.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- added a donation link (to Pro-Version/Playstore) in Settings screen(Donation if you want to support my work on MTP enabler)DL-link for MTPenabler_Release_3.1.apk - Fixed USB-connect while device locked- absolutely stable USB-connect action on all MM-devices/-ROMs- reconnect(refresh) after unlock && via Widget/Shortcut doesn't call the USB-Options-System-Dialog (with tap-emulation) anymore!This dialog is needed now only when usb-cable is connected!- stable filtering of AC-/-Wireless charging connection- better timings for Toast-Notifications.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- added a donation link (to Pro-Version/Playstore) in Settings screen(Donation if you want to support my work on MTP enabler)DL-link for MTPenabler_Release_3.0.apk - absolutely stable USB-connect action on all MM-devices/-ROMs- reconnect(refresh) after unlock && via Widget/Shortcut doesn't call the USB-Options-System-Dialog (with tap-emulation) anymore!This dialog is needed now only when usb-cable is connected!- stable filtering of AC-/-Wireless charging connection- better timings for Toast-Notifications.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- added a donation link (to Pro-Version/Playstore) in Settings screen(Donation if you want to support my work on MTP enabler)DL-link for MTPenabler_Release_2.6.apk - absolutely stable USB-connect action on all MM-devices/-ROMs- reconnect(refresh) after unlock && via Widget/Shortcut doesn't call the USB-Options-System-Dialog (with tap-emulation) anymore!This dialog is needed now only when usb-cable is connected!- stable filtering of AC-/-Wireless charging connection- better timings for Toast-Notifications.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- added a donation link (to Pro-Version/Playstore) in Settings screen(if you want to support my work on MTP enabler)DL-link for MTPenabler_Release_2.5.1.apk - absolutely stable USB-connect action on all MM-devices/-ROMs- reconnect(refresh) after unlock && via Widget/Shortcut doesn't call the USB-Options-System-Dialog (with tap-emulation) anymore!This dialog is needed now only when usb-cable is connected!- stable filtering of AC-/-Wireless charging connection- better timings for Toast-Notifications.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- added a donation link (to Pro-Version/Playstore) in Settings screen(if you want to support my work on MTP enabler)DL-link for MTPenabler_Release_2.5.apk Changed / New:- Option for deactivate MTP/PTP, when device will be locked(screen off) adhoc or after preset delay- Option for reactivate MTP/PTP after unlocking device- Option for blocking MTP/PTP, when USB is connected to untrusted PC- Material Toast Notifications- added a donation link (to Pro-Version/Playstore) in Settings screen(if you want to support my work on MTP enabler)- some minor fixesDL-link for MTPenabler_Release_2.2.1.apk Changed / New:- Option for deactivate MTP/PTP, when device will be locked(screen off) adhoc or after preset delay- Option for reactivate MTP/PTP after unlocking device- Option for blocking MTP/PTP, when USB is connected to untrusted PC- added a donation link (to Pro-Version/Playstore) in Settings screen(if you want to support my work on MTP enabler)- some minor fixesDL-link for MTPenabler_Release_2.2.apk Changed / New:- Material user interface(cardviews/structure)- App icon in Settings screen- UI colors changed/unified- improved stability, major fixes- (optional) (5 sec) notifications when USB connect,disconnectincl. Lockscreen notification, if 'Act also while locked' is activated(smart determining pattern/pin protected lock, unprotected lock)- (optional) notification sounds- (optional) Android™ Wear notifications- interactive tutorial (showcase)- added German language for UI-strings- added a donation link (to Pro-Version/Playstore) in Settings screen(if you want to support my work on MTP enabler)- some minor fixesDL-link for MTPenabler_Release_2.1.apk Changed / New:- improved stability, major fixes- (optional) (5 sec) notifications when USB connect,disconnectincl. Lockscreen notification, if 'Act also while locked' is activated(smart determining pattern/pin protected lock, unprotected lock)- (optional) notification sounds- (optional) Android™ Wear notifications- interactive tutorial (showcase)- added German language for UI-strings- some minor fixesDL-link for MTPenabler_Release_2.0.apk Changed / New:Changed / New:ChangesChangesChangesNZ has no plans to enter into refugee resettlement deal with Nauru
Updated
New Zealand's Immigration Minister says his Government has no plans to enter into a refugee resettlement plan with Nauru.
NZ Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse issued a statement after his Australian counterpart Peter Dutton seemed to leave the door open to a deal between Nauru and New Zealand on refugees, saying any potential resettlement would be a matter for the two countries.
The Australian Government has repeatedly talked down New Zealand as a third country option for refugees on Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus Island and turned down an offer from the country to take 150 people a year.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key repeated the offer earlier this year, but today Mr Woodhouse said it was only open to Australia.
"Our offer was made to Australia to take 150 offshore detainees who have been approved as convention refugees," he said.
"We are not considering entering into a separate arrangement directly with Nauru."
While Mr Dutton said he would have no objection to a deal between Nauru and New Zealand, he reiterated that no one who came by boat would be able to resettle in Australia.
"We have had people smugglers that have tried to send boats across the top of Australia to New Zealand before," he said.
"Let me make this very important point that people — if they've sought to come by boat — it doesn't matter where they're resettled, New Zealand or somewhere else, they will not be coming to Australia at any point."
Mr Dutton has previously said he would be seeking Labor support to ensure that processed refugees who gained passports in their resettlement country would not be allowed to travel to Australia.
"There likely would be a change to some law that we would need Labor to support and we'll wait and see whether they do support that," he told 2GB last month.
"But I've made it clear that even if people are granted citizenship elsewhere, they're not then coming to Australia."
Allowing resettlement in NZ sends wrong message: Bishop
Mr Key told reporters in February that the offer to resettle refugees remained open.
Speaking after meeting with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney, Mr Key said it was "potentially possible" for New Zealand to take refugees.
Mr Turnbull said Australia appreciated the offer, but that the Commonwealth remained "utterly committed" to not giving encouragement or "marketing opportunities" to people smugglers.
In June, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said that New Zealand was not an "ideal" option.
"It would send a message to the people smuggling trade that you can get to New Zealand and then, presumably, to Australia," she said.
According to the latest statistics from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, 411 people were counted as living in the Nauruan centre.
The statistics, dated July 31, included 49 children.
Topics: refugees, immigration, world-politics, federal-government, australia, new-zealand, nauru, papua-new-guinea
First postedDavid Rothberg, chairman of Niagara Capital Partners, a Bay Street hedge fund, rode his bicycle from his home in the Annex to the corner of Spadina Avenue and Bloor Street West at 7:30 a.m. Monday. He joined about 400 cyclists who rode silently down Spadina, across Harbord Street, down to College Street and west to Sterling Road and Dundas Street West.
This “ghost bike ride,” organized by Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists, served to commemorate Jenna Morrison, the mom and yoga teacher killed by a truck while riding her bike a week ago.
“I’ve been cycling to Bay Street since 1978,” Mr. Rothberg said as we pedalled. “There were no cyclists back then. Drivers used to be offended.”
“Now there are so many cyclists and there just isn’t the space for them,” Mr. Rothberg said.
I asked him how conditions have changed for cyclists.
“It’s always been awful,” he replied.
“So why do you do it?”
“It’s better than the alternative.”
Meeting Mr. Rothberg reminded me that cyclists are not just students or artists. A great cross-section of Toronto, including lawyers, bankers and politicians, commutes to work these days by bike. For many, it’s cheaper, faster, and more fun than a car or the TTC. Tragedies like Jenna’s death turn a lot of us into incidental, accidental activists.
As we headed west on Harbord, six bicycle police joined |
Robinson Band and guests started off the Velvet Underground double dose with a debut cover of “What Goes On” off from the legendary rockers’ eponymous 1969 release and then followed it up with “Oh! Sweet Nuthin'” off Loaded. While Rich regularly rocks “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’,” we bet we won’t see another one featuring this incredible lineup.
Thanks to NowIKnowURyder we can watch the twosome of Velvet Underground covers:(CNN) During the presidential campaign, President-elect Donald Trump pledged to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton, would join crowds of his supporters in chants of "lock her up!" and said to her face during a debate that if he were president, "you'd be in jail."
But now that he actually will be president, Trump says he won't recommend prosecution of Clinton, who he told New York Times reporters has "suffered greatly."
What's more, he said the idea of prosecuting Clinton is "just not something I feel very strongly about."
The quotes come from the tweets of New York Times reporters Mike Grynbaum and Maggie Haberman, who attended a meeting between the President-elect and reporters and editors at the paper.
Trump is pressed if he has definitively ruled out prosecuting Hillary Clinton. "It's just not something that I feel very strongly about."
"I don't want to hurt the Clintons, I really don't. She went through a lot and suffered greatly in many different ways."
"I don't want to hurt the Clintons, I really don't," Trump said, according to the tweets. "She went through a lot and suffered greatly in many different ways."
It's a stunning departure from the campaign rhetoric, which could come as a shock to some of the President-elect's most ardent supporters. The Times characterized one exchange as extending an olive branch to Clinton supporters.
"I think I will explain it that we, in many ways, will save our country," he said.
2/2 "I think I will explain it that we in many ways will save our country." — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
He said the issues have been investigated "ad nauseum" and he added, according to Haberman, that people could argue the Clinton Foundation has done "good work."
"My inclination would be for whatever power I have on the matter is to say let's go forward.This has been looked at for so long, ad nauseum" — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
The about-face on his formal rival and suggestion that the Trump administration will not pursue further investigations of Clinton related to her private email server or the Clinton Foundation first came Tuesday morning from Trump's former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, who said it would send a message to other Republicans.
"I think when the President-elect, who's also the head of your party, tells you before he's even inaugurated that he doesn't wish to pursue these charges, it sends a very strong message, tone and content" to fellow Republicans, Conway said in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
At the second presidential debate in early October, Trump threatened Clinton, saying that "if I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation."
JUST WATCHED During the campaign Trump said Clinton 'has to go to jail' Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH During the campaign Trump said Clinton 'has to go to jail' 00:53
Conway said Clinton "still has to face the fact that a majority of Americans don't find her to be honest or trustworthy," but added that "if Donald Trump can help her heal, then perhaps that's a good thing to do."
"Look, I think he's thinking of many different things as he prepares to become the president of the United States, and things that sound like the campaign are not among them," she added.
Steve Vladeck, CNN legal contributor and professor at the University of Texas School of Law, said it was unusual for a President-elect to take such a public position on whether to pursue an investigation.
"Even though the attorney general reports to the president, the Department of Justice is meant to exercise a degree of independence from the White House entirely to avoid the perception that political considerations, rather than legal ones, are behind decisions to (or to not) prosecute," Vladeck said in an email. "Indeed, we've seen plenty of scandals throughout American history in which presidents have wrongly politicized the Justice Department's role, and President-Elect Trump's comments don't exactly augur well for preservation of the line between law and politics over the next four years."
Despite Trump breaking a campaign promise to some of the most fervent anti-Clinton supporters, Democrats also took issue with the decision as a sign of the President-elect's executive overreach.
"That's not how this works. In our democracy, the President doesn't decide who gets prosecuted and who doesn't," Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut wrote on Twitter
During Trump's ferocious election fight with Clinton, chants of "lock her up" -- referring to Clinton -- became a refrain of the Republican's campaign, as he hammered the Democratic presidential nominee over her decision to use a private email server as secretary of state, and lobbed accusations of corruption and "pay to play" politics at the Clinton Foundation. Trump's choice for national security advisor, Michael Flynn, also led a high-profile chant at the Republican National Convention of "lock her up."
Trump repeatedly brought up jailing Clinton on his own, often at raucous campaign rallies over the summer and into the fall.
JUST WATCHED People crying, leaving Clinton headquarters Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH People crying, leaving Clinton headquarters 01:31
"Remember I said I was a counter-puncher? I am," Trump said at a San Jose, California, rally in June, referencing an anti-Trump speech Clinton gave. "After what she said about me today, her phony speech, that was a phony speech. It was a Donald trump hit job. I will say this: Hillary Clinton has to go to jail, OK? (Cheers) She has to go to jail, phony hit job. She's guilty as hell."
"She gets a subpoena, she deleted the emails, she has to go to jail," Trump said at a Lakeland, Florida, rally in October.
But in interviews with the Wall Street Journal and CBS' "60 Minutes" after the election, Trump refused to say if he would fulfill that commitment to appoint a special prosecutor.
"I'm going to think about it," he told "60 Minutes." "I feel I want to focus on jobs. I want to focus on health care, I want to focus on the border and immigration and doing a really great immigration bill. And I want to focus on -- all of these other things that we've been talking about." He told the program she "did some bad things" but added the Clintons are "good people."cryptogon.com news – analysis – conspiracies
July 26th, 2010
People often ask me if I think this source is disinfo or if that source is disinfo…
My response is always: TREAT EVERY SOURCE AS DISINFO.
You’ll avoid disappointment when the thing starts serving up rat poison—which, unfortunately, happens a lot.
I haven’t shared this before, but in early 2008, someone from WikiLeaks wrote to me. This person wondered why I hadn’t mentioned WikiLeaks on Cryptogon. He wondered if maybe I hadn’t heard of it, or had concerns that it was a front of some sort.
I simply wrote back that I was aware of WikiLeaks, and that I was hopeful and skeptical at the same time.
That remains my stance today; on WikiLeaks and every other source.
So, who knows… I’ve read interesting things on WikiLeaks, many of which I have linked to from here. Does that mean that I’m sure it’s not some kind of front or honeypot? Not at all. How could I know for sure, given what’s knowable in the public domain about WikiLeaks?
Julian Assange’s recent comment in the Belfast Telegraph about 9/11, however, may be a more tangible source of concern for me. I know Assange isn’t an idiot, so I see three other possibilities:
1. He is profoundly ignorant of the vast body of material that demonstrates that the 9/11 spectacle was a false flag operation.
2. He’s “picking his battles” and not wanting to have to deal with the inevitable conspiracy theory stigma that could threaten his media access
3. He’s running a limited hangout/honeypot
Of these three options, I doubt that it’s number two.
Also, I’m aware of all the stuff John Young has up over at Cryptome from some anonymous mole on a private WikiLeaks list. Again, who knows.
Vet the data as you would anything else from any source. Use your skills of discernment. For me, the most worrying thing about WikiLeaks is the promotion it receives from the corporate media. Even the trash talking Wired is promoting Wikileaks by constantly mentioning it.
In the end, though, obsessing about disinfo this and disinfo that is generally a waste of time. It’s safe to assume that damn near everything we come across contains disinfo.
There is the issue of stench, however. Sources that say, categorically, that there’s nothing to see here on 9/11 smell really bad to me. As bad as anything can smell. (See my maggot bucket if you think that I don’t know what smells bad.)
We just saw the WikiLeaks release of the Afghanistan information, does Assange forget the pretext that was used for the invasion?
9/11 remains the elephant in the room.
Via: Belfast Telegraph:
His obsession with secrecy, both in others and maintaining his own, lends him the air of a conspiracy theorist. Is he one? “I believe in facts about conspiracies,” he says, choosing his words slowly. “Any time people with power plan in secret, they are conducting a conspiracy. So there are conspiracies everywhere. There are also crazed conspiracy theories. It’s important not to confuse these two. Generally, when there’s enough facts about a conspiracy we simply call this news.” What about 9/11? “I’m constantly annoyed that people are distracted by false conspiracies such as 9/11, when all around we provide evidence of real conspiracies, for war or mass financial fraud.” What about the Bilderberg conference? “That is vaguely conspiratorial, in a networking sense. We have published their meeting notes.”
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You must be logged in to post a comment.Editor’s Note : This article has been republished from 2009 in honor of Star Wars Day, thus some of the prices may be off.
Star Wars + LEGO = A Geek’s Dream. And in this economy, no one can afford this stuff. But that won’t stop us from drooling over it. Let’s cut to the chase:
With 3104 pieces and 3 feet long, this is the daddy of the Star Wars LEGO universe. Costs between $430 and $1000. Or, you get get a much cheaper one here.
I’m finding this going for between $600 and $1000, probably because it’s a ‘retired’ item. Regardless, it isn’t exactly the Millennium Falcon so no clue who’d drop this kind of coin on a ship like this.
Okay, now we’re talking. This MUST-HAVE goes from $400-$900. But if you don’t want this one, get this one:
Costs between $400 and $500. I think the first one is better. I found another one for about $800: Millennium Falcon Set 7190.
Yeah buddy! The Death Star includes 24 minifigures and droids, and even the trash compactor! Costs between $400 and $1000. Of course, this one is for playing inside the Death Star. However, you can also get this one:
I suppose this one is just for blowing up other planets, not playing rescue-the-princess. Costs between $260 and $430.
For you Lando Calrissian lovers, get your heavenly Cloud City, which features 7 minifigures for $320-$700.
The Darth Maul LEGO Bust. Exactly. $380-$530.
Costs between $160 and $400, but there’s one problem with this. Jabba the Hutt is hideous for a LEGO. Let’s take a closer look:
Worst. Jabba. Ever. (Psst… buy him here)
Here’s a more affordable one, complete with Jabba and Princess Leia: Jabba’s Palace. And don’t forget Jabba’s Prize (with Boba Fett, Han Solo in carbonite, and an ugly Gamorrean Guard) and Jabba’s Message (C-3P0, R2-D2 and Bib Fortuna).
Anything involving the AT-AT is cool. Seeing it for sale between $120 and $500. You can also get a Motorized Walking AT-AT.
Seeing this 14-inch Jedi Master between $175 and $326.
I like this because it comes with four ships, and Darth Vader. Costs between $180-$285. But I gotta say, this one looks cooler:
Running between $300 and $700.
There are many other really expensive Star Wars LEGO sets (find them here), but these are the most interesting I could find.
Star Wars Minifigures
Now, let’s move onto the more affordable options… the minifigures sold separately.
C-3PO (Golden, Limited Edition of 10,000)
It’s golden! It’s limited edition! It’s a must-have!
Slave Leia
Is it wrong that I think even the LEGO version of this is hot? You can also get her with a lot more clothes on (in her Hoth outfit).
Boba Fett
Why is this guy so popular? Also get him on a key chain or in one of the Jabba sets above. Or, buy him with his ship, Slave 1.
Darth Vader
Even the LEGO version of Vader is awesome. And if you get him, you should also get him when he is damaged, when he is a kid, and when he is a teen.
Darth Maul with Silver Double-Sided Lightsaber
Even the LEGO version of Maul sucks.
Stormtrooper
This one rocks… just like the original toys, you’ve gotta get a bunch of these and line them up behind Vader. Also get Stormtrooper (Black), Clone Trooper (Red), Kashyyyk Trooper, Scout Trooper, or Snowtrooper.
Chewbacca
I wish they made a whole Wookie army of LEGO characters.
Imperial Royal Guard with Force Pike
Something about this guy is really cool, though he’s just a minor character. If you get him, then you should also get Emperor Palpatine. Or, you can get both the emperor and Vader in this set called Final Duel I.
C-3PO
Or, if you’re too cheap to buy the gold one, get the ordinary one. This figure is featured in the image, LEGO C3PO, I’m Your Father
R2-D2
And if you get the C-3PO, you’ve gotta get R2-D2.
Ewok
I love the Ewoks, but this was the only one I could find. Wish there were more.
Luke Skywalker (Black Hand)
Whoever this guy is… Also get him in his Tatooine outfit.
More:
Han Solo (Brown Legs with Jacket)
Yoda – LEGO Star Wars Figure
Obi Wan Kenobi (Old Ben)
Mace Windu
Tusken Raider
Jar Jar Binks
Rebel Trooper
Qui-Gon Jinn
Jawa
Battle Droid
Believe it or not, there are many more that you can find on Amazon.
Now, let’s watch some cool LEGO game video:If Republican leadership had told conservatives in 2013 that they could pass a bill that would eliminate the individual and employer mandates, phase out Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, cut an array of taxes, and lay out the conditions for full repeal later, I imagine most would have said “Sign me up!” Especially if they contemplated the only other viable option: ziltch.
That’s the choice now. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has finally revealed the specifics of Republicans’ “secret” health-care bill — “Better Care” — and, reportedly, he wants a vote by next week. Senators Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, and Mike Lee all say they will oppose the bill as written. There’s a chance they’ll be joined by some moderates who feel reluctant to trim Medicaid. At this point, it feels like most of them want to get to yes and are posturing for concessions.
Or maybe the entire debate is a giant kabuki dance for voters, and nothing will pass.
Whatever the case, Republicans should ask themselves what the alternative looks like. Listen, I wish Mike Lee were writing a market-based Obamacare repeal bill and that we had a president who was interested in reforming welfare, but at some point conservatives are going to have to take a page from Democrats and occasionally embrace incrementalism. Idealism is empowering and necessary. Yet pragmatism can’t always be treated as a transgression. You’re going to see the bill change — provisions in the bill might need to be altered once we get a Congressional Budget Office score and the parliamentarian vets it — but you’re not going to see a market-based iteration of reform. It’s going to have to be achieved piecemeal.
If the House couldn’t cobble together a genuine repeal, there is little chance that senators who have to go home to statewide electorates would be in a position to do so. In fact, it’s surprisingly “conservative.” For one thing, voters like parts of Obamacare—forcing coverage of preexisting conditions, for instance—that make a full repeal impossible. For another, some senators simply won’t sign on to immediate Medicaid rollbacks.
The Obamacare debate was also an intramural affair, crafted to allay the concerns of moderate Democrats, not Republicans. What Democrats correctly understood was that they were engaged in a war of attrition. Even the Affordable Care Act (ACA), until very recently the most unpopular major reform in American history, is astoundingly difficult to repeal.
So it is what it is. Or, rather, it is what McConnell says it is. In 2013, Dan Foster wrote about McConnell’s preternatural ability to push the debate as far right as it’s willing to bend:
[I]f you ever want to know where to find the rightward-most, feasible position for Republicans to take in a given political crisis — and as the president is wont to point out, there’s a new one every week — look for Mitch McConnell. He’s usually sitting there in a folding chair, waiting for everybody else to show up. McConnell’s disposition on a given issue can be either heartening (e.g., on what would prove to be the last extension of the Bush tax cuts) or disheartening (e.g., on the debt-ceiling) but it almost always represents the right flank of the politically possible.
Whether you like McConnell’s disposition is another story. Is this bill near the political sweet spot? Probably.
Many people I respect argue that passing half measures would preserve rather than dismantle Obamacare’s most corrosive mechanisms over the long run. I’m also skeptical that any major rollback of Medicaid expansion will come to fruition in 2020. But setting up this debate matters. That’s because, despite their recent string of wins, Republicans have no clue what the political environment will look like next year. This might be the last chance to do anything. If it’s not the last chance, they can always build on a bill they have passed.
Speaking of political environments: can the GOP really afford to pass up this opportunity? Obamacare repeal was one of the most potent political issues in decades. From the day the ACA was passed to the day Donald Trump was elected president, Republicans picked up around 1,000 seats. The most pervasive issue in all those campaigns was the persistent failures of Barack Obama’s signature achievement. The idea the GOP can take both houses and the presidency then avoid it would be political malpractice on a historic scale.
Meanwhile, it’s also worth remembering that no matter what the Republican bill evolves into, no matter how moderate or extreme, the over-the-top scaremongery rhetoric of liberals and most of the media will be identical to what you hear now.
To some extent people are immune to the drama. No, that doesn’t mean the Republican bill is popular. Likely no reform will poll well at this point. Voters tend to treat health care policy holistically, concluding that whatever problems they face must be the fault of whomever is in charge. By being in power, GOP also owns health care. To some extent, this was true of Obamacare, as well.
It’s worth reminding Americans that their premiums have skyrocketed, that Obamacare’s fabricated exchanges have given them fewer choices and higher prices (they are in the midst of collapsing), and that Democrats basically foisted a poorly functioning welfare program on everyone. But if Republicans truly believe they have something better, they need to start making compelling arguments for why. Otherwise, none of this will matter.Fifty years after his death, what would Che Guevara have thought of today’s Cuba?
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. His face can still be seen all over Cuba. For the Cuban Government, he is a symbol of rebellion and revolution, an icon of socialism and sacrifice.
A doctor from Argentina, Guevara fought in the Cuban revolution and became a member of the government. But he left to spread socialist revolution first in the Congo, then in Bolivia where he was executed by a soldier on 9 October 1967.
The Cuba Guevara left behind has gone through big changes in recent years. Relations with the United States, what Che called the 'great enemy of mankind', have improved and private enterprise is on the rise. Has Che Guevara's legacy stood the test of time?
Will Grant, BBC's Cuba correspondent, meets Guevara's daughter Aleida, also a doctor, and his son Ernesto who runs a motorbike tour company taking tourists round the island to sites associated with his father. Men who fought and worked with Guevara talk about the future of the revolution. Is it in safe hands?
Young Cuban singer, Silvito Rodriguez, son of singer Silvio Rodriguez, left Cuba to live in Miami. But fashion blogger Migue Levya and the owners of design store Clandestina are determined to stay and create new opportunities. Five decades after his death, how important is El Che for young Cubans today?
(Photo: A poster of Revolutionary hero Che Guevara is seen next to the road a day after diplomatic talks to restore diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba, 2015. Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)NOAA is tracking a cold Gulf of Alaska Storm forecast to hit California as early as Monday next week that could potentially drop 12-24″ of snow on the Sierra Nevada mountains of California including Tahoe & Mammoth. This will be the 4th Gulf of Alaska storm in a row to impact California in the past month.
“The next storm system from the Gulf of Alaska will drop south into NorCal as early as Monday night with cooler temperatures, rain and snow through early Thanksgiving Day. Timing and exact details are still uncertain this far out but it looks like the heaviest precipitation will fall on Tuesday with showers lingering Wednesday and Thursday. This storm could bring the lowest snow levels of the season with heavy accumulations at pass levels and light snow down to 2500 feet. – NOAA Sacramento, CA today
Right now, NOAA is calling for 0.5-2″ of liquid precipitation for the mountains of CA which would translate to 6-24″ of snow above snow line. The heaviest snowfall is forecast to coming down on Tuesday with the lowest snow levels of the season so far (2,500′).
Bryan Allegretto thinks Tahoe’s mountains could see 12-18″ of snow from next week’s storm.
“For the mountains up to a foot of snow could fall above 7000 feet, with up to 18 inches along the crest West of the lake.” – Bryan Allegretto/opensnow.com
We’ve got our fingers crossed for this one. Tahoe’s snowpack is a bit above average right now, but we’re definitely way behind other strong El Nino events like ’82 and ’97.Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
LOS ANGELES — Before we allow Blake Griffin to move on from this forgettable season, he should be given a tremendous amount of credit.
That’s right. Griffin might have a thing or two he wishes he did differently in this ill-fated 2015-16 campaign, but he was there for his Los Angeles Clippers team in epic ways that need to be told.
Griffin knew, according to league sources, there was a strong possibility he would re-tear his left quadriceps tendon by playing in the playoffs.
He played anyway.
Jae C. Hong/Associated Press
Griffin could’ve and maybe should’ve undergone the procedure to fix the tendon immediately after suffering the injury on Christmas, according to league sources, but it would’ve ended his Clippers season because of a four- to six-month recovery.
So he tried to strengthen the other areas of his leg, gut it out and heal somewhat to be there, even at a substandard level, for his team’s playoff run.
That’s how much he wanted to capitalize on the opportunity the Clippers had with DeAndre Jordan re-signed to play with both him and Chris Paul, both of whom can opt out of their contracts to become free agents after next season.
Griffin’s decision in December also meant he was knowingly surrendering his chance of playing in the 2016 Rio Olympics, because he was told he would need a significant bone-marrow-injection procedure eventually. If he did it in December and used the NBA season to recover, he could've been back for a summer with USA Basketball.
That deep commitment to the Clippers offers an interesting context for Griffin’s heavily scrutinized punch of assistant equipment manager Matias Testi at a restaurant in late January. The punch that broke Griffin’s right hand and turned him into a pariah for indulging in an off-court moment so foolishly.
It’s only fair to understand that when Griffin did that and hurt the team, he was in the midst of putting off the quad procedure in sincere hopes of helping the team.
He had a team-high 17 points Monday night in Portland before he planted for a leap and felt a give. Paul had left the game shortly prior after breaking a bone in his right hand. Griffin stayed in after the leg gave out, moving gingerly for a while before finally leaving with less than six minutes left of what was a 98-84 Clippers’ loss.
The depleted Clippers also lost Game 5 at home Wednesday night to the Trail Blazers, 108-98, moving to the brink of elimination. Paul was on the bench at Staples Center, even doing his customary waves of disdain at referees with his one good hand, while Griffin was not.
Sam Forencich/Getty Images
One could jump to further conclusions about Griffin being a bad teammate or not there for the guys, but again, all is not as it might seem. Griffin was at the game; he just didn’t appear on the bench. Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said both Paul and Griffin had texted every teammate with encouraging words prior to the game and offered more vocal support in person at halftime in the locker room…despite both having texted Rivers with their true sorrowful notes.
Griffin had gone ahead with the non-surgical regenerative procedure for his tendon Wednesday morning. The MRI Tuesday morning confirmed the situation—the team press release merely stated “aggravating the injury to his left quad tendon” and that he was out for the playoffs.
Time had passed for postponing it. There was no hope left.
All the hard work Griffin put in trying to strengthen his leg, initially ineffective but eventually successful to the point where he began believing he could make it through a long playoff run, wound up wasted.
He had come a long way since his first game back three weeks ago, when he was so wary of leaping, he actually thought to himself for the first time ever as an alley-oop pass went up: “Please don’t throw it too high.”
Because he was protecting the quad tendon, Griffin rarely could practice his jump shot to get a feel for how comfortable he was with his healed hand. There was no chance he would be the all-around powerhouse who finished third in the 2014 NBA MVP voting, rose up as the Clippers beat the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2015 playoffs and averaged 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists during the first 30 games of this season.
Were his stubborn efforts trying to salvage 2016 pointless? Not if you ask Rivers.
“I actually thought Blake was about a second away from regaining timing,” Rivers said about Game 4.
Rivers said even he mentioned it mid-game after watching Griffin on the court: “‘Man, you can see him. He’s close; he’s close. He is about to get it going.’ And then, ‘Bam.’”
Steve Dykes/Getty Images
The idea that a fragile Griffin just trying to survive could’ve carried the Clippers to their first-ever title without Paul is unrealistic.
He would’ve tried, though.
If this were some Hollywood script, that happy ending would’ve played out after the sacrifice Griffin privately made with his leg despite receiving such public condemnation for his hand.
He might be a befuddling character on the court with how fearlessly he plays at times while coming across to opponents as a fake tough guy. And this certainly doesn’t change the fact he punched Testi.
Yet Griffin tried. He tried more than anyone knew.
He had to live with the guilt of the punch and the anxiety that his next explosive move would end his season, as it ultimately did. He wanted to play and wanted to be there for his team.
Griffin will be fully recovered for the next NBA season, but he deserves more than that.
He deserves acknowledgement for his determination to persevere in a season that upon first glance just looks like a big mess.
Kevin Ding is an NBA senior writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @KevinDing.A woman in Hampshire felt highly embarrassed when she called an inspector from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) to catch a massive spider lurking in her home, but the spider was later found to be nothing more than a plastic toy.
An RSPCA inspector, Nikki Denham, had quickly arrived at the home of this woman at Alresford, Hampshire after receiving a call from her. She was equipped with gloves and nets.
According to the Metro, the terrified woman told the inspector that a tarantula was moving under her stairs.
The woman had found that the eight-legged tarantula was the ‘size of her hand’ and was lurking in the understairs cupboard.
When inspector shined a light at the spider, she found that it was just a plastic toy.
The toy was then presented to woman’s young son who revealed that the toy actually belonged to him.
Though all tarantulas are venomous and some bites cause serious discomfort that might persist for several days, so far there is no record of a bite causing a human fatality. In general, the effects of the bites of all kinds of tarantula are not well known. While the bites of many species are known to be no worse than a wasp sting, accounts of bites by some species are reported to be very painful and to produce intense spasms that may recur over a period of several days; the venom of the African tarantula Pelinobius muticus also causes strong hallucinations.
Tarantulas give people the creeps because they have large, hairy bodies and legs. While these large spiders can take a painful bite out of a human, a tarantula’s venom is weaker than from a typical bee sting.
Tarantulas move slowly on their eight hairy legs, but they are accomplished nocturnal predators. Insects are their main prey, but they also target bigger game, including frogs, toads, and mice. Tarantulas are burrowers and typically live in the ground.
“The caller had stated there was a tarantula the size of her hand in the understairs cupboard,” said RSPCA inspector Nikki Denham.
“She had left it in there not touching it and called us for assistance.”
“I turned up with gloves and nets to confine the creature and the woman left me to it, shutting doors around me to prevent its escape.”
“It was dark under the stairs but I could see legs behind a vacuum cleaner that certainly were tarantula size, however as I shone light in I could see that it was in fact a toy plastic tarantula.”
“The poor caller was obviously embarrassed, but it won’t be the first or last call we’ll have like that I’m sure.”
The incident happened last Thursday.
According to RSPCA, the organisation was called on to rescue 275 genuine tarantulas last year.General view of the Amazon.de distribution centre in Bad Hersfeld September 22, 2014. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
BERLIN (Reuters) - Workers at two of Amazon.com’s (AMZN.O) German warehouses went on strike on Monday as labor union Verdi sought to squeeze the online retailer in the busy pre-Christmas period in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
A Verdi statement said that about 500 workers joined a strike at a distribution center in Bad Hersfeld, saying that pre-Christmas special offers from Amazon were increasing order volumes and pressure on workers.
The union, which said it would organize more stoppages for as long as Amazon fails to meet its demands, also called on workers at a Leipzig warehouse to strike from Monday afternoon.
Amazon said the vast majority of staff had not walked off the job and were working hard to meet customer expectations. It said that deliveries should not be disrupted because it can draw on a European network of 28 warehouses in seven countries.
The American company employs almost 10,000 warehouse staff at nine distribution centers in Germany, its second-biggest market behind the United States, plus more than 10,000 seasonal workers.
Verdi wants Amazon to raise pay for workers at its distribution centers in accordance with collective bargaining agreements across the mail order and retail industry in Germany and has organized several stoppages since May 2013.
Amazon has rejected the demand, arguing that it regards warehouse staff as logistics workers and says that they receive above-average pay for that sector.HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. ― Donald Trump, within striking distance of the presidency, stepped on stage here Monday and did what Hillary Clinton hoped he would.
He behaved like Donald Trump.
The Clinton campaign’s greatest fear throughout the general election has been that some other Trump would emerge ― a more measured, reasonable and mature man, one who might look like he was ready for the Oval Office. That man doesn’t exist, so he didn’t show up.
Trump came out with a clear game plan targeted at Ohio and Pennsylvania voters frustrated with the loss of manufacturing, hitting Clinton on trade over and over.
But he fairly quickly reverted to the alpha male role that had worked so well in Republican debates, becoming something of a Rick Lazio in split screen, hectoring, interrupting, sniffling loudly and rolling his eyes.
Clinton, after spending the campaign cleaving Trump away from the Republican Party, arguing that there was something uniquely different about him, instead treated Trump Monday night as if Mitt Romney had shown up.
He has advocated, she said somewhat awkwardly, of “trumped-up trickle down economics,” and is little more than a fortunate son. “He started his business with $14 million borrowed from his father, and he really believes that the more you help wealthy people, the better off we’ll be and that everything will work out from there. I don’t buy that,” Clinton said.
The $14 million dollar figure comes from a Wall Street Journal article published this week ― demonstrating the value of running an actual campaign with an opposition research arm.
Clinton came in with a clear case of nerves, aware that upwards of 100 million people may be watching, and the weight of the free world on her shoulders, but smoothed her performance out quickly. She worked hard to bait Trump, using the word “crazy” at one point to describe his contributions to the conversation and speculating that he wasn’t as rich as he claimed he was.
“First, maybe he’s not as rich as he says he is,” Clinton said. “Maybe he’s not as charitable as he claims to be. Third, we don’t know all of his business dealings, but we have been told through investigative reporting that he owes about $650 million to Wall Street and foreign banks. Or maybe he doesn’t want the American people, all of you watching tonight, to know that he’s paid nothing in federal taxes.”
Trump took the bait, because he knows no other way, interrupting Clinton over and over.
The debate then moved to the topic of race relations. Trump defended his questioning of President Barack Obama’s birthplace, saying that, in fact, he did the president a favor. “I was the one who got him to produce the birth certificate, and I think I did a good job,” he said.
Clinton’s rebuttal was among her most effective moments, which she transitioned into a reminder to the public that when he began his career as a real estate developer, Trump explicitly discriminated against African-Americans.
To defend himself, Trump focused on the fact that after he was sued by the Department of Justice ― Richard Nixon’s DOJ, a fact that wasn’t mentioned ― he settled the case and admitted no wrongdoing.
As the debate moved to foreign policy, Trump failed to hit Clinton’s main vulnerability, her hawkishness, by repeatedly lying about his own position on the Iraq war. “I did not support the war in Iraq,” he said. Tape of him saying he did support it in 2002, he said, shouldn’t be believed, because he hadn’t thought about the issue much.
And that, more than anything, was the impression the debate left: Trump hasn’t thought about this stuff much. He’s not ready to be president. His odd campaign set awfully low expectations, but, paradoxically, high ones as well. He had to show he was ready to be president. He didn’t.
Trump has been gaining on Clinton in recent weeks, and has brought the race close to a tie. If it were held tomorrow, however, Clinton would win, and Trump did nothing to change that dynamic Monday night.Many of the government leaders queried by IBM in a recent survey say they want to put blockchain to work in the public sector.
Out of 200 government executives from 16 different countries worldwide polled, 14% say they expect to utilize production-grade blockchains sometime this year. Forty-eight percent anticipate launches of their own between now and 2020. The remaining 38% indicated that they would take a wait-and-see approach, putting off their own use of the tech until past 2020 |
the brain) and from there to the physical body." (14)
Even among the Greeks one finds this view:
"Aristotle regarded the heart and not the brain as the thinking or control centre of the body. He also spoke of certain very fine thread-like tendons that went from the heart to all the larger tendons of the body as in a marionette. Hence the notion of one's "heart-strings' being tugged." (15)
Ramana once said "You doctors say that the heart is at the left side of the chest. But the whole body is the heart for yogis. Jnanis have their hearts both within and without." A devotee of his, Ranaky Matha, claims to have had her liberation under Bhagavan's grace when her kundalini rose to the sahasrara, after which she realized the One, Universal, Transcendental Self as Heart-Light and Amrita Nadi as a "pillar of light", rising up to the sahasrara and above, as sometimes described by Ramana. She once almost had the experience of Ganapati Muni of the kundalini trying to break out of the top of the skull but it subsided when she cried out to Ramana. Maharshi said of her that she was born realized, that he was only the causal (karana) guru for her. See
For advanced Tibetan Buddhists, kundalini practice can be both preparatory for non-dual realization, or part of the progressive, fully integrating stages of such realization leading to attainment of the Light Body or Rainbow Body whereby the practitioner reduces the physical body into the subtle essence of its elements, leaving nothing behind but the hair and nails, considered to be impurities. In this tradition, such is considered to be a sign of Total realization. Such phenomena are not due to conventional yogic siddhi, but rather transmutation due to radical non-dual realization wherein even the physical body is so resolved. [For more on this and additional comments on the kundalini see
On the other hand, most non-dual philosophies, such as Advaita, teach that there is nothing to attain but the ever-present Self or consciousness. Kundalini-Shakti may appear to rise, or the devotee may appear to ascend through the chakras, but really this is only an appearance, or even a play of attention. However, this appears to overly minimize the reality and significance of the movement of the life-force within relativity. The average aspirant is in no way equipped to deal with the full and sudden activation of kundalini, and is usually, in his best interests, advised against such motivated pursuit. Fortunately or not, the average hide-bound and mind-ridden aspirant is also not in a position to experience this, so it is largely an unnecessary worry!
The ascending motion, for Taoists, Kriya Yogins, and perhaps especially Tibetan Buddhists, is part of a greater process, including descent, ascent, and non-dual identification with consciousness itself. For the general devotee it is enough to understand and that whatever it is that ascends, or what the process of ascent is altogether, can only be observed or known properly from the point of view of consciousness. The ego-soul may appear to ascend and descend, but such is only an illusion based on identification with the bodily self. This insight is an advanced one, known to the realizer. Such identification is undermined through spiritual insight into the all-pervading, formless Soul - or Self - which is realized as empty-fullness of Reality. If the ego-soul is an illusion, therefore, based on mistaken identity, how can it really be said to ascend? Yet strangely, it can (or it appears to), as ascension is one of the functions of the emanated soul), and right and proper in its time and place in a total spiritual process. Moreover, as PB writes:
" 'Give yourself to the Overself' is simple to say, but one must descend and ascend through a number of levels before its full majestic meaning is realized." (16)
And what this all implies in the final analysis is that kundalini awakening is God's business, not that of the humble aspirant, whose basic task is not the willful attempt to manipulate or pursue the experience of subtle energies for their own sake, but, rather, through profound self-transformation, self-understanding, and self-surrender, to permit consciousness itself and its divine spirit-current or shakti, itself inseparable from consciousness, to dissolve all exclusive, fixed, limited identification with the body-mind. A brief illustration may suffice for our purposes. A learned monk came to the Athonite holy man, Elder Paissos, having read book after book on noetic prayer, or the various mystical states and stages. After expounding on how 'in this spiritual state, this takes place, and in that state, that takes place', he asked Father Paissos what state he was in. Paissos recounts:
" 'In what state?' I repeated,'In no state.'
" 'So what are you doing out here?' he asked.
"What am I doing? I ask God for self-knowledge. If I know myself, I'll have repentance. And if repentance comes, so will humility, and then afterwards, grace. That's why I'm seeking repentance, repentance, and repentance. God will send His grace afterward." (17)
The summary point in this discussion is that the apparent ascent or descent of consciousness and/or kundalini in the chakra system is part of a larger spiritual process, and is not the immediate concern, or necessity, of the separately identified, unawakened individual.
Adyashanti seems to concur on this basic point (although he also recognizes that it is almost inevitable at some point for energy to be liberated in the body-mind as one's conscious awareness deepens):
"Awakening is just here. You don't need to bring it backwards or up or down or behind something to be essentially free of what's arising. It already is free. It doesn't need to back up. Only the little me thinks it needs to back up or get away." (p. 217 Emptiness Dancing )
It needs also be said that it is possible that the purifying activity of the kundalini or spirit-energy on the chakras may cause them to open in any order, from below-upwards, or above-down, depending on the stage of the individual and his/her karmic history/requirements. For example, one may have opened at the level of the heart or throat, but need to 'go back' and integrate the energies/emotions of the second (sexual/desire) or third (solar plexus/will) chakras. So one need not then be fixated on the notion of a mysterious force shooting straight up the spine in every case. What we are essentially talking about - with difficulty - is the Spirit, Soul, or Overself moving more freely in its association with its own bodily vehicle, and causing 'friction' when it meets with obstructions.
Bhai Sahib, guru of Irena Tweedie, spoke of in his Sufi tradition the master activating the heart chakra of the disciple, letting the heart then open all the other centers through its own inherent wisdom-process:
"By our system it [kundalini] is awakened gently...we awaken the 'King', the heart chakra, and leave it to the 'King' to awaken all the other chakras."
Victoria LePage elaborates:
"By this method man's natural state of purity is regained not by meditation or ascetic disciplines [per se], or by any abstraction of the senses, but in full consciousness; ideally by a spontaneous union with the pure consciousness of the guru." (17a)
In other words, realization, as well as activation of energy, is a result of a process of infused contemplation by grace, and not the strategic efforts of an individual. The individual has removed himself from all concern for the process, and is in a state of surrender. This is the safest way, and in some sense the easiest and also the most difficult.
[Bhai Sahib also made an interesting statement worth pondering, that "new chakras are discovered all the time..there is not enough time in a lifetime to awaken them all."]
It has been said that there are really not 'two things': Spirit and matter are one, kundalini and the soul are one, and thus one can appreciate that ultimately kundalini is not separate from our own self. It is quite a paradoxical affair, but it may be said one that has its own logic within relativity. In advanced Dzogchen ultimately the energies are non-dually resolved into their essences. The lights and sounds perceived within or moving in the body are finally known as manifesting from our own primal essence. But of course, from within relativity there seems to be a process.
And, again, which has its own logic, which must be respected. "Getting fried" is a real possibility. The annals of spirituality are filled with cautions about premature awakening of the centers, which can lead to bodily and psychic ruin, madness, etc.. The Cypriote mystic Daskalos, as reported by Kyriacos Markides in his book Homage to the Sun, taught that the chakras, or what he called the'sacred discs', at birth begin to rotate in a clockwise manner, and are largely under the control of the Holy Spirit as the infant develops. Stress, agitation and arisal of evil propensities can temporarily reverse this flow. In maturity, the discs at the head (primarily the ajna and sahasrar), which govern our self-consciousness, may be developed through our efforts at right thinking and discrimination, while the discs at the heart and solar plexus remain under the aegis of the Holy Spirit. An aspiring mystic can open any of these discs through raja yoga type of practices, but the safer way is the aforementioned process of right living and thinking, without flooding by opening the gates of the subconscious. The reason, in part, is that there is a close connection to mental illness or madness and an unstable relationship between the solar plexus and the brain. When these are unable to handle the intense vibrations of our subtle body a breakdown can occur. It takes time to prepare the channels properly. Which is why most masters advise a gradual devotional and intellectual development a supposed to a concerted yogic effort to propel us towards exotic inner experiences. Daskalos states:
"Violent vibrations in themselves do not lead to madness. Madness is the inability of the material brain and the solar plexus to express the inner conditions of the psychonoetic body [i.e., subtle bodies]. Sometimes you will notice, for example, that before an individual gets into these fits of madness he may begin to feel pain in his stomach, bend down and start vomiting. The vibration that gets him off balance may start from the solar plexus." (p. 25)
And
"The disc at the heart begins to revolve simultaneously with the movement of the disc at the solar plexus. It begins revolving while the infant is still in the womb. The two discs, that of the solar plexus and of the heart,are responsible for offering us the phenomenon of life. After birth the disc at the heart is also responsible for energizing the movement of the lungs."
"The sacred discs of the heart and the solar plexus are completely independent of the present self-conscious personality. They are under the direct and omniscient supervision of the Holy Spirit which sets these two discs into motion, making possible the functioning of the physical body."
"The two discs at the head are responsible for the development of the personality and offer us the potential of self-consciousness...The [disc over the head] begins to move very slowly right at birth and it gradually develops as the child learns how to concentrate and reason...Now, it is possible that a person may sop end a lifetime with the disc over his head never moving in a normal and harmonious manner. This may happen when the person is over focused on and overdetermined by earthly material existence. I have noticed that for a lot of people that disc hardly moves. I said "hardly" because in reality that disc always moves at least a little for all persons regardless of their mental and spiritual development. However, for threes earthly people the disc remains atrophied. It maintains the size it had when the person came into the world."
The development of this sacred disc will depend on the person's self-consciousness, the way the person thinks, the way he handles noetic [i.e., mental] substance. It starts to grow and move harmoniously when the person makes proper use of the power of thought."
He makes the following point:
"The disc over the head can develop through appropriate meditation exercises of concentration. But it can also develop without the individual consciously trying to develop it. Sometimes this may be a more preferable way. There have been people who through virtue, reason, powers of observation and through self-discipline managed to develop the disc over their heads without ever learning of its existence, and never consciously trying to open it and develop it. On the other hand, there are Researchers of Truth [i.e., a term given to aspirants in his mystical circles] who learn about these centers on the etheric-double by reading books from the Orient. Through practice they may begin to move that sacred disc rapidly and open it up. But unless they also develop their characters, they will not accomplish much. In fact they may prematurely open their sacred discs,which could be damaging to their present personalities. The safest method of developing this disc is through self-analysis, reason, and the right way of living." (p. 76-78)
[Note: there is much more to Daskalos teachings; as this is so different than advaita and other oriental philosophies, for further study the reader is directed to the trilogy by Markides ( The Magus of Strovolos, Homage to the Sun, Fire in the Heart ), as well as "The Idea of Man" on this website and its imbedded links ]
Perhaps the following may offer another clarifying perspective. Swami "M", in Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master (2010), writes of a time as a young teen (!) when he was conflicted by contrasting accounts by these various masters over the location of the heart center, i.e., was it at the crown center, the ajna, or the right side of the chest. While spending the night at the samadhi site of Sri Ramadasa Swami, a strange man spontaneously appeared to him and said, "Don't fear...So you have a problem, yeah? Don't know where the heart lotus is, yeah? It is everywhere, here, there, everywhere. Ha ha, manifested in different centers for different people. No controversy." He then tapped him in the middle of the chest and said, "Yours, right here, anahata, you stick to it, Babaji's order." A violet light he never saw before then filled his heart center which he saw even with open eyes. He was later given another practice by one named Dadaji:
"I was given the sixteen letter (Shodasakshari), the Sri Vidya mantra belonging to the Lopamudra category with the starting sound Ka. "While kriya yoga clears up the central spinal pathway for the kundalini energy," said Dadaji, "the sound vibrations of the Sri Vidya help activate the cerebrospinal centers, and prepare them to receive the serpent power as it begin to ascend. I have come to teach you Shiva Raja Yoga, Thirumoolar's teaching, seven more centers in the brain."
[My how things can get complicated! This is likely part of the appeal of Advaita. But truth is truth, so let us not judge how it shall be, but continue our investigation.The point of interest here is regarding numerous centers in the brain. Perhaps in this we there may be found a reconciliation between the above-mentioned teachings of yoga and Sant Mat regarding Sat Lok and the Sahasrar?]
Several years later with his own guru he had a more definitive shakti opening which coincided with the falling away of his sense of separate self:
"A searing pain shot up my backbone, and such heat was generated that I felt that my whole body, especially my heart, was on fire. I almost thought that this was the end, and that I might not come out of it. Suddenly, a roaring sound, that quickly transformed itself into a soothing hum entered into my consciousness. It was as if someone with a Jim Reeves voice was chanting a long drawn "Om." The convulsions ceased, the heat subsided and a warm glow, like the comforting warmth of a fireplace on a winter night, suffused my body and soul. From the crown of my head, a secret elixir began to flow down my spine, and from head to toe, I experienced a wondrous, blissful ecstasy. I opened my eyes and looked around. Everything was fresh, new, and pulsating with life energy. I was a new person; resurrected from the old that seemed to have vanished and died. I was no longer an isolated self. The center of consciousness was everywhere from the humble dust to the Milky Way. All boundaries were broken. When I saw Babaji, it was as if I was him, looking at me. Babaji said, "Yes. Now, you are reborn. This is the real meaning of Dwija, born again. Rise slowly, for it will take some time to come to terms with your new self. Like a newborn babe, you'll have to crawl, then sit up, and finally walk with faltering step, until practice gives you the steady, confident stride of a full-grown being."
There is, of course, much more that can be said on this topic, we have but scratched the surface.
For instance, a number of questions remain. 'When and why and how did the kundalini get 'coiled' at the base of the spine?' Some speculate that it actually had something to do with the evolution of the race and a 'Marduk disaster' (a cosmic planetary collision that, according to some, formed our earth eons ago; see Markides, Fire in the Heart ). And, "what exactly is the kundalini? Is it the pranas, what the Sant Mat teachers refer to as the'motor' or life currents, or a variant or emanation thereof? or is it also related to the'sensory' currents, part and parcel of the soul or consciousness itself?" "Does the kundalini only have to rise to the sahasrar once to achieve what its proponents claim, or are multiple such ascensions necessary?' [A final link to apart from us? In what way? What is going on here? This is something to ponder over.
Some summary reflections on the above discussion are now offered. First, there is a need to distinguish between concentration or interiorization of the mind or attention (surat), and its apparent movement in the sushumna and/or to a bodily center, whether in the spinal line or to the heart, and the movement of the soul's energy in such a manner. Kundalini is generally mentioned in reference to the latter.
Second, Lakshmana Swamy and other Ramana descendants often seem to confuse the two, when saying "the mind is the kundalini, and must descend into the heart and die," etc.. One can have a mystic transport or feeling of leaving the body, or ascending up the chakra line,or descending into, or abiding as, the heart without the kundalini as such awakening. And vice versa. Or both. Further, the consensus is that it is not necessary for all aspirants to have any of these'movements' to become self-realized, although some variation on these themes is probably relatively inevitable and natural in the context of existence as a human being. This is because, it is said, there are multiple simultaneous, non-separate streams emanating from the Divine/Soul/Overself, i.e., Consciousness, Life, Energy, which are all One yet also experientially distinct.
Third, it may be possible to bypass the lower kundalini energy by meditating on the shabd, or light and sound current, as the Sants say, but it may or may not be possible to achieve full integration within the lower vehicles without some variety of kundalini activation. Many of the Sant masters have in fact had transformation of both kundalini opening and shabd absorption. In addition, both kundalini and shabd may be considered forms of shakti.
And fourth, while the Overself may be said to be rooted in the heart while incarnated (some try to pinpoint this to the sino-atrial node, and hence 'on the right', but 'deep in the heart' is good enough for most traditions), at some point one also transcends the idea of the Overself or Soul being related to any bodily center, be it the head (pineal gland or sahasrar) or the heart. Brunton writes:
"From this ultimate standpoint, space is regarded as being merely an idea for the mind whilst the mind itself is regarded as being outside both position and distance. Hence the philosophic meditation seeks to know the Overself by direct insight into its timeless, spaceless nature and not indirectly by bringing it into relation with a particular point in the physical body." (19)
And also:
"Whether the divine power is looked upon as being inside or outside oneself - and both views will be true and complementary - in the end it must be thought of without any reference to body and ego at all." (20)
And at this point one knows the shakti, shabd and/or kundalini, as the form and energy of one's own self, and not leading to that self. There is then nowhere to go, and nothing to do.
Seven hundred years earlier the author of the mystical treatise, The Cloud of Unknowing, said as much in the following passages:
"...the intention in the depths of our spirit. Which is the same as the 'height' of our spirit, for in these matters height, depth, length, and breadth all mean the same." [and] Since it had to be that Christ should ascend physically, and then send the Holy Spirit in tangible form, it was more suitable that it should be 'upwards', and 'from above', than it should be 'downwards and from beneath', 'from behind, from the front, or from the sides'. Apart from this matter of suitability, there was no more need for him to have gone upwards than downwards, the way is so near. For, spiritually, heaven is as near down as up, up as down, behind as before, before as behind, on this side or that! So that whoever really wanted to be in heaven, he is there and then in heaven spiritually. For we run the high way (and the quickest) to heaven on our desire, and not on our two feet. St. Paul speaks for himself and many others when he says that although our bodies are actually here on earth, we are living in heaven. He is meaning their love and their desire, which is, spiritually, their life. Surely the soul is as truly there where the object of its love is, as it is in its body which depends on it, and to which it gives life. If then we will go spiritually to heaven, we do not have to strain our spirit up or down or sideways!" (21)
And further, lest one on any path be concerned that he has not had the'required' experiences, the following story of Ramana Maharshi should allay his worry once and for all:
"In 1942, a Tamil scholar had a lengthy and detailed discussion with Bhagavan on the amrita nadi, believed to be the nerve associated with Self realization. Bhagavan showed interest in the discussion and answered all the pundit?s questions, giving a detailed description of the functions of the amrita nadi. Nagamma felt out of place as she did not know anything of the subject matter. After the pundit left, she approached Bhagavan and began to ask him about what was discussed. Before she could complete her sentence, Bhagavan asked, “Why do you worry about all this?” Nagamma replied, “Bhagavan, you have been discussing this for four days; so I thought I should also learn something about it from you.” Bhagavan answered, “The pundit was asking me what is written in the scriptures and I was giving him suitable replies. Why do you bother about all that? It is enough if you look into yourself as to who you are.” Saying this, Bhagavan smiled compassionately at her. After another two days or so, there was once again another dialogue on the same subject. This time Bhagavan said that it was only a notion, a mere concept. Nagamma intervened to ask whether all matters relating to the amrita nadi were also only concepts. Bhagavan replied emphatically, “Yes, what else is it? Is it not a mere notion? If the body itself is a notion, will that not be a notion as well?” Bhagavan then looked at Nagamma with great kindness. That very moment, all her doubts were laid to rest. In narrating this incident, Nagamma wanted to make known how important it is to go back to the source when spiritual doubts arise." (from Ramana Periya Puranam)
So here Ramana appears to be agreeing with Sri Nisargadatta that all but the Absolute are concepts. In which case it does not matter which way one proceeds, the 'I'-thought or ego can be tamed, transcended, or made irrelevant on any path or via any center.
Also in Ramana Periyam Puranam is found this quote from Ramana:
"The Self alone is to be realized. Kundalini shakti, visions of God, occult powers and their spell binding displays are all in the Self. Those who speak of these and indulge in these have not realized the Self. Self is in the Heart and is the Heart itself. All other forms of manifestations are in the brain. The brain itself gets its power from the Heart. Remaining in the Heart is realizing the Self. Instead of doing that, to be attracted by brain oriented forms of disciplines and methods is a sheer waste of time. Is it not foolish to hold on to so many efforts and so many disciplines that are said to be necessary for eradicating the non-existent ignorance?”
Clearly, for Ramana the kundalini force was not of much importance as compared to the primary realization of the heart or consciousness itself.
An interesting description of kundalini is given in the Spandakarika, a translation with commentary by Daniel Odier of the ancient tantric text by Vasagupta, which speaks of a "spherical kundalini that unfurls from the heart, permeating the totality of space, and which is absolute love" - by contrast which the chakras and spinal kundalini movement are more or less imaginary. This book is highly recommended.
There is an interesting section in PB's Notebooks on
"What the Hindus call kundalini, meaning the "coiled force," is really a manifestation of [the] power of the Overself. It does not have to appear in the case of every progressing disciple."
"It is really nothing other than the soul's Energy, the dynamic aspect of the still centre hidden deep in man."
"It is the original life-force behind all human activity - mental and physical, spiritual as well as sexual - because it was behind the very birth of the human entity itself."
"This force is originally derived from the sun. It is universal, living, conscious, and like electricity in its dynamic potential."
"He who brings to the attempt a sufficient degree of informed spiritual development and mental-emotional self-control need have no fear. But he who does not - and such a type is in the majority - may find the solar plexus pouring out the force unrestrainedly through his nervous system, inducing permanent insomnia by reason of its pressure upon his brain, until his mind becomes unhinged."
The latter is a warning regarding the premature and incomplete awakening of this force in unprepared individuals, whose many internal blocks - largely of a moral nature - prevent its full, unhindered circulation.
In a larger context, beyond simply its'serpent power' aspect, one might say that kundalini can be considered as a way of talking about an expression of transmission/grace/stimulation that can come from any number of sources: spiritual practice, directly from the Holy Spirit, Sat Purush, the lineage/guru, or one's own Soul. Kundalini, or more broadly, Shakti, is often used when wanting to emphasize the energy/bodily aspect of the spiritual process, which, of course, can, when activated, lead to a clearing of karmas and energy blocks referred to in different ways in different contexts, such as : 'kriyas' (Muktananda),'spontaneous body movements' (Yan Xin), or burning/purifying (U Ba Khin). All of these sources and many others each have their own list of the potential symptoms that can arise when the 'kundalini is active'. These include:
- spontaneous mudras, asanas, pranayama
- psychic openings
- sensations in the spine
- OBEs
- experiencing inner lights and sounds
- distorted body image
- strange emergence of various physical sensations with no apparent pathology or outer cause
- cathartic eruption of emotions
- patterns of stress and tension moving through the body
- chakras opening
- sensation of body vibrating
- sense of misalignment of 'inner nature' and the body - dissociation from the body
- numbing, deadening, dulling of senses
- heightening of senses
- shutting down of emotional sensitivity
- hyper-emotional sensitivity
- deeper intuitive insights
- feelings of suffocation, pressure, crushing, or bands of tensions in the body
- rapture, bliss, love, contentment, peace
- intensive negative emotions - fear, anxiety, sorrow, anger, existential despair, alienation
- laughing, crying, coughing, sneezing
- strange sensations of dismemberment, head disconnected from body, paralysis
- dizziness, loss of appetite, confusion
- vision problems, hearing problems, chronic headaches
- sudden emergence of diseases that then quickly pass without treatments such as pneumonia, fever, bad headaches, allergies
- lethargy, tiredness, loss of motivation, low vitality
Intensified episodes, then, could be called 'clearing karma', 'the scrubbing process' (Sant Darshan Singh), 'perinatal/transpersonal process' (Stanislov Grof), 'the path of purification' (Theravada Buddhism), 'diseases of the mystic','shakti fever', 'pranic disorder' (Wilber), '
In general, most people with active kundalini do not experience the majority of these symptoms, but only a handful at any given time or even over a pretty long period, and, further, most do not experience much in the way of the more exotic symptoms, such as OBEs, fire up the spine, chakras opening, and so on. Instead, the process is usually more subtle, gradual, and less dramatic. Subsequently, many more people have active kundalini than realize it, and more often than not, they experience mostly what may be called the 'negative' or less dramatic symptoms, as these are the result of clearling negative physical and emotional karma, and mostly take the form of strange physical sensations, disturbance of vitality and motivation, and passing through a lot of difficult emotional spaces.
At times one may have an 'over-active kundalini', which means that sometimes this process is proceeding somewhat forcefully, and so the symptoms are fairly difficult to live with. In some historical cases this has been terrifying, or even life-threatening. The strange episode of Ganapati Muni comes to mind. More often, however, this rapid clearing may simply be inevitable, as the natural course of our spiritual growth combined with our karmic situation leads to some accelerated working out of much'shadow material'. But it can also be the result, at least in part, of extra stimulation so that the intensity is more than is necessary or even desirable or integratable. This extra stimulation can result from doing energetic exercises (chi gong, pranayama, etc.), or having done them in past lives, or even just from a lot of any spiritual practice, or drugs, exercise, giving birth, etc.. So if the kundalini is already active it becomes important to try not to let it, or cause it, to get over-stimulated. As Jack Kornfield wrote in A Path with Heart, it is sometimes necessary to 'find the brake' and slow down the process of purification so it may be assimilated. The reader also shall note the incident of Ramdas with Neem Karoli Baba when his and others' kundalini spontaneously started to rise, and the saint stopped it by putting his hand on their heads.
Ramakrishna Paramahansa said this of the kundalini process that began after his initial dramatic spiritual awakening:
"No sooner had I passed through one spiritual crisis than another took its place. It was like being in the midst of a whirlwind...Sometimes I would open my mouth, and it would be as if my jaw reached from heaven to the underworld...An ordinary man couldn't have borne a quarter of that tremendous fervor; it would have burnt him up. I had no sleep at all for six long years....I got frightened and said to the Mother, "Mother, is this what happened to those who call on you? I surrendered myself to you, and you gave me this terrible disease." I used to shed tears - but then, suddenly, I'd be filled with ecstasy. I saw that my body didn't matter - it was of no importance, a mere trifle. Mother appeared to me and comforted me and freed me from fear." (22)
We offer another example of a version of this process which began after many years of practice by a Westerner, William Johnston, a Jesuit monk who studied Buddhism in Japan for years, as told in his autobiography, Mystical Awakening. It is especially noted that he did not experience the classical ascent of energy in his spine, but nevertheless did have many experiences commonly associated with kundalini or energetic opening, including prolonged sleeplessness:
"One night, when I was in a deep sleep, something within, like a spring of water, came sizzling up inside of me. It seemed to come from my belly (I prefer the Japanese words hara or tanden) to the surface of my consciousness and I woke in fear and trembling. What had happened to me? This swish! And I could not go back to sleep. I lay awake for the rest of the night...On reflection I saw that I had felt something of this inner energy for quite a while, but I was able to repress it in my waking hours. When I was fast asleep it could uninhibitedly come to the surface. But what was it? And why was I filled with anxiety?...[A] Jesuit who I met in Ireland saw it as something very valuable. "Throw away your sleeping pills and even your rosary," he said, "and attend to this inner fire."
"I spent a terrible sleepless night plagued by anxiety. In the morning I was desperate...My problem was sleep. I could not sleep! The sizzling energy that had awakened me in Baguio, spiraling to the surface of my consciousness during deep sleep, grew and continued to irritate me. It was like a buzzing in my head. Eventually it irritated my whole body. Call it kundalini, the serpent power. Call it the fire of love. Call it the life force. Call it what you will. Whatever it was, it kept me frightened and awake and I kept swallowing sleeping pills....One night I was laying awake in bed. I was looking up at the ceiling, when suddenly a column of smoke came down from the ceiling and struck my breast very violently with the tremendous clang of a bell. It was not just a symbolic experience; I felt deep physical pain and I shouted out,"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Then I lay awake. What was happening?
"After some years I came to see this incident as an awakening of my true self which, hard and brittle, had to be broken open violently with the crash and the clang of the bell. The smoke, I now see, came from a fire that came to burn within me. The smoke seemed to come down from above but perhaps it was like the serpent power rising up from below. The fire came to burn gradually. Only after some time could I call it a fire. Eventually, however, it became very strong and moved from my breast to my head and back again to my whole body. It kept me awake. It was not at all pleasant."
"St. Philip Neri experienced heat all over his body and laughed at the young men who were afraid of the cold [note: see "Those Amazing Christians" on this website for an account of Philip Neri, Seraphim of Sarov, and many other such mystics]. And St. John of the Cross..writes poetically of "the living flame of love that tenderly wounds my soul in its deepest center." When he writes this poem, the living flame of love is a tender and beautiful fire, but he hearkens back to an earlier time when the flame was oppressive."
"My prayer went on, and I continued to give retreats, but a new area of my psyche seemed to have opened up...I lay awake all night, night after night...I could not sleep and I could not take sleeping pills. It was as though my being rejected sleeping pills and told me that I must remain awake."
"A new dimension of energy or a new level of consciousness seemed to awaken, yet I did not toss around in bed. I lay in utter and deep silence. It was an experience of nothingness, a dark nothingness at he depths of my being. I was terrified at the thought of getting no sleep...My inner being continued to say, "You must be awake! Do not sleep! Do not take those sleeping pills!"...This was the advice I had received from [a] Chinese sister in Hong Kong at the beginning of my crisis. "Let the process take place," she had said. "Let God act! Don't fight against God! And this was wonderful advice. Gradually, over a period of years (altogether it was five years), I began to sleep, at first with sleeping pills and then quite naturally."(23)
The writer goes on to say how he later met many other people, both priests and laymen, who experienced this inner fire, with sleepless nights, terrible fears including fear of not sleeping, thinking one was |
strategy is to defeat ISIS in Iraq first, in addition to destroying the infrastructure of the Islamic State in the north east of the country".
The sources believe the political mandate given to coalition fighters only to destroy "ISIS infrastructure, such as oil stations and command centers, within Iraq first", may explain the coalition's failure to prevent ISIS from controlling the city of Palmyra in central Syria weeks ago.
Translated and edited by The Syrian ObserverThe UAE can become the listings and equities trading hub for the Middle East by "aggressively" reaching out to entice companies in other territories, particularly in Africa, to list on the country's bourses, according to Mark Mobius, the executive chairman of investment firm Templeton Emerging Markets Group.
Mr Mobius, who helps oversee the Franklin Templeton’s US$29 billion global emerging markets portfolio, said the UAE has the tax and “numerous other advantage” that should help it lure companies from far and wide.
“There are a lot of companies -- you name the country – looking for money, looking for capital," said Mr Mobius in an interview with The National. "[The UAE] is the capital centre and there is a lot of money here.”
“There is no reason why [the country] can’t attract these companies to come here [and list],” he said, adding that the country's main stock exchanges in Dubai and Abu Dhabi should more actively pursue such international opportunities.
“What they've got to do is to go out and solicit, they've got to get investment banks here to go out aggressively to get businesses from other parts of the world.”
One particular geography where the UAE should make exhaustive efforts to attract listings is Africa, said Mr Mobius, with the region increasingly becoming more appealing to global investors seeking opportunities in businesses with good fundamentals.
“ In order to get exposure to Africa we often go for London listings. There’s no reason why the UAE can’t have a financial centre here that could attract African listings,” he said.
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Read more:
Exclusive: Franklin Templeton may double its Saudi equities portfolio
Margin trading makes a comeback on Dubai bourse
Potential IPO of Adnoc's distribution unit could support growth strategy
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Initial public offerings (IPOs) have dried up recently on regional stock exchanges, including the Dubai Financial Market and Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.. Softer economic conditions across the Arabian Gulf have dented investor appetite for new share offerings, while firms looking for higher valuations for their businesses have put listing plans on hold.
GCC stock markets held three IPOs in the second quarter of 2017, compared with two in the same period a year earlier, while proceeds generated from the capital market listings decreased 38 per cent for the period.
Equities capital market activity is expected to get a boost in the UAE with some large IPOs in the pipeline. Dubai-based Emaar Properties, the biggest publicaly-traded developer in the country, announced plans in June to float shares in its real estate development businesses. The offering is expected to be similar in size to its 2014 Malls business share float that generated US$1.58 billion.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) may also sell shares in its Adnoc Distribution unit, which includes more than 300 service stations throughout the UAE. The company could be valued at up to $14bn, making it potentially the largest transaction on local equity markets since the Dubai’s DP World listing in 2007, according to Bloomberg.
Such IPOs by local companies are key to the revival and development of local equities markets, according to Mr Mobius, who said Adnoc’s potential listing is an example of “the kind of thing they [UAE] could do” to unlock value.
Regional stock markets have missed out on this year's equities rally in both developed and emerging markets. The US's
S&P 500 Index has hit multiple highs and has gained more than 14 per cent this year, while MSCI's Emerging Index has added more than 30 per cent over the same period.
Stocks in Dubai, by contrast, have risen by just over 3 per cent, with Abu Dhabi stocks down about 1 per cent for the year. Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index has also declined more than 3 per cent while the main measure in Qatar is down 22 per cent in 2017.
The best performing GCC bourse this year is Kuwait whose headline index has advanced almost 15 per cent, according to Bloomberg data.
“Generally speaking the GCC markets have under-performed and one of the reason I think is the oil prices,” Mr Mobius said. “That has had a big impact on the mentality of the investors."Economists tell us that the history of human labor is one of continually increasing specialization. In the days of the hunter-gatherer, every member of the tribe would have been expected to command some degree of proficiency with each task.
As we progressed along the economic continuum from hunter-gatherer through agrarian and industrial and now into post-industrial economies, the labor force has become more fragmented, with workers having more and more specialized skill sets.
Historically, specialization has been a path to prosperity. Although specialization has certain economic advantages, in the era of technological convergence, well-educated generalists will be those who are the most valuable. It is time for a renaissance of the “Renaissance Man.”
The idea of the “Renaissance Man” or polymath came about during the Renaissance period, and is the idea that anyone who applies themselves can be exceptional at poetry, art, science, mathematics, athletics and any other field that catches their attention.
The Renaissance thinkers recognized both the potential of individuals as well as the enormous value to being well-rounded. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way the idea of someone who dabbled in many fields lost its cultural appeal and we began to praise those who sought deep subject matter expertise.
Historically, specialization has been a path to prosperity.
We now live in a world where distinctions between formerly separate industries are breaking down and the real opportunities for growth are where those industries intersect. Harnessing these 21st-century opportunities will require people who are “jacks of all trades, masters of none,” or, perhaps more accurately, master polymaths.
Being a polymath is not only an advantage in the modern economy, but it is extremely efficient. Many people are familiar with the Pareto Principle, or as it is more commonly known, the 80/20 rule. The 80/20 rule is a specific expression of the power law and says, in many instances, 80 percent of the outputs are the result of 20 percent of the inputs.
Researchers have found the Pareto Principle at work in many economic and natural realities, including wealth distributions, employee productivity, revenue from customers, app engagement and even in agricultural yields. The 80/20 rule is also divisible, meaning that where the 80/20 rule applies, it is also true that 20 percent of 20 percent of the inputs (4 percent) generate 80 percent of 80 percent of the outputs (64 percent), and so on.
While the 80/20 dynamic is powerful enough, it only gets more lopsided as it progresses. Consider, for instance, that with only three steps you arrive at 0.16 percent of inputs being responsible for an astonishing 41 percent of output. Figure 1 demonstrates how quickly the Pareto Principle results in astonishing force multiplication.
Input Output Ratio 20 80 4X 4 64 16X 0.8 51 64X.16 41 256X.03 33 1024X.006 26 4096X
Figure 1
The implications of the 80/20 rule are powerful. For instance, many organizations could focus on satisfying the needs of only 20 percent of their customers and still maintain 80 percent of their revenue. Imagine what those businesses could then do with all the resources they’ve saved. As humans we are predisposed to linear thinking, which makes the implications of a power law distribution hard to internalize.
Figure 2 contrasts the relationship between effort and results in an 80/20 world with an imaginary world where every unit of input yielded the same marginal output. The area under the curve essentially represents the opportunity presented by applying the Pareto Principle. The simple takeaway: Stop beating your head against the wall on the far right side of the figure.
Figure 2
The 80/20 Rule In Learning
Where I think the Pareto Principle is at its most interesting is when thinking about our own growth potential as human beings. Imagine if you had 100 units of learning (like experience points in a role-playing game) to assign to various skills throughout your life. How should you spend those points? Do you spend all of them in one subject and try hard to become a true subject-matter expert? Or do you diversify your skill set, trying to make yourself into a well-rounded person?
These questions are some of the most fundamental questions we face as humans. Who do we want to be and what do we want to do with our lives? The Pareto Principle says that you will overwhelmingly get more bang for your buck if you spread those points around (see Figure 3).
Figure 3
Let’s assume that achieving mastery of a subject takes 20 years of dedicated training, and work backward from there applying the 80/20 rule (see Figure 4). In applying the 80/20 rule to developing ourselves, we see that 80 percent mastery might be achieved in 20 percent of the time.
Intuitively this feels right. If someone were to spend.16 percent of 20 years (12 days) in focused study on a subject, they should be able to achieve cocktail-party mastery of that subject. Similarly, someone who spends.80 percent of 20 years, or about two months, in focused study on a subject should still be deemed a novice, but could be ready to begin a career in the field. A great example of this is the ability for laymen to enter coding boot camps and graduate months later prepared to enter the job market as software developers.
Category Input Output Time to Mastery of a Subject Equivalent Master 100 percent 99 percent 20 years Expert in a field, unique insights. Journeyman 20 percent 80 percent 48 months Journeyman in a field with some unique insight. Apprentice 4 percent 64 percent 10 months Mastery of basic concepts in a field. Beginner 0.80 percent 51 percent 2 months Working understanding of broad concepts and field underpinnings. Layman 0.16 percent 41 percent 12 days Cocktail-party conversational in a field. Can ask smart questions.
Figure 4
While the numbers in Figure 3 align fairly closely to my own observations, I don’t want to imply that these numbers are in any way a precise representation of the world. While the Pareto Principle is most often 80/20, there are plenty of 70/30 or 90/10 examples, as well. The point is, since learning follows a Pareto distribution, no matter which numbers you plug in, there is value to diversifying your skill set.
Why We Need More Polymaths In Tech
The most exciting things happening in technology are happening where fields converge. The barriers between medical, nanotech, synthetic biology, automotive, agriculture, food and other startups are quickly deteriorating. Startups used to clearly fall into one vertical, but increasingly that is not the case. Synthetic biology companies like Synbiota are actually software companies, and food companies like Hampton Creek are actually synthetic biology companies.
To build the cross-disciplinary companies of the future, we need a pool of cross-disciplinary expert polymaths from which to draw. Self-driving cars don’t just need automotive engineers, they need people who understand software, traffic engineering, the psychology of drivers and regulatory processes.
Formerly separate industries are breaking down and the real opportunities for growth are where those industries intersect.
There are two ways to assemble teams for building cross-disciplinary companies. You can either hire a few polymaths, or you can hire a large team of crack subject-matter experts. Unfortunately, the latter strategy has two huge limitations.
First, the strategy of assembling a group of disparate subject-matter experts to build a cross-disciplinary company invites organizational morass. Without sufficient polymaths to function as the glue between these experts it is very hard for these kinds of teams to pull in the same direction.
Second, and more importantly, the cost in time and money to assemble a large team of diverse subject-matter experts is exponentially higher than hiring a team of polymaths. These high costs will make it much more difficult for entrepreneurs to be the driver of the cross-disciplinary companies of the future. As cross-disciplinary companies make up a larger and larger portion of innovation, innovation will become the sole province of corporate R&D departments (see self-driving cars).
If we want entrepreneurs — and not corporate R&D — to continue to be the largest driver of the U.S. economy, we need a renaissance of the “Renaissance (Wo)Man.”
Applying The Pareto Principle To Your Life
There are four very practical implications of the Pareto Principle for how we live our lives.
Diversify your learning. If you give up on the idea of mastering any single topic (20 years) in the short to medium term, you could instead reach Journeyman level in 3 subjects (12 years), Apprentice level in 6 subjects (5 years) and beginner level in 18 subjects (3 years). To reiterate, beginner level is still equivalent to 2 months of concerted study.
In the modern world, where a very common job might require someone to be a social-media expert, public speaker, writer and data analyst, the polymath wins and the deep subject-matter expert is relegated to a back corner to be used as a resource for others. As an investor, if I were going to pick the perfect team, it would be a group of rock-star polymaths with a single subject matter expert as a resource.
It’s never too late. One particularly empowering implication of the Pareto Principle is that it is never too late to get a new start in life. Someone who has spent 30 years meandering through the world can dedicate themselves to new areas of study and within a relatively short span of time can reach levels of proficiency not terribly far off from others who have dedicated their life to the same subject.
If you don’t take the reigns of your own destiny, you will increasingly be pigeonholed.
As an example, someone could pick up cybersecurity as a specialty, spend 4 years on the subject (roughly hitting the magic 10,000 hours) and have 80 percent the proficiency of a lifelong expert. This is even truer in technology fields; because they evolve so quickly, old leanings are rendered obsolete.
Level the playing field. For people who learn more slowly than others, they can apply the Pareto Principle to level the playing field. While others spin their wheels trying to gain the last bits of insight in a single field, learners who play the game can quickly accumulate a broad set of skills and insights to help them succeed in life. Once you get past a certain baseline IQ, there is very little correlation between IQ and success.
Learn with intention. Finally, it is important to learn with intention. Many people stumble from place to place in life, simply letting their careers develop organically. This is a terrible “strategy,” as our culture is predisposed toward increasing specialization over time. If you don’t take the reigns of your own destiny, you will increasingly be pigeonholed in your career and in your life.
People plan out their weekends, they plan out their lunches, they plan out their children’s sports schedules — but rarely do they plan out their own lives. Take a few hours; write down where you are today and where you want to be in 5 or 10 years, then map out how to make it happen. I bet it will involve learning quite a few new skills.
If you’ve ever wondered why professors are often unable to connect the dots between their own fields and the real world, or are often socially inept, it is because they have sacrificed a great deal of their potential understanding of the world so that they can gain a relatively minor (but significant) deeper understanding of their one or two chosen topics.
By contrast, the one characteristic that commonly unites the movers and shakers of the world is an insatiable need to consume content on wildly varying topics. Those who consciously or unconsciously apply the 80/20 rule to their own development emerge as business, political and social leaders. These are the people whose vision is seemingly prescient, and who can bring together disparate groups behind a common cause. These are the people who will build the American economy for the foreseeable future.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- An ESPN sports documentary on Cleveland called "Believeland" will headline the Cleveland International Film Festival's "40th Anniversary Signature Event" with a world-premiere screening at at Playhouse Square, the festival announced Thursday.
The fest will open at Tower City Cinemas on Wednesday, March 30, with a 7 p.m. screening of an immigrant story set in the 1970s, "Good Ol' Boy," directed by Frank Lotito. The screening will be followed by an opening-night gala and a reception at Tower City Center that will feature Lotito and actors from the film.
The festival will close on Sunday, April 10, with a coming-of-age drama called "Hunt for the Wilderpeople." The 7 p.m. screening, also at Tower City Cinemas, will be followed by a dessert reception and an awards presentation program.
The festival's signature event on Thursday, March 31, will be a 7 p.m. screening of "Believeland" at Playhouse Square's Connor Palace. The documentary, directed by Ohio native and University of Toledo graduate Andy Billman, covers the travails of Cleveland sports teams and fans as they endure debacles such as The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot and The Decision.
Nearly every big sports name in the city's history is featured, from Jim Brown to Jim Thome, Tom Hamilton to Jim Donovan. "Believeland" is part of ESPN's "30 for 30" series.
Opening-night tickets are $200 ($175 for CIFF members). Closing-night tickets are $16 ($14 for CIFF members). Tickets for "Believeland" are $16 ($14 for CIFF members.) For more information, go to www.clevelandfilm.org or call 1-877-304-FILM. Tickets go on sale to festival members at 11 a.m. Friday, March 11; to the general public at 11 a.m. Friday, March 18.ATLANTA ROBOT HITS STREETS Down-and-outers are targets of bar owner's 'Bum Bot'
Hollywood might have had RoboCop, but the real world now has a robot more attuned to the prosaic realities of the street.
The Bum Bot.
That is what Rufus Terrill calls the rolling, remote-controlled invention he uses to flush out the prostitutes and pushers who gather near his Atlanta bar, which is two blocks from the city's largest and most controversial homeless shelter.
The Bum Bot, like the homeless people it polices, is a creature of hand-me-downs. The wheels are from one of those scooters for the elderly; the PA system is a walkie-talkie wired to a home-alarm speaker. The rotating turret is an old Cajun meat smoker.
The cylindrical smoker gives the Bum Bot its R2D2-ish profile. But its black armor - made of exercise mats - and the stenciled letters spelling out SECURITY lend it a menacing air.
An infrared camera and a 2 million-candlepower spotlight are mounted on the turret under a homemade cannon, which squirts jets of cold water at up to 200 pounds per square inch.
Using a twin-joystick remote, Terrill usually sends his robot up the street to the parking lot of a day care center, where a sketchy, drug-dealing crowd congregates after dark. The police sometimes round them up, Terrill says, but soon, it seems, they are back on the street.
So Terrill speaks to them through the Bum Bot, transmitting his voice via walkie-talkie: Move along, he tells the loiterers, or get wet.
Sometimes he tells them he is capturing them on video - the Bum Bot's camera feeds into a big-screen television back at his pub, giving patrons a hyperlocal dose of reality TV. The street people tend to run away.
"It scares the bejesus out of 'em," Terrill said, smiling.
His homegrown strategy for making the neighborhood safer is the latest manifestation of a lingering controversy that has engulfed this prized patch of real estate.
The perpetrators, he says, are the residents of the massive emergency homeless shelter nearby at Peachtree and Pine streets. Terrill says the shelter attracts the kind of people who have broken into his bar, O'Terrill's, and harassed and mugged his neighbors and clients.
Known as Peachtree and Pine, the shelter has amassed other critics, including the administration of Mayor Shirley Franklin, a Democrat whose father was temporarily homeless.
Debi Starnes, the mayor's policy adviser on homelessness, said the shelter, which can accommodate 1,000 people per night, is too big to be managed properly. She also said it fails to adequately help the homeless make the transition to a better life.
This year, the city cut off its funding of the shelter, which is run by the nonprofit Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless. The shelter, however, carries on with a mix of other public and private funds; it's in the midst of a multimillion-dollar renovation of its historic, 95,000-square-foot building. Eventually, it will include a coffee shop and retail business to help teach its residents a trade.
Anita Beaty, the task force's executive director, said the shelter is misunderstood. She said it provides employment referrals, mental health counseling and other services. The problem, she said, is that local government has not come to grips with the magnitude of Atlanta's homeless problem. Beaty's group estimates that as many as 68,000 people in the metro area are homeless in any given year.
The city estimates there were about 2,700 "unsheltered" homeless people last year in Atlanta and the urban counties of Fulton and DeKalb.
Beaty said local governments do not maintain enough shelter space for all the homeless. This, she said, is the last place for them to go.
Beaty is convinced that the city is trying to move the homeless off Peachtree Street, Atlanta's signature thoroughfare.
"The emphasis has always been on beautifying Peachtree to get rid of those poor homeless people, to get them out of town," Beaty said. "We say there's no way to do that. It's just inhumane and silly."
Beaty said the Bum Bot doesn't help matters: "Not everybody outside our building is a drug dealer, and when they are, we want them arrested as much as (Terrill). A robot is not the way to solve anything."Sorry, as the locals say. Photo by Joel Balsam
This article originally appeared on VICE Canada
Well, this is like some awful dystopian nightmare, isn't it? Really fucked this one up, didn't we? Probably shouldn't have let the extremely xenophobic and bad British public vote on something with such profound and long-lasting economic consequences, should they? This writer's clearly trying to bulk out the word count because he's too hungover and sad to create anything of value but desperately needs to get paid in any currency that isn't pound sterling, isn't he?
Time was, if the state of politics in the UK got too miserable to deal with, you could just hop on a ferry over to mainland Europe and start a new life in a country of similarly widespread racism but slightly better pastries and more joie de vivre. Not now, though. This time the burn was started by someone welding shut the fire escape and all we could do was watch in horror as they doused the building in petrol [or gasoline as you'll soon be calling it] until the flames consumed us all.
With Europe increasingly off limits and the United States still managing to be the literal worst country in the developed world, Brits are turning to nice, liberal, polite Canada for refuge. As a recent British export myself, I have tried to present my fellow countrymen with the objective facts about what to expect.
Photo via Facebook
Politics
I'm still fresh enough out of the hellhole that is England to be enamoured by even the most vaguely competent liberal politician, to the extent that I'm willing to overlook the fact Justin Trudeau isn't all panda cuddles and upper body brawn. But at the very least he seems, you know, nice, and for a country whose most influential politicians are now Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage, give me panda-lover Justin any day. But it ain't all cutesy photo ops: Rob Ford's death earlier in the year brought a bizarre conclusion to the wholly bizarre trainwreck that was Rob Ford's life. The crack-smoking scandal was pretty much the least offensive part of Ford's career, and if you despair at the closeted-racism of much of the British political class, it's worth remembering Ford was a proudly bigoted man with reputed criminal affiliations who tore apart much of Toronto's infrastructure. Also Quebec politics is rife with French racists, a.k.a. the worst kind of racists. Former PM Harper was a turd as well.
Culture
In terms of music, television and cinema, Canada has given the world a lot less than America, but a lot more than Australia. By far its most notable cultural exports to date have been Len's Steal My Sunshine, Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger's marriage and the actress who played God in Dogma. One enormous thing in Canada's favour is an absence of bands trying to sound like British indie groups from the Myspace era, and there's no Ricky Gervais here either, so top marks on that front.
Language
Like English, but funny. (Excl. Quebec, where it's like French, but ugly.)
Quebecers call this a "sandwich." Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Food and drink
The second entry on the savoury foods section of the Canadian cuisine wiki is roast beef with yorkshire pudding. Other notable Canadian foods include bagels-no-not-New-York-bagels-I-mean-basically-New-York-bagels-but-smaller-and-we-call-them-Montreal-style-bagels-but-in-essence-they're-the-same-fucking-type-of-bread-with-a-hole-in-the-center, and, of course, that most famous of Canadian meals, the hot chicken sandwich. There are also a number of places serving an inferior variation on that great snack from the north of England: cheesy chips and gravy.
Size
Unnecessarily large, next.
Nationalism
This is basically how the UK got in this state: a bunch of racists and a bunch of not-racists but whose rose-tinted view of the country just happens to hark back to right before brown and black people started making their way over to the island decided it would be nice to return to those simpler times despite there being no clear plan for what would happen if they actually got their way. So in a bid to escape that, you might wonder if Canada's a better place to be, but you have to remember that this is a country whose racism isn't even veiled beneath 'traditional values' since, let's face it, this is a country in which the white man arrived and proceeded to do everything in his power to destroy the actual natives. Also a load of people recently got very upset at the government's decision to make the national anthem gender neutral, saying things like: "It's all transgender talk...I'm cool with equal rights but it's being shoved down my throat and especially this. First it was changing Christmas...what's next!!!!????" so don't worry, folks here are just as awful as back home.
This house in Alberta looks available. Photo via Flickr user Anne Elliot
Housing
I never paid less than about CA$1100 a month when I lived in London, and that bought me a single room in university accommodation, a rat-infested pub that a group of squatters once broke into assuming we were also squatters because there is no fucking way anyone would pay to live in that place, and a damp "studio flat" in Tottenham, where I would endure several weeks without hot water every winter because the landlord didn't believe us when we told him the boiler was broken, respectively. I now pay half what I paid for that Tottenham place for four times the space and a view of Lake fucking Ontario. Most Canadians think living in Toronto is expensive because, compared to most of Canada, it is, so chances are whatever budget you're on, you're gonna do better than back in England.
Animals
Instead of foxes; raccoons. Instead of nothing; bears. Also, good dogs everywhere. Deciding factor, that.
Follow Jack Urwin on Twitter.MONTREAL – Thirty years ago today, a heavily armed man dressed in combat fatigues entered the National Assembly in Quebec City and killed three government employees.
Thirteen others were injured, and if it weren’t for the level-headed response of the National Assembly’s Sergeant-at-Arms, many more could have been hurt.
It was an event that shocked the country.
On May 7, Canadian Forces Corporal Denis Lortie left the CFS Carp in Ontario, rented a car, drove to Quebec City and took a guided tour of the parliament building.
The next day, he dropped off a sealed envelope containing an audiotape at a local radio station. It was a recording of Lortie, talking about his issues with the ruling Parti Quebecois’ pro-French language policies.
At one point he said, “No one will be able to stop me – not the police, not the army – because I am going to carry out destruction and then destroy myself. It will be a first for Canada.”
By the time radio staff called police, his plan had been put into action.
Armed with two automatic weapons and an Inglis pistol, Lortie entered the National Assembly at 9:45 a.m., reportedly shouting, “Où sont les députés? Je vais les tuer!” (Where are the MNAs? I’m going to kill them!).
Quebec Premier René Lévesque and his cabinet were not in the National Assembly at the time. Ministers that were in the building had time to barricade themselves in the restaurant, but government workers had no warning.
As Lortie walked through the halls, he shot and killed three employees, Georges Boyer, Roger Lefrançois and Camille Lepage, and injured 13 others.
Eventually, Lortie ended up in the Assembly Chamber, where he was found seated in the Speaker’s chair by Sergeant-at-Arms and retired army major, René Marc Jalbert.
Jalbert offered the Corporal a cup of coffee and a cigarette, saying: “I see you’re an army man. I’m an army man myself.”
The dramatic moments were recorded by a television camera permanently installed in the Assembly Chamber.
Jalbert then persuaded Lortie to come to his office, where, four hours later, a police negotiator convinced him to surrender over the telephone.
Lortie was later convicted of first-degree murder, and eventually pleaded guilty to reduced charges of second-degree murder. He was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the attack.
Jalbert was honoured with Canada’s highest civilian award for bravery, the Cross of Valour. He died of cancer at the age of 74 in 1996, the same year Lortie was released from prison on parole.
Hélène LeFrancois, whose husband was killed that fateful day, told Radio-Canada in January 1996, “I have tried to forget, but in the last 10 years nothing has eased the grief I felt at the loss of my husband.”“You put her in the wrong outfit,” I said matter-of-factly as my husband came down the stairs holding our baby girl.
He stared at me with a look of confusion and bewilderment, as if to say, But I didn’t know there was a right one.
“Your mom’s coming over today, remember?” I explain. “So I thought it’d be nice to have her wear something your mom bought her.”
“And my mom didn’t buy her this outfit?”
“Nope. My mom bought her that one.”
“Ok, well I have no idea who bought her which clothes. How do you even remember that sort of thing?”
The short answer? Because I’m a mom.
Today many families that include a mom and a dad are challenging the traditional gendered division of labor—mine included. My household couldn’t function if my husband didn’t handle the dishes and I didn’t keep tabs on the checking account. We’re in this together.
Even so, I—along with most moms everywhere—am still almost entirely responsible for the following tasks:
Remembering family birthdays and sending birthday cards.
Planning and organizing family celebrations.
Sending holiday cards.
Selecting holiday presents.
Sending thank you cards.
Planning family vacations.
Keeping in touch with out-of-town relatives.
Remembering to dress the baby in the “right” outfit when her grandma visits.
In the field of women’s studies, these tasks are called “kin keeping,” and they are serious business.
Why? Because even though these obligations seem relatively small and insignificant, they actually play a very important role in keeping families connected and emotionally supported.
Just think about how different your own childhood would have looked without birthday cakes and family beach trips and homemade gifts for Grandma, and you’ll see how valuable these kinds of tasks really are.
Here’s the problem, though: These incredibly important kin-keeping responsibilities are leaving moms emotionally exhausted.
Why? Well, as I mentioned earlier, they almost always fall completely onto the mom’s shoulders. Even in households where there’s a fairly even division of labor, these tasks are overwhelmingly handled by women.
What’s more, kin-keeping responsibilities are mostly invisible. They’ve become such an expected part of family life that they almost always go unnoticed and unacknowledged. (Unless, of course, you don’t do them, in which case you’re likely to draw some negative attention and head shaking.)
Indeed, moms themselves often don’t realize how much time and effort they put into kin keeping. As feminist scholars Susan M. Shaw and Janet Lee (2015) explain, “These tasks are time consuming and involve emotional work that is not easily quantified.”
Translation: It’s not easy to measure exactly how much time and effort you’re putting into remembering Aunt Cathy’s birthday or calling your husband’s grandma to thank her for the baby gift or making a last minute trip to buy more paper plates for the family BBQ.
But these invisible tasks are sucking the life out of us.
They’re (one of) the reasons our to-do lists never end, why we can’t turn our brains off at night, why it feels like we’re always forgetting something. These obligations seem to take root in the back of our minds and just sit there, forever, invading our ability to truly relax or take a breath.
Did I remember to buy cousin Emily a wedding present? Who’s bringing the hot dogs for our camping trip? Shoot, it’s been way too long since we called your Aunt Susie!
Geez, I’m feeling exhausted just writing about this stuff!
So what do we do? How do we reclaim our time and our energy in the face of these seemingly endless kin-keeping tasks?
The first step is simple awareness. Start paying attention to how much kin-keeping work you do. I bet you’ll be surprised!
Then go ahead and ask for help completing these tasks—from your partner and from your kids, depending on their ages.
If you get any pushback, remind everyone that while these little things sometimes seem silly and not worth the effort, they’re actually really important to maintaining family solidarity and continuity—and that having them fall entirely to one person is just too draining.
In the end, a more equitable division of labor—kin keeping included—is better for everyone. And the best news? You might finally be able to turn your brain off at night.
Who does the majority of the kin-keeping tasks in your household?
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IT DOES not happen often: Christian lobbyists, the sort who favour prayer in American classrooms and crucifixes in Italian ones, lining up on the same side as secularists who battle to curb religion's role in the public square. But in both those camps there has been some quiet satisfaction after a recent vote at the United Nations. Not over the outcome, but over the slim margin of defeat.
On March 25th the Human Rights Council (HRC), a Geneva-based UN agency which often exasperates its Western members, voted by 20 votes to 17, with eight abstentions, for a text that lists the “defamation of religion” as an infringement of liberty. Nothing amazing there: the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which groups 56 mainly Muslim states (plus Palestine), has been working to push resolutions of that kind through the General Assembly and other UN bodies since 2005. But the margin was the smallest ever, and opponents think there could be a good chance of defeating a “defamation” motion next time one comes around.
The OIC's idea is to establish the principle that faiths need protection, just as individuals do. It denies any sinister intention (see article). And to some ears, the OIC's effort sounds like harmless UN-speak, but nothing more. (The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a congressionally mandated body, has noted a logical flaw: defamation means harming the reputation of a living person or entity: that implies that one can't defame an idea or a religious founder who is no longer, at least physically, alive on earth.)
But critics of the OIC campaign, who include atheists, Christians and indeed some Muslims, say the “defamation” idea is worse than hot air: far from protecting human rights, it emboldens countries that use blasphemy laws to criminalise dissent. What encourages these critics is that more countries seem to be coming around to their view. Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina, Zambia and South Korea voted against the latest resolution. Brazil criticised the text but abstained.
Deeper still inside the UN's bureaucracy, another battle over religion rages—and the stakes could be even higher. An “ad hoc committee” is mulling ways to amend or extend the UN convention on racial discrimination. Certain states want language that would fuse the categories of race and faith; some want a new convention, or a protocol to the existing one.
For secularists (in the broad sense of people, including believers, who oppose the idea of faith having privileged access to power), all this is alarming. Non-binding resolutions against defamation are bad enough; a UN treaty on race-plus-religion would have legal force, at least for its signatories, and give heart to theocrats.
At the |
to contribute to deescalating the conflict."
The secretary of state "did not accept Foreign Minister Lavrov's denial that heavy weapons from Russia were contributing to the conflict," it said.From one of the artists behind seminal ’90s puzzler Myst, comes Zed, an ethereal adventure set in the deteriorating mind of a grandfather desperate to finish one last project for his grandchild. With Zed now on Kickstarer, we speak to creative director and Eagre Games founder Chuck Carter about his start on Myst, how to take an idea from concept to completion, and what players can expect from this latest project.
ONLYSP: Tell me about yourself and how you got into making games.
Chuck Carter: “Back in the ’80s I worked in newspapers. I was an editorial illustrator and art director of a couple of different newspapers in my twenties, but then I moved to Spokane, Washington in about 1989. After I got there, I saw this little game called The Manhole – a Cyan project that Robyn Miller had drawn – a very Myst-like game, essentially exploration. I had been dabbling with 3-D back then and doing some stuff for newspapers using computer graphics. I thought that was an interesting way to tell a story, so I started playing around with some of my own ideas.
“At some point after about a year or two working on my own stuff I met Rand and Robyn Miller who both lived in Spokane as well. The fact that we were so close to each other meant that we got to know each other really well – and they were telling me about this big secret project they were going to work on but couldn’t really say anything about until they got funding. When they finally did, by both Broderbund and SunSoft, they asked me to join and provide the other half of the artwork to Robyn’s for the game Myst – that’s where I got started at.”
ONLYSP: 3D art was more of a passion project for you then? You didn’t have any professional training or tutoring?
Chuck Carter: “No, I’m self-taught, totally. Back in late ’80s there really wasn’t a lot in terms of 3D packages out there. I did find a couple, which I started teaching myself what to do with, but I found applications for it in some news graphics. I could take an object, rotate it, and draw over it in Adobe Illustrator at the time – Photoshop wasn’t around quite by that point. The 3D stuff then lead me to more advanced packages, which let me start doing renderings and I got really into that and working on a Macintosh.
“Companies that were making these packages at the time started using my images on their boxes, so I developed a broader passion for the whole idea behind it and even started doing a game called The Magic Shop, where I used 3D worlds with 3D images for the rooms so I could put a camera in there and take pictures – much like we did in Myst; so I’d started playing around with that even before I knew what Myst was.”
ONLYSP: Myst is obviously this legendary game which everyone loves – How do you feel about its legacy? Is it something you’re really proud of?
Chuck Carter: “Yeah, I don’t think it really occurred to any of us that it would do as well as it did. I do remember one thing about a two-or-three page business plan which Rand had written – essentially just a few paragraphs and graphics. But in the first paragraph, Rand said, ‘Myst will be a game which changes the way people play games forever.’ I thought that was a little optimistic, but it turned out to be very true. Working on the game, being a part of it, and watching where it went was pretty amazing. I’m still astounded by the amount of people who come up to me and say, ‘thank you for Myst‘ or ‘the last time I played with my grandfather on a game was on Myst when I was a kid.’ There’re all kinds of stories people come up and tell me – I’m very proud of my part of it.”
ONLYSP: Can you tell me a little bit more about some of your other previous projects? You mention on the Kickstarter that you’ve worked on around 25 so far?
Chuck Carter: “When I left Cyan right after Myst was produced, I went to Westwood Studios [Command & Conquer, Dune] and worked on a couple of different games – the biggest one being something called [The Legend of] Kyrandia – doing a lot of pixel art, backgrounds and animation, a little bit of everything. That was my first taste of a game outside of the Myst genre, more of a typical adventure game. Then I worked on a couple with a few companies who, I guess the best way to describe it, wanted to jump on the coat-tails of the Myst thing and hired me to help out with some things. Typically, they’d run out of money at some point and I’d have to go off and get some other job. During this time I was also hired by National Geographic and worked with them on a retainer basis for a number of years back in the ’90s.
“At that same time, I was also doing work for Netter Digital, who were doing all the special effects for Babylon5, so I got to do a lot of background painting and animation for that – that was pretty cool.
“Then about ’98, I started at Westwood Studios again and was put right on [Command & Conquer:] Tiberian Sun, so I got a chance to work on the Command and Conquer universe. Most of my career has been primarily cinematics work, so a lot of backgrounds, environments.
“There’re a lot of different games I’ve worked on throughout my career and they start blending together after a while. Probably the most fun I had was on one of the projects, Dune: Emperor. I got a chance to take the cinematics and do whatever I wanted with those – that was a lot of fun.”
ONLYSP: On to your current game then. To make use of a tired phrase, what’s the elevator pitch for Zed?
Chuck Carter: “You are in the dreams of a dying man who has Alzheimer’s. He’s struggling like hell to finish one project for his granddaughter and you have to help him make the connections to remember what he’s actually doing. That’s the whole gist of the game. You do this through a series of puzzles, which are along the lines of having to fix devices that reconnect the neurons in his mind. It’s a whole series of worlds, dreamscapes, that come out of his mind.”
ONLYSP: How did you arrive at that high-level concept, is it an issue that’s close to you?
Chuck Carter: “The funny thing is that as you get older – I’ve been in this business for close to 25 years now and I’m going to be 60 next year – I start seeing friends of mine get older and suffering in different ways whereas some seem never to age. But I do have a friend and mentor of mine who’s about 25 years older than I am, and he’s going through dementia right now; he’s suffering through Alzheimer’s – just the early stages. He was a phenomenal artist, and to watch him struggle when I talk to him now to remember simple things that we’ve done is heartbreaking. So I started thinking, ‘what are the dreams of somebody like that?’
“Are they reliving childhood dreams, are they current dreams? Any number of things that I feel would be concerning to anybody who’s starting to go through this – what is it like to lose your memory, lose your mind, and still have things that you want to do in your life? How do you deal with those issues?
“It seemed like an interesting way to do a game, to help someone remember, to find those pieces and put them together.”
ONLYSP: What inspired the game’s visual style?
Chuck Carter: “A lot of the game, as far as the look and the feel, reflect my own dream symbolism. A lot of things you see are big, floating objects. I’ve had these in my dreams all the time. I get to a point where things are very surreal, or they can go very realistic. Once in a while, you see an artist’s work that speaks to you because it’s very familiar – there’s a guy named Shaun Tan, he’s a children’s book illustrator who’s phenomenal. He’s based in Australia and has this kind of vision that’s amazing.
“Another artist, John Harris – them, along with my dreams, and I’m an avid searcher on Pinterest. There’s a lot of stuff online with amazing artists’ work that you can use to generate ideas. Sometimes I’ll see one little image that will spark an entire chain of events in my head that leads to entire levels.”
ONLYSP: Can you expand a little bit on your process? How do you take that inspirations on turn it into a reality on-screen?
Chuck Carter: “For instance, the Shaun Tan stuff, in the level that’s currently our demo there was something about one shot of a row of houses in his book The Arrival. It had them all lined up and had this orderliness to it – that was the impetus for that whole world, that one image.
“That meshed really well with a lot of what I dreamt about as a child: walking into a neighbourhood and everything changing around you – you turn around and the street you were just on is gone.
“So I started using that piece of art from his work and thinking how it work within this level, how the style could help me establish a look. What I’ll do is sketch it out on paper, some ideas, try to flesh out what the map might look like. Then I’ll start building things in 3D; I’ll just go right into the program and start knocking out models.
“At first they’ll be very rough and I’ll arrange them, move them around and put them in some kind of order. Then I’ll run a camera through it and see what the feeling is like and play with the lighting. The process starts with the art, then it goes through sketches, then it goes through 3-D. Then I test all that and eventually start building individual models when I find a direction that I like and start putting the whole thing together.
“Sometimes you might start with one thing and it might not be working, but there’s a seed of another idea in that process and you start following that.”
ONLYSP: What programs do you use?
Chuck Carter: “For most of my 3D I use a program called Modo. It’s a company based out of the UK called The Foundry that publishes it – and they’ve got an awesome toolset that outputs directly to Unreal Engine or Unity.
“I use Zbrush a lot, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects – I’m pretty versatile in a lot of 3-D programs, but Modo is the primary one and we’re using Unreal 4 as our game engine.”
ONLYSP: What can you tell me about the overarching story of Zed? Are there characters in the game that’re represented onscreen?
Chuck Carter: “The characters are never represented onscreen; you don’t actually ever meet The Dreamer physically, per say, but you will meet aspects of his personality through different types of narrative and narration. We’ll have things like, you might come to an area and instead of him talking an animation sweeps across a wall and tells a bit of the story. There’ll be things that you have to trigger with exploration in different parts of the game – there’s basically four levels with three different smaller sub-levels that’re part of those four.
“With such a small team – character animation, we just don’t have the manpower for it right now. There will be life in the world, there will be things in the world.”
ONLYSP: You’re working with Joe Fielder from Bioshock Infinite and The Black Glove. Was the narrative fully formed by the time he came onboard, or has it been a collaborative process?
Chuck Carter: “It was finalised prior to him coming onboard and as things start to progress, the collaboration will occur. I’m open to new ways of doing things, and, as we start working on it together, I think a lot of people have a lot to contribute, no matter what team member. A lot of the guys that I’m working with are coming up with ideas for puzzles on a regular basis, some of them make sense in the world, some of them don’t, but I give them a big framework and everyone has a chance to add into it. That helps make it a much richer game.”
ONLYSP: What can players expect in terms of gameplay – how would you describe the core loop?
Chuck Carter: “It’s not just a walk-a-bout as some people have said. We don’t want to give too much away, but the gameplay essentially involves reconnecting this person’s mind so that he can remember what he has to do for his granddaughter. So the gameplay could involve fixing things – in the demo we have a couple of levers and buttons, but the puzzles in the final game will be much more intricate and will have you actually having to think through how you’d fix an object. You’re not just pulling things but putting it back together so it all works.
“As well as a lot of environmental things that you have to trigger to get from A-to-B, and trigger something which will open up another opportunity to trigger other things. It’s a matter of finding these things in the right order.
“There are a number of levels to the puzzles. It’s hard to describe in one sentence, but most good games aren’t stuffed with one puzzle concept. I think they work with a variety of concepts which help enrich the game experience and force you to look around.
“Really, my philosophy behind any of this is to make the environment fun – make it the second character in the game. You’re living in this environmental construct that is a character in so many different ways, that’s alive around you.”
ONLYSP: What in your opinion makes a really great video game puzzle?
Chuck Carter: “I’ve been playing games for a long time, and for instance the DOOM puzzles – I’m a big ID fan – and I like that searching around looking for the key, that’s a lot of fun for me. The Myst kind of puzzles, personally, there was a lot more involved in going through books and such, and I felt like I was standing still too often. I’d rather have people moving around and discovering things. Those are games I enjoy, I just got through SOMA, The Talos Principle, and AntiChamber which has some really cool stuff in it.
“Each game comes at it in a different way, and I don’t really judge things just by the puzzles but how they engage me and keep me wanting to play. If I play a game for half an hour and I’m bored, think they haven’t succeeded.
ONLYSP: Is Zed quite an open experience, or a more linear one?
Chuck Carter: “The one level we have right now with the platforms, that’s going to be a lot more open than it looks initially because a lot of it will expand – you don’t even see half of the walkways as you start playing it, as you keep moving you’ll see more of those growing up.
“The rest of it’s fairly open-world. You’ll be able to go on rocks and through tunnels, large open areas with grass and a couple of forest. A little bit of everything, there’ll be a much more open city that you’ll be in at some point in the game. That ability to be able to wander around at will and not be pushed linearly is going to be a big part of the game.”
“Really, my philosophy behind any of this is to make the environment fun – make it the second character in the game. You’re living in this environmental construct that is a character in so many different ways, that’s alive around you.”
ONLYSP: You’ve said on your website that you like to create ‘beautifully immersive’ games, how’re you immersing players in Zed, and how are you balancing its more fantastical elements to still make them believable?
Chuck Carter: “You can do some really strange looking things in any game when you’re building an environment, but if you make it too alien, it ceases to become familiar and that in some ways makes it difficult to identify with and immerse yourself in it. If you put enough stuff that you’re familiar with personally in there, a door is a good example.
“When you start putting things that people can look at and identify with in an environment, then it becomes much more immersive because you can actually go outside and see similar things.”
ONLYSP: Why Kickstarter?
Chuck Carter: “We have some needs as far as optimisation goes, and to help complete some of the final tasks – we want to hire a couple more people to help us with some of the art for instance. Kickstarter seemed the obvious choice to raise a little bit of money.
“One of the advantages of living in Maine is that we don’t have a whole lot of expenses as far as the company goes – this helps us make the game for a lot less than if I was living in say New York or California.
“Kickstarter not only helps us market the game, because it’s a good way to get the word out, but it’s a good way to raise the capital to keep us going.”
ONLYSP: In a perfect world, what do you hope Zed can achieve?
Chuck Carter: “Ever since I started this game, people keep telling me it looks like Myst, or reminds them of Myst. I’m not trying for Myst – I think probably my art style is what people see when they play the game.
“If people at the end of this compare it favourably to, or that they had the same kind of experience as with, Myst, that’s awesome. Myst was a seminal game of it time, and we’re not trying to be the spiritual successor to it or anything, that’s Cyan’s thing. But if we can have a Myst-like experience where people play and remember it, and are immersed in it in a way that leaves them with some impression after they’ve stopped, I think we’ve succeeded.”
Eagre Games are aiming to get Zed into testing by the end of 2016, and published by Q1 2017 on PC, MAC, Linux, and VR systems. Their Kickstarter is nearing its goal with a few hours until completion, and offers a digital download of the game at the $16 reward tier.
Follow OnlySP on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news, reviews and interviews.Ice Cube’s “Now I Gotta Wet’Cha,” the country song “Hony Tonk Badonkadonk” and the trailer for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World don’t have a lot in common, but there’s one uniting thread among the trio: All three use the meaningless sing-song phrase “It’s on like Donkey Kong.” Now, if Nintendo gets its way, this innocuous practice might come to an end: The video game company is trying to trademark the phrase, saying that it’s part of their intellectual property. (More on Techland: Top 10 Failed Gaming Consoles)
As CNN reports:
Nintendo claims that the catchphrase “is an old, popular Nintendo phrase that has a number of possible interpretations depending on how it’s used.” “In addition to Nintendo’s use, it has been used in popular music, television and film over the years, pointing to Donkey Kong’s status as an enduring pop-culture icon and video game superstar,” [the company] said Wednesday in a written release.
The timing of the move (and the fishy way that the statement goes out of its way to talk up the Donkey Kong franchise) has raised eyebrows; with a new installment, Donkey Kong Country Returns, on the way later this month, could this just be a canny publicity stunt? (In which case: Oops, we fell for it.)
If it’s not, though, and Nintendo is seriously considering trademarking the phrase based on some unknown business strategy, we are skeptical. This would seem to be another example of a corporation short-sightedly going to war with its fans to exert total control over its creations. It’s not the only goal of a company certainly, (making money is up there too) but shouldn’t engendering goodwill among its customers be a high priority for a business? (More on Techland: Strong Kinect-ion?: First Impressions of Microsoft’s New Motion-Control Camera)
One final wrinkle: As far as we know, “It’s on like Donkey Kong” was not actually invented by Nintendo. Under our admittedly small knowledge of copyright law, wouldn’t that make it very hard for them to trademark it? (via New York magazine)
More on Time.com:
The Mythology of Mario: Q&A With Nintendo’s Legendary Shigeru Miyamoto
Kids Games You Never Thought Would Turn Into MoviesFew companies can claim they altered the path of an entire medium but that’s exactly what Polaroid did in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s to photography. Founded by Edwin H. Land in 1937, Polaroid was the Apple of its day and Land, the original Steve Jobs. The idea factory churned out iconic products such as the SX-70, the one-step instant camera that now resides in the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City.
In his new book, “Instant: The Story of Polaroid,” Christopher Bonanos of New York chronicles the rise and fall of the company and details how it changed the way we save memories.
What made you want to write a book about Polaroid?
In 1983, when I was 14, I got my first camera, an old one from the ’50s that I bought in a junk shop. I started using it and there is something bewitching and strange about a picture you see right away. I used it on and off through college and beyond. Then in 2008, when Polaroid announced the very end of instant film production, there was a show going on at the Whitney [Museum of American Art] on Robert Mapplethorpe’s Polaroids. I wrote a little story for New York about this sort of moment when the medium was going away but it was also being celebrated in fine arts. I called up a bunch of Polaroid artists, people like Chuck Close who work in Polaroid film, and they were really angry about having this material taken away from them. It led me to discover that there was a Polaroid cult out there of artists, enthusiasts and people who just love this old way of making pictures.
Your description of Edwin Land was reminiscent of Steve Jobs. In terms of innovation and design, was Polaroid the Apple of its day?
Land and Jobs were both just obsessed with making a product perfect. They both worked like crazy. They both really believed in locating a company at the spot where science and technology meet fine arts. And maybe most important of all they both felt that if you make a fantastic product that the world has never seen before, then the marketing and the selling will take care of itself. Land once said, “Marketing is what you do if your product is no good.”
Thirty years later they asked Jobs how much market research he was doing on whatever the Apple product was at the moment and he said, “We didn’t do any. None. It’s not the consumer’s job to know what he wants.” It’s the same philosophy. Land was one of Jobs’ first heroes and they met a few times in Cambridge. When Land was sort of nudged out of Polaroid and into retirement in 1982, Jobs was interviewed not too long after that and he said “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. This man is a national treasure.”
Land made some pretty remarkable predictions for the future. He predicted cell phone photography and Instagram.
He may not have specifically seen exactly the device you have in your hand but he came pretty close. There’s a fantastic film of Land from 1970 where he’s explaining his vision of the future of photography as he saw it when he started the business in 1937. He said we’re a long way from a camera that will be like the telephone, something you use everyday like your pencil or your eyeglasses. Then what he does is he reaches into his breast pocket and he pulls out a wallet and he says, “It would be like a wallet” and the thing is black and about 7 inches long and 3 inches wide and he holds it up in front of his eyes vertically and it looks for all the world like he’s got a cell phone in his hand. Really, the thing he wanted was almost no impediment between the photographer and having the picture available to you. In the early days of Polaroid you had to pull-tabs and throw switches and things to make the processing procedure work, his goal all along had been, you click, it does everything and then you just see your picture. Effortless. A cell phone is about as close as you’re going to get to that.
Why did famous photographers such as Ansel Adams and Walker Evans like using Polaroids so much?
Different people liked it for different reasons. Adams loved Polaroid because he was such a technician in black and white that he could really see what he was doing on the spot. If he was hauling a camera up into Yellowstone on his back or in his station wagon, it was extremely valuable to him to be able to see a picture on the spot. Other people liked it for other reasons. Andy Warhol liked the intimacy and that you could see what you got right away. Other people were impatient especially when they were learning. Mapplethorpe learned to shoot with a Polaroid camera because he was both unwilling to wait for the lab and also because a lot of his photos were so explicit that it was not a good idea to send them to the lab.
What do you consider the most iconic photographs ever taken with a Polaroid?
The Warhol portraits that you see in galleries and museums all the time of Liza Minnelli and Elizabeth Taylor are based on those silk screens, which are in turn based on Polaroid photos he shot of all these people. That was his work process. He would take about 50 portraits of anybody he was going to do a painting of and work from those to make silk screens. There are also a number of the Ansel Adams landscapes of Northern California, the ones you see of Yosemite and other famous scenes, are often shot on large format professional-grade Polaroid film. There’s that one portrait “El Capitan Winter Sunrise” from 1968 that is like nothing else. It’s a fantastic demonstration of what you can do with the right camera and a sheet of Polaroid film.
Describe the rivalry between Kodak and Polaroid that resulted in the biggest settlement ever paid out.
They had this uneasy dance for most of their lives because Kodak was, in the beginning, Polaroid’s first big customer and for many years supplied certain components of Polaroid film. Then they sort of had a falling out in the late ’60s because Kodak realized that it had been supporting not a company that was complimentary to its business but somebody who was increasingly taking market share. Kodak had also heard the first inklings of SX-70, which was going to be a blockbuster if it worked, and they suddenly thought, “Are we giving away the game here?” When SX-70 came around Kodak had a big program going to produce its own instant camera and film, which came around four years later. In 1976, Kodak introduced its instant photography line. A week and a half later Polaroid sued them for patent infringement.
They spent 14-and-a-half years in court and when the settlement came in Polaroid vs. Kodak, Polaroid won. Kodak not only had to pay the largest fine ever paid out, which was nearly a billion dollars, but also had to buy back all those cameras. If you had a Kodak instant camera in the ’80s you got a letter saying Kodak will send you a check or a couple shares of stock. The total in the end was $925 million that Kodak had to pay Polaroid and it stood as the largest ever settlement paid out in a patent case until last month when Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $1.049 billion in damages. [Samsung is appealing the decision.]
Land felt as though Kodak had come along with a clumsier, less elegant version of exactly what he’d done without advancing the game and he was a little offended. He once said, “I expected more of Eastman.” In Apple vs. Samsung, a great deal of what was driving things at the beginning was that Jobs was disgusted with Android for exactly the same reasons. It was precisely the same competitive instincts shot through with outrage at the mediocrity of it all.
What started the downfall of Polaroid?
There are a lot of different threads that sort of come together. It’s little stumbles that turn into a snowball effect. Land didn’t put a good successor in place or more accurately, he didn’t have a succession plan in place. His successors did something right and some things wrong but what was missing in the time after Land’s leadership was a big idea. They did a pretty good job of coming up with products that enhanced the technology they already had but they never quite figured out what the next thing was going to be. There were big research projects within Polaroid to work on digital cameras, to work on ink-jet printers and other technologies. A combination of conservatism and entrenched habits and a little fear of what the future without film would look like economically all snowballed together to sort of bind up the company in one business model that it had been building for a long time.
What is “The Impossible Project” and how do they hope to bring Polaroid back?
The current Polaroid is alive, they are trying to make interesting little products again. It’s a much smaller worldview than they once had.
Then there is “The Impossible Project,” which when Polaroid quit the film business in 2008, Dr. Florian Kaps, André Bosman and Marwan Saba dived in and bought the tooling in the very last factory before it was torn down. They have spent a couple of years trying to make film and, when they introduced it in 2010, it was definitely a beta test. First generation film was very problematic. They weren’t able to use the old formulas because they couldn’t get the chemicals anymore, those companies went out of business. Each batch since then has gotten better and last month they introduced the first film that actually behaves like Polaroid 600 film did. It looks like it’s supposed to. It’s easy to shoot and it is marvelous. They really finally got it to where it need to be.We may be just years away from the longest-lasting and most hassle-free contraceptive ever invented.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has announced that it is backing a Massachusetts biotech company that is developing an implantable contraceptive that can be activated and deactivated by the user, the MIT Technology Review reports.
Current contraceptive implants—inserted into a woman’s upper arm where they release the hormone progestin—last about three years and are the size of a matchstick. MicroCHIPS Inc. is building a wireless device that is only 20 millimeters long and that would last 16 years. The chip, which would lie under the skin in the buttocks, upper arm or abdomen, slowly releases levonorgestrel, a hormone used in some types of the Pill, in some types of hormonal IUDs and in Plan B.
If the chip works as intended, women could “deactivate” their birth control without a trip to the doctor, which can be a major barrier for women who don’t have easy access to health care, such as in the developing world. The chip’s long lifespan would also minimize doctor’s visits: Currently no type of hormonal birth control lasts longer than five years. The non-hormonal copper IUD lasts 12. (Read more about IUDs here.)
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The device is currently being tested for safety, efficacy and security. MicroCHIPS hopes to introduce the product, which would need FDA approval to be used in the United States, in 2018.
[MIT Technology Review]
Write to Eliana Dockterman at eliana.dockterman@time.com.Personal data of more than 130,000 customers who purchased train tickets on China's official online railway ticketing site have been leaked, causing panic among users concerned about identify theft.
According to local news reports, data such as usernames, e-mail address, passwords, and phone numbers had been leaked from the ticketing website, 12306.cn, which is operated by China Railway. The incident was uncovered by IT security vendor Woo Yun on Thursday, and was later confirmed by 12306.cn.
Real-name registration must be provided to purchase tickets via the official website.
China Railway, however, said the data leak was not caused by its website and had originated from other online sites. "All the leaked information contains plain text, while the information in our website's database is completely encrypted, which means the data leaked via other websites or channels," it said in a statement.
It suggested that the leak could have been the result of third-party plugins, apps, or websites used by consumers to purchase train tickets.
With Chinese New Year coming up in February, tens of thousands across China will make their way back home for the annual celebration and an increasing number are turning to the internet to purchase their train tickets. The mad rush for seats has led to the emergence of various online apps and plugins touted to allow passengers to jump ahead of others and secure their train tickets.
China Railway had pointed to these third-party apps as the cause of this week's data leak. The police are investigating the incident.Please enable Javascript to watch this video
SEATTLE -- The Seattle City Council vote to reject the proposed vacating of a block of Occidental Avenue in the city's Sodo district was a devastating blow to former Sonics fans and a relief to the Port of Seattle.
The port is a strong opponent of the plan to build another sports arena in the Sodo district, saying the added traffic could hinder truckers moving goods to and from the port.
But now a reporter with Publicola says he`s uncovered a chain of emails that show the port may have been looking to move its headquarters to Sodo.
“It calls into question their argument about we don`t want to commercialize this area, here they were looking at the area, bringing in 800 employees, a parking garage, when their concern was traffic for visitors and employees,” reporter Josh Feit said.
Through a public disclosure request, Feit uncovered the port had paid $45,000 to study the idea and one of the proposed locations on its list was the very site investor Chris Hansen purchased for an arena near Occidental Avenue.
“The email conversations I’ve uncovered shows they were talking about this project up until March; I don`t know if it’s simply billing for the work the consultant firm had done, or if they were still active,” Feit said.
Port authorities declined to speak on camera on Monday but a spokesperson says the port briefly considered the idea last summer but the exploratory process went nowhere. The spokesperson was adamant the port did not request Hansen’s property, that it was a real estate company that included the site as one of many possible options.
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“The port can spin this as no big deal. The fact is these rounds of email discoveries show they are disingenuous in their claims,” said Adam Brown, producer of the documentary film Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team.
Brown says he`s suspicious of the port`s motive.
“It`s a territory war to see who gets to develop Sodo,” Brown said.
Council member Lisa Herbold, one of five who voted against the arena, says she was not aware of the port`s assessment of Hansen`s property. But her colleague Mike O Brien, who voted in favor of the arena, says he doesn’t believe the emails would have changed the final vote.
“I don`t think there is an appetite here to jump back into this anytime soon,” O’Brien said.
That may be painful for Sonics fans to hear but they are not giving up quite yet.
“Sonics fans are trying to keep hope alive,” Browns said.
Since the 5-4 vote against the arena, the female council members who voted against the arena have received a lot of backlash, even hate mail. But on Monday, Herbold told Q13 News that they have received overwhelming support that outweighs the unfortunate behavior of a vocal minority.The hacktivist group Anonymous has attacked security firm Panda Security shortly after authorities today arrested five men part of Lulz Security (LulzSec), another hacktivist group loosely associated with the former. 28-year-old Hector Xavier Monsegur (Sabu), the leader of LulzSec, allegedly informed U.S. law enforcement of his fellow comrades' names: Ryan Ackroyd (Kayla), Jake Davis (Topiary), Darren Martyn (pwnsauce), Donncha O'Cearrbhail (palladium), and Jeremy Hammond (Anarchaos).
Now, Anonymous has stolen the account credentials (e-mail address and passwords) of 114 employees working at Panda Security, and posted them online for everyone to see. Internal server details were also revealed. Lastly, they defaced more than two dozen subdomains within "pandasecurity.com" and other several domains owned by the security firm by modifying them to show a video recounting some of LulzSec's hacking highlights from last year. The video is embedded above.
Here is what Anonymous posted in response to today's events (AntiSec refers to both Anonymous and LulzSec working together):
#ANTISEC IS BACK ONCE AGAIN KNOCKING SNITCHES DOORS CAUSE TRAISON IS SOMETHING WE DONT FORGIVE YEAH YEAH WE KNOW... SABU SNITCHED ON US AS USUALLY HAPPENS FBI MENACED HIM TO TAKE HIS SONS AWAY WE UNDERSTAND, BUT WE WERE YOUR FAMILY TOO (REMEMBER WHAT YOU LIKED TO SAY?) IT'S SAD AND WE CANT IMAGINE HOW IT FEELS HAVING TO LOOK AT THE MIRROR EACH MORNING AND SEE THERE THE GUY WHO SHOPPED THEIR FRIENDS TO POLICE. ANYWAY... LOVE TO LULZSEC / ANTISEC FALLEN FRIENDS THOSE WHO TRULY BELIEVED WE COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE LOVE TO THOSE BUSTED ANONS, FRIENDS WHO ARE FIGHTING FOR THEIR OWN FREEDOM NOW LOVE TO THOSE WHO FIGHTED FOR THEIR FREEDOM IN TUNISIA, EGYPT, LIBYA SYRIA, BAHRAIN, YEMEN, IRAN, ETC AND ETC AND ETC LOVE TO THOSE WHO FIGHTED FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FOR A REAL DEMOCRACY, FOR A GOVT FREE OF CORRUPTION, FOR A FREE WORLD WHERE WE ARE ABLE TO SHARE OUR KNOWLEDGE FREELY LOVE TO THOSE WHO FIGHT FOR SOM |
injury. As a supplement to the player's "injury" rating, their player card should also include a history of injuries that they've had over the course of their career.
Add officials to the physics engine
Players do occasionally run into the officials.
Currently, the officials on the field are ethereal and don't interact with the play at all. Players can't run into them, and the ball can't collide with them. I wouldn't mind seeing officials be more interactive within the game. Making them part of the physics engine would allow players to use the refs as impromptu blockers or to pick a cover guy. The officials should have very good collision avoidance logic, so that they rarely impact the outcome of a play, but their presence on the field is part of the game, and that should be represented in Madden.
Change the coach cam controls
I don't like that the Coach cam control is overloaded to the same button as the "jump snap" button. There are many times in which I'm using R2 to zoom out the camera to see my defensive matchups, only to have the CPU perform a hard count that forces my selected player to attempt to jump the snap. It leads to some cheap offsides penalties.
I think that R2 makes sense as the "jump snap" button, because it's the same as the "sprint" button in-game. It's comfortable and intuitive. So I'd rather see the coach cam changed to a different button. Perhaps it could be mapped to the right stick, which would allow camera rotation as well. Or it could just be L2.
More time to read the defense
Last, but not least, is that CPU-controlled QBs should spend a little more time at the line of scrimmage "reading" the defense. Good quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning should also make a lot of audibles and minor adjustments at the line. All of this should give the user on defense a bit more time to navigate the somewhat cumbersome audible and hot route mechanisms for defense.
QBs (especially good ones) need to spend more time at the line reading the defense.
This is especially important as long as the game does not include the ability to set game-long matchups or double-team coverages. The player shouldn't have to perform these adjustments before every play! Having to highlight someone like Rob Gronkowski or assign a safety to double cover him on every play is needless busy-work that prevents me from making other necessary adjustments on defense. The limited time that I have to do that only makes the problem worse.
Allow Franchise user to change CPU team uniforms
Simple: give franchise players the same ability to set the CPU team's uniform that they have in Play Now. So if we want to the CPU to play with a throwback uniform or something, we can do it. At the very least, the league GM should be able to set it.
Don't show null stats in week 1 pre-game
This falls under the category of "I can't believe I need to tell them to do this" (see contract negotiation screen above), but future Madden games should hopefully be smarter than to show season stats during the pre-game of the first week of a season. The stats are all zeroes! This is just a simple check for zero before displaying the data. Either check if the current week is week 1, or check if the player hasn't played any games yet. If either of those conditions is true, display last season's stats, or some other piece of [hopefully] relevant info.How important is looking good when you’re trying to meet women?
Having solid game is monumentally important. But if you don’t compliment this by looking good, you’re not making the most out of your efforts.
Let’s think about it in terms of your conversion rate.
If we take two similar men, both with the same level of game and income, but we dress one man up in clothes that flatter him and give him a haircut that matches his face shape, which one do you think does better with women?
How many more women will be open to his approach?
10%, 15% maybe 20%?
Who knows? But if you’re not complimenting your game with your style and grooming, you’re shooting yourself in the foot before your approach even begins.
Style, grooming and fitness are all tools a man in demand uses to communicate that he’s the real deal and that he respects himself, as well as insists the respect of others.
You should be actively working towards developing strengths in all those areas to really bring yourself to the next level, but it some takes time.
What we’re going over today are just some simple tips to help boost your level of attractiveness rather quickly and get you better response rates from women when you’re out.
So let’s get into it…
Grow Out Some Facial Hair
More specifically, grow out 7-10 days worth of stubble. This adds a nice clean look of masculinity. In a study published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology, researchers asked over 8,000 women to rate the physical attractiveness of men with varying degrees of facial hair.
Men with heavy stubble were rated as the most attractive for short-term flings such as one-night stands and sexual relationships. In short, the men that most women want to have sex with have heavy stubble.
You’ve probably noticed the recent trend in bearded men. Why this is happening, I don’t know. But what you should know is that while our bearded brethren are rated as attractive, they are mostly attractive to women looking for long-term relationships and are perceived to have better parenting qualities than clean-shaven and stubbled men.
I think both a beard and a clean-shaven face can look great, but you should be aware of the women you are potentially attracting. It’s all about the type of girl you want, but in terms of general sexiness, go for some heavy stubble. And God help you if you’re still rocking a chin-strap.
Look Taller
Guys even just one inch under average height have a significantly harder time getting dates than guys above the average. Also, women who are looking for short-term sexual relationships are more attracted to taller men than women who are looking for something long-term. Shocking I’m sure.
The good news is that each inch you increase your perceived height, the better response rate you’ll have from women. Take a look at this study conducted from Ok-Cupid. As height increases (to a point), unsolicited messages from women increased as well.
However tall you are now, you can increase your response rate from women, both online and offline, by appearing to be taller.
Here are the easy hacks:
Wear darker, monochromatic colors. Wearing bright colors provides too much contrast between your legs and torso and will shorten your legs. I’d go with dark blues, grays, and blacks.
On that note, ditch the belt. It creates a visual break when someone is looking you up and down and will accentuate your lack of height.
Wear slimmer fits in order to create a more streamlined vertical appearance.
Wear boots or shoes with a heel to them. This can add up to around 1.5” You can actually filter shoes on Amazon/Zappos by heel height. If you want to go further, you can add.5” heel inserts for cheap.
Wear vertical stripes rather than horizontal stripes.
Opt for thinner checkered patters rather than thicker gauged ones.
Add some volume to top of your hair to add height and draw the eye upwards. Hat’s can do this as well.
When buying suits, make sure your button stance (waist button) is above your navel.
Wear straight leg pants with no break.
Never cuff your pants.
Wear Some Red
In multiple studies, both men and women wearing red were rated as highly attractive but one study in particular in the Journal of Experimental Psychology looked exclusively at how women perceived men who wore red.
Men who wore a red shirt were perceived to be higher status, make more money, and were rated as highly attractive. This is due to both social and biological constructs. Without getting in to too much detail, humans view the color red as a symbol of power. When wearing red, women associate this power with your personality.
Even if it’s not a shirt, just try to add a pop of red somewhere in your outfit when you’re going out. A stylish burgundy hat or deep red pocket square will do the trick. The closer the color is to your face, the better.
Exercise Before Heading Out
A quick work out before you head out the door is a game changer. It’ll make blood engorge your muscles, calm nerves and give you a nice temporary boost of testosterone. This isn’t the time for a strenuous core routine. Work your “glamour” muscles like your Biceps, Triceps, and Pecs to get a nice quick boost. Even if you can’t get to the gym, bang out a few sets of pushups and you’ll see the benefits.
Pro tip: Avoid working your abs before going out. If you have a bit of a gut, working your abs will push it out and displaying it prominently underneath your shirt. Make your arms bulge, not your belly.
Slim Down Your Face
Show me a guy with a bloated face and I’ll show you a guy who’s not getting looks from women. When you look bloated, your facial features appear soft and you’ll look much more feminine than you would with a strong jaw line, clear eyes and slim cheeks.
The good news is that a lot of your puffy face can be related directly to water retention. When you drink heavily, don’t have enough water, or consume a bunch of salt and carbs, your face will swell up like a balloon. Stay away from all of that if you want to look your leanest. An easy way to do this is by flushing the sodium out of your system with lots more water or sweating it out with cardio and heavy lifting.
You can also try a cold compress on your face, like a washcloth or wrapped icepack, as well as taking a supplement called dandelion root to help strip away excess water. If you want more tips on leaning out your face, you can pick up the “Hacking the Handsome Jawline” guide by heading to pivotimage.com
Conclusion
So there you have it. Just a few ways you can quickly make yourself more attractive. Just like all things, you have to put in the work to become a truly attractive man. Spending time in the gym, eating right, developing a wardrobe, getting your money right, etc.
But every guy sometimes needs an easy edge.
Enjoyed the article? Then you’ll love the 2hr 15min podcast with Patrick I recorded here. Packed with tips and secrets of sculpting yourself into being better looking, this episode is the best Men’s Style & Grooming podcast ever recorded in the history of mankind. Really. Listen here.
About the Author
Patrick Kenger is a men’s image consultant based out of Scottsdale, AZ. He has written and been featured on many reputable men’s lifestyle sites and has helped turn tons of great guys into attractive gentleman. Find out what Patrick can do for you at his website here.What Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, told a restive town hall audience in Lewiston, Idaho, was destined to go viral. And it did.
At the May 5, 2017, event, questioners asked the congressman about the Republicans’ vote the previous day on a major health care overhaul that would roll back many aspects of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, including limits on expanding Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for the poor.
"You are mandating people on Medicaid accept dying," one audience member said.
To which Labrador responded, "No no, you know that line is so indefensible. Nobody dies because they don’t have access to health care."
The crowd howled in protest, and the comment drew immediate national attention. Writing in CNN, political commentator Chris Cillizza awarded his "Worst Week in Washington" award to Labrador, saying that the congressman had essentially handed Democrats a video clip that was "a ready-made attack line against every vulnerable House Republican."
Given all the attention to Labrador’s comment, we decided to fact-check it.
It’s not our first time looking at a similar question. Because of varied results from academic papers, we have struggled since 2009 about how to rate claims that a specific number of people die every year because they were uninsured -- a common talking point for Democrats. We found it difficult to pinpoint a specific number.
However, Labrador’s statement put a different twist on the question. Rather than saying that a specific number of people had died due to lack of health insurance, Labrador said that no one had. Could that be right?
Labrador’s explanation
When we contacted Labrador’s office, his staff pointed us to a Facebook post where he explained his remark the following day and accused the media for only focusing on a few seconds of a longer discussion.
"During ten hours of town halls, one of my answers about health care wasn’t very elegant," Labrador wrote. "I was responding to a false notion that the Republican health care plan will cause people to die in the streets, which I completely reject.... In the five-second clip that the media is focusing on, I was trying to explain that all hospitals are required by law to treat patients in need of emergency care regardless of their ability to pay and that the Republican plan does not change that." (Here’s the full exchange as posted by Labrador’s office.)
However, even if you buy the argument that emergency room care would protect the uninsured, that leaves out a whole range of chronic and potentially deadly diseases -- from heart disease to diabetes -- that can be prevented only through long-term access to physicians.
A literature review
We found at least seven academic papers that detected a link between securing health insurance and a decline in mortality. In general, these papers present a stronger consensus that having insurance saves lives.
• In 2002, a panel of more than a dozen medical specialists convened by the federally chartered Institute of Medicine estimated that 18,000 Americans had died in 2000 because they were uninsured. In January 2008, Stan Dorn, a senior research associate at the Urban Institute, published a paper that sought to update the IOM study with newer data. Replicating the study’s methodology, Dorn concluded that the figure should be increased to 22,000.
• A 2009 American Journal of Public Health study concluded that a lack of health insurance "is associated with as many as 44,789 deaths in the United States, more than those caused by kidney disease."
• Three studies looked at state-level expansions of Medicaid and in each case found "significant" improvements in mortality after such expansions of coverage. These include a 2012 New England Journal of Medicine study of New York, Maine, and Arizona by Harvard researchers, and a 2014 study of Massachusetts by researchers from Harvard and the Urban Institute.
• A 2014 study published by the health policy publication Health Affairs looked at states that, at the time, had declined to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. It estimated that the 25 states studied would have collectively avoided between 7,000 and 17,000 deaths.
• A 2014 study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found improved survival rates for young adults with cancer after securing insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
• A 2017 study in the journal Medical Care looked at a provision of the Affordable Care Act that allows young adults to be covered under a parent’s policy. The study found a decline in mortality among this population from diseases amenable to preventive treatment. (Mortality from trauma, such as car accidents, saw no decrease, as would be expected.)
Any contrary views?
We found two papers that might conceivably provide support for Labrador’s position. But as we’ll see, even the papers’ authors did not agree with Labrador.
• A paper published in April 2009 in HSR: Health Services Research. In it, Richard Kronick of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California (San Diego) School of Medicine, raised questions about the conclusions of the seminal Institute of Medicine study from 2002. Kronick’s study adjusted the data -- as the IOM had not -- for a number of demographic and health factors, including status as a smoker and body mass index, and found that doing so removed the excess number of deaths found in the original study.
• A 2013 paper in the New England Journal of Medicine co-authored by Katherine Baicker of Harvard University compared about 6,000 patients in Oregon who got coverage through a 2008 Medicaid expansion and about 6,000 who didn’t. While the study found improvements in out-of-pocket medical spending and lower rates of depression among those who got coverage, key benchmarks for physical health -- including blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar -- did not improve in such patients.
So we asked both of these papers’ authors whether their papers could be used as justification for what Labrador said.
"Rep. Labrador is misinformed," Kronick said. "Common sense, as well as the accumulated weight of evidence is sufficient to convince any reasonable analyst that lack of health insurance results in excess morbidity (that is, sickness) and mortality."
Baicker, too, said she sees "strong evidence" that Labrador’s statement "is false. I agree that the exact number is up for debate, but the fact that it is more than zero seems clear to me."
Every other health policy analyst who responded to us for this article agreed that Labrador was wrong. Some saw common sense as equally persuasive as the peer-reviewed research.
"I was just at a physicians’ meeting where people described patients they had treated who had died because of a lack of coverage," said Harold Pollack, an urban public health researcher at the University of Chicago. "Everyone who does this for a living has personally experienced it in one way or another."
Our ruling
At the town hall, Labrador said, "Nobody dies because they don’t have access to health care."
Extensive research over the previous decade generally points to tangible reductions in mortality after patients obtain health insurance. Two papers found more equivocal results, but we reached authors of both papers, and they agreed that their findings do not support Labrador’s remark. While the exact number of deaths saved by having health insurance is uncertain, the researchers we contacted agreed that the number is higher than zero -- probably quite a bit higher.
We rate his statement Pants on Fire.Examining protein change theory and the upper limits of protein intake.
Throughout the years it is a question that is asked by both scientists, and laymen alike, yet a one true answer still remains to be clear. No, it’s not “what is the meaning of life?” There are more important things to worry about right now. The thing people really want to know is “How much protein should I consume each day to build muscle?”
The answer to this question will change depending on who you ask. I have heard all of the answers. Some say 2.75 grams per kg of lean mass per day, others say 2 grams per pound of bodyweight, and then there is the always popular answer to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. These are drastically different numbers, just where do they exactly come from, and which one is right, who should you trust?
There have been many studies that have set out to find exactly how much protein is needed for optimal growth. Unfortunately, the scientific community has had answers that seem as varied as the bodybuilding community at times. Different studies show varied muscle growth rates with drastically different protein intakes. How can this be?
Well, new research is showing that protein intake is not as clear cut as most make it out to be. So what does this new research say is the optimal protein intake? The simple answer may just be… more than you are taking in now.
Protein Spread and Change Theories
In a recent review published in The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, Bosse and Dixon review protein “spread” and “change” theories. This is an excellent review that not only gives an explanation for the inconsistent results of protein intake studies but also gives insight into the way we should view protein intake in general.
Protein spread theory states that when a study is being conducting that there must be a sufficient percentage difference in g/kg/day protein intake between groups during a protein intervention to result in muscle and strength differences. (1) Sometimes when studies compare high vs. low protein intakes there is not enough difference or spread of intake between the high and low groups to show a significant benefit from additional protein. This helps explain some of the inconsistencies of protein intake research.
Protein change theory is what should interest the average bodybuilder/ lifter the most. Protein change theory states that for strength and muscle gains there must be a sufficient increase in dietary protein from habitual intake to study intake.1 This means once a study comparing protein intake establishes sufficient “spread”, the researchers must also ensure that the subjects are consuming sufficiently more protein than their typical, pre study intake.
This review pulls data from many different studies and shows that the results are not as chaotic as they may seem at first glance. It makes the most convincing argument for protein spread and change theories to date. For the full results of the review I highly suggest you read the review yourself.
While protein “spread” and “change” theories are both significant I want to focus most of our attention on protein change theory as this has the biggest implications in terms of practical application as well as telling us how our bodies react to protein and amino acids.
Protein Change Theory
What protein change theory shows is that the human body can essentially become used to a given amount of protein, and to further stimulate anabolism additional protein will be needed. When discussing protein intake one cannot simply compare grams per kg per day. Change from baseline intake must be considered.
For example, let’s say we have two completely identical bodybuilders that both weigh 200 lbs. Our first bodybuilder has been consuming 200 grams of protein per day. Our second bodybuilder has been getting 275 grams of protein per day.
Let’s now assume that our first bodybuilder increases his protein intake to 275 grams per day. Our second bodybuilder keeps his protein intake the same at 275 grams per day. As you see below, our two identical bodybuilders are now consuming identical protein intakes. The main difference though is that there is a difference in the % increase, and protein change theory tells us that this is important.
Baseline Intake Adjusted Intake % Increase
Bodybuilder #1 - 200 grams 275 grams 37.5%
- 200 grams 275 grams 37.5% Bodybuilder #2 - 275 grams 275 grams 0%
Even though these two bodybuilders are completely identical in every way, and are consuming the same amount of protein, the bodybuilder that had the biggest increase will likely now begin to grow at a faster rate.
There is one thing to note about this example though. While our first bodybuilder will likely now begin to grow at a faster rate, this will not last forever. The body will eventually begin to adapt to the higher protein intake and anabolism rates will begin to slow. This explains how people can have similar protein intakes yet have different rates of growth over a period of time. Protein change theory demonstrates metabolic adaptation at its finest.
Metabolic Adaptation
The human metabolism is a multitude of chemical reactions within the body and is incredibly complex. Protein change theory requires we consider metabolic adaptation when determining optimal protein intake.
In previous articles and videos I have discussed the issue of metabolic adaptation and how it relates to fat loss, but these metabolic adaptations are also a determining factor in muscle growth and protein intake as well. The body will ALWAYS strive for homeostasis no matter the circumstance.
One thing that very few people consider is that the human metabolism is not static. There are many things that affect the metabolism that are out of our control such as height, age, sex, and certain hormones. Things that we can control such as calorie/macronutrient intake, physical activity, and body weight/lean body mass will all cause the body to make changes in metabolic rate in order to achieve balance.
The common view of the human body seems to be that it is almost like a bank where we deposit and withdraw calories. The typical “calories in vs. calories out” argument for fat loss and muscle growth is a perfect example of this view, explaining that we must expend more calories than we consume to lose weight and we must consume more calories than we expend to gain weight.
The truth is that this is only part of the picture. The human body is less like a bank and more like the stock market. We can make deposits and withdrawals but the market is always fluctuating according to and reacting to what is put in and what comes out. Like the stock market, we have to consider the state of the market before we determine what we will put in and take out.
Many people still cannot quite grasp how protein can be subject to the body’s metabolic adjustments. The common belief regarding protein intake is that you simply need to make sure that sufficient amino acids are available for the body to build muscle. While this is true it is not the whole story of protein, and it is oversimplifying the role of amino acids and proteins within the body.
Protein and Amino Acids as Signaling Molecules
By now we have all heard it a million times. Proteins are made up of amino acids and amino acids are the building blocks of muscle tissue…etc, etc. I have read that line a million times in magazines and articles. This is usually where the information about amino acids stops in most articles.
This is what gives many people the idea that there is a magic amount of protein that is sufficient or optimal. If amino acids are only used as substrate then one would be led to think that you simply need to supply enough substrate to get the job done. It doesn’t work quite like that.
While it is true that amino acids were long considered simply substrates for protein synthesis, they have more recently shown to also act as modulators of intracellular signal transduction pathways that are typically associated with growth-promoting hormones such as insulin and IGF-1. This means particular amino acids not only serve as substrates for protein synthesis but are also modulators of the process as well. (2) This has been found to be especially true of the amino acid leucine and it’s regulation of the mTOR pathway.
Since amino acids are signaling molecules and not simply substrate then this will make them subject to the body’s metabolic adaptations. It appears that over time the body will become less sensitive to the anabolic response of amino acids, therefore more protein will be necessary to further drive change. This means that optimal protein intake is no longer a static number.
Protein Synthesis and Net Anabolism
This is still not the whole story of protein intake. While amino acids act as the modulators of protein synthesis, there is a limit to how much protein synthesis can be stimulated so there must be another way in which protein can signal growth. Several studies have shown that stimulation of muscle protein fractional synthetic rate can be maxed out with an intake of 20-30 grams of protein. (3)
When determining what is best for muscle growth it is foolish to look solely at protein synthesis rates. Protein intakes that are above the maximum amount required to stimulate synthesis can still be beneficial.
A prevailing thought among bodybuilders is that if you take in too much protein at one time the excess amino acids will just be wasted. This is rather silly when you think about it. Before modern times, humans did not have access to steady protein intakes. Homo sapiens would frequently kill an animal and stuff themselves to capacity with meat.
There was no way to stick this protein away and save it for later, they had to eat it now. It would be rather inefficient of the body to let these amino acids go to waste since significant protein meals could be days apart in these times.
Total muscle growth is not simply the result of protein synthesis. Instead we must look at net anabolism. To determine net anabolism we must consider both muscle protein synthesis AND muscle protein breakdown. Contrary to what many think, the body is constantly in a simultaneous state of synthesis and breakdown. When synthesis outpaces breakdown we have anabolism, when breakdown exceeds synthesis we have catabolism.
Additional protein intake once maximum protein synthesis has been achieved can still lead to increased net anabolism by attenuating breakdown, rather than further stimulating protein synthesis. When protein is consumed in large amounts protein synthesis levels will begin to increase, but only to a point. Once the maximum protein synthesis rate is reached, intracellular amino acid levels will begin to rise.
If protein intake continues to increase total anabolism will continue to rise even without a corresponding increase in protein synthesis. This response seems to happen because the continued rise of intracellular amino acid levels signal to limit the rate of protein breakdown. (4)
It is thought that this signal to decrease breakdown is due to the action of insulin and has no limit, as protein breakdown will continue to decrease with ever increasing protein intake. (5, 6) This is what takes place at a single feeding, so it is reasonable to assume that this will apply to every feeding during the day.
This not only shows that the extra daily protein intake will lead to growth, but also that there is no “limit” to how high a single bolus of protein should/could be. In other words, anyone that says you can’t take in more than a certain amount of protein in one meal is just wrong.
Takeaways and Implications
Protein change theory offers some interesting takeaways and implications as far as protein intake is concerned. Let’s examine the three main takeaways from the newer research:
There is no upper limit or maximum amount of protein that will not lead to further growth.
We now know there is no reasonable limit to protein intake within a given meal or within a day. We need to throw out the idea of there being a “limit” as to how much protein is of use within the body.
Protein intake and its effect on muscle growth is highly dictated by how much protein is currently being consumed and how much is added to that baseline level. This means adding additional protein added to the diet is very likely to stimulate extra growth and there appears to be no point at which this will not hold true.
BUT this does not mean that you should begin eating 600 grams of protein just yet. Which bring me to takeaway number two.
Protein intake must be kept high but adjusted for the individual metabolism.
Protein change theory shows that there is no set “optimal protein intake” that will fit everyone. This means there is no magical amount of grams per bodyweight that will work as a cookie cutter plan for everyone to use.
While it seems on the surface that more protein is always better, this is not necessarily true. It is important to keep in mind that nothing within the human metabolism is isolated and everything works in relation to everything else.
Different people will have different macronutrient requirements and it is important to remember that carbohydrates and fats carry their own anabolic and performance benefits. If protein intake is too high, then carb and fat intake will need to be kept unacceptably low in order to avoid exceeding calorie requirements.
In the long run this will ultimately hinder muscle growth. On the other hand, if protein intake it set too high and without lowering carbohydrate and fat intake then calorie levels will be too high and body fat levels will sky rocket.
People with an endomorphic body type will have vastly different macronutrient breakdowns than those with ectomorphic qualities. So the goal for any metabolic type should to be to consume as much protein as possible while not exceeding your caloric needs, and also not interfering with the needed intake of other macronutrients.
I realize this is vague, but learning the ins and outs of an individual metabolism is not a simple process. When I work with clients it can take weeks to truly know their metabolism.
Protein intake may need to slowly increase over the course of a bodybuilder’s career.
If protein change theory holds true, it implies that over the course of time there should be an increase in the average protein intake for a lifter. It seems as though the body can become less sensitive to the effects of amino acids over time so it could feasibly take higher and higher amounts to further stimulate growth.
Once again, this does not mean that you should be consuming a thousand grams of protein once you are in your 50’s. This still should not interfere with other macronutrient needs, but a slight increase in the average protein intake over the course of a bodybuilding career may be a good idea.
Where We Go From Here
It should be noted that there are many other factors regarding protein intake that affect growth such as protein source, timing of ingestion (refractory response), and amino acid make up. Those issues open up an entirely new can of worms and each one could be the topic of its own article. For now we can take the new information and use it to adjust our protein intake accordingly.
There is still plenty of research to be done, but what we know about protein and amino acids has increased dramatically in recent years. Protein change theory is still a relatively new idea and the details are not fully understood quite yet, but ideas such as this may lead us to a better understanding of protein intake as a whole.
Every new discovery makes things that much clearer for us within the bodybuilding world. Who knows? Maybe someday years from now we will know all there is to know about protein and amino acids. Then we can finally get around to solving that meaning of life thing.
ReferencesShare this infographic on your site!
Source: Early-Childhood-Education-Degrees.com
Home Is Where the School Is: Understanding Home-Schooling in the United States
History of Home-Schooling
Before the advent of formal, communal education, children were educated in the home. But with schools opening in the American colonies in the 1600s, education outside of the home has been common practice in the United States for centuries.
The past four decades have seen a resurgence of home schooling in the U.S.
1977
John Holt founds “Growing Without Schooling” and calls for parents to reject formal education in favor of what will come to be known as “unschooling.” (1)
1981
Educational theorist Raymond Moore suggests that children should be home-schooled until age 8 or 9, and his book “Home Grown Kids” quickly becomes popular among home-school enthusiasts. (1)
Home schooling is legal in every state, but regulations vary, with some states requiring parents who wish to home school to have teaching licenses. (1)
Mid- to late 1980s
Many conservative Christians begin favoring home schooling as an alternative to public schools they believe are disruptive to their faith. As a result, many local school systems, previously friendly to the home-school movement, begin to feel threatened and less cooperative with home-schoolers. (1)
1999
About 850,000 students are home-schooled in the United States. By 2011, that number will grow to more than 1.7 million. (1)
Today
While in the 1980s, religion was a primary reason for parents to home-school, today that has changed, with fewer than 1 in 5 parents saying faith is the biggest reason why they home-school. (1)
State of Home Schooling
What is the picture of home-schooling today?
3.4%
Percentage of school-age children who are home-schooled (2)
Percentage of children home-schooled by year (3)
1999: 1.7%
2003: 2.2%
2007: 2.9%
2011: 3.4%
Ethnicity of home-schooled American children (3)
White: 68%
Black: 8%
Hispanic: 15%
Asian/Pacific Islander: 4%
Other: 5%
Home-schooled students per total school-age students by state (4)
North Carolina: 0.059
Indiana: 0.032
Alabama: 0.029
Alaska: 0.029
Arizona: 0.029
Arkansas: 0.029
California: 0.029
Colorado: 0.029
Connecticut: 0.029
D.C.: 0.029
Georgia: 0.029
Hawaii: 0.029
Idaho: 0.029
Illinois: 0.029
Iowa: 0.029
Kansas: 0.029
Kentucky: 0.029
Louisiana: 0.029
Maine: 0.029
Maryland: 0.029
Massachusetts: 0.029
Michigan: 0.029
Mississippi: 0.029
Missouri: 0.029
Montana: 0.029
Nebraska: 0.029
Nevada: 0.029
New Hampshire: 0.029
New Jersey: 0.029
New Mexico: 0.029
New York: 0.029
North Dakota: 0.029
Ohio: 0.029
Oklahoma: 0.029
Oregon: 0.029
Pennsylvania: 0.029
Rhode Island: 0.029
South Carolina: 0.029
South Dakota: 0.029
Tennessee: 0.029
Texas: 0.029
Utah: 0.029
Vermont: 0.029
Washington: 0.029
West Virginia: 0.029
Wyoming: 0.029
Florida: 0.026
Virginia: 0.022
Delaware: 0.021
Wisconsin: 0.02
Minnesota: 0.019
Reasons for home-schooling, percentage of parents citing reason (2)
Religious instruction: 64%
Moral instruction: 77%
Concern about environment of other schools: 91%
Dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools: 74%
Nontraditional approach to child’s education: 44%
Child has other special needs: 17%
Child has a physical or mental health problem: 15%
Other reasons: 37%
Home-schooled students typically score 15-30 percentile points higher than public school students on standardized tests. (5)
Getting Started: Tips for Home-Schooling Your Children
Interested in removing your children from regular school? Consider the following issues: (6, 7)
The law
Rules and regulations about home-schooling vary widely depending on where you live. Before you take any steps to remove your kids from school, be sure you know exactly what’s expected of you. Consult the Home School Legal Defense Association (http://www.hslda.org/), or your state’s home-school association.
Your approach
What methods will you use educate your children? Will the curriculum be highly structured? Will you allow your children to determine the course of their education?
Rely on community
With home-schooling growing in popularity, many options exist for finding networks of other parents who home-school.
Especially when you’re getting started, these resources can be invaluable for developing your teaching style or simply providing moral support when things get tough.
Set a space
While your child won’t be leaving the home for school, |
ashem awarded him the “Righteous among the Nations” title in 2000.Bombing settles argument on disproportionate aggression
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
November 19, 2012
A shocking video from CNN shows a Palestinian in Gaza being interrupted by an Israeli air strike during a live interview.
The segment entitled ‘Living in the Conflict Zone’ involved a debate between Gaza resident Mohammed Sulaiman and Israeli Nissim Nahoom.
Nahoom argues that civilians in Gaza and Israeli cities like his home town of Ashkelon, a target of Hamas missile attacks, are experiencing the same fears but that the situation is worse because Palestinian attacks are designed to “hurt as many civilians as possible”.
The background noise of bombings can be heard throughout the interview, but at the 2:53 mark a huge explosion is heard which makes Sulaiman flinch, and in turn pretty much destroys Nahoom’s argument that the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians is comparable in any way.
“Sorry, carry on with you question,” remarks Sulaiman as further huge explosions are heard.
“You can hear everything,” he adds as the sound of the air strikes outside drowns out the sound of his voice.
When asked what the noise was, Sulaiman replies, “These are Israeli war planes bombing the Gaza Strip,” adding, “I’m not going to allow these bombs to interrupt me from having this debate with you and your guest.”
However, before he is able to finish his point, Sulaiman recoils as a mammoth explosion shakes his house and sounds of screaming are heard in the background. The CNN anchor later confirms that Sulaiman is OK.
Although the indiscriminate firing of rockets from Gaza into Israeli cities has been rightly condemned, any debate about who is living under the most terror is clearly a moot point just by looking at the numbers.
During the last conflict between Gaza and Israel in 2008/2009, over 1400 Palestinians, many of them women and children, were killed by Israeli air strikes. In comparison, 13 Israelis were killed, four of which were due to friendly fire.
This month’s attacks have produced similar figures – three Israelis killed compared to at least 82 Palestinians and more than 680 injured since Wednesday last week.
Deaths on both sides are deplorable, but when Palestinians are being killed at a ratio of 100 to one, only an idiot or a liar could still believe the propaganda that Israel is merely “defending itself against terrorists,” when the Zionist state is clearly engaging in massacres by relentlessly bombing densely populated areas.
However, the ludicrous notion that Israel’s aggression is proportionate has been upheld by none other than Barack Obama, who today stated that the United States is, “Fully supportive of Israel’s right to defend itself from missiles landing on people’s homes.”
The video below illustrates the kind of firepower Israel is raining down on citizens of Gaza, which the IDF claims is “pinpoint” and “clinical”.
*********************
Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a host for Infowars Nightly News.BEIRUT – Pro-regime forces have continued to press their offensive in the mountains northeast of Syria’s coast, advancing in the direction of a key rebel-held town on the edge of the Idlib province.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Wednesday morning that “hit and run” clashes were ongoing around the mountainous Kabana area that lies a little over 10 kilometers southwest of Idlib’s Jisr al-Shughour.
Regime troops have not yet been able to advance into Kabana, although they seized the Zuweiqat mountaintop overlooking the village from its southern outskirts just days before.
The pro-opposition Qasioun News outlet said Wednesday morning that Syrian rebel forces “foiled an attempt by the regime forces and Hezbollah” to storm the Latakia village, while Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar—a newspaper that supports Assad—touted recent regime advances around Kabana.
The fighting for Kabana follows on the heels of a number of regime victories in the Jabal al-Akrad and Jabal Turkmen Mountains north of Latakia. On January 12, the Syrian army and allied militias seized the major-rebel stronghold of Salma—which lies 8 kilometers southwest of Kabana—before routing opposition forces on January 21 in Rabia, another key opposition redoubt.
Amid quickly shattering opposition lines, pro-regime forces—backed by heavy Russian airstrikes—seized the village of Kinsabba on February 2, further turning the screws on beleaguered rebels who face total defeat in the Latakia countryside straddling the border with Turkey.
Despite the start of a ceasefire on February 27 the regime has not stopped its blistering Latakia offensive, which it justifies with the presence of the Al-Nusra Front along the front, an Al-Qaeda affiliate not covered by the internationally-brokered deal that has seen a dramatic drop-off in hostilities across Syria.
According to the SOHR, Nusra was engaged in the fighting Wednesday around Kabana, which has pitted a number of factions—including the Free Syrian Army-affiliated 2nd Coastal Division and the Al-Qaeda-linked Turkistan Islamic Party—against pro-regime forces under the direction of Russian officers.
A media activist told the pro-rebel Al-Souria Net that Russia and the regime took advantage of the cease-fire agreement with Syrian opposition forces across the country in order to bolster its forces in the north Latakia front.
Strategic implications
The regime’s latest offensive on Kabana comes as part of a greater campaign that seeks not only to sweep opposition forces from the Latakia province but also threaten rebel lines in the west of the neighboring Idlib province.
Kabana and the nearby village of Kabana lie less than eight kilometers south of the M4 highway that runs from Latakia through Jisr al-Shughour, which rebels seized in late April 2015.
Al-Souria Net highlighted the threat to the strategic rebel-held town on Tuesday in an article entitled “Regime forces advance in Rif Latakia and approach closer to Jisr al-Shughour.”
A defected Syrian army officer analyzing the front told the pro-rebel news website that the regime’s military plan in northwest Syria calls for “complete control over the remaining [mountaintops] in the Jabal Akrad and Jabal Turkmen mountains and to cut opposition supply lines between Latakia and Idlib.”
“The regime and Russian plans require access to Jisr al-Shughour,” the former officer claimed, adding that the rebel-held center is “one of the most important defensive lines for the towns and villages loyal to the regime” in the nearby Al-Ghab Plain, an area south of Idlib that rebels attacked in mid-2015.
Amid the offensive on Kabana, the regime has unleashed a withering bombardment on Jisr al-Shughour and nearby areas, with opposition sources saying that over 50 rockets had hit the town Tuesday.
The SOHR tracking developments in war-torn Syria reported the same day that “warplanes bombed areas in the village of Al-Najiyah” outside Jisr al-Shugour, while regime forces unleashed their artillery on the nearby village of Badama.
Al-Akhbar, for its part, reported that the regime “stepped up its artillery and airstrikes” on the two villages west of Jisr al-Shughour, saying that rebels had installed “dozens of mortar emplacements and artillery batteries” there to target the Kabana front.
NOW’s English news desk editor Albin Szakola (@AlbinSzakola) wrote this report. Amin Nasr translated the Arabic-language source material.NSW prosecutors consider murder charge after Daniel Christie dies in Sydney hospital
Updated
New South Wales prosecutors are considering laying murder charges following the death of teenager Daniel Christie, who died after being punched on New Year's Eve.
The 18-year-old passed away yesterday after his family decided to switch off his life support.
Christie had been in a critical condition for 11 days after he was assaulted during a night out in Sydney's Kings Cross on December 31.
Builder Shaun McNeil, 25, is accused of carrying out the attack on Christie.
He has been charged with three counts of common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.
Police are expecting to lay more charges against him when he next faces court on March 4.
Attorney-General Greg Smith has urged the state's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to upgrade the charges against McNeil.
"I think the community is generally appalled by the type of incident that led to the death," Mr Smith said.
"I've asked the DPP to consider very carefully the laying of a murder charge in relation to this case.
"As it appears from at least media reports that the assailant was a mixed martial arts expert or claimed to be so, which may put this in a different dimension."
The attack on Christie has reignited calls for the Government to implement measures aimed at curbing alcohol-fuelled violence.
Your say: Clearly alcohol exacerbates the situation, but the real problem is the breakdown in social respect and responsibility where severe aggression is becoming the norm... leduc, via comment
Mr Smith says the Government is considering a series of proposals to deter violence in and around the state's licensed premises.
"The Government doesn't ignore any of such calls, the Government is very concerned about what's been going on," he said.
"The Government wants to discourage this yobbo activity and it will get together soon again to consider further proposals in relation to many aspects of these problems."
Opposition want restrictions on alcohol sales, trading hours
However, acting opposition leader Linda Burney says the Government had shown no sign of action and demanded a restriction on alcohol sales and late-night trading hours.
"The notion that this boy's life, which was so cruelly and senselessly taken will mean nothing in terms of change around the availability of alcohol, it's just not, it's just not acceptable," Ms Burney said.
"There are very close connections between the O'Farrell Government and senior people within the liquor lobby and there has been a deafening silence in terms of the O'Farrell Government making any sounds, any moves to limit the availability of alcohol.
"And one can only draw the conclusion that there is enormous influence by the liquor lobby in that respect.
We would like 'coward punches' to be a thing of the past. People have the right to go out without experiencing mindless violence. Christie family statement
"The family has said that they don't want Daniel's death to be in vain and it's up to us as political leaders and the community to take that on and to double and redouble our efforts in terms of dealing with this issue."
Mr O'Farrell has previously said that restrictions on trading hours would have done nothing for Christie, who was attacked around 9.00pm.
Christie family call for 'positive change'
During the 18-year-old's fight for life, the Christie family spoke out against the use of the term "king hit" when referring to assaults, saying "coward punch" is more appropriate.
The Christie family say they do not want Daniel's death to be in vain and have committed themselves "to rallying for change".
"A positive change needs to come from such a negative situation," they said in an emotional statement.
"We would like 'coward punches' to be a thing of the past. People have the right to go out without experiencing mindless violence."
The family also revealed they have donated Christie's organs to "honour his spirit".
"We believe there is no better way of honouring Daniel's generous and giving spirit than by donating his organs," the statement said.
"Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do to help Daniel’s situation, but we are comforted knowing that we can help others."
Topics: death, community-and-society, murder-and-manslaughter, crime, law-crime-and-justice, assault, alcohol, drug-use, health, states-and-territories, government-and-politics, sydney-2000, nsw, australia
First postedLast week, Target told reporters at The Wall Street Journal and Reuters that the initial intrusion into its systems was traced back to network credentials that were stolen from a third party vendor. Sources now tell KrebsOnSecurity that the vendor in question was a refrigeration, heating and air conditioning subcontractor that has worked at a number of locations at Target and other top retailers.
Sources close to the investigation said the attackers first broke into the retailer’s network on Nov. 15, 2013 using network credentials stolen from Fazio Mechanical Services, a Sharpsburg, Penn.-based provider of refrigeration and HVAC systems.
Fazio president Ross Fazio confirmed that the U.S. Secret Service visited his company’s offices in connection with the Target investigation, but said he was not present when the visit occurred. Fazio Vice President Daniel Mitsch declined to answer questions about the visit. According to the company’s homepage, Fazio Mechanical also has done refrigeration and HVAC projects for specific Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and BJ’s Wholesale Club locations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.
Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder said the company had no additional information to share, citing a “very active and ongoing investigation.”
It’s not immediately clear why Target would have given an HVAC company external network access, or why that access would not be cordoned off from Target’s payment system network. But according to a cybersecurity expert at a large retailer who asked not to be named because he did not have permission to speak on the record, it is common for large retail operations to have a team that routinely monitors energy consumption and temperatures in stores to save on costs (particularly at night) and to alert store managers if temperatures in the stores fluctuate outside of an acceptable range that could prevent customers from shopping at the store.
“To support this solution, vendors need to be able to remote into the system in order to do maintenance (updates, patches, etc.) or to troubleshoot glitches and connectivity issues with the software,” the source said. “This feeds into the topic of cost savings, with so many solutions in a given organization. And to save on head count, it is sometimes beneficial to allow a vendor to support versus train or hire extra people.”
CASING THE JOINT
Investigators also shared additional details about the timeline of the breach and how the attackers moved stolen data off of Target’s network.
Sources said that between Nov. 15 and Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving and the day before Black Friday), the attackers succeeded in uploading their card-stealing malicious software to a small number of cash registers within Target stores.
Those same sources said the attackers used this time to test that their point-of-sale malware was working as designed.
By the end of the month — just two days later — the intruders had pushed their malware to a majority of Target’s point-of-sale devices, and were actively collecting card records from live customer transactions, investigators told this reporter. Target has said that the breach exposed approximately 40 million debit and credit card accounts between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, 2013.
DATA DROPS
While some reports on the Target breach said the stolen card data was offloaded via FTP communications to a location in Russia, sources close to the case say much of the purloined financial information was transmitted to several “drop” locations.
These were essentially compromised computers in the United States and elsewhere that were used to house the stolen data and that could be safely accessed by the suspected perpetrators in Eastern Europe and Russia.
For example, card data stolen from Target’s network was stashed on hacked computer servers belonging to a business in Miami, while another drop server resided in Brazil.
Investigators say the United States is currently requesting mutual legal assistance from Brazilian authorities to gain access to the Target data on the server there.
It remains unclear when the dust settles from this investigation whether Target will be liable for failing to adhere to payment card industry (PCI) security standards, violations that can come with hefty fines.
Avivah Litan, a fraud analyst with Gartner Inc., said that although the current PCI standard (PDF) does not require organizations to maintain separate networks for payment and non-payment operations (page 7), it does require merchants to incorporate two-factor authentication for remote network access originating from outside the network by personnel and all third parties — including vendor access for support or maintenance (see section 8.3).
In any case, Litan estimates that Target could be facing losses of up to $420 million as a result of this breach, including reimbursement associated with banks recovering the costs of reissuing millions of cards; fines from the card brands for PCI non-compliance; and direct Target customer service costs, including legal fees and credit monitoring for tens of millions of customers impacted by the breach.
Litan notes these estimates do not take into account the amounts Target will spend in the short run implementing technology at their checkout counters to accept more secure chip-and-PIN credit and debit cards. In testimony before lawmakers on Capitol Hill yesterday, Target’s executive vice president and chief financial officer said upgrading the retailer’s systems to handle chip-and-PIN could cost $100 million.
Target may be able to cover some of those costs through a mesh network of business insurance claims. According to a Jan. 19 story at businessinsurance.com, Target has at least $100 million of cyber insurance and $65 million of directors and officers liability coverage.
Update, Feb. 6, 3:33 p.m. ET: Fazio Mechanical Services just issued an official statement through a PR company, stating that its “data connection with Target was exclusively for electronic billing, contract submission and project management.” Their entire statement is below:
Fazio Mechanical Services, Inc. places paramount importance on assuring the security of confidential customer data and information. While we cannot comment on the on-going federal investigation into the technical causes of the breach, we want to clarify important facts relating to this matter: – Fazio Mechanical does not perform remote monitoring of or control of heating, cooling and refrigeration systems for Target. – Our data connection with Target was exclusively for electronic billing, contract submission and project management, and Target is the only customer for whom we manage these processes on a remote basis. No other customers have been affected by the breach. – Our IT system and security measures are in full compliance with industry practices. Like Target, we are a victim of a sophisticated cyber attack operation. We are fully cooperating with the Secret Service and Target to identify the possible cause of the breach and to help create proactive initiatives that will further enhance the security of client/vendor connections making them less vulnerable to future breaches.
Tags: avivah litan, Daniel Mitsch, Fazio Mechanical Services, Molly Snyder, Ross Fazio, target, target data breach, U.S. Secret ServiceWith the ELEAGUE Premier 2017 playoffs drawing near, we have prepared a viewer’s guide that includes the bracket, prize distribution and broadcast talent.
The ELEAGUE Premier 2017 playoffs will take place from October 10-14 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA and will feature the eight teams who managed to book playoff spots by finishing in the top two places in the groups. The bulk of the tournament's $1 Million prize pool will be on the line, with the champions taking home $500,000.
NiKo's FaZe will take on EnVyUs in the quarter-finals
The teams who finished first in their group will take on a second placed-team from a different group in the quarter-finals. The single-elimination, best-of-three bracket ensures that teams from the same group will not be able to play each other until the grand final.
Below is the playoff bracket:
The first two days will feature the quarter-final, matches, while the third day will feature the two semi-finals. The grand final will be played a day later.
The full schedule can be found below:
Tuesday, October 10 20:00 G2 vs. Cloud9 BO3 23:30 Astralis vs. fnatic BO3 Wednesday, October 11 20:00 FaZe vs. Envy BO3 23:30 Heroic vs. North BO3 Thursday, October 12 20:00 Semi-final #1 BO3 23:30 Semi-final #2 BO3 Saturday, October 14 04:00 Grand final BO3
The on-air broadcast crew will feature the following names:
Richard Lewis - Host Sue "Smix" Lee - Reporter Jason "moses" O’Toole - Analyst
Janko "YNk" Paunović - Analyst Anders Blume - Commentator
Daniel "ddk" Kapadia - Commentator
James Bardolph - Commentator
Auguste "Semmler" Massonat - Commentator
The prize distribution will be as follows:The Uefa president has confirmed that the governing body is looking into the possibility of reforming both European competitions, with a decision set to be made in 2014
Uefa president Michel Platini has hinted that the Champions League and Europa League could face some major changes in the not too distant future.The concept of the Europa League has come under fire in recent years as clubs from the so-called bigger leagues often field their reserves, and a number of recent reports have suggested that the competition could disappear completely, while the Champions League could be extended to 64 teams.Platini had previously revealed that Uefa is looking into reforming both competitions, and he has now made it clear that a decision will be made in 2014."It is something that we are discussing," Platini told Ouest-France when questioned on the subject of shutting down the Europa League in favour of a 64-team Champions League."There's an ongoing debate about the concept of the European competitions between 2015 and 2018. It's being discussed and a final decision will be made in 2014. Nothing has been finalised yet."Platini also took the time to discuss the possibility of a European superleague organised outside of Uefa, and stressed that he' was not too worried about the idea."This is a matter that regularly comes up, but it does not worry me to be honest. I can't see how it would work outside the framework of Uefa."Who would referee the games? Where would the games be played? Do a lot of people really want it? I don't think so."Smaller and less fancy than other water parks in the area, Water Mania in Kissimmee was like the red-headed stepchild of our local theme-park scene until it closed 2005. The park featured rides like the Double Bezerker, the Anaconda and the Cruisin' Creek (their version of a lazy river), and it was also home to an inland surfing experience called "Wipe Out." At its peak in the mid-'90s, the chlorine-soaked park welcomed about 500,000 people a year through its turnstiles.
After almost 20 years in business, the park closed those turnstiles for good on Sept. 5, 2005. These photographs were taken less than a year later. These days, the spot where the water park once stood, at 6073 W. Irlo Bronson Highway (U.S. 192), is inhabited by a Golden Corral and Pirate's Island Mini-Golf course.
| Photos by Dustin WalkerA glamorous 25-year-old student has revealed how she is showered with money and gifts by a sugar daddy 35 years her senior.
Ilham Chocolat, from Bologna, Italy, says the divorced doctor buys her 'anything she wants or needs' and gives her a monthly allowance of £2,500 so she can treat herself to designer handbags and lavish shopping sprees.
In return Miss Chocolat goes on date with the doctor, from Rome, twice a month but insists they have never had sex. Instead she describes their relationship as a 'platonic love'.
Glamorous: Student Ilham Chocolat is given a £2,500-a-month allowance by her sugar daddy
'Platonic love': The 25-year-old out for dinner at a high end restaurant with the doctor, 60
Expensive taste: Misss Chocolat shows off her designer haul after a shopping spree
'He enjoys his time with me,' Ilham said. 'He said I made him feel like a small boy and full of energy.'
Miss Chocolat also insists her 36-year-old boyfriend is perfectly happy with the unusual arrangement.
Regarded as one of the best sugar babies in the business, Ilham will be sharing her secrets to success and advice on snaring a sugar daddy at a special summit in London this month.
Rather unusually, Ilham met her sugar daddy through a friend rather than a specialist dating website.
Best in the business: Ilham will share her secrets on being a sugar baby at a conference
Taste of the high life: Miss Chocolat and her sugar daddy sip on cocktails in a bar
Platonic: Miss Chocolat dates the doctor, picture, but their relationship is not sexual
Jet set: Ilham on the plane home following a trip to Frankfurt with her sugar daddy
She said: 'I started a relationship with a man without understanding what the name [given to] the relationship was. I was 20 and he was 55.
She continued: 'I find men of my age very immature. So, when I met the older man, the doctor, he offered me a figure that I needed in that moment of my life.
'He didn't want anything physical from me. He was very, very smart.'
Together they have agreed the relationship will never become more serious, or sexual, largely because of the age difference.
Instead the doctor treats Ilham to high end clothes, stays in world class hotels, and has even bought her a diamond ring.
Childhood dream: The doctor bought Ilham, pictured serving customers, her own bar
Plenty to offer: Miss Chocolat said she makes her sugar daddy feel like a 'little boy' again
Strike a pose: Miss Chocolat shows off her coveted Louis Vuitton holdall in one picture
Big spender: The doctor is on hand to make sure Miss Chocolat has 'everything she wants'
Giving back: Ilham also teamed up with the doctor to launch a charity endeavour
'He gives me an allowance of 3,000 euros (£2,500) a month,' she said. 'He takes me shopping and anything I want he gets me. Whatever I want or need, I can have.
'If I need 5,000 or 6,000 euros I just ask him.'
The most extravagant gift came just a year after they met when the doctor bought her a bar, allowing her to fulfil her childhood dream of being a landlady.
Miss Chocolat has even introduced the doctor to her family, and says they approve of the relationship.
Seal of approval: Miss Chocolat, pictured, has introduced the doctor to her family
Treats: The doctor bought Ilham this beautiful Michael Kors bag and matching purse
The doctor has also helped Ilham, originally from Togo, launch a charity endeavour which provides washing machine to communities in Africa.
She added: 'I want to help Africa and provide washing machines so the people can flourish. I am a philanthropist.'
Ilham will share her secrets at Seeking Arrangement's Sugar Baby Summit in London this month.Comic relief is the only way Penguins fans will be able to sleep following another signature collapse from their team. This year wasn’t like others, however. A year ago, the Penguins were figured out and the Boston Bruins dominated them early on and then played defensive hockey at home and swept the series. The series against the Rangers, aside from games two through four, the Penguins seemed to lack a level of emotion that is a must have in the playoffs.
It’s Bylsma’s Fault
In the playoffs, a team needs to be ready to play, physically and emotionally. There is no arguing that the Penguins are a more talented team (on paper) than the Rangers are. But the Rangers were a much better team in the latter half of this series. They played as one unit and found ways to win games. They rallied around their teammate Martin St. Louis and his tragic loss and they haven’t lost since the heartbreaking news. The Penguins had to match that level of emotion and Coach Dan Bylsma is the one who’s responsible to do that. Bylsma needed to find a way to motivate his team and get them ready to match the desperation and emotion that the Rangers played with… he didn’t do that and for that reason, he won’t be returning to Pittsburgh next year.
And it's not because Bylsma's a bad coach. If that's your angle, you need to take another look. He'll be in the league for a long time. — Ken (@PensNation_K) May 14, 2014
I’ll never say Bylsma is a bad coach, I’ve even made the claim he’s the Best Coach in the NHL… in the regular season. He makes the right moves, puts the right players together and has a great strategic system that works and led the Pens to a Stanley Cup in 2009. But, he’s lost the attention of his super stars and in doing so, lost the locker room. In 2009, he was new and the players hung on his every move. Crosby and Malkin were young and the leadership of Maxime Talbot & Ruslan Fedotenko created the perfect mixture for a Stanley Cup run.
But in the years following, Bylsma had failed to hold the attention of his locker room. He hasn’t been back to the Stanley Cup Finals since winning it in 2009, meaning he’s never made it to the Finals after being the coach at training camp.
Pittsburgh has created very high expectations for their Hockey club… Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin saved hockey in Pittsburgh, and a new arena and a Cup have made Pittsburgh among the Elite in the NHL. Crosby and Malkin are in their prime and Bylsma is lacking the necessary trait to motivate his superstars that will put the Pens back in the Stanley Cup Finals. Mario Lemiuex and Ray Shero are not going to continue settling for early round exits and collapses and something has got to give.
Keith Jones just said that he thinks Bylsma will NOT be back to coach the @penguins. Says he's not a good fit. Jonesy is smarter than me. — Bucci Mane (@Buccigross) May 14, 2014
Crosby isn’t going anywhere. Malkin isn’t going anywhere. And after this season and playoff series’, I don’t think Marc-Andre Fleury is leaving town either. (He proved himself and made big saves to close out the Columbus series and played pretty great hockey vs. New York and kept his team in every game.)
Bylsma is to blame. His players weren’t emotionally charged and that’s his fault. His superstars didn’t produce and it’s his job to put them in positions to succeed; he didn’t do that well enough apparently. Success starts with the coach and Bylsma has had enough chances to prove himself, and he hasn’t done so. He’s gone.
The Penguins need a fresh face and they’ll get one. They’ll also be losing much more than just Bylsma, but he’s first. Life isn’t fair for NHL coaches, but he won’t be a ‘free agent’ for long.
Give Credit Where It’s Due…
Be sure to join in the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #THW.Google’s Nexus series has brought us some fantastic values for Android hardware. The devices are generally quite top-shelf while coming in hundreds of dollars less than their competition. But recently, there’s been a new surge of interest in smartphones that are even more affordable than the $300-$400 you might pay for Nexus phone, with models like the Moto G and Lumia 520 (not to mention the new 630) proving that shoppers also want slightly lower-end hardware if that means saving even more money. Now a new rumor out of Asia suggests that Google could be thinking about introducing a lower-cost Nexus option, one that could sell for around $100.
How might it manage to deliver such an incredibly affordable handset? Well, by cutting back on component costs, for one. The main focus of this low-cost Nexus rumor centers around the idea of Google embracing a design based on a MediaTek SoC. The company’s silicon regularly pops up on lower-priced hardware, and despite efforts to keep up with the tide of development (like its new octa-core chips), MediaTek hasn’t been able to shake its stigma as a second-class alternative to the likes of Qualcomm. Google embracing MediaTek chips for a even-more-budget-priced Nexus phone could go a very long way towards giving the company some street cred, as it were.
But who would actually manufacture this handset? What would the rest of the specs look like? And would Google really be interested in delivering a product like this? Questions abound, and we’ve got a long way to go before we’re buying in to this rumor, but darn it if it’s not a very tantalizing idea.
Source: MTK (Google Translate)
Via: phoneArenaA 2D platformer with a bold new mechanic.
Written by Max Moeller on March 22, 2017 at 8:58 am
Light Fall is an upcoming 2D platformer with the intention of changing up the genre a little.
Your typical platformer consists of obstacles to jump over, walls to jump up, and… well… a lot more jumping. Light Fall is no stranger to these tropes, in fact, it even embraces them – just not in the way you might expect.
Early on in the game, your character is given a power known as the Shadow Core. The Shadow Core is a block that can be summoned at any time, and it serves as another platform for you to jump or wall hop off of. Say you took a jump early. In any other platformer, you would be out of luck. Dead. In Light Fall, you can simply summon the Shadow Core and save yourself.
While it sounds like a bit of a cop-out, the levels in Light Fall are actually designed around using the Core. Jumps are twice as long as you would usually find them, and walls twice as high. During my short demo of the game, I found that the Core didn’t make obstacles easier per say – it can only be used 3 times before needing a short cool down – but rather that I would be more risky with my play style. I would blow through the level at top speed using the Core to boost myself above obstacles without breaking my flow. Incorporating the Shadow Core into your gameplay takes a bit of getting used to. But once you’ve got it down, you’ll question how you ever played platformers without it.
The Shadow Core is also used for puzzle solving. Controllable with the right stick, I use it to block laser wires and defend myself from projectiles. The puzzles I encountered during my demo were basic, but I look forward to seeing what sort of contraptions are in place later on in the game.
Light Fall shines with personality. A sarcastic owl by the name of Stryx narrates your time with the game and introduces the story of a world taken over by darkness. Did I mention the game is beautiful? Its expressive art style is best described as a dark blend between Limbo and Ori and the Blind Forest. The pallette consists of blues, and bright pinks; in addition to the main black and white palette.
If you’re getting tired of the typical 2D platformer, Light Fall has your back. So far, it seems to deliver on all fronts and is definitely worth keeping an eye on. It is being developed by Bishop Games and has a planned release for Mac and PC later this year.Texas Central Railway envisions a Dallas-Houston high-speed rail line modeled off the JR Central's Shinkansen. Courtesy JR Central
Texas Central Railway intends to build a Houston-Dallas line with private money.
With more than 300 daily departures, the Shinkansen bullet train covers the 300 miles between Tokyo and Osaka, Japan's two largest metro areas, in as little as 2 hours and 25 minutes. To an American tourist, the journey can feel futuristic. But the world’s first high-speed line, which now carries nearly 400,000 people a day, actually began running half a century ago. It's a galling fact to consider upon returning home, where the fastest American train is Amtrak's comparatively pokey Acela Express, plodding 400 miles from Washington to Boston in about 7 hours. While bullet trains now race across Europe and Asia, American high-speed rail has a long history of delay and disappointment. President Obama's plan for a national network stalled when Republican governors refused to accept federal money. A $68 billion project is underway in California, but that line, which voters approved six years ago, isn't slated to connect Los Angeles with San Francisco until at least 2029. Series The Future of Transportation Go Richard Lawless, who as a C.I.A. officer posted in Tokyo in the 1980s was a frequent Shinkansen passenger, has long found America's failure to embrace high-speed rail "mind-boggling." But today the former Bush administration official is in a position to change things, as chairman and CEO of Texas Central Railway, a private company that plans to link Dallas and Houston with a 200-mile-per-hour bullet train as soon as 2021. The venture just might be high-speed rail's best hope in the United States. "The project has been progressing below the radar, very quietly, very deliberately, over the last four years plus," says Lawless. It's now undergoing an environmental impact study that will take between two and three years, but Texas Central, whose backers include Japan's JR Central railway, has already conducted its own extensive research. The company, originally called U.S.-Japan High-Speed Rail, looked at 97 possible routes nationwide before concluding that Texas was the ideal place for a high-speed line — and that healthy profits could be made in long-distance passenger rail, a travel mode that for the past 40 years has existed only with the help of massive government subsidies.
"Texas is special," says Lawless. He lists among its advantages a flat, rural landscape, staggering growth potential, and a "business-friendly approach." He adds that "as city pairs, Dallas and Houston are pretty unique in the United States." The cities are 240 miles apart, a distance Lawless describes as a "sweet spot" for high-speed rail, where it beats both air and highway travel. The company is working under the assumption that both metro area populations will double by 2035, but their economies are already linked to an extent that that the railway's backers can count on a steady flow of traffic between them. Crucial to the line's success will be the 50,000 people who commute regularly between Dallas and Houston, currently a five-hour schlep in traffic or an hour-long flight on Southwest Airlines — which, when factoring in security lines and travel to and from the airport, takes longer than the 90-minute ride, downtown to downtown, promised by Texas Central. The venture just might be high-speed rail's best hope in the United States. Maureen Crocker, executive |
icans' general manager) for years. Anthony played at 216, 218 his rookie year. Nerlens is 218, 220. Anthony is now 246. Whether (Noel) can get up to that or not, I don't know. If you made me guess, I would guess that I'm not sure his body type can support that. So maybe he ends up more KG-ish, that slender build. And if that's what he is, I still think it's okay. It's like Joel. I think thin is in."
And, consider DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers' defensive anchor.
As a freshman at Texas A&M in 2007, Jordan weight about 215 pounds. He left school after one season, as Noel did, and was taken by the Clippers in the second round of the 2008 Draft.
"My rookie year, I did a lot of lifting, because I wasn't playing," Jordan said. "I was really lifting a lot, working on my body. And then I looked up and I was just big. Once I started to play and get a lot of cardio in, I just leaned out."
Jordan now weighs around 250, but has lost none of his explosiveness as he gobbles up alley-oops from Chris Paul and patrols the paint for Los Angeles defensively.
Noel went for 30 and 14 against Jordan and the Clippers last month. Don't go nuts; the Clippers won the game by 30. They are still learning to crawl before walking in Philly. But Jordan saw a lot of potential in Noel.
"I think there's a future for him, for Embiid, both of those guys," Jordan said. "They're going to have a great frontcourt for a long time."
Noel has gotten guidance from and listened to Jason Richardson, one of the few vets in the 76ers' locker room. But he says he's also learned from the example of contemporaries like forward Henry Sims, who's just four years older than Noel.
"He was playing 20, 25 minutes a game at the beginning of the season," Noel said, "and Coach wanted to give Furkan (Aldemir) a shot. Henry hasn't been playing at all lately. But he's still the number one guy on the bench, cheering for all of us. He never brings a negative attitude."
The Sixers have played Noel more on the wings defensively in recent weeks, and he's handled guarding perimeter players and stretch fours well. It's an auger for next season, when Embiid will hopefully be ready to patrol the paint. Again, his body type may not give the Sixers much choice but to try and keep him out of the paint. But a comfortable Noel defending the wings, with Embiid inside, could make for a devastating one-two defensive combo. (Ultimately, the belief is that Noel can guard 1 through 5 -- not for long stretches, but at least long enough to stay in front of most points on pick and roll switches.)
"I definitely want to push myself with that, especially when Joel comes back," Noel said. "I'm going to work on that this summer, just staying in front of them so I'll be able to switch off."
Brown doesn't want to use the phrase "science project" to describe his machinations, not only with Noel -- whom he calls the team's "compass" defensively -- but with everybody else on the roster this season.
"But I am not apologetic about experimenting a bunch," he says. "Plays, when I draw something, rotations, trying things. I look at this, kind of selfishly, as an opportunity for me, to try things, so you can set the table with real things as you get better."
(It's a coincidence that Brown is in Philadelphia. Down the street from Wells Fargo Arena, where the 76ers play, Eagles coach Chip Kelly is turning the NFL on its ear with his innovative practices and go-go offense. Brown is very familiar with Kelly from their college days in New England.
"He was at UNH when I was at Boston [University], and he lived with my roommate, my high school best friend," Brown said of Kelly. "So we would go out and we'd have several beers, many times, when we were 22. The stories he would tell about me are all ugly. It's quite amazing we've ended up in the same city. So from time to time we'll have dinner, share ideas.")
Beginning with Greg Foster, the 76ers former assistant coach now in Milwaukee, Philly's staff has also rebuilt Noel's shot during the past two years.
Knicks vs. Sixers Nerlens Noel scores 23 points, grabs 14 rebounds, nabs five steals, and swats three shots in a Sixers rout of the Knicks 97-81.
Shooting coach Eugene Burroughs has worked extensively with Noel this season, taking his hand from on top of the ball to the side. He's now comfortable going out to the top of the key and the elbows. "My shot has come so far, being in a better position fundamentally," Noel said. "As much as I continue to rep it out, making sure I keep my elbow tucked in, it'll only get better and better."
Brown thinks Noel has gotten better as the figurative noise around him has eased.
"Everybody says 'look at the improvement in Nerlens,' and I think that's true," Brown said. "But I attribute it to him not paralyzing himself with thinking. He didn't play for so long. He had to understand the rules, and the offense, and me. And he's a caring kid. When you speak to him, you're going to look at somebody who's a good person. And so he wants to please. I think not playing paralyzed him in some ways. Now he's playing a little bit freer."
The 76ers have famously monitored every movement of their players during practice, insisted on massive hydration and attached sleep montiors to them to make sure they're getting enough sleep. Noel's got more juice as well because of the Sixers' postgame routine, where players immediately get put into compression pants or get massages after every game.
"I feel more refreshed," he said. "And it helps your mind as well, especially getting those treatments."
Asked what he thought was his best game this season, Noel points to his 23-point, 14-rebound, five-steal, three-block performance against the Knicks on March 20, a 97-81 Philadelphia win.
"Having like an all-around game like that, giving my team a chance to win from a stat sheet like that, I think I'll be able to do that many times throughout my career," he said.
Yet, as Noel does more and more on the court, the reality of the 76ers' plan makes developing chemistry with his teammates difficult. Brown will certainly be a part of the team's future. Noel will certainly be part of the team's future. (Well, probably; you never know with Hinkie.) But almost no one else currently wearing the home white will be. They know it. Noel knows it. It is very hard to ask people to sacrifice for a goal which they won't be a part of enjoying when it comes to fruition.
"It is a little different at times, but Coach Brown does such a great job," Noel said. "Nobody acts a certain way. Nobody acts like they're not (going to be there). Nobody has an attitude that they've got their shot to be on the team and build a niche for themselves in this league. Regardless of how things go, they're always able to be a part of us going forward."
... And Nobody Asked You, Either
A hacktackular fail. From Christian Quinonez:
I wanted to get your point of view on the "hack-a" method. It clearly works (as it did on the Rockets last night). However, do you ever think the NBA will ever consider getting rid of this to avoid slowing down the game?
I guess you didn't see the Twitter fight I got into with seemingly half of San Antonio Friday night //twitter.com/daldridgetnt/status/586715994413862912. It's fair to say that while I understand why Spurs coach Gregg Popovich or any other coach would use the strategy, it's awful in practice. It isn't basketball. It destroys the flow of a game. The rule needs to be changed, immediately. The simplest way is to implement the rule that is currently in place for just the last two minutes of play throughout the game: any foul off the ball by the defense results in a free throw plus possession for the offense. You can still foul bad free throw shooters, as long as they're actually taking part in the play. You want to grab Josh Smith when he catches the ball on the wing, go right ahead. You just wouldn't get as big an advantage doing it 70 feet from the basket any more.
It's a pick-em game. From Nathan Lehman:
Can you explain the Draft pick trading that still could occur in the last few days of the season, for example with teams like Atlanta & Brooklyn? I always try to understand the trading of picks, but they seem to be quite complex.
With Atlanta and Brooklyn, it's simple: Atlanta can swap its first-round pick for Brooklyn's (the last of the treasure from the Joe Johnson deal). So the Hawks obviously are rooting for the Nets to fall short in their playoff sprint and land in the Lottery, where the Hawks would swoop in and reap unexpected rewards after a 60-win season.
Another big pick in play is the Lakers' first-rounder. L.A. keeps the pick if it is one of the top five in the Draft; otherwise, the pick goes to Philadelphia (it was originally Phoenix's, as part of the Steve Nash deal, but the Suns sent it to Philly as part of the February three-team trade that brought guard Brandon Knight from Milwaukee to Phoenix). Right now, the Lakers have the fourth-worst record in the league, which would mean they'd keep the pick if everything held form in the Lottery in May. Of course, things rarely hold form in the Lottery. At present, two teams behind the Lakers record-wise would have to leapfrog them and get top-three picks in the Lottery for them to lose the pick, but the Lakers currently have an 83 percent chance of retaining the pick.
And the Pelicans, in a dogfight with Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the West, would send their 2015 first to Houston if they don't make the playoffs and the subsequent Lottery pick isn't one of the top three in the Draft.
The Sopranos. From Benjamin Studebaker:
Lately I've been noticing that a lot of NBA players are hitting each other in the groin. Shaun Livingston did it to Dirk Nowitzki on April 4, Chris Paul did it to Chris Kaman on April 1, Marcus Smart did it to Matt Bonner on March 20, James Harden did it to LeBron James on national TV on March 1. Is it just me, or are these incidents growing more common? A groin hit is quite literally below the belt. These are cheap shots. They don't belong in our game, and it's especially ugly when the league's biggest stars do it. If they get caught (which is not all the time), they seem to get off lightly with flagrant 1's and 1-game suspensions. This clearly isn't deterring anyone. Isn't it about time the league sent a stronger message? I say that players who hit other players in the groin with intent should get a flagrant 2 and a 10-game suspension, whether or not this is caught during the game or afterwards on tape. What do you think?
It's hard to say whether there's more, um, lower body contact of late, Benjamin, or if this is just a coincidence. I don't think players are intentionally going into games thinking about punching opponents south of the border. They are cheap shots, though, and should be punished appropriately. I think a 10 game-suspension would be a bit much, but one or two games would be fine with me.
Send your questions, comments, criticisms and more interspecies encounters that didn't go as planned to daldridgetnt@gmail.com. If your e-mail is sufficiently funny, thought-provoking, well-written or snarky, we just might publish it!
MVP Watch
(last week's averages in parentheses)
1) James Harden (22.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3 apg,.404 FG,.913 FT): Good San Antonio encounters: compares beards with Pop on Wednesday. Bad San Antonio encounters: gets capped at the buzzer by San Antonio's Tim Duncan Friday.
2) Stephen Curry (34.7 ppg, 4 rpg, 8.7 apg,.597 FG,.923 FT): Broke his own league record for three-pointers in a season on Thursday; with two games left in the season he's at 281 treys and counting.
3) LeBron James (17.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 7.5 apg,.448 FG,.538 FT): The Cavs didn't exactly rest him until the last week of the season, but his average of 36.2 minutes per game played this year is the lowest of his career.
4) Russell Westbrook (32.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 6.7 apg,.500 FG,.684 FT): Career-high 54 points Sunday overshadowed by 16th technical foul issued this season, which would lead to an automatic one-game suspension tonight for OKC's game against Portland unless the T is rescinded by the league.
5) Anthony Davis (21.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2 bpg,.552 FG,.657 FT): Brow Doll sent to perspective league awards voters does not do justice to his actual, svelte, athletic form. It looks like AD if he were a claims adjuster who swallows beignets by the carton.
By The Numbers
219 -- Consecutive games played by John Wall, a streak that ended last week when the Wizards' guard got a night off for rest. He hadn't missed a regular season or playoff game since January of 2013.
5 -- Consecutive seasons the Suns have missed the playoffs, the first time since the 1974-75 season that Phoenix has missed a fifth straight year of postseason play. Before this current stretch Phoenix had missed the playoffs a total of seven times between 1976 and 2009.
287 -- Combined points scored by the Mavericks and Nuggets in Friday's 144-143 double-overtime win by Dallas, the most scored in one game in the league since 2012. The game included Danilo Gallinari's career-high 47 points.
I'm Feelin'...
1) Nothing last week made me happier than hearing Spencer Haywood made the Hall of Fame. Haywood's ultimately successful legal battle to enter the NBA Draft early because of financial hardship in 1971 changed the game, giving players the freedom to determine when they felt ready to become pros. And, on top of that, he was a heck of a player in high school, college, internationally (he helped lead the United States team to the 1968 Olympic gold medal) and in the NBA.
2) This is speaking truth to power, Jeff Van Gundy. (By the way: I am Spiethless. What a performance from Jordan Spieth in dominating the tournament.)
3) Canadian teenager Jamal Murray was very good at the Nike Hoop Summit last week in Portland, leading the World team to victory Saturday night over the United States team with 30 points. But let's give the young man some time to develop before we start anointing. "He did some things that were really spectacular," one veteran birddog said over the weekend, "and he did some things that were really dumb."
4) Best wishes to Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg, who will have to undergo open heart surgery to replace an aortic valve at the end of the week. Hoiberg, who'd had a similar procedure done while playing in the NBA 10 years ago, said this was a likely development given his history. I'm sure it's nonetheless taxing on him and his family.
5) Of course you have to have tiebreakers, and so, if the Thunder and Pelicans have equal regular season records after this Wednesday's games, New Orleans would advance to the playoffs by virtue of a 3-1 head-to-head record against Oklahoma City. But, come on: that third win came on that crazy Anthony Davis three at the buzzer to give the Pels a 116-113 win on Feb. 6. Wouldn't it be great to see New Orleans and OKC have a one-game playoff instead on Thursday? Winner goes to the playoffs; loser goes home.
Not Feelin'...
1) One can argue that the Pacers' Chris Copeland, and the Hawks' Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic shouldn't have been out at 4 in the morning in New York last Wednesday. If they hadn't, Copeland wouldn't have been stabbed by an assailant, and Sefolosha and Antic wouldn't have been arrested by police outside the same club at which Copeland was stabbed -- and Sefolosha wouldn't have had his leg broken during his arrest by police. One can also argue that it would be preferable to wait until we all know all the details before reaching that or any conclusions.
2) RIP, Lauren Hill -- a person with incredible grace, courage and humility that others much older than her 19 years never displayed.
3) Your turn, Vlade. It will likely be someone else's turn soon, the way things are going in Sacramento.
4) I think we can all agree this is a travel.
5) I haven't covered football for a while, but I covered the NFL some while Darren Sharper was playing. And, like just about everyone else who covered the league at the time or that played with him, I thought he was a first-class guy. And in thinking so, I completely failed at my job. No, we do not know the people we cover, any more than many of us truly know the people we marry or the people we work with. But I was as complicit as anyone in helping shape the narrative of Darren Sharper as not just a good player, but a role model. I was not neutral. And as detail after lurid detail emerges about what he did to women, I feel sick for having contributed, even in a small way, to the persona that he clearly used for terrible, horrible purposes.
Q & A: Kyle Korver
He runs, like the guy who sees his bus pulling away from the bus stop. He runs, like the lady whose flight is in its final boarding, 20 gates down. He runs, like the kid playing machine pitch baseball who was 0 of 42 before, finally, making contact.
Kyle Korver runs and runs, and opponents go berserk trying to find him. He runs from one side of the court to the other, seemingly with no plan as to where or when he'll stop. But, of course, that's just how it looks. The 12-year vet knows exactly where he is at all times on the floor.(endital)You(ital.)don't know. That's the difference.
And the chaos Korver causes as teams trail and flail and ultimately fail to keep him from squeezing off 3-pointers is part of the reason Atlanta's enjoyed an historic season in the 404. Korver is not a solo artist, though, but part of a beautiful symphony performing at Philips Arena, a team that is truly more than the sum of its parts, which didn't lose for more than a month, winning 19 straight games in December and January, and blew apart the East.
Coach Mike Budenholzer has created an equal-opportunity offense that attacks defenses from all over the floor, exquisitely spaced at all times -- floaters by Jeff Teague, blow-bys by Dennis Schroeder, pick-and-pops and duck-ins by Al Horford, threes from Paul Millsap and Mike Scott, and Korver, banging shots from all angles, needing but a fraction of a second and an inch or two of space to square and shoot.
And Korver, along with Horford, Millsap and Teague, made his first All-Star Game. He is shooting, this morning, 49.4 percent on three-pointers -- a better percentage than he shoots twos. Watch him score 11 points in 65 seconds last month against Milwaukee, in disbelief.
Korver may not quite reach "Club 190" this season -- that exclusive club for NBA players that shoot 50 percent from the floor and on threes, and 90 percent from the line. He's currently in "Club 187" -- 89.1 percent from the line, 49.4 percent on threes, 48.8 percent overall. And he has always been better on defense than he has ever been given credit; you don't play big minutes for former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan or current Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau if you're going through the motions at that end. But the crucible of the playoffs is just ahead.
Defenses get better, more focused. That half-second Korver has enjoyed in the chaos he's created all season may be reduced to a quarter-second, maybe less. But at 34, in the middle of a $24 million deal, Korver has never been more centered. Off the floor, his Kyle Korver Foundation, teaming with People Builders Utah, is in the midst of realizing a long-term goal: creating and getting donations for 50 custom built Accessibility Ramp Kits -- ARKs -- that would go to people with disabilities, so they can get in and out of their homes or places of work more easily.
Me: You said a couple of years ago, when Budenholzer was first named coach, that if people checked back in a while you'd have something really great going on. Was this season -- not the results so much as the way you have played as a team -- what you had in mind?
Kyle Korver: I think this was kind of the vision I thought would I hoping would happen. I don't think anyone knew it would happen quite this quickly. But we've come together really well. We're just a bunch of pieces that fit together well and a bunch of people who work hard. Yeah, I guess it's happened faster than anyone felt it would.
Me: Sometimes, when teams or people are on runs like you all had in December, they think they're playing so well that they believe the opponent is the game itself and not who they have on the schedule. Did you have any of that kind of feeling during the streak?
KK: It was interesting. Up until that point, that kind of streak made us legitimate in some people's eyes. Like, 'they're actually a really good team.' As much as we believed we were a good team, during that winning streak we just kept growing with confidence. You're like, okay, we can do this, and we beat this team, and we went out west, and we beat this set of teams all in a row. I think it was during that stretch that I think we started to really believe in ourselves. Not that we didn't, but you've still got to do something to really believe. And I think it helped us get to where we are.
Me: What is the process like between you and Bud or the other coaches when it comes to making suggestions for sets, for tweaks, any types of changes? How receptive are they?
KK: Very. Bud, I mean, it's such an interactive exchange. Every coach says they have an open-door policy. Every coach says that. But there's also a lot of guys who Bud has a good amount of respect for, and how guys play. No one's out there to draw up plays that I can score on? It's how do we get this concept rolling so we can score on that team? So when you come at it with that point of view, when it's a discussion about the team, I think both sides, we obviously are going to respect whatever Bud says, and I think he thinks the same about us.
Me: What are you most looking forward to seeing about your team in the playoffs?
KK: Winning. We want to go out there and really, really play well. I don't know. I don't know how to answer that all the way. We don't, like we talked earlier about this team, just getting to this point, and your vision. We don't feel like we're there yet. We're still evolving. We haven't won a playoff series. I think we have too much respect for the game to say 'we're going to go and we're going to accomplish that.' We understand you've got to earn respect in the playoffs. You've got to go through some good times and some bad times, and hopefully you're able to recover from the bad times. I think we're excited to go out there and compete. We haven't played a meaningful game in quite a while, and we're going to go out there and play a whole bunch of them in a row and have some fun.
Me: What's the ultimate sign of respect you've gotten this year from opponents -- on the floor, after games, whenever?
KK: I think there's been a couple of times during a game, end of games, when we're gonna win, and the other team will come up and say'man, I love how you guys play.' They just got, you can tell, they're like, I would love to play for your team. That's the ultimate sign of respect in the NBA. When you're on a team, and your team's supposedly good, but man, I'd rather be on your team. It feels good to hear that.
Me: How are the ARK kits coming?
KK: They're going really good, actually. We're shipping our first out, we're trying to send them out, ship them out. We'll send them anywhere in the United States. I think the first one is going out this spring. It's going to Washington state. That's a big first step for us, and we're looking to get that process better and better. There's some really cool things in the works.
Me: How are people finding out? Do they check the website, word of mouth, some combination?
KK: Word of mouth. Obviously People Builders //www.peoplebuildersutah.com has a website. We're in Utah, mostly, now. We'll probably target the different areas where the Foundation has been, and where I've played, just because you have connections and you have ways to get the word out there. But we're really trying to get our process down really well before we really spread out there. But we're getting pretty close, and there's a lot of really exciting things happening.
Tweet of the Week
-- Hornets forward Cody Zeller (@CodyZeller), Thursday, 8:36 p.m., after his mother Lorri told a story about his potty training days as a tyke in Indiana while on tour for her and her husband Steve's book about their three basketball- playing boys -- Luke, Cody and Tyler -- "Raising Boys the Zeller Way."
They Said It
"It's like me and Manu back in the day. You have to share and wait your turn. Sometimes I don't see the ball for a long time but Kawhi is playing unbelievable. And it's going to be Kawhi's team anyway. Like Timmy transitioned to Manu, Manu transitioned to me, now it's going to be transitioned to Kawhi."
-- Tony Parker, quietly noting last week the transition of the Spurs from looking to him for offense and production -- in short from being "his" team -- to Kawhi Leonard. That Parker did it without a trace of anger or disappointment speaks to how and why San Antonio rolls on, year after year.
"The reason people don't want to go to the Lakers is because of management. Kobe can be the scapegoat all they want but if you play hard, Kobe likes you. And if you (BS) around, he doesn't. It's plain and simple. He's not a vocal leader. He just expects you to play as hard as you can every minute on the court, like he does."
-- Clippers forward Matt Barnes, in an excellent piece about him by Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard, on why he believes the Lakers struggle to attract free agents.
"Nah, I don't have any fear. Unless they move the stanchions closer."
-- Paul George, asked if he was afraid he might injure himself again after returning to action last week following a seven-month rehab from the broken leg he suffered in a USA Basketball exhibition game last August. George was referring to the belief among many that the basket stanchions at Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, where he suffered the injury after running into a stanchion, were too close to the floor. USA Basketball President Jerry Colangelo has disputed that belief, saying the stanchions were in the same place as they were when the NBA had the All-Star Game at T&M in 2007.
Longtime NBA reporter and columnist David Aldridge is an analyst for TNT. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.Sheffield MP Jared O'Mara has said Conservative policies have left disabled people to'suffer and die'.
The Hallam MP, who sensationally unseated former deputy PM Nick Clegg, said the Tories had introduced a system of 'eugenics'
Mr O'Mara who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of six-months, said the Government has 'completely torn up the welfare system' by shutting down the Independent Living Fund and making cuts to disability and social care benefits.
The 35-year-old also declared his support for efforts to bring a criminal prosecution against Tory ministers over claims that the Department of Work and Pension’s (DWP) 'fitness to work' tests have led to the deaths of benefit claimants.
The former school governor and pub owner insisted the policies were making disabled people have suicidal thoughts.
Speaking to Disability News Service, Mr O'Mara said: "A lot of people say you can’t use that word, but I will do: it’s eugenics.
“They want disabled people to suffer and die. That’s literally what’s happening.
“Disabled people are out there suffering and dying because they have not got the financial means and financial support and nor have they got the legal means to lead an equal life, or even to lead a satisfactory life.”
After a month in his role as Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam, Mr O’Mara said he has not been able to attend debates in the Commons chamber as he cannot stand for longer than 10 minutes.
His condition leaves him with severe fatigue and the right-hand side of his body is semi-paralysed. Mobility and standing for too long are issues and he needs bannisters on both sides of stairs.
He added that reports that mentally ill people have been asked why they haven’t committed suicide by independence payment assessors support his claims.
“How is that not eugenics? Putting thoughts of suicide into a disabled person’s head. It’s literally eugenics,” he said.
“I’m not going to shy away from it, people might say I am taking it too far, but as far as I am concerned, what I have seen and what has happened across the board, it’s been eugenics.
A DWP spokesperson said: “We have a proud record in supporting disabled people, including through the landmark Disability Discrimination Act.
“In the last three years, over 500,000 have moved into work and we continue to spend around £50bn a year on benefits to support disabled people and those with health conditions – more than ever before.”Zoologger is our weekly column highlighting extraordinary animals – and occasionally other organisms – from around the world
Species: Mesodinium chamaeleon
Habitat: seawater around Scandinavia and North America, chowing down on a new generation of slaves
Many animals transform themselves almost beyond recognition in the course of their lives. Caterpillars become butterflies and tadpoles become frogs, and if we couldn’t watch them do so we might not even suspect that the two stages were the same creature.
Spectacular as these shifts are, they are only shape-shifting. A tadpole and a frog are both animals, so both must take in food from their surroundings.
Not so Mesodinium chamaeleon. This newly discovered single-celled organism is a unique mixture of animal and plant.
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Plant pals
M. chamaeleon is a ciliate – a kind of single-celled animal covered in hundreds of tiny “hairs” called cilia. It was discovered in Nivå bay in Denmark by Øjvind Moestrup of the University of Copenhagen, also in Denmark, and his team. Other specimens have since been found off the coasts of Finland and Rhode Island.
Ciliates using their hair-like cilia to motor around rapidly in water. Most get their food by eating other organisms, rather than by synthesising the nutrients themselves. This marks them as quite animal-like.
Some Mesodinium species are different, though. They engulf other microorganisms, generally algae called cryptomonads. The two then form a partnership: the algae produce sugars by photosynthesis, while the Mesodinium protects them and carries them around.
Such hybrid organisms are animals and plants at the same time. One such species, M. rubrum, only eats red algae and is often found in the algal blooms that form the famous red tides.
These hybrids play merry hell with our attempts to classify organisms into neat groups. “The division between plants and animals is collapsing completely,” Moestrup says. Instead, many microorganisms may be animal and plant at once, or switch between the two, like M. rubrum.
The new M. chamaeleon breaks yet another barrier. It is halfway between a pure animal and a hybrid.
Red and green
M. chamaeleon takes in algal cells, just like M. rubrum, but it doesn’t keep them permanently. Nor does it digest them immediately, as a hungry animal-like organism might. Instead, the cells remain intact for several weeks before being broken down, during which time they keep producing sugar by photosynthesis. M. chamaeleon also changes colour depending on whether it is hosting red or green algae or both.
“It is quite unusual,” says Moestrup. Other Mesodinium species either retain their captured cells for ages or digest them immediately.
The ability to take in other cells and put them to work is called endosymbiosis, and is one of the most important inventions in the history of life. Some 2 billion years ago, a single cell swallowed a bacterium and used it as an energy source. The descendants of the enslaved bacterium eventually became the mitochondria that now power all complex cells, including ours. Without endosymbiosis, there wouldn’t be any multicellular life.
While the first endosymbiosis may have been a lucky chance, the process now seems to be common, at least among the more complex single-celled organisms. Some are so good at taking in cells that over the years they have switched symbionts. “It happens quite regularly,” Moestrup says.
M. chamaeleon may offer a snapshot of how endosymbiosis developed: the organism is still on the road from simply eating other cells to keeping them alive within itself.
Journal reference: The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, DOI: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.2011.00593.x
Read previous Zoologger columns: Transgender fish perform reverse sex flip, My brain’s so big it spills into my legs, Dozy hamsters reverse the ageing process, To kill a mockingbird? No, parasitise it, Chill out with the world’s coldest insect, ‘Werewolf birds’ hook up by the full moon, Cannibal shrimp shows its romantic side, The only cross-dressing bird of prey, The biggest spider web in the world, Slime killer hagfish feasts in rotten flesh, Female monkeys indulge in synchronised sex, The toad that’s part clone, part love child, The first reptile with a true placenta.Police Lt. Deuntay Diggs of Fredericksburg, Va., probably wasn't one of the cops talking about boycotting Beyoncé because of her Super Bowl performance and "Formation" video. If anything, he was too busy perfecting his own dance moves to be involved in such nonsense.
On Monday, Diggs put those moves to good use and performed for a group of Virginia students, and it was absolutely amazing.
After all the controversy erupted over the "Formation" video, Beyoncé, in an interview with Elle, stated:
I mean, I’m an artist and I think the most powerful art is usually misunderstood. But anyone who perceives my message as anti-police is completely mistaken. I have so much admiration and respect for officers and the families of officers who sacrifice themselves to keep us safe.
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Needless to say, Lt. Diggs saw nothing wrong with getting into formation.Tim Burton, byname of Timothy William Burton, (born August 25, 1958, Burbank, California, U.S.), American director known for his original, quirky style that frequently drew on elements of the fantastic and the macabre.
Burton, who became interested in drawing and filmmaking while quite young, attended the California Institute of the Arts and later worked as an animator at Disney Productions. After making a series of short films, including the horror-movie homage Frankenweenie (1984), Burton directed his first feature film, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, in 1985. A box-office success, the family movie centred on a man-child (played by Paul Reubens) looking for his stolen bicycle. With the dark comedy Beetlejuice (1988), Burton established himself as an unconventional filmmaker. He turned to more mainstream fare with the big-budget Batman (1989) and its sequel Batman Returns (1992). Both films were major hits. Burton was also responsible for the concept and general design of the stop-motion animation film The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), which was directed by Henry Selick.
Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder in Edward Scissorhands (1990), directed by Tim Burton. KPA/Heritage-Images/Imagestate
Johnny Depp in Ed Wood (1994), directed by Tim Burton. KPA/Heritage-Images/Imagestate
Edward Scissorhands (1990) marked Burton’s first collaboration with actor Johnny Depp. The two subsequently worked on such movies as Ed Wood (1994), a biopic about a cross-dressing filmmaker who was called the worst director ever; Sleepy Hollow (1999), which was based on Washington Irving’s story |
based on stats from NBA.com. Here is what every lineup with the other four starters looks like:
LINEUPS MIN OFFRTG DEFRTG NETRTG J.Butler, T.Gibson, J.Grant, R.Lopez, D.Wade 117 111.3 90.6 20.6 J.Butler, T.Gibson, R.Lopez, D.McDermott, D.Wade 23 110.2 107.3 2.8 J.Butler, T.Gibson, R.Lopez, R.Rondo, D.Wade 390 106.3 105.5 0.8 J.Butler, M.Carter-Williams, T.Gibson, R.Lopez, D.Wade 96 94.9 101.3 -6.4 J.Butler, I.Canaan, T.Gibson, R.Lopez, D.Wade 17 86.2 98.2 -12 J.Butler, T.Gibson, R.Lopez, D.Wade, P.Zipser 16 116.6 133.7 -17.1
The plus-20.6 net rating speaks volumes. Sometimes fit matters more than production. Grant offers enough defense and shooting to make everything else work. His overall 33.3 three-point percentage is not eye-popping, but he is 40.7 percent as a starter.
Grant’s combination of pedigree—his father (Harvey), uncle (Horace) and brother (Jerami) all had/have NBA careers—and potential makes him an asset who could be used in a trade. But the Bulls should be cautious before flirting with breaking up the current fit—especially if they endure the upcoming schedule.
Doug McDermott, SF
Doug McDermott is the type of player who, when used correctly, can facilitate an incredible lineup. His jump shot is one of the best in the business. According to SynergySportsTech.com, his 1.11 points per possession ranks in the 91st percentile.
Hoiberg could do more to work him into open shots. Only 19.7 percent of his looks are coming off screens, and those are typically straight off them (47 out of 71). Coming off fades, curls or flares, he’s averaging 1.25 points per possession, but they compose just a quarter of his screens and about 5 percent of his sets.
A more inventive coach might be looking at better ways to use McDermott and his offensive abilities. He could have some value, though getting back what they gave up for him (two first-round picks and then two second-round picks to offload Anthony Randolph’s contract) isn’t even remotely feasible.
Cristiano Felicio, PF
Felicio is the lone exception among players who developed under Hoiberg. But when one player disproves the rule, you tend to think the player is the reason for the exception.
Felicio has surprising athleticism. When you look at him, he seems too “bulky” to get up as quickly as he does. He has soft hands and has become a steady finisher on Rondo or Wade lobs. He’s beastly at the rim, going 13-of-15 on alley oops and 22-of-24 on dunks.
His range is extremely limited, though, making just 10 shots beyond five feet this season. His rim protection also needs to improve opponents’ field-goal percentage is plus-2.6 percentage points within six feet.)
However, he has enough promise as a player that plenty of teams would love to take him in conjunction with another trade.NEW DELHI: Dreaded gangster Sriprakash Shukla built his criminal empire on illegal money earned from railway contracts worth crores in places with big railway establishments like Gorakhpur and Banaras. But this could be a thing of the past as the state-run transporter is set to start online tendering of all contracts related to civil works within a month’s time.Contracts for civil works worth around Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 crore are awarded every year by zonal railways with several often mired in allegations of corruption.While there is stiff resistance against the move, the current railway dispensation is determined to put the online system in place within a month which will ensure participation of pan-India companies in the tendering process and break the local politician-official-criminal nexus.Last week, minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha said that the online system would ensure transparency in awarding civil contracts. He added that with the tendering system going digital, it will prevent crime and corruption.Sinha has tasked member (engineering) V K Gupta with the job of putting in place the online tendering system.The move is significant as the opaque system of tendering promoted favoritism and nepotism which, over the years, led to political interference and gang wars in cities with large railway establishments.In what had become a practice, the local mafia dons allegedly paid a commission of anywhere between 23-25% of the cost of the project to bag the tender and then sub-contracted it to firms after charging around 5%.Soon after taking charge, the present dispensation, under railway minister Suresh Prabhu, had promised to weed out corruption through stringent action and by putting in place a transparent system.Prabhu had said that by early 2016, all tendering for railways would be done online. "By the end of this year, or earliest, in the early part of next year, everything will be on the internet. All contracts will be on e-tendering platform," he had said.Launching a web-based management system to monitor track maintenance and inspection last week, Prabhu said e-governance platform would ensure more transparency and accountability.The minister said railways had launched another e-governance platform along with the launch of the e-enabled initiative.He maintained that after delegation of powers, IT-enabled systems will ensure transparency and accountability and will also check time and cost overruns.Aiming to weed out corruption, the transporter has engaged former CAG Vinod Rai to put in place stringent measures against corruption in the railways.It has also appointed a one-man committee under ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan to suggest a set of procedures to be followed in tendering processes to ensure transparency and accountability. The panel concluded that improving and decentralizing the system with empowerment and accountability shall effect annual economy to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore in stores procurement and equal amount in works contracts.The signing of Angel Di Maria was a real sign that Louis van Gaal was determined to propel Manchester United to their former glory, whatever the cost. Di Maria’s arrival, for a British transfer record of £59.7m, sparked optimism across Old Trafford as the club looked to forget the fateful reign of David Moyes.
12 months on, the optimism surrounding Di Maria has faded around Old Trafford, and the Argentine looks set to complete a move to PSG imminently. Although Di Maria started the season in fine form, his contribution and influence in games began to diminish. Partly down to injuries, and partly down to a style that just didn’t suit the explosive winger, Di Maria found opportunities limited after Christmas and now it looks like United are willing to cash in on their unsettled superstar.
However, Di Maria isn’t the first big money signing who has failed to conquer the rigors of English football, and he certainly won’t be the last. I look at other players who have failed to live up to the hype in the English Premier League.
Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea: 2006-2009)
AC Milan to Chelsea – £30,800,000
Andriy Shevchenko joined Chelsea on the back of a seven-year spell at AC Milan where he scored an astonishing 175 goals in 296 matches. Despite AC Milan’s efforts to keep their prized asset, the lure of Chelsea was too much for Shevchenko, and in May of 2006 Shevchenko agreed to swap the San Siro for Stamford Bridge, for a then-British transfer record of £30.8m.
Shevchenko’s Premier League career never really got off the ground. In his first season at Chelsea, Shevchenko scored 14 goals in 51 appearances and the flashes of brilliance we were all used to seeing the Ukrainian produce were few and far between. Recurring back problems, the form of Didier Drogba, and the departure of Mourinho meant Shevchenko’s second season was spent largely on the fringes. With Mourinho gone, and Shevchenko’s game time thinning more and more, the Ukrainian was sent back on Loan to AC Milan for the 2008/2009 season.
After a disappointing loan spell at Milan, Shevchenko returned to Chelsea where we was deemed surplus to requirements. Shevchenko only made one more appearance for Chelsea before leaving for Dinamo Kyiv, where he finished his career.
Robinho (Manchester City: 2008-2010)
Real Madrid to Manchester City – £33,000,000
The signing of Robinho in 2008 was a clear show of intent as Manchester City looked to penetrate the infamous ‘top four’ in English football. The £33m fee paid to Real Madrid eclipsed the fee paid for Shevchenko and the Manchester club even beat Chelsea to the former Galactico’s signature.
Much like his fellow South American Di Maria, Robinho started his career in England well and ended his first season as the Premier League’s fourth top scorer. The Brazilian’s second season in England didn’t follow suit as an ankle injury restricted Robinho to 12 appearances and a solitary goal in the FA Cup. Robinho’s injury problems coupled with the arrival of Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez saw the Brazil international head back to Santos in search of match time ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Upon his return from international duty in August of 2010, Robinho was sold to AC Milan for £15m, at a loss of £18m.
Robinho now earns his trade at Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande, managed by former Brazil manager Luiz Philip Scolari.
Alberto Aquilani (Liverpool FC: 2009-2012)
AS Roma to Liverpool FC (£17,000,000)
The departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid in 2009 left Liverpool needing to find a successor to partner Steven Gerrard in midfield. Liverpool thought they had their man when they paid £17m to Roma for Alberto Aquilani.
However, in an injury-ravaged spell at Anfield, Aquilani only managed to make 28 appearances and find the net twice. Although Aquilani signed for Liverpool in August, it wasn’t actually until November when he made his Premier League debut, and then December for his first Premier League start. In fact, during his time at Liverpool, the Italian rarely completed a full 90 minutes. In the summer of 2010 and under the new leadership of Roy Hodgson, Liverpool sent Aquilani on loan to Juventus in an attempt to rejuvenate the Italian.
Aquilani didn’t return to Anfield and was again sent out on loan to AC Milan in July of 2011. However, the Milan club decided against making the move permanent and Aquilini finally ended his Anfield nightmare by completing a switch to Fiorentina in August of 2012.
Roberto Soldado (Tottenham Hotspur: 2013-Present day)
Valencia to Tottenham Hotspur (£26,000,000)
After the sale of Gareth Bale for a world-record transfer fee in the summer of 2013, Daniel Levy had the funds to construct a new look Spurs side. Tottenham saw Roberto Soldado as the man to spearhead their attack, and he didn’t come cheap. The former Real Madrid man cost the North London outfit £26m from Valencia, a club-record at the time.
Soldado was the name on fans’ lips as three goals in his first two competitive matches got his career in England off to the best possible start. However, the Spaniard’s early form evaporated and his first Premier League season saw him score six times, with only two of those goals coming from open play. In his second season in England, Tottenham favourite Harry Kane enjoyed a 31 goal-season that confined Soldado largely to the bench. One goal during the 2015/2015 Premier League season has resulted in Soldado falling perilously behind Harry Kane selection-wise, and it looks to get worse for Soldado.
With Adebayor looking set to join Aston Villa, West Brom startlet Saido Berahino is rumoured to be of interest to Spurs as they look to add to their attacking options. This move would certainly spell the end for Roberto Soldado’s Premier League career, and a move back to his native Spain looks likely at some point in the near future.Republican presidential candidates sparred over experience, took jabs at their Democratic opponents and even shared a few laughs during CNBC's main debate in Boulder, Colo., on Oct. 28. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)
There's no doubt that the collapse of Ben Carson, a former neurosurgeon who at one point was vying for the national Republican polling lead, helped propel Ted Cruz into his strong position in the Republican field. Carson was seen as weak on national security before the Nov. 13 terror attacks in Paris; in the wake of those attacks, he crumpled, to Cruz's (and Donald Trump's) benefit.
But Cruz's surge began before that. If Carson's fall was the booster rocket that moved Cruz into second, it appears to have been Cruz's memorable outburst during the (much-reviled) third Republican debate on CNBC that got him off the launchpad.
Here's the Real Clear Politics national polling average since Aug. 1, after Trump was already in the lead. We have marked the CNBC debate and the Paris attacks on the chart so you can see how Cruz's position changed relative to them. Since the beginning of November, he has been on a remarkably consistent upward trajectory.
(Marco Rubio also had a strong debate that time, as he usually does.)
It's important to point out that these numbers are based on public polls, which necessarily trail the events by a few days. But while Cruz polled at 10, 9 and 4 percent in the three polls leading up to the debate, he polled at 10, 13, 8 and 11 percent in polls overlapping with or immediately after it.
If you look at the percentage change in the polling average on a week-by-week basis, Cruz's poll numbers soared during the period between the debate and the attacks — and the change has been positive relative to the prior week on almost every day since. Compare that with Trump, who sagged in the wake of the debate, and Carson, who vanished.
If the attacks in Paris hadn't happened, it's hard to know where Carson and Cruz would be at this point. But Cruz was clearly positioned decently to take advantage of Carson's fall thanks to the strength of his performance in that third debate.Former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Carol Browner said it would be “irresponsible” for the U.S. to take nuclear power off the table if it is serious about tackling climate change.
Speaking at a Washington event hosted by The Hill and Nuclear Matters, Browner called herself a “lifelong environmentalist” who now supports nuclear energy.
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Browner, who led the EPA under President Clinton, also worked on climate and energy policy for President Obama during his first years in office and explained her shift on nuclear policy on Friday.
“I think climate change is the biggest problem the world has ever faced,” Browner said.
“Here in the U.S., if we were to take off the table an existing source of carbon-free energy, it would simply be irresponsible,” she said.
If you had asked her thoughts 20 years ago, Browner said, she would “probably not be pro-nuclear.”
“In the course of thinking about it, I realized it wasn’t a responsible decision given my belief about climate change,” she said.
Not all environmentalists would agree with her. A number of prominent green groups don’t push nuclear as an energy solution, despite its carbon-free output, due to other dangers like radiation and proliferation.
But Browner stressed that “today’s most pressing problem is climate change, and so it’s time to rethink your position.”
Browner, who now works with Nuclear Matters, turned to Germany as a lesson for the U.S.
“Germany made a decision to bow out of nuclear … we now see the results,” Browner said. “What we see is, yes, renewables have grown, but we also see a growth in the amount of coal production.”
Browner argues that if the U.S. loses its baseload of nuclear energy, which currently provides 60 percent of the country’s carbon-free power, then it would be “very difficult” to meet the new targets set by EPA on carbon pollution.
“Germany is a very important lesson in that if we were to make that decision not to maintain our existing nuclear, what you might get — certainly in the short term — what we saw is basically more carbon,” Browner said.
The administration has said the EPA’s new rules on carbon pollution from power plants should help boost nuclear, but the industry remains skeptical as the proposal doesn’t count plants that are currently under construction, making it difficult for states to meet targets.
That, added to nuclear’s fight to remain competitive in a market that favors inexpensive natural gas, makes the future of the energy source less than certain.
Still, Browner and the administration have said nuclear is critical to reaching the president’s goal of fewer emissions to fight climate change.War-making apparel is about functionality just as much as fashion. That's why the US Army is offering a cool $1million in research funds to anyone who can help realize its dream of "thermally responsive textiles." The ultimate goal is clothing that automatically tailors itself to rapid changes in ambient and body temperature, thereby removing the need for alternative garments and reducing the weight and 'cube' of a soldier's payload. So-called smart fabrics have already been demonstrated by army scientists, based on comfy-sounding metallic fibers that curl up when it's cold and straighten out when it's warm. That sort of technology just needs to be reworked to make it practical and laundry-safe. We don't want those strong colors bleeding out in the wash, because as the line goes: if you're going to fight, you might as well clash.Marvin Potter Marvin Potter
A father who was upset after a Tennessee couple deleted his adult daughter as a friend on Facebook has been charged in the shooting deaths of the couple, authorities said Wednesday.
The victims had complained to police that Marvin Potter's daughter was harassing them after they deleted her as a friend on the social networking site, Johnson County Sheriff Mike Reece said Wednesday.
Potter, 60, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in last week's slayings of Billy Payne Jr. and his girlfriend, Billie Jean Hayworth. The couple was shot to death in their Mountain City home in the far northeast corner of the state. Their 8-month-old baby was found unharmed in Hayworth's arms.
"It's a senseless thing," the sheriff said.
Authorities have been involved other cases where Potter's daughter, Jenelle Potter, believed she had been slighted by someone.
Marvin Potter's friend, Jamie Curd, has also been charged in the killings. Curd, 38, had romantic feelings for Jenelle Potter, 30, the sheriff said.
Potter and Curd were arraigned Wednesday. Potter asked for time to hire an attorney while Curd was assigned a public defender who did not immediately return a phone message.
Assistant District Attorney General Matthew Roark said Curd's initial bond was raised to $1.5 million while Roark agreed to put off a bond hearing for Potter until next week, when he is expected to have an attorney. Potter remains jailed on his initial $200,000 bond.
The victims lived with Billy Payne Sr., who was the last person to see them alive. He told detectives he saw Hayworth get up to feed the baby before he left for work at about 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 31.
The slayings were discovered about five hours later when a former neighbor stopped by to pick up mail the family would save for him.
The younger Payne was found in his bedroom, and Hayworth was found in the baby's room.Yo-kai Watch 2 Community Feature — Reed
10/11/16
Last Sunday's Weekly Mt. Wildwood Official Battle Tournament was an exciting start to the Yo-kai Watch 2 competitive scene. As the winner of last week's tournament, Reed has submitted a description of his team to be shared on Mt. Wildwood so anyone interested can see how he won the grand prize. The rest of this article has been written by Reed himself and represents his own views and strategies.
Overview
Hello guys I'm Reed, the winner of the First weekly tournament hosted by 101Leafy from Mt.Wildwood. I have been eagerly awaiting this game for a long time to come westward, and am really excited to join the competitive battling scene. I'm here to share you guys about my winning team in the tournament; I'm also using this team to climb up the Yo-kai Rank from Novice through Rank 6 (about 900 points won now). So, without further ado, my most successful team thus far.
Reed's Team
At A Glance From Top Left Clockwise:
Gleam, Shogunyan, Enduriphant, Slimamander, Betterfly, Sgt.Burly
Gleam
Gleam @Count Cavity Soul Lv.10
EV : Rough
ATTD : Rough
First is a Rank-S Yo-kai Gleam, my main Attacker. Why Gleam? Crit, that's why. I found out that the meta is really Critical dependant because it bursts through your DEF no matter how much you put into it. Gleam's skill is Light Speed giving him High Chance to deal critical attacks. Count Cavity Soul gives you higher critical damage. You can't equip a Crit Chance boosting Soul because it doesn't stack with Gleam's Skill. Gleam's Attack is Lighting Slash, which lets you hit 3 times in one turn, so you have better chances for one or two being a Crit.
If you're not lucky enough to have Gleam, the other substitution for Gleam is probably Sheen, with the same Skill only lacking stat. Or, if you have 2 Shogunyan, just go for it. The one disadvantage of using Gleam is Speed. Gleam isn't fast enough to be an Attacker.
Shogunyan
Shogunyan @Devourer Soul Lv.10
EV : Rough
ATTD : Rough
Shogunyan is so good and also easy to get. Even before post game, you can have him after the Rank-A watch upgrade. Shogunyan's skill is Extreme Critical, which increases Critical damage. Equip the Devourer Soul, which gives you high Crit chances, and he's basically Gleam but way faster. Only thing that isn't good is the fact that he's squishy. SPR EV Frostail/Blizzaria can actually burst your HP down or even one hit you.
Enduriphant
Enduriphant @Stinging Soul
EV : Calm
ATTD : Calm
Remember when I said that Gleam isn't fast enough? Here's the answer: DISTRACTION. Enduriphant with Stinging Soul is a perfect distraction for any team. His skill is top tier, retaining 1 HP after a knockout blow. TWICE. Enduriphant has mediocre HP, but his high DEF shrouds this problem.
Betterfly
Betterfly @Nurse Tongus Soul
EV : Devoted
ATTD : Tender
A skill that prevents him from being Inspirited, Paradise healing Technique, Boost All stat Inspirit, Soultimate that heals and boost all your stats. That's what a good support is, and Betterfly has all of it. The Equip can be changed. I have a Nurse Tongus Soul equipped, and it gradually heals adjacent yokai, which is good.
Slimamander
Slimamander @Subzero Soul
EV : Logical
ATTD : Brainy
The reason I'm using Slimamander despite his very bad stats is his Skill that lets him hit all Yo-kai when using Techniques. Subzero Soul changes his Technique to Blizzard. Shogunyan and many other nyan are weak to Ice, so that's a good bonus. I don't know about the Speed tier in Yo-kai Watch 2, so I went for Logical for more Speed. You might want to get Brainy EV for max SPR bonus if you don't care about Speed.
Sgt. Burly
Sgt. Burly @Burly's Wristband
EV : Devoted
ATTD : Devoted
I'm using Burly cause of his high STR, good Inspirit that boost all your stats, and Skill that lets him boost STR of adjacent Yo-kai. Also, he's a Brive Tribe, and having the Unity bonus with Gleam and Shogunyan is nice. If you don't have Burly yet, you can try Kelpacabana. Skill and Inspirit are the same, only thing that you don't get is Unity bonus with the Attacker. The Equip Item is optional though, you can use SPD boost Soul so that burly is faster than your Attacker and they can get a boost first before attacking.
Strategy
Now comes the fun part: Strategy. In Yo-kai Watch, it's necessary to spin your wheel often when in need. For example, when you're facing Shogunyan Unity boosted with other nyan, it's recommended to spin Enduriphant-Betterfly-Slimamander to the front. Enduriphant can Taunt along with Healing from Betterfly to prolong his existence. Slimamander is going to attack the nyan with Blizzard, which most of the nyan are weak to, including Shogunyan. The key is to read your situation carefully. When an enemy is charging their Soultimate, it's better to spin to only one Yo-kai in front if your other Yo-kai are down. It's also important to keep Shogunyan safe and wait for his Soultimate to charge.
Another important aspect to pay attention to is timing turns. I once battled a guy, I'm taking down his Shogunyan and become greedy to not spin, and lose afterward because his timing at spinning the wheel is perfect. The end of a "turn" is when all 6 front yokai action are done acting, if your enemy has pinned one of your Yo-kai, it's best to pay attention to the turn and spin to the other side so they target other Yo-kai instead, especially if your Yo-kai is a high Speed attacker; they can come next turn and get in one last hit.
Okay, I think that's all from me. Thanks to 101Leafy for hosting the tournament. The community is going bigger now thanks to you. Also, I'm providing a Gleam for next week's Tournament Winner :DJennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer are already two of the coolest, most hilarious and all-round wonderful women in the showbiz world.
So it’s hardly surprising that their new friendship is giving us more goals than the 1966 World Cup.
Copyright [Instagram]
We know three’s a crowd and all that, but we’d seriously LOVE in on this amazing friendship.
Amy, 34, posted a fun snap of the BFFs forming potentially the best boat-based human pyramid ever on Instagram, which shows the comedian herself acting as part of the pyramid’s base while J-Law, 24, poses at the top.
Extra points for keeping steady on an actual moving (we assume) yacht.
Copyright [Instagram]
Eat your heart out, stunt doubles of the world. Ahem.
Amy and Jen have been having a whale of time on holidaying together (totally not jealous), with the comedian previously sharing this fab photo of herself riding on the back of a jet ski, driving by Jen.
Posting the photo on Instagram, she wrote: “Jlaw #maniac.”
Can we get a last minute invite to this holiday or nah?
Copyright [Instagram]
Before that, she’d shared a photo of her and her gal pals chilling out on a big pink inflatable, captioning the shot: “Binders of women.”
We are totally loving this new friendship, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that some sort of acting collaboration is on the cards for the not-too-distant future.
Pretty please with a cherry on top.This is an idea for a website which I came up with just after I went to bed – which is why it is now 1:45am and I am typing this up… the idea won’t let me sleep.
The website, which doesn’t yet have a name (PleaseHelpMe.com, LetMeHelpYou.org, PhilanthopyMarketplace.com are some possibles – although that last one is a terrible name of course), will be a place where people in desperate need will be able to ask for help, while people who are able to help will be able to look to provide it.
I don’t know of any website which provides this sort of service, or anything else that operates like this at all. Charities and government services do often provide a lot of the necessary support structures that most people rely on – but surely there are plenty who fall through the cracks of these bureaucratic entities. I believe there would be real scope for this sort of service – a website which enables the haves, to engage directly with the people who need the help (rather than dehumanising the philanthropic gesture, by ‘giving’ to a faceless charity all the time and trusting them to use your resources as you wished them to be used.)
How it Works
People in need create a profile, and then publish a post which explains their situation. Along with the text based explanation of their situation, they would have to indicate details about the seriousness of their situation, about what might be required from the philanthropist to help them out, and an indication as to the type of problem they are suffering from.
This post is published when the individual is ready to publish it, after which time the post will stay public for seven days on its own. After that time, it will be automatically removed from the public list. It may be made public again at any time, or have its 7 day lifespan refreshed by the creator by completing a turing test(s). This feature stops the boards from being over crowded by old ads, and allows people who really need the help to keep their story up in the public boards as long as it is important to them.
Meanwhile, philanthropists are able to register accounts and browse the public requests. (probably allow the people in need the option to make their post open to everyone, or just registered philanthropists – so there would be a number of requests which non-registered users would not be able to see). The philanthropists will be able to browse requests by geographic location, by severity, by amount needed, types of problems etc. If they find a request which they choose to try to help out, they are free to message the person in need, and arrange a time to visit, meet etc whatever is required to enable them to help (or not help if the person in need is actually a scammer – which is a real risk of course).
The role of the website though, is just to provide a ‘classifieds’ style of space to allow people to ask for help, while others are able to browse the requests, and identify help that they can, and want to give. And then provide an avenue of contact between the two parties. No payments will be handled, and no guarantee of authenticity (at least, not in my current vision of the site).
Possible Consequences
It is possible that this concept could revolutionise charity in some respects. It will probably never ‘fix the world’, because I can’t see it being particularly useful for helping global and political issues – but when it comes to local communities of one level or another (suburb, city, state, country), I think this system could really help promote a sense of community.
It is nice to donate to the red shield appeal, or red cross or whatever – but it is something else entirely to find out that someone in the very suburb you are living in, is in desperate need of something that you have, and you are easily able to give it to them.
It will also provide a source of hope to those who are truly in need. The freeloaders who will no doubt try to get money for nothing from it will probably get nothing (because they are dealing with smart people who are no doubt going to be very discerning about who they will help), while the people who have suffered greatly will inevitably be found by someone who can help – and knowing that someone might contact you, and say “I can help”, would be an incredible source of hope for when you are in a terrible position.
There is probably heaps more I can say on this area, but I should wrap this up.
Related Activities
The number one thing that comes to mind when imagining this website is The Secret Millionaire. It is a simple enough reality TV show. A millionaire pretends to be a normal person doing filming about ‘local community’, and goes around meeting people in need. At the end of a few days of doing this, they give money to the people they think most deserving. This website will sort of enable the same thing, on a larger scale, with more philanthropists and a much better coverage of the population (rather than the few lucky people who happen to cross paths with a random millionaire over a few day period).
Secondly, current affairs shows often serve this sort of a function. Their ability to mobilize the community into ‘helping person X in need’ is quite commendable. However, if someone in need can’t get on the show, then how else do they get that sort of help? Where does someone turn, when they don’t meet the requirements of standard charities, and can’t get saved by a generous media program?
Thoughts?
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please wait... Rating: 10.0/10 (3 votes cast)Nintendo's job at E3 was to get fans reinvested in the platform, and to get new customers excited about the idea of picking up a Wii U. Both Microsoft and Sony have enjoyed wonderful starts to a long life in the "next-gen" console race, but Nintendo's hardware sales need a boost if the Wii U is going to continue to be viable.
So did that happen at E3? Are we walking away shocked and amazed at what we saw?
Jokes and jokes and jokes
Nintendo isn't having a bad show, and there were a number of new things announced that should be exciting for fans of the company and console. They even joked about Mother 3 and made an Elijah Wood quip during the broadcast. In terms of making things fun for those who follow Nintendo closely, they did very well, and played to the hardcore audience perfectly.
A new Star Fox title that takes advantage of the Wii U GamePad is a great one-two punch — having Shigeru Miyamoto working on a Star Fox title is interesting enough, but having Nintendo show its own commitment to interesting in GamePad ideas is just as important.
The downside is that the game is in an early state, and Nintendo almost never shows off ideas before their time. This reveal seems to be another bit of evidence that suggests Nintendo had to dig deep to have enough stuff to show that would get people talking at E3, and we shouldn't expect to be frustrated by Slippy Toad anytime soon.
One of the most interesting bits shown was the idea of the amiibos, which is spelled in all lower case, by the way. These are toys that will eventually work across multiple pieces of Nintendo software. They'll launch with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and be operated with the GamePad to share information both ways — the game will talk to the toy and the toy will talk to the game.
You'll give your personal amiibo all sorts of customization, and we were told support for the toys would also be coming to Mario Kart 8. This initiative will launch this year, but it's an add-on to existing games, not a reason to jump into something new.
Here's the big question: Was a lack of a Skylanders-like option the thing that was keeping people from buying a Wii U? The idea is cool, and Nintendo-themed toys will sell in large numbers to the true believers, but Nintendo's strategy has to be to move more pieces of Wii U hardware, and with Star Fox as just a tech demo and the toys serving as primarily an add-on to the hardware and games, there's little reason for people to get excited about picking up a Wii U.
amiibo are an add-on to existing games, not a reason to jump into something new
Even the new The Legend of Zelda game shown is coming 2015. It's going to be a long 2014 if the only things we have to look forward to are Super Smash Bros. and toys. On the other hand, the little bit we saw of the game looked amazing; this is a game that will make people buy the system. That one scene, with the high-definition flowing grass and the redesigned look for Link, was enough to sell damned near everyone on the game. This is the power of Nintendo.
The Mario games have long had some of the best level design in the business, so the challenge of making your own in Mario Maker is going to be hard to pass up. But again, it's coming in 2015. What does this do for the company this year?
There is a new Kirby game coming, and a new Yoshi game as well that looked cute as hell, but again these titles are attractive to people who likely already have the system. Nintendo needs more tent poles like Mario Kart 8, a game that moved both massive numbers of games and got people into the stores to pick up the hardware.
There are some interesting-looking games on the way, but the things that will get people in the story to buy hardware are around a year away. All the funny jokes and fan service in the world can't change that fact.by Lindsay Shelton
When I reported last week that a city council organisation had received a $5million management fee from the council, there was an angry denial from the organisation’s chairman. Which was strange, as the information came from his annual report. The mystery continues.
The organisation is Positively Wellington Venues, set up by the city council two years ago to handle bookings for the Town Hall, the Michael Fowler Centre, The St James, the Opera House, and the TSB Arena. The work had previously been done by council staff.
When I wrote about the new organisation, I was focusing on the salary of $260,000 paid to its chief executive Glenys Coughlan. Its annual report showed that when the council was |
are seeking to sign Ogletree to a long-term extension, underscores just how important Tree is going to be to the Rams moving forward:
Rams have meeting scheduled w/Ogletree's agent this week @ Combine. Extension looming. — Jim Thomas (@jthom1) February 24, 2016
It's a steep incline for a player to climb who missed the last 12 games of his third season, but clearly the Rams are willing to invest heavily in him.
More to come...LivePrayer to File $100 Million Lawsuit Against Southern Poverty Law Center
Contact: Rev. William Keller, LivePrayer.com, 727-420-7005
ST PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 17, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- Bill Keller, the world's leading Internet Evangelist and the founder of LivePrayer.com, with over 2.4 million subscribers worldwide reading the Daily Devotional he has written every morning for 13 years on the issues of the day from a Biblcial worldview, is planning to file a $100 million defamation lawsuit against the Southern Poverty Law Center for labeling him and his ministry as a "hate group."
In an exclusive interview, Keller said, "The sad shooting the other day at the Family Research Council by a man who supports the radical homosexual agenda, was clearly fueled by the left wing group, the Southern Poverty Law Center. I receive at least 4-5 death threats a month for taking a Biblical stand on issues like homosexuality, the false religion of Islam and other cults, and the fact life begins at conception and choosing to end that life is nothing more than legalized infanticide."
Keller went on, "Groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center give license to individuals who oppose a Biblical worldview to take whatever actions they deem fit, even acts of violence, to silence those they disagree with. Sadly, this intimidation has worked, because there are very few like myself who are willing to go into the mainstream media and promote Biblical Truth that a large percentage of society now rejects."
Keller concluded, "In the year 2012, if you take a Biblical stand, the media and groups like the SPLC identify you as a 'hate group.' Because the anti-God secular media gives a platform to radical organizations like the SPLC, it opens the door for people who reject Biblical Truth to commit acts of violence against those individuals and organizations who have been demonized by them."
Keller said that if the Southern Poverty Law Center does not take his name and his ministry off of their 'hate map' in the next 72 hours, his attorneys will be filing a $100 million dollar defamation suit in Federal Court against the organization.
Link to SPLC hate map for the state of Florida: www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map#s=FL
About Live Prayer: In 1999 Bill Keller launched LivePrayer.com. It has gone on to become the most successful online Christian ministry in the history of the internet. Each morning, Bill Keller's Daily Devotional that he has written every morning for over 13 years is emailed to over 2.4 million subscribers worldwide. Information on Liveprayer is available at www.LivePrayer.com.This article is over 4 years old
Lindsey Adams, 22, and her 20-year-old sister Leslie given suspended six-month prison sentence over pictures taken in Preah Khan temple
Two American sisters have been deported from Cambodia after they were convicted of taking naked photos inside the country’s famed Angkor temple complex, officials said on Sunday.
Lindsey Adams, 22, and her 20-year-old sister Leslie were discovered taking nude shots of each other inside the Preah Khan temple at the world heritage site on Friday, the Cambodian authorities said.
The sisters were both given a suspended six-month prison sentence on Saturday evening on charges of public exposure and making pornography and will be banned from re-entering Cambodia for four years, Koeut Sovannareth, prosecutor at north-western Siem Reap provincial court said.
“The court decided to expel them from Cambodia,” he said, adding that the women had confessed to making a mistake and were fined $250.
Sam Reaksmey, a senior tourism police official in Siem Reap, said the sisters were deported late on Saturday night.
It was the second time in the last fortnight that tourists visiting the sprawling temple complex had been caught without their clothes.
Three French tourists were deported last weekend after they pleaded guilty to taking nude pictures of each other inside another temple within the complex.
Cambodian officials say the women’s actions are offensive because Angkor is considered sacred ground.
“They lowered their pants to their knees and took pictures of their buttocks,” Keat Bunthan, a senior heritage police official in Siem Reap, said on Saturday.
The three deported French men received the same suspended sentence as the American women.
The trio were caught just days after a series of photos of Asian women posing nude at ancient Cambodian temples went viral online and outraged officials who vowed to step up efforts to prevent similar stunts.
The Angkor Archaeological Park, a world heritage site, contains the remains of the different capitals of the Khmer empire, dating from the 9th to the 15th centuries, and is Cambodia’s most popular tourist destination.Balkan country makes first arrests over slaughter of more than 1,000 Muslims in what was Europe’s worst civilian slaughter since second world war
Serbia is to mount its first trial over one of Europe’s worst atrocities: the massacre of some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men by Serbian forces in Srebrenica in the summer of 1995.
Following a war crimes investigation, police arrested seven suspects in Serbia on Wednesday in the first such domestic operation in almost 20 years after the massacre, which was declared under international law to have been an act of genocide – the sole such act during the wars in the former Yugoslavia.
Vladimir Vukcevic, the chief Serbian war crimes prosecutor, said authorities had sought to arrest eight suspects in pre-dawn raids at different locations in Serbia on Wednesday, but one man evaded police.
“More people have been in our focus, but we have managed to detain seven out of eight suspects so far,” Vukcevic said. “They are former members of a special brigade of the Bosnian Serb police.”
The prospect of a Srebrenica trial in Serbia, where the authorities have struggled to accept blame or responsibility for the crimes and where many remain in denial, marks a potential watershed in the country’s fitful attempts to address what happened in Bosnia in the 90s.
Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić, the political and military leaders of the Bosnian Serbs during the 1992-95 war, are on trial at the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague, facing charges of genocide for their oversight of the Srebrenica massacre. The trials mark the climax of more than 20 years of seeking justice for the crimes of the 90s and setting the record straight.
The seven men arrested at various locations in Serbia on Wednesday are suspected of having taken part in the mass murder of around 1,000 men at a warehouse in Kravica outside Srebrenica, a small hilltown in eastern Bosnia where Bosnian Muslims were held in a UN “safe haven” and besieged by Mladic’s forces for three years until the denouement in July 1995 resulted in the worst single atrocity of the war and the biggest massacre in Europe since the Nazis.
Although arrested in Serbia, the seven were members of a Bosnian Serb police unit said to have organised and supervised the bussing of the victims from Srebrenica to Kravica where they were summarily shot in the warehouse before grenades were thrown in.
“This is the first such case involving people directly suspected of taking part in the Srebrenica massacre,” Bruno Vekarić, Serbia’s deputy war crimes prosecutor, told Reuters. “There are other suspects in Serbia and neighbouring countries and we are after them as well.”
Many Serbs persist in believing that the tribunal in The Hague is an international plot aimed at stigmatising the Serbs and blaming them for the horrors of the 90s. Staging a trial on such an emotive subject in Belgrade might serve an educational purpose as well as bringing justice and some closure to the families of the victims.
“It is important to stress that this is the first time that our prosecutor’s office is dealing with the mass killings of civilians and war prisoners in Srebrenica,” Vekarić said.
He said Serbia was approaching a key moment in confronting its past. “We have never dealt with a crime of such proportions. It is very important for Serbia to take a clear position toward Srebrenica through a court process,” he said.
The biggest arrest in the sweep was Nedeljko Milidragović, the commander dubbed “Nedjo the Butcher”, who went on to become a successful businessman in Serbia, according to the Associated Press.ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION
The Center for Avian Adoption, Rescue, and Education (CAARE) is an all-volunteer, North Dakota, 501(c)(3), non-profit, parrot shelter devoted to the welfare of companion parrots. In our shelter, there are two dedicated rooms for parrots awaiting adoption: One for larger parrots and one for smaller parrots. We have an Adoption Process in place for finding the adoptable parrots the best home possible.
We also educate the public about the proper care of exotic birds whenever anyone not familiar with owning and caring for parrots comes into our shelter. We offer Memberships, which helps us to continue our mission and also provide a discount on most items available in our Avian Warehouse.
We also love requests for on-site visits to colleges, schools, nursing homes, etc., or being a part of any pet-related events in the area! We do ask that a donation be made to our shelter for such visit requests. If you are interested in learning about parrots or adopting one of the parrots in our care, we would love to help!
OUR MISSION
To reach out and educate the public on the appropriate health care and general well-being of companion parrots.
To find homes for displaced companion parrots through our adoption program.
To provide a friendly and caring environment for our members and guests to socialize and learn from one another.
HOW WE OPERATE
Our organization depends on donations and adoption fees as we receive no public funding. Our Avian Warehouse sells cages, various types of perches, playstands, small playgyms, food, food dishes/cups, tons of different treats, parrot-safe cage cleaning supplies, and parrot toys (foraging, shredding, foot toys, indestructible, etc.) of every size. We also offer logo apparel (t-shirts and sweatshirts), vinyl decals, license plate frames, etc., to help spread the word about our shelter.
All of the proceeds made from our Avian Warehouse go directly back into our shelter so we can continue to run.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Avian Warehouse - Lower prices and an awesome selection. We sell everything you need to care for a parrot. Food, treats, toys, perches, new and used cages of all sizes, playstands, etc. If we don't have what you are looking for, we can probably order it for you!
Grooming - Nails, Wings, Baths, and Beak Trimming (if necessary).
Boarding - Available for low, daily rates in the form of donations.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
Angry breastfeeding mothers took over a McDonald's restaurant in protest at the branch banning a woman from doing it there.
Several mums and their babies marched on the fast food eatery in solidarity with their "sister" who was stopped by a security guard.
The demo involved the mothers sitting down in the restaurant, bearing a breast and then feeding their little ones.
It came two days after the woman who was thrown out posted on Facebook: "I fed my baby at home before I set out, in order to avoid this [breast-feeding in public], but it was 30C (86F) and my baby was very hot and thirsty.
"I went into the restaurant at nine in the morning and looked around for a quiet spot where I wouldn't disturb anyone.
"I asked a waitress and she said it would be fine."
(Image: Erica Schmidt)
But she said a security guard approached and told her it was "not acceptable" in the restaurant, repeating this after checking with a manager.
Her story went viral on social media before the short-notice protest was planned at the McDonald's in the Western Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary.
Erika Schmidt, a mother of three who took part, told the BBC: "Very few women nurse their babies in public in Hungary, because they are afraid they will be harassed or treated disrespectfully.
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"This was the first time women have gathered to show their solidarity to each other - it was marvellous."
The protest was reported as going ahead with a "good atmosphere".
McDonald's laid the blame at the unnamed security guard and said an internal investigation was underway.
It said in a statement: "Women are welcome to breast-feed in McDonald's restaurants as part of the fast food chain's family-friendly policy."DiffusePrioR » R, and kindly contributed to (This article was first published on, and kindly contributed to R-bloggers)
The Frisch–Waugh–Lovell (FWL) theorem is of great practical importance for econometrics. FWL establishes that it is possible to re-specify a linear regression model in terms of orthogonal complements. In other words, it permits econometricians to partial out right-hand-side, or control, variables. This is useful in a variety of settings. For example, there may be cases where a researcher would like to obtain the effect and cluster-robust standard error from a model that includes many regressors, and therefore a computationally infeasible variance-covariance matrix.
Here are a number of practical examples. The first just takes a simple linear regression model, with two regressors: x1 and x2. To partial out the coefficients on the constant term and x2, we first regress x2 on y1 and save the residuals. We then regress x2 on x1 and save the residuals. The final stage regresses the second residuals on the first. The following code illustrates how one can obtain an identical coefficient on x1 by applying the FWL theorem.
x1 = rnorm(100) x2 = rnorm(100) y1 = 1 + x1 - x2 + rnorm(100) r1 = residuals(lm(y1 ~ x2)) r2 = residuals(lm(x1 ~ x2)) # ols coef(lm(y1 ~ x1 + x2)) # fwl ols coef(lm(r1 ~ -1 + r2))
FWL is also relevant for all linear instrumental variable (IV) estimators. Here, I will show how this extends to the 2SLS estimator, where slightly more work is required compared to the OLS example in the above. Here we have a matrix of instruments (Z), exogenous variables (X), and endogenous variables (Y1). Let us imagine we want the coefficient on one endogenous variable y1. In this case we can apply FWL as follows. Regress X on each IV in Z in separate regressions, saving the residuals. Then regress X on y1, and X on y2, saving the residuals for both. In the last stage, perform a two-stage-least-squares regression of the X on y2 residuals on the X on y2 residuals using the residuals from X on each Z as instruments. An example of this is shown in the below code.
library(sem) ov = rnorm(100) z1 = rnorm(100) z2 = rnorm(100) y1 = rnorm(100) + z1 + z2 + 1.5*ov x1 = rnorm(100) + 0.5*z1 - z2 x2 = rnorm(100) y2 = 1 + y1 - x1 + 0.3*x2 + ov + rnorm(100) r1 = residuals(lm(z1 ~ x1 + x2)) r2 = residuals(lm(z2 ~ x1 + x2)) r3 = residuals(lm(y1 ~ x1 + x2)) r4 = residuals(lm(y2 ~ x2 + x2)) # biased coef on y1 as expected for ols coef(lm(y2~y1+x1+x2)) # 2sls coef(tsls(y2~y1+x1+x2,~z1+z2+x1+x2)) # fwl 2sls coef(tsls(r4~-1+r3,~-1+r1+r2))
The FWL can also be extended to cases where there are multiple endogenous variables. I have demonstrated this case by extending the above example to model x1 as an endogenous variable.
# 2 endogenous variables r5 = residuals(lm(z1 ~ x2)) r6 = residuals(lm(z2 ~ x2)) r7 = residuals(lm(y1 ~ x2)) r8 = residuals(lm(x1 ~ x2)) r9 = residuals(lm(y2 ~ x2)) # 2sls coefficients p1 = fitted.values(lm(y1~z1+z2+x2)) p2 = fitted.values(lm(x1~z1+z2+x2)) lm(y2 ~ p1 + p2 + x2) # 2sls fwl coefficients p3 = fitted.values(lm(r7~-1+r5+r6)) p4 = fitted.values(lm(r8~-1+r5+r6)) lm(r9 ~ p3 + p4)
RelatedA weekly roundup of new places to visit, coming events and special deals and packages, all within a day's drive. To suggest a destination: travel@plaind.com or 216-999-4240.
Kings Island and Cedar Point are the most popular seasonal amusement parks in the United States, according to a new theme park attendance report issued by the Theme Entertainment Association.
Both parks saw a rise in attendance last year -- Kings Island up 1 percent to 3.14 million over 2010, and Cedar Point up 3 percent to 3.14 million.
Both parks are owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment, based in Sandusky. Cedar Fair is the seventh-largest theme park group in the world.
Among all theme/amusement parks in North America -- including those open year-round -- Kings Island and Cedar Point ranked 15th and 16th. The big gorillas on the list, naturally, were Walt Disney World and Disneyland. At Universal Orlando, the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction lifted attendance at its Islands of Adventure park so much -- 28 percent -- it rose to sixth on the list.
As the nation rebounded from recession last year, theme park attendance in North America rose 2.9 percent to 127 million visitors, the report found.
Here's the Theme Entertainment Association list of the top theme/amusement parks in North America:
1. Magic Kingdom, Disney World, Orlando, Fla.
2. Disneyland, Anaheim, Calif.
3. Epcot, Disney World, Orlando
4. Animal Kingdom, Disney World, Orlando
5. Hollywood Studios, Disney World, Orlando
6. Islands of Adventure, Universal Orlando
7. California Adventure, Disneyland, Anaheim
8. Universal Studios, Orlando
9. SeaWorld Florida, Orlando
10. Universal Studios, Los Angeles
11. SeaWorld California, San Diego
12. Busch Gardens, Tampa, Fla.
13. Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, Calif.
14. Canada's Wonderland, Toronto
15. Kings Island, near Cincinnati
16. Cedar Point, Sandusky
17. Hershey Park, Hershey, Pa.
18. Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, Va.
19. Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, Calif.
20. SeaWorld Texas, San Antonio
Coming up: Go green at the Dublin Irish Festival Friday, Aug. 3 through Sunday, Aug. 5, in suburban Columbus. The 24th annual celebration offers seven stages of Irish music, plus dancing, a marketplace, food and more. Admission is $10. Information: dublinirishfestival.org.The unidentified body of a man is seen after a raid by U.S. Navy SEAL commandos on the compound where al Qaeda leader bin Laden was killed in AbbottabadThe grounds of the compound are seen after U.S. Navy SEAL commandos killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in AbbottabadPhotographs acquired by Reuters and taken about an hour after the U.S. assault on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan show three dead men lying in pools of blood, but no weapons.The photos, taken by a Pakistani security official who entered the compound after the early morning raid on Monday, show two men dressed in traditional Pakistani garb and one in a t-shirt, with blood streaming from their ears, noses and mouths.The official, who wished to remain anonymous, sold the pictures to Reuters.None of the men looked like bin Laden. President Barack Obama decided not to release photos of his body because it could have incited violence and used as an al Qaeda propaganda tool, the White House said on Wednesday.Buy Photo Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were investigating after a person was found fatally shot inside a room at the Shadeland Inn in the 3500 block of North Shadeland Avenue on April 13, 2017. (Photo: Holly Hays/IndyStar)Buy Photo
Update 10:30 a.m. April 14, 2017: The Marion County coroner's office identified the victim of Thursday night's shooting at an east-side motel as 18-year-old Lawrence Barnes.
The young man from Indianapolis was shot to death about 10 p.m. Thursday during an argument in a room at the Shadeland Inn, 3525 Shadeland Ave., police said.
After the shooting, metropolitan police interviewed a man who was treated for a gunshot wound at Community Hospital East.
Officer Aaron Hamer, a spokesman for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, did not know if the wounded man had been arrested and said no further updates were available Friday morning.
Earlier: Police say four young children were inside an east-side motel room Thursday night when a man was fatally shot during an argument.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers were dispatched to the Shadeland Inn in the 3500 block of North Shadeland Avenue just after 10 p.m. on reports of a person shot, according to IMPD Maj. Richard Riddle.
Responders found a man, believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s, with at least one gunshot wound inside one of the motel rooms. Riddle said four children, all toddlers, were present in the room as the fatal shot was fired.
"By the grace of God or a stroke of luck, depending on your belief system, we did not have a child injured today," Riddle said.
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More breaking news from IndyStar:
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Martinsville man accused of molesting an 8-year-old girl
Police have not disclosed how or if the victim is related to the children.
Investigators believe two groups of men met at the hotel and began arguing, the situation turning violent as both sides brandished weapons and fired. In addition to leaving one dead, a stray bullet also struck a power line outside the hotel, causing a small electrical fire, Riddle said.
Shortly after officers arrived at the hotel, another man walked into Community Hospital East with a gunshot wound. Investigators believe he is a person of interest in the shooting, Riddle said, and detectives interviewed him at the hospital. His condition has not been released.
This is the second time this month young children have been in violent situations in Indy. IMPD Maj. Richard Riddle's message to parents: pic.twitter.com/9uYYofWaVi — Holly Hays (@hollyvhays) April 14, 2017
This is the second time in as many weeks that children have witnessed a deadly crime in Indianapolis.
On April 3, two young children were unharmed when a man fired into their northeast side apartment, killing their mother and critically injuring their father.
"We have had multiple incidents where children are either a witness to or surrounded by violence or violent actions by an adult that are within their care," Riddle said. "That is very unfortunate, it is very concerning for us, and we obviously ask for the parents to do the right thing, not put your children in danger, and if you feel that situation may become violent or any type of altercation may occur, do the right thing: Call 911, get that child out of that dangerous situation."
"It's just sad that these young children... have been witnesses to such violent acts among what we should think of as responsible adults."
Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at (317) 444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.
Read or Share this story: http://indy.st/2osuRHu8.39 pm: Talks with BJP will continue, says Shiv Sena
As the uncertainty over whether former ally Shiv Sena would join the BJP government in Maharashtra persists, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said it was confident that "the talks between the two parties will continue in a positive manner", PTI reported.
"Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had detailed discussion with BJP leaders Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley yesterday," Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said here.
"I am sure Sena and BJP representatives here will have positive talks," she added.
"Whatever decisions that are required to be taken for the development of Maharashtra will be taken," she said, adding, "right now, I cannot say what type of participation we will have (in the government). The decision on this would be taken by Uddhav Thackeray."
Meanwhile, BJP today said it was sure of having the numbers to win the trust vote during the special session of the Assembly in the second week of this month.
"We will have the required number to win trust vote," senior minister Sudhir Mungantiwar told reporters.
"Talks with Sena have been positive," he added.
CNN-IBN reported that Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis also said that talks with Shiv Sena were moving in a positive direction and that all efforts were being made to include Sena in the cabinet.
6.46 pm: Sena leaders meet to discuss future strategy
Shiv Sena leaders met at party chief Uddhav Thackeray's residence 'Matoshree' in Mumbai to take a call on the party's future strategy, a day after Devendra Fadnavis took charge as Maharashtra CM, DNA reported.
"Some leaders and MLA's of Shiv Sena came to Matoshree today for an unofficial meeting. Any development that has taken place will be informed by Uddhav Thackeray and the leaders of the BJP soon," Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gore was quoted as saying in the report.
Updates for 1 November begin here
7.13 pm: CM Devendra Fadnavis promises efficiency, transparency after being sworn-in
Hours after being sworn-in as the first BJP Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis during a press conference at the Mantralaya, made a first announcement of sorts saying that he would form a citizens charter in the state.
He also said, "Right to service is one of my key objectives. I will ensure transparency during my tenure."
Refering perhaps to the previous governments, he said, "Efficiency and transparency go hand in hand. However when we had efficiency we did not have transparency. I promise both."
He also said he had asked every ministry to make presentations of policy decisions and the reason behind them.
6.48 pm: Amit Shah, Uddhav Thackeray hold talks after Fadnavis' swearing-in
Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray, who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis government following a last-minute call from Amit Shah, held talks with the BJP President after the event.
It was not known what transpired at the brief meeting that took place in the Wankhede Stadium premises.
Shah had reached out to a sulking Shiv Sena Chief a day after the party announced its decision to boycott the ceremony on account of "constant humiliation" by BJP over government formation.
"Sena has missed the bus. I don't know due to whom," senior Sena leader and former Chief Minister Manohar Joshi said after the event. -PTI
4.58 pm: Fadnavis now Maha CM, Uddhav all smiles as he greets PM Modi
Uddhav Thackeray was all smiles as he shook hands with PM Narendra Modi on the dais at Wankhede stadium. Does this mean it is a patch up between the BJP and the Shiv Sena? Or was this just mere pleasantries?
With the swearing-in done, Modi walked around the dais with folded hands as each member of the Maharashtra cabinet come and greet him. Despite Devendra Fadnavis being the man of the hour, the huddle was around the prime minister.
Other leaders of states too greeted PM Modi.
An eager Devendra Fadnavis met his supporters and interacted with them after the oath-taking ceremony got over. Celebrations were reported all across Mumbai after the ceremony at Wankhede got over.
4.45 pm: Pankaja Munde takes oath, inducted into BJP's Maharashtra cabinet
Pankaja Munde takes her oath and is inducted into the Maharashtra cabinet. As her name was announced, the crowd broke into loud cheers. The cheering went louder every time she said Pankaja 'Gopinath' Munde.
She won the elections from the Parli assembly constituency. She won a massive number of sympathy votes after her father Gopinath Munde's untimely and sudden death.
4.35 pm: Eknath Khadse, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Vinod Tawde take oath
After Fadnavis Eknath Khadse, Sudhir Mungantiwar and Vinod Tawde take their oaths. Pankaja Munde, Prakash Mehta, Vishnu Sawra, and Chandrakant Patil are supposed to be inducted into the cabinet as well.
Also, television visuals show Uddhav Thackeray was present in the crowd.
4.30 pm: Devendra Fadnavis sworn-in as first BJP CM of Maharashtra
Devendra Fadnavis was administered his oath as the Maharashtra Chief Minister amid massive cheering from the crowd present at the Wankhede stadium.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah was present on the dais during this occasion.
4.25 pm: Crowds cheer on as Devendra Fadnavis arrives on stage
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah have arrived for the ceremony and are present on the dais along with Venkaiah Naidu.
A very happy Devendra Fadnavis, with his wife by his side, waved as the crowds cheer on.
3.22 pm: Maharashtra BJP govt swearing-in ceremony begins in Wankhede Stadium
The grand swearing-in ceremony has already begun at the Wankheded stadium. Television visuals showed that diginitaries have started to arrive.
Live music was playing on stage to keep the guests entertained. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Devendra Fadnavis is yet to arrive.
3.10 pm: After Amit Shah's invite, Uddhav to attend Fadnavis' swearing-in
After saying on Thursday that he and his party workers would boycott Devendra Fadnavis' grand swearing-in ceremony, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has now said that he will be attending the mega event.
Several television channels had reported that Amit Shah and Fadnavis himself had given Uddhav Thackeray a call to invite him to the ceremony.
However, does this mean that the Sena and the BJP are on a route to reconciliation? Only time will tell.
2.19 pm: Amit Shah calls on Uddhav, invites him to the swearing-in at Wankhede
After enough back and forth, BJP president Amit Shah and CM-designate Devendra Fadnavis on Friday called upon Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and extended an invitation to him for the swearing-in ceremony on Friday evening, reports confirmed
Sources speaking to Headlines Today said, Shah gave a last-minute call to the Shiv Sena chief and urged him to be a part of Fadnavis' swearing-in ceremony.
According to CNN IBN, Uddhav Thackeray in all likelihood may attend the event, but nothing has been confirmed as of now.
It is not yet certain what is conspiring between the two former allies, but the sources said that BJP has surely promised something big to Uddhav-led Shiv Sena for it to even consider attending the swearing-in.
Till Friday morning, there were reports of Shiv Sena planning to sit as the opposition.
12.15 pm: Uddhav gives Fadnavis' lavish swearing-in ceremony a miss
Shiv Sena has not officially announced whether they are planning to sit in opposition or not but the party has clearly hinted that they will not be part of the first BJP government in Maharashtra.
On Thursday, Shiv Sena decided to keep away from CM-designate Devendra Fadnavis' swearing-in ceremony at the Wankhede stadium. Party leader Anil Desai asserted that none of the party leaders or Shiv Sena MLAs will be part of the event.
The oath taking ceremony is scheduled for 6.00 pm on Friday.
A report in The Times of India said, that if Uddhav Thackeray decides not to ally with the BJP, the Fadnavis government will face the 63-strong Sena legislature party in the assembly for the next five years. This could also mark a new era in history of Maharashtra politics.
Although, the TOI report also said that there was divide within Sena leaders as a few indicated hope that a last-minute patchup formula could be hammered out by Friday.
Meanwhile, questions were being raised at the BJP throwing a lavish "party" for the CM-designate. Fadnavis' swearing-in ceremony is being touted as the biggest ever of its kind. The other lavish oath taking ceremony which comes close to this was Narendra Modi's swearing-in as the Prime Minister earlier this year.
But eyebrows were raised over the amount of money spent on the event when Maharashtra has been languishing under debt. According to a report in Mid-Day, a state protocol department official said that this was the first time that Maharashtra was witnessing such a grand ceremony with thousand people attending it.
According to rules, except the governor and the CM-designate noone else occupies a chair on the stage. For Fadnavis' swearing-in will have other leaders also in the august setting. “Even when PM Modi was sworn in, it was only President Pranab Mukherjee who was at the centre stage," an official told Mid-Day.
State protocol department officials said they tried hard to convince the party that such practices are not followed in oath-taking ceremonies.
“The function, in any case, is going to cost a few crores, at a time when the state is overburdened with a loan of nearly Rs 3 lakh crore,” an official told Mid-Day. Even though the department suggested that the ceremony be held on Sunday, in order to avoid traffic issues, the party insisted on holding it on a Friday.
Interestingly, Shiv Sena came to the rescue of BJP for holding a lavish ceremony for the CM-designate. The leaders were quoted as saying that this would "wash away the sins" of NCP-Congress government.
In an editoral in the party mouthpiece Saamna, the party wrote:
"You (Congress and NCP) have looted Maharashtra in your 15-year-rule and siphoned off thousands of crores of public money. If you are now speaking about a huge amount of money being spent on the oath-taking ceremony, it is nothing but hilarious."
"Maharashtra is saddled with a debt of Rs. 3.5 lakh crore. Why this huge debt? The debt is the result of the (Congress-NCP) coalition government of the last 15 years. Today's ceremony is to wash off the sins committed by them. Organising this ceremony will incur some costs. Since it marks the end of the ego and corruption of the previous government, people will not mind the cost," it said.
Sharad Pawar's NCP, which has already extended outside support to the BJP, had on Thursday lashed out at the saffron party for holding a mega swearing-in ceremony for Fadnavis.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik had tweeted: "A party with a difference, hence the most lavish oath-taking ceremony in the history of Maharashtra government formation."
The new chief minister should ensure that industrialists who reside in Maharashtra play their part in the state's development and create job opportunities for people, the Sena said.
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7.13 pm: We have constantly been humiliated by the BJP, says Shiv Sena
Amidst the uncertainty over Shiv Sena's role in the formation of the new government in Maharashtra, the party on Thursday said its leaders would not attend chief minister-designate Devendra Fadnavis' swearing-in here tomorrow.
"We have constantly been humiliated by the BJP, which has not gone down well with our MLAs. As our MLAs feel that BJP did not give us due respect, why should we attend the oath-taking ceremony?" Sena MP Vinayak Raut said here.
Raut was talking to reporters after meeting the Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.
When asked if the scheduled meeting of Shiv Sena and BJP leaders for discussing possible alliance had been called off, Raut said no talks had been scheduled, so there was no question of cancellation.
4.42 pm: Denied ministries, Uddhav asks Sena workers to boycott Fadnavis' swearing-in
After BJP General Secretary Rajiv Pratap |
the action.
In 1977, Charles Koch founded the Cato Institute, an influential libertarian think tank, with the aim of injecting free-market ideas into the mainstream. The Kochs would go on to establish and fund a vast network of overlapping think tanks, institutes, foundations, media outlets, and lobby groups that would vilify centralized government and promote laissez-faire capitalism as the only route to economic prosperity. The Mercatus Center, Americans for Prosperity, Reason Magazine, the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation are just a few of the right-wing organizations that run on Koch cash today.
Koch Industries is America’s second-largest private corporation, with revenue of $100 billion in 2009, and 80,000 employees in 60 countries. According to Charles Koch, Koch Industries has grown 2,000-fold since he took over from his dad in 1967, transforming a middling oil transportation and refinement operation into a corporate mini-state involved in oil, petrochemicals, paper, agriculture and financial services. Worth just under $20 billion apiece, the brothers live like emperors. David Koch, 70, resides in a Park Avenue and likes to take a few weeks off every year to lounge on his 246-foot megayacht in the Mediterranean, which costs $500,000 a week to operate and has been rented out for pleasure cruises by Prince Charles.
Seventy-four-year-old Charles G. Koch, who runs the company from a compound in Wichita, Kansas, has attributed the company’s success to an unshakable belief in the power of the free-markets—a belief that he says can be traced back to an “intellectual epiphany” he experienced at a conference more than 40 years ago. There, Koch realized that free-market economics were an objective reality “as immutable as the laws that work in science,” he explained in 2006.
In its recent profile, the New Yorker called Charles and David Koch “the primary underwriters of hard-line libertarian politics in America.” But the magazine failed to mention that their free market philanthropy belies the immense profit they have made from corporate welfare.
1. SOCIALIST SHIPBUILDING
Two years before founding the influential Cato Institute, Charles Koch bought a supertanker from a communist regime. According to information in the Lehman Brothers business archives, as well as records found in a Croatian shipyard, in 1975, Koch Industries purchased ship from the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia. The ship, a standard 274,330-ton dual use tanker, was named after the Kochs’ mother, Mary. The purchase of a ship from Yugoslavia would not have been a big deal, had the Kochs not been the ones doing the buying. With the whole free world to choose from, why would a supposedly true-believer libertarian like Charles Koch buy a vessel produced in a communist country—and name it after his own dear mother, to boot? After all, didn’t Austrian school economist Ludwig Von Mises, an early influence on Charles’ intellectual journey to libertarianism, write in his 1933 seminal work, Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis, that centrally planned economies are so inherently inefficient that “socialism must fail”? It turned out that Yugoslavia’s highly-centralized economy was the opposite of inefficient—it was on fire. In the 1960s and 1970s, the country was churning out, among other things, low-cost, high-quality ships that were sold around the world. Even the old-school libertarian magazine The Freeman couldn’t help but praise the country’s economic performance, writing in 1988, “Many of Yugoslavia’s industries seemed highly competitive in world markets, and there were even astonishing reports that efficient Yugoslav shipbuilders wrested contracts away from the Japanese.”
2. VENEZUELAN FERTILIZER
In 1998, Koch Industries entered into a lucrative partnership with two state-owned companies–one Venezuelan, the other Italian–to open a massive $1 billion nitrogen-based fertilizer plant in Venezuela called Fertinitro.
A business venture with two state-run companies? How did Koch Industries find itself in this libertarian nightmare scenario? After all, Charles Koch’s own Cato Institute brain trust has been writing for decades that state-owned enterprises are less efficient and productive than private companies.
Fertilizer production requires massive amounts of natural gas, and obtaining it can account for 50 percent of operating costs. Luckily for Koch, Fertinitro’s semi-state-owned status allowed it to tap into a guaranteed supply of natural gas subsidized by the state. Steven Bodzin, a former Bloomberg journalist, found that “just on the natural gas, never mind the electricity or water subsidies, Koch profits from a direct Venezuelan government subsidy of $1.23 for every thousand cubic feet of gas consumed at Fertinitro.” For Koch Industries, whose role in the partnership is to unload half of the 6 million tons of fertilizer produced by Fertinitro every year on the American market, that equals up to $123.6 million in subsidies every year.
Savor the irony: While tea partiers wave Koch-funded placards comparing President Obama to Hugo Chavez, the Kochs are busy profiting off Chavez’s socialist economy—only to turn around and blame Venezuela’s poverty on Hugo Chavez’s socialist policies.
3. RANCHINGAfter being dumped by its Internet service provider GoDaddy and many others, neo-Nazi site The Daily Stormer soon found itself a new home — under the welcoming arms of Asian American entrepreneur Nick Lim.
According to Lim, founder of BitMitigate, he offered his firm’s services to Daily Stormer founder Andrew Anglin in the name of free speech. He admitted, however, that he also wanted to create publicity for his company, which protects websites from “denial of services attacks”.
“People should be given the right to express their ideas,” the 20-year-old told ProPublica, before adding, “I thought it would really get my service out there.”
Hate site calls Nick Lim an “honorary Aryan” and a “hero of the White Race” for enabling white supremacist Daily Stormer to stay online. pic.twitter.com/x8yo8faqbx — Wilfred Chan (@wilfredchan) August 19, 2017
Lim even said BitMitigate is giving its services to The Daily Stormer for free.
In the interview, Lim claimed that he had no idea what the site actually stood for, stating that he hadn’t really looked into it.
When told by ProPublica of the site’s ideology, he responded dismissively with: “I think there’s a lot of stupid ideas here. But frankly, it’s not my decision or something I really want to get involved in.”
After denying his involvement with far-right politics, he said he simply did not want to either condemn or endorse the views of his clients.
That was until his tweets before the weekend revealed his actual beliefs:
“People think they are doing good by silencing white supremacists but in reality, they are chipping away at constitutional rights.”
People think they are doing good by silencing white supremacists but in reality they are chipping away at constitutional rights — Nick Lim (@LimTheNick) August 18, 2017
In another, he asked, “Is the left evil or just stupidevil?”
Is the left evil or just stupidevil? — Nick Lim (@LimTheNick) August 18, 2017
His efforts have so far earned him praises from alt-right sympathizers, with many hailing him as a hero:
Despite Lim’s efforts, however, The Daily Stormer did not remain online for long as having a content delivery network (CDN) and a server is not enough to keep a site running. According to Tech Crunch, GoDaddy has reportedly terminated The Daily Stormer’s domain name, but the site can still be accessed via the dark web.The more we hear about the next generation of rechargeable batteries, the more nanotechnology seems integral to the case, as scientists work to improve the capacity of electrodes in the popular Lithium-ion chemical battery structure. Silicon nanowires are an exciting future possibility, and one current solution uses nano-structures made of iron phosphate. But the firm we're highlighting today, EcoloCap, has decided to revisit our versatile friend: the carbon nanotube. The company has just spread the word that its Nano Lithium X battery can generate a minimum of 200 amp-hours with a single cell (a Tesla requires 6,831 cells) at half the cost of a traditional Li-ion and with greater than 99 percent efficiency. Truth be told, we don't know if the tech actually exists, and we'd never even heard of the company before today -- but if this solution does materialize with the voltage to match its longevity, it'll bring a badly needed eco-boost of competition to a market with far too few players.Bill Scher is a contributing editor to Politico Magazine, and co-host of the Bloggingheads.tv show “The DMZ.”
“If we fail on taxes, that's the end of the Republican Party’s governing majority in 2018 [and] probably the end of the Republican Party as we know it,” Sen. Lindsey Graham warned last month. But Graham should have a bigger fear: Passing tax reform could be the end of the Republican Party’s governing majority and the end of the Republican Party as we know it.
Many Republicans are looking to Ronald Reagan’s 1986 tax reform for inspiration. President Donald Trump said in August that Reagan’s mix of reduced rates and brackets combined with revenue-raising loophole closures was “really something special” and a model to emulate. (He neglected to mention that in 1991 he called it an “absolute catastrophe for the country.”)
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But while the Tax Reform Act of 1986 may have been the crowning domestic policy achievement of Reagan’s second term, it was an electoral snooze. Two weeks after Reagan signed the bill into law—and barnstormed the country to tout his achievement—Democrats romped in the midterm elections, netting eight Senate seats and seizing control of the upper chamber.
The New York Times credited overall “economic discontent” and a favorable map—not any sort of backlash from the tax bill—for propelling the Democrats’ win. The bill was a thoroughly bipartisan effort, with majorities of both parties’ caucuses voting in favor, making it hard for either party to gain an electoral edge from passage. Still, a Republican president pocketing a long-held conservative goal of slashing the top tax rate from 50 percent to 28 percent proved powerless to reverse the political winds.
Reagan’s tax reform did not destroy the Republican Party, as Reagan successfully passed the torch to his vice president in 1988. But there is a more ominous episode in Republican tax policy history that should give the party pause: the 1909 “Payne-Aldrich” tariff reform.
The law was spearheaded by Republican President William Howard Taft, shaped by a Republican-controlled Congress and passed with barely any Democratic votes. But this was no rubber-stamped partisan measure. Many compromises were required to bridge the GOP’s progressive-conservative ideological divide, yet they only exacerbated it. A year after passage, Republicans lost control of the House and shed seats in the Senate. In 1912, the Republican Party literally cleaved into two.
***
What makes tax reform so hard for Donald Trump’s Republican Party? The GOP is fractured in multiple ways.
Nearly all Republicans insist that low taxes spur economic growth and indirectly produce more government revenue. But a longstanding divide remains between budget hawks who resist taking that logic too far and “supply-siders” who place tax cuts above all else. The number of true budget hawks may have dwindled in the Republican caucus, but it takes only three of them in the Senate—say, Jeff Flake, Bob Corker and John McCain—to derail a deal, so their concerns still carry weight.
On top of that, the party’s populist turn has attracted a new constituency into its coalition: “Market Skeptic Republicans,” of whom many, according to Pew Research Fund, align with Trump on immigration but support higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy. In turn, House Republicans have flinched from lowering the top tax rate on millionaires, and the billionaire Trump has reportedly insisted while trying to sell his plan to Senate Democrats that his accountant told him, “You’re going to get killed in this bill.”
Then there is the growing divide between free traders and economic nationalists. The initial draft of the House Republican plan aims to curtail offshoring with a 20 percent excise tax on multinational corporations that don’t put their foreign subsidiaries under IRS jurisdiction. Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the libertarian Koch brothers, fired a warning shot in response, telling House legislators that the provision “violates the promise” from Republican leaders “that they would not include such a consumer tax in their tax package.”
Because of these intraparty fault lines, attempts to find compromise inevitably pit industry against industry. Already, proposals to limit the overall cost of the tax cuts with various revenue raisers have attracted opposition from lobbyists representing small businesses, home builders, Realtors and farmers (not to mention social conservatives, who are upset at the elimination of the tax credit for adoptive parents). With Republicans selling corporate tax reform as a boon to business that will boost the overall economy, a chorus of criticism from business interests would seem to undermine the case.
These obstacles may be daunting, but they are not insurmountable. Taft navigated a wider ideological divide and a slew of business battles to enact his top legislative priority during his first year in office. It just ended up being a political disaster.
***
Then-President William Howard Taft navigated a wider ideological divide on tax reform.
Tariffs were the federal government’s primary source of revenue for much of America’s history up until the Taft presidency, as the income tax was considered unconstitutional. Like taxes today, tariff policy animated the divide between Republicans and Democrats.
Populist Democrats tended to believe tariffs should be for revenue only, since veering into protectionism gouged consumers to benefit corporate executives. In 1892, Democrat William Jennings Bryan, then a congressman and not yet a three-time presidential nominee, condemned high tariffs in searing fashion: “[When] a portion of the proceeds of our toil is appropriated by somebody else without our consent, we are simply to that extent slaves, as much so as were the colored men.”
But for Gilded Age Republicans, in the words of historian Edmund Morris, protectionism was “the holiest tenet of the party faith.” “Who are the consumers?” scoffed Republican Sen. Nelson Aldrich of Rhode Island during the 1909 tariff debate. “Is there any class except a very limited one that consumes and does not produce? And why are they entitled to greater consideration?”
Aldrich was on the defensive because by 1909, the Republican Party’s protectionist consensus had begun to fray. Much of the public was chafing at the steep tariffs enacted by President William McKinley in 1897, especially those in the Midwest, far away from Eastern industrialists. In 1902, Iowa’s governor Albert Cummins roiled his fellow Republicans when he used the state party platform to popularize the idea that tariffs should not protect monopolistic trusts.
President Teddy Roosevelt sensed the populist momentum building for tariff reform but lacked a passion for it, calling it an issue “of expediency and not morality” since “there is nothing more intrinsically right or wrong in a 40 percent tariff than in a 60 percent one.” It was not worth testing the bounds of party unity. So he ducked it.
After 12 years of heavy tariffs weighing on the public, Taft concluded he didn’t have the luxury of procrastination. Having a progressive bent but a conservative soul, he sought to gently nudge his party toward “downward revision.”
Taft began his presidency taking the tariff issue head-on and calling Congress into a special session, where a pitched battle awaited. The House and Senate were led by “Old Guard” protectionist Republicans like Senator Aldrich, but the progressive “insurgent” Republican faction was tenacious and could potentially forge majority coalitions with congressional Democrats.
Taft angered the progressives from the start, rejecting an attempt to oust the conservative, high-handed House Speaker Joe Cannon. The insurgents “lacked votes and a plausible alternative,” noted Taft historian Lewis Gould, and Taft didn’t see the point in alienating the legislative gatekeepers. So Taft let Cannon and his House ally Rep. Sereno Payne, along with Aldrich, take the lead in drafting the tariff bill.
Leaning on corporate-friendly insiders led to tepid reform. The House bill offered a mild overall reduction in tariffs, with certain items getting an increase, while in the Senate, Aldrich brazenly jacked up tariffs on a whopping 600 items.
Progressives were so livid, they didn’t credit Taft once he did inject himself in the process and moved the needle to the left.
What progressives wanted most was a fundamental shift in revenue collection: replacing protectionist tariffs with an income tax. Taft was supportive in concept, but wary of legislation that the Supreme Court had previously ruled unconstitutional.
To bridge the party divide, Taft offered a bold compromise: a constitutional amendment allowing for an income tax, along with a statutory tax on corporate profits. Protectionist conservatives opposed the amendment but thought it couldn’t get ratified, and grudgingly accepted a corporate tax as the price to pay for mollifying the left. Progressives, also skeptical about the likelihood of ratification, thought the whole package was weak tea. But Taft got his way.
Then, to resolve tariff differences in the bills that cleared the House and Senate, Taft drew red lines and wheeled deals. He kept tariffs down for key goods such as oil, coal, lumber and, most controversially, cattle hides (to the dismay of Western ranchers). But, fatefully, he bowed to the notoriously powerful wool lobby and left it well protected.
The net result was a mild downward revision at best. In turn, Democratic opposition was nearly unanimous, and progressive Republicans balked. But the Republican majority was big enough to withstand defections. The Payne-Aldrich tariff narrowly passed Congress, 47-31 in the Senate (with 10 Republican “no” votes) and 195-183 in the House.
At that point, Taft still might have been able to hold the fractious Republican coalition together, if not for his ill-conceived victory lap.
Following a summer vacation, Taft went on a cross-country speaking tour. In Boston, he lauded Aldrich’s leadership, rankling progressives who blamed the senator for stifling bolder reform. Then in Wisconsin, he snubbed top insurgent Republican Sen. “Fighting Bob” La Follette. But the biggest gaffe was yet to come.
In populist Minnesota, hoping to provide cover to a conservative ally who had voted for Payne-Aldrich, Taft rigorously defended the compromise legislation in mind-numbing detail (if you ever thought Hillary Clinton’s speeches were too dry and wonky, you never saw Taft explain tariff schedules line-by-line). But while progressives wanted to hear Taft emphasize where he fell short and push for more reform, he instead declared, “the Payne tariff bill is the best tariff bill that the Republican Party ever passed” and so “we ought to give the present bill a chance.”
Taft’s defiant praise made progressives “fighting mad,” said Cummins, the low-tariff Iowa Republican who had joined the Senate and opposed Payne-Aldrich. And the law was a bust with the broader public, in part because Taft couldn’t, or wouldn’t, take on Big Wool—keeping the price of clothing artificially high.
This created an opening for a comeback by Taft’s predecessor and political mentor. As noted by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin in “The Bully Pulpit,” The New York Times immediately discerned the political import of Taft’s speech: “Theodore Roosevelt’s good fortune has not deserted him … If he still cherishes an ambition to return to the White House, the part has been opened to him by President Taft.”
Privately, Roosevelt was supportive of Payne-Aldrich. But when he returned home from an African safari in 1910, he was soon taking the Times’ cue and exploiting disenchantment with Taft. With progressives squarely in his corner, Roosevelt challenged Taft for the 1912 Republican nomination. Once denied by the conservative Old Guard at the Republican convention, Roosevelt’s loyalists stormed out of the Chicago’s Congress Hotel, walked to Orchestra Hall, launched the Progressive Party and nominated Roosevelt for president. The party had broken.
***
Why should that history unnerve Republicans today? Tariff policy once united Republicans … until it didn’t. The same may be true for tax policy today.
Then and now, different Republican factions want contradictory things. Certain proposals favor one set of businesses over another. The mix of revenue cuts and revenue raisers risks produces little immediate benefit for voters.
Republicans would certainly find themselves exposed if they head into the midterms having produced no significant legislation. But jamming a tax kludge through Congress may drive more wedges through the already strained and shrunken Republican coalition. Even if it doesn’t lead to a full-blown, 1912-style schism, it could prompt some soft Republican voters to bail or at least stay home, and a party that barely won the presidency with a minority of the popular vote can’t afford to lose many of its voters.
Of course, there is value in passing policy for policy’s sake. Taft may have shattered his party and condemned himself to a single term. But his awkward compromise ultimately achieved what he set out to do. The 16th Amendment was ratified on his watch, permanently moving the federal government from relying on protective tariffs to progressive income taxation, allowing the country to arm itself for the first world war and paving the way for the modernization of the federal government.
Maybe this Republican Congress will enshrine a tax provision into law that future generations will point to with pride. Just don’t assume it will be enough to keep the Grand Old Party whole.The Tautkus Studio Home Lives of the Saints... KRUNK The Yar-nic-noff Singer! Contact Links Lives of the Saints (and people who lived saintly lives) is a mini comic series.
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Collected works, volume one. Collects issues #1-5 Also contains bonus story: St. Columba vs. The Loch Ness Monster! and the never before in print story: The Problem with Miss Allen. $11.00 free shipping! Live of the Saints (and people who lived saintly lives) #6. Features St. Nicholas vs. Arius, Fr. Anchieta's Discovery, Silent Night, and 3 Hail Marys. 28 pages. Full color cover, black and white insides. $4.50 Lives of the Saints (and people who lived saintly lives) #7. The life of St. Vincent Ferrer. Features the story of a little known saint who helped appease the Wrath of God in a time very much like our own. 52 pages! Full color cover, black and white insides. $7.00 Live of the Saints (and people who lived saintly lives) #8. The life of St. Edmund Campion. The story of a saint who lived in one of the other times in history when people were put in jail for upholding the sixth and ninth commandments. 100 pages! Full color cover, black and white insides, spiral bound by hand! $10.00 Lives of the Saints (and people who lived saintly lives) #9. The life of St. Antholy of the desert. The man who the demons feared! 32 pages, color cover!
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Lives of the Saints (and people who lived saintly lives) cllected works volume 2. Featuring a St Lydwine story like no other! Like "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" in the desert! Only completely devout! Also includes issues 6-9. Also includes internet material that no longer exists! Must be seen to be believed! St. Thomas the Apostle would ne putting his hands in the binding holes back in the day! Well, maybe not. 220 pages! The largest book I have ever published (Unless I mis-counted). Only 26 bucks! Postage paid! Hand made with love at "The Tautkus Studio" (love is our sole revenue). Lives of the Saints (and people who lived saintly lives) # 10. The two fisted tales of St. Nicholas! Features the ever famous St. Nicholas Vs. Arius story! Hand processed and hand bound! 6 dollars post paid! Cheap!We have an update on the earlier story that featured a new image still from Star Trek Into Darkness featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine.
Apparently, along with the image, Paramount also revealed a caption, which seemingly revealed the identity of Cumberbatch's villain.
Zachary Quinto is Spock, Benedict Cumberbatch is John Harrison and Chris Pine is Kirk in STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions.
It's thought that the John Harrison mentioned could be the Harrison from the original Star Trek television show.
Harrison was a technician featured in many episodes as a supporting character who eventually went on to become a Lieutenant. Nothing much from his bio really seems to be in line with what we've seen or heard from Cumberbatch's character, other than perhaps the Omicron spore incident. The spores infected the crew of the Enterprise causing them to beam down to a planet where the spores thrive on a type of radiation. They gave the infected a "peace of mind," telepathic abilities and the ability to restore health -- something Cumberbatch teased in the IMAX footage.
The above image also features the following on Cumberbatch's right arm. Perhaps he is not in the brig, but some form of isolation chamber?
[[wysiwyg_imageupload:4616:]]
It could be that this new image and information is just another red herring from J.J. Abrams, to give us - at last count - a fourth possible identity for Benedict Cumberbatch to go along with Khan, Gary Mitchell and Garth of Izar.
Harrison was also involved in the Khan episode "Space Seed," which this could be some sort of Easter Egg/reference.
It's still anybody's guess.
Star Trek Into Darkness has a May 17th, 2013 release date in 3D, is directed by J.J. Abrams and stars Chris Pine as Capt. James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, Karl Urban as Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura, Simon Pegg as Scotty, Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov, John Cho as Hikaru Sulu and Benedict Cumberbatch as an unnamed villain.
Warp on over to the Cosmic Book News Star Trek Movie Hub for more news.
Synopsis:
In Summer 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes “Star Trek Into Darkness.”
When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.
With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.
As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.Thomas Gonda has been crowned the winner of the Nintendo World Championships 2017, a competition mixing Nintendo games both new and old, according to a press release from the company.
The Nintendo World Championships 2017 was initially announced earlier this year. Qualifying events were held at eight Best Buys across the United States of America where players had the opportunity to compete against one another playing games such as Mario Kart 7. Participants and non-participants alike also had the opportunity to demo Super Mario Odyssey. A livestream of the event was uploaded to Nintendo’s YouTube channel and is now available to watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaiQcqR8vps
Ultimately, 24 competitors met to duke it out playing Nintendo games both new and old. 16 of the competitors were seeded into the final tournament from the eight qualifying Best Buy locations (eight from the 12 and under age group and eight from 13 and older age group). The remaining 8 competitors included various professional gamers and celebrities such as WWE Superstar Bailey, English Actor Asa Butterfield, and gamers from Germany, Mexico, and Canada. The battle commenced with a shield-surfing competition in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WIld. Amongst the other games featured in the competition were Balloon Fight for the NES, Mario Party 2 for the N64, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and other titles across multiple platforms.
As the competition drew to a close, the two remaining participants were Thomas Gonda and John Numbers, the winner of the Nintendo World Championships 2015. The two finalists participated in a three-part game of Super Mario Odyssey from which Thomas Gonda emerged victoriously. A self-declared “lifelong runner-up”, Mr. Gonda received a trophy for his victory over his fellow competitors.
What do you think of the Nintendo World Championships 2017? Do you think more gaming companies should host variety competitions of a similar manner? How do you think you would fare in such a competition? Let us know in the comments below!
Share Have a tip for us? Awesome! Shoot us an email at [email protected] and we'll take a look!After Germany’s occupation of France in 1940, hundreds and thousands of Europeans — aristocrats, celebrities, soldiers and ordinary citizens — fled their homes to escape war, persecution, and poverty. With hope and exit routes slowly evaporating, these refugees sought temporary sanctuary in neighbouring Arab countries like Algeria and Morocco. So, they began a long, arduous journey through Vichy-controlled France, across the Mediterranean to Oran in Algeria, then by train, road or foot along the northern coast of Africa to Casablanca in Morocco. The more fortunate ones used their wealth and influence to acquire exit visas and a trip to Lisbon in Portugal. From there, they flew or sailed to America and elsewhere. Here's looking at you for 75 glorious years, kid! Casablanca released on 26 November, 1942. The Atlantic port city of Casablanca soon became a melting pot of the less-fortunate refugees, anti-Fascist underground fighters, black marketeers, gamblers, criminals, opportunistic Americans and French colonial authorities. Their stomping ground was Rick's Café Americaine, run by a cynical American expatriate with the help of his piano playing sidekick. One day, a sveltely tailored young woman — of lustrous eyes, beguiling vulnerability and Nordic chic — swings open the door to Rick's "of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world." And thus begins one of America's most beloved classics: Casablanca. Michael Curtiz's film premiered at the Hollywood Theater in New York on 26 November, 1942 to coincide with the successful takeover of Casablanca by the Allies. The Warner Bros. wanted to capitalise on the free publicity to lure the crowds. 75 years later, this timeless film — made in a timely fashion — continues to endure resonating with generation after generation and lives on in our collective consciousness. What is your nationality? Made in the wake of swelling war clouds, it was an emotional appeal for unity against the rising tide of Fascism. It felt so real because the storytellers were themselves a medley of immigrants, some 75 odd of them. It was a refugee love saga made by refugees, of refugees but not just for refugees. This is, of course, in clear contrast to the isolationist mood of today as we face a global refugee crisis of a similar scale. While Arab nations welcomed refugees escaping the wrath of Nazis and Vichy henchmen with open arms during WWII, in a cruel twist of fortunes, Syrian, Iraqi and Afghanistani refugees — having escaped ruthless militants, weaponised drones and sinking boats — are greeted in even the most liberal European nations with barbed wire fences, tear gas and rubber bullets. "But the others wait in Casablanca, and wait...and wait...and wait...." remarks the narrator in Casablanca describing the situation of the unfortunate souls stuck in the Moroccan city. But it also illustrates the plight of refugees in the current political climate. I heard a story once... Despite their extraordinary on-screen chemistry, Bogart and Bergman reportedly disliked each other on set. Warner Bros. Based on a stage play called Everybody Comes To Rick’s by Murray Burnett and Joan Allison, the film was made in some unfavourable circumstances and was set to prove a costly failure for Warner Bros. Its stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman didn't particularly like each other and barely communicated. Neither of them even wanted to be cast in the film in the first place. Bogart was coming off the success of The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca was at the bottom of the pile. Bergman yearned for a role in Sam Wood's Technicolor film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls, which she eventually nailed. The script went through numerous rewrites and the producers thought it would tank at the box office. Rumour has it Ronald Reagan was once considered for Bogart's role. (In retrospect, "I stick my neck out for nobody" would have been an ideal catch-phrase for championing Reaganomics in the 1980s.) Despite all these production hurdles, Casablanca was filmed within three months grossing $3.7 million after its initial theatrical release in the US. Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name So, where were we? Oh yes. The young woman — Norwegian emigre Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) — arrives at the nightclub accompanied by her Czech resistance fighter husband Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). And it just so happens she's also an old flame of the establishment's owner, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), who has since turned into a jaded nihilist killjoy. Victor (Paul Henreid), Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) and Rick (Humphrey Bogart): one of the most famous cinematic love triangles. YouTube The story goes Ilsa met Rick in Paris and expectedly, there was the Paris-enabled intense chemistry and they soon fell in love without much knowledge of each other's past. Then, the damn Nazis invaded France and the blacklisted Rick was forced to flee to Marseille. But, of course, he wouldn't go without Ilsa. So, she agrees to meet him at the train station and then mysteriously leaves him in the lurch. But she does send him a farewell note that she can never see him again. *SPOILER ALERT* The mystery is that she ditched Rick after learning her husband — whom she had secretly married and believed to have died in a Nazi internment camp — was alive and kicking. *END SPOILER* Rick doesn't know this of course and the jilted lover slowly and gradually turns into a disgruntled cynic. With Gestapo officer Major Heinrich Strasser hot on the couple's trail, Ilsa and Victor desperately need Rick's help to secure letters of transit that will allow them to leave the country. (Note: The all-important 'letters of transit' is clearly a MacGuffin, a plot device that serves no further purpose than to drive the story forward.) But their reunion in Casablanca throws his life into emotional turmoil after Ilsa confesses she's still in love with him but is torn between the two men. Who does she chose: the selfless Czech partisan or the hardened American expat? With danger lurking around every bend in the seedy North African town, how will she manage to escape? Will Rick seduce her away from her husband or will he sacrifice his new chance at happiness for the greater good? “It’s still the same old story. A fight for love and glory...” With a magical concoction of superb pacing, faultless casting and inspired writing, Casablanca represents the epitome of the Hollywood studio film. The characters are well drawn out and quotable. Bogart may not be everyone's idea of a leading man but he captures Rick's disenchantment and agony admirably. Bergman lights up each scene with her presence. Claude Rains is charming as Captain Louis Renault. Conrad Veidt as Major Heinrich Strasser makes for an ideal villain, Nazi enough for you to hate and not too caricaturish. The film went on to win three Academy Awards – Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay at the 16th Academy Awards in 1944. Warner Bros. On the surface, Casablanca is a war-torn romance about two tragic lovers who lose each other and then find each other again with just the right amount of corny. But look underneath, you'll see a propaganda vehicle for American entry into World War II. Although, the evils of Fascism are sanitised for mainstream consumption. We'll always have Paris Max Steiner, of Gone with the Wind fame, uses previously written melodies and his original score perfectly to emphasise each scene's atmosphere. For a film made in the 1940s, the transitions are quite smooth. The music from Sam's piano vibrates with an undercurrent of amorous nostalgia. It allows the patrons of the nightclub to cope with their anxieties and temporarily forget that the world is at war with itself. Herman Hupfeld’s 'As Time Goes By' is such an integral part of the narrative as Ilsa repeatedly requests, “Play it once Sam, for old time’s sake.” For Rick, the song symbolises their love affair in Paris and forbids Sam from playing it in his |
make $10 billion and there is no amount of money that is worth more to me than the protection of human rights and the protection of people who need it the most.
"They say that a country is truly defined by the way that they treat their most vulnerable citizens -- whether it's their weak, their elderly, their sick, their minorities -- and America has very far to go if we want to be taken seriously," Halsey states.
"And I think Bernie is that guy."8 SHARES Share Tweet Share Share Print Send
In a report that is essentially a total indictment of members and agencies of the Obama Administration – most notably, Attorney General Eric Holder and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – as well as the American media establishment, most of which has dedicated its time and resources to helping Barack Obama win reelection – Spanish language television network Univision has blown wide open the “Fast and Furious” scandal.
In a bombshell investigative report broadcast Sunday, one filled with scathing details and grim, grisly video including security-cam footage of actual execution-style murders and blood-soaked rooms (there’s your warning, for those of you who might be a little unnerved by that kind of real-life graphic violence), the network said it discovered that in January 2010, drug cartel hit men annihilated students with guns the U.S. government allowed to flow to them across the border into Mexico.
“On January 30, 2010, a commando of at least 20 hit men parked themselves outside a birthday party of high school and college students in Villas de Salvarcar, Ciudad Juarez,” said an English version of the report, posted on the ABC News website.
“Near midnight, the assassins, later identified as hired guns for the Mexican cartel La Linea, broke into a one-story house and opened fire on a gathering of nearly 60 teenagers,” the report said. “Outside, lookouts gunned down a screaming neighbor and several students who had managed to escape. Fourteen young men and women were killed, and 12 more were wounded before the hit men finally fled.”
It gets worse. Much worse.
Multiple ‘massacres’
Citing information obtained by a Mexican army document, Univision reported that three of the high caliber weapons fired that night at the students “were linked to a gun tracing operation run by” the ATF.
The operation in question was Fast and Furious.
But this “massacre,” as the network’s report described it, was not the only major news item contained in its report.
“Univision News identified a total of 57 more previously unreported firearms that were bought by straw purchasers monitored by ATF during Operation Fast and Furious, and then recovered in Mexico in sites related to murders, kidnappings, and at least one other massacre,” the report says.
That wasn’t the only “massacre” the network uncovered, related to Fast and Furious. On September 2, 2009, 18 young men were murdered at “El Aliviane, a rehabilitation center in Ciudad Juarez,” the report said.
Univision managed to find these victims through “access to the list of serial numbers of weapons used” in the botched ATF operation, as well as the “list of guns seized in Mexico,” according to an English subtitle translation of the broadcast.
“After cross-referencing them both lists, it became clear that a least a hundred of them were used in crimes of all kinds,” read the subtitles. “We found 57 weapons that were not mentioned in [the U.S.] Congress’ investigation.”
Americans didn’t care – until Americans were affected
The network says it managed to track down many more victims, but acknowledged that “the death toll that this free-flow of weapons authorized by ATF had in Mexico has not been tallied.”
As mentioned earlier, the broadcast was rife with grisly images, including bloodied, dead bodies lying on streets and sidewalks. In relaying this incredible story, the network showed the faces of the dead and led viewers carefully through the operation of the violent drug cartels and how they hunted down their victims with weapons the Obama Administration allowed to be bought by straw purchasers to traffic.
One photo showed pools of blood on the streets of a Mexican town following a “massacre” committed by hit men armed with Fast and Furious guns.
The broadcast made no bones about implying that Americans have no regard for the victims of violence the that Obama Administration policy helped fuel – until one of the victims is an American.
The report says it wasn’t until U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was murdered with Fast and Furious guns that prompted insiders and whistleblowers to come forward publicly and voice objections and concerns about the operation that the administration finally shuttered it.
The network charged the Obama Administration with complicity, of sorts, saying that implementation of the operation “inadvertently” helped fuel the violence and raise the death toll spurred on by warring cartels.
The report also put to rest the assertion by some politicians that weak U.S. gun laws were partly responsible for the carnage.
No justice coming from the ‘Justice Department’
“If up to this point drug dealers could easily obtain and smuggle guns, the United States government made it easier,” said the English subtitles in one part of the report.
Granted, the ATF operation to encourage the volume sales of U.S.-based guns and then try to “follow” them back to the cartels was ill-conceived and misguided from the start. How many Mexican citizens were ultimately victimized or killed by this ill-conceived plan is still a mystery.
But so, too, is the fact that it took a Spanish-language network (only 16.7 percent of the U.S. population is described as “Hispanic” or “Latino,” according to 2011 Census Bureau figures) rather than one of the many English-language networks in the U.S. to break open this huge, festering story.
Not that the administration has been forthcoming and honest, either. In fact, the Obama Administration has gone out of its way to keep a lid on its debacle by giving top cover to Eric Holder, the U.S. attorney general, whose Justice Department oversees ATF.
But the bottom line is this: People are dead, and actions taken by our government contributed to those deaths.
If there is a better reason why this administration, and a number of career bureaucrats heading up the unaccountable ATF, should not be fired come November, we are hard-pressed to find one.
Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/037395_Fast_and_Furious_scandal_gun_running.htmlMatt Wald
Bill McKibben
Last month Bill McKibben wrote in The New Yorker magazine about a family in Vermont that had insulated its house, replaced its oil burner with electric heat pumps, added solar panels to the roof and, presumably, cut its carbon footprint. It’s a noble concept but I’m not sure it’s working.Bill and I go back a long way. We took a trip together in September, 1984, to Hydro-Quebec's James Bay plant, then nearing completion, and he wrote about it in March, 1986, in an article in The New Yorker about the various sources of energy for his apartment in New York. I believe it was one of Bill's first assignments for. I was then a reporter atand wrote about the project immediately. Both of us have closely followed the evolution of energy and climate science ever since, but our paths have diverged somewhat. Bill is the co-founder of 350.org, which seeks to hold the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide to 350 parts per million. (It’s now over 400.) My bet for clean air is nuclear.I've never met the family he wrote about, the Borkowskis, but I'm familiar with the energy system that they (and I, and Bill) live in. Alas, that system is not set up to take advantage of the changes they've made in their home.For starters, Vermont Yankee, the reactor that provided 630 megawatts of round-the-clock, carbon-free electricity, closed last year, the victim of a market system that did not value its reliability, its ability to perform on demand, and its role in keeping the air clean. And New England could close another reactor in the next few years. So it's true that the Borkowski’s heat pumps have replaced oil, but what produces the electricity they use instead?Natural gas and coal. Electrification (as in electric heat pumps replacing oil) can cut the carbon footprint but not always. In this case, an oil burner that was probably at least 80 percent efficient, and possibly 90 percent, has been replaced with a mixture of 34-percent efficient coal, and 60 percent efficient natural gas, minus transmission and distribution losses.The efficiency of the heat pumps – that is, how many BTUs they provide to keep the family warm, compared to the number of BTUs they pull off the grid—is a complicated question, depending in part on the temperature of the air they’re drawing the heat from. When Vermont gets cold enough, the system will switch to plain old resistance heat, which has a bigger carbon footprint than the oil did. Whatever the efficiency, to meet our national carbon goals, the proper approach is to keep low-carbon sources on the grid.Solar won't hurt, but its help will be limited. Bill says solar panels can save the utility system from building more central-station power plants by making energy at peak hours. But that happens only if your peak is at noon. In northern New England, peak is likely to be during dark winter nights, when the solar panels won’t do any good. Farther south, it will be late afternoons in summer, when the sun is too low in the sky to be much help. And heavy subsidies for solar can squeeze out other, round-the-clock zero-carbon sources.Bill says that solar power is the most disruptive energy technology. It might become so – if there is a parallel breakthrough in batteries, which is not now on the horizon – but for now, the energy revolution isn’t solar, it’s fracking. Solar produces about 0.4 percent of our electricity, and natural gas about 27 percent, and rising rapidly. Ten years ago natural gas was 19 percent.One reason natural gas grows is because it is chained to wind. To keep the electric system stable, adding wind requires adding natural gas turbines, which can start quickly and stop quickly, to compensate for wind’s uneven production. These gas burners are not particularly clean, and not particularly cheap to run, and certainly not zero carbon. But the combination of cheap gas and subsidized wind has pushed down the price of electricity in regional wholesale markets, which is bad news for actual zero-carbon generators, like nuclear.Solar actually is zero carbon but it collects big subsidies from governments and all utility customers.I contributed to the Borkowski’s panels, because they got a solar tax credit, and so did every other federal taxpayer. I contribute monthly to my neighbor's solar panels, through my utility bills, by providing what amounts to a cost-free, perfect battery (the electric grid). My neighbor sells energy to the system at noon, at a fixed price, and buys it back at the same price at 5 pm, when his panels produce little but his demand is highest, and when the wholesale price is far higher. In addition, I now contribute more than my fair share for building and maintaining the wires needed to meet his 5 pm peak demand – he pays system charges only on the net kWh he buys.Bill and I visited northern Quebec at an odd time in energy history. Hydro-Quebec, flush with new capacity, was trying desperately to find new markets for power. But in the Montreal hotel we stayed in at the beginning of the trip, stickers on the bathroom windows asked guests to conserve precious energy.We are at an odd time now, too. Heat pumps like the ones Bill wrote about could help electricity displace fossil fuels in consumers’ lives. Electric cars would do the same. But if we kill off zero-carbon nuclear, through markets and government policies that don’t recognize its value, then the future will not be as low-carbon as we hope.Pakistan says it will return captured Indian pilot, as U.S. urges de-escalation
Pakistan will return a captured pilot "as a peace gesture" to India, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday, amid efforts by the United States to defuse a crisis between the two nuclear powers a day after both downed enemy jets.
Russia offers to help mediate between India and Pakistan
Russia is ready to mediate between India and Pakistan to try to calm tensions between the two nuclear powers, Russian government officials said on Thursday, warning of the risk of further clashes between the two countries.
Libyan PM, eastern commander agree national election needed: U.N.
Libya's internationally recognized Prime Minister and the military commander of its breakaway eastern half have met and agreed that national elections are necessary, the U.N. said on Thursday.
Support for Spain's Socialists rises before April election: poll
Spain's ruling Socialists would lead the vote if general elections were held today, with 33.3 percent of the vote and up from 29.9 percent a month earlier, according to the official state-run CIS opinion poll published on Thursday.
Britain's Labour Party leader backs Brexit referendum
Britain's opposition Labour Party will back a new referendum on Brexit after parliament defeated its alternative plan for leaving the European Union, its eurosceptic leader Jeremy Corbyn said, softening his reservations about a second popular vote.
Brexit talks are moving forward, work still to be done: UK PM's spokesman
British talks with the European Union to secure changes to a Brexit deal have moved forward in the last week, but there is still a significant amount of work to do, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said on Thursday.
Mass grave found in last Islamic State bastion: SDF
A mass grave containing the bodies of dozens of people who may be Yazidis enslaved by Islamic State has been found in territory recently seized by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an SDF official said on Thursday.
No gas? No votes. Subsidy cuts imperil Ukraine leader's reelection bid
Ukrainian pensioner Nadiya Ignatiy says she has had the plum and cherry trees in her garden cut down for firewood since the government raised gas prices late last year.
Russian court denies detained U.S. investor Calvey bail
A Russian court on Thursday ruled that prominent U.S. investor Michael Calvey should remain in custody pending trial, rejecting his appeal to be released on bail or moved to house arrest.
Trump walks away from deal with North Korea's Kim over sanctions demand
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had walked away from a nuclear deal at his summit with Kim Jong Un because of unacceptable demands from the North Korean leader to lift punishing U.S.-led sanctions.
North Korea's Kim on official Vietnam visit March 1-2: ministry
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will begin a two-day official visit to Vietnam on Friday, Vietnam's foreign ministry said in a statement shortly after Kim's second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi ended without agreement.
Japanese PM Abe says fully backs Trump over North Korea no deal
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday he fully backed U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to end his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without an agreement.
Cardinal Pell's lawyer apologizes for 'terrible choice of phrase'
The defense lawyer for Australian Cardinal George Pell, a former top Vatican official now in custody pending sentencing for sexually abusing 13-year-old boys, apologized on Thursday for controversial comments he made about the assault.
Mass grave found in last Islamic State enclave: SDF commander
A mass grave containing the bodies of dozens of people believed to be Yazidis held captive by Islamic State has been found in territory recently captured from the jihadists by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an SDF commander said.
SDF trying to confirm whether Yazidis buried in mass grave: SDF commander
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are trying to confirm if dozens of bodies found in a mass grave in territory recently captured from Islamic State are Yazidis who were held captive by the jihadists, an SDF commander said on Thursday.
Thousands stranded in Bangkok as flights affected by India Pakistan tensions
Thousands of travelers were stranded in Bangkok on Thursday when Thai Airways International canceled more than a dozen flights to and from Europe after Pakistan closed its airspace amid rising tensions with India.
China's ruling elite tell Xi they have'strengthened education' of families
Members of the ruling elite of China's governing Communist Party have written to President Xi Jinping to tell him of their efforts to "strengthen education" of their families, state media said on Thursday, part of Xi's stringent anti-graft campaign.
If UK government can bring Brexit deal back for vote before March 12 it will do so: minister
If the government can bring a revised Brexit deal back to parliament for its approval before March 12 it will do so, the leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, said on Thursday.
Big ask: North Korea's Kim answers first questions from foreign journalists
Kim Jong Un's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump may have ended without progress on removing economic sanctions or ending the Korean War, but at least in his dealings on the world stage, the young North Korean leader took another step forward.
Israel security forces should face justice for Gaza killings: U.N.
United Nations investigators said on Thursday Israeli security forces may have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in killing 189 Palestinians and wounding more than 6,100 at weekly protests in Gaza last year.ARLINGTON, Va. -- The livestock and poultry industries are poised for expansion, but a new fatal virus and low inventory could prove challenging.
The Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) is taking its toll on the U.S. hog market.
PEDv was first found in the United States in May 2013. Now, nine months later, it is in 25 states and has killed 4 million pigs.
Industry leaders and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials discussed PEDv and other challenges facing the livestock and poultry industries Friday at the 2014 Ag Outlook forum.
The Department of Agriculture-sponsored event spanned two days and included panels and discussions on food safety, climate change and diversity.
“PEDv is potent; one thimble full could infect all the pigs in the [United States],” said Liz Wagstrom, chief veterinarian for the National Pork Producers Council.
The Pork Checkoff program has spent more than $1 million and is expected to spend another $500,000 in the upcoming months on PEDv research, said Wagstrom. Researchers are publishing and sharing data every two weeks in an effort to curb the spread.
Wagstrom said the U.S. strain of PEDv is 99.4 percent similar to an isolate found in China in 2012.
This U.S. outbreak is the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Peru, Mexico and Canada are all now reporting cases.
“Since this is a new virus, there was no immunity to it,” said Wagstrom of the challenges facing U.S. pork producers.
Wagstrom stressed this is a production disease and not a food safety issue.
The virus can have a 100 percent mortality rate in piglets less than four weeks of age. This is creating a shortage of market hogs.
“Growth in the number of pigs weaned per litter has been curtailed by the mortality rate,” stated a report presented by Shayle Shagam, a Department of Agriculture livestock analyst. The lack of young pigs will sharply limit the supply.
Shagam also presented projections for other livestock and poultry sectors.
The outlook stated that lower feed grain prices should help livestock and poultry producers expand operations.
Feed prices in 2014 are expected to be well below 2013 levels.
Corn is projected to be in the $4.20 to $4.80 per bushel range in 2014. Corn was $6.89 in 2012-13. Soybeans are projected at $425 to $465 per ton in 2014, down from $468 per ton in 2013-14.
Despite lower feed prices, beef producers are sending fewer cattle to slaughter. Those that are slaughtered must weigh enough to meet beef demand, and make it profitable for producers, said John Nalivka, president of Sterling Marketing, Inc.
Nalivka questioned Tyson’s decision to stop buying cattle that had been fed Beta Agonists – a food additive designed to help cattle gain weight. Beta Agonists can add 25 to 30 pounds to a carcass.
He said Beta Agonists increase feed efficiency in beef cattle.
In August 2013, Merck -- the company that produced a leading Beta Agonist, Zilmax -- suspended sales of the product. This was on the heels of reports of multiple incidents in which cattle that had been fed Zilmax refused to move. Cargill, JBS and National Beef joined Tyson and stopped accepting Zilmax-fed cattle at their processing plants.
Nalivka said using Beta Agnostics could be a way for producers to help meet the rising beef demand.
Consumers are eating more beef than ever before. He said the per capita consumption of beef in 1950 was 63.4 pounds per year. Today it is 76.5 pounds per year.
He also said beef processors are finding ways to get more usable product from each beef carcass.I’m starting a new project with Node.JS and Cassandra. Coming from Rails and Mongoid, I was looking for a solid ORM / ODM and discovered Apollo-Cassandra. To be honest, the Node.JS + Cassandra ORM offerings are very limited. I ended up choosing Apollo because it is written on top of the data-stax/nodejs-driver, an officially supported javascript driver for Cassandra, and because the GitHub seemed fairly active.
Aside:
An object-relational-mapping abstracts writing SQL queries by allowing you to call methods on an object, to simplify updating records. My last project used Amazon’s DynamoDB without an ORM and writing database statements and managing model state was not fun or easily maintainable.
Apollo currently does a good job at handling the basics of model management. It allows you to save, create, delete, and update a record; it references a schema for each table; it tracks changes; and it even handles basic validations.
The most immediate features it seems to be lacking are filters / callbacks, and also the ability to override setters and getters of properties. Custom setters and getters are a great place to enforce data structure and DRY your code. Some examples and then my solution are shown below.
Example use-case for DRYing code:
model.prototype.setEmail = function(x) { if (_.isString(x)) { this.email = x.toLowerCase(); } else { this.email = x; } }
My solution for creating custom setters and getters. It creates get___() and set___(value) methods, like setEmail() and getEmail(), for every field defined in your schema. In your code, you should call these set and get methods instead of modifying the model’s properties directly. This gives you the opportunity to override the default getter or setter later on.
To handle mass-assignment, when you create a new record and update an existing record from an object hash, I wrote get(‘field’) and set({field:value}) methods. The set() method can also be called with a single field and value: set('email’,'someemail@domain.com’).
var _ = require('underscore'); var _s = require('underscore.string'); function fieldFunctionNameWithPrefix(prefix, field) { return prefix + _s(field).camelize().capitalize().value(); } var exports = { extend: function(model, schema) { // define setters and getters _.each(_.keys(schema.fields), function(field) { model.prototype[fieldFunctionNameWithPrefix("set", field)] = function(x) { this[field] = x; } model.prototype[fieldFunctionNameWithPrefix("get", field)] = function() { return this[field]; } }); // define set('field', value) and set({ field: value }) model.prototype.set = function(arg1, arg2) { if (_.isString(arg1)) { this[fieldFunctionNameWithPrefix("set", arg1)](arg2); } else if (_.isObject(arg1)) { var self = this; _.mapObject(arg1, function(value, field) { if (!_.isUndefined(schema.fields[field])) { self[fieldFunctionNameWithPrefix("set", field)](value); } }); } else { throw "Invalid arguments." } } // define get('field') model.prototype.get = function(field) { if (!_.isUndefined(schema.fields[field])) { return this[fieldFunctionNameWithPrefix("get", field)](); } else { throw "Invalid field." } } } } module.exports = exports;
Here’s an example of how you’d use this extension:
var schema = { fields: { // timestamps created_at: { type: 'timestamp', default: { $db_function: 'dateOf(now())' } }, // uuid id: { type: 'uuid', default: { $db_function: 'uuid()' } }, // data name: { type: 'text', rule: Validations.String.Present('name') }, email: { type: 'text', rule: Validations.String.Present('email') }, phone: { type: 'text', rule: Validations.String.Present('phone') }, location: 'text', biography: 'text', picture_url: 'text', websites: 'text', slug: 'text', // password password_hash: { type: 'text', rule: Validations.String.Present('password hash') } }, key: ['email'] }; // ========= // = Model = // ========= var model = apollo.add_model('user', schema); Extension.extend(model, schema); // ============= // = Overrides = // ============= model.prototype.setEmail = function(x) { if (_.isString(x)) { this.email = x.toLowerCase(); } else { this.email = x; } }
var u = new Models.User(); // mass assignment u.set({ name: "Alexander Wong", email: "email@example.com" }); // use custom setter, which can be overridden later u.setName("Alex Wong); // use custom getters u.getName(); u.get('name');It sank low in later years, but at its peak, the bible of 90s culture was a glorious, anarchic triumph
I feel sad about the demise of Loaded magazine, in the same way one gets a tinge of guilt when you hear a band you used to like but had long since forgotten existed has split up. Could I have done more? Should I have been there for them?
Various articles have suggested that the demise of Loaded is another nail in the coffin for media misogyny. But the most recent incarnation of the magazine probably featured less bare flesh than at any time in the magazine’s history. The last issue I picked up, in an airport, featured a lead article about online privacy (albeit illustrated with pictures of Jennifer Lawrence), among other moderately high-minded stuff.
Loaded’s new owners seemed to be making an effort to appeal to readers in their late 30s and early 40s who had read it in its 90s glory years, but had abandoned it when, in the mid-2000s, the entire men’s magazine market became an embarrassment. But it was too late.
Loaded, from its launch in 1994 up until around 2000, was a brilliant, anarchic read. Ben Marshall, who wrote for the original incarnation, told Little Atoms the magazine had been run like a fanzine. “[Founding editors] James Brown and Tim Southwell had a fanzine mentality,” says Marshall. “Loaded catchphrases like ‘drop me bacon sandwich’ came from young mods they hung around with."
"There were fucking insane amounts of drug-taking"
“But because Loaded grew like a fanzine, it also grew chaotically. There were fucking insane amounts of drug-taking. And the thing with that level of chaos is that you get away with it until you don’t get away with it.”
Marshall probably knows more than most. For a year, he lived life writing the Dice Man feature for the magazine (based on the cult Luke Rhinehart book), essentially handing huge life choices over to chance. Marshall went as far as taking heroin for the sake of copy, and even broke up with a girlfriend.
Reading these articles, never mind writing them, was exhilarating. Loaded brought a Gonzoish, boys-in-the-band mentality to everything. It was enormously fun, and funny. The insanely odd and crude Office Pest strip was created by the people who went on to make Modern Toss, now Guardian regulars. And Loaded was one of the earliest mainstream print outlets to feature Charlie Brooker, in the form of his TVGoHome spoof listings (where Nathan Barley originated)
"Bad stuff didn't happen to people like Beth"
Ironically, for a magazine so associated with “laddishness”, it was the loss of fashion editor Beth Summers that put an end to the golden age of the magazine. In January 2000, Summers was in Italy covering Milan Fashion Week when she suffered a horrendous motorbike crash, leaving her completely incapacitated (In 2004 Summers was awarded £4m in compensation. She will need 24-hour care for the rest of her life). The team were left in shock. “Bad stuff didn’t happen to people like Beth. Bad stuff didn’t happen to people like us,” Marshall wrote in an updated version of Tim Southwell’s Getting Away With It: The Inside Story of Loaded.
Summers was the heart and soul of the magazine, bringing innovation and fun to its fashion pages, miles from the trad men’s magazine aesthetic of suits and watches.
Within months of her accident, most of the original Loaded team had moved on (Brown had already left to edit GQ in 1997). The fanzine mentality fell away, as publisher IPC literally brought Loaded, which had previously had its own office, in-house.
"Tits and lists"
And then there was FHM. FHM relaunched in the late 90s with a simple, cynical formula: “Tits and lists”. Loaded, with sales of 600,000 per issue, did not see any reason to see FHM as a competitor. IPC, watching FHM sales soar to over 750,000, thought differently. Though Loaded had always had its fair share of scantily-clad models (and an odd regular page featuring women photographed at London fetish clubs) it had never been a girly mag per se. But the magazine joined the race for increased nipple counts. “All the stuff that had been said about Loaded was eventually true,” says Marshall. The magazine became cruder, ever more priapic, and, crucially, unfunny. You can get away with a lot if you’re funny.
Having got dragged into this zero-sum game, Loaded now found itself competing not just with other mens’ monthlies, but with the lad’s-mag weeklies and the web. The titles fell by the wayside - Maxim, Nuts, countless others. Loaded was bought from IPC in 2010 and passed through more owners before a management buyout in 2013. Editor Aaron Tinney promised that “girlie shoots” would be a thing of the past, and that he would bring the magazine “back to its roots”.
90s nostalgia overload
But the readers who had moved on over 20 years could not be won back. The formula had been lost. Marshall believes the magazine may have been able to “grow with its readers”. “Could it have become a kind of British Rolling Stone? Possibly,” he says. “But it would have needed to talk about things that affected its readers - children, jobs.”
Despite Tinney’s protestations that the 2014 reboot of Loaded would not be an exercise in nostalgia, the very last issue’s cover story was Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh interviewing Oasis’s Noel Gallagher. The April issue also features a Q&A with 90s lad favourite Howard Marks. A previous issue had featured a Britpop 20th anniversary special, again with Gallagher(s) on the front.
The magazine seemingly could not bring back the 90s glory days without replicating them exactly. Crucially, people like me - men in our mid-30s who had once loved Loaded, would not have even thought of buying it, and new readers had no idea what it was. Unlikely as it may have seemed when that first, brilliant, confrontational Gary Oldman cover hit the stands, the magazine for men who should know better has gone gently into that good night.Beast Computer s
Shadow government
See : Google
[pdf] Defending Sacred Ground: The Andromedan Compendium Biological computers
[vid] Satans Illuminati Beast (Super) Computer Exposed!! 2014 Springmeier, Fritz
Imagine being a programmed multiple, and your handler doesn’t have to even be near you to relay complicated codes and instructions. He can use your implant. But again, how serious is electronic mind-control? Let me relate to you about a guided tour that a civilian friend of mine took through a NWO’s major beast computer center in Alaska back in the 1970’s. The engineer, who was in charge of building and getting the center operational, gave him a tour of the site’s capabilities.
At that point, the NWO had built a massive computer center in Alaska, one in So. Africa (believed to be located at the U.S. embassy in Johannesburg), and one in Pine Gap, Australia. These three sites were very specific, because they formed a triangle on the globe, and couldn’t be located anywhere else, due to the naturally occuring lines of force of the planet. These Beast Computer Centers consist of aisles and aisles of big state of the art computers. They each have several dozen people to run them. Even in the ’70’s, an operator could speak into the computer and it would answer. For instance, if you asked the computer about anyone on the planet, it could usually pull up all kinds of information about that person. If you asked the computer how could you get that person to kill someone? or how can I isolate this person? The computer would spill out a plan almost instantly, telling you all the people around that subject who could be manipulated and in what fashion those people need to be manipulated to cause the end result. This is the end result of years of "BLACK PSYCHIATRY--which means applying psychiatric techniques to manipulate people and nations. These computers electronically connect to some of those people who are electronically controlled, so that the controllers can actually control the world from a computer. These computers also store vast amounts of personal information about people’s thought processes and thinking. It is possible that electronic surveillance is being done to read the thoughts of people and that the computers are actually able to store this information in some usable fashion. Because this is so secret, they can’t give any hints of their vast ability to monitor thoughts, as well as organize and store those thoughts. This sounds like science fiction, but from people who invent & work at state of the art technology, this is actually said to be old technology. They are limited in how they use this technology because they want it to remain secret. 6: SCIENCE NO. 6-THE USE OF ELECTRONICS & ELECTRICITY
This author’s friend, who toured the Alaskan computer center, was shown how a war could be created between any two nations. The operator merely asked the computer what it knew about a certain country and then ask it how could a war be created with a neighboring country. This is the end result of countless studies such as the U.S. military reference book Basic Psychological Operations Study (BPS) which outlines country by country, specifying where each country is vulnerable for PSYOP operations (psychological warfare).
This kind of thing has a long history. For instance in W.W. II, the Office of War Information and the 0SS cooperated in psychological warfare projects. What this author’s friend saw was a network of Cray-type computers, perhaps similar to the EMASS system of Cray computers that E-Systems developed. Such a system can store 5 trillion pages of text and work with that data base with lightening speed.
The reason this author’s friend was allowed to see this technology, was that he happened to be at the right place at the right time, and the Engineer operator of the Beast Computer said that this system was obsolete. Which is true, today’s 9 Beast computers are much better at speech than the computers at these three control sites were in ’73. The Beast computers can (according to another eye witness who used it) hear human voices and determine what language is being spoken and then can listen and answer in that language. These computers link directly to thousands of mind-controlled slaves and can-- via various methods-- almost instantly control the behavior of numerous people. This, along with good old fashioned phone calls, allows the elite to manipulate events very fast. 6: SCIENCE NO. 6-THE USE OF ELECTRONICS & ELECTRICITY
Every person in the world has been assigned an 18 digit tracking number, which consists of 3 groups of 6 numbers. The first 3 numbers assigned in the BEAST computer to everyone are 666.
The next is one’s national code. The U.S. national code is 110. Then the next 3 numbers are your telephone area code, and then finally your 9 digit Social Security number.
The code then is 666 + Nation code + Tel. area code + social security no. = BEAST I.D. no. for an individual.
According to Dwight Kinman’s book The World’s Last Dictator, 2nd ed., (Woodburn, OR: Solid Rock Books, p. 256) VISA has already begun issuing VISA cards using the BEAST 18 digit number. When an American makes a bank transaction on an autoteller within a matter of seconds the BEAST has been informed of the activity. These computers use UNIX. The Illuminati Formula 11. Internal Controls
There are four types of brain waves: alpha, beta, delta, and theta. The four basic models of Monarch slaves have the same names as these four types of brain waves. High level Illuminati models may have programming that includes all of these types. According to one ex(?)-government source, the CIA has been labeling their harmonic-created total Mind-controlled slaves by the following: Bravo 2 series models are men programmed to run the Beast computers. Delta series are models for espionage and assassination. Juliet series are sexual mind controlled slaves. Kilo 5 series is military espionage. Michael 1 series slaves are CIA agents under total mind-control. Operation Greenstar was the Mind-control project to create UFO abductions scenarios. Much of the high level programming in the 1980s and 1990s is no longer done with human programmers, but is done via programmed machines using drugs, electricity and harmonics. The Illuminati Formula 6. The Use of Electricity & Electronics
There are nine secret BEAST computers of the New World Order, at the time this was written. "Big Bertha" is the nickname of the BEAST computer located at the secret military installation called Dreamland at the secret Groom Lake, NV test site facility |
he said. "Our role is more of the apostles … where we become the bridge between understanding what kind of lives (our) two parents have lived."The New York Times has published a series of articles by Nicholas Casey on the state of Venezuela, the very recently rich oil country that is today destitute and with a population suffering starvation, riots and kidnappings, and outright chaos. The articles include plenty of important observations from the everyday life in the post-Chávez nation and pictures documenting how the suffering population survive against the odds.
In a recent article, “No Food, No Medicine, No Respite: A Starving Boy’s Death in Venezuela” published on Christmas Day, Casey portrays the great suffering of a mother losing her second-born son scavenging for food and then not getting the health care needed. It is a heartbreaking report of sadness, hopelessness, and poverty. Undoubtedly, many readers will empathize strongly with the people portrayed in these articles.
Readers will wish to point fingers, put blame on someone or something for this situation. After all, Venezuela went from rich oil country with plenty of hope for the future to what the NYT refers to as “economic crisis” and inflation topping 700%. But we’re left without information on what went wrong or whom to blame. After all, Chávez’s egalitarian social policies were promising, modern and progressive, weren’t they?
NYT’s reporting is limited to pointing out what’s wrong: poverty, crime, starvation, “scarcity.” Casey’s article is “the story of a boy with no food, who had gone searching for wild roots to eat but ended up poisoning himself instead” – and he couldn’t be saved because “the hospital had lacked the simplest supplies needed to save him.” Indeed, it had been a while since the hospital “ran out of basic supplies.”
In Venezuela, “Doctors have prepared to operate on bloody tables because they did not have enough water to clean them.” A sad if not horrific fact.
There’s also the couple that “survive on two salaries that have depreciated to the equivalent of $2.19 a day,” which is another statement that should sadden readers. But these facts actually provides no clue to the real problems faced by Venezuelans. The clues are to be found in (or rather, hidden by) other statements intended to make us feel bad.
For instance, as a Venezuelan is quoted saying, “There are no more shipments [of food] now.” Or the father about his son, stating that “We can barely find diapers or milk for José Antonio.” These are not statements of lacking purchasing power, but of non-existing supply. Why are there no supplies for hospitals, no food to buy in markets?
Well, we’re told that there are no black beans in the whole country, because “Few producers make them anymore for the fixed government price.”
The terrible situation is not due to “scarcity” or lack of resources. That is the symptom, not the cause. The source of the suffering, and consequently the responsibility for it, lies with government officials enacting and enforcing policies that contradict economic reality – that violate economic law. This is a part of the story that the NYT does not tell. It is not false news, because the facts are (probably) correct. But it is incomplete, if not severely lacking. Does that make it “fake”?Conway: The Biggest Piece of 'Fake News' Was That Trump Couldn't Win
Is Trump Filling His Administration With Too Many Generals?
McCain: 'Shameless' for Obama to Claim Rise of ISIS Took Him by Surprise
An illegal immigrant who has been deported eight times is wanted in the hit-and-run deaths of two women in Louisville, Ky.
The Department of Justice announced that Mexican national Miguel Angel Villasenor-Saucedo, 40, was driving the truck that killed the women on Oct. 22 and then fled the scene.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest, and he faces no more than a maximum of two years in prison if captured, the announcement stated.
Laura Wilkerson, whose son Josh was killed by an illegal immigrant in 2010, reacted on "The Kelly File," saying she's "enraged" by the report.
Officials said Villasenor-Saucedo repeatedly crossed into Texas by wading or rafting across the Rio Grande. Wilkerson said she supports President-elect Donald Trump's hardline stance on combating illegal immigration.
"Now is the perfect time for him to do what he says he would do, which is build the wall, enforce law and get out illegals who are here committing crimes," said Wilkerson, who chairs Enforce the Law, an organization opposed to sanctuary cities.
Wilkerson said the border is wide open right now and that the country cannot assess who is here until the flow of illegal immigrants is stopped.
Watch the full interview above.
Sheriff Clarke: All Cop Killers Should Get the Death Penalty
WWII Vet Stuns Pearl Harbor Crowd With Moving National Anthem on Harmonica
Chris Wallace: John Glenn Was a 'Genuine American HeroDozens of House liberals have endorsed Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Former Sanders campaign spokesman: Clinton staff are 'biggest a--holes in American politics' MORE's White House bid even as Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernard (Bernie) SandersPush to end U.S. support for Saudi war hits Senate setback Sanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' MORE (I-Vt.) is gaining steam.
Sanders, a liberal icon, has emerged as a surprisingly strong candidate since launching his campaign two months ago, raising $15 million and making huge gains on Clinton recently among Democratic voters in Iowa, which will host the country's first presidential caucus.
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Yet at least 26 Democrats representing the 69-member Congressional Progressive Caucus –– a bastion of liberal thinking that Sanders helped to launch –– have already endorsed Clinton, according to a tally being kept by The Hill.
The list includes liberal stalwarts like Reps. Rosa DeLaura (D-Conn.) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) –– both forceful voices in the recent trade debate that Clinton was reluctant to enter –– and Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), three vociferous critics of an Iraq War that Clinton, as a New York senator, supported.
A number of Democrats have cheered Sanders' entrance into the race, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), another liberal favorite, hasn't ruled out the possibility of campaigning for him.
“I love what Bernie is talking about,” she told the Boston Globe Monday.
But no members of Congress have officially endorsed the Vermont senator.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), head of the Progressive Caucus, said the decision to withhold endorsements this early in the primary process is a practical one. Many lawmakers simply want a longer opportunity to hear where candidates stand on the issues, he said.
“There will come a point when each person will make up his or her mind as to who to support, and allowing the primary to play out a bit gives everyone the chance to make that decision with as much information as possible,” Grijalva said in an email. “Endorsing now does a disservice to our candidates who are looking for time to make their case to the American people.”
A House Democratic aide echoed that message, suggesting that early endorsements risk undermining the opportunity for lawmakers to influence the debate. The greatest sway the Democrats will have, the aide argued, will be in proposing specific policy prescriptions surrounding the most prominent legislative fights to come –– including the looming debates over a highway bill, government spending and the Ex-Im bank –– and seeing how the candidates react.
“Coming out now doesn't really give you anything,” said the aide, whose boss has not yet endorsed a Democratic candidate. “The ideas coming from congressional Democrats will be more important.”
Licy DoCanto, head of The DoCanto Group, a public policy consulting firm, downplayed the influence of congressional endorsements, arguing that they're largely “immaterial” outside the Beltway. The real challenge facing Sanders and the others in the Democratic field –– including former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Sen. Jim Webb (Va.) –– is not in winning endorsements but in building a national profile to rival Clinton's.
The recent Iowa poll, he said, is indication that at least Sanders might be breaking through.
“The rest of the country is starting to realize there are other serious candidates, DoCanto said. “It's not just Hillary Clinton.”
Clinton remains by far the front-runner within a tiny Democratic field. The former secretary of state has, for years, been laying the operational ground work of her candidacy, and she hauled in a record of more than $45 million in the first quarter of the race.
But she's also raised concerns among liberals on and off Capitol Hill, who have criticized her silence on the trade debate, hammered her approach to national security issues and questioned her ties to Wall Street and other well-heeled donors.
Sanders long track record in Congress, many liberals contend, makes him the better voice for the middle class.
“Bernie has been there with us every time, fighting for fairness, for environmental justice, for voting rights and getting big money out of politics,” Larry Cohen, a leader of the Communication Workers of America, said this week in endorsing Sanders. “This is our chance to build a movement that will not answer to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.”
The debate arrives following a 2014 election cycle when Democrats were hammered at the polls, losing control of the Senate and ceding the largest GOP House majority since the Great Depression.
Leaders of the Progressive Caucus and other liberals have blamed the losses on what they say is the reluctance of Democrats to embrace core principles like wage equality, universal healthcare and a robust safety-net system. Many are welcoming the notion of a well-contested Democratic primary –– in lieu of a landslide –– arguing that the ultimate nominee will be better poised to win the White House afterwards.
“President Obama and Secretary Clinton both benefitted from their hard-fought primary in 2008,” Grijalva said. “They tested each other, and as a result, they both became stronger leaders in the end.”
Democratic strategists say there are numerous factors fueling the timing and direction of lawmaker endorsements, including historic loyalties to candidates, public sentiment, gender considerations and regional concerns. But while those endorsements can help with fundraising, groundwork and momentum, the strategists add, it's ultimately up to the contenders themselves to win the trust of voters and get them to the polls.
“You have another surrogate in your army to go out there and spread the message,” said Doug Thornell, democratic strategist and managing director at SKDKnickerbocker, a public affairs firm. “But when it comes to winning the votes, it's up to the candidates.”
On the primary front, the Democrats think they have the advantage over the Republicans, who have a much larger field and face more pressure to distinguish themselves as top-tier candidates. Thornell predicted the GOP primary “is going to get bloody earlier than normal.”
“There are going to be a lot of desperate Republicans, doing whatever it takes to claw their way into the top ten,” Thornell said. “The Democrats don't really have that problem.”Share. The Quinn machine. The Quinn machine.
Full spoilers follow.
He will never get out, but every so often it makes him feel better to say he will.
This week we saw the lengths to which Quinn will go when he’s committed to his mission, which as it turns out is even further than Carrie or Saul or pretty much anyone else in the agency. With the exception of his old boss, perhaps.
Yes, Dar Adal is finally back. When F. Murray Abraham showed up in the “previously on” segment, I figured Dar would reenter the scene at some point in "Krieg Nicht Lieb" tonight. But I could not have foreseen that he would be accompanying the hated Taliban chief Haqqani in the episode’s twist ending. What the what?!
Of course, Director Lockhart sensed something was going on. The catastrophe in Islamabad has guaranteed that he’s out of the CIA now, and as such he’s being kept in the dark regarding what the White House is up to. But as he tells Carrie (who, by the way, seems to now be basically a trusted ally and friend to Lockhart after all those episodes of antagonism), he thinks something else is afoot. Is this what it was? Is the U.S. supporting or protecting Haqqani now for some reason? Or is Dar Adal just tending to his own agenda, which he presumably thinks is for the greater good somehow?
We’ll find out more next week in the season finale, but I expect Dar’s return here tracks with Quinn’s own single-minded pursuit to do what needs to be done no matter the cost. Like his old mentor, Quinn is ready to make the sacrifices that need to be made. He can pretend that he’s a normal guy who wants to go back to an apartment with a swimming pool and a girlfriend and grocery shopping, but as his German embassy friend tells Carrie, in the end he always returns to doing what it is that he does best.
Quinn does have a weak spot for Carrie though, and he was not able to pull off his master plan to take out Haqqani because of that weakness. (Sweet bomb making skills though, Quinn.) He was, apparently, willing to blow up a bunch of innocent civilians in order to get the job done, however. (He also had no qualms about showing Aayan’s old girlfriend photos of the kid’s murder, which seemed pretty cruel as well.)
Meanwhile, Carrie’s search for Quinn and her need to save him from himself was intensified when she learned of the death of her dad back home. James Rebhorn, who had played Frank Mathison, died last spring and we knew this was coming. But it’s interesting how the Homeland writers used the loss of her dad to give Carrie an even stronger impulse to ensure that she not lose her friend too.
Ultimately, this did feel like something of a filler episode, though. Quinn’s big plan didn’t pan out, and while I liked the refocus on Aayan, who had been all but forgotten in recent weeks, I’m not sure I buy Carrie’s sudden decision to shoot Haqqani after she had just convinced Quinn that killing the terrorist would be a suicide mission. Sure, she feels regret over what happened to Aayan, but this is still Carrie Mathison we’re talking about here. Carrie motherf#@king Mathison!
So it fell to Khan to stop Carrie from making that big mistake, which means Khan has now saved our main character twice. His actions, unfortunately, have not done much to save any other American lives or interests as of yet, but he’s also aware of the bigger game that’s being played now as it’s he who pointed out Dar Adal’s presence to Carrie. We’ll see what happens in the finale next week, but it seems nothing less than America’s interests in the region could be at stake.
Some notes:Soldiers Say It's Hard To Return To Civilian Life
It's a rare time in U.S. military history: During the longest period of sustained warfare, members of the military make up just one-half of 1 percent of the U.S. population. With fewer people sharing the burden, many veterans are having a difficult time adjusting to civilian life.
JOHN DONVAN, host: This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm John Donvan. Neal Conan is away. By any measure, Nick Colgin is an American hero. A veteran of the war in Afghanistan, he was awarded a Bronze Star for saving the life of a French soldier under heavy fire.
But being a war hero is only one part of this former Army medic's story. Specialist Nick Colgin, now retired from the Army, joins us from the Waxhaw Studios of Wisconsin Public Radio. Welcome, Nick.
NICK COLGIN: Thank you, nice to talk with you.
DONVAN: And it's great to have you here. And we've heard the side of your story where you saved a guy's life. You were working as a medic. He was shot in the head, and you brought him through that and obviously proving that you know what to do under fire, in that kind of medical situation. You know how to do emergency medical work.
So tell us what happened when you came home and you wanted to do the very same thing as a civilian, and you went out into the job market.
COLGIN: Yeah, while I was overseas I helped save the life of a French (unintelligible) who had been shot in the head, helped save 42 Afghanis from a flooding river, did combat care. I did basically clinic care. And then I get back, I received a Bronze Star and then went to receiving an unemployment check.
And it was a hard dose of reality, and you don't expect that, especially when you're overseas, you're at the top of your echelon with your job, and all that changes. One day I could do my job, and then I get out, and the next day it's like I'd never had any of the accomplishments that I've had before.
DONVAN: So what happened, Nick, when you went out - when you went out into the job market, and you walked in the door, and you told them I'm really good at this stuff, then what happened?
COLGIN: I went out into the job market, and I'm trying to convey to them that, hey, I'm really good at what I do. I'm the tip of the spear at medical care. And they didn't realize that because I lacked the certifications. I could be a medic in the Army, when I get out, it doesn't transfer out. And also, a lot of civilian employers don't understand what it means to be a medic overseas or be a truck driver overseas. They don't realize the qualifications that come along with that.
DONVAN: So why were they telling you that they were not hiring you?
COLGIN: They told me they were not hiring me because just the lack of certification.
DONVAN: You needed your paperwork and some sort of...
COLGIN: You needed the paperwork. You get trained to a high level within your field while in the military, but certifications don't come along with that training.
So all of the work that you did over there, and also here in the States, there's no piece of paper you can come out with and prove in the same way you have a discharge paper, you can't say I'm a trained medic and I can walk into this job?
It depends. Most people come out, you have very basic certifications. Like I had a nationally certified EMTB, which is the most basic-level medical certification you can get coming out. And it's just a small step over a CPR certification to most people.
And so you're not getting the certifications that are appropriate to the level of training you've had.
DONVAN: So where did this leave you at that point?
COLGIN: This left me receiving an unemployment check. It left me - I was trying to - I was injured overseas as well, so I was trying to navigate the VA health care system. It left me severely depressed and unable to care not only for myself but for my wife as well.
DONVAN: And considering what you were under in terms of combat, were you also having some stress, post-traumatic stress?
COLGIN: I had all kinds of issues. And this is back in 2008. I'm still having issues to this day because you try to go out there and get the help you need, a lot of times, but it's not always easy. Some of it's on the veteran, but some of it's also in the system. The care isn't always there, and it's not always to the level that you need it.
DONVAN: So all you want to do is work. You want a job. You do not want to be on the dole.
COLGIN: When I got back, the one thing I wanted to do was go out and get a job. I wanted to go right into the career field. I wasn't asking to be a CEO of a corporation. I was just asking to do what I did overseas. I wanted to be an asset to my community, pay taxes and just - I wanted to be a staple within my community and not a burden on it.
DONVAN: Now, doesn't the Army offer you a transitional process? Don't they sit you down and talk to you about the fact that you're going to be moving into the civilian world and that there are skills that they can teach you and techniques and tips that they can give you about what's ahead for you?
COLGIN: There's a program, it's called TAP, Transition Assistance Program, and the problem with that is, is it's based off the installation level. It's not like when - it's not just one system. It's at the installation level. So each base does it their own way. Each service does it their own way.
And you just go there, they check the box, and you're good to go. They - you don't actually have to sit there in most places, through all the classes. You're not getting the type of resume training skills that you should be getting, everything along those lines.
And especially you're getting veterans that just got back from Iraq or Afghanistan. They may have been back three weeks, and they're trying to get mental health care. They're trying to move back to their hometown, and at the same time, you're trying to teach them how to get a job. It's a big mess of a system.
DONVAN: Do you have buddies in the same situation?
COLGIN: Oh, I've - I hear all the time about my buddies, people I don't even know that contact me. And before I thought it just like at the lower levels, like the E3s, E4s, E5s, like the lower enlisted guys that were having these issues because you wouldn't think that a colonel would get out having employment issues.
But I've come to - I heard from a lieutenant colonel a few weeks ago, and he got out and ended up having to go work basically a government contracting job because he couldn't transition into the civilian sector.
DONVAN: You know, we see the recruiting commercials where, you know, there are young soldiers, sailors, Marines, sitting in front of computer looking at high technology, and the sense you get is you're going to learn a lot here, and what you learn is going to set you up for life.
COLGIN: Yeah, when I went into the military, I remember going like through all my medical training, and friends and family, people within the military, they were always like, oh, you're going to be set when you get out with a job. You're going to be set for life. It's such a smart thing that you're doing, everything like that.
And it lures you into a false sense of confidence. You don't realize that when you get out, the civilian world, it doesn't care what you did in the military, and it really should.
DONVAN: Is that really true? They really don't care?
COLGIN: I don't think it's many times they really don't care. I think it's they don't necessarily know what it means. Like you get a - basically an infantry soldier, he gets out, he goes to the civilian side, they don't know how great his management skills are. They don't know how well his entrepreneurial skills are. They don't know because the military is kind of its own culture.
And veterans have been trying to work to get the civilian sector to realize that they're at the top of their fields in all job skills. They can show up on time. They can manage - if they can make great decisions in combat while they're under fie and keep their cool, then they should be able to handle the floor as(ph) a stock trader.
DONVAN: You know, I mean, you're coming out of this into a terrible economy and competing against a lot of civilians who didn't go to Iraq and Afghanistan. Do you think because of your service that you should be given an edge?
COLGIN: I don't think because of my service I should be given an edge. We're not looking for handouts. We're just looking for an opportunity, to give us a fair shot. And we're definitely not looking for handouts, just the people to realize the skills that we do have.
Like you take the SATs to get into college, and that's basically your entrance exam, your DD214, basically your military paperwork, when you get out, that should be your entrance exam into the career field right there.
DONVAN: I'm trying to get a sense of whether you're angry about this.
COLGIN: I'm not so much angry about it.
DONVAN: Frustrated.
COLGIN: I'm frustrated because it's - I live this every day. I hear about all my buddies that can't get jobs. I'm hearing about buddies I have that have committed suicide, and...
DONVAN: That's literally true? They're...
COLGIN: It's literally true. And I've been working, talking out loud about this stuff for over a year now. I fought when I was overseas, and I think the hardest fighting I've done is coming home. I've heard more talk about suicide in a Shakespeare class I took referring to "Romeo and Juliet" than I've heard about veteran suicide in the national media.
DONVAN: Well, you mentioned the Shakespeare class. What's that about?
COLGIN: I took - I went back and I had to retrain. I got out, and I started taking medical classes, and I was basically having to double-dip my GI Bill. I was paying for classes that I had basically already took. So I got frustrated. I changed my major to English. I'm getting ready to graduate this year. And so that's a good milestone right there.
DONVAN: You can tell many concerned parents out there what you're supposed to do with an English major. What is your plan? It's not necessarily a ticket to employment. So what is your plan on that?
COLGIN: Actually, my - I just accepted a job about a week or two ago. Another big shocking factor was the president gave that speech about how I couldn't get a job. I think I got two job offers just off that speech. And that - you'd think if the president goes up there and says this guy is a great medic, hire him, something along those lines, there'd be an overwhelming response. I believe I got two job offers, and one was from the VA.
But I accepted a job last week. I'm going to be moving to New York to work with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, basically helping veterans out. And there's nothing more rewarding than that.
DONVAN: The bottom line, civilian life hard to reach when you're leaving the military?
Yeah, it's - imagine if you took a civilian and put them in Afghanistan tomorrow. They would have a hard time transitioning. And someone like myself and all the other veterans out there, we basically go right into the military out of high school in a lot of cases. So we don't really grow up on the civilian side.
COLGIN: So we get back, it's hard, and you get depressed, and you're telling people you need help, and you're not getting the help you need, and it's all tied together. You get a veteran that can't get a job, he's just going to be even more depressed. The nightmares, everything's going to be worse. It's all tied in together.
And we're crying out for help or yelling out for help, not handouts, and we're just not getting the help we need. And it's - we're working for it. Like this summer I moved halfway across the nation to sleep on a futon out in New York City with no A/C just to pad my resume, and that's not much of a step up from sleeping on the ground in Afghanistan out in the sun that I did back in 2008 for the 14, 15 months I was deployed.
We're working at it, it's just we can't do it all by ourselves. We need a little bit of help.
DONVAN: Well, Nick, I think you're heard loud and clear on this broadcast, and I want to thank you for joining us. Retired Army medic Nick Colgin has been joining us from Wisconsin Public Radio in Waxhaw. Nick, thanks for your time. Good luck to you, and Godspeed.
COLGIN: Oh, thank you so much.
DONVAN: So if you've served in the military since 9/11 and you've gone back to civilian life, we want to know what got in your way. Tell us your story. Our number is 800-989-8255. And you can also email us at talk@npr.org. You can also join the conversation on our website. Go to npr.org and click on TALK OF THE NATION.
So Nick Colgin, you've heard his story, but he is far from the only returning veteran who is running into these kinds of challenges. When we come back, we'll be talking with Paul Taylor, who has done a survey and has some numbers on this. This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm John Donvan.
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DONVAN: This is TALK OF THE NATION, from NPR News. I'm John Donvan, sitting in for Neal Conan. We're talking about the challenges that many veterans face when they return from civilian life, and we were listening to Nick Colgin talk about his issues returning from Afghanistan, skilled as a medic, unable to get a job even as an EMT when he got back home.
We know that it's not just - we know that it's not just Nick Colgin because a survey has been done by the Pew Research Organization, which shows that there is actually a growing divide between military and civilian life. And we want to talk about that survey now by bringing in Paul Taylor. He is executive vice president of the Pew Research Center in Washington. He's joining us from his home in Bethesda, Maryland. Paul, it's nice to have you joining us.
PAUL TAYLOR: Thanks for having me.
DONVAN: So you heard him talking about his struggle making that transition to civilian life. What else have you heard from veterans?
TAYLOR: Well, it's a very powerful story he tells in part because it's not just his story. We did a survey early fall, around the time of the 10th anniversary of the start of the Afghanistan war, our longest war in our history fought by the smallest share of the population ever, just one-half of one percent at any given time in this last decade has been in the armed forces. We've never done a war quite like this.
And that's one of the reasons I think there is a distance between those who have served and those who haven't, there's a gap in understanding. But we talked to more than 700 post-9/11 veterans. We also talked to 1,200 pre-9/11 veterans. We also talked to the civilian population.
On the post-9/11 veterans, a few things stand out. They are enormously proud of their service; 96 percent say they're proud of having served. Ninety-plus percent talk about the rewards of service, just as Nick had. It's made them more mature; it's taught them how to work better with other people; it's given them skills, 70-plus percent say it's given them skills that will help them succeed in a job or career after the military.
DONVAN: Or so they thought.
TAYLOR: Or so they thought. But then there is the downside. And of the post-9/11 veterans, 44 percent say they have had difficulty readjusting to civilian life. When we asked the same question of pre-9/11 veterans, only a quarter, only 25 percent said that.
Thirty-seven percent of post-9/11 veterans say that whether they've been officially diagnosed or not, they have suffered from post-traumatic stress. Just 16 percent of pre-9/11 veterans say the same. So this has been a difficult homecoming for this generation of veterans. Part of it, as you discussed earlier, is that they're coming home to a very tough economy where unemployment - we know the national unemployment rate is about nine percent.
But the unemployment rate for young adults, those in their late teens up through their early 20s, is more than double that, and the majority of post-9/11 vets, they're in their 20s while they serve. Most of them are in their 20s when they come home. So they're facing a very, very tough job market to begin with.
And then as Nick suggests, there may not be a full understanding in the civilian job market of the special skills that they have acquired while serving.
DONVAN: Paul, do you have a sense of whether there's actually a negative on vets? Are they fighting any kind of, I don't know, image problem, anything like that?
TAYLOR: No, I mean, this is one of the things that's so interesting about this survey is that the public, frankly, is fatigued with these wars. The public no longer supports these two wars. And frankly, the public isn't paying as much attention to these two wars.
But the public draws a very sharp distinction between the wars and the warriors. They are enormously proud of the warriors. And some people remember back in Vietnam, it too was a long and controversial war, and by the end, most of the public thought it was a quagmire and a mistake, and a lot of the returning veterans of that generation felt like some of the negatives that the public felt towards the war, you know, they felt themselves on coming home.
I don't think that's the case. This generation of civilians, 90-plus percent says we're proud of the guys who serve. Seventy-five percent say we thank them. More than six in 10 say we've tried to something to help them or their family. So I think it's seen very much as a positive, but there is a gap in understanding.
We asked the veterans, do you think the American public sort of understands what it means to serve in the military? Do they understand the rewards, and do they understand the burdens? Eight in 10 of the guys - men and women in the military say no, the public doesn't get it.
We asked the same question of the public, and about seven in 10 said you're right, we don't get it. So there is just a gulf in understanding.
DONVAN: Including in knowing what they can do, what they've been trained for, what their skills are and how much pressure they have worked under, which has been tremendous.
TAYLOR: I think that's right.
DONVAN: All right, I'd like to go to some callers now, and if you have a story about your own struggle, obstacles that you have faced returning to civilian life, we want to hear your story. Our number is 800-989-8255. And I want to go first to Jonathan(ph) in Traverse City, Michigan. Jonathan, welcome.
JONATHAN: Yes, hi, thanks for taking my call.
DONVAN: Sure. Jonathan, tell us your story.
JONATHAN: Well, I served in the Army, and I was actually activated from the Individual Ready Reserve. I don't know how familiar people are with that, but basically I was not doing anything actively in the military and was individually taken and assigned to a unit that went to Iraq.
And I served about 10 months over there and came back, and the thing with being from the Individual Reserve was that there was no unit to come back to. You know, when we were done, they just sent us back home, and we didn't come back with the people we served with, we didn't really have the kinds of support systems...
DONVAN: Jonathan, what would you say you wanted to do? What was your goal when you came back home?
JONATHAN: My goal was to kind of go back to normal life, and I found that very difficult. I was fortunate, you know, I had a family and a good job when I left, and when I came back, I just wanted to go back to that, you know, have my life back.
DONVAN: So Jonathan, was the - were the obstacles to going back to normal, were they inside you because you had just been ripped from that normal world, sent overseas, then brought back, were those inside you, or was the world that you returned to not ready to bring you back in?
JONATHAN: No, the world was very ready. It was the inside things that were the issue. And, you know, I was diagnosed fairly early on with post-traumatic stress disorder. But I was also, you know, I put in for a traumatic brain injury because I was involved in a vehicle crash and had a blow to my head and was, you know, taken to the hospital for treatment and that while I was gone.
And I found that, you know, the VA sent me down for an examination for both of those, for the PTSD and the TBI, with a neuropsychologist who diagnosed me with both of them and said that I did have a TBI related to that accident. But the VA - while they approved the PTSD has been fighting me for about three years now trying to say that I don't have a brain injury. And that's just made it really hard to get the appropriate treatment and kind of caused a lot of other problems for me.
DONVAN: And so like Nick Colgin, you're also finding it hard to work, I'm assuming.
JONATHAN: Yeah, I've actually had to stop working and go into a rehabilitation program just to get me back to the point where I can go back to work.
DONVAN: All right, Jonathan, I want to thank you for sharing your story with us. And I also want to thank Paul Taylor for joining us and bringing us some numbers and telling us that this is actually quite a large-scale issue. Paul Taylor is the executive vice president at the Pew Research Center who edited and co-wrote parts of the report "The Military-Civilian Gap: War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/ |
said the "absolutely vital point" was that "the future of the Falkland Islands is a matter for the people themselves".
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption David Cameron told Andrew Rosindell MP: ''The future of the Falkland Islands is a matter for the people''
"As long as they want to remain part of the United Kingdom and be British, they should be able to do so," he said.
"What the Argentinians have been saying recently, I would argue, is actually far more like colonialism because these people want to remain British and the Argentinians want them to do something else."
Mr Cameron said he wanted to "make sure our defences and everything else are in order", which is why a National Security Council meeting had been held on Tuesday to discuss the issue.
Offshore resources
President Fernandez has repeatedly requested talks on the islands' future and accused the UK of "arrogance" for refusing to negotiate.
She has accused Britain of "taking Argentine resources" from the islands and the waters around them.
Tensions have risen in recent years over oil exploration around the Falklands.
In December, the Mercosur grouping of countries, which includes Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay, announced that it would ban ships sailing under the Falkland Islands flag from docking at their ports.
The islands were discussed on Wednesday during a visit by UK Foreign Minister William Hague to Brazil.
Mr Hague knows that "Brazil and other South American nations support Argentine sovereignty over the Malvinas and that we support the UN resolutions calling on Argentina and Britain to discuss the issue," Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota told reporters.
Mr Hague said differences over the Falklands did not stop the UK having a "vastly productive relationship and growing friendship" with Brazil.Welcome aboard, says the new Doctor, shutting the door on the outside world. It's a cold, gusty day at Doctor Who HQ in Cardiff. I'd been hoping for the Tardis, but we make do with his trailer.
The heater is blowing out hot air, and photos and postcards are flapping on the wall. There's a picture of a cat, a mate doing a moony, good luck messages. The trailer has become home for Matt Smith while he's been filming his first Doctor Who series.
He already feels he's done his share of time travelling. Friends, strangers, future fans ask him what it's going to be like when he's the Doctor, and to answer he has to do a double take – take a trip back to the future. As far as he's concerned he's been busy Doctoring for the last seven months, but of course we're yet to see the fruits of his labour.
The announcement that Smith was to take over from David Tennant as the Doctor was greeted by the nation with a huge collective question mark. Matt Smith, who he? After all, names such as James Nesbitt and David Morrissey were said to be in the running. There had also been hints that the BBC was preparing for the first black Doctor (Paterson Joseph, who played Rodrick in the series) or the first female (former assistant Billie Piper).
It's hardly surprising that the supposed shortlist was high profile. Doctor Who is the biggest time-travel series in the galaxy. It's the longest-running sci-fi show on television, sold to 54 countries, and more than three million Doctor Who DVDs have been sold. Previous incumbents have included long-scarved legend Tom Baker and white-haired dandy Jon Pertwee. To make matters worse for Smith, Tennant had just been voted the greatest ever Doctor.
Matt who?
Today he's wearing braces and a bow tie, which make his baby face even more incongruous. After all, so many Doctors were middle-aged at least (even a little wizened in the case of William Hartnell) – and, so we thought, they should be if they were single-handedly going to save the world from Daleks, Reapers, Cybermen, the Slitheen, the Sycorax, the Abzorbaloff, the Master, the Adipose and the odd werewolf.
Smith looks a good decade off shaving, his complexion is worryingly white and he's beansprout thin. His quiff juts out from his high forehead like an overhanging cliff. He's got a touch of the rock-star-from-outer-space about him. "This is my cat Timmy who's no longer with us," he says, giving a guided tour of his trailer walls. "My mate Timmy. I can't tell you, man, I luuuuurved that cat. He got to 18. He had a really good innings, that's why I was so attached to him. He was called the godfather of the street because he was a bigggggg cat. I'm totally going to have a Mini Egg, if that's all right." He digs into my packet and munches away. "Ah, it's like heaven in your mouth."
Words cascade from him, tumbling over each other in the race from brain to mouth. He's bouncy and playful – the type of hyperactive puppy you find presenting children's TV shows on Saturday mornings. Yet at the same time there's something about him that's older than his years. His vocabulary is a throwback to Enid Blyton's lashings of ginger beer: the Ken Loach film Looking For Eric is a "belter" that "warms the cockles", "gosh" is his favourite expletive, he doesn't swear.
When David Tennant announced he was stepping down, Smith's mum suggested he'd make a good Doctor. Why? "Well, I used to have a really stripy scarf at university and people would say it's very Doctor Who!" Is that all? He ums and aahs, and says there might be something else. "I guess I've always hoped… There's something irreverent or wreckless or mad or brilliant. Don't we all hope that we could be the Doctor, somewhere? Isn't that what makes him great?"
Actually, Smith didn't originally hope he could be the Doctor. He hoped – rather, assumed – he would be a footballer. He grew up in Northampton, went to a good local secondary which had formerly been a grammar school, did as much work as was necessary to see him through his exams, and played football. Every day, every evening, he played. He was good, too. Signed on at youth level with Northampton Town, then Nottingham Forest and Leicester City. His dad had been a decent centre-back, and his grandfather had played as a striker for Notts County. There was only one thing he was ever going to be: a first-class centre-back.
Then, at 16, he got a back injury. For a year his father, who runs a plastics business, drove him from Northampton to Leicester every day for treatment. Eventually, he returned to action. But it wasn't the same – the pace, confidence and hunger had gone. Leicester City released him. "I could have signed for a lower league club but it was a risk, and the last few games I didn't want to play, I dreaded it. I'd lost that desire, the urge, the enjoyment, all the things you need in life. I mean, what's the point in doing something you don't enjoy?"
He makes it sound like an easy decision now, but it wasn't. "I was talking to my dad about it the other day. It's the one time… Yes, I was in a mess. Football was everything. You think it's the one thing you do in your life, your whole focus…" For a nanosecond he sounds almost downbeat. "But it's like anything… it's not the disappointment, it's how you react to it." And how did he react? "I went to do my A-levels and started doing drama. I'm totally going to have another Mini Egg, if that's all right."
His drama teacher, Mr Hardingham, nurtured Smith. When he didn't turn up for rehearsal, he gave him a second chance. "Like great teachers do, they change your life. He got me forms for the National Youth Theatre. And I didn't fill them in." Mr Hardingham persisted. Eventually Smith did fill in the forms, won a place, went on to study drama and creative writing at the University of East Anglia and discovered that acting gave him a similar buzz to football. "There are great disciplines from being a sportsman that you can transfer into being an artist. The preparation, the sacrifice, the constant desire to improve."
Smith looks at me. He notices the sweat pouring from my face. It's boiling in the trailer. "Oh God, I'm so sorry, you should have said." He jumps up, turns the heat down, pops a Mini Egg into his mouth, sits down and looks out of the window. He points to the neighbouring trailer that belongs to the Doctor's new assistant, played by Karen Gillan. "She's very beautiful, mad as a box of cats." He stops. "In a brilliant way… We're both pretty mad, I think, which is why it's cool."
Does he fancy her? "Me, Matt Smith, or the Doctor?" The Doctor? "Well, you'll have to see, won't you?" And Matt Smith? "Noooh!" he protests. "She's my mate, Kaz, I just take the mick out of her every day." It's not very gentlemanly to say you don't fancy her, I say. "No, listen, she's a beautiful woman, you know, but we work together – that would be an error. That would be an error!"
Has he always been popular with girls? "I like to think so." Last year it was reported that he was going out with Brazilian singer Mayana Moura. Are they still together? "No, no, no, no," he says in a rush. Smith is single again. What is he looking for in the ideal woman? "Oh gosh! Daisy Lowe is taken, so that's out of the question. Haha!" Who's she? "She's a pretty lady… Oh, I don't know. Someone lovely with a good heart who enjoys the things I enjoy… who plays the guitar."
He talks about how tough the work is, and the hours they have to put in. "By the end, we'll be filming from 11pm till nine in the morning… then they need to shoot in the mornings because of the light. D'you know what? It is exhausting. We've been shooting for seven and a half months now, and the line-learning is quite immense for the Doctor because he's in pretty much every scene, and he says the majority of stuff because his brain is the coolest and the biggest." After filming, he does a couple of hours a night of revision, learning his lines. Is it worse than school? "No, because you're the Doctor, so the payoff's greater. It's not like triple maths with Mr Humzinger. There's not that much coffee breath."
When he got the job, he had to keep it secret. He'd sit watching Doctor Who with his flatmate, desperate to tell him he was the new Time Lord and having to keep schtum. "It was a complete nightmare." Eventually he told his father. "He was rather flabbergasted. When I told him, he laughed. He was excited, elated and very proud."
It's such a strange time in his life. A year ago, he was pretty much unknown – fans of the television series Party Animals, in which he played a parliamentary researcher, or those who had seen him at the Royal Court in That Face, playing the carer son of Lindsay Duncan's alcoholic mother, might have been able to put a name to the face, but he hardly had a mass following. At Christmas, he made his first (and so far only) appearance as the Doctor, when David Tennant regenerated into him. Today, he can just about get away with walking around unbothered. In a few weeks, he will be a star, one of the most recognisable actors in the country. "There aren't many jobs that change the fabric of your life in the same way – where you go from being a working actor who is pretty anonymous, to being thrust into what is one of the most popular shows, if not the most popular, in Britain."
Is he nervous? Look, he says, it's his job, he's taking it all in his stride. Then he stops. Of course he's nervous. "It's unlike any job I'll ever do because a) there's so much that comes with it, b) there's so much that is expected. I'd be lying if I said the first day I walked on the beach, where we filmed, and I saw the Tardis, and there were all these paparazzi there, and you're going, what the hell is going on…?" In his rush to get the words out, he often forgets to finish sentences.
Has he sought the advice of former Doctors? He tells me he recently had lunch with Peter Davison, who told him simply to enjoy the ride. He also had a word with David Tennant. "I spoke briefly to David. He was just very lovely and gave me encouragement, but I think you have to cleave it out yourself. It's your own journey."
Surely it makes it that bit tougher when he's following the most popular Doctor ever. "Yeah, yeah. I guess you've got to approach it with your own take or spin. No, spin is the wrong word. Identity. How can you not be aware of the rich heritage and legacy? Over Christmas it was everywhere. It was the big thing, David leaving the show. But it only intimidates you as much as you allow it to."
I tell him about my 10-year-old friend Joseph. Joseph cried when Tennant left. More to the point, he cried when he saw Smith for the first time. I feel mean mentioning it, but perhaps it's a measure of Smith's task, to win over the fans. He looks a little crestfallen. Then there are the bloggers, complaining that, at 27, he is too young, too much like an emo rock star, too pretty, too ugly, too everything. "Thanks for reminding me." How can he put them at ease? "What is my retort to them? Thank you for your kind and considered comments… hehehehe. Everybody's entitled to an opinion. But an emo? Maybe it's my hair."
Back to Joseph. He wants to know how Smith is going to make the Doctor his own.
"He's a little reckless. He'll walk into a room and have a million things to do. And, as opposed to knowing exactly how to get out, he'll take it up to the precipice: don't know, don't know, don't know, and boom, there's the idea. And it's a bit mad and reckless. It's very doof, doof, doof. And he's got a companion who I think is the hardest to handle. And she's quite mad. But the Doctor's quite mad as well. So together…"
Is he going to be one of those melancholy doctors like Christopher Eccleston, weighed down by his traumatic history? "I think it's impossible to escape that with the Doctor. He's lost so many people and devastated so much… bad or good, he's brought whole empires down. He's seen a lot, and that's part of his personality. But that's also what gives him such joy and effervescence."
As he talks I notice a long scar running down his forehead. Is it the result of a football injury? "No, I cracked that open as a kid at nursery, and had to have 24 stitches. Can you see where it goes back? You can peel my hair back if you want." So I do, and tell him this is not the first actor I've got intimate with – I once pulled a hair out of Daniel Day-Lewis's ear. He looks impressed. "Really? He's a genius. I'm having another Mini Egg. What an actor! That's what we're all aiming for. To turn in bits and bobs like that!"
Apart from the football blip, you sense Matt Smith is used to achieving the goals he sets himself. At school, he decided he wanted to be head boy, and won the election. "I was the outside choice. I curried favour among friends. I just wanted the mantle." Really? "Yeah, course, man. I wanted to run things. I wanted control. It was the highest position, and I wanted the highest position. Why not? Then you get to organise the ball and you get to say if you have a year book and every Tuesday you go out for a meeting for two hours and get out of triple maths. There was a big hoo-ha with a mate called Dean, because he thought I was using underhand tactics to get votes." But get the votes he did.
Whereas previous head boys were straight-A students who had gone on to Cambridge University, Smith was not a swot. But even when stressing his averageness, he ends up revealing more about his determination. "I got an A, B and C. A in Drama. B in Psychology." He bangs the table. "I should have got an A, man. Should have got an A. That ticked me off!"
At university he went on to get a very average degree. He squirms when he mentions his 2:2, but adds by way of explanation that he spent much of the last six months away from his course acting professionally. Just to think, he says almost wistfully, he had once planned on doing a degree in politics at Sheffield.
Why did he want to study politics? "I just wanted to be intelligent, or seem intelligent, and go to a redbrick university and go, 'Oh yeah, I'm doing politics!' I used to read Gore Vidal books and think I was cool."
What would he rather be, a political thinker with a good degree or the Doctor? He looks at me as if I'm absolutely bonkers. "Come on!" he shouts. "Politics was a ridiculous idea. I would have been rubbish. It's the Doctor!"
• The new series of Doctor Who starts on BBC1 at Easter.A controversial bill to allow websites to be censored has been passed by both houses of the Australian parliament. The Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill 2015 allows companies to go to a Federal Court judge to get overseas sites blocked if their "primary purpose" is facilitating copyright infringement.
Dr Matthew Rimmer, an associate professor at the Australian National University College of Law, points out that there is a lack of definitions within the bill: "What is 'primary purpose'? There's no definition. What is 'facilitation'? Again, there's no definition." That's dangerous, he believes, because it could lead to "collateral damage," whereby sites that don't intend to hosting infringing material are blocked because a court might rule they were covered anyway. Moreover, Rimmer told The Sydney Morning Herald that controversial material of the kind released by WikiLeaks is often under copyright, which means that the new law could be used to censor information that was embarrassing, but in the public interest.
The bill passed easily in both houses thanks to bipartisan support from the Liberal and Labor parties: only the Australian Greens put up any fight against it. Bernard Keane explains in an article on Crikey that the main argument for the new law—that it would save Australian jobs—is completely bogus. Claims that film piracy was costing 6100 jobs every year don't stand up to scrutiny: "If piracy were going to destroy 6000 jobs in the arts sector every year, why is employment in the specific sub-sector that according to the copyright industry is the one directly affected by piracy now 31,000, compared to 24,000 in 2011?" Keane asks.
As well as being based on a false premise, the new law will also be ineffectual, since Australians can simply use to web proxies and VPNs to circumvent any blocks that are imposed. This has raised the fear that the courts will go on to apply the new law to VPN providers, although Australia's Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has insisted this won't happen. According to TorrentFreak, last week Turnbull said: "VPNs have a wide range of legitimate purposes, not least of which is the preservation of privacy—something which every citizen is entitled to secure for themselves—and [VPN providers] have no oversight, control or influence over their customers’ activities." If Turnbull sticks to that view, it is likely that Australians will turn increasingly to VPNs to nullify the new law.
As Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam wrote today, the real solution lies elsewhere: "The government is ignoring the opportunity to work with content providers and remove the reasons for people currently accessing content through torrents and other sources. Just deliver content in a timely and affordable manner, and piracy collapses."
That's no mere theory: survey after survey shows that the approach is already working elsewhere. It's a pity that the Australian government didn't pay more attention to those figures instead of the listening to the "foreign rights holders and lobbyists who have collectively donated millions of dollars to the Liberal and Labor parties," whom Ludlam claims have been the driving force behind the introduction of the new law.As a data specialist, I would be extremely annoyed if someone wanted to try to make me into an application dev for the bus factor. That is just shortsighted on the part of your management. It is like asking an accountant to train to do HR. I only bring this up because you are likely to face resistance from these people. I also bring it up because they are not unskilled, they have a completely different profession and if you treat them as being unskilled and stupid it will come across in your training which will create problems.
I believe the first step is to identify what things they will most likely need to be able to do and document them in a Wiki. It is unlikely that they will want these people to create things from scratch but to troubleshoot and hold things together until you return or they hire a new application developer. If this is true, then triage what you want to tell them down to the most important things. Make a list of the most common production problems and then create a cheat sheet for each problem on what to do to fix it.
Teach them things like how to interpret error messages and how to find information in whatever logging your system is doing and when to reboot the server and what will be affected if you do so. Teach them your coding standards. Teach them where the code is stored in source control and how to use that (while I think most database work should be in source control, it is not in many places, so they may not know how to use it.) Give them a list of any applicable server names and passwords and ensure they have the appropriate rights to work on those servers.
Find a local contact for a place that has freelance devs available. Make sure your company knows that they can get support from these people if the problem is beyond the skills of the data people. You, the data people and ultimately your management will be happier if there is a fallback plan. The chances that you can turn these people into application developers in a short time is low. The best you can hope for is that they can fix simple problems and they know where everything is and can explain the business to a freelancer for complicated things.
The document everything you can. The goal is that people can find what they need to do the work if you are not there.
I would also suggest that you start a process of code review with these people. In this case, it is not so much to find code problems as to get them familiar with your most recent code and its requirement, your style of coding and your thought processes about your design. Along the way in explaining things to them, you will likely notice some bugs you hadn't noticed.
When you have a common production problem to deal with after you have gone over the most common issues in a training session, have them shadow you and document every step you take. Make sure you make it clear to them that you encourage questions. If they do the documentation, they are going to be more likely to write it in the way that is best for them to understand. Different people have different learning styles and you are basically creating a Wiki that will be more useful to them than you. So let them decide how to organize it.
If their duties keep them from shadowing you, then do the wiki entire yourself as you work on the problems while they are fresh in your mind.
For some simple problems, after they have shadowed you and the steps have been documented, then you have them take the steps while you shadow them. This will give them more confidence that they can actually do the task. This is what we did when we converted some application devs recently to data specialists.
The basic teaching philosophy should beI feel kind of sick. I don’t mean to make this week about my mental health, but I’m not taking care of myself, and I have to recognize the things I’m doing wrong right now to make better choices later.
I feel overwhelmed. I don’t feel like myself. I can’t sleep well, I eat maybe one meal a day. When I do go to Pierce, I only get junk food: pizza or ice cream. I forget to go to the bathroom, I have trouble concentrating – even when I manage to get away from other people. I’m distracted by by my own thoughts. Midterms are over, but I feel worse. When I opened those tests, I realized how much I didn’t know. I expected it. I looked over the chapter summaries, but failed to absorb any of the words on the page. I didn’t understand what my notes from class meant, so I just told myself studying was a lost cause and just went to sleep the night before. My resulting grades were incredible, in a bad way.
It’s the first time I’m feeling so lost in school. I used to easily ask friends for help on assignments or concepts I didn’t understand. I even went to teachers before class if I didn’t get what they taught the day before. Back then, my biggest issue was overcoming the fear of asking people for help, and being shy. But right now, I’m facing a different issue. I think it’s having too much pride.
When someone else asks me for help, I like helping them. I like knowing the answer, I like being resourceful, and I take pleasure in knowing information other people don’t. But when I’m in the reverse situation, when I’m lost, it’s difficult for me to admit that I am.
In certain classes, I feel like I don’t know what I don’t understand. My understanding of what goes on in class is so small that I can’t even identify the concepts I have issues with. It’s difficult for me to stay focused during lectures. I manage to complete homework assignments (which save my grade) with formulas and internet tutorials, but I never quite understand what anything means, and then do poorly when it comes time for a quiz.
I feel like to get good grades here, it completely depends on what you’ve been exposed to in high school. If you never took Calculus before, or have never coded before, you have no idea what’s going on. The pace is fast, the homeworks are different than what’s taught in lecture, or what will be on the test. Professors teach assuming you have some background knowledge of science and math, but what if you don’t have any? It makes me wonder how I even got accepted into this school without certain classes on my transcript.
Is this just what it means to be a freshman? I don’t know. I don’t like this version of myself. I don’t like how unorganized I am, how much I don’t know, how much I can’t do. Thankfully, I have truly supportive friends that are going through all of it with me. Friends that keep me on schedule, make me eat meals. I don’t know what they see in me; their lives seem more on track than mine. They don’t know the person I am, but have some kind of faith and still want to invest in my friendship. I’m really thankful. For them, those who won’t let me feel lonely, I need to pull myself together.UW opened camp with depth problems at key positions and that hasn’t changed midway through.
McEvoy could play a significant role on both offense and defense this season.
McEvoy took first-team reps alongside Alex Erickson and caught two deep balls from QB Joel Stave during 7-on-7 drills on the first day of fall camp.
Chryst might not win the press conference, but he has connected with his players.
Chryst might not win the press conference, but he has connected with his players.
Every time University of Wisconsin linebacker Joe Schobert wanted to pull the plug on a weig…
When Paul Chryst was the critically acclaimed offensive coordinator for the University of Wi…
Jason Galloway bio
Jason Galloway covers the Badgers football program for the Wisconsin State Journal. Galloway moved to Madison in 2013 after graduating from the University of Alabama and spending two years as the high school sports reporter for the Opelika-Auburn News in Alabama.• US letter would be in response to Ahmadinejad congratulations • Move would pave way for direct engagement with Iran
President Barack Obama's administration is considering sending a letter to Iran aimed at unfreezing US-Iranian relations and opening the way for face-to-face talks, the Guardian has learned.
The US state department has been working on drafts of the letter since Obama was elected on November 4. The letter would be in reply to a lengthy one of congratulations sent by the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on November 6.
Diplomats say Obama's letter would be a symbolic gesture to mark a change in tone from the hostile one adopted by the Bush administration, which portrayed Iran as part of an "axis of evil".
It would be intended to allay the suspicions of Iran's leaders and pave the way for President Obama to engage them directly, a break with past policy. State department officials have written at least three drafts of a letter that gives assurances that Washington does not want to overthrow the Islamic regime, but merely seek a change in its behaviour.
The letter would be addressed to the Iranian people and sent directly to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, or released as an open letter.
One draft proposal suggests Iran should compare its relatively low standard of living with that of some of its more prosperous neighbours and contemplate the benefits of losing its pariah status in the West. Although the tone is conciliatory, it also calls on Iran to end what the US calls state sponsorship of terrorism.
The letter is being considered by the new secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, as part of a sweeping review of US policy on Iran. A decision on sending it is not expected until the review is complete.
In an interview on Monday with the al-Arabiya television network, Obama hinted at a more friendly approach towards Iran.
The Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said today he was waiting patiently to see what the Obama administration comes up with. "We will listen to the statements closely, we will carefully study their actions and if there are real changes, we will welcome it," he said.
Ahmadinejad, who confirmed he will stand for election again in June, said it was unclear whether the Obama administration was intent on just a shift in tactics or was seeking fundamental change. He called on the US to apologise for its actions against Iran over the last 60 years, including US support for a 1953 coup that ousted the democratically-elected government and the US shooting down of an Iranian passenger plane in 1988.
US concern over Iran is mainly over its uranium enrichment programme, which Washington claims is intended to provide the country with a nuclear weapons capability. Diplomatic moves are given increased urgency by fears that Israel might take unilateral action to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities.
The state department refused to comment today on options under review.
But diplomatic sources said lots of options were under review about how to signal to the Iranians that there is a change in attitude in Washington and that Obama is looking for direct talks.
One of the chief Iranian concerns revolves around suspicion that the US is engaged in covert actions aimed at regime change, including support for separatist groups in areas like Kurdestan, Sistan-Baluchestan and Khuzestan. The state department has repeatedly denied there is any US support for such groups.
The Bush administration, in its dying days, was planning to open a US interests section in Tehran, one step down from an embassy. The former secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, said it never happened because attention was diverted by the Russian invasion of Georgia. Others say that right-wingers in the Bush administration mounted a rearguard action to block it.
The idea has resurfaced but if there are direct talks with Iran, it may be decided that a diplomatic presence would obviate the need for a diplomatic mission in Tehran, at least in the short term.
While Obama is taking the lead on Iran policy, the administration will shortly announce that Dennis Ross will become a special envoy to Iran, following the appointments last week of George Mitchell, the veteran US mediator, as special envoy to the Middle East and Richard Holbrooke, who helped broker the Bosnia peace agreement, as special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Ross, who served in the Clinton administration in a leading role in the Middle East peace talks, will be responsible on a day to day basis in implementing Iran policy.
In a graphic sign of Iranian mistrust, the hardline newspaper Kayhan, which is considered close to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has denounced Ross as a "Zionist lobbyist".
Saeed Leylaz, a Tehran-based analyst, said a US letter would have to be accompanied by security guarantees and an agreement to drop economic sanctions. "If they send such a letter it will be a very significant step towards better ties but they should be careful in not thinking Tehran will respond immediately," he said. "There will be disputes inside the system about such a letter. There are lot of radicals who don't want to see ordinary relations between Tehran and Washington. To convince Iran, they should send a very clear message that they are not going to try and destroy the regime."With childhood obesity skyrocketing and climate change looming for future generations, schools across the country are fighting back.
Organic Authority article reports that schools in major cities from Los Angeles to Philadelphia are implementing policies to reduce animal-based offerings in cafeterias and increase plant-based options. A recentarticle reports that schools in major cities from Los Angeles to Philadelphia are implementing policies to reduce animal-based offerings in cafeterias and increase plant-based options.
The author explains:
Interest in plant-based foods is at an all-time high, according to Lux Research, a strategic advisory firm for emerging technologies, “by 2054 meat alternatives will comprise 33 percent of the overall protein market.”
The market for meat alternatives includes school lunch programs. In fact, more than 50 school districts nationwide observe Meatless Monday, “the popular diet that promises improved personal health and a healthier planet if more people give up meat just one day per week.”
MUSE School in Southern California, founded by film director James Cameron and his wife, became entirely vegan last year. Both Cameron and his wife are committed vegans. Jeff King, MUSE’s head of school, explains, “The way we eat is the easiest and most impactful way we can alter our carbon footprint as a school. The largest consumers of water are not people but cattle. To truly deliver our mission of sustainability, we had to find a sustainable way of eating.”
Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal reported that The Scandinavian School of Jersey City, a preschool just across the Hudson River from Manhattan, went entirely vegan.
Interested in reducing your environmental impact with a vegan diet? Check out Whether it’s to save the planet, help children be healthier, or prevent animal suffering, these shifts toward plant-based school lunches are shaping the way future generations will eat.Interested in reducing your environmental impact with a vegan diet? Check out ChooseVeg.com for more information.Here’s a good article from a while back in The Nation (which I’m mentioning now because I just recently saw it, thanks to the November Coalition listserv). In these days, I’m not surprised to see that it was written,[ ] but I am (pleasantly) surprised to see that it got published in a prominent place in an organ of the official Left. In any case, it’s right-on, and well worth reading.
Well, in the parts I haven’t crossed out, anyway. The article was originally called Ten Things You Can Do To Reduce Incarceration, but, well, we’ll see what becomes of that.
Here’s the quibbles from along the way.
(0) Well. If we were free to spend some of that $60,000,000 robbed out of our pockets on education, job training, healthcare, or any of the other infinite needs of civilized beings, that would indeed be something to imagine. Unfortunately, I expect that the other means the special kind of “we” here (the kind that means they, a political bureaucracy that ordinary people like you and me have no effective control over). If they spend the money on government education, government job training, and government healthcare, I expect that it will work out as well as anything else government does at propping up big corporations, corralling kids against their will, and otherwise maintaining business-as-usual and the social and economic status quo. Oh well.
(1) This really is an awesome idea, as far as it goes: if you have the opportunity to free an innocent drug-user or drug-dealer through jury nullification, of course I think you ought to take the opportunity. But how often are you likely to get the chance? Given how narrow the context is, this is really important for the individual life you can save, but it’s only going to be something that reduces incarceration in aggregate if it becomes part of a large-scale culture of non-cooperation with the state. In which case (1) really just depends on the kind of cultural change discussed in the other points. Anyway, call it half a thing you can do.
(5) Oh, come on. Really? Of course, I agree that the government’s crime policies are foolish and destructive. But that’s only a reason to go around voting for smarter politicians if voting for smarter politicians changed anything about crime policies or the War on Drugs. Call me back when that starts working for you.
(9) There’s nothing wrong with this proposal, as a procedural reform. But it’s not something you can do to reduce incarceration — changing government laws is something government could do. But if you somehow managed to accumulate the political connections to make the government do what you want it to do, you probably aren’t the kind of person who cares about this sort of thing; and for the rest of us, the you here is really just they, filtered through the illusion of democratic control. In which case, this is |
their food unless they were backed by scientific evidence and not misleading.
Businesses have been making dubious claims about their products at least since the 17th century, when the British clergyman Anthony Daffy sold Daffy’s Elixir as a cure for scurvy as well as agues, gout, rheumatism, rickets, worms and other ailments. Hucksterism — no matter how implausible the claim — lives on.
In 2004, the F.T.C. barred KFC from saying its fried chicken was compatible with low-carbohydrate weight-loss programs — because such diets specifically advise against breaded, fried foods. The Food and Drug Administration sent letters to 17 food companies in March warning them about misleading product labels. Dreyer’s claimed there is no trans-fat in its ice cream but forgot to mention it has lots of saturated fat. POM Wonderful claimed its pomegranate juice helps treat, prevent or cure hypertension, diabetes and cancer.
This might be par for the course for an era of swift-boating political ads and a torrent of television commercials plumping for myriad wonder drugs (sudden death may result). It leaves the consumer in a quandary: what part of the label can be believed?The owner of a company that sells Hawaiian-themed souvenirs was sentenced to six months in jail this afternoon and fined $40,000 for smuggling walrus ivory and whale teeth into and out of the country and for importing black coral without a permit.
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The owner of a company that sells Hawaiian-themed souvenirs was sentenced to six months in jail this afternoon and fined $40,000 for smuggling walrus ivory and whale teeth into and out of the country and for importing black coral without a permit.
The company, Hawaiian Accessories Inc., was also fined $50,000.
Curtis P. Wilmington, 65, pleaded guilty to the charges on behalf of himself and his company in March.
He admitted that he purchased the ivory and whale teeth from a person in Alaska. That person turned out to be an undercover government agent.
Wilmington said he sent the ivory with pieces of koa wood to the Philippines, where they were carved into fish hooks, had the hooks sent back to Hawaii and sold them as “Made in Hawaii” products. He also admitted to importing black coral from Mexico without a permit.Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will meet with Hillary Clinton on Tuesday evening to discuss a path forward, Sanders said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation."
"I will be meeting, as I understand it on Tuesday night with Secretary Clinton, and I will get a sense from her about the nature of the Democratic platform," he said, naming issues like income inequality, health care and student loan debt as top issues on the agenda for him. "...These are issues that have got to be dealt with, and I look forward to sitting down with Sec. Clinton to see what kind of platform she is going to support and in fact how aggressive she is going to be in addressing the major crises that we face."
Clinton clinched the Democratic nomination last week and declared victory in the primary Tuesday night, after a bigger-than-expected primary victory in California. That night, Sanders vowed that "the struggle continues" and reiterated that his campaign would continue through the Democratic convention this summer; in the days since, though, he has met with President Obama and other party leaders, laid off staff and reiterated that the top priority is defeating presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.
"First of all, I will do everything that I can to make sure that Donald Trump does not become president of the United States," he said. "I think the fact that we have a candidate running on a campaign of bigotry... is just not the kind of president, obviously, that this country needs."
Sanders said he will determine "how closely we can work with" Clinton based on what she says about the platform--and that he wants this year's Democratic platform to have a prominent and consistent position in the party.
"Generally speaking a platform is a piece of paper tucked away in some kind of drawer but I do not want that to be the case," he said.
Asked whether Trump is right that Sanders supporters upset over the "rigged" system should back him over Clinton, Sanders said that's not true but noted that the Democratic primary system should change.
"I think we do need to change the primary and caucus system in a profound way," he said. "I think the idea that 400 super delegates were on board Secretary Clinton's campaign eight months or nine months before the first ballot was cast in Iowa is totally absurd."The video will start in 8 Cancel
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Kate and Gerry McCann are "buoyed" by news Kamiyah Mobley has been found alive 18 years after she was stolen as a newborn baby from hospital.
She was taken from a hospital in July 1998 and was living under a different name with a woman she assumed was her birth mother.
Her alleged kidnapper Gloria Williams, 51, was arrested at her home in Walterboro, South Carolina.
Kamiyah, whose real family are from Jacksonville, Florida, about 200 miles away, was not present.
Kamiyah’s case has given fresh hope to the family of Madeleine McCann, the three-year-old who went missing in Praia da Luz, Portugal in May 2007.
(Image: Getty)
A friend of parents Kate and Gerry revealed they were “buoyed” by the news across the Atlantic.
The source said: “It shows that dreams can come true and this teenager being found so many years after the event is another example that will give Kate and Gerry hope.”
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said he did not know if Kamiyah would return to her biological family and the decision was down to her.
But he said relatives were “elated” with the news and added: “They were extremely excited, as you can imagine. Overwhelmed with emotion.”
(Image: Jax Sheriff's Office / Twitter)
Kamiyah was born to mum Shanara at University Medical Center, Jacksonville, on July 10, 1998. A woman posing as a nurse entered Shanara’s hospital room eight hours later and told her the youngster had a fever and needed to be checked.
The imposter then left the room and disappeared with the baby, triggering one of Florida’s longest-running kidnap cases.
Kamiyah grew up believing Gloria Williams was her mum until cold case detectives acting on tip-offs traced her to Walterboro. A DNA test then confirmed she was Shanara’s daughter.
Sheriff Williams said: “She’s [Kamiyah] taking it as well as you can imagine.
“We have victim’s advocates up there, she has a lot to process, a lot to think about.” He said Gloria Williams was charged with kidnapping and interfering with custody.
She appeared at a court in Walterboro and was extradited to Florida. There are no other suspects.
Last month the McCanns, of Rothley, Leics, said they were hoping a new year “miracle” would reunite them with their daughter as the 10th anniversary of her abduction approaches.
A Facebook campaign, which they endorse, said in a new post: “We still have great hope and believe in miracles.
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“Thank you for continuing to be by our side. Let’s get her home.” A police source recently revealed detectives were working on the final theory that Maddie was kidnapped by a European trafficking gang.
At the time of Kamiyah’s disappearance, hospital CCTV footage was too grainy to identify the kidnapper. There were no photographs of the child so police produced a composite image.
Officers pursed 2,000 leads. A reward of $250,000 – £200,000 – was also offered while the case featured on TV show America’s Most Wanted. Mum Shanara later sued the hospital, receiving a £1.23million settlement.Bridgewater, New Jersey (CNN) Two senior Trump advisers -- one inside the White House and another who recently departed -- signaled Sunday that the knives are out for Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump's controversial chief strategist.
The comments come as a source inside the White House tells CNN that White House chief of staff John Kelly has soured on Bannon, a political operative with deep ties to the 'alt-right' and the former head of the conservative news site Breitbart.
Bannon is seen as pursuing his own agenda, which does not mesh with the power structure Kelly is putting in place, the source added.
National security adviser H.R. McMaster was asked three times by NBC's Chuck Todd on Sunday whether he can work with Bannon in the White House. McMaster dodged the question each time and eventually left it an open question as to whether Bannon is motived by advancing the President's agenda.
"Can you and Steve Bannon still work together," Todd asked.
"I get to work together with a broad range of talented people," McMaster said. "It's a privilege every day to enable the national security team."
Asked again, McMaster said, "I am ready to work with anybody who will help advance the President's agenda and advance the security, prosperity of the American people."
"Do you believe that Steve Bannon does that," Todd asked.
"I believe that everyone in the White House... should be motivated by that goal," he said.
The more blunt comments came from recently ousted White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who told ABC that Trump needs to "move away" from Bannon and Breitbart.
"If the President really wants to execute that legislative agenda that I think is so promising for the American people... then he has to move away from that sort of Bannon-bart nonsense," Scaramucci said, using a portmanteau of Bannon and Breitbart, the outlet Bannon once said was a "platform for the alt-right."
Scaramucci, who was fired after a vulgar recording of him slamming Bannon was published by The New Yorker, would not say whether the President will fire Bannon, but did say that he spoke with Trump this week.
"I think the President knows what he's going to do with Steve Bannon," Scaramucci said. "It's his decision. But I mean at the end of the day, I think the President has a very good idea of who the leakers are inside the White House. The President has a very good idea of the people that are undermining his agenda that are serving their own interests."
A second source told CNN on Saturday that it's not only Kelly and Bannon whose relationship is on the rocks, it is also Bannon and the President.
Bannon's ouster has been rumored in the past, with tension in the White House spilling out in public on an almost weekly basis.
His job was on the line in April, according to a source close to the White House, after Trump grew frustrated with his inability to cooperate and work with others. The chilling came as Bannon fought with Jared Kushner, a top Trump aide and the President's son-in-law.
"I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late," Trump told t he New York Post in April. "I had already beaten all the senators and all the governors, and I didn't know Steve. I'm my own strategist and it wasn't like I was going to change strategies because I was facing crooked Hillary."
Trump added: "Steve is a good guy, but I told them to straighten it out or I will."
But Kelly's rise to White House chief of staff -- he was given the role last month when former chief of staff Reince Priebus resigned -- has reignited the churn of speculation as Kelly looks at revamping the press and communications team.
One source said rumors of Bannon's demise have been exaggerated in the past, but that there are serious conversations happening now about whether there is a place for him in the administration going forward.Natural Cycles, the only app to be approved as a contraceptive, has proved 99 per cent effective in the largest study investigating it to date.
The startup had previously conducted a study of 4,000 women, which showed similar accuracy rates. It has now proven the efficacy of the app again after testing 22,785 women through a total of 224,563 menstrual cycles across a year, to calculate the app’s Pearl Index – the rate used to measure a contraceptive’s effectiveness. It found that if used perfectly – using protection such as condoms on red days – effectiveness is 99 per cent. Typical use, where people don’t use protection on the red days, leads to 93 per cent effectiveness, well above other natural family planning methods that rate at around 75 per cent and even the pill, which rates at 91 per cent.
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Developed by former CERN particle physicist and co-discoverer of the Higgs Boson Elina Berglund and her husband Raoul Scherwitzl, the app uses daily body temperature readings to calculate when it is safe to have unprotected sex (signified as green days in the app calendar) and when to use contraception or abstain from sex (red days). This is possible because of the rise in progesterone levels after ovulation that makes women’s bodies up to 0.45C warmer than during the rest of their cycle.
“What we see in our data, which I find very promising, is younger women getting pregnant less when using the app even though they are more fertile, because they really don’t want to get pregnant,” Berglund says. “Slightly older women are those that get pregnant the most using the app.”
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Fertility app Natural Cycles becomes world's first certified contraception software Apps Fertility app Natural Cycles becomes world's first certified contraception software
This, she suggests, is because they may be considering getting pregnant and are using the app as a transition after coming off the pill. They may therefore be using it less 'perfectly' as they are not as concerned about falling pregnant.
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Before the app was certified as a contraceptive, the Natural Cycles team found around two-thirds of women were using it as a contraceptive, and one-third to plan a pregnancy. Now, around 20 per cent are using it when trying to fall pregnant. Berglund wants to see women ultimately using the app throughout their entire fertile life, first as a contraception, then to plan a pregnancy once the app knows their cycle well, then after having a baby when their cycle is settling down again.
“People usually say what they like the most about the app is that it knows their body and helps them understand what’s going on inside,” she says. This could mean ovulation and fertility, but it could also help users predict and plan for days of the month they will experience the worst cramps or other premenstrual symptoms.
“70 per cent of our users come from hormonal contraception, and we see in our data that it’s very common that disrupts your cycle, sometimes for up to one year,” Berglund says. “The app is just as effective for these users, there are just more red days in the beginning. Generally, after one year the cycle stabilises and we see no long term effect from the pill.”
Natural Cycles aims to increase the number of green days in any given month with its annual algorithm update. “When we optimise the algorithm we make sure the effectiveness level is constant, but we try to increase the number of green days. We released a new version last week and managed to increase the number of green days by three per cent – that’s one day more in the cycle.” Extra green days can also be introduced with additional data, including a urine test that samples for the luteinising hormone, which spikes during ovulation.
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The Natural Cycles team, who coauthored the peer-reviewed Contraception paper on the results with researchers including Princeton professor James Trussell, plans on following-up the study by looking at what impacts a woman’s decision to opt for the app over traditional methods. Berglund explains that a typical user is 29-years-old, in a stable relationship and often wanting a break from the pill. Natural Cycles also has data on patterns of usage – for instance, in countries where abortion is illegal, pregnancy rates using the app are far lower. Women in these countries tend to use the app conservatively, using additional protection on the red days.
One way Berglund hopes to encourage more women to use the app, is by simplifying the data collection process even further. “So far we haven’t found any hardware as sensitive as oral thermometers. There are several other companies trying to develop hardware to make it easier to track. I think our expertise is software, algorithms, and statistics, so we will make smart partnerships.”
Beyond a better sensor, making the algorithm smarter with more input data is also on the agenda. “Now Apple has included a bedtime feature together with an alarm, that tracks the user’s sleep. Sleep is something that can affect temperature so if we include that it can make it even better.”A crowd of migrants took Italian and French police “by surprise” after rushing to cross the border near Ventimiglia. Some 100 people managed to make their way across the rocky shore, according to authorities, who used pepper spray to contain the breach.
On Friday a group of some 150 migrants on the Italian side launched a protest against the closure of the border, as others desperately tried to make it across into France. On the other side, in the French town of Menton, gendarmerie tried to chase back or block those who made it across. Police confronted the crowd using pepper-spray.
“Both the Italian and French forces at the border were taken by surprise,” Ventimiglia police commander Giorgio Marenco told Reuters.
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Migrants, mostly Sudanese, Eritreans and Ethiopians, arrived from Sicily to Ventimiglia with the hope of continuing their journey to France and northern Europe. However, they were blocked at the border between Italy and France, in Ventimiglia, the last train station before the Italian-French border.
Stuck in limbo, with no access to any type of services or any proper reception centers, the families, including pregnant women and children, were forced to sleep outside at a 'No Border' makeshift camp on the rocks near Ventimiglia.
As Friday’s clashes erupted some migrants moved away from the group at Balzi Rossi beach to try to reach France by walking along the rail tracks. On their journey there, one teenager was hit by a train. He was transferred by helicopter to the San Martino Hospital in Genoa where he remains intubated and in a serious condition.
Following the clashes, “No Borders” activists posted a message on Facebook, saying that police did not move to evict the migrants, as long as they let traffic through and do not cause any more disturbances.
Meanwhile the group that managed to cross the border remains under the surveillance of the French police, according to Marenco, while local French authorities did not comment on the situation.Image copyright Universal Image caption Annabelle Wallis co-stars in The Mummy with Tom Cruise
The reboot of The Mummy starring Tom Cruise has received some scathing reviews from critics.
The film, which is released in the UK on 9 June, also stars Annabelle Wallis and Russell Crowe.
Writing in The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw said: "This has some nice moments but is basically a mess.
"The plot sags like an aeon-old decaying limb: a jumble of ideas and scenes from what look like different screenplay drafts."
'Monster fail'
Empire was slightly more kind, with Dan Jolin awarding the film three stars.
"It's running and jumping grin-flashing business as usual for Cruise, once more on safe character territory as an Ethan Hunt-esque action protagonist who couples up with a much younger woman, while another woman chases after him," he wrote.
"And if the next instalment-teasing conclusion is anything to go by, Cruise seemed to have enough fun making this that he may just return for more."
Image copyright Universal
Geoffrey Macnab gave the film two stars in his review for The Independent.
"The stunts are by far the best element here," he said.
Whether it's planes being torn apart, Cruise and Wallis driving through the woods with the Mummy in pursuit or the very spectacular finale, the visual effects are first rate.
"Whenever the action stops, though, the film becomes derivative and empty headed."
Image copyright Universal
Writing in Rolling Stone, Peter Travers described the film as a "monster fail".
"For all the huffing and puffing and digital desperation from overworked computers, this reboot lands onscreen with a resounding thud," he said.
"Tom Cruise should have played the Mummy - that way his face would be swathed in bandages and his fans wouldn't have to see him sweat so hard to get this lumbering loser off the ground."
Needless to say, he gave the film one star.
Image copyright Universal
Owen Gleiberman of Variety said the film was "too busy to be much fun".
"The problem at its heart is that the reality of what the movie is - a Tom Cruise vehicle - is at war with the material," he said.
The Telegraph's Rebecca Hawkes gave the film three stars but criticised some aspects of the film, writing: "Perhaps the real problem, ultimately, is the characters themselves."
She added: "The reason the Marvel shared universe, which took years to build up, works, is because all of its superheroes feel engagingly human: Fully-formed characters we actually want to spend time with. Here, the writing is one-note, and the leads little more than placeholders.
"Universal's monster franchise has made it out of the tomb, just about - but if this rebirth is going to sustain itself long term, it's going to need a little more meat under its bandages."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.We urge you to remove the lockouts which have damaged business, culture, personal freedom and Sydney's reputation.
The signatories here agree that the city's streets should be safer, however we disagree that the way to do this is by locking people out of music venues.
With the decrease in foot-traffic outstripping the decrease in assaults, we question the success of the lockouts. When one factors in the business closures, job losses and increased crime in neighbouring areas, we wonder if they might in fact be a failure.
We demand smarter solutions — a holistic and lateral approach to preventing assaults which examines transport, CCTV, tougher sentencing, density and diversity of licensed premises, venue management, culture as a placating tool and the tendency towards violence among certain groups of individuals.
The music community and law-abiding citizens are not the right people to punish for assaults on the street. Well-run venues are safe and they make a large contribution to our reputation as one of the world's great entertainment cities.
Safety is a goal shared by everyone. It's important to remember that the main beneficiaries are the very people who wish to go out. We believe that safety and late-night socialising aren’t mutually exclusive. With considered, innovative policies we can achieve a desired outcome together and Keep Sydney Open.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Streets and homes have been completely submerged in the city of Concordia in Argentina
Vast areas in Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil are being hit by the worst flooding in 50 years, forcing the evacuation of more than 150,000 people.
Days of heavy rains brought on by the El Nino weather phenomenon have caused three major rivers to swell, and officials report at least six deaths.
A state of emergency is in force in Paraguay, the worst hit nation, where 130,000 people have fled their homes.
In northern Argentina, some 20,000 people have left their homes.
Dry weather is forecast for the Brazil-Uruguay border region in the next few days, but in Paraguay and Argentina water levels are still expected to rise.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Meteorologist Matt Taylor explains what El Nino is
Paraguay
Image copyright Reuters Image caption In Asuncion, water levels are still rising
The Paraguay river in the capital Asuncion, is only 30cm (12in) away from overtopping its banks. Officials warn this could lead to widespread flooding in the area.
And it could also affect thousands of other people who live by the Paraguay - the country's main river - the authorities said.
"(The flooding) was directly influenced by the El Nino phenomenon which has intensified the frequency and intensity of rains," Paraguay's national emergencies office said.
Nearly 200 electricity pylons have been damaged or destroyed by strong winds, causing power cuts.
Four people have been killed by fallen trees.
After declaring the state of emergency, President Horacio Cartes said $3.5m (£2.3m) would be immediately available in relief funds for the victims of the flooding.
Argentina
Image copyright EPA Image caption Concordia's streets have now turned into canals
At least two people have died in the floods, which are mostly affecting the north-eastern provinces of Entre Rios, Corrientes and Chaco.
Some 20,000 people have been evacuated in the border city of Concordia, where the Uruguay river is now 14 metres (46 feet) above its normal levels.
Local officials said the flooding was the worst in the last five decades.
Newly-elected President Mauricio Macri is expected to visit the region later on Sunday.
Brazil
Image copyright Reuters Image caption President Dilma Rousseff (left) flew over the flooded region on Saturday to inspect the damage.
In the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, nearly 1,800 families in almost 40 towns had been forced to leave their homes.
Heavy rain began to fall in the region on 18 December, swelling the Uruguay and Quarai rivers.
President Dilma Rousseff flew over the flooded region on Saturday to inspect the damage.
Uruguay
Thousands of people have been made homeless in the past few days, but most of them have now returned home.
The authorities warn that water levels are expected to remain at their current high level for several days before subsiding.(Lisa Maree Williams/Getty)
The “dialogue with all people” and the “forthright and honest debate” for which Pope Francis calls in his new encyclical on “our common home” will certainly include — and, by the pope’s own standards, should include — close scrutiny of many questions.
Does Laudato Si’ reflect a wrestling with the full range of scientific opinion on global climate issues? Does the encyclical acknowledge and accurately weigh the inevitable complexities and trade-offs involved in meeting its twin goals of empowering the poor and protecting the natural environment — and does it take sufficient account of why billions of people have become un-poor over the past several generations? Does Laudato Si’ take adequate note of the correlation between strong environmental protections and democracies with free economies (high) — and of the equally instructive correlation between vast amounts of pollution and authoritarian regimes (also high)?
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These questions I leave to others, not least because I have no interest in recruiting (or refuting) the pope in aid of a political or public-policy agenda — for, as Francis himself says in the encyclical, “the Church does not presume to settle scientific questions or to replace politics.” Rather, my particular interest in reading Laudato Si’ is religious and cultural. What does Pope Francis have to say about humanity and the natural world at a moment when incoherence, skepticism, and nihilism dominate Western high culture, and when fanaticisms claiming various divine or quasi-divine warrants wreak havoc from northern Nigeria to the Levant to the Donbas? What does Francis write in this complex and inevitably controversial document that might speak, as a good pastor should, to the flaws in humanity’s understanding of itself today, and that might point us in a more noble direction?
A lot, it turns out — if you read Laudato Si’ as an encyclical primarily about us, and not primarily about trees, plankton, and the Tennessee snail darter.
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Which is, of course, precisely as it should be. For Pope Francis is first and foremost a pastor who, like his predecessor St. John Paul II, wants to lift up for our reflection what the Polish pontiff called “the nobility of the human vocation to participate responsibly in God’s creative plan.” And that is the starting point for all serious Christian reflection about the natural world: God’s ongoing creativity, which sustains the world God brought into being and in which we, by the grace and favor of God, participate.
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Thus Laudato Si’ discusses at some length various aspects of humanity’s responsibility for the natural world, locating that responsibility within the conviction that Pope Francis shares with the Psalmist: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made” (Psalm 33:6). The universe, Francis writes, “did not emerge as a result of arbitrary omnipotence, a show of force, or a desire for self-assertion.” Still less are the natural and human worlds the product of a colossal, accidental concatenation of chemical interactions. Rather, “creation is of the order of love [and] God’s love is the fundamental loving force in all created things.” So thinking about us, and the natural world, and our relationship to the natural world ought to begin here: by bringing science and the Bible together in understanding that the Big Bang and all that came from it (including us) was an explosion of love from that superabundant, divine love which is the dynamic interaction of the Holy Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
That Trinitarian and Biblical understanding of How Things Came to Be underwrites Pope Francis’s critique of the diminished and distorted forms of human self-understanding that are inadequate to the task of facilitating our participation in God’s ongoing creativity. Prominent among these is the ancient, Promethean temptation to displace the divinely created order — which takes its modern form in the tendency of 21st-century science and technology to bracket questions of right and wrong, “ought” and “ought not,” in order to concentrate on issues of technique and technology. Technique and technology are not problems in themselves. The problem comes when they fill humanity’s intellectual horizon and moral imagination to the exclusion of all other considerations. For then everything tends to get instrumentalized, including human relationships and the human relationship to the natural world — and when everything is instrumentalized, everything is also brutalized.
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In his challenge to all this, Francis, with John Paul II, insists that “we must safeguard the moral conditions for an authentic human ecology,” understanding that integral human development, in both the developed and developing worlds, is not measured by GDP alone, but by humanity’s growth in beatitude. Why is it so hard, in some quarters, to see that? Because, as John Paul II taught in Centesimus Annus, the vitality of the moral-cultural sector of the 21st-century free society is crucial to living democracy and the free economy as well. Or, as Francis puts it, at the root of this instrumental view of everything is “the notion that there are no indisputable truths to guide our lives,” such that we have come to think of everything as plastic and malleable. And why do an awful lot of people think that? Because they have eaten of the same forbidden fruit that led Adam and Eve to be cast out of that first, paradigmatic Garden: They have, Francis writes, bought the false idea that “human freedom is limitless.”
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In a proper understanding of us, the natural world, and the relationship between humanity and nature, there are, in other words, Things As They Are, including moral Things As They Are. Those things are inscribed in the world and in us. Laudato Si’ thus insists that any “anthropocentrism” that is reduced to “the language of mathematics and biology” and that is not open to wider horizons of self-understanding is one that cannot “take us to the heart of what it is to be human.” Marry the imperial autonomous Self to a metaphysics of technique and the result, Francis suggests, is something quite (if I may use the term) unnatural — even something polluted. Those who see the world only as a “problem to be solved” lose sight of the deeper truth that “the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.” And that loss leads to a truncated, distorted image of the human person, and a considerable number of people living in what the pope calls “cheerful recklessness” (which strikes me as a nifty variant on the “debonair nihilism” deplored by the late Father Ernest Fortin, borrowing from Allan Bloom).
Francis’s counter-proposal leads him to argue that being ecologically conscious and environmentally committed necessarily means being pro-life.
Francis’s rejection of moral relativism and the “technocratic paradigm” (as he dubs it), and his promotion of an integral human ecology, have implications far beyond what most environmentalists understand by environmentalism. An integral human ecology forces us, he writes, to confront the harsh facts of human trafficking and the warehousing of the elderly. And (in a part of the encyclical that the New York Times and Planned Parenthood will most certainly not cite, let alone celebrate) Francis’s counter-proposal leads him to argue that being ecologically conscious and environmentally committed necessarily means being pro-life:
It is troubling that, when certain ecological movements defend the integrity of the environment, rightly demanding that certain limits be set on scientific research, they sometimes fail to apply those same principles to human life. There is a tendency to justify transgressing all boundaries when experimentation is carried out on living human embryos. We forget that the inalienable worth of a human person transcends his or her degree of development.... A technology severed from ethics will not easily be able, by itself, to limit its own power.
Further, the Francis who declines to join those radical environmentalists who think of humanity as a pollutant to be controlled — “the Bible teaches that every man and woman is created out of love and made in God’s image and likeness” — also addresses, at least indirectly, the transgender cause du jour and offers a way of thinking about our humanity that distinguishes a true ecological sensitivity from other causes célèbres of today:
The acceptance of our bodies as God’s gift is vital for welcoming and accepting the entire world as a gift from the Father and our common home, whereas thinking that we enjoy absolute power over our own bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking that we enjoy absolute power over creation. Learning to accept our body, to care for it and to respect its full meaning, is an essential element of any genuine human ecology. Also, valuing one’s own body in its femininity or masculinity is necessary if I am going to be able to recognize myself in an encounter with someone who is different. In this way we can joyfully accept the specific gifts of another man or woman, the gift of God the creator, and find mutual enrichment.
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And then, in case anyone has missed the point, Pope Francis quotes himself at his general audience of this past April 16: “It is not a healthy attitude which would seek to ‘cancel our sexual difference because it no longer knows how to confront it.’”
It is important to remember, in reading Laudato Si’, that the pope is not some sort of Franciscan Luddite. Yes, Francis likes simplified lifestyles and unspoiled natural habitats, but he also cites John Paul II’s praise of scientific work and its technological artifacts as “wonderful products of a God-given creativity.” He acknowledges that “the modification of nature for useful purposes has distinguished the human family from the beginning” and that “technology has remedied countless evils which used to harm and limit human beings,” asking, how can we not feel “gratitude and appreciation for this progress, especially in the fields of medicine, engineering, and communications?”
By the same token, however, the pope evocatively reminds his readers that, in the Bible and in Jewish practice, the Sabbath was a day of rest and healing, suggesting that a humanity that has forgotten the need for a measure of Sabbath quiet amidst frantic activity and social-media buzz is less human, less natural — and, quite likely, less happy.
Reading Laudato Si’ as if it were a climate-change encyclical, period, is somewhat akin to reading Moby Dick as if it were a treatise on the 19th-century New England whaling industry.
It is probably inevitable that Laudato Si’ will get labeled “the global-warming encyclical” and that the label will stick. This will please some and displease others, and they will have at each other — which is no bad thing if it helps clarify that there is no simple path to meeting the twin goals of environmental protection and the empowerment (through economic development) of the poor. But the label will be misleading, I think, not because there isn’t a lot about climate change in the encyclical, but because that’s, to my mind, the least important part of Francis-the-pastor’s call to a more integral, indeed more humanistic, ecology. Reading Laudato Si’ as if it were a climate-change encyclical, period, is somewhat akin to reading Moby Dick as if it were a treatise on the 19th-century New England whaling industry. The ships and the harpoons are an important part of the story, to be sure; but if they become the whole story, you miss what Melville’s sprawling novel is really about. Ditto with Laudato Si’: If you read it as “the global-warming encyclical,” you will miss the heart and soul of what this sprawling encyclical is about — which is us.
— George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of Washington’s Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he holds the William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.The gap between rich and poor Māori is widening dramatically, and iwi needed to step up and take care of their people, a Whānau Ora chief executive says.
The chief executive of Whānau Ora's commissioning agency Te Pou Matakana, John Tamihere said raising the wellbeing of whānau is what Whānau Ora hoped to achieve, but low incomes and high housing costs were creating new poverty cycles across the board.
Speaking at a Whānau Ora conference in Auckland he said tribal Māori owe urban Māori a slice of the pie.
He said iwi needed to step up and take care of their people, or court action was likely.
Photo: Supplied
"The chasm between rich Māori around that chequebook and the poor Māori on the street is growing more dramatically than it is in Pakeha society.
"And we now know in Pakeha society the chasm is huge because even white folk are having to sleep in cars."
Māori were caught up in a class system which magnified the issue, and while the government was responsible for addressing social issues, it was time for iwi leaders to |
: "My advice for transgender youth is to not allow others to make you believe that you are not worthy of achieving whatever dreams you have. I can't tell you how many people had no problems telling me that I would not succeed being 'out', as a transgender artist."
After an initial fundraiser on IndieGogo, Brown is now raising money on gofundme to sponsor a concert of this magnitude. Brown has turned to online crowdsourcing because of the difficulty of finding corporations or sponsors for LGBT events. Brown is trying to raise $25,000 for the historical evening, which she calls "the high point of my career."
Yet even after checking Carnegie Hall off the list, Brown is far from settling down. "My biggest dream for myself is to have a world tour," Brown mused. "I want to perform around the world, and share my music with an international audience, make more recordings, and tour the colleges and universities in an effort to educate tomorrow's artists."
Brown is slated to perform at the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall at 7:30 p.m., on Wednesday, June 25, 2014. She will be joined onstage by comedienne Tammy Peay, and writer, radio personality, and LGBT advocate Nathan James. Visit Brown's gofundme to make this momentous evening as spectacular as it deserves to be.In seven months, Barack Obama will leave the White House as president of the United States. He’s going to need a job. In an interview with Bloomberg on June 13, he hinted at the possibility of joining entrepreneurs and venture capitalists in Silicon Valley.
“Had I not gone into politics, I’d probably be starting some kind of business,” Obama said. “The skill set of starting my presidential campaigns—and building the kinds of teams that we did and marketing ideas—I think would be the same kinds of skills that I would enjoy exercising in the private sector. … The conversations I have with Silicon Valley and with venture capital pull together my interests in science and organization in a way I find really satisfying.”
On hearing the news, Valley investors were quick to save the president a spot on Sand Hill Road. Obama, of course, wouldn’t be the first Washington power player to make such a move. Former secretary of defense Colin Powell joined Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers in 2005, followed by former vice president Al Gore in 2007. Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state under George W. Bush, teamed up with Khosla Ventures in 2012. Numerous Congressional representatives and government officials have found homes at venture firms in the Bay Area.
Obama has practiced for the job before. In August 2015, Obama launched the White House’s first annual Demo Day, inviting more than 32 top entrepreneurs to the grounds. When the founders of PartPic, a visual search app for replacement parts, pitched the president, he wasted no time ripping into the entrepreneurs like a real VC. He grilled the pair about their market, technology, funding sources and how the team met. Billionaire investor and AOL-founder Steve Case, who works with Obama on entrepreneurial initiatives, said in an interview that the president asks the same questions of any great investor.
With Obama as investor-in-chief a possibility, we asked prominent venture capitalists if the president had what it takes to do well in the hyper-competitive venture world. Without exception, every firm said Obama would be a natural fit (several extended job offers and invites to “grab coffee”). A few gave some good-natured pointers on what Obama could to do to up his game before his first day. Here’s how Silicon Valley sizes up Obama:
Obama has the world’s best network—but he’ll still have to hustle.
In startup investing, the quality of your contacts is everything. You can only invest in the deals you know about. Building relationships consumes a huge portion of investors’ time. Obama, of course, has few peers in this respect. He has shaken an estimated 65,000 hands per year while in office. ”He has a massive rolodex and ridiculous access,”says Jeff Bussgang of Flybridge Partners. That’s a huge advantage, says Obvious Ventures managing director Andrew Beebe: “I think he’ll be a great investor. A lot of what we do is based on networks and there he could be a great help.” But the president will still have to work hard to win deals, warns Shahin Farshchi of Lux Capital. “Don’t expect just because you’re Obama, you don’t have to hustle,” he told Quartz. “You’ve got to get out there and network and shake hands. Don’t rest on your laurels.”
Few can motivate and mobilize people better than Obama.
The Republic has rarely seen an orator like Obama. Obama’s first campaign raised an unprecedented coalition that powers the Democratic party to this day. Startups demand those same skills to rally founders and employees. Obama’s presidential experience building alliances and inspiring entrepreneurs could be invaluable, says Beebe at Obvious Ventures. But it wouldn’t be like the White House where the commander-in-chief authority gave him far more sway over his subordinates than he will have over his founders. “He has to coach and guide them, not just tell them what to do,” says Beebe.
Obama has a track record of big wins and spectacular flameouts. Perfect.
Silicon Valley fetishizes failure, but it loves big wins even more. Obama has both. He notched two presidential election wins in the face of steep odds, and passed health-care reform and other signature policy achievements despite fierce political resistance. Of course, he’s no stranger to big losses. Obama admitted the party was “shellacked” during the 2010 mid-term elections, and policy missteps have cost him dearly with Congress and overseas. But that should serve him well in an industry where 95% of start-ups fail to deliver their projected return on investment, and just a few big wins are the difference between wild success and total failure.
Obama will invest in people who don’t fit Silicon Valley stereotypes.
Here’s where Obama may really shine. Obama’s global sensibility and solid history of picking world-class people regardless of race or gender translates into great investments, says Dave McClure, founder of 500 Startups, which pursues a similar strategy. Obama himself brings something rare to the table: he would be among the 2% non-white or Asian senior venture capitalists in the Valley, according to survey by investment firm SocialCapital. That gives him an outsider perspective on the “pattern recognition” rationale investors sometimes use to justify investing almost entirely in white, male grads from elite schools. But McClure says a steep learning curve is inevitable: “He’s going to make a lot of mistakes and screw ups so he should diversify and make a large number of investments,” McClure said in an interview.
Yes, he led the free world. No, he doesn’t understand startups.
Obama has spent so long at the highest reaches of power that his grasp on the mechanics of startups is probably shaky at best. “He has no direct, specific knowledge of industries or sectors,” says Bussgang at Flybridge. “All his information from the last eight years has been high level and/or second hand.” Josh Wolfe, founding partner at Lux Capital, thinks Obama’s deliberative style and open mindedness will give him an advantage if he’s willing to work his way up. “Venture capital is an apprenticeship business,” wrote Wolfe by email. “Obama has a spot at Lux, but he’s got to intern first.” He suggested trading his masterful oratory for speaking in bullet points more suited to the Valley’s short-attention spans. Obvious Ventures’ Beebe also thought a ramp-up period would be needed: “In his first 100 days in his new office, I would say, ‘Don’t do any deals. Just sit there and engage with entrepreneurs. Listen to as many pitches as possible and you’ll learn a tremendous amount about the dynamics of decision-making.”
Silicon Valley culture should feel very familiar.
“He’s kind of perfect for the job,” says Ari Bloom, an investor and CEO of the fashion technology firm Avametric. “He’s got experience sitting through presentations that require a translator, he meets with people every day that nobody expects him to remember, and he’s kissed a lot of crying babies, so he can definitely work well with founders.” Pascal Finette at Singularity University also said Obama’s decision to finally ditch the Blackberry in favor of a new smartphone was also a sign that he’s ready for the Valley.
Obama should have bigger aspirations than pleasing investors.
Rob Nail, who leads Singularity University, argued Obama could do better than joining one of the big firms that would likely have him investing in apps and software. “I hope President Obama will avoid joining a VC firm,” Nail wrote by email. “VCs have a very traditional, conservative way of operating and a mentality that is more about money and making investors happy than it is about changing the world.” He suggested Obama lead a new “Impact Fund” addressing the world’s biggest problems and measuring returns on investment in terms of global impact. “Anything less than this will be a waste of his potential to continue to transform the world,” wrote Nail.
It’s too early to tell what Obama will do after January 20, 2017 when his successor arrives. Chatter about his post-presidency plans reveal little, but he’s clearly shown commitment to America’s entrepreneurial culture. Speaking to attendees at his 2015 Demo Day, he said he spent his years in the White House fighting for policies that would make it easier for entrepreneurs to strike out on their own through affordable health care, student debt relief, and crowdfunded financing through the JOBS Act.
“We’ve got to unleash the full potential of every American, not leave half of the team on the bench. You never know who’s going to have the next big idea, or what path will lead them there,” he said. “The next Steve Jobs might be named Stephanie or Estevan. They might never set foot in Silicon Valley.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of Josh Wolfe of Lux capital. The error has been corrected.Today, in Pruitt v. Burwell, another federal court concluded that the IRS rule authorizing tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies for the purchase of health insurance in federal exchanges violates the text of the PPACA. In reaching this result, Judge White of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma concurred with the initial panel decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Halbig v. Burwell and rejected the conclusions of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in King v. Burwell. A fourth case against the IRS rule remains pending in federal district court in Indiana.
The opinion is relatively short and quite direct, quickly cutting through the various attempts to cast plain statutory language as ambiguous or otherwise get around the text that Congress enacted. As I’m on the road (returning from a debate on the merits in these cases with Professor Nicholas Bagley at the University of Michigan Law School), I’ll just post the concluding section of Judge White’s opinion. More thoughts may follow.
The court is aware that the stakes are higher in the case at bar than they might be in another case. The issue of consequences has been touched upon in the previous decisions discussed. Speaking of its decision to vacate the IRS Rule, the majority in Halbig stated “[w]e reach this conclusion, frankly, with reluctance.” 758 F.3d at 412.
Other judges in similar litigation have cast the plaintiffs’ argument in apocalyptic language. The first sentence of Judge Edwards’ dissent in Halbig is as follows: “This case is about Appellants’ not-so-veiled attempt to gut the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (‘ACA’).” 758 F.3d at 412-13. Concurring in King, Judge Davis states that “[a]ppellants’ approach would effectively destroy the statute....” 759 F.3d 358, 379 (Davis, J., concurring). Further, “[w]hat [appellants] may not do is rely on our help to deny to millions of Americans desperately-needed health insurance.....” Id.
Of course, a proper legal decision is not a matter of the court “helping” one side or the other. A lawsuit challenging a federal regulation is a commonplace occurrence in this country, not an affront to judicial dignity. A higher-profile case results in greater scrutiny of the decision, which is understandable and appropriate. “[H]igh as those stakes are, the principle of legislative supremacy that guides us is higher still... This limited role serves democratic interests by ensuring that policy is made by elected, politically accountable representatives, not by appointed life-tenured judges.” Halbig, 758 F.3d at 412.
This is a case of statutory interpretation. “The text is what it is, no matter which side benefits.” Bormes v. United States, 759 F.3d 793, 798 (7 Cir.2014). Such a case (even if affirmed on the inevitable appeal) does not “gut” or “destroy” anything. On the contrary, the court is upholding the Act as written. Congress is free to amend the ACA to provide for tax credits in both state and federal exchanges, if that is the legislative will. As the Act presently stands, “vague notions of a statute’s ‘basic purpose’ are nonetheless inadequate to overcome the words of its text regarding the specific issue under consideration.” Mertens v. Hewitt Assocs., 508 U.S. 248, 261 (1993) (emphasis in original). It is a “core administrative-law principle that an agency may not rewrite clear statutory terms to suit its own sense of how the statute should operate.” Util. Air Regulatory Group v. EPA, 134 S.Ct. 2427, 2446 (2014). “But in the last analysis, these always-fascinating policy discussions are beside the point. The role of this Court is to apply the statute as it is written – even if we think some other approach might ‘accor[d] with good policy.’” Burrage v. United States, 134 S.Ct. 881, 892 (2014)(quoting Commissioner v. Lundy, 516 U.S. 235, 252 (1996)(other citation omitted)). See also Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community, 134 S.Ct. 2024, 2034 (2014) (“This Court has no roving license, in even ordinary cases of statutory interpretation, to disregard clear language simply on the view that... Congress ‘must have intended’ something broader.”); Util. Air Regulatory Group v. EPA, 134 S.Ct. 2427, 2446 (2014)(“The power of executing the laws necessarily includes both authority and responsibility to resolve some questions left open by Congress that arise during the law’s administration. But it does not include a power to revise clear statutory terms that turn out not to work in practice.”).
The animating principles of this court’s decision have been articulated by the Tenth Circuit: “[C]ourts, out of respect for their limited role in tripartite government, should not try to rewrite legislative compromises to create a more coherent, more rational statute. A statute is not ‘absurd’ if it could reflect the sort of compromise that attends legislative endeavor.” Robbins v. Chronister, 435 F.3d 1238, 1243 (10th Cir. 2006). “An agency’s rulemaking power is not ‘the power to make law,’ it is only the ‘power to adopt regulations to carry into effect the will of Congress as expressed by the statute.’” Sundance Associates, 139 F3d at 808 (citation omitted) “In reviewing statutes, courts do not assume the language is imprecise … Rather, we assume that in drafting legislation, Congress says what it means.” Id at 809.
The court holds that the IRS Rule is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion or otherwise not in accordance with law, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. §706(2)(A), in excess of statutory jurisdiction, authority, or limitations, or short of statutory right, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. §706(2)(C), or otherwise is an invalid implementation of the ACA, and is hereby vacated.LONDON: British oil firm Cairn Energy on Tuesday said it will seek from India over $600 million in damages for loss it suffered in value of its holding from a Rs 10,247-crore tax demand raised on its eight-year-old internal business recognition.The Income Tax Department using a retrospective legislation had in January 2014 issued a draft tax assessment order on Cairn Energy over its 2006 internal business reorganisation and barred it from selling its 9.8 per cent stake in Cairn India In a statement, Cairn said it had initiated arbitration challenging levy of tax under UK-India Investment Treaty."International arbitration proceedings to resolve the retrospective tax issue in India have now formally commenced following the agreement between Cairn and the Government of India on the appointment of a panel of three international arbitrators under the terms of the UK-India Investment Treaty," said Simon Thomson, Chief Executive, Cairn Energy.Geneva-based arbitrator Laurent Levy was last week appointed the presiding officer of the three-member arbitrator panel. Cairn had previously named former Bulgarian minister Stanimir A Alexandrov as its arbitrator in the tax dispute while the Indian government in November appointed Singapore- based lawyer J Christopher Thomas as its arbitrator."Cairn has a high level of confidence in its case under the UK-India Investment Treaty, and in addition to resolution of the retrospective tax dispute, its statement of claim to the arbitration panel will seek damages equal to the value of Cairn's residual shareholding in Cairn India Ltd at the time it was attached (approximately $ 1 billion)," the statement said.The 9.8 per cent holding is currently valued at $384 million, it said.In January 2014, Cairn was slapped with a Rs 10,247 crore assessment notice on alleged capital gains made on a 2006 internal reorganisation. However, no tax demand has been raised so far.The Income Tax Department says Cairn Energy allegedly made a capital gain of Rs 24,503.50 crore in 2006 while transferring all its India assets to a new company, Cairn India, and getting it listed on the stock exchanges.Cairn Energy, which had in 2011 sold majority stake in its Indian unit to mining group Vedanta for $8.67 billion, still holds 9.8 per cent stake in Cairn India. But it has been barred by the I-T Department from selling this stake.The company said it remains fully funded from existing financial resources to deliver its exploration and appraisal programme.Photos: Confederate flag embraced in Brazil Every year members of the Fraternity of American Descendants in Santa Barbara d'Oeste, Brazil, throw a "Confederate Party," a party to celebrate their ancestors and their migration to Brazil after the U.S. Civil War. Hide Caption 1 of 7
Photos: Confederate flag embraced in Brazil The fraternity, whose slogan is "To live and die in Dixie," takes over the Campo Cemetery in the otherwise sleepy town and transforms it into a stage for traditional Southern dance, music and food. The cemetery is the final resting place for many of the original American immigrants and their descendants. Hide Caption 2 of 7
Photos: Confederate flag embraced in Brazil Descendants of Confederate soldiers who immigrated to Brazil after the war dress up in Confederate Army uniforms and the women dress as "Southern belles." There is plenty of square- dancing and country music playing, all done against the backdrop of the Confederate flag. Hide Caption 3 of 7
Photos: Confederate flag embraced in Brazil The party in April marked the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War. Here, participants put the final touches on their costumes before the party. Hide Caption 4 of 7
Photos: Confederate flag embraced in Brazil The city of Santa Barbara d'Oeste and its neighbor, Americana, 80 miles northwest of Sao Paulo, saw a great influx of American settlers after the U.S. Civil War ended in 1865. The local museum estimates between 1866 and 1890, anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 Americans migrated to Brazil under a movement spurred by Confederate Col. William Hutchinson Norris. Hide Caption 5 of 7
Photos: Confederate flag embraced in Brazil Children wearing Confederate-era-styled dresses and uniforms dance during the party. Hide Caption 6 of 7Source: Michail_Petrov-96/iStockphoto
We generally take it for granted that our are accurate. And these memories often inform the stories of our lives. Ask any speaker or writer what most captures the of people, and you are bound to hear "stories." Yet, as colorful, emotional, and impactful as our stories may be, they are unfortunately also often false.
In my new book, "Tinker Dabble Doodle Try" I explain why our memories are like a house of mirrors. For this reason, we can't really "focus on the facts" because we often misremember things.
Memory Distortion: In 2006, psychologists Chad Dodson and Lacy Krueger conducted a study to explore misremembering.
Study participants watched a video about a burglary and a police chase. Then they were given a questionnaire with some questions that related to the video and others that were closely (but not actually) related. For instance, they were asked about “the police shooting” or burglars having a gun. but neither event had been shown in the video.
The researchers then asked the participants to recall which things occurred in the video, on the questionnaire, in both, or in neither. To add an element of uncertainty, the researchers explained that some events on the questionnaire did not actually relate to the video.
The result was that both younger and older people misremembered information like a police shooting that never really happened.
Memory Illusions: Not only do we distort information, but we also make up things that never really happened. For example, researchers studied whether we misremember words. After giving people a string of related words (e.g. nurse, sick, medicine), they gave them another string of words from which they had to pick out the prior words that were given to them. But among the words were distractors called lures (e.g. doctor) that related to the original list but were not actually words that were previously seen. By and large, many people recalled seeing the lures when in fact they had not seen them at all.
Distorting timelines: We are also not particularly good at remembering timelines, no matter how "focused" we think we are. In 2014, psychologists Youssef Ezzyat and Lila Davachi described how we regularly miscalculate the timeline of seeing people’s faces on any particular day, depending on the emotions and memories that are intruding. If the memory is not properly "baked" into the brain, this can cause massive distortions.
Implications: So much of our progress in life is impacted by what we remember. Yet what we remember may in fact be distorted, confabulated, and on an entirely different timeline than it actually occurred.
Andrew Campbell and his colleagues reminded us that good leaders make bad decisions because of this very misremembering. Similarly, we may proceed slowly in life because we are hampered by the memory of prior events. Though this may be true in some instances, in others it is not. Over-investing in the past may distract us from the future.
In lieu of these findings then, it makes sense to be more light-hearted about our life narratives—to tinker with them and explore their accuracy—and to pay attention to red flags when we have a hint of misremembering.
Our future plans depend in part on what our brains predict. And if our brains are using inaccurate information to inform our prediction circuits, what we choose in life will always feel a little incongruent with who we are.
For this reason, if you feel out of sorts with your life choices, spend some time thinking and talking about this. Let your mind wander so that it can encounter new memories. Be mindful of your ideas (i.e. spend some time observing them) rather than falling for them hook, line and sinker. And even after you are mindful, tinker with your memories by asking, "What if they are false?" You'll be surprised how tinkering by making small experimental shifts in life choices can make a huge difference.
To learn more about why we need to avoid going through life on autopilot, get a copy of "Tinker Dabble Doodle Try: Unlock the Power of the Unfocused Mind" (Ballantine Books, 2017)The Perth Wildcats will begin an immediate search to replace injured import Devondrick Walker after he sustained a serious foot injury on Monday.
In a major blow to the club’s bid for a hat-trick of titles, Walker fractured his left foot during a training drill.
The injury will sideline him for most of the NBL season.
The setback continues Perth’s dramas with imports in the past 12 months. Last year they signed Jaron Johnson, replaced him with Andre Ingram, lost Ingram, re-signed Johnson and then replaced him with brilliant guard Bryce Cotton.
Walker’s relationship with Cotton proved pivotal in his decision to join the club.
The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Wildcats have pre-season games against the Adelaide 36ers in Eaton next Friday and Margaret River two days later.
They will then travel to Victoria for three matches as part of the NBL Blitz against the 36ers, New Zealand Breakers and Melbourne United before interstate games against the Cairns Taipans and Sydney Kings
Walker loomed as a valuable scoring option after dual MVP Casey Prather left the club.
Prather signed with Melbourne and will form a potent combination with Casper Ware and Chris Goulding.
Wildcats fans won’t have to wait long to see Prather in action, given United travel to Perth on October 20.
But Wildcats vice-captain Greg Hire said the players felt no animosity towards Prather.
Camera Icon Prather (left) made a dynamic combination with Bryce Cotton in last year’s finals. Picture: Getty Images
Hire revealed the American contacted his former teammates to tell them of the switch as soon as he agreed to terms with United.
“You build a bond and winning championships helps to strengthen that,” Hire said.
“Upon knowing he was signing for Melbourne, he dropped me a note and I’m sure he dropped a couple of notes to a few of the other guys.
“He told us he hoped we didn’t hate him and that it was for family reasons. You’ve got to respect that from a player. There’s absolutely no animosity.
“I’ve battled against him for the last two years, every single day. It was a fun time every training session.
“From a good standpoint, I know his strengths and weaknesses. There might not be too many of those. I’ll relish the opportunity to go against him.”
Hire said pre-season games at regional and interstate venues would be a crucial part of the team’s preparation, giving players the chance to bond.
With Perth’s other new import Derek Cooke Jr adjusting to life in Australia, Hire said travelling as a team was beneficial.
“It’ll be good to share time with our teammates and learn more about each other,” he said.
“The road trips are different. They’ve never experienced travelling for four or five hours, or if you’re travelling to Cairns it is a whole day. If you’ve got good rapport, it definitely helps.”When trying to educate yourself on the New York arts scene, the initial research can be a bit daunting. There are dozens of museums, thousands of artists, and art shows and gallery openings every weekend. To jumpstart your New York arts education and get indoctrinated into the ranks of New York's art elite check out this list of New York-based art bloggers.
Voted "New York's Best Art Blog" by both The Village Voice and Times Online, Art F City is what every good art criticism blog aimed at young people should be. It's edgy, straightforward, blessedly unpretentious and informative. Paddy Johnson, the founding Editor of Art F City and the Arts Editor for the L Magazine, works with a small team of editors to write and curate content. Favorite sections are "Stuff: Are you having trouble understanding artists through their art? Understand them through their STUFF instead" and "We Went To: In which we talk about art like normal people."
Founded in 2001 by husband and wife team, Sara and Marc Schiller, Wooster Collective started putting their content online in 2003. Wooster Collective functions as an archive for street art across the world ranging from street installations, to performances, to good old-fashioned murals, to even some really creative yarn bombing. The Schiller's publish books together with their most recent being a collaborative book "Trespass: A History Of Uncommissioned Urban Art" and they also give lectures at museums and colleges across the country.
Run by illustrator and artist, Cojo "Art Juggernaut," Art Sucks has been churning out content for 10 years. From updates on performance pieces, to sculptural installations, to film criticism, to gallery openings and occasionally true art criticism, Cojo covers a bit of everything while keeping himself and his readers updated on all of the most current and trendy goings-on in the NY art scene. Cojo is also known for his 2005 digital art project Sketch 365.
Andrew Russeth, the editor of GalleristNY, also runs the art blog 16 Miles of String. Usually focusing on more formal art criticism, Russeth has an eye for underexposed artists and his posts are usually deeply rooted in both obscure New York culture and art historical practices. Russeth's observations are poetic and his reach outside of the immediate NYC area is ambitious. His gorgeous images both on 16 Mi. and on his corresponding Flickr make this blog a must follow.
is spending a year abroad in Budapest, Hungary as a Fulbright Fellow researching contemporary Hungarian art, but the New Yorker earned her art blogging stripes on the streets of NYC. She has been writing her blog, Art Ravels, since 2008 and it is part personal thoughts, part contemporary art and part travel diary with lots of rich pictures and eloquent musings.Does the world want an open source laptop? We’re about to find out.
The hardware/software team of bunnie Huang and Xobs are offering their highly hackable, portable Novena computers to backers on the Crowd Supply crowfunding platform. bunnie’s post about the project on MAKE generated a lot of buzz. Here’s how they describe it:
This is not a machine for the faint of heart. It’s an open source project, which means part of the joy – and frustration – of the device is that it is continuously improving. This will be perhaps the only laptop that ships with a screwdriver; you’ll be required to install the battery yourself, screw on the LCD bezel of your choice, and you’ll get the speakers as a kit, so you don’t have to use our speaker box design – if you have access to a 3D printer, you can make and fine tune your own speaker box
They’re offering three versions of the laptop: the “all-in-one desktop” for $1,195, a slightly more robust version for $1,995 and a $5,000 “heirloom” model done up in wood and aluminum by Kurt Mottweiler.
On the first two models the screen is mounted on top of the unit. This allows the computer to be used as a wall-hanging unit when the screen is closed and ‘it also solves a major hackability issue with a clamshell arrangement – it can be difficult to access the internals for hacking, as it’s blocked by a keyboard mounting plate.”
bunnie and Xobs are also offering just the board (loaded with 4GiB of RAM, 4GiB microSD card, and an Ath9k-based PCIe wifi card that boots to a Debian desktop over HDMI) for $500. The main boards are manufactured by AQS.
As of today, the project has reached $31,000 of its $250,000 goal with 46 days to go. One backer has already kicked down for the heirloom model.
What do you say, makers and hackers? Do you want one or are you inspired to build your own?Emily Lakdawalla • February 14, 2013
Why can Hubble get detailed views of distant galaxies but not of Pluto?
How come Hubble's pictures of galaxies billions of light years away are so beautifully detailed, yet the pictures of Pluto, which is so much closer, are just little blobs? I get asked this question, or variations of it, a lot. Indeed, it's hard to fathom; in our heads the distance to Pluto is "far" and the distance to other galaxies "very far" but I doubt that very many people have any intuitive understanding for how far either one of those distances is, much less their relative sizes. (I certainly don't.)
The good news is, some fairly basic math will help you understand why Hubble's pictures of galaxies look like this:
NASA, ESA, A. Riess (STScI/JHU), L. Macri (Texas A&M University), and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Galaxy NGC 5584 from Hubble WFC3 The brilliant, blue glow of young stars traces the graceful spiral arms of galaxy NGC 5584. Thin, dark dust lanes appear to be flowing from the yellowish core, where older stars reside. The reddish dots sprinkled throughout the image are largely background galaxies. The brilliant, blue glow of young stars traces the graceful spiral arms of galaxy NGC 5584. Thin, dark dust lanes appear to be flowing from the yellowish core, where older stars reside. The reddish dots sprinkled throughout the image are largely background galaxies.
While the pictures of Pluto and its moons look like this:
NASA, ESA, M. Showalter (SETI Institute) and L. Frattare (STScI) A fifth moon for Pluto An image taken on July 7, 2012 by the Wide Field Camera 3 on the Hubble Space Telescope shows the recently discovered fifth moon of Pluto. Moons P4 and P5 are now known as Kerberos and Styx, respectively. An image taken on July 7, 2012 by the Wide Field Camera 3 on the Hubble Space Telescope shows the recently discovered fifth moon of Pluto. Moons P4 and P5 are now known as Kerberos and Styx, respectively.
The basic question that we're asking here is, how large do galaxies and Pluto appear in the sky? To answer that question, we need to know their sizes and distances.
According to the "Fast Facts" published with that Hubble image of galaxy NGC 5584, it is about 72 million light-years away, and the photo spans 50,000 light-years.
On the date of the Pluto-and-moons image (July 7, 2012), the Solar System Simulator tells us that Pluto was 4.675 billion kilometers from Earth. Pluto is about 2400 kilometers across.
To gauge how large these things appear in our sky, we can take the ratio of these things' sizes to their distances. But don't take out your calculators yet. Before you start punching in numbers with lots of zeros, you should first do a mental reality check on their order-of-magnitude proportions.
The galaxy is like a hundred thousand wide divided by a hundred million away; that ratio should be around a thousandth.
Pluto is like a thousand wide divided by a billion away; that ratio should be around a millionth.
So we already know that the galaxy should appear about a thousand times bigger in the sky than Pluto does!
It's important to do a reality check like this first, because when you're dealing with very large or very small numbers, forgetting to punch in one zero in your calculator can majorly affect the outcome of your calculations. Now that we've done that, we can plug in the actual numbers.
For the galaxy, 50,000 light-years / 72 million light-years = 0.00069
For Pluto, 2400 km / 4675 million km = 0.00000051
Take the ratio of those two and you'll see that the galaxy appears 1300 times bigger than Pluto. (See, our earlier order-of-magnitude estimate of a thousand times bigger was pretty close.)
How well should Hubble see either the galaxy or Pluto? To answer this question, you need to know the angular resolution of Hubble's camera. The Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) was used for both of these photos. Look up its angular resolution and you'll find out that it is 0.04 arcseconds. (An arcsecond is 1/3600 of a degree.) That is, a single Hubble pixel spans an angle of 0.04 arcseconds.
I like to convert this number into radians: you get 0.04 arcsec * 1/3600 degree/arcsec * 2pi radians / 360 degrees = 0.00000019 radians, or 0.19 microradians. Why would I want to do this conversion? It's because of a trick you can do with angular measurements when you're dealing with very small angles. When the angle is very small, the tangent of that angle is approximately the same as the angle, when you're expressing the angle in radians. Remember how you calculate the tangent of an angle? SOHCAHTOA? It's the length of the side of a right triangle opposite the angle divided by the length of the side adjacent to the angle. Our triangle is so skinny that it's a fair approximation to call it a right triangle. Looking at our galaxy on the sky, we're talking about the galaxy's width divided by its distance from the observer -- the same ratio we calculated before.
So the ratio of the galaxy's width to its distance from us, 0.00069, tells us the angle that the galaxy subtends on the sky, in radians. Divide that by WFC3's angular resolution in radians per pixel, 0.00000019, and you get 3600 pixels. We calculated earlier that Pluto appears only 1/1300th as large -- so it's not even 3 pixels across in Hubble's view.
Pluto is a rather small world, but even if you put Jupiter (which is 60 times bigger) at Pluto's distance from the Sun, it'd only be about 150 pixels across -- still way smaller than the galaxy appears.
Galaxies are far away, it's true, but many of them are bigger than they are far, at least by comparison to the worlds within our solar system! Think about that for a moment -- how something that is millions of light-years away can still appear a thousand times bigger than something that's inside our own solar system.
Homework problem (yes, homework!):
Here's a related question that I get asked a lot. There is a spacecraft on its |
his tweet just shows how much he cares.
“Dumb and Dumber” doesn’t begin to cover this one. And much like Musket Morgan, we’re guessing Carrey couldn’t define “assault rifle” if he tried.
@JimCarrey to say that the life and soul of a law abiding gun enthusiast isn't worth protecting is absurd and a terrible thing to say. — Alec Kenny (@AlecSean) February 2, 2013
https://twitter.com/JayLaw05/status/297796882359521280
.@JimCarrey Anyone who dances on the graves of the SH children should not be allowed to speak. What's that? 1st Amend. you say? #2A also — JustPlainBill (@JustPlainBill) February 2, 2013
@JimCarrey SAID THE MAN WITH BODYGUARDS! — ExperimentalVaccines (@EVaccines) February 2, 2013
@JimCarrey lets blame pencils when we make grammatical and spelling errors too! #smh — ❁Empress of the Moon (@doll_kb) February 2, 2013
@JimCarrey Does it make me have less of a soul for keeping the assault rifle I've owned responsibly for years?#dontbeafuckingidiot — Jeremy Gifford (@Gif38) February 2, 2013
In August, Carrey called for America to “revise the Second Amendment.” Note to Jim:Impaired eye movements have long been associated with schizophrenia. In a new study, researchers have discovered they can distinguish people with and without schizophrenia through the use of simple eye movement tests with over 98 percent accuracy.
“It has been known for over a hundred years that individuals with psychotic illnesses have a variety of eye movement abnormalities, but until our study, using a novel battery of tests, no one thought the abnormalities were sensitive enough to be used as potential clinical diagnostic biomarkers,” say Dr. Philip Benson and Dr. David St. Clair, lead authors on the paper.
The series of tests included smooth pursuit, free-viewing, and gaze fixation tasks.
In smooth pursuit, people with schizophrenia have difficulty following slow-moving objects smoothly with their eyes. Their eye movements tend to fall behind the moving object and then catch-up with the moving object using a rapid eye movement, called a saccade.
In the free-viewing test — in which a picture is shown — those with schizophrenia follow an abnormal pattern as they look at the picture, compared to the general population.
In the fixation task, the individual is asked to keep a steady gaze on a single unmoving target, which tends to be difficult for individuals with schizophrenia.
In each of the eye tests, the performance of individuals with schizophrenia was abnormal compared to the healthy volunteer group. The researchers then used several methods to model the data. Combining all the data, one of the models achieved 98.3% accuracy.
“We now have exciting unpublished data showing that patterns of eye movement abnormalities are specific to different psychiatric subgroups, another key requirement for diagnostic biomarkers.
“The next thing we want to know is when the abnormalities are first detectable and can they be used as disease markers for early intervention studies in major mental illness,” say the researchers.
“We are also keen to explore how best our findings can be developed for use in routine clinical practice,” they add.
Typical neuropsychological assessments are time-consuming, expensive, and require highly trained individuals to administer, while these eye tests are simple, cheap, and take only minutes to conduct.
A predictive model with such accuracy could potentially be used in clinics and hospitals to aid doctors by supplementing other symptom-based diagnostic criteria.
Source: Biological Psychiatry
Eye Test Identifies People with SchizophreniaF. James Davis is a retired professor of sociology at Illinois State University. He is the author of numerous books, including Who is Black? One Nation's Definition (1991), from which this excerpt was taken. Reprinted with permission of Penn State University Press
To be considered black in the United States not even half of one's ancestry must be African black. But will one-fourth do, or one-eighth, or less? The nation's answer to the question 'Who is black?" has long been that a black is any person with any known African black ancestry. This definition reflects the long experience with slavery and later with Jim Crow segregation. In the South it became known as the "one-drop rule,'' meaning that a single drop of "black blood" makes a person a black. It is also known as the "one black ancestor rule," some courts have called it the "traceable amount rule," and anthropologists call it the "hypo-descent rule," meaning that racially mixed persons are assigned the status of the subordinate group. This definition emerged from the American South to become the nation's definition, generally accepted by whites and blacks. Blacks had no other choice. As we shall see, this American cultural definition of blacks is taken for granted as readily by judges, affirmative action officers, and black protesters as it is by Ku Klux Klansmen. Let us not he confused by terminology. At present the usual statement of the one-drop rule is in terms of "black blood" or black ancestry, while not so long ago it referred to "Negro blood" or ancestry. The term "black" rapidly replaced "Negro" in general usage in the United States as the black power movement peaked at the end of the 1960s, but the black and Negro populations are the same. The term "black" is used in this book for persons with any black African lineage, not just for unmixed members of populations from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "Negro," which is used in certain historical contexts, means the same thing. Terms such as "African black," "unmixed Negro," and "all black" are used here to refer to unmixed blacks descended from African populations. We must also pay attention to the terms "mulatto" and "colored." The term "mulatto" was originally used to mean the offspring of a "pure African Negro" and a "pure white." Although the root meaning of mulatto, in Spanish, is "hybrid," "mulatto" came to include the children of unions between whites and so-called "mixed Negroes." For example, Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass, with slave mothers and white fathers, were referred to as mulattoes. To whatever extent their mothers were part white, these men were more than half white. Douglass was evidently part Indian as well, and he looked it. Washington had reddish hair and gray eyes. At the time of the American Revolution, many of the founding fathers had some very light slaves, including some who appeared to be white. The term "colored" seemed for a time to refer only to mulattoes, especially lighter ones, but later it became a euphemism for darker Negroes, even including unmixed blacks. With widespread racial mixture, "Negro" came to mean any slave or descendant of a slave, no matter how much mixed. Eventually in the United States, the terms mulatto, colored, Negro, black, and African American all came to mean people with any known black African ancestry. Mulattoes are racially mixed, to whatever degree, while the terms black, Negro, African American, and colored include both mulattoes and unmixed blacks. As we shall see, these terms have quite different meanings in other countries. Whites in the United States need some help envisioning the American black experience with ancestral fractions. At the beginning of miscegenation between two populations presumed to be racially pure, quadroons appear in the second generation of continuing mixing with whites, and octoroons in the third. A quadroon is one-fourth African black and thus easily classed as black in the United States, yet three of this person's four grandparents are white. An octoroon has seven white great-grandparents out of eight and usually looks white or almost so. Most parents of black American children in recent decades have themselves been racially mixed, but often the fractions get complicated because the earlier details of the mixing were obscured generations ago. Like so many white Americans, black people are forced to speculate about some of the fractions-- one-eighth this, three-sixteenths that, and so on....
Not only does the one-drop rule apply to no other group than American blacks, but apparently the rule is unique in that it is found only in the United States and not in any other nation in the world. In fact, definitions of who is black vary quite sharply from country to country, and for this reason people in other countries often express consternation about our definition. James Baldwin relates a revealing incident that occurred in 1956 at the Conference of Negro-African Writers and Artists held in Paris. The head of the delegation of writers and artists from the United States was John Davis. The French chairperson introduced Davis and then asked him why he considered himself Negro, since he certainly did not look like one. Baldwin wrote, "He is a Negro, of course, from the remarkable legal point of view which obtains in the United States, but more importantly, as he tried to make clear to his interlocutor, he was a Negro by choice and by depth of involvement--by experience, in fact." The phenomenon known as "passing as white" is difficult to explain in other countries or to foreign students. Typical questions are: "Shouldn't Americans say that a person who is passing as white is white, or nearly all white, and has previously been passing as black?" or "To be consistent, shouldn't you say that someone who is one-eighth white is passing as black?" or "Why is there so much concern, since the so-called blacks who pass take so little negroid ancestry with them?" Those who ask such questions need to realize that "passing" is much more a social phenomenon than a biological one, reflecting the nation's unique definition of what makes a person black. The concept of "passing" rests on the one-drop rule and on folk beliefs about race and miscegenation, not on biological or historical fact. The black experience with passing as white in the United States contrasts with the experience of other ethnic minorities that have features that are clearly non-caucasoid. The concept of passing applies only to blacks--consistent with the nation's unique definition of the group. A person who is one-fourth or less American Indian or Korean or Filipino is not regarded as passing if he or she intermarries and joins fully the life of the dominant community, so the minority ancestry need not be hidden. It is often suggested that the key reason for this is that the physical differences between these other groups and whites are less pronounced than the physical differences between African blacks and whites, and therefore are less threatening to whites. However, keep in mind that the one-drop rule and anxiety about passing originated during slavery and later received powerful reinforcement under the Jim Crow system. For the physically visible groups other than blacks, miscegenation promotes assimilation, despite barriers of prejudice and discrimination during two or more generations of racial mixing. As noted above, when ancestry in one of these racial minority groups does not exceed one-fourth, a person is not defined solely as a member of that group. Masses of white European immigrants have climbed the class ladder not only through education but also with the help of close personal relationships in the dominant community, intermarriage, and ultimately full cultural and social assimilation. Young people tend to marry people they meet in the same informal social circles. For visibly non-caucasoid minorities other than blacks in the United States, this entire route to full assimilation is slow but possible. For all persons of any known black lineage, however, assimilation is blocked and is not promoted by miscegenation. Barriers to full opportunity and participation for blacks are still formidable, and a fractionally black person cannot escape these obstacles without passing as white and cutting off all ties to the black family and community. The pain of this separation, and condemnation by the black family and community, are major reasons why many or most of those who could pass as white choose not to. Loss of security within the minority community, and fear and distrust of the white world are also factors. It should now be apparent that the definition of a black person as one with any trace at all of black African ancestry is inextricably woven into the history of the United States. It incorporates beliefs once used to justify slavery and later used to buttress the castelike Jim Crow system of segregation. Developed in the South, the definition of "Negro" (now black) spread and became the nation's social and legal definition. Because blacks are defined according to the one-drop rule, they are a socially constructed category in which there is wide variation in racial traits and therefore not a race group in the scientific sense. However, because that category has a definite status position in the society it has become a self-conscious social group with an ethnic identity. The one-drop rule has long been taken for granted throughout the United States by whites and blacks alike, and the federal courts have taken "judicial notice" of it as being a matter of common knowledge. State courts have generally upheld the one-drop rule, but some have limited the definition to one thirty-second or one-sixteenth or one-eighth black ancestry, or made other limited exceptions for persons with both Indian and black ancestry. Most Americans seem unaware that this definition of blacks is extremely unusual in other countries, perhaps even unique to the United States, and that Americans define no other minority group in a similar way.... We must first distinguish racial traits from cultural traits, since they are so often confused with each other. As defined in physical anthropology and biology, races are categories of human beings based on average differences in physical traits that are transmitted by the genes not by blood. Culture is a shared pattern of behavior and beliefs that are learned and transmitted through social communication. An ethnic group is a group with a sense of cultural identity, such as Czech or Jewish Americans, but it may also be a racially distinctive group. A group that is racially distinctive in society may be an ethnic group as well, but not necessarily. Although racially mixed, most blacks in the United States are physically distinguishable from whites, but they are also an ethnic group because of the distinctive culture they have developed within the general American framework.
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FRONTLINE · pbs online · wgbh web site copyright 1995-2014 WGBH educational foundationIt has been 10 years since the first prisoners arrived at the Guantanamo detention centre in Cuba.
A total of 779 prisoners have passed through the naval base since it started holding prisoners suspected of having links to al-Qaeda after the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2002. Today 171 detainees are still kept there.
According to Hina Shamsi, Director of the National Security Project at the ACLU, the milestone is nothing to celebrate: “On the 10-year anniversary of Guantanamo, it could not be more clear that the place is a catastrophic failure legally, ethically, morally, and in terms of our national security. It is a place that was a laboratory for torture and represents the principle of indefinite military detention without charge or trial by the United States. It is a failure of our democratic values and the time has come to close it.”
The US Congress has blocked the transfer of Guantanamo inmates to custody in other countries, making a mockery of President Barack Obama’s promise when he stated: “Guantanamo will be closed no later than one year from now.”
Just two days after taking office in 2009, Obama ordered Guantanamo’s closure, an objective which has not yet been managed.
Karen Greenberg, Director at the Centre on National Security at Fordham Law School, said the US government is failing in its approach: “What the Obama administration has tried to do is go person-by-person through each one of these files to try to decide whether to try them, whether to release them or transfer them, or whether they want to open this category of indefinite detention. And that’s what they decided to do. So in essence, once you’ve opened up the category of indefinite detention, you can never get rid of Guantanamo.”
Prisoners are banned from being transferred for at least another year thanks to the recently-passed US National Defence Authorisation Act (NDDA) – highlighting an Obama failure as he fights for re-election this year.Share Pin Yum WhatsApp Shares 14.3K
Quinoa crust pizza topped with melted cashew mozzarella vegan cheese. This quinoa pizza is naturally gluten free, wheat free, flour free and dairy free. A high protein vegan and gluten free pizza that contains all essential amino acids.
Full of heart healthy fats from the cashew dairy free cheese. If you need convincing to make this then watch the video recipe below to see the gooey vegan cashew mozzarella as you pick up a slice. Suitable for gluten-free, dairy-free, whole 30 vegan and general healthy diets.
In this gluten free pizza recipe the quinoa is not boiled but instead is soaked and blended then cooked in the oven. The resulting quinoa crust pizza is firm enough to eat with your hands yet has a crispy outside with a fluffy centre.
It may look like a lot of ingredients and take an hour in total to make but each step is very easy. The oven is doing all work and only a small amount of prep is needed.
The cashew mozzarella is especially easy to make, and the only way you can really go wrong is not stirring enough and the bottom burning.
Quinoa Crust Pizza with Cashew Mozzarella
You can place the pizza back in the oven after putting the tomato sauce and cashew cheese on it. I’m sure this would look even better as the cheese would get a bit of colour on it. But I’m all about simple and quick recipes – I’m quite happy to just eat it as soon as it’s topped.
The residual heat of the quinoa pizza makes the tomato sauce warm and the cheese is hot from the simmering to make it stringy.
I try to avoid heating my nuts too much as it destroys lots of the goodness and delicate fats in them. While this cashew cheese isn’t raw it’s only gently heated for a few minutes.
I prefer raw basil leaves on top. I tried for my last pizza cooking the basil in the oven, but it didn’t look very appetising so I replaced them with fresh leaves for the photos.
I created a sunflower seed cheese pizza that uses the same base. However, the cheese on that didn’t go gooey like this and many did say they could tell from the look of it that it was a healthy plant based pizza. Hopefully, this one looks more like traditional pizza with mozzarella.
Nut Free Vegan Cheese Pizza
If cashew nuts are expensive where you are you can make this with sunflower seeds. It won’t be quite as white and smooth but it will still be delicious. I eat way too many cashew nuts so often opt for the sunflower seed version.
This quinoa crust pizza is also grain free is quinoa is technically a seed. Quinoa is a great addition to a vegan diet as it contains all essential amino acids that the body can’t produce so is a complete protein.
It’s not vital that every food contains all essential amino acids as you can get them all by eating a variety of plant-based foods, just handy to know that quinoa has them all.
The tapioca starch this helps tip to give the cashew cheese that stringy mozzarella type texture. Tapioca starch is a key ingredient that can’t be substituted if you want gooey vegan cheese.
This cashew mozzarella cheese has a mild creamy taste and is stringy and gooey. Tapioca starch is a bit of a nutrient void ingredient – it’s just there for the texture.
To give this vegan pizza more flavour double the nutritional yeast, or add yeast extract or miso. It tastes similar to how I remember mozzarella tasting – gooey and stringy but with a very mild creamy taste.
Nutritional yeast is a vegan condiment made from dried inactive yeast. It has a cheesy nutty taste and is naturally high in b vitamins, although not b12 unless it’s been specifically added (some brands have added b12).
Nutritional yeast is an important ingredient in vegan cheese recipes to give the cheesy nutty taste. It can be replaced with yeast extract if you don’t have any. The recipe still works without nutritional yeast but lacks a cheesy umami taste.
Cashew Mozzarella Quinoa Crust Pizza Recipe Total time: 1h
Yield: 6 slices
Calories: 185 cal
Print
Pin Recipe Ingredients Quinoa Crust Pizza Ingredients ¾ cup / 135 g quinoa
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp baking powder
3/4 cup / 175 ml water Cashew Mozzarella Cheese Ingredients 1/3 cup / 50 g cashews
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
1 cup / 240 ml water
pinch of salt
2 tbsp tapioca starch Pizza Topping Ingredients Use any that you like, this is just a guide 6 tbsp sieved tomatoes/tomato paste
basil leaves How to make Soak the quinoa for 15 mins or overnight. Rinse and drain the quinoa then put in a blender jug with all the other ingredients and blend until smooth. Line an 8″ pan with greaseproof paper or just use a silicon pan and pour in the quinoa batter. Bake the pizza batter 30-35 mins and 375 F / 190 C, until a knife comes out clean. Let the quinoa pizza base stand for 5 mins and then take out of the pan. Bake pizza base for 10 mins on no tray at 375 F / 190 C, just to make it crispy on both sides. Put all of the cashew mozzarella ingredients apart from the tapioca starch into a blender and blend until smooth. Empty the mozzarella mixture into a pan and sift in the tapioca starch. Heat gently while stirring constantly to stop the bottom from burning. It’s ready when it’s thick and gooey and rolls off the spoon slowly. Spread the tomato sauce or passatta over the base, then blob on the cashew mozzarella and sprinkle with basil leaves.On February 8, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the appointment of Philip Ruddock – the former immigration minister who presided over the Howard government’s notorious “Pacific Solution” to divert asylum seekers from its shores – as Australia’s first special envoy for human rights. This surprising recycling of Ruddock is a part of the government’s campaign for a seat at the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2018-2020 term.
Not too long ago, then-Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Australia was “sick of being lectured to” by the United Nations. But even the new government is demonstrating a willingness to dismiss inconvenient human rights obligations. In Human Rights Watch’s annual World Report – which documents human rights practices in more than 90 countries around the world – Australia’s human rights record over the last year showed how far the country has to go.
It is difficult not to be disillusioned by the state of human rights in Australia. This is especially the case regarding the treatment of migrants and asylum seekers, discrimination faced by indigenous Australians and gay and lesbian people who are still denied the right to marry whom they choose.
Australia’s candidacy for a seat at the Human Rights Council provides an important opportunity for Australia to address its domestic human rights issues.
Australia’s position on refugee protection has been to undermine and ignore international standards rather than uphold them. The country maintains a harsh boat turn-back policy, returning migrants and asylum seekers to countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam after only the most cursory of screenings.
Australia has a policy of mandatory detention for all unauthorized arrivals, transferring migrants and asylum seekers to offshore processing sites in less-equipped countries such as Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Last year, an independent review and a report by the Australian Human Rights Commission found evidence of sexual and physical abuse of children on Nauru.
Instead of trying to ensure the safety of the asylum seekers and refugees in Australian immigration detention facilities, the government acted to limit public discussion of important refugee and migrant issues. It passed a law which makes it a crime punishable by two years for immigration service providers to disclose “protected information.”
Following a recent ruling by the High Court, 267 asylum seekers in Australia, including 91 children, currently face involuntary transfer to Nauru and Manus Island. The High Court ruled on narrow statutory grounds, and did not consider Australia’s compliance with international refugee law.
Another area where Australia is falling behind is indigenous rights. In November 2015 Australia appeared before the UN Human Rights Council to defend its rights record as part of the Universal Periodic Review process. Many countries urged Australia to address disadvantage and discrimination faced by indigenous Australians. The government's recent “Closing the Gap” report for 2016 highlighted mixed progress in meeting targets in education and health, with indigenous Australians still living on average 10 fewer years than non-indigenous Australians.
Indigenous Australians remain disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, with aboriginal women being the fastest growing prisoner demographic in Australia. Across Australia, aboriginal and Torres Strait islander children under age 18 are seriously overrepresented in youth detention facilities—representing more than half of child detainees.
Australia still does not recognize the right of same-sex couples to marry. Countries around the world have legalised same-sex marriage, and despite increasing public support in Australia, the government drags its feet discussing plebiscites and referendums.
Australia’s candidacy for a seat at the Human Rights Council provides an important opportunity for Australia to address its domestic human rights issues.
Australia is a vibrant democracy with a multi-cultural society and solid history of protecting and promoting human rights values. Following the horror of World War II, Australia played an integral role in the development of the United Nations. In 1948, Australia’s Dr Herbert Vere Evatt as president of the General Assembly oversaw the adoption of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
But to regain the moral high ground and respect international law, Australia should urgently address these and other shortcomings in its human rights record. For starters, the government should stop transferring migrants and asylum seekers offshore, and provide them fair and timely refugee status determination in Australia.
On indigenous rights, it needs to intensify its commitment to addressing the underlying causes of gaps in opportunities and outcomes in health, education, housing and employment between Indigenous and non-indigenous and do more to address the high incarceration rate.
And finally, Prime Minister Turnbull should deliver on principles he has personally espoused and work with parliament to amend the Marriage Act to remove any legal barriers for same-sex couples to marry.
Australia once was an international human rights leader – and should be again.Description
Artist Julian Kamzol, better known as mygale, is one of the most well-respected arachnid and insect photographers in the world, with a huge following amongst hobbyist and scientific communities. His works have been shown in some of the premier arachnid museum exhibits in the world. ArachnoGear has partnered with mygale to make some of his work available for purchase, in what is known as The mygale Collection. A large portion of the sales price goes back to mygale to support the production of more beautiful works of art.
Our latest poster was in the making for over a year and features all available 14 Poecilotheria species in the hobby, including all the adult males, in a total of 30 stacked images! With over 650 Megapixels, this poster shows this genus with all the details it deserves and is the biggest, most advanced and detailed Poecilotheria poster ever made. All images are stacked and often made up of 3 to 8 individual images to give an entirely sharp image. It also features the location and body length for every species and an additional text with general information.
Some of the highlights of this poster include:
14 species, 30 images in total.
Over 300 image layers in Photoshop.
Mostly freshly molted specimens on a black background.
Original high-definition images taken with professional photography equipment, stacked to provide clear and sharp images.
Free 1080p and 5K wallpapers celebrating this poster come with your order, downloadable from your account page after purchasing!Share:
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Director Takahashi on the first post-launch update
Greetings to everyone playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2. This is Director Takahashi at Monolith Soft. Today I’d like to talk about the main updates that will be seen in the Ver. 1.1.1 update, which will be distributed next week on Friday, December 22.
In addition to some bug fixes, we will address the following points:
An easy mode will be added to Tiger! Tiger!
When you press the X button, the Skip Travel screen will open the map to your current location. We hope this will make it easier to spot Skip Travel locations and Salvage Points on the map.
An additional 1:1 zoom on the mini map will be displayed by pressing the L Stick. This will allow improved visibility of your surroundings and make it easier to check quest locations.
We will further improve the convenience of the mini map as we add more quests and additional elements for second playthroughs next year for all players (not just those who purchased the Expansion Pass!) We appreciate your continued patience.
In your second playthrough, you will be able to have “those” Blades join your party! You can also dispatch Blades like Pyra and Dromarch as a Merc Group, and unlock the “LV 4 Special” of a certain Blade.
We will distribute the following useful items to those who purchased the Expansion Pass:
- Driver Essentials Set: 10 x Rare Core Crystal, 1 x Legendary Core Crystal, 3 x Overdrive Protocol
- Upgrade Parts for Poppi: 30,000 ether
- Pyra’s Favorite Things: 5 x Jenerossi Tea
- Nia’s Favourite Things: 5 x Ardainian Bear Carving
Monolith Soft will continue to add improvements that will make the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 even more enjoyable for a long time. And even though there may be times when we cannot address every need immediately because we are working on these improvements in parallel with the Expansion Pass, we truly appreciate your continued support for Xenoblade Chronicles 2!
For more information about Xenoblade Chronicles 2, visit the official site.
My Nintendo™ is celebrating with a special December calendar and wallpapers featuring imagery from the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 game. Redeem your points for these rewards today!
Game Rated:
Language
Suggestive Themes
Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
ViolenceBy Michelle Malkin • August 23, 2013 10:55 AM
The verdict was handed down yesterday:
From the start of his trial Monday, there was no question that Julio Miguel Blanco Garcia brutally stabbed Vanessa Pham, bringing a “young life to a horrific end,” as one prosecutor said. After hearing four days of testimony and deliberating for about three hours, a Fairfax County jury convicted Blanco Garcia of first-degree murder, which could put him in prison for the rest of his life. To win the first-degree murder conviction, jurors had to be convinced that the killing was premeditated.
Hopefully, the outcome of the trial will bring some comfort and closure to Pham’s friends and family.
But there won’t be full justice until the open-borders policies that enabled Blanco Garcia are put to a stop.
***
ICYMI my column last week:
The illegal alien murderer of Vanessa Pham
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2013
Why is gun control the only policy we’re allowed to discuss when horrific murders occur? In the liberal mindset, “root causes” of crime begin and end with the Second Amendment. But who pays the price when our public guardians fail to secure our borders, refuse to deport serial criminal offenders, and enable drug-crazed menaces to prey upon innocent citizens?
Meet 27-year-old Julio Miguel Blanco-Garcia. An illegal alien from Guatemala, he has lived and worked in Fairfax County, Va., for at least 11 years. The region is a notorious “sanctuary” for immigration law-breakers where elected officials and big business look the other way for cheap labor and cheap votes.
When he wasn’t working illegally as a construction worker in the government-fueled Boomtown ‘burb or getting himself high on drugs, Blanco-Garcia was building up a lengthy rap sheet. According to Fairfax County court records cited by the Fairfax City Patch.com, Blanco-Garcia has been arrested for:
–Public swearing/intoxication in March 2010.
–Petit larceny in September 2011.
–Concealment/Price alteration of merchandise in April 2012.
With the feds granting blanket amnesty waivers by administrative fiat and refusing to fix the deportation abyss, coupled with brazen “don’t ask, don’t tell” sanctuary policies by local officials, Blanco-Garcia managed to escape detention and deportation for more than a decade. In December 2012, the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (which includes U.S. Marshals staff, Fairfax County police, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and D.C. fugitive operations officers) finally caught up with Blanco-Garcia. They detained him after determining “that he was in violation of U.S. immigration law.”
But it was too late for 19-year-old college freshman Vanessa Pham. In July 2010, the bubbly art student’s decision to be a Good Samaritan to open-borders beneficiary Blanco-Garcia cost her life. After getting her nails done at a Fairfax Plaza salon, she encountered the illegal alien and his infant daughter in the parking lot. Blanco-Garcia was strung out on $400 worth of PCP.
According to prosecutors, he asked Pham to take him to the hospital. She let the man and his baby into her car. When Pham took a wrong turn, Blanco-Garcia turned on her — stabbing her more than a dozen times with a knife he was carrying. She veered into a ditch; he coldly wiped her blood off of his hands with a baby wipe and clambered out of the sunroof with the child.
Cops found the blade of the murder weapon, with the killer’s DNA, under Pham’s seat. But for nearly three years, her friends and family agonized as the DNA remained unidentified and the case unsolved. The investigative break? Illegal alien Blanco-Garcia continued his criminal havoc — surprise, surprise — and attempted to steal several bottles of champagne from a local grocery store. He was convicted of larceny in April 2012. By December, law enforcement had tied his fingerprints to Pham’s murder. Blanco-Garcia’s trial begins next week.
True to form, the whitewash media have ignored Blanco-Garcia’s immigration status and the public policy implications of our government’s systemic, bipartisan refusal to enforce the laws already on the books. The Washington Post (which employed illegal alien reporter turned amnesty activist Jose Antonio Vargas for years and glorified the amnesty mob marches in 2006 and 2007) conveniently failed to mention Blanco-Garcia’s illegal alien status. Some crimes are more equal than others.
According to immigration activists pushing to grant Guatemala “temporary protected status” — a de facto amnesty program run by the Department of Homeland Security that confers permanent residency, taxpayer subsidies and preferential employment treatment to line-jumpers, border-crossers and visa overstayers — there are approximately 1.7 million Guatemalans in the U.S. A whopping 60 percent of them, like Blanco-Garcia, are here illegally.
That’s on top of the jaw-dropping backlog of 500,000-plus fugitive deportees who had their day in immigration court, were ordered to leave the country and then were released and absconded into the ether.
And that’s on top of 1 million-plus visa holders whom the feds have lost track of because Congress never bothered to fulfill its legislative mandate to create a functioning entry-exit system — something Washington has promised to do six times over the past 17 years.
The horrific murder of Vanessa Pham was 100 percent preventable. Blanco-Garcia never should have been here in the first place. After each encounter with law enforcement, he should have been detained, deported and kept out. For good.
I repeat: We spend billions of dollars on homeland security, but our government can’t even track and deport repeat convicted criminal aliens. These are not the well-meaning “newcomers” who just want to “pursue economic opportunities” by “doing the jobs no one else will do.” These are foreign-born thugs, druggies, sex offenders, murderers and repeat drunk drivers who are destroying the American Dream.
If our immigration and entrance system cannot effectively monitor, detain and kick out known American Destroyers, how can amnesty-peddling politicians in either party be trusted to provide for the common defense of law-abiding citizens pursuing the American Dream?A local client just brought in a very interesting Zenith tabletop radio from just after WW2, the 1946 Zenith 6-D-029 Consoltone mantle radio. This is one of the iconic “boomerang” dials Zenith produced for a couple of years after the war. A variety of sets were made with similar styling; in this case the 6-D-029 is a 6-tube AC/DC radio with a combination of octals and loctal tubes.
This radio was repaired in the ’90s by a radio shop in Portland, OR but came to me in non-working condition. That’s not unreasonable for a radio to need another round of service after 20 years, and it looks like they did good work last time.
Checking out the tubes, other than one which was conveniently labeled (and testing confirmed) “weak”, they all had good filaments and good emissions. Something else was clearly the problem. Given the set’s owners don’t own a tube tester, the tube labeled “weak” must have been from the last time the radio was serviced; this one was the RF amplifier front-end tube.
It’s been pretty well cared for – the cabinet is in solid shape and there’s only a tiny amount of dust inside. Underneath, however…
There are several things going on here. Number one is somewhat obvious: something has released some smoke inside. In addition to that, the electrolytics used in this repair were different ages. There’s the blue CDE dual-section capacitor, and a Jamicon 33uF 450V capacitor hooked up as the second filter. Time to start pulling parts.
That Jamicon capacitor is visibly bulging from one side, and testing confirms it’s definitely dead. Of the CDE dual cap, one section was badly out of spec, and the other section tested open as well.
One of the ceramic disc capacitors blew itself apart – rather violently damaging a mylar capacitor near-by and generally making a mess of things. I replaced all of the same model of capacitor with new 630V film capacitors just to be safe.
After replacing the components it was time for the first power-up. No smoke! But, no sound either |
final seconds, the Cardinals had to hang on for dear life at the end.
"With both games this week, nobody thought we could win. There's not anybody in here that still actually believes that we beat Baylor," Walz said. "I told our players after that that we have nothing to lose at all, so who cares?"Teletype machines, like this one detailing the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, are now on display in museums like the Newseum. Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
Two New York police officers were shot and killed on Saturday in Brooklyn by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who is believed to have traveled from the Baltimore County area that day after shooting his ex-gilfriend around 5:45 a.m. Baltimore County Police warned the NYPD that Brinsley’s cellphone had been traced to Brooklyn, but not in time to prevent the shootings.
The Baltimore County Police and the New York Police Department are inconsistent in their reporting about the exact time that Baltimore alerted New York to the suspect’s potential presence in Brooklyn. This discrepancy suggests that the use of outdated communication technology—fax machines and teleprinters—in these exhanges may be significant.
New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said in a press conference Saturday that the NYPD received a faxed wanted poster from Baltimore County Police at 2:45 p.m. Baltimore County Police said in a statement Saturday that they called the 70th Precinct in New York at 2:10 p.m. and also faxed the wanted poster at that time. The officers who were killed were from the 84th Precinct, but had been dispatched to the area the 79th precinct patrols to assist in a community violence reduction initiative.
The Baltimore County police also said that at 2:50 p.m., right as the two police officers were being murdered, they sent the information from the wanted posted to the NYPD’s “real-time crime center—essentially, a data warehouse” in the form of a teletype. Teletypes, also known as teleprinters, are typewriters that can independently type out messages sent over non-switched telephone circuits, the public telephone network, radio, or microwave links. They were popular for remote communication before fax machines and the rise of the Internet, and their use has declined since the 1980s. For example, the Teletype Corp. made its last teleprinter unit, the Teletype Dataspeed 40, which included a CRT monitor and a high-speed printer terminal, in 1979.
Police departments are *faxing* each other potentially life-saving information, in 2014 pic.twitter.com/5hpqNsy7qY — Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) December 21, 2014
The Twitterverse quickly started discussing the old-skool technology and speculating about whether its use could have slowed communications.
Baltimore County Police did use analysis of Instagram posts to trace Brinsley’s phone to Brooklyn, but at that point the high-tech sleuthing gave way to retro communication. Fax machines are still frequently used by businesses and agencies instead of email to send sensitive communications, but they aren’t necessarily more secure. Depending on the type of line they connect to and whether the data being sent is encrypted, they may be secure or vulnerable to eavesdropping on the line. Teleprinters may offer some security simply because they are obsolete, but their use in law enforcement seems to come from tradition. A Baltimore County Police Liaison told Slate that the department uses teleprinters because they’re “very reliable.”Author: Sco Angel
6 years ago, I started playing Runescape and about the same time I started the website about this game. I never thought that one day, I will get the opportunity to visit HQ of Jagex and see how they prepare the updates. Wednesday 26/9/2012, I arrived by train from Brighton to Cambridge and then straight away to the HQ in Science Park.
Cambridge train station - Tank Bertha
In front of the company there was a black tank Bertha with Jagex logo. “Well, I am in the right place” and I slowly opened the door. The receptionist immediately contacted mod Steve, who is the community manager, and then we went together to the main hall.
Decoration in reception
Steve gave me timetable and also visitor card. After the formalities, we moved into his department, where he introduced me his staff and also very important mod for CZ/SK community, mod Edu, who is in contact with one of the admin RSko.cz Grogy45. Another important department was a customer service, with manager Tom. Very busy department, 24/7 and everyday they have to solve around 6000 requests.
Main hall - mod Edu (left) and mod Steve - double display computer with Lego stuff
Mod Steve accompanied me around Jagex, I got into the graphics department, I met the mods, who made the goblin/dwarf quests. The most interesting thing was double display computer in their office, they could play and work together, wonderful :D. During the lunch break, they invited me to the canteen, where we discussed about Runescape and also about my favorite content, which are Dagannoth Kings. In my opinion, the DK contents and quests related to them are much better than GWD boss, because I prefer more tactics than brutal force. Jagex mods were interested in community opinions about their future combat system, I immediately remembered the player Mirek, with the message on RSko.cz forum: "Tell them that I do not like new combat system" :D. There are a lot of people who don’t like changes and they prefer status quo. My opinion is that we should wait until it's finished and time to get used to it.
Canteen - Board room - famous Golden Joysticks
Back to the community centre where mod Mike introduced me Jagex-mod-account. He showed me various tricks, generating monster anywhere and items; unfortunately, these items can not be traded, the reason is economy of RS. The special account should work only for the purpose of testing new items, monsters etc, so if you see 1 lvl mod Mike in the Wild with blue p hat, so after killing him, he drops only bones, even monsters generated by mod, they don’t drop anything. In addition, they are not aggressive. If you see in the GE Corporal beast, so it is better do not attack it, otherwise you will feel the pain.
Mod Mike - his bank - mod Mike between Dagannoth Kings
Tshirt with logo Jagex and some artworks with Jagex mods signature
After 2 hours excursion around Jagex, I had to return to Brighton. Everyone in Jagex was nice to me. Despite the fact that it was rainy, I enjoyed my trip to Cambridge. Anyway bad news for Grogy45, mod Jane was on holiday, so no signature from her, maybe next time :D.The Cardinals have clinched the NFC West, which leaves the Seahawks heading on the road in the first round of the playoffs. Of course, Seattle still has two more games between now and then and plenty to play for even if there’s not much in the way of playoff positioning at stake.
Three things we learned:
1. Doug Baldwin should be Seattle’s first Pro Bowl receiver in 25 years.
He doesn’t want to play in the game, mind you, but he has caught 10 touchdown passes over the previous four games, something accomplished only once before in the NFL. That was by Jerry Rice. Jerry. Rice. Baldwin ranks 16th in the NFC in receptions with 65, ninth in receiving yards with 905 and he’s tied for first in touchdown catches with 13. What’s that tell you? That no one makes his opportunities count more. Factor in that Baldwin dropped one pass this season – just one – and he should be the first Seahawks receiver named to the Pro Bowl since Brian Blades in 1989.
2. Seattle’s argument as the NFL’s best defense ever is getting stronger.
Last season, the Seahawks became the second team in NFL history to allow the fewest points in the league for three successive years, joining the Vikings, who did it from 1969 to 1971. The Seahawks are two weeks away from becoming the first team to lead in scoring defense for four successive seasons. The Seahawks have allowed 248 points, fewer than all but the Bengals, who have allowed 243. The Bengals conclude their season with games at Denver and against Baltimore while Seattle hosts St. Louis and then plays at Arizona, which can clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs by beating the Packers this week. Seattle has allowed one touchdown to the opposing offense in the last 12 quarters of play.
3. Christine Michael is Seattle’s best bet if Marshawn Lynch doesn’t come back.
Bryce Brown is a bigger running back and may be more suited to run between the tackles, but Michael has home-run potential. And it was a positive sign that he didn’t celebrate too much Sunday when he rushed 16 times for 84 yards. If Lynch doesn’t return – and look, there’s no guarantee he does – Michael will be the team’s most dangerous running back in the playoffs.
Three things we’re still trying to figure out:
1. Can the Seahawks remain this effective on third down?
It’s hard to imagine that would be the case. Then again, maybe this is the new normal for Russell Wilson. Through nine games, the Seahawks were 4-5 and had converted 42 of 117 third downs, a rather pedestrian 35.9 percent. In the five consecutive victories since, Seattle has been almost twice as good, converting 41 of 64 third downs. Now, the question is whether this is like a batter getting hot at the plate – in which case Seattle is going to eventually cool off – or if this reflects a quantum leap that has forever changed the Seahawks’ offense this season.
2. Can the Seahawks’ offensive line now be considered (gulp) good?
It was characterized as an eyesore at the midway point of the season. Through seven games, Seattle had given up a league-high 31 sacks. Well, the Seahawks have allowed 10 in the past seven games. They also lead the league in rushing despite having Lynch active for only seven games, and Seattle now ranks fifth in the league in total offense and seventh in scoring. Seems hard to imagine the Seahawks have done all that with a deficient offensive line and an offensive coordinator so many people assume is incompetent.
3. Will Jeremy Lane be starting at right cornerback in the playoffs?
DeShawn Shead has started the past four games at that position, but a sprained ankle limited him in the second half in Week 14 against Baltimore, and while he started against Cleveland, Lane played the majority of the game. While Shead has played admirably since stepping in for Cary Williams for the past four games, Lane is faster, and he might be a better fit outside in the Seahawks’ defense. Hard to believe that two weeks after Seattle appeared in distinct danger of running out of healthy cornerbacks entirely there’s an honest competition for a starting spot over the next couple of weeks.It was several years ago now that the suggestion came from my parish branch of the Union of Catholic Mothers that we have a May procession and devotion in honour of Our Lady. Older members of the parish reflected that such an event had not taken place since the 1960s and that it had gradually dwindled as clergy and laity became unenthusiastic about this public act of witness and prayer. Such devotions had been seen as obsolete in the wake of the “spirit of Vatican II”.
It was decided that for the first year this devotion would be low key but we agreed to give it a go. Remarkably about 30 people turned up on that initial occasion. Since then the attendance has grown and it has become a real focus for many of our younger families and is now seen as a major event in the parish’s calendar.
When I first spoke to some other clergy about our endeavours many poured scorn on it as “folk religion” and felt that we were reintroducing something that was outmoded and archaic. But for my parish the May procession is an attractive event and many parishioners now bring non-Catholic family and friends (the high tea afterwards may also be part of the draw). So what some may dismiss as sentimental has actually become evangelistic.
Looking through the blogosphere and speaking with my fellow priests it seems that our parish procession is not in isolation. Many parishes have reintroduced this devotion and this May saw some very impressive efforts as our lady was carried through high streets and city centres as an act of witness. I was fortunate to also take part in another procession later in the month that involved processing through local streets around a suburban church. People stopped and watched as we passed by and cars pulled in to make room for us. It certainly reminded the local population that the Church was alive and kicking.
In my parish the procession has brought new confidence and has reignited interest in more traditional devotions. After a few successful May processions the parish council suggested having a Corpus Christi procession, and this has also proved to be popular, attracting those beyond the boundaries of our small rural parish.
As Catholics we need to be inventive about evangelisation but we can also look to forms of devotion from the past that we have abandoned. Many of these have the capacity to speak to our own generation in a fresh way.Make sure to check back often for the newest news!
Update: I just got news that the new Jr. Will have a 6×6 bed and also come with a heated bed option. I also found out that the z axis will be upgraded to ACME precision rods. I posted a link to and early picture of the jr. V2 and Brook at printrbot said he had an epiphany today on the design. Impressive Printrbot, impressive!
Update: August 17th 2013 6:54pm – The new Printrbot jr. V2 has officially been released for purchase. This news comes with information that Printrbot is re-structuring their line-up and focus to more plug and play appliance like printer.
Update: August 4th 5:30pm – New news on the Printrbot Jr. It will have aluminum blocks on all bearings and the printrboard will mount from the bottem. It’s being said that it will have ultra regid construction. We will update as we fimd out anymore information, so check back or sign up for email notification!
RepRap Squad has speculated for some time that the Printrbot Jr. will be receiving a makeover. Until now it has just been speculation. We now have conformation that Printrbot will soon be releasing the Jr. V2. A lot of different upgrades will be had for sure leaving the Jr. better than ever. We think that ACME Z-axis rods may be one of those upgrades and no matter what we know that this long standing platform will quickly become a favorite of newcomers and enthusiasts alike.
The Jr. V1 will be retiring anyday now to make way for the new and improved V2. You can expect all of the great innovations built into the original Jr. with a combination of all the new techniques and design Printrbot has mastered over the past couple of years. We would assume that a price increase would follow as the new V2 will most definitely have a lot of upgraded parts.
The Jr. Platform is one that RepRap Squad has never built but, definitely seen in action with promising results. Plans for RepRap Squad are in the works to eventually adapt V2 Jr. Files to be cut via CNC as Brook-the creator of Printrbot has a good habit of releasing his files into the wild for such experimentation. No word yet if Printrbot will release a builders kit as they did with the Simple but hey, we can all wish cant we? RepRap Squad will be closely following the Jr’s growth from V1 to the new and improved V2. So check back for all the latest updates and the best Printrbot news!
Posted from RepRap Squad HQ
AdvertisementsKeith Emerson, the outsized co-founding keyboardist in Emerson Lake and Palmer has committed suicide at 71, according to both Billboard and TMZ. He'd reportedly been suffering from depression over a degenerative nerve issue in one hand that had sharply curtailed his ability to play, TMZ added.
Long-time bandmate Carl Palmer said Emerson passed last night (March 10) in Santa Monica, Calif., though he gave no further details on the manner. ELP later confirmed Emerson's death, as well.
"Keith was a gentle soul whose love for music and passion for his performance as a keyboard player will remain unmatched for many years to come," Palmer said. "He was a pioneer and an innovator whose musical genius touched all of us in the worlds of rock, classical and jazz."
Law enforcement sources apparently have told TMZ that Emerson was found by his girlfriend with a single gunshot to the head. Billboard says his death is being investigated as a suicide.
Emerson Lake and Palmer hadn't performed together since 2010, when they staged a 40th anniversary reunion at the High Voltage Festival in London. Their most recent studio effort was 1994’s In the Hot Seat. Since, Emerson had regularly collaborated with Marc Bonilla. They released 2008's Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla, 2009's Boys Club: Live From California (which also featured Glenn Hughes ) and 2012's The Three Fates Project.
The keyboardist first rose to wide fame as a member of the Nice, earning initial widespread notice by turning a 1968 instrumental rearrangement of Leonard Bernstein's "America" into a proto-prog protest song. Two years later, Emerson joined Palmer and Greg Lake in forming one of progressive rock's best-known early bands.
Emerson Lake and Palmer's first five studio albums, each featuring heady combinations of rock and classical themes, reached the U.S. Top 20. Emerson also conceptualized their 1971 live project Pictures at an Exhibition, a 37-minute rock adaptation of Mussorgsky's piece of the same name. Still, as technically gifted as he was, Emerson may be best remembered for the sense of high-stakes drama that he brought to the stage.
Over the years, the flamboyant Emerson played on a rotating platform, destroyed an organ in order to create a feedback-laden soundscape, set explosions to go off, and performed on a specially rigged piano that turned end over end. He would reach into the instrument to pluck a piano string, or use a knife given to him by former Nice roadie Lemmy Kilmister to hold down the keys. That same sense of adventure translated into the studio. ELP's debut single "Lucky Man" finds Emerson trying out a new Moog for the very first time.
"I will always remember his warm smile, good sense of humor, compelling showmanship, and dedication to his musical craft," Palmer added. "I am very lucky to have known him and to have made the music we did, together."
Emerson's first solo work arrived in the early '80s, a few years after ELP closed out their initial era of albums with 1978's Love Beach. Emerson Lake and Palmer subsequently reunited for two more '90s-era albums, but only after Emerson took part in a pair of offshoot bands. He and Lake joined Cozy Powell for 1986's Emerson Lake and Powell, then Emerson and Palmer collaborated with Robert Berry on 1988's 3. Emerson reunited with Lake again for a duo tour a few years ago, dates the ultimately produced 2014's Live from Manticore Hall.In August of 1971, corporate attorney Lewis Powell—two months shy of his appointment to the United States Supreme Court by President Richard Nixon—wrote a memo to Eugene Sydnor Jr., who chaired the education committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In Powell’s and the chamber’s view, the American free-enterprise system, and conservatism more generally, was losing the battle of ideas and policy to an ascendant liberalism. “No thoughtful person,” Powell wrote, “can question that the American economic system is under broad attack.”
Forty-one years later, Powell’s memo can seem more than a little paranoid. Such marginal figures as William Kunstler and Herbert Marcuse loomed large on Powell’s list of threats to the American system. But Powell was correct that conservatism had been marginalized for decades by New Deal liberalism. American social scientists, he noted, were largely liberal; environmental regulations were encroaching on corporate behavior (indeed, Nixon had established the Environmental Protection Agency the previous year); and business was not defending itself ably in the court of public opinion, much less effectively promoting pro-business candidates at the ballot box. Confronting a “massive assault upon its fundamental economics, upon its philosophy, upon its right to continue to manage its own affairs,” Powell wrote, business had “responded—if at all—by appeasement, ineptitude and ignoring the problem.”
It was high time the chamber began to change all that, and to that end, Powell laid out a number of specific steps that the chamber and business could undertake.
Corporate America, he wrote, had to learn “that political power is necessary; that such power must be assiduously cultivated; and that when necessary, it must be used aggressively and with determination.” To reclaim the ideological battlefield, “the Chamber should consider establishing a staff of highly qualified scholars in the social sciences who do believe in the system” and help conservative academics publish their ideas both in journals and as books. Business should insist on getting its viewpoint represented on television news shows. It should publicize the crucial role of stockholders—“the real entrepreneurs, the real capitalists”—and try to mobilize them on behalf of corporate interests and priorities.
The Powell Memo must be reckoned as one of the most successful political directives in history. The chamber and American big business took his ideas to heart. They increased their involvement in both lobbying and elections, proclaimed the shareholder (not the worker) to be the most important figure in the American economy, and established and funded a host of new institutions (or reinvigorated old ones, like the American Enterprise Institute) to advance their viewpoints and interests. The Business Roundtable, composed of the CEOs of the nation’s biggest corporations, was created in the memo’s wake, as were the Heritage Foundation, the Cato and Manhattan institutes, and other pillars of laissez-faire thought and right-wing propaganda. The Powell Memo spawned an assertive business and intellectual infrastructure that formulated the ideas and policies of the revitalized conservative movement.
The triumphs of this conservatism are everywhere to be seen. Big money dominates politics and government as it has not since the Gilded Age. Anti-government ideology is pervasive and leading politicians seek either to dismantle universal social programs (the Republican position) that once enjoyed near-consensual support or scale them back (the position of many Democrats). Corporate America aims to end collective bargaining. Fox News and talk radio have become a massive source of counterfactual news and agitprop. And it was a right-wing organization, the Tea Party, not a left-wing one, that emerged in the wake of the greatest crisis of capitalism since the Great Depression. The fortunes of ordinary Americans have been declining for years, but millions of working-class Americans remain in the sway of the right’s idealization of markets and demonization of government.
The right is reaping the rewards of having built for the long term. And the left … the left needs a Powell Memo of its own, its own 40-year plan. Liberalism does not lack for either movements or organizations, but its battles are more frequently defensive than offensive and its forces scattered across an array of causes. It’s time for some comprehensive strategic and organizational thinking on how to promote the ideas and build the infrastructure that can inform and spur a liberal revival. To that end, the Prospect has asked a number of organizers, thinkers, labor and business leaders, and funders to submit mini Powell Memos of their own. Reclaiming America from the financial and corporate powers that have taken it over is the work of decades. What follows are 19 essays on how to begin.
The following essays are from the Prospect's November/December Issue. We will post three of the 19 essays each day.Government poised to strike deal with Greens over debt ceiling
Updated
The Federal Government may be on the brink of striking a deal with the Greens to scrap Australia's debt ceiling altogether in exchange for greater transparency over Government spending, although other parts of the Coalition's agenda remain stalled.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott yesterday threatened to schedule extra sittings of Parliament over the Christmas period to push through the Coalition's legislative agenda, which includes a plan to repeal the carbon tax and restoration of Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs).
He accused Labor of giving voters the "two-fingered salute" in opposing his Government's reforms.
Treasurer Joe Hockey has been in negotiations with the Greens to lift the Commonwealth's debt limit to $500 billion by next week's deadline, after the bill was rejected by the Senate.
Greens leader Christine Milne has told AM that her party will support the bill if the Government provides a detailed statement to Parliament each time debt rises by $50 billion, providing more information about why the increase is needed and how the money will be spent.
"In the last few years we've had all this talk about 'are we going more into deficit, when are we going to get into surplus', when we should have been having a discussion about 'well, what is the long-term infrastructure this country needs and how are we going to finance it?'
"Wouldn't this be a good time to actually do that while the cost of borrowing is considerably lower than at other times?
"They're the kinds of conversations we should be having.
"What this would mean is that there wouldn't be the debt ceiling, but instead there would have to be a justification for increasing the debt every time a threshold of an additional $50 billion was crossed.
"Tabling of that statement in the parliament would then mean there was an opportunity in both houses of parliament to have that debate."
Mr Hockey's Parliamentary Secretary, Steve Ciobo, says he would prefer it if Australia kept a debt ceiling.
"I personally would like to see the continuation of the debt ceiling, but unfortunately the Labor Party remains steadfastly opposed to taking economically responsibly actions," he said.
"The Labor Party is trying to be opportunistic and it's the Greens [who are] the only party willing to come to the table, to have a common sense discussion about what's in the national interest."
Greens want guarantees to banks and companies made public
The Greens are also proposing that details of guarantees to banks or companies like NBN Co or Medibank Private be made public.
Ms Milne rejected the suggestion that the move would threaten commercial confidentiality.
"It will remain that what has to be commercial in confidence would stay so," she said.
"But what it does mean is that you get a much fuller picture of the level of debt."
Ms Milne also suggested that the Government's budget projections, referred to as forward estimates, be extended from four to 10 years, to "allow the community to see what the Government is thinking about beyond the electoral cycle and what we're thinking about in terms of the infrastructure that we might be planning for".
Ms Milne conceded that making economic predictions beyond four years was questionable, but said the forward estimates could include a "reference to the degree of accuracy with which Treasury could actually predict" economic outcomes.
She said the Government had been "reasonably receptive to the idea that we need more transparency", and that "more than just the gross debt, we need to have a sense of the net debt".
Topics: federal-parliament, federal-government, federal---state-issues, greens, abbott-tony, business-economics-and-finance, australia
First postedPaveh is the capital of Paveh County in Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the 2011 census its population was 23.704 inhabitants.
Paveh is located in the west of Iran, 112km from Kermanshah. It lies in a sub-region along the Iran-Iraq border commonly referred to as Hewraman situated within the larger geographical region of Kurdistan. The city is considered by inhabitants of the region as the capital of the Hewraman. The inhabitants of Paveh are mostly Kurds that speak Auramani.
As a mountainous town, Paveh has cold winters and cool springs. The surrounding mountains are normally filled with fresh spring water from March to June. The town is also encircled with large fruit gardens which create beautiful sceneries during summers.
An old myth regarding the name of the city is that the Emperor Yazdgerd III sent his son named Pav to this area to renew his religious Zoroastrian faith. Both Persians and the local Kurdish inhabitants practiced Zoroastrianism during the Persian Empire’s Sasanian era from which this myth is derived.
Sources: Wikipedia | Paweh, Mehr News Agency | PhotosWhen the people whose houses hug the narrow warren of streets paralleling the busiest urban freeway in America began to see bumper-to-bumper traffic crawling by their homes a year or so ago, they were baffled.
When word spread that the explosively popular new smartphone app Waze was sending many of those cars through their neighborhood in a quest to shave five minutes off a daily rush-hour commute, they were angry and ready to fight back.
They would outsmart the app, some said, by using it to report phony car crashes and traffic jams on their streets that would keep the shortcut-seekers away.
Months later, the cars are still there, and the people are still mad.
"The traffic is unbearable now. You can't even walk your dog," said Paula Hamilton, who lives on a once quiet little street in the Santa Monica Mountains in a neighborhood called Sherman Oaks.
Hamilton's winding little road up the low-slung mountains that separate the city's traffic-clogged San Fernando Valley from its equally traffic-clogged west side is now filled each weekday morning with a parade of exhaust-belching, driveway-blocking, bumper-to-bumper cars.
So is practically every other nearby street that parallels the busy Interstate 405 freeway.
On the other side of the mountain, where cars cruise down roads into tony Brentwood, traffic has also been the hot topic of late, with several people telling each other they will fool the app with their phony accident reports.
"I don't know if you could find anyone who would admit to doing it, but several people have said they will," longtime resident Joann Killeen said.
If they have, they've obviously failed. Killeen said her four-mile commute to UCLA, where she teaches a public relations class, can take two hours during rush hour. "The streets on the west side are no longer a secret for locals, and people are angry," she said.
That's because the app can't be outsmarted, Waze spokeswoman Julie Mossler said.
"With millions of users in LA, fake, coordinated traffic reports can't come to fruition because they'll be negated by the next 10 people that drive down the street passively using Waze," she said.
Besides, Mossler added, "people are inherently good," meaning most wouldn't really screw with the app, no matter what they might say.
Indeed, of all the angry people interviewed for this story, none would admit doing so, although most said they heard someone else had.
Many, however, have been complaining to local officials.
"First thing this morning, my field deputy took an earful from a resident up there," said City Councilman Tom LaBonge, who represents Hamilton's neighborhood.
There are some things that can be done to mitigate the situation, said Los Angeles Department of Transportation spokesman Bruce Gillman, like placing speed bumps and four-way stop signs on streets. Lanes could even be taken out to discourage shortcut seekers, but a neighborhood traffic study would have to be done first.
"Road diet, they call it," Gillman said. "It's to make streets so people can walk, people can bike."
But the bigger problem, Gillman said, is that everybody is using smartphone apps these days and they will quickly find every shortcut out there.
"I plead guilty to that," said Richard Close, who is president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association that represents Hamilton's neighborhood.
As soon as he gets over the hill to Killeen's neighborhood, Close said, he uses the app to find the fastest route to his office in Santa Monica. Killeen herself admitted she uses Waze and also Sigalert.com to get around town.
Which seems to speak to Mossler's contention that the real problem facing LA residents isn't the traffic app. It's the traffic.
Los Angeles County has 7.6 million registered vehicles, more than some states. The Interstate 405 Freeway that parallels the unhappy neighborhoods carries 379,000 cars a day.
So while a shortcut down a sleepy street might not be a problem in a place like Des Moines or even Detroit, it's a different story in a city that last year was again ranked No. 1 for the nation's most time-consuming traffic jams.
"Los Angeles is a powder keg of cars, construction and population that will only continue to get worse," Mossler said she wrote to a person from the 405 neighborhood who complained. "With or without Waze, drivers will be looking for alternatives to major thoroughfares."We’ve had LOTS of rumors, but here’s your first look at Stone 19. You saw it first on mybeerbuzz.com and start the timer now to see how quickly people steal borrow my content and post it elsewhere.
This is Stone’s Nineteenth Anniversary Ale and it is called Thunderstruck IPA. This beer will use all Australian hops, namely Ella, Galaxy, Topaz and Vic Secret and for 2015 it will be packaged in 22oz bottles and kegs (label below). Look for Thunderstruck IPA to also use Australian Fairview malt.
If that’s not enough fun, this beer marks the beginning of the amazing series of specialty 20th anniversary beers to come over the next 12 months so stay tuned for more details on those. As Stone puts it, “consider this the first of many Thank-Yous for years to come!”
Stone 19 will come in big at 9%-AbV and look for an August 2015 release.
The image below is from Stone:
The FullPint beer blog assumed my comments above relative to use of my content was somehow a claim of ownership of the publicly available graphics above. Rather than ask, they decided to shoot first and ask questions later (with a FB title of “Bombs Have Been Dropped”). In any case…as an update…I posted the following comment on the Full Pint beer blog. It is still awaiting moderation so you can read it here or on their FB post:
July 16, 2015 at 12:22 pm
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Thanks guys….I appreciate the PR. Actually you’re missing the point. I have zero problem with people scouring the TTB approvals like I do and mining out the great labels out there. What I do object to (and I’m sure you would too) are the people who copy my post text (almost word for word on some) and represent it as their own. While it is also annoying to see others copying the graphics directly from my site without doing their own TTB homework; other than tracking it; I realize there is little I can (or want to) do.
Also I’m happy to answer any questions at mybeerbuzz@gmail.com before OR after you post your assumptions.
About Bil Cord Founder, owner, author, graphic designer, CEO, CFO, webmaster, president, mechanic and janitor for mybeerbuzz.com. Producer and Co-host of the WILK Friday BeerBuzz live weekly craft beer radio show. Small craft-brewer of the craft beer news sites and one-man-band with way too many instruments to play.LOS ANGELES — Early in Laura Poitras’s documentary “Citizenfour,” Edward J. Snowden, who exposed vast electronic surveillance by the United States government, tells what pushed him to go public.
“As I saw the promise of the Obama administration betrayed, and walked away from,” says Mr. Snowden, referring to drone strikes and invasive monitoring by the National Security Agency, “it really hardened me to action.”
But do some of President Obama’s staunch Hollywood supporters share his sentiment?
Her provocative, and deeply admiring, look at Mr. Snowden — which had its premiere at the New York Film Festival on Oct. 10 — arrived here this week amid high hopes, intense curiosity and more than a few raised eyebrows over its sharp critique of Mr. Obama, a president who has enjoyed strong support in the movie world.
The intrigue is especially pitched because several of the companies behind “Citizenfour” — which takes issue with Mr. Obama’s expansion of Bush-era surveillance, and his administration’s attempt to prosecute Mr. Snowden for espionage — are led by some of the president’s close political allies.Violinist Sarah Neufeld and saxophone extraordinaire Colin Stetson have done plenty of out-there stuff on their own, but their new collaborative LP Never were the way she was is some seriously crazy-sounding shit, with low drones, tone webs, and guttural inflections making for an experimental album that's as physical as it is otherworldly. It's out April 28 via Constellation, but you can hear it right here, right now.
"Never were the way she was is guided by the metaphorical narrative of the life of a girl who ages slow as mountains; excited, exalted, and ultimately exiled in her search for a world that resembles her experience," the pair told FADER. "The album's expansive sonic trajectory and multiplicity of structures and voicings belies the fundamental economy of two acoustic instruments combining in real time. The result is a musical chronicle that powerfully establishes its own spatial and temporal horizon, a soundtrack that requires no images but profoundly compels the imaginative."Anil Ambani, chairman of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) once famously echoed his father’s teachings to the RIL employees saying “Watch out for the 3Cs – chamchas, chelas and cronies’.” Unquestionably, one must watch out for the trio as it can easily turn out to be the raison d’être for a fatal fall when you begin appearing contented at top.
Nonetheless, what’s the purpose to discuss 3Cs; it’s neither a discussion about Philip Kotler’s marketing fundas nor a daily briefing from a religious guru on how to lead a pure and purposeful life. Actually, it’s all about the newly formed political unit Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its revolutionary nationalist premier Arvind Kejriwal and his tribe of ‘chamchas’.
With canvassing from different political units for forthcoming Delhi Assembly polls running on full swing, the national capital is all colored in the election mood.
The new kid on the block is not far behind as well. AAP, with its battery of ardent volunteers (the number is increasing each day) is making every ball count. With as huge a following as Arvind Kejriwal’s and almost every second ‘aam aadmi’ ( |
ellone@blackisle.com I may not be able to respond to every email you send, but I guarantee I will read them all and try to give you a response when I can. To the above, I would also add any music suggestions for fifties-style tunes... we're running a Fallout Pen and Paper game at work, and I need theme music pretty badly. Suggestions for material to include in the Bible, questions about Fallout events, and suggestions for good source material are welcome, but I cannot give hints or walkthroughs for the game, provide technical support, answer questions outside of Fallout 1 or 2, or read fan fiction or fan-created material for Fallout. All of these updates will be collected into a huge honking document at some point - the doc you're reading now is just one of the many rough drafts you're likely to see. And if you ever need to satisfy your Fallout cravings, and you have a few friends with the same craving and some dice, I strongly recommend you check out Jason Mical's pen-and-paper Fallout role-playing game at: http://www.iamapsycho.com/fallout/index.htm Don't let the web address fool you, Jason's a nice guy. All the PIP Boy pictures in this document are courtesy of BIS artist Brian Menze, who did work on Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Torment, TORN, Icewind Dale, Heart of Winter, and now Icewind Dale 2. Translators be warned: the information below may undergo revisions based on feedback, so you might want to wait until the next update to make sure the information below stays solid.
Thanks for supporting Fallout,
Chris Avellone down here at Black Isle Studios
Answer me these questions three
Here are three huge questions courtesy of Sean McGrorey:
1. Why was it that so many ghouls left necropolis between Fallout 1 and 2 to settle in Broken Hills and Gecko? Is necropolis empty now? Also, why was it that Harold joined the ghouls? I remember him talking as if he weren't a ghoul; When you type in "ghouls" in the question box in the first Fallout he refers to the ghouls as "them".
Answer:
Ghouls still have the human need to expand and move on - and in the 80+ years between Fallout 1 and 2, the ghouls spread out from Necropolis in all directions... and some had even left before the events in Fallout 1.
Necropolis is not empty now; ghouls are still said to reside there, though Set is no longer their leader. It is not clear whether he is alive or dead.
Harold joined the ghouls in Fallout 2 because Harold is a kindly sort who likes to help people - when he sees a group of people trying to make their way in the wasteland, he tries to step in and give them a leg up, especially when it can benefit life for everyone. Wherever a key event in Fallout has occurred, Harold always seems to be right there in the middle of things, helping to push the world along and make it a better place. His wit is a little dry and raspy, but he's got a good heart.
Harold is not a ghoul, but he is a mutant. What happened to him inside the military base during his assault with Francine, Mark, and Richard Grey is unknown, but it is likely he was exposed to the FEV virus and changed. His last known memory after the attack was passing out then waking back up in the wasteland... changed.
2. Does FEV really cause sterility? In Fallout 1 it seemed like the answer was a resounding yes, and a number of reasons for this were given by Zax and Vree. But then in Fallout 2 after you take Marcus to the Cat's Paw he says "I hope she doesn't get pregnant" and says that the FEV doesn't make mutants go sterile, it just makes it take a few years "to get the juices flowing again". Moreoever, the deathclaws in Vault 13 were infected with FEV and yet they are able to reproduce. So, does the FEV cause sterility or not?
Answer:
FEV causes sterility in some creatures. FEV does cause sterility in super mutants and ghouls - Marcus' comment in New Reno was a joke only (and it was an inappropriate one, for which I apologize for). For other creatures, however, the FEV does not cause sterility - in fact, it may actually speed up their reproductive cycles (in tandem with potential drawbacks). Known species that can reproduce after being mutated with the FEV include most species of rats, the mantises (who are known to have bred so fast they cover the Salt Lake City area like blankets), the radscorpions, and the deathclaws. This is only a partial list.
The deathclaws in V13 are a special case; as part of the Enclave experiments, they were bred as fighting packs for the government. They were not supposed to be able to reproduce, but they were attempting to do so at the time of Fallout 2. It is extremely likely that the Enclave scientists would not have wanted the deathclaws to breed on their own for fear of losing control of them, but that doesn't mean they would have made mistakes in engineering limiters or sterility in them.
The wannamingos are a result of FEV virus experiments, but they are now becoming sterile. They are not aliens, but word is they were designed as FEV-tailored weapons for waging war on other countries... and they got loose. They do live a long time, but they were dying out at the time of Fallout 2. They have only been sighted in the F2 area and nowhere else in the wastelands. The eggs you see in Fallout 2 are the last generation of Wannamingoes to exist in the wasteland; the young Wannamingoes seen in F2 will perish in five years, and their parents a few years before that - an internal genetic clock will simply stop ticking, and they'll fall over dead. The Wannamingoes are a vicious mutant breed that had their moment in the sun, and now their sun has set. To put the tombstone on their extinction, the largest known nest of Wannamingoes were wiped out when the Great Wannamingo mine was reclaimed by Redding with the help of a traveling tribal. The mother was killed, and the last remaining eggs were hunted down, stepped on, and then the remains were examined by local scientists and doctors who came to the extinction conclusions mentioned above. Again, Wannamingoes are not aliens – they are a curious mutant or genetically-designed fighting machine that has only been able to find a home in the cold, dark places of the wastes. It is possible that the wannamingoes were old Enclave experiments (or even experiments from before the Great War), and if this is true, then it's likely their genetic/biological deadman's switch was purposely engineered to keep them from breeding past a certain generation. As a final note, this is strictly a personal decision on my part. If you want them to live for fan fiction, pen-and-paper role-playing campaign purposes, or for your own peace of mind, feel free to have some of them survive the stopping of their genetic clock – in the Black Isle universe, however, the little buggers are already dead and their irradiated shells are scattered along the floor of abandoned mines throughout northern California where they make nice crunching noises when you step on them.
3. Are the radscorpions a product of the FEV virus? When you talk to the doctor, Razlo, in Shady Sands, he tells you that they were once American Emperor Scorpions but that he has no idea how they mutated because radiation alone couldn't have done it. For that matter, what about all of the other creatures of the wasteland? Which ones have been mutated by FEV and which ones haven't? Maybe in the bestiary each creature could have a stat that shows it's level of FEV infection.
Answer:
The radscorpions are a result of a combination of radiation and the FEV virus, and Razlo in Shady Sands is correct - they were originally Emperor Scorpions that have grown... big.
FEV-Infected Critters in the wasteland include almost all the ones you've seen in F1 and F2: Mantises. Most species of rats. Gecko lizards. Brahmin Scorpions Ants Various varieties of plants, including the Venus Flytrap. Rumor has it some dogs were affected, but no one's seen any, so for now that's just rumor. Of course, the centaur are a mash of human, dog, and various other parts... but hey, who knows how that mutation came about. Grey was probably messing around in one of his labs.
Creatures not mutated by FEV probably did not survive the aftermath of the Great War, with the possible exception of (cockroaches... and perhaps normal ants, though there are FEV-infected versions of these species.
No one knows where those bird noises in Vault City came from.
I'll try to include a chart of FEV-infected creatures in future additions as well as other critters that you may not have seen in F1 and F2. Most likely a great majority of insects were affected (they tend to breed much faster, and their mutations tend to become evident pretty quickly as the generations advance), possibly beetles, some spiders, cockroaches, and other creatures.
More questions, questions
This submission we answer a question from Michael Ward:
I read the start thing of the bible thats on the net. One thing I don't agree with in the fallout universe is that the vaults were just a bunch of "social experiments". I mean why. Even though the enclave were a bunch of assholes, why would they want to purposely see their own country men die when the vaults were societys last chance at a good survivial. I like to think that lots of people died because the vaults just didn't work. Like in FOT there is a terminal that says that money had been diverted from much needed common sense things to an underground game hunting facility or whatever it was. experiments was a bit over the top, but corruption is far more believable. thats what i think anyhow. and Fallout 3, is it a possibility or not?
Michael
Answer: The vault experiments were an idea created by Tim Cain, and I don't really know the reason behind them, but I can offer some speculation.
First off, thematically, it's pretty creepy, and we all know that developers will pull all sorts of crazy shit to try and mess with players' heads. It's possible that Tim had just finished watching an X-Files episode and had conspiracy theories swimming around in his subconscious. As to your comment about the experiments being a bit over the top, well, yeah. We're guilty as charged.
Secondly, as proven time and again in Fallout 2, the Enclave isn't a particularly rational bunch of fellows. Thematically, they embrace a paranoid view of the world and a heightened sense of superiority over everyone else in Fallout.
Third, the federal government (or whatever branch of federal government was responsible - it was not necessarily the Enclave) may not have ever considered the Vaults as society's best chance for survival - the government may have considered themselves the best candidates for rebuilding the world and already had their asses covered in the event of a nuclear or biological war by relocating to other remote installations across the nation (and elsewhere) that weren't necessarily vaults. The Enclave certainly didn't seem to be devoting much effort to digging up any other vaults and trying to use the human stock there to rebuild civilization.
Fourth, a lot of people did die because the vaults didn't work. Some suffered worse fates.
Nonetheless, even members of the Enclave probably could not answer the question of who created the Vault experiments and their reasons, as many of the people responsible for the creation of the Vaults died long ago, and many records were lost in the great static of 2077. President Richardson was familiar with the purpose of the Vaults, but he never saw them as more than little test tubes of preserved humans he could mess with.
Glossary
Vault-Tec is used two different ways in Fallout 1 and Fallout 2. The correct version is "Vault-Tec."
Behind the scenes
In case you guys were ever curious, the man behind the spoken (voice-acted) dialogue in Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 was Mark O' Green, the former head of Interplay's Dragonplay division (our old D&D division before it became Black Isle). He's got a good way with words.
Vault system
It was intended that while the player was reading the Vault 8 records in Fallout 2, he could discover a classified file (opened with a successful Science skill roll) which explained that Vault 8 was a "control Vault," designed to hold 1000 people and to open on time. This file was intended to foreshadow the discovery of the true and sinister purpose of the Vaults.
The player was also intended to apply his Science skill to the central computer in Vault 13 to obtain a history of Vault 13, the Overseer's involvement in the Vault Dweller's expulsion, and even worse, the true purposes of the Vaults. The Overseer was conscious of the true purpose of the Vaults as social experiments on a grand scale, and he drove out the Vault Dweller because he was afraid that he would ruin the experiment... or uncover it. Of course, the Overseer himself caused problems not long after this, according to Martin Frobisher, the leader of Vault 13 in Fallout 2:
"There used to be an overseer, many years ago, but he did a bad thing and many of our people left the Vault. Only to die in the Wastes, I'm sure. He was tried and sentenced to death for his crime. We haven't used the title since."
Martin did not see the Overseer executed, however... his information comes from the Vault 13 records passed down by his ancestors.
Basically, the Vaults were never intended to save the population of the United States. With a population of almost 400 million by 2077, the U.S. would need nearly 400,000 Vaults the size of Vault 13, and Vault-Tec was commissioned to build only 122 such Vaults. The real reason for these Vaults was to study pre-selected segments of the population to see how they react to the stresses of isolationism and how successfully they re-colonize after the Vault opens. Some of the experiments include:
Rumor has it there were 122 different vault experiments. For Fan Fiction purposes, a lot of these vault experiments have been left open for you to play around with.
Questions, questions
And here's a few more questions, the first one from Albert:
1. Here's a question that everyone would like to have answered. Why is Lynette such a bitch? Is she a jet baby? Was she abused as a youngster? Did she have a series of sordid love affairs that all went horribly wrong and warped her into a domineering cynic? Or she just acting like a typical Vault City citizen? - Albert.
Answer: Yes, Lynette is a bitch if you're not a Citizen. As the figurehead for Vault City, she was supposed to embody the worst arrogance and condescension that Vault City has to offer (traits that are not present in all the citizens, as McClure and others prove). Furthermore, I suspect that she was made a black character to add an additional edge to her hypocrisy over slavery, but I guess you'd have to ask the original designers about that - Mark O'Green and I wrote Lynette's dialogue, but we were working off of an older design that (I think) Jason Anderson had written.
As for why Lynette's a bitch... well, Lynette does have an extreme managerial, economic, and efficient soul, and she's used to getting her way. She wasn't abused, tortured, or twisted in any way when she was young, she just got a certain privileged and superiority complex hardwired into her head around five or six years old, and she's never been the same. She's always known that she was destined to lead the Vault 8 Citizens, and that power has gone to her head.
She's been the leader of Vault City for many, many years, and she's seen the worst that the wasteland has to offer - but rather than taking sympathy on the poor souls that have come to Vault City for protection, she has instead taken the view that these "outlanders" were simply not strong or smart enough to achieve what Vault City has, and thus, are inferior. She tends to work too much and too hard, and she sees all her time as precious, so she has little patience for socializing without a purpose (i.e., if it doesn't involve politicking, she's going to be working late at the office instead) or for people dropping in and wasting her time.
As expected, Lynette has had no positive romantic relationships up until her potential relationship with Westin from NCR in the endgame of Fallout 2. She's had little time for anything other than her job, and that's her focus - if anyone throws her job or decisions into question, buckle up, because she takes it as the worst sort of personal attack.
Lynette uses any negative situation involving outlanders to reinforce her beliefs and disregards or ignores any positive aspects - she's single-minded and set in her ways. The fact that she (and Vault City) had an "environmental welcome mat" stretched out for them (with the GECK) when they emerged from Vault 8 meant they suffered little hardship in comparison to other struggling communities, but this simply doesn't factor into her thinking. She believes that Vault City and the Vault citizens have survived and thrived because they are a superior breed of human - smarter, better, and more capable than the human trash that prowls the wasteland.
Anyway, there you go.
And three questions from Deadlus:
2. Is military base part of enclave or something? (sorry i'am not good at english :) but I think that you know what i wanted to say) - Deadlus
Unknown. The Mariposa Military Base was constructed for the purposes of FEV experimentation on human beings, and considering the nature of the "volunteers" (military prisoners who didn't have their brains scooped for use in brain bots) and the lack of any shred of ethics in the experimentation procedures, it is possible the Enclave had something to do with the experiments at Mariposa. In Mariposa records, however, the Military Base is never mentioned as under the direction of any organization called the "Enclave," and Colonel Spindel, head of the military squad stationed at the base, never indicated any Enclave allegiance... nor did Chief Scientist Anderson in the last few minutes before Maxson put a bullet through his skull.
Still, the existence of the Mariposa Military Base was listed in Enclave records, and this enabled the Enclave to find the base and begin their excavations, so it is possible that some elements of the Pre-War Enclave had their fingers in the horrors taking place at Mariposa. They held the site for many years, but abandoned it after obtaining the FEV samples... and noting the high incidence of mutation among the worker slaves and some of their soldiers, including Frank Horrigan.
3. The boss (richard grey or someone) in f1 was in the vault, which vault is it? - Deadlus
The Vault "Grey" (originally Moreau) started out in before his mutation into the Master was Vault 8 and the Vault you find him in in Fallout 1 was a test/demonstration Vault constructed by Vault-Tec and has no number (according to Chris Taylor - thanks to Nick Garrott for letting me know about Vault 13's stash on this stuff). Relevant quote:
Saint_Proverbius: Which vault number was the Master's base?
Chris Taylor: The Master was in the Vault-Tec private vault. This was the demonstration model built for the federal government, it was also very close to the Vault-Tec headquarters
4. So richard grey was the first vault dweller not the main character in FO1, and why did he left his vault??? - Deadlus
According to Lynette in Fallout 2, Richard was exiled from Vault 8 for murder. The details of the murder are unknown and judging from the hypocrisy filling Vault City, the entire incident is questionable.
One question is from Peeyack, sent via Kreegle of Duck and Cover fame:
5. Why in the final scene in Fallout 1 and 2 nothing is said about players friendly NPCs? I'd love to know what happened to Marcus, Tycho, Ian, Cassidy or Vic afterwards. - Kreegle
Fallout 1: I don't know why. Tim and the Troika crew apparently ended up doing this for the NPCs in Arcanum, though.
Well, according to the manual in Fallout 2 (written by Chris Taylor), Ian bit the bullet in Necropolis, and Dogmeat died in the Mariposa Military Base. Tycho and Katja are not mentioned, so it's assumed they didn't join the Vault Dweller. Still, even though it's mentioned in the manual, I'd substitute your own experiences with them and let that be the true history... even though Dogmeat's pretty likely to bite it in the Military Base because of those damn force fields and because you can't tell him to park his doggie ass in a safe place (without locking him in a force field cage).
In any event, I'll try to include alternate endings for these characters depending on what you did in the game. Your actions should make a difference.
As for Fallout 2, Matt Norton and I wrote end text for all of the ones in Fallout 2 using the narrator's perspective (and occasionally the appropriate voice actors), so here's the sections I was able to dig up (and it's not all the NPC allies, but the talking heads of everyone). They just didn't make it into the game, and as I understand it, Ron Perlman already had 5 billion lines to do in 2 hours. It's possible we decided not to do them because we ran out of time... or because Ron Perlman is an extremely muscle-bound fellow who looks like he can crush bricks in his hands.
In any event, here you go - note that some are personalized for the actor, others are not:
The Vault City that I helped establish was to outlast me and continue on for many more years. In the elections that occurred after the destruction of the remnants of the United States government, Senior Council Member McClure was appointed First Citizen and I retired to honorary council member status. With my new free time, I traveled south to NCR and met the NCR President. I was responsible for much of the legislation that followed in the years between NCR and our City.
Inspired by the example set by the Chosen One, Marcus eventually traveled across the great mountains to the east, searching for other refugees from the Master's army. You never heard from him again.
President Richardson
The destruction of the Enclave erased all trace of President Richardson from history. Now the title of "President" is used simply a bogeyman used to frighten children.
You still hear mention of Harold from time to time. Apparently, the tree growing from his head has gotten larger, and if rumors are to be believed, fruit is growing from it. The seeds are said to remarkably tough, and several of them have taken root even in the most barren stretches of the wasteland.
The Arroyo elder lived for many years after the destruction of the Enclave. She seemed pleased that the ancient separation between Vault 13 and the Vault Dweller had been reconciled, and many were the times she told you she wished the Vault Dweller were alive to have seen the reconciliation take place. Certain that the safety of the new village had been secured and the new community was flourishing, the Elder passed away a few months later in her sleep. Many of the older Arroyo residents believe that she now lives in the vault of the sky, telling the Vault Dweller of your brave deeds.
The Elder, 2
[Matt Norton's comments] The end movie is just finishing – the tanker sailing toward the view at full speed. In the distance is a massive explosion of the Enclave oil platform. The tanker draws closer as the screen fades to black. The Elder, the player character, and all the tribesmen are escaping on the tanker, though we do not see them. The Elder speaks in voiceover. She is pleased, even a little mischievous.
Oh, did you see that? That was a good explosion! Chosen One, you are worthy of your name. I am alive, the tribe is saved, and the evil ones are dead. By the Vault Dweller, you are a hero indeed! All the village will honor you when we get home – even your Aunt Morliss. We will roast a gecko and feast. There will be a shrine to you in the temple. Children will be taught your name. With you to protect us, we will certainly grow and prosper. (Fade) That was a good explosion, wasn't it? I think I would like to see more explosions...
I may include an MP3 of Ron Perlman personally wishing me dead for the end narration sequences in Fallout 2 - it is both funny and frightening at the same time.
And the last two questions are from Richard Grey from Vault 13 via his neurolink to the Cathedral computers:
6. According to Chris A., the ghouls in V12 were exposed to radiation and FEV. I know Harold said the Vault door opened early or something, so the radiation bit makes sense. My question is, how were the ghouls of Vault 12 exposed to FEV? Harold was a special case, since he went to the Vats with... er... someone, whose shall remain nameless... and got dipped. How do you account for the others? - Richard Grey
When the West Tek research facility was hit, it shattered the FEV storage tanks on levels four and five and released the FEV into the atmosphere. Through some means, perhaps propelled by the explosion, the virus was able to reach the ghouls quickly and the mutation process began even as the radiation was rotting away their bodies. How the virus was able to survive the blast without being sterilized is unknown... it would depend on what type of warhead cracked the West Tek facility like an egg.
Actually, Harold never said he got dipped (although it's possible). He was exposed, however - being in close proximity to FEV is enough to cause mutations, as the Enclave slaves mining Mariposa discovered. I imagine the shield between the vats and the control room in Mariposa was meant to keep the virus contained.
7. What the heck was Frank Horrigan? A supermutant in powered armor? A cybernetically enhanced human? A robot? A cybernetically enhanced robotic super mutant in powered armor? Also, if he was mutated, why did the Enclave put up with him? Did they make a distinction between FEV induced mutation and radiation induced mutation? - Richard Grey
Frank Horrigan is a munchkin's worse nightmare: as far as I can find in the documentation, he's a mutant in Power Armor (whether he's technically a super mutant is debatable, since the scientists operated on him so much and tweaked his DNA and physiology it's hard to tell what the final result would have been if he had been left to change on his own).
As for being a mutant, here's an excerpt from the last update:
"It's important to note that Horrigan has never considered himself a mutant; only the scientists at the Enclave would consider him one, but they mostly referred to him as an "experiment," and even then, not to his face. Most soldiers considered Horrigan a walking nuke, something the tech boys built, and they were not generally aware of his mutant status. Most did consider him a freak, however, and there were few soldiers who wanted to accompany him on missions."
They didn't make a distinction as much as an exception. Not many people were aware of his mutant status or could recognize him as a mutant... and those people saw him as more of an altered human experiment than a mutant. It's all semantics. And selective bigotry.
For fan fiction purposes, it's also possible he was just a genetically engineered monster whipped up by the Enclave... and that's what Segeant Granite assumes about him:
"He's some genetically engineered freak is what he is. Used to be the President's bodyguard. Secret Service Agent Frank Horrigan. Now he's more than half machine."
Question for you guys
This is a question since BIS is going to keep making RPGs, but some questions I've always been curious about for any of you who still play pen-and-paper games when you have access to computer ones - why? Are there any special qualities about pen-and-paper that make you keep playing them over a computer game or a massively online multiplayer game?
Just curious - we have a dedicated pen-and-paper (and boardgame) base at Black Isle, and we have our opinions, but I'd like to hear yours. If you've got some thoughts on it, feel free to email me at:
Cavellone@blackisle.com
Thanks.
If you guys ever need some war posters to throw some spice into a Fallout campaign or just for some window dressing, here's two good links for old war posters, courtesy of JE Sawyer:
http://digital.lib.umn.edu/warposters/browse.html
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters/
The first site says updates are on the way, so I still check it every once in a while to see what they've got up this week.
If you guys know any other cool Fallout-related links, let me know.
Fallout 1 archeology
I'm going to try and start including all the key words you can ask the talking heads in Fallout 1 with the "Tell Me Abouts." This may not be a complete list, but these are all the ones listed in the design documentation. There is no documentation I can find for the non-talking heads, but if you happen to know any or find any other talking head key words I miss, let me know.
Let's start with the Overseer:
(I think these last two give new responses, but it could be a generic "I don't know" response).
And because the Overseer is boring, let's move on to Aradesh who's got a little more spice:
Aradesh Dharma Tandi Razlo Seth Raiders Vipers Khans Junktown Spear Guard Tower Guard Station
Psykers
For Fallout fan-fiction purposes, you are welcome to make use of the psykers and their potential from Fallout 1, but I'd be careful - the psykers in Fallout 1 show some pretty over-the-top mutations that could take the world to Childhood's End faster than you can say "uh, his eyes are glowing?"
In any event, of the four psykers in the Master's lair, Wiggum was electrokinetic-dominant, Lucy was telekinetic-dominant and a minor photokinetic, Moorewas pyrokinetic-dominant, and Gideon was a receiving-telepathic-dominant (without the ability to control his telepathy, requiring the psychic nullifier to block incoming thoughts) with minor photokinetic abilities.
In the Fallout Bible, all psykers were officially wiped from the genre when the Cathedral was vaporized in nuclear fire. It is most likely the Master was able to somehow bring forth psychic abilities in certain humans after they were injected with FEV, but most of the experiments were failures (resulting in insanity) or used to line the corridor of revulsion.
Brotherhood of Steel disk
I'm trying to finalize information on the Brotherhood of Steel, and annoyingly enough, I can't seem to find the following excerpt from the.msg files anywhere in Fallout 1. If anyone can tell me how to get it, or, as a bonus, give me a screenshot of the contents, I'd appreciate it. It's quickly becoming a source of frustration.
# *** Brotherhood of Steel Honor Code *** # *** Maxson's History *** {7000}{}{My father was a security guard at a secret military base} {7001}{}{in the desert of southern California. A typical MP, I} {7002}{}{remember mostly his strength. When it came time for} {7003}{}{the revolution, I respected his convictions. He stayed} {7004}{}{behind, to help those who were disabled and wounded,} {7005}{}{even the scis. He put the well being of myself and my} {7006}{}{mother into the hands of his best friend, and ordered} {7007}{}{us into the desert with the other rebels.} {7008}{}{**END-PAR**} # - {7009}{}{We, very few, marched into the wastes. The only thought} {7010}{}{on my mind was that I would never see my father again.} {7011}{}{He knew that to stay behind was death. And still, he} {7012}{}{stayed. He respected the flag, the CIC and the badge} {7013}{}{that he wore.} {7014}{}{**END-PAR**} # - {7015}{}{What an idiot.} {7016}{}{**END-PAR**} # - {7017}{}{He died for the sins of others. That will never happen} {7018}{}{again to us. We will become self-sufficient. We will} {7019}{}{become keepers of knowledge and lore. We will survive} {7020}{}{the end of civilization. We will take responsibility} {7021}{}{for our actions, and we will hold accountable the} {7022}{}{actions of others.} {7023}{}{**END-PAR**} # - {7024}{}{This I pledge to you, Maxson, my son. The Brotherhood} {7025}{}{of Steel is justly named. We are a Brotherhood. Unlike} {7026}{}{my father, we will stand back to back with those that} {7027}{}{share our convictions and beliefs. We are Steel. We are} {7028}{}{hard. We have been sharpened to and edge.} {7029}{}{**END-PAR**} # - {7030}{}{Always remember the fires that we were forged in.} {7031}{}{Never forget. } {7032}{}{The motto from a previous time, and our motto now.} {7033}{}{**END-DISK**}
Timeline repair: Second strike
Here's a second draft of a Fallout timeline based on your feedback to the first drafts that went up on the net last month (thanks again to everyone who sent msg files and screenshots - all of it was extremely helpful). There are heavy revisions to when the Enclave discovered the Military Base, when Melchior was captured, the true Exodus of the BOS and the events surrounding the FEV research at the West Tek Research Facility and Mariposa.
Again, this is not a final draft, since I imagine I will find more problems in it later on and as I get feedback from you guys. Thanks again for looking it over.
BTW, even though information is included on the Vault Dweller's journey in Fallout 1 below, you don't have to use it - it was included in the F2 manual, and it does tell you what happened to Ian and Dogmeat. (Granted, the Dogmeat in the F2 special encounter technically was "Dogmeat," but it was a special encounter, so he shouldn't be considered as the real Dogmeat from Fallout 1, if that makes any sense.)
Just to clarify...
Horrigan is a mutant, but Horrigan was a monster before his exposure to FEV in the military base (he had many psychological problems which may be included in a Horrigan psychological profile in the future).
It's important to note that Horrigan has never considered himself a mutant; only the scientists at the Enclave would consider him one, but they mostly referred to him as an "experiment," and even then, not to his face. Most soldiers considered Horrigan a walking nuke, something the tech boys built, and they were not generally aware of his mutant status. Most did consider him a freak, however, and there were few soldiers who wanted to accompany him on missions.
Horrigan has always been loyal to the Presidency, to the Enclave, and the armed forces - this loyalty was present before his exposure to FEV, and it was reinforced by Presidential Directive through various conditioning and testing programs developed by the Enclave. Horrigan's low Intelligence (which was further damaged by the FEV exposure) made these conditioning programs take root easily.
Last words
That's it - this should bring you up to date with the Feb. 25th update. Look for the next update on March 11th.
Thanks for reading,
Chris Avellone @ BISIt's official. The Oklahoma football team is going to the playoffs.After waiting more than a week after playing their final game and clinching a Big 12 title, the Sooners (11-1) have been selected as one of four teams to make the College Football Playoffs. The College Football Playoff selection committee ranked Oklahoma No. 4, matching it with No. 1 Clemson in the Orange Bowl.The semifinal playoff game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Dec. 31 in Miami.Gallery: Nike reveals OU's uniforms for College Football Playoff semifinalThe Sooners and Clemson played in last year's Russell Athletic Bowl, with the Tigers nearly shutting out Oklahoma. Clemson won 40-6, and the Sooners, led by Trevor Knight, did not get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter. The Sooners finished the regular season winning their final seven games, averaging a 32.6-point margin of victory. Oklahoma's only blemish was a 24-17 loss against Texas on Oct. 10 at the annual Red River Showdown at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.OU first entered the CFP Top 4 on Nov. 24, following a one-point victory against TCU in a game in which the Horned Frogs failed to score on a 2-point-conversion attempt late in the game.The Sooners made a statement the following weekend, beating Oklahoma State 58-23 in Stillwater. The victory earned Oklahoma its ninth Big 12 title during the Bob Stoops era.The CFP selection is the Sooners and Big 12's first since a playoff system was put into place last year. The Big 12 |
engravings that the Book of Mormon describes as reformed Egyptian.[199] Smith described the writing as "Egyptian characters... small, and beautifully engraved," exhibiting "much skill in the art of engraving."[169]
John Whitmer, one of the Eight Witnesses, said the plates had "fine engravings on both sides,"[200] and Orson Pratt, who did not see the plates himself but who had spoken with witnesses, understood that there were engravings on both sides of the plates, "stained with a black, hard stain, so as to make the letters more legible and easier to be read."[201]
Significance in the Latter Day Saint tradition [ edit ]
The golden plates are significant within the Latter Day Saint movement because they are the reputed source for the Book of Mormon, which Smith called the "most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion."[202] However, the golden plates are just one of many known and reputed metal plates with significance in the Latter Day Saint movement. The Book of Mormon itself refers to a long tradition of writing historical records on plates, of which the golden plates are a culmination (see List of plates (Latter Day Saint movement)). In addition, Smith once believed in the authenticity of a set of engraved metal plates called the Kinderhook plates,[203] although these plates turned out to be a hoax by non-Mormons who sought to entice Smith to translate them in order to discredit his reputation.[204]
Two other sets of alleged plates, the Voree plates and the Book of the Law of the Lord, were translated by James Strang—one of three major contenders to succeed Smith—who went on to lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite).[205]
Some Latter Day Saints, especially those within the Community of Christ, have doubted the historicity of the golden plates and downplayed their significance.[14][206] For most Latter Day Saints, however, the physical existence and authenticity of the golden plates are essential elements of their faith. For them, the message of the Book of Mormon is inseparable from the story of its origins.[207]
Hugh Nibley said in 1957 that proof of the actual existence of the golden plates would not settle disputes about the Book of Mormon and the story of its origin.[208]
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]Reported by April V. Taylor
Dr. Umar Johnson has long been considered an expert on how the American educational system uses learning disabilities to label black children, particularly black boys. He holds a Doctor of Clinical Psychology degree and is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. He has also worked as a trainer, teaching educators and mental health care staff on a variety of psycho-educational topics, and as a child therapist. He is the author of Psycho-Academic Holocaust: The Special Education & ADHD War Against Black Boys.
As recently reported by the Atlanta BlackStar, Dr. Johnson is now trying to take his work and message to the next level by purchasing St. Paul’s College, a HBCU located in Lawrenceville, Virginia. If he is able to raise the necessary $5 million by August 21st, he is hoping to convert the college into a boarding school for African American men. Dr. Johnson believes the residential educational facility will be a valuable tool in helping Black men overcome the educational racism that is prevalent in schools across America.
He hopes to rename the school the Frederick Douglass and Marcus Garvey RBG International Leadership Academy for Black boys. The curriculum would include training students based on a global business model that will enable them to pursue careers of “self-employment and entrepreneurship.” Dr. Johnson is aiming to provide young men with real world experiences, so that they will be more prepared when entering the labor market. In a statement on BlackNews.com, Dr. Johnson states that the he believes “Our children have to be taught how to make a living anywhere in this world regardless of the circumstances of the political economy in which they live. The FDMG Academy will teach our children to be masters of agricultural/agronomical science, economic/financial science, political/military science, nutritional/dietary science, family/community science and African centered spiritual/cosmological science.”
To make a donation towards Dr. Johnson’s purchase of St. Paul Paul’s College and the opening of the Frederick Douglass and Marcus Garvey RBG International Leadership Academy, click here.
SourceStory Background
“Faith of Our Fathers” was originally published in Dangerous Visions in 1967. It can now be found in The Eye of the Sibyl and Other Classic Stories by Philip K. Dick on pp. 197–222.
Plot Summary
Tung Chien is walking the streets of Hanoi and meets a street peddler. Chien denies needing any of his wares, which mostly include home remedies. He tries to escape, but the peddler reminds him that the law requires that Chien purchase something. The peddler offers Chien an herbal remedy to cure eyes tired from the long political monologues citizens are forced to endure on the television. Chien goes into the Postwar Ministry of Cultural Artifacts and meets a colleague, Tso-pin, and Darius Pethel, who is in charge of a new school (“ideological and cultural establishment”) being set up in San Fernando, targeting the youth of the western U.S. Chien’s task will be to read the student essays to see who is in most need of ideological correction at such a school. This is a tricky mission because American youth are particularly good at faking their ideological commitment. Pethel shows him two essays in order to test his ability to identify the right students. He pushes Chien to give an answer after a cursory examination of only one of them, making use of an old Arabic poem from the Thousand and One Nights, and arguing for the brutal repression of anti-Party groups in the U.S. Chien manages to delay a final verdict and considers the failings of ideological training in the U.S.
At home he looks at the second paper, which is also an essay built around a poem. This one interprets John Dryden as an early critic of capitalism. A message from the Great Benefactor is announced on the television. In the message, the Great Benefactor mentions the great task before Tung Chien. Chien figures this was a personalized message and not broadcast widely. He opens the package purchased from the vendor, finding snuff. He takes it. Ignoring the television for a moment leads to a knock on his door. The Building Warden, Mou Kuei, fines him for looking away and reminds him that the message is directed toward him today. Back at the television Chien sees the image of the Great Benefactor fade away. It is replaced with a robotic monstrosity. Chien immediately contacts the Secpol and reports that the peddler was selling a hallucinogenic drug. A few minutes later, police arrive, investigate the snuff, take Chien’s story, and send the dubious drug to the lab. The lab report comes back quickly through Chien’s vidphone. They tell him that the drug is phenothiazine, an anti-hallucinogen. The doorbell rings. He answers to fid a woman who asks him if he still has the snuff and what he saw when he used it. Specifically, she wants to know what form the Great Benefactor took for him. She explains that everyone who uses the drug sees one of twelve different creatures. Chien’s machine is called the Clanker. There are also a Lovecraftian horror, a bird, and an alien. The woman says she sees a whirlwind. She reveals herself to be Tayna Lee, a minor clerk at Chien’s ministry. She is part of a group that has learned that the water in circulation is being tainted with hallucinogens. There is one common hallucination shared among all who drink water, but strangely there seem to be twelve distinct realities. Chien threatens to turn Lee in, but she convinces him that she is not anti-Party, but is part of a group devoted to learning the truth about who, or what, rules them. Lee wants to help him choose the right essay, so he will be promoted. If he can use the anti-hallucinogen in the physical presence of the Great Benefactor, he will be able to see its true form. Lee identifies the more aggressive essay as the heretical one, saturated with Party jargon.
Chien meets with Pethel and Tso-pin, correctly identifying the heretical essay. Pethel informs Chien that the image of the Great Benefactor is manipulated. He is actually a Caucasian named Thomas Fletcher. He is told this because he will be meeting the Great Benefactor at the Leader’s villa. Chien wonders if Lee was an agent attempting to learn if Chien was actually anti-Party. On the day of his visit to the villa, Chien is stopped by the peddler who hands him some of the anti-hallucinogen drug. The package has a note from Lee warning him not to try to locate her after the party. He takes the drug.
Chien is checked before entering the party, which is populated by men in formal dress and nude women. Women pass around drinks for the crowd. A woman near Chien, a guest as well, is anxious to meet “His Greatness.” When he arrives, Chien is horrified. It is not any of the twelve images seen on the television. It is beyond form and violently consumed the life of the people in the room, draining their life force with an insatiable appetite. Chien thinks that the creature is God. It starts talking to Chien directly. It tells him that the things it consumes means nothing to it and are undifferentiated to it. Each will be consumed. He interprets the Arabic poem Chien read in the essay to mean God is death. It stops Chien from killing himself by grabbing his shoulder and tells him that he founded both the Party and the anti-Party, and all other institutions. Chien hits it and falls unconscious. Sometime later he is woken up and scolded for getting drunk and making a fool of himself. He is sent out in a cab.
Later, Tayna Lee sees Chien in his room. He talks her into staying with him for the night. Chien is unable to describe what he saw and asks Lee is she believes in God. She finds a belief in God old-fashioned. Chien asks he if good and evil can be two sides of God. He tells her that he wants to stay on the hallucinogen. After having sex, Lee tells Chien that making love is a way to enter a timeless zone. Chien gets a towel for Lee in the bathroom and notices that the place that “it” touched him on the shoulder is bleeding and will soon kill him.
Analysis
The theme at the heart of “The Faith of Our Father,” a work as important as any of Dick’s novels, is the central odiousness of the institutions. No other work makes as clear Emma Goldman’s point that human history is the struggle between the individual and the institution. The story follows Tung Chien, an agent of the Chinese Communist Party in Hanoi. The Chinese Communist Party had emerged victorious over all of its enemies and is the dominant ideology in the world. Bureaucratic authoritarianism is not limited to Communism in Dick’s world, but written during one of the peaks of Maoism, it was easy for Dick to imagine the emergence success of Chinese. The regime regulates every aspect of people’s lives. As Chien ponders after an unfortunate dialog with a peddler that the investigation of his private life by someone who is not of the government is appalling. He is however, required by law to purchase something from the peddler since he is a veteran. The product he purchases turns out to be a hallucinogenic drug of sorts, which he consumes in front of the television while watching the typical fare of propaganda. He promises Chien that the drug when ingested will “rest eyes fatigued by the countenance of meaningless official monologues. A soothing preparation; take it as soon as you find yourself exposed to the usual dry and lengthy sermons.” (198)
One of the main tools of control turns out to be education. After meeting the peddler, he met with an American communist who establishes schools that have the goal of locating and programming dissatisfied youth. Chien has been given the charge of reading admissions essays to locate those best suited to the program (that is those who are in most need of a proper ideological education). It seems that the Communists have had a notoriously difficult time indoctrinating Americans despite the easy of the military victory.
Nightly, the government beams message from the leader directly into individual’s homes. Chien highly suspects that these are often custom made for different people as Chien himself is mentioned by name and offered support in his new task with American youth. His observation of these broadcasts are observed. When he looked away for a moment at the item he purchased from the peddler, he was interrupted and disciplined by the Building Warden. He is ordered to begin watching again from the beginning. Instead, he takes the drug (in the form of a snuff). When the drug took affect he began to see the “Leader” differently. “He faced a dead mechanical construct, made of solid state circuits, of swiveling pseudopodia, lenses and a squawk-box.” (205) Terrified, Chien calls the authorities who investigate the drug. He soon learns that the drug is a drug, which counteracts the effects of hallucinogen.
Soon after this revelation, he is visited by a girl who explains that Chien has experienced what many others have (although the image of the leader that they see varies). Some like Chien see robots (“The Clunker”), others see a Lovecraftian horror (“The Gulper”), and yet others see a bird of “the Climbing Tube.” In all there are twelve different images that replace the leader when individuals take the drug. The image of a human leader giving speeches is a collective delusion imposed on the state through the massive consumption of hallucinogens in the water supply. Chien also learns that the movement to learn the truth wants to use him because he is clearly an upwardly mobile Party member who will possibly be in a position someday to reveal the truth about what it is that really rules us. The review of student essays is actually a political test of Chien before his promotion in the hierarchy. The movement hopes he can meet the leader in person under the influence of the anti-hallucinogenic drug and see, finally, what it is that is ruling humanity (as it is certainly not human). In almost fitting the image of a hedonistic, hypocritical dictator, the private meeting that Chien is soon invited to is a stag party.
At the party, Chien soon sees the real form of the “Absolute Benefactor.” “It had no shape. Nor pseudopodia, either flesh or metal. It was, in a sense, not there at all... It was terrible; it blasted him with its awareness. As it moved it drained the life from each person in turn; it ate the people who had assembled, passed on, ate again, ate more with an endless appetite. It hated; he felt its hate. It loathed; he felt its loathing for everyone present—in fact he shared its loathing. All at once he and everyone else in the big villa were each a twisted slug, and over the fallen slug carcasses the creature savored, lingered, but all the time coming directly toward him—of was that an illusion?” This image of an all-consuming, hating, yet all powerful deity is Dick’s image of the state, consuming all it comes across, presenting itself as a positive force while committing its endless crimes. Chien’s recollection of the party ends with a dialog between Chien and this being, in which it is made very clear that although the “Absolute Benefactor” created the Party, the anti-Party, and everything else and observes it all with utter contempt. As he concludes to Chien: “The dead shall live, the living die. I kill what lives; I save what had died. And I will tell you this: there are worse things than I. But you won’t meet them because by then I will have killed you.” (217–219) This self-confidence is also stereotypical of Dickian imaginations of state power. Even when sustaining massive delusions (and none as quite so universal as the one in “Faith of Our Fathers”), it is confident in the ultimate power and the incapacity of most to imagine resistance.
When Chien returns home at the end of the story, he meets the girl from before and they proceed to have an intimate evening together. Chien learns that the “Absolute Benefactor” is indeed going to have him killed but he seeks a final moment of happiness. He informs the girl that resistance is impossible outside of the acknowledgment of the horrors he witnessed. “Believe in it” is the only advice he can manage, but he knows that it is not enough to achieve any real resistance and he longs for a return to the delusion. The violence and terror of the state, acknowledged at times by political philosophers from the days of Divine Right and the writings of Thomas Hobbes, is still often hidden from view. Like the users of the anti-hallucinogen, we can catch pieces of the state’s character through leaked documents, scandals, or the occasional work of journalism. On a case by case basis, the lies are not sustainable. The twelve different forms that the lie took for the users resemble these fractional cracks in the edifice. Seeing the whole may not be possible, even for the most brave and open-minded critic of power. Indeed, it is not even known by most of the people who serve the state.
Resources
Wikipedia page for “Faith of Our Fathers.”
Philip K. Dick Fan Site review.
Another bloggers take on this story.
Rationalwiki’s take on the water fluoridation conspiracy.
AdvertisementsWhen the factory head unit of the Honda S2000 is replaced with an aftermarket head unit, the functionality of the dashboard audio control is lost. Qube’s Audio Control not only recovers the functionality of the stock audio control, it ADDS navigational functionality by replacing the large “Audio Mode” button with a 4-way directional switch, all while looking COMPLETELY STOCK.
What are the benefits?
1) EXTENDED CONTROLS – Qube’s Audio Control is the most user-friendly solution available that integrates extended functionality into the stock audio controls. The 4-way directional switch now gives you the ability to navigate iPod playlists, switch CDs in a CD changer, Fast Forward and Rewind tracks on a Mini Disc, or simply play a previous track or skip to the next track on a standard audio CD. You will be able to do exactly what the directional buttons of your aftermarket remote control will do. Even “button hold” functionalities remains intact. For example, if a quick tap on your remote’s “right arrow” button makes your head unit advance to the next track, while holding down the same button fast forwards through the current track, the direction control will behave exactly the same way. The Volume and Mute buttons recover their intended functionality, while the CH button switches modes (CD to Radio, etc.) 2) NO DELAY – Some other solutions introduce a delay into the system because of the need to convert an electrical signal from the stock audio controls into something your head unit understands. Because of the way Qube’s Audio Control works, the original electrical signal is not even used. This solution is simply “moving” the physical location of the button from your aftermarket remote control to the button of the Audio Control module. When you press the Volume Up button on your dashboard, it is EXACTLY as if you are pressing the Volume Up button on your remote control. The signal is never converted. Each button press comes across clearly and distinctly, no matter how fast or how many times you press the button. 3) NO PROGRAMMING – Because the system works off of your hardcoded aftermarket remote control, there will never be a need to program or reprogram the device. Unlike programmable systems that must use softcoded information used for signal conversion, this hardcoded solution will never lose its memory. The only way to hardcode a solution is to personalized each controller for each remote type, which is what you get with Qube’s Audio Control. 4) WORKS WITH NON-STANDARD REMOTES – Some aftermarket head units work on non-standard frequencies which cannot be used for other systems. Newer Sony Head units, for example, use a frequency that is out of range for other systems to understand. Because there is no need to read and convert any signals with Qube’s Audio Control, any type of signal will work, including non-standard IR as well as RF. 5) THE CONTROLS “FEEL” RIGHT – Many months and dollars were investing to come up with a device that gives the same tactile feedback as the stock buttons. What this means is that the directional controls feel the same when you push them as the stock volume, mute, and channel controls.
What are the drawbacks?
1) Qube’s Audio Control requires modifications to both the stock audio control module as well as your aftermarket remote control, neither of which are fully reversible. The stock audio control retails for $200, and the cost of your aftermarket remote is typically between $15 and $40, depending on the retailer. Of course, you will only incur these costs if you plan to return your car to stock specifications. 2) Qube’s Audio Control is not “hard wired” to your head unit. Only very specific head units offer any sort of hard wiring option, all of which require additional parts in addition to the head unit itself. Although Qube’s Audio Control does the next best thing by being hard wired to your aftermarket remote, it is still not truly hard-wired. 3) Qube’s audio control is not transferrable between head unit brands. If you decide to change to a head unit that uses a different remote control, the device and new remote must be rebuilt (for a $100 fee). 4) Because the original S2000 audio control electronics are being bypassed, the functionality of the LED behind the MUTE button is lost.
How does it work?
The stock audio control is modified so that the large "Audio Mode" button acts as a 4-way direction switch instead of a single purpose push button switch. The stock audio control is then hardwired directly to the aftermarket remote control, so pressing a button on the audio control is effectively pressing a button on the aftermarket remote. Finally, the signal emitter from the remote control is rerouted to an inconspicuous location near your head unit so that your head unit can easily receive the signal.
How do I get one?
Qube's Audio Control is now offered exclusively through the core exchange program. Availability is limited. Please check the Purchase page for current quantities in stock.
What is the cost?
Qube's Audio Control is available for $249. Additional shipping charges and California Sales Tax may apply. Please check our Purchase page for additional pricing information.
How do I install it?
The installation instructions are available at our Documentation page.
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read them, downloadable from Adobe.com.
The total installation process should take between 30 minutes to an hour.
I’m a klutz. Can I do the install myself?
The instructions are very detailed and written very clearly, and the procedure does not require any out of the ordinary tools or skills. If, after reading the instructions, you still feel that you are unable to install the device yourself, your local stereo shop should be glad to do it for you. Just provide them a printout of the instructions.
Is there a waiting list?
Yes. There are 5 cores in circulation at any given time. Once a core comes back for modification, the next person on the wait list will be notified. Typical wait time is 1-2 weeks. Please check the Purchase page for up to date availability information.
What about Right Hand Drive cars?
Qube's Audio Control will be available for Right Hand Drive cars, and orders will be processed in the same manner. Just use some common sense when using the installation instructions, as they are scripted for Left Hand Drive S2000s. Additional shipping charges will apply to international orders.
What if something goes wrong?
Although Qube’s Audio Control has been in a very successful production phase for several years, things are bound to happen. If your control malfunctions for any reason, aside from physical damage, within 6 months of purchase, it will be immediately taken care of at no cost to you. Simply send it back and it will be either fixed or replaced and returned to you as soon as humanly possible along with a full reimbursement for your shipping costs.
If you have questions about the product, please check our FAQ page or feel free to Contact Us.
If you would like to place an order, please visit our Purchase page. We will contact you with core exchange availability and estimated turnaround time if applicable.It was only a matter of time… Today, Disney Cruise Line made a big announcement and not the one many were hoping to hear. Disney’s generous alcohol policy is changing. The revised alcohol policy will be effective for all new sailings embarking on or after September 30, 2015. The key change in the policy is the limiting of the qualities of wine or champagne and beer as well as prohibiting liquors and spirits. The first bullet point below indicates you can restock at each port of call as long as you board within the limits.
Each Guest 21 years and older may bring two bottles of unopened wine or champagne (no larger than 750ml) or six beers (no larger than 12oz) onboard in carry-on luggage at the beginning of the voyage and at each port-of-call.
onboard in carry-on luggage at the beginning of the voyage. All alcoholic beverages packed in checked luggage will be removed and stored until the completion of the cruise.
Wine or champagne in excess of the two allowable bottles or beer in excess of the six beers will be stored and Guests may retrieve them at the end of the voyage.
All liquors and spirits (including powdered alcohol) are prohibited and will be stored until the completion of the cruise.
Guests must retrieve any stored alcohol at the end of the cruise. Uncollected alcohol will be destroyed and no compensation will be offered.
Alcohol brought on board may not be consumed in any lounge or public area.
Disney Cruise Line Corkage Fee Increase
September 30th will also serve as the date for the new corkage fee charged to Guests who bring their own wine or champagne into one of our restaurants will be $25 per bottle, up from $20.
I’d like to thank TravelOnADream.com for passing along the policy change. Disney Cruise Line’s Terms & Conditions page and FAQ have already been updated to reflect the change. The new guest alcohol policy will also impact guests Fish Extender (FE) gifts by prohibiting the mini liquor bottles which are frequently passed out in the exchange.
What are your thoughts? I really just have one issue I will take with this new policy is that it does not take inconsideration the duration of the itinerary. The policy is the same for a 3-Night Cruise as is a 15-Night cruise. I would prefer that it was a sliding scale based on duration of the itinerary. That being said, I also feel Disney Cruise Line needs to step up their craft beer offerings to appeal to those that are uninterested in the current beer selections. Publix offers more craft beer selections than the ships.Six years after New Brunswick teen Ashley Smith died at her own hands, the federal prison system remains "ill-equipped" to manage female offenders who chronically injure themselves, Canada's correctional investigator says.
In a new report, Howard Sapers said the number of self-injury incidents in federal prisons has more than tripled since Ms. Smith's death in late 2007, raising questions about the government's strategy for managing federal inmates with mental-health problems.
The report found "significant gaps" in the availability of treatment options for offenders who chronically hurt themselves. And despite evidence that punishment and restraint are counterproductive, corrections officers frequently respond to self-injurious behaviour with physical restraints, pepper spray and segregation, the report said.
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Mr. Sapers called for significant changes to the way self-harming inmates are treated, including placing some of the offenders who are at the highest risk in provincial health-care settings instead of prisons. He also recommended independent oversight for inmates at each of the Correctional Service of Canada's five regional treatment centres, which serve as both prisons and mental-health facilities.
An ongoing inquest into Ms. Smith's death continued on Monday, with the acting warden at Grand Valley Institution for Women testifying that she was unaware officials were told not to intervene when Ms. Smith choked herself unless the teen stopped breathing. Cindy Berry said that, in retrospect, she does not believe the institution was prepared to deal with Ms. Smith's behaviour.
Kim Pate, executive director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, said Mr. Sapers' report shows that very little has changed since the teen's death. "In fact, things have become far worse for women, particularly for indigenous women, and for women with mental-health issues. We see that the response of corrections to injurious behaviour is now even more restrictive."
About 900 incidents of self-harming were documented in 2012-2013, with aboriginal and female offenders accounting for a disproportionate number, according to the report.
Titled "Risky Business," the report looks at the cases of eight high-risk women who frequently injured themselves in prison, seven of whom were aboriginal. All of the women had been diagnosed with a significant mental disorder, and most had cognitive difficulties.
The report raises concerns about the way the CSC responded to inmates' behaviour, including what Mr. Sapers called an "over-reliance" on use of force and control measures such as physical restraints and segregation.
He said inmates who self-harm often do so to gain a sense of control over their circumstances. "If you respond by trying to take away any of that control that they are trying to achieve, then you get into this very dysfunctional cycle of self-harm, response, more self-harm" which can escalate in severity.
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"Frankly, we found that the corrections service was doing a good job at stopping immediate incidents of self-injury, but they weren't doing a good job of following up and preventing subsequent incidents of self-injury," Mr. Sapers said on Monday.
The Conservative government has made victims' rights a key pillar of its legislative agenda in recent years, and taken a more punitive approach to offenders by increasing mandatory minimum sentences and cutting inmates' pay for some prison jobs.
The CSC spent about $90-million strengthening mental-health care in prisons since 2005, implementing computerized mental-health screening when offenders are admitted to an institution and improving training for front-line staff, the report points out.
"Nevertheless, these initiatives have resulted in little substantive progress since the death of Ashley Smith in October, 2007, with respect to the management and treatment of chronic self-injurious women in federal custody," it says.
During the year that Ms. Smith was in federal prisons, corrections officers frequently responded to her self-injuring with segregation, forced medical injections, use-of-force interventions and frequent transfers, Mr. Sapers wrote in the report, adding: "CSC's management of Ashley's behaviour served to intensify the frequency and severity of her self-injury."
In an e-mailed statement, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said the government does not believe prisons are an appropriate place to treat those with serious mental illness. A spokeswoman for the Correctional Service of Canada said the service is reviewing the report and its recommendations but declined a request for an interview.
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With a report from The Canadian PressTroubleshooting vRealize Automation Provisioning
If you’ve worked with vRealize Automation (vRA) for any amount of time you’ve most likely experienced a provision that has either failed or gotten stuck in progress. I’m going to show how you can begin troubleshooting these scenarios.
Before we get started I want to say that vRA is one of VMware’s more complicated products. Please don’t download it and start clicking around expect everything to go well. I highly suggest reading at least the following the docs:
Most issues that I see around failed provisioning are due to unsupported and/or misconfigured vRA configurations. For example, please don’t bypass using a proper load balancer and use DNS load balancing instead. This isn’t supported, doesn’t work and doesn’t make any sense.
I’m going to start by showing how to troubleshoot provisioning through log files, but I usually start viewing the provision in the vRA UI. The reason I’m doing this is that tracking a provision through the log files will give you a better understanding how the vRA stack works. I’ll save the UI for last.
All testing was done with vRA 7.2
Context Id
Each provisioning request generates an ID called the Context id. This id is used to track the provision throughout its lifecycle and throughout all components of the vRA stack. This means we can track the provisioning request through the vRA appliances, IaaS servers and vRealize Orchestrator.
When you request a new catalog item, the first log entry you will find will have ConsumerRequestController in it and will look like the following:
2017-04-29 14:42:29,272 vcac: [component=”cafe:catalog” priority=”INFO” thread=”tomcat-http–20″ tenant=”vsphere.local” context=”0avPNFHI” parent=”” token=”0avPNFHI”] com.vmware.vcac.catal
og.controller.consumer.ConsumerRequestController.create:89 – Processing request: CatalogItemRequest [catalogItem={[CatalogItem]: Id: [f97bd696-b57d-436e-8333-a9a352ef9a2e]}, toString()=Req
uest [requestNumber=null, state=SUBMITTED, requestedFor=cloudadmin@vmware.local, requestedBy=null, description=null, reasons=null, organization=Organization[tenant=Tenant [id=vsphere.local
, name=vsphere.local],subTenant=SubTenant [id=0a77da7a-78ed-4eda-9772-3279d73443a3, name=admins, tenant=Tenant [id=vsphere.local, name=vsphere.local]]], requestorEntitlement=null, provider
Binding=null, requestData=LiteralMap[values={requestedFor=cloudadmin@vmware.local, description=null, reasons=null}], getId()=null]]
You can see the context id highlighted as 0avPNFHI.
I’ve created a command that will wait for a provision to take place and immediately highlight and display all entries of the request. You can ssh into the vRA appliances, paste it in and then initiate a new provisioning request in vRA:
echo “Waiting for provision…” && tail -F /var/log/vmware/vcac/catalina.out | grep –color=always $(tail -F /var/log/vmware/vcac/catalina.out | grep -m 1 ConsumerRequestController | cut -d ‘ ‘ -f 8 | cut -d ‘=’ -f 2 | cut -d ‘”‘ -f 2)
Here is what it looks like in action (Larger Image):
Now we have our context id, but where can we find it in the log files? One way to do this is to generate a vRA log bundle, which will reach out to all components in the stack and gather their logs, and then we can recursively search through the log bundle for our context id. To generate a log bundle, go to https://vra-address:5480 > vRA Settings > Cluster > Create Support Bundle and download it.
Once it’s finished I copied it back to the the vRA appliance and ran:
mkdir vra-provision-logs unzip vcac-20170429150906.zip -d vra-provision-logs for file in vra-provision-logs/*.zip; do zipgrep -l “ 0avPNFHI ” ${file}; done | sort
This produced the following, which means that our context id 0avPNFHI appears in each the following log files:
Default Web Site/Program Files (x86)/VMware/vCAC/Server/Model Manager Web/Logs/38659b8d-4dc8-4c6a-98ac-dac73738e2fdRepository.log Default Web Site/Program Files (x86)/VMware/vCAC/Server/Model Manager Web/Logs/Repository.log ManagerService/Program Files (x86)/VMware/vCAC/Server/Logs/All.log vc6d.vmware.local/Program Files (x86)/VMware/vCAC/Agents/vc6d.vmware.local/logs/vSphereAgent.log vcacsupport-2017-04-29_14-58-55.25303/tmp/ps-auwwx.25303.txt vcacsupport-2017-04-29_14-58-55.25303/var/log/vmware/vcac/catalina.out vcacsupport-2017-04-29_14-58-55.25303/var/log/vmware/vco/app-server/integration-scripting.log vcacsupport-2017-04-29_14-58-55.25303/var/log/vmware/vco/app-server/integration-server.log vcacsupport-2017-04-29_14-58-55.25303/var/log/vmware/vco/app-server/scripting.log vcacsupport-2017-04-29_14-58-55.25303/var/log/vmware/vco/app-server/server.log vcacsupport-2017-04-29_14-58-55.6697/var/log/vmware/vcac/catalina.out vcacsupport-2017-04-29_14-58-55.6697/var/log/vmware/vco/app-server/integration-scripting.log vcacsupport-2017-04-29_14-58-55.6697/var/log/vmware/vco/app-server/integration-server.log vcacsupport-2017-04-29_14-58-55.6697/var/log/vmware/vco/app-server/scripting.log vcacsupport-2017-04-29_14-58-55.6697/var/log/vmware/vco/app-server/scripting.log_lucene/_qo.fdt vcacsupport-2017-04-29_14-58-55.6697/var/log/vmware/vco/app-server/server.log
Brief overview of the log files
catalina.out
This is the main log file for the vRA appliance. Since all vRA’s server activity is logged here, we often need to filter based off of the context id or you’ll get overwhelmed with information.
All.log
This log contains everything about the provisioning from the IaaS perspective. You can see entries for such things as RabbitMQ |
11% giving the 2007 tournament that level of support. However, the event is still too long, according to 74% of those surveyed, while 72% backed the decision to reduce the number of teams in the next World Cup to 10, and 91% felt the Associate nations should have a chance to qualify.
The majority (82%) of players said the DRS made for better decision-making from umpires at the World Cup, and 97% thought the DRS should be compulsory in all Test matches. Notably, FICA is not affiliated with players from India - the BCCI being the major opponent of the DRS - or from Pakistan or Zimbabwe.
The survey also showed:
32% of players would retire prematurely from international cricket to play exclusively in the IPL and similar Twenty20 tournaments
40% said that given the magnitude of salaries being offered by the IPL, they could envisage a day where they would rank their obligations to IPL and other T20 events ahead of obligations to their home boards
94% believed that superior salaries offered by the IPL would motivate younger players to hone their skills principally to T20
40% said their board schedules too much international cricket
Only 24% of players favour a change in the format of ODIs
39% believe boards schedule too many ODIs, reducing the public's interest in the format
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a national fraternity that was founded at the University of Alabama, announced permanent cancellation of pledgeship programs in its chapters across the country. SAE has been deemed the nation's "most deadly" fraternity after at least 10 deaths over the past decade. (UA's SAE chapter house/Wikimedia Commons
Sigma Alpha Epsilon, one of the largest college fraternities in the nation, announced unprecedented moves to eliminate pledgeship and initiation in all of its chapters after at least 10 deaths have been linked to hazing, alcohol and drugs at chapter events, Bloomberg News reports.
In a statement on their website, SAE officials called it a "historic decision" that will eliminate pledgeship and the designation of "pledge" -- what initiated brothers call new members -- altogether. SAE says the new rules will be effective Sunday, March 9.
The statement notes that the "concept of pledging" did not exist in the fraternity's original Ritual and Constitution when it was founded at the University of Alabama in 1856. The chapter is now based in Evanston, Ill.
In December, Bloomberg News reported SAE is one of the deadliest fraternities in the country, with members paying some of the highest costs for liability insurance and 15 chapters facing suspension and closure since 2011.
In the extensive statement posted on the site, SAE poses more than 25 hypothetical questions chapters and members might have, including "Are you making this change because of bad publicity?"
"The bad publicity Sigma Alpha Epsilon has received is challenging and regretful because we know that some of our groups have great new-member (pledge) programs and do the right thing," the site reads. "At the same time, we have experienced a number of incidents and deaths, events with consequences that have never been consistent with our membership experience. Furthermore, we have endured a painful number of chapter closings as a result of hazing. Research shows that hazing, which hides in the dark, causes members to lie."
SAE will now implement something called "The True Gentlemen Experience," which is titled after their historic creed. Chapters can extend bids to fellow students, who will almost immediately become members if they accept, as opposed to waiting out a lengthy pledgeship process.
According to the statement, SAE believes the changes won't adversely affect recruitment at all.
In fact, SAE say the recruitment changes should not be a deterrent to any chapters "attracting the right type of man."
"Feedback has shown us that prospective members fail to join fraternities because they do not want to be hazed, assaulted, abused or bullied in order to 'earn' membership," the statement reads. "Those perceptions started when fraternities deviated from their original intent and as a result of decades of incidents that have given the Greek-letter system a tarnished, stereotypical reputation."
Though SAE is currently one of the only major organizations to take such drastic steps, the U.S. fraternity system as a whole has faced the spotlight recently with more than 60 fraternity related deaths since 2005, Bloomberg reports.
In October 2012, UA suspended then cancelled pledgeship for every Interfraternity Council chapter on campus, after university officials received specific allegations of hazing in at least seven houses.
No changes have been made to UA's pledgeship rules or procedures, though.7.2 quake off Japan triggers small tsunami
Updated
A strong earthquake has struck off Japan, shaking buildings in Tokyo and triggering a small tsunami.
The tremor struck about 10 kilometres below the Pacific sea floor, about 160 kilometres off Japan's main island of Honshu.
The earthquake lasted for more than 30 seconds, swaying buildings in the capital, shutting down bullet train operations and triggering a tsunami warning.
A 60-centimetre surge was later recorded along coastal areas.
There were no reports of casualties or damage to buildings, with several nuclear power plants in the area given the all clear.
The 7.2-magnitude quake - which struck around noon (local time) in the northern part of Miyagi prefecture - measured a lower five on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of seven.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas.
The country accounts for about 20 per cent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
Topics: earthquake, disasters-and-accidents, japan
First postedOn the night of June 20, 2013, more than a million people in some 388 Brazilian cities took to the streets in a massive protest movement. The largest of these protests, comprising more than 100,000 people, occurred in Rio de Janeiro and was met with significant police violence. For more than a year prior to this, sporadic protests had been occurring in various Brazilian cities. Led by a “Free Pass” movement that had long been agitating for free public transportation for students, the earlier protests were largely ignored. But by early June 2013, fare increases for public transportation sparked more widespread protests. Many other groups, including the black block anarchists, sprang to the defense of the “Free Pass” protestors and others who came under police attack. By June 13 the movement had morphed into a general protest against police repression, the failure of public services to match social needs, and the deteriorating quality of urban life. The huge expenditures of public resources to host mega-events such as the World Cup and the Olympic Games—to the detriment of the public interest but to the great benefit, it was widely understood, of corrupt construction and urban development interests—added to the discontent
The protests in Brazil came less than a month after thousands of people turned out on the streets of Turkey’s major cities, as anger over the redevelopment of the precious green space of Gezi Park in Istanbul as a shopping center, spread into a broader protest against the increasingly autocratic style of the government and the violence of the police response. Long-simmering discontent over the pace and style of urban transformation, including the wholesale eviction of populations from high-value land in inner-city locations added fuel to the protests. Diminished quality of life in Istanbul and other cities for all but the most affluent classes was clearly an important issue.
The broad parallel between Turkey and Brazil led Bill Keller to write an op-ed piece in the New York Times entitled “The Revolt of the Rising Class.” The uprisings were “not born in desperation,” he wrote. Both Brazil and Turkey had experienced remarkable economic growth in a period of global crisis. They were “the latest in a series of revolts arising from the middle class—the urban, educated haves who are in some ways the principal beneficiaries of the regimes they now reject” and who had something to lose by taking to the streets in protest. “By the time the movements reached critical mass, they were about something bigger and more inchoate, dignity, the perquisites of citizenship, the obligations of power.” The revolts signified “a new alienation, a new yearning” that had to be addressed.
To be sure, the protests in Brazil and Turkey differed from the anti-austerity protests and strikes that dominated in the squares of Greece and Spain. They were different also from the eruptions of violence in London, Stockholm, and the Paris suburbs on the part of marginalized and immigrant populations. And all of these looked different from the “Occupy” movements in many Western cities and the pro-democracy uprisings that echoed from Tunis, Egypt, and Syria into Bosnia and Ukraine.
Yet there were also commonalities across the differences. They were, for example, urban centered, to some degree weakly cross-class, and even (initially at least) inter-ethnic (though that broke down as internal forces moved to divide and rule, and external powers exploited the discontents for geopolitical advantage, as in Syria and Ukraine). Urban disaffection and alienation were quite prominent among the triggers as was the universal outrage at rising social inequalities, escalating costs of living, and gratuitously violent police repressions.
None of this should have been surprising. Urbanization has increasingly constituted a primary site of endless capital accumulation that visits its own forms of barbarism and violence on whole populations in the name of profit. Urbanization has become the center of overwhelming economic activity on a planetary scale never before seen in human history. The Financial Times reports, for example, that “investment in real estate is the most important driver in the Chinese economy,” which in turn has been the main driver of the global economy throughout the world-wide crisis that began in 2007. “The building, sale and outfitting of apartments accounted for 23 percent of Chinese gross domestic product in 2013.” If we add in the expenditures on massive physical infrastructures (road, rail, public works of all kinds) then close to one half of the Chinese economy is taken up with urbanization. China has consumed more than half of the global steel and cement over the last decade. “In just two years, from 2011 to 2012, China produced more cement than the United States did in the entire twentieth century.”
While extreme, these trends are not confined to China. Concrete is everywhere being poured at an unprecedented rate over the surface of planet earth. We are, in short, in the midst of a huge crisis—ecological, social, and political—of planetary urbanization without, it seems, knowing or even marking it.
None of this new development could have occurred without massive population displacements and dispossessions, wave after wave of creative destruction that has taken not only a physical toll but destroyed social solidarities, exaggerated social inequalities, swept aside any pretences of democratic urban governance, and has increasingly looked to militarized police surveillance and terror as its primary mode of social regulation. The unrest attaching to dispossession in China is unknowable but clearly widespread. Sociologist Cihan Tugal has written, “Real estate bubbles, soaring housing prices, and the overall privatization-alienation of common urban goods constitute the common ground of protests in as diverse places as the United States, Egypt, Spain, Turkey, Brazil, Israel, and Greece.” The rising cost of living, particularly for food, transportation, and housing, has made daily life increasingly difficult for urban populations. Food riots in North African cities were frequent and widespread even before the uprisings in Tunisia and Tahrir Square.
This urbanization boom has had very little to do with meeting the needs of people. It has been all about absorbing surplus capital, sustaining profit levels, and maximizing the return on exchange values no matter what the use value demands might be. The consequences have often been irrational in the extreme. While there is a chronic shortage of affordable housing in almost every major city, their skylines are littered with empty condominiums for the ultra-rich whose main interest is in speculating in property values rather than constructing a settled life. In New York City, where half of the population has to live on less than $30,000 per year (as contrasted with the top 1 percent, who had an average annual income of $3.57 million per year according to tax records for 2012), there is an affordable housing crisis because nowhere is it possible to find a two-bedroom apartment for the $1,500 per month that a family of four should be spending on housing given an income of $30,000. In almost all the major cities in the U.S. the average expenditure on housing is way over the thirty percent of disposable income that is considered reasonable. The same applies to London, where there are whole streets of unoccupied mansions being held for purely speculative purposes. Meanwhile, the British government attempts to increase the supply of affordable housing by putting a bedroom tax on social housing for the most vulnerable sector of the population, resulting in, for example, the eviction of a widow living alone in a two bedroom council house. The empty bedroom tax has plainly been put on the wrong class, but governments these days appear to be singularly dedicated to feathering the nests of the wealthy at the expense of the poor and the disadvantaged. The same irrationality of empty dwellings in the midst of shortages of affordable housing can be found in Brazil, Turkey, Dubai, and Chile as well all the global cities of high finance such as London and New York. Meanwhile, budget austerities and reluctance to tax the wealthy given the overwhelming power of a now triumphant oligarchy means declining public services for the masses and further astonishing accumulation of wealth for the few.
It is in conditions of this sort that the propensity to political revolt begins to fester. Universal alienation from a burdensome daily life in the city is everywhere in evidence. But so are the innumerable attempts on the part of individuals, social groups, and political movements to find ways to construct a decent life in a decent living environment. The theme that there must be an alternative takes many forms and produces many quasi-solutions in seemingly infinite guises.
It is in this context that concerned groups of thinkers and practitioners are exploring alternatives, sometimes at small scales but in other instances, in the wake of urban revolts, to encourage the search for better forms of urban living. The do-it-yourself ethos of many social groups cast adrift from the prevailing dynamic of capital accumulation creates possibilities for alliances of urban thinkers and technicians with nascent social movements searching for a good or at least a better life. In Andean nations the ideal of “buen vivir” is implanted in national constitutions even as it conflicts with neoliberalizing practices on the ground. With massive populations deemed surplus and disposable in a context of perpetual land grabbing by developers and financiers, aided all too often by a corrupted state apparatus, many situations arise in which political battles take shape well before some fuse is lit to turn the growing propensity for street revolts into an active reality.
There are popular possibilities and potentialities emerging out of the crisis of planetary urbanization and its multiple discontents. This is so even in the face of the seemingly overwhelming force of endless capital accumulation growing at an unsustainable compound rate and in spite of the power across social classes being wielded by an increasingly visible and intransigent global oligarchy.
So what is it that might emerge from the popular revolts? There are confusing signs and signals but also some important clues. In Gezi Park, for example, it was not only the park that mattered. The “rising class” constructed instantaneous social solidarities, an economy of sharing and of collective social provision (food, health care, clothing), of caring for others (particularly the wounded and the frightened). The participants took evident delight in debating their common interests through democratic assemblies, launched into discussions that went on late into the night, and above all found a possible world of collective humor and cultural liberation that had previously seemed foreclosed. They opened alternative spaces, constructed a commons out of public spaces, and released the power of space to an alternative social and environmental purpose. They found each other as well as the park ; They identified a nascent social order in waiting.
This provides a clue as to what an alternative might look like. The spirit of many (though not all) of these protests and the spirit within the pro-democracy and Occupy movements is to go beyond “the new alienation” that Keller senses is so important to construct a less-alienating urban experience. Visceral resistance to the proposal to pour concrete over Gezi Park to build an imitation of an Ottoman barracks that would function as yet another shopping mall is in this sense emblematic of what the crisis of planetary urbanization is all about. Pouring more and more concrete in a mindless quest for endless growth is obviously no answer to current ills.
But the “rising class” is not all there is. In Turkey the mass of the Islamic working classes did not join in the revolt. They already possessed their own cultural (often anti-modernist) solidarities and hardened social relations (particularly regarding gender). They were not drawn into the emancipatory rhetoric of the protest movement because that movement did not address effectively its condition of massive material deprivation. They liked the combination of shopping malls and mosques that the ruling AKP party was building and did not care about the evident corruption surrounding the building boom as long as it was a source of jobs. The protest movement of Gezi was, as the subsequent municipal elections showed, not cross-class enough to last.
There is no one answer to our predicaments. The urban experience under capitalism is turning barbaric as well as repressive. If the roots of this alienating experience lie in endless capital accumulation, then those roots must ultimately be severed. Lives and well-being must be rerooted in other modes of producing and consuming, while new forms of sociality must be constructed. The neoliberal ethos of isolated individualism and personal rather than social responsibility has to be overcome. The material needs of the masses must be met and combined with cultural emancipation. Taking back the streets in acts of collective protest can be a beginning. But it is only a beginning and cannot be an end in itself. Maximizing buen vivir for all in the city rather than the value of Gross Domestic Product for the benefit of the few is a great idea. It needs to be grounded in urban practices everywhere.Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has not yet been subpoenaed to testify in an extortion case involving his former friend Alessandro Lisi, according to the mayor's lawyer – who accused police of having "political" motives.
A report in the Toronto Star last week said that Toronto Police are ready to subpoena Mr. Ford in the case involving Mr. Lisi, who allegedly made threats to attempt to obtain the video purportedly showing the mayor smoking crack cocaine. But on Thursday, the mayor's lawyer Dennis Morris said that has not yet happened, and questioned why detectives want to subpoena the mayor now, when Mr. Lisi's case isn't expected in court until March of next year.
"I personally feel it's more political," Mr. Morris said in an interview with the Globe. "The trial's in March, so to subpoena anyone so early is not mandatory. It's not necessary. It's a distraction from the campaign, so I feel there's some political motive behind it."
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The mayor is running for re-election in the October election, and Mr. Morris said that subpoenaing him before that would be "nothing more than an attempt to embarrass the mayor."
Toronto Police spokesman Mark Pugash would not comment Thursday on whether a subpoena is imminent, but described Mr. Morris' allegations as "absolutely wrong."
"He's wrong. This is an ongoing criminal investigation run by an extremely experienced, very persistent investigator. That's what this is about. It has nothing to do with anything else."
Mr. Morris also questioned whether a subpoena is simply investigators' way of meeting one-on-one with Mr. Ford – a meeting the mayor has so far resisted. Toronto Police Detective Sergeant Gary Giroux, who is leading Project Brazen 2 – the investigation that resulted in Mr. Lisi's charges and also targets Mayor Ford – has repeatedly stated that he still wants to speak with the mayor.
"Let's put it this way: Often times in a given case, a crown attorney or police officer would say the crown attorney wants to interview you and get your statement down. Basically it's a back-door way of getting to what we've resisted in keeping with our right to remain silent," Mr. Morris said. "And obviously I'm going to recommend the mayor resist that."
In response, Mr. Pugash called Mr. Morris "absolutely off-the-mark." He declined to elaborate, however, citing the ongoing investigation.
Mr. Lisi, a former friend and driver of the mayor, was arrested in October and charged with drug trafficking and possession. He was also later charged with extortion – charges that followed a long investigation targeting both Mr. Lisi and the mayor.
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This is not the first time members of the Ford camp have accused members of Toronto Police of acting politically with respect to the investigation into the mayor. In November, Mayor Ford's brother Councillor Doug Ford called on Chief Bill Blair to resign, after he revealed that police had a copy of the alleged crack video.
And last week, Chief Blair told reporters he was prepared to take legal action against Doug Ford, after the councillor suggested the chief had leaked information about the subpoena as "payback" for having his request for a contract renewal denied.The blog speculated that the device will run the upcoming version of Google’s Android operating system, known as Gingerbread, along with a custom-made “Sony Marketplace” that will enable people to download games designed specifically for the device.
Engadget expects the device to be launched officially next year, and an announcement about the so-called PlayStation phone’s availability could be made at Mobile World Congress in February.
Last week Sony refused to comment. However, Masaru Kato, Sony’s chief financial officer, hinted it may launch a PlayStation phone product on an earnings call over the weekend.
He said, through an interpreter: “As for the new PSP product, as mentioned, I know that you are not asking me to tell you when we will be coming out with a new product, but there is a gaming market based on [the] cellphones, and there are many changes that are being seen [with] Nintendo, as well as ourselves, in the field of the product for the gamers. And there are smartphones and others or even cellphones gaming markets are very popular here in Japan. So the market itself is very... expanding.”
He stopped short of talking about specific products, but also mentioned the company’s interest in tablet computers.
“Of course, we can't talk about specific products, but smartphones and tablets... it is difficult to tell you how we can put the games on them, but they are not going to be planned in different parts of our company.
“When we organized ourselves last April, we introduced network services, and within that umbrella, network services, all of these products are handled. Therefore, the planning and the prototypes for various content [are] all carried out within this... one umbrellas. So we are trying to figure out what we can do as Sony in this market. I think this is as far as I can tell you regarding these products at market," he explained.
Speculation has been rife for some time that Sony would license its PlayStation brand to the Sony Ericsson mobile arm of its business. In July last year, Nikkei, a respected daily business newspaper in Japan, reported that Sony was considering such a product.
Sony was said to have set up a dedicated team to work on the handset, that would bring together the Sony Ericsson division with the multimedia and gaming team behind the PlayStation Portable handheld games console.
Sony is said to be concerned by the threat posed by Apple’s iPhone. Dozens of major games studios, including Capcom and Electronic Arts, are developing games for Apple’s touch-screen device, potentially pitting the iPhone and iPod touch directly against Sony’s PSP console and Nintendo’s hand-held device, the DS.
However, gaming fans will not be getting their hopes up – rumours of a PSP phone first surfaced in 2007, when Sony filed a patent application showing a portable games device with phone capabilities, while in January 2009, Sony was said to have refused to sanction the use of the PlayStation brand by its Sony Ericsson telecoms arm.Virtual reality is experiencing a renaissance thanks to the work being done to bring both Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus to market. Combined with the right peripherals, these devices could revolutionize gaming and bring a whole new level of immersion to play. However, it also has some people worried about death.
The more immersed you are in an experience, the more likely you are to react to it realistically. Denny Unger, creative director at games developer Cloudhead Games, believes because of this it won’t be long before we have our first death in VR. By that he means someone actually dying while hooked up to a virtual reality experience.
That may sound extreme, but it’s actually a valid point of view. Unger picks out horror games as the probable first type of VR game to cause a death. We’ve all played a horror game where something appears unexpectedly and it’s combined with audio and visual effects to heighten the emotion of the moment. The reaction of the player is to jump, maybe let out a scream, and their heart rate increases rapidly. It’s great when a game can cause that type of reaction.
With virtual reality, though, such a scenario is going to seem all the more real, meaning the effect on the player will be that much greater. Hook someone up to a VR headset, have them hold STEM packs, and put them on a treadmill, and they soon accept the game as being their reality. If that person has a heart condition, you can imagine how easy it would be to scare them to death.
Virtual reality hardware will ship with the usual warnings about not using it if you have a known medical condition, but just like with the warnings that pop up on existing hardware and software, they will mostly be ignored. Someone dying while playing a game wearing an Oculus Rift is inevitable if it becomes a popular peripheral. However, general concern will only be raised if deaths start occurring on a regular basis.
Cloudhead Games has developed the virtual reality game The Gallery: Six Elements, which has recently been Greenlit on Steam, you can see footage of it running on Oculus Rift below:
[Images courtesy of Global Panorama and BagoGames on Flickr]Egypt's army has violently retaken Cairo's Tahrir Square from protesters, less than 48 hours before the former president Hosni Mubarak is to stand trial in the capital.
Armed riot police and soldiers fired into the air as tanks moved in on Tahrir, which has been occupied by demonstrators for more than three weeks. Witnesses said some protesters were taken away.
Activists accuse Egypt's ruling military generals of dragging their feet on any meaningful reform in the country and warned that the revolution that toppled Mubarak earlier this year was in danger of being hijacked by conservative forces.
Eyewitnesses reported swarms of security personnel storming the square from several directions, smashing tents and stalls before dragging away some protesters into military detention. Egypt's cabinet office said "thugs" had been arrested.
Some locals cheered as the sit-in was dispersed, highlighting a growing division over tactics at the heart of the protest movement. Around 30 of the political forces participating in the occupation had decided to suspend their involvement throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on Monday. But several hundred hardcore demonstrators remained in Tahrir, including some relatives of those killed in the anti-government uprising this year, vowing only to leave when Mubarak had faced justice.
"When normal people beat us in Abbasiya, that was painful," wrote one activist on Twitter, referring to clashes last week which left dozens injured. "To hear that people are cheering [today] because the army beat martyrs' families, that's devastating."
Local news outlet al-Shorouk said military personnel went on to destroy a series of recently installed revolutionary artworks inside Sadat metro station, which lies underneath the square. The move is likely to further exacerbate tensions between revolutionaries and the supreme council of the armed forces (SCAF), which has been forced to defend itself in recent weeks against claims that it is not truly committed to democratic transition or the holding of former regime officials to account.
On Sunday night the army's chief of staff, Sami Anan, denied suggestions that SCAF had cut a deal with the Muslim Brotherhood, guaranteeing the country's largest Islamist group a strong showing in November's parliamentary elections in exchange for the organisation providing political support to the military. Anan accused some media outlets of fuelling sedition and insisted the military was seeking to return to barracks as soon as possible.
He also responded angrily to repeated allegations from protesters and human rights groups that some pro-change demonstrators were being held in military detention and tortured, calling on those making the claims to furnish proof. Several local and international campaign organisations have published details of arbitrary arrests and subsequent military abuses since the fall of Mubarak more than six months ago.
The latest unrest comes as the nation gears up for the beginning of Mubarak's trial, which is due to open on Wednesday. At the weekend the attorney general, Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, issued a formal summons ordering the toppled dictator to be transferred to Cairo from his current location, a hospital bed in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, where the 83-year-old has been under detention since April.
Mubarak will answer a series of charges relating to economic fraud and the unlawful killing of protesters, and will stand in the dock alongside his two sons, his former interior minister, Habib El-Adly, and a number of other senior regime officials. The court case will be heard in a tightly secured police academy on the outskirts of the capital, and broadcast live on state television.[+]Enlarge When morphine binds to the µ-opioid receptor, it activates two pathways, relieving pain and causing side effects. PZM21 binds differently and kills pain without causing the side effects. Credit: Adapted from Nature
A new drug candidate, when tested in mice, can kill pain like morphine and other opioids without causing some of those drugs’ serious side effects.
Along with providing powerful pain relief, opioids also are addictive, can cause constipation, and can cause irregular breathing or even halt it. Opioids hit the µ-opioid receptor on neuron surfaces. Binding that receptor triggers two cellular processes simultaneously: a G-protein signaling pathway that causes analgesia and a β-arrestin pathway that leads to constipation and respiratory depression.
A collaborative team has now used structure-based computational drug design to find a compound that can trigger the µ-opioid receptor’s desirable G-protein signaling while avoiding its β-arrestin signaling (Nature 2016, DOI: 10.1038/nature19112). The team was led by Brian K. Kobilka of Stanford University School of Medicine, Peter Gmeiner of Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Bryan L. Roth of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and Brian K. Shoichet of the University of California, San Francisco.
Using computational docking, the researchers analyzed the interactions between a µ-opioid receptor crystal structure determined by Kobilka’s lab in 2012 and over three million molecules from ZINC, a database of compounds likely to hit biological targets. The study focused on compounds with structures distinct from those of existing opioids to make it more likely the molecules would bind the receptor differently and thus activate the pain-reduction pathway but not the β-arrestin one. Through computational screening and assays in cells, they found one such molecule. The researchers then tested numerous analogs of it computationally and in cells to find one with the best activity.
PZM21, the compound that emerged, reduces pain in mice for a longer time than morphine does but does not interfere with breathing or cause constipation.
Researchers at Trevena in King of Prussia, Pa., previously discovered oliceridine, which also kills pain while avoiding opioid side effects. The compound is now in Phase III clinical trials.
However, PZM21 causes a more specific type of pain reduction. It lowers consciously perceived “affective” pain controlled by brain neurons, whereas opioids and oliceridine reduce both affective pain and “reflexive” pain responses controlled at the spinal cord level. Whether PZM21 and oliceridine cause less dependence than opioids remains to be seen.
Jonathan Violin, scientific cofounder of Trevena, says the new study confirms the importance of structure-based drug discovery and supports the idea that biased ligands—drugs that activate one signaling pathway but not another—can lead to improved biological responses.GOOGLE may have breached the Terrorism Act by failing to take down extremist material – a Government legal chief claimed yesterday.
Solicitor General Robert Buckland said the disgraced web giant could be guilty of “disseminating” material – breaking criminal law.
Alamy 4 Google may have breached Terrorism Act over extremist material
The powerful Tory told a cross-party Commons Committee: “I think the legislation is clear.
“It is my hope and expectation that these organisations will indeed come to heel and obey the law. But the law is there if necessary.”
He added: “It would be wrong of me to come to a firm conclusion without more information. But I hope I have made the point as clear as I can.”
Rex Features 4 Solicitor General Robert Buckland said the disgraced web giant could be guilty of 'disseminating' material
The extraordinary comment the Government’s second most senior legal officer came as MPs accused ministers of letting Google, Facebook and Twitter off the hook when it came to tackling hate crime.
Home Affairs Select Committee chair Yvette Cooper said it defied belief that recruitment videos put up by banned far-right group National Action were still on YouTube, bought by Google a decade ago.
Home Office Minister Sarah Newton insisted Google had only issued a public apology over placing advertising next to extremist material after being “read the riot act” at a Whitehall summit last week.
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And she said the Government ruled nothing out including legislation to make the web companies “clean up their act”.
Ms Newton said Ministers were studying “very carefully” a German draft law proposing £40 million fines if social media companies fail to take down hate videos within a 24 hour deadline.
She added: “We are not leaving anything off the table, they have been read the riot act and they need to step up and explain what they are going to do.”
PA:Press Association 4 Yvette Cooper said it defied belief that recruitment videos put up by banned group were still on YouTube
But furious MPs said it appeared the Government “lacked teeth” and Google was only beginning to up its game in recent days after seeing a wave of advertisers shelve accounts with the US titan.
Google on Monday issued a stunning apology after Volkswagen, Tesco and Toyota joined 250 companies who have suspended deals with the company.
An investigation by The Times – the Sun’s sister newspaper – had found the companies promoted next to videos posted by hate preachers, rape apologists and homophobic extremists.
Separately yesterday Twitter said it had suspended more than 375,000 accounts for violations linked to the promotion of terrorism during the last six months of 2016.
Eyevine 4 Sarah Newton insisted Google had only issued a public apology after being'read the riot act'
Last week Google policy chief Peter Barron said the sheer volume of material uploaded to YouTube made it difficult to police.
And he admitted Google never proactively searched for terror or paedo content.
Ms Cooper said: “The Government banned National Action to stop them recruiting people to terrorist activity.
“Yet despite repeated complaints to Google, National Action’s illegal recruitment videos are still available on YouTube.
“We heard from the Minister that the Government asked YouTube to remove National Action videos — yet it appears that Google have completely ignored those requests.
“If this is true, then it seems that one of the richest companies on the planet is aiding and abetting illegal terrorist recruitment activity, and Ministers need to tell us what action they plan to take.”A car bombing has killed 12 people and wounded dozens more at an outdoor market in a district north of Iraq's capital, Baghdad, according to police sources.
Police said a parked car packed with explosives blew up on Tuesday morning at a vegetable and fruit market in Rashidiyah town.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which wounded at least 37 people.
Speaking to Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, a medical official confirmed the casualty figures.
Baghdad is on high alert for attacks after a blast in the central Karada district on July 3 killed more than 300 people.
This was the deadliest bombing in Iraq since US-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein 13 years ago.
READ MORE: Displaced Iraqis take final exams amid chaos of war
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS), which holds territory in Iraq, claimed responsibility for that attack.
The bombing in Rashidiyah came as the Iraqi parliament was due on Tuesday to discuss security measures in the capital in the wake of the attack in Karada.
On Monday, visiting US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Washington will send 560 more troops to Iraq to help battle ISIL.
On Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi accepted the resignation of interior minister Mohammed al-Ghabban and sacked the city's head of security operations and other senior officials, following the deadly attack in Karada.Say bye, bye to Android 4.0.2. In the coming weeks, the Android team will roll out the next version better known as Android 4.0.3. Through the new API that has also arrived, developers will have the ability to integrate their social apps into contacts like Google has done with G+ and Google Talk. You can imagine that this likely means Facebook and Twitter updates showing in you friends’ contact pages as well. In other goodies, apps will now be able to access more camera and calendar capabilities while additional polish was added to graphics, the database, spell-checking, etc.
Social stream API in Contacts provider: Applications that use social stream data such as status updates and check-ins can now sync that data with each of the user’s contacts, providing items in a stream along with photos for each. This new API lets apps show users what the people they know are doing or saying, in addition to their photos and contact information.
Calendar provider enhancements. Apps can now add color to events, for easier tracking, and new attendee types and states are now available.
New camera capabilities. Apps can now check and manage video stabilization and use QVGA resolution profiles where needed.
Accessibility refinements. |
th Anniversary festivities, which could include news about the Final Fantasy 7 Remake and more.
Although some might have considered 2016 the year of Final Fantasy thanks to the launch of Final Fantasy 15 and World of Final Fantasy within such a short time span, 2017 promises to be an even bigger celebration for the JRPG series. In fact, developer and publisher Square Enix plans to get started early, with a Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary celebration slated for late January.
News of the January 31st event comes by way of a Square Enix invitation, which is only available in Japanese at the moment. But even so, the announcement of an announcement has the fan base buzzing and speculating as to what may be revealed or even teased.
Thus far there have been only rumors with regards to how Square Enix plans to celebrate 30 years of Final Fantasy in 2017, but there are no doubt some obvious places the studio could go. Considering January 31, 2017 is the exact 20th anniversary for Final Fantasy 7, it seems a given that Square Enix would talk about its upcoming, episodic remake, but that could only be the tip of the iceberg. There is also talk that Square Enix might release a Final Fantasy Collection that includes most or all of the older games in one complete package.
As of right now, all fans know is that Square Enix will be holding an event on January 31st, and the studio is calling this the ‘Opening Ceremony.’ It seems likely, though, if Square Enix is going to release as many Final Fantasy products as are rumored, then it would start announcing them during this event.
If nothing else, fans might finally learn when the first episode of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake is set to hit. The timing couldn’t be more perfect and Final Fantasy 7 Remake is the only known FF property on Square Enix’s schedule.
A Final Fantasy collection would also likely go over very well with fans, as many of the older gamers are only available on legacy systems. It’s true that some titles, like Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 9, have made their way to PC, but those have just been ports. Presumably this Final Fantasy collection, if it exists, would be more than a single disc of ports.
While this invitation is sure to have Final Fantasy fans excited, there is plenty already available for them to enjoy as well. Final Fantasy 15 is finally out for public consumption and Square Enix has already detailed plans to expand upon the game through free and paid DLC. And those who might prefer their JRPGs a little more traditional have World of Final Fantasy, a title that leans more towards Square Enix’s turn-based roots.
If nothing else, 2017 is shaping up to be a banner year for Square Enix, assuming that at least some of the rumors are true. Stick tuned to Game Rant on January 31st for more on the Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Opening Ceremony.Email oliver.pickup@telegraph.co.uk with your answer to this question: should Manu Tuilagi play 12 in the Test team?
• Cian Healy suffers ankle injury; stretchered off • Irish prop Healy accused of biting • Eight tries scored by Lions • Leigh Halfpenny manages 11 from 11 kicks • Read Gavin Mairs' match report here
The Lions score eight tries in this straightforward victory. They also ceded two from close range, which will concern the coaching staff. Also they will be worried about the injury sustained by Irish loosehead prop Cian Healy, who had to be removed from the game just before half time.
It looked bad when his knee looked to buckle while carrying the ball into a tackle, but the noises are more positive coming out from the Lions camp. They believe that he might - hopefully - only have a sprained ankle. He has been shipped to hospital for a check up all the same.
Good performances? Mako Vunipola, on for Healy, was excellent and deserved his try. Captain Brian O'Driscoll scored twice - the second one from Manu Tuilagi's pass; the pair linked encouragingly well in the centre.
Jonny Sexton looked utterly class at fly-half, shipping balls near and far with precision. And dummying - as with his try - and chipping from hand very well. And Jamie Heaslip, another try scorer, looked back to his rampaging best, albeit against weak opponents.
And Lions head coach Warren Gatland picked out Leigh Halfpenny, who managed 11 successful kicks from 11 attempts, for praise. He said: "I thought that was pretty special." And he says he is "pretty pleased" with the 69-17 win.
It was a good work out - especially for the guys who were playing their first match on tour. Overall I'm pretty happy. There were some really good things there. At half time we talked about keeping our patience and then finishing them off.
He is concerned about the two scores conceded, though, and adds:
Australia will come hard at the fringes - we need to tighten that up. You always want to play against stronger sides, that is a lesson we learned in 2005 in South Africa. We have to make sure that we have that intensity in our games leading up to the Tests. If not we may have to do some full-on intensive training.
Western Force captain Matt Hodgson is happy with the game.
I think the scoreline did not reflect our effort. The Lions are a quality side. Their combinations are coming together. But it was a pretty equal battle up front.
Brian O'Driscoll, Lions captain for the day, says there is plenty of improvement.
It's always good to get on the end of a couple of moves. We are relatively pleased with the performance. But there is still plenty to work on, especially in defence. We have to continue building on this. We know that there will be bigger tests in the weeks ahead.
Leigh Halfpenny who managed an incredible 11 out of 11 kicks, also called for hard work.
I'm pretty pleased with how I struck the ball today. We are going to enjoy this victory but the work will continue. We need to take it to the next level now.
And Telegraph Sport's columnist Sir Ian McGeechan is happy.
The Lions attacking channels are looking very strong. They will be pleased by the variety they have - especially out wide. That will trouble the Australians.
Here is what Colin Johnstone thinks about Manu at No12.
So is the great centre pairing of Manu tuilagoi and BOD turned out to be the massive game breaker that we were told by the'sage of the page', Mick Cleary, that it was going to be? Er, no, not at all. All Tuilagi has done is confirm that he is a limited player and has been shown up by having good players around him which he doesn’t have when playing for England. Roberts and BOD for the Tests? I hope so.
They linked pretty well, in my eyes.
Some stats for you now.
<noframes>Datatable: Heaslip leads the way for Lions </noframes>
So, two out of two for the Lions. But we never thought it would be anything other than a win. The Lions head to the east coast of Australia now and hopefully the Queensland Reds, on Saturday, will offer more of a test. Read Gavin Mairs' match report here. Thanks for joining us and see you soon.
80min The buzzer sounds but the Force try to run it. Three or so phases are run and then there is a forward pass. That's game over.
76min WESTERN FORCE 17-69 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS And that's been coming as the host team look shattered. Replacement Geoff Parling takes in inside pass and burrows over from close range. The Leicester second row has looked good since coming on. Halfpenny makes it 11 from 11 with the conversion. Nine tries now for the tourists. And good play, again, from O'Brien.
<noframe>Twitter: Leicester Tigers - Parling crashes onto O'Brien's pass and over next to the post <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=TeamParling" target="_blank">#TeamParling</a> <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=Tigersfamily" target="_blank">#Tigersfamily</a> <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=TigersLions" target="_blank">#TigersLions</a></noframe>
73min A couple of other runs from Vunipola again as the Lions look to add to their 62 points while down to 14 men.
70min The Western Force have come back well. And referee Johnson goes to the pocket for the second time this afternoon. Alun-Wyn Jones will finish the game on the sidelines as the hosts have a penalty scrum from five minutes out. Meanwhile there is concern as Brown has clashed heads with Tom Croft, who was so close to being paralysed less than a year ago. Croft is OK, though. He lifts himself up gingerly and trudges off looking a little dazed. On comes Toby Faletau. On too is Ben Youngs. Now he and his brother Tom become the 14th set of siblings to play for the Lions.
<noframe>Twitter: Ryan Constable - How proud you reckon Tom & Ben's old man is right now. Two Lions for sons, on the pitch at the same time.</noframe>
67min WESTERN FORCE 17-62 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS And with his first touch of the ball Farrell finds a gap through the Force defence. Easy. That's try number eight, and Halfpenny makes it a perfect 10 with the boot.
<noframe>Twitter: marcwebber - The Lions are about to get a higher score than the Australian cricket team managed yesterday <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=bonzer" target="_blank">#bonzer</a> <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=Lions2013" target="_blank">#Lions2013</a> <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=rugby" target="_blank">#rugby</a></noframe>
65min WESTERN FORCE 17-55 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS That is delicious. Brian O'Driscoll crosses for this second try of the game, but it was neat from Sexton at 10, whose late ball finds 12 Tuilgali. The inside centre ships to BOD who is clear. Halfpenny - of course - hits from under the posts. Last action from Sexton. Owen Farrell is on for him.
And an email from Colin Green. Good timing!
Tuilagi shouldnt play anywhere in the team, let alone at 12.
63min WESTERN FORCE 17-48 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS And the hosts have another score. It's substitute Lachlan McCaffrey who is too strong for the Lions forwards and he runs between the posts. Both their tries have come from that area. Close tackling needs to improve. Sheehan laces the conversion.
60min Meanwhile Tom Youngs comes on for Rory Best, who has had a disappointing Lions debut, and Geoff Parling is also on.
<noframe>Twitter: Brian Moore - dejectedlookingfarce 10 - Lions 48 - Bowe over in corner Halfpenny yet again on the mark - subs being made - need to maintain momentum</noframe>
59min WESTERN FORCE 10-48 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS From that scrum Tommy Bowe crosses in the corner. I doubt it will be easy in the Tests but Bowe will not mind. A strong finish by the Irishman. And Leigh Halfpenny continues to kick like a dream. Eight from eight, and at least half have been from the touchline.
58min After continued pressure Ed Stubbs is shown the yellow card for killing the ball. He was stopping the Lions, who now have a penalty, and they have chosen a penalty five metres out. They would be disappointed not to have breached the line there.
55min And now Sexton clips the ball towards to Tommy Bowe. It almost finds him, too. But the Western Force full-back Sam Christie calls a mark. But it is called back for a penalty after the Force No12 Chris Tuatara-Morrison stops Murray at the breakdown. The Lions kick for the line.
53min Sexton finds penalty touch with a HUGE kick to the right. It's pretty much five metres out having been booted from around the halfway. But Force turn over the lineout.
51min WESTERN FORCE 10-41 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS Wide on the right-hand side Mako Vunipola bounces his way over for five more points after good work - again - from North. The Englishman has looked fantastic with ball in hand since he replaced the injured Healy before the break. Halfpenny, again from the edge, converts with a little bit of fade. Seven from seven.
<noframe>Twitter: Leicester Tigers - TRY: Replacement prop Mako Vunipola barrels over for the Lions 5th try</noframe>
50min Good defence from the Force now, and Sexton looks to find holes. The Irishman has looked classy today and it's easy to see - on this form - why Racing Metro are about to make him the most well-paid player in France.
48min WESTERN FORCE 10-34 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS And it's a try for the hosts. It's No8 Richard Brown, who - like captain Matt Hodgson - has been with the club since they formed in 2006. Poor defending from the Lions. Sheehan adds the extras. That's a try a piece now this half.
44min WESTERN FORCE 3-34 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS And it is a score, for the man who started that momentum: Jamie Heaslip. He is found on the right with a huge misspass by Sexton on his left hand. The No8 strolls in. And Halfpenny clips his conversion over from the right touchline this time. That's six from six by the Welshman.
<noframe>Twitter: Shane Williams - <a href="http://www.twitter.com/LeighHalfpenny1" target="_blank">@LeighHalfpenny1</a> "He's got it on a string!" Gotta love the Ozzy commentators!</noframe>
42min Heaslip finds himself in space after Vunipola and O'Brien make good ground. It comes left and the Lions almost score.
41min And the Lions kick off the second half. And good news from the Lions camp: they are hopeful that Healy's injury is only a sprained ankle. But he is being taken to hospital just in case.
Concern over Healy's injury
HALF TIME: WESTERN FORCE 3-27 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS
The Lions are easing into this task, as on Saturday. They will be concerned by Cian Healy's injury, though. Looked like his left knee. Ligaments, perhaps? And Telegraph Sport's James Corrigan thinks it could be trouble for the Lions. Wonder what Andrew Sheridan is up to...
<noframe>Twitter: James Corrigan - cian healy down and in agony, gethin Jenkins carrying an injury - and manu vuinopola and matt bloody stevens in reserve. loosehead panic</noframe>
Three tries from the Lions and some of the Irish look good. Tommy Bowe has impressed with his angles and pace. And No7 Sean O'Brien's running and passing is impressive - not good news for Sam Warburton. Sexton is looking sharp at No10 and BOD, despite racing up offside a couple of times, looks class. Even Jamie Heaslip is playing well. However, Rory Best has misfired with two of his lineout throws.
Tommy Bowe's running at depth has been outstanding.
Jonny Sexton opens the scoring for the Lions after a dummy
WESTERN FORCE 3-27 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS Easy for Croft. He gobbles those up for breakfast. And it seems that Halfpenny will gobble up any penalty shots - he just nailed another one from that left-hand touchline to finish the half.
40min The half is winding down and the mood seems sombre after that Healy injury.
It's a scrum to the Lions and Bowe touches the ball again. Now Vunipola gets his first carry. It's a good one. Big roar. From out on the left it is now shuttled to the right and BOD can't quite squeeze over this time. But they recycle well and it is flashed out left once more. There are loads of extra players and last man Tom Croft bellyflops over in the corner.
38min WESTERN FORCE 3-20 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS Meanwhile, as the Irish prop departs, Halfpenny laces a penalty
37min Telegraph Sport's Will Greenwood has just said that Sheehan has accused Healy of biting around the 15-minute mark. Will we hear more about that? Probably. Will we see Healy playing again in Australia this tour? Probably not. He is being taken off on a motorised stretcher. Worrying for the Lions on both counts.
<noframe>Twitter: Sonja McLaughlan - Looks like nasty left knee injury for Cian Healy. Meanwhile, SKY say the prop had been accused of biting by the Force. It's all happening</noframe>
36min Concern now, however, as Healy is down. He is grimmacing with pain. It does not look good. He took the ball into contact and looks like his left knee buckles. Ooooh. Mako Vunipola is stripped and ready to come on, and it looks as though he will have to. The crowd are silent, and as Healy was one of the favourites for a Test spot, this will hurt the Lions.
32min WESTERN FORCE 3-15 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS Much better from the Lions. They hit back almost immediately. The captain for the day, Brian O'Driscoll - back in the city where he first played for the Lions in 2001 (playing full-back for his one and only time) - finds himself in space out on the left, after a give and go with George North, and after showing inside backs himself to score in the corner. It goes upstairs but is soon given.
With chalk on his boots Halfpenny arrows the conversion through the posts. WESTERN FORCE 3-17 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS
Lions fans celebrate BOD's score
32min WESTERN FORCE 3-10 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS Sheehan puts Force on the board.
31min It's a penalty again for Force. And this time they will take the points. Brett Sheehan, the chippy Australian scrum-half (supposedly the 'best sledger' in the land), lines up the straight kick from 30 metres out.
29min Ten minutes before the interval, and Sexton is able to kick upfield after Murray wins a penalty. But Best - again - overthrowns. Not good from him. Force work their way up to the halfway, and Heaslip wins it back for Lions. It's loose and messy, and the visitors need to re-find their groove.
The man they call BOD is tackled
26min The Lions are whistled for an early hit and it's a free kick. The Force take a scrum and the Lions are penalised again. And this time it is a penalty. Cian Healy goes down. Norton-Knight shuffles the ball up the line, towards the Lions 22, but James Hilterbrand, who has not had an accurate start to the game, throws wide once more.
25min Scrum to the Lions now, and that was good defence - and good commitment from the Force. They needed that.
23min Decent rolling mauls from the home side. The Lions, now, are looking ragged, and Brian 'Driscoll is penalised for racing up offside. Big cheers as Norton-Knight kicks for the lineout again. But, even though the Lions do not contest, it slips though the fingers of Phoenix Battye - what a name! - and the Lions are able to release the pressure.
21min Hodgson win a long wayward lineout by the Lions and hoofs it upfield - the relief is palpable. He's nippy the Force skipper, and he manages to catch the bouncing ball, shaking off Halfpenny and causing a roar from the crowd. He is held up and it's a penalty. They sportingly kick for the lineout and are now five metres out.
Alun-Wyn Jones fails to catch Rory Best's throw
20min Now O'Brien is found on the right and the flanker chips it forward, but it is covered by the Force.
18min Murray, the Irish scrum half, get the ball from the scrum after a pop up from Heaslip but then spills the ball forward with the tryline begging to be breached. Nervous from Murray. From the resulting scrum Sam Norton-Knight clears upfield neatly.
17min Heaslip is knocked back, but Bowe cuts another swathe through the Force defence, having been found by Sexton, his Leinster team-mate. He pops it up to Tuilagi and he looked to be in, but is just scragged on the line. No try, I think. But they have gone up to the TMO. Was that for naughty play? It's an attacking scrum, either way. Force look weak, though. Even more than we expected.
<noframe>Twitter: Neil Fissler - Western Farce nothing else to be said <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=lions" target="_blank">#lions</a></noframe>
15min The Lions are once again working their way up the pitch, and have a scrum now seven or so metres out. Already the Force are looking limp. Tuilagi almost over now - it takes three to stop him as the Lions can sniff another score.
WESTERN FORCE 0-10 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS Sexton's try, strolled in under the posts, is converted by Leigh Halfpenny
12min The Lions have a penalty in the offing after a high shot on Tom Croft, but they don't need it as Sexton's dummy leads to a score from the Irish No10.
10min The Lions work the phases and Sexton fizzed out to Tuilagi, who batters the midfield. But it goes the other way and North makes good yardage having been found by Sean O'Brien. He is tackled but a try is not long away, surely.
8min A wayward Force lineout provides the Lions with a scrum 10 metres inside their half. And it's messy. It buckles and they reset. There is a hint of drizzle, which might make it tricky underfoot for the packs. And this time it works.
6min Neat kick from Sexton out to the right and it's caught by George North, but he is whistled for playing the ball when tackled.
4min From the kick off Alun-Wyn Jones knocks on. Sloppy mistake. But the Lions have the ball back from the post-scrum breakdown and they try to test out whether or not they can run it from their 22, but can't so it's booted clear by Sexton.
3 min WESTERN FORCE 0-3 BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS Halfpenny, rather than Jonny Sexton, has the first shot at the posts. And it's good.
2min Manu Tuilagi gets his first touch, and it's out on the right-hand side, but he is halted sharpish. But now Bowe cuts through the Force midfield. Big gap. He has raced through a dog leg and found Jamie Heaslip with scissors. The No8 is hauled down on the 22 and it's a penalty for to Lions as their hosts scramble back.
1min Force kick off from right to left and it's swallowed deep by Tommy Bowe.
11.02 Here come the Lions. Big noise as Brian O'Driscoll, on his fourth tour (and the only current tourist who featured in 2001 when they were last Down Under), leads out the cream of Britain and Ireland. And now Matt Hodgson leads out the Force in blue.
10.58 We've just seen footage of the Lions changing room, and they looked pretty pumped. Not a full house, again. But there are plenty of red shirts and Lions hats in the crowd.
10.55 Five minutes away now. Getting excited? Lovely evening in Perth. It's 6pm there, and about 14 degrees, according to this information.
10.50 Telegraph Sport columnist Sir Ian McGeechan thinks that Manu Tuilagi has the skills to impress at No12 and blasts Western Force's weak team selection.
Tuilagi is brilliant at the offload and at 12 it brings it a lot of players in to play; if you go to the line you can play inside and outside. With his ability he can influence the game. [And with regards to Western Force] I think they should play a stronger team and not get involved in local politics.
<noframe>Twitter: Jason Robinson - Looking forward to see how <a href="http://www.twitter.com/BrianODriscoll" target="_blank">@BrianODriscoll</a> & <a href="http://www.twitter.com/Manutuilagi" target="_blank">@Manutuilagi</a> combination works!</noframe>
10.40 Warren Gatland has just been on and says that he is "a little bit concerned" that his side may not be truly challenged before the first Test. He has urged his team today to "not over play", and is looking forward to seeing how the midfield combination of Tuilagi and Driscoll go. Will this be the Test centres? Mick Cleary calls it a 'dream pairing' here. What do you think?
<noframe>Twitter: Mick Cleary - At the Subiaco.The road to Sydney glory began here for Eng in 2003. What price Lions wrapping it by time get there? <a href="http://t.co/FC8gm8LWsQ" target="_blank">http://t.co/FC8gm8LWsQ</a></noframe>
10.35 The former Lions head coach and the man who was in charge of England's 2003 World Cup, Sir Clive Woodward, ruffled some feathers this morning by questioning the Australian attitude to the Lions in his Daily Mail column. He says that with Western Force putting forward a weakened side it shows an arrogance from the host country and contempt for the Lions. He even goes as far as to say that the Lions should consider whether or not to miss out Australia from future tours.
The response from Down Under has just arrived.
Australian Rugby Union (ARU) spokesman Peter Jenkins said Woodward is "entitled to his opinion" but added: "The Force side the Lions will face in the opening match does include Super Rugby and test experienced players which was certainly not the case in the corresponding match in 2001 when the Lions played Western Australia in Perth.
"It was also the case in 2001 that Test players were stood down from a number of the provincial matches. Similarly, these sorts of claims do not take into account that the depth of Australian rugby has increased considerably in the past 12 years."
Hmm, what do you make of it?
10.30 Good news about the Lions captain, Sam Warburton:
<noframe>Twitter: WalesOnline Rugby - Lions skipper Sam Warburton has taken part in full training and will play Saturday. Latest here <a href="http://t.co/yUObycl3Rb" target="_blank">http://t.co/yUObycl3Rb</a> <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=LionsTour" target="_blank">#LionsTour</a></noframe>
10.25 Interestingly this stadium was where England began their 2003 World Cup campaign, and we all know what happened that year. A good omen, then, perhaps. Here's a reminder of how Jonny Wilkinson's tournament went. Aussies, look away now.
10.20 And here is some more brilliant Lions content from this week:
- John Eales, Australia's World Cup captain, says banter like 'pom' and 'convict' is harmless
- Lions players getting their kit off at City Beach, Perth
- Top five video moments of the Lions on tour Down Under, including the below showing Ronan O'Gara taking 11 punches to his face. (Warning: contains swearing.)
10.15 Some required reading from today's Daily Telegraph:
- Warren Gatland have told his players to use force and not fists
- Nathan Sharpe warns the Lions that Australian's will want to "take a nibble" out of them
- Rory Best is relishing the chance to make the most of his late Lions call
- The Force coach blames the Lions' itinerary for fielding a weakened side
10.05 In another blow for Australia, back rower Scott Higginbotham has been ruled out of the whole series now after dislocating his shoulder. Higginbotham, capped 23 times, was injured playing for the Melbourne Rebels in their 33-20 Super Rugby loss to the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Saturday.
A statement from Australia Rugby reads: "The rehabilitation timelines are such that he is not expected to be fit to return to play until the start of next year's Super Rugby competition."
Ouch. Captain David Pocock, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Sitaleki Timani have already been ruled out of the Tests in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney due to injury, while doubts also exist over the fitness of Digby Ioane and George Smith.
Wallabies legend Michael Lynagh said yesterday that the propests of a Lions whitewash are very real. This news will not help his nerves. Read the World Cup winner's thoughts here.
10.00 A very good morning rugby fans. In an hour’s time the British and Irish Lions will kick off the first of nine games on their Australian tour. And while their opposition, Western Force, are considerably blunted – seven of their side have never before played for the team – there is still much to be excited about.
This video pretty much sums up the attitude the Aussies have towards the Lions, and the Force have threatened to hurt their opponents.
Granted, Warren Gatland’s side are likely to win by 50 points or more (it’s interesting to note that the corresponding fixture 12 years ago, when the Lions were last Down Under, was 116-10 against Western Australia), and this tactic to remove Wallaby Test players from their clubs in the hope of ambushing the tourists is nothing new, the visitors’ head coach will be more concerned about how his XV go at Patersons Stadium in Perth.
The prospect of watching how the centre partnership of Manu Tuilagi, wearing the number 12 on his back for once, and Brian O'Driscoll gel is probably the most exciting. With Jonny Sexton, BOD’s soon-to-be-departing Leinster fly-half on Manu's inside then he can be assured of plenty of ball. What can he do with it? How good will his offloads and creative vision be? Can be be the Lions version of Sonny Bill Williams? We shall soon see.
Here are Telegraph Sport's Mick Cleary's five questions which may be answered in Perth today: well worth five minutes of your time.
<noframe>Twitter: Mick Cleary - Glorious Perth morning turned to cloudy Manchester afternoon, bit of rain about. Not enough to deter Lions- they should win with plenty, +35</noframe>
Below are your teams for today's match.
WESTERN FORCE
1. Salesi Manu, 2. James Hilterbrand, 3. Salesi Ma’afu, 4. Toby Lynn, 5. Phoenix Battye, 6. Angus Cottrell, 7. Matt Hodgson (c) 8. Richard Brown; 9. Brett Sheehan, 10. Sam Norton-Knight, 11. Corey Brown, 12. Chris Tuatara-Morrison, 13. Ed Stubbs, 14. Dane Haylett-Petty, 15. Sam Christie
Reserves: 16. Hugh Roach, 17. Sione Kolo,18. Tim Metcher, 19. Ben Matwijow, 20. Lachlan McCaffrey, 21. Alby Mathewson, 22. Nick Haining, 23. Junior Rasolea
BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS
1. Cian Healy, 2. Rory Best, 3. Dan Cole, 4. Alun Wyn Jones, 5. Ian Evans, 6. Tom Croft, 7. Sean O’Brien, 8. Jamie Heaslip, 9. Conor Murray, 10. Jonathan Sexton, 11. George North, 12. Manu Tuilagi, 13. Brian O’Driscoll (c), 14. Tommy Bowe, 15. Leigh Halfpenny
Reserves: 16. Tom Youngs, 17. Mako Vunipola, 18. Matt Stevens, 19. Geoff Parling, 20. Toby Faletau, 21. Ben Youngs, 22. Owen Farrell, 23. Sean Maitland
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)In a letter announcing their resignation, several members of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH) called on him to step down as well if he can't vocally denounce white supremacy.
The group cites President Trump’s “un-American” comments on the violence in Charlottesville, Va., as the last straw for them, but they list multiple other controversies that the president has been involved in before the rally, including "undermining the Civil Rights Act" and his proposed cuts to arts funding.
The first letter of each paragraph in the letter spells out "resist," a reference to liberal efforts to counter Trump's agenda.
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"Reproach and censure in the strongest possible terms are necessary following your support of the hate groups and terrorists who killed and injured fellow Americans in Charlottesville," it reads.
“The Administration’s refusal to quickly and unequivocally condemn the cancer of hatred only further emboldens those who wish America ill.... Your words and actions push us all further away from the freedoms we are guaranteed."
The members of the group include actor Kal Penn, director George Wolfe and artist Chuck Close and serves to advise the president on things like health, education and business.
Dear @realDonaldTrump, attached is our letter of resignation from the President's Committee on the Arts & the Humanities @PCAH_gov pic.twitter.com/eQI2HBTgXs — Kal Penn (@kalpenn) August 18, 2017
"Elevating any group that threatens and discriminates on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, disability, orientation, background, or identity is un-American," the letter states.
“The false equivalencies you push cannot stand,” the letter says.
“We cannot sit idly by, the way that your West Wing advisors have, without speaking out against your words and actions.”
The letter continues that art is about “inclusion” and a free press and mentions that Trump has “attacked both.”
“Speaking truth to power is never easy, Mr. President,” the letter reads. “But it is our role as commissioners on the PCAH to do so.”
Some of the council's members from the Obama administration quit the commission immediately after Trump won the election, but others stayed on.
The move comes after at least a dozen CEOs of prominent companies left several of Trump’s advisory councils in the past week over his comments on the Charlottesville rally, during which one died and 19 more were injured when a car drove into a group of counterprotesters.
Trump dissolved two of the advisory panels this week as they were falling apart.
In addition, at least three major charities have canceled events that were scheduled to be held at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's private resort in Florida.
Trump has been taking heavy criticism for suggesting that there are multiple sides to blame for the violence at the rally, refusing to put all the blame on the white supremacists and neo-Nazis who organized the event.
Trump said "many sides" share blame after Charlottesville and that there were some "very fine people" among the white supremacists.
“Supremacy, discrimination, and vitriol are not American values. Your values are not American values,” the former arts council members wrote. “If this is not clear to you, then we call on you to resign your office, too.”Fish gotta swim, but parents should think twice before letting their kids don mermaid fins in the water, some experts say. Wearable mermaid tails have become this summer’s must-have aquatic accessory, allowing kids and grown-ups alike to live out their Little Mermaid dreams. But some recreation departments are growing concerned these fantasy fins could pose a safety risk to inexperienced swimmers. At a conference for the Alberta Association of Recreation Facility Personnel at the end of April, the toys were a hot topic for debate, with some safety experts advising an outright ban, while others recommended a mermaid swim test. Edmonton has forbidden mermaid tails in city-owned pools altogether, because they pose, a “serious safety risk to swimmers,” Christopher Webster, a representative for the city’s recreation department said in an email.
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“Mermaid tails promote breath holding for long periods of underwater swimming, the risk of which is “shallow water blackouts” which can often lead to drowning,” Webster said. “There is also significant risk to other swimmers who might be pulled under if the wearer of the mermaid tails finds themselves in trouble and panics.” But in Ontario, the imaginative water toy is causing less of a commotion.
City of Toronto pools currently have no policy regarding mermaid tails, and Aydin Sarrafzadeh, the city’s aquatics manager, said they are not that common yet. “At this time, we have no intention of banning them,” Sarrafzadeh said, adding that they should not be used in crowded pools. Almost all pools in Ontario make children take a swim test before they’re allowed to swim without a parent or guardian, says Michael Shane, the safety management director for the Lifesaving Society of Ontario. Shane says that he doesn’t think it’s necessary to outright |
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